cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anoxic-ischemic encephalopathy of the rat brain

Abstract The combined effect of vascular occlusion and anoxia was used to produce lesions in the rat brain. Histological and histochemical techniques were employed in order to ascertain the early cellular changes. One could demonstrate unequivocal pallor and a spongy appearance of the cortical neuropil, indicating edema, as early as 2.5 hours. The earliest changes in the neurons were characterized by a reduction in number of the lysosomes rather than an enlargement of this cytoplasmic organelle. The appearance of “cytolysomes” was sporadic and haphazard. They were not as large as other workers have demonstrated. The earliest changes demonstrated with the oxidative enzymatic techniques were present in the neuropil and this would indicate that the structures far from the cell body (dendrites, glial processes and axons) are affected first. Ischemic neurons showed persistent enzymatic activity after more than 24 hours. The reactive astrocytes, present in old lesions, showed a most intense reaction with the oxidative enzymatic techniques.
Platelet monoamine oxidase activity in 116 normal rhesus monkeys: relations between enzyme activity and age, sex and genetic factors.

Abstract 1. Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity in Macaca Mulatta tended to increase with age ( r = 0.41, P 2. MAO activities were closely correlated when two different substrates for the enzyme, tryptamine and benzylamine, were compared ( r = 0.82, P 3. A predominant influence of genetic factors on platelet MAO activity was suggested by a significantly higher intraclass correlation for half-sib pairs compared to non-related, age and sex-matched pairs. 4. Significant differences were also observed for platelet MAO activity comparisons between 4 primate species: Macaca mulatta, Macaca arctoides, Cercopithecus aethiops and Homo sapiens .
The impact of bicameralism on legislative production

It is generally accepted by scholars, as well as by cameral partisans, that adding a second chamber to an otherwise unicameral legislative process will decrease the volume of laws that a legislature enacts. This study challenges the conventional wisdom. First, I offer a simple theoretical argument that shows that when second chambers can originate as well as reject legislation, bicameralism will have an indeterminate impact on legislative production. Second, I provide historical data gathered from the four U.S. states that have experienced cameral transitions. Although very rudimentary, the historical evidence, when coupled with the theoretical argument, raises serious doubt regarding the traditional claim that bicameralism reduces the production of legislation.
Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion

This study examines the life and teachings of Nanak (1469-1539), the first of the Sikh Gurus. It concludes that relatively little can be known about his life and travels, but much can be understood concerning his personality and his teachings.
When managerialism meets professional autonomy: The university ‘budget update’ as genre of governance

Through analysis of 178 texts posted online by university leaders during a severe budget shortfall, I explore the tensions that arise as managerialist practices are recontextualized within university governance. I identify 64 texts constitutive of a hybrid genre, which I call the ‘budget update’. The structure and linguistic features of this genre are described. Interdiscursive and intertextual analysis demonstrate hybridities that emerge when leaders enact, negotiate, and resist managerialism.
Ductus arteriosus aneurysm with massive thrombosis of pulmonary artery and fetal hydrops.

ABSTRACT Ductus arteriosus aneurysm (DAA) is a rare cardiovascular lesion usually diagnosed within the first 2 months of life, or less frequently in the 3rd trimester, by antenatal sonography. The true in utero incidence of DAA is unknown, as most affected fetuses are asymptomatic at birth. Potential complications include thromboembolism, rupture, and death. We report a unique lethal case of a large DAA detected by mid–2nd trimester fetal echocardiography, complicated by stricture and massive occlusive thrombosis extending into the pulmonary artery branches. Stricture and thrombosis of the DAA led to interruption of fetal circulation, cardiac failure, and fetal hydrops, ultimately resulting in fetal demise.
Nigrothalamic pathway in the cat demonstrated by autoradiography and electron microscopy.

Light microscopic autoradiography and electron microscopy were used to trace the nigrothalamic projections and to study the sites of termination of this pathway in the cat. Injections of tritiated amino acids or electrolytic lesions were placed in the substantia nigra pars reticularis (SNr). An accumulation of radioactivity was found in the ventral medial nucleus and in the ventromedial part of the ventral anterior nucleus. At the ultrastructural level degenerating medium size synaptic boutons and medium size myelinated fibers were observed in these nuclei. The boutons contained clear pleomorphic vesicles and formed symmetrical type synaptic contacts with regular type dendrites and vesicle-containing dendrites.
Efficient representations of Green’s functions for some elliptic equations with piecewise-constant coefficients

Convenient for immediate computer implementation equivalents of Green’s functions are obtained for boundary-contact value problems posed for two-dimensional Laplace and Klein-Gordon equations on some regions filled in with piecewise homogeneous isotropic conductive materials. Dirichlet, Neumann and Robin conditions are allowed on the outer boundary of a simply-connected region, while conditions of ideal contact are assumed on interface lines. The objective in this study is to widen the range of effective applicability for the Green’s function version of the boundary integral equation method making the latter usable for equations with piecewise-constant coefficients.
Space–bandwidth product and accuracy of the optical Mellin transform

Reference EPFL-STUDENT-158606View record in Web of Science Record created on 2010-11-25, modified on 2017-05-10
Organotellurium Compounds 8. Aryltellurols as Reducing Agents

Abstract Phenyltellurol and 2-thienyltellurol, generated in situ, have been found to act as selective reductants towards a number of representative organic substrates.
A combined dispatching criteria approach to scheduling semiconductor manufacturing systems

Abstract The scheduling problem of semiconductor manufacturing systems has multiple responses of interest. The objective is to simultaneously optimize these different responses or to find the best-compromised solution. Most previous research in the area of semiconductor manufacturing systems has focused on optimizing a single performance measure. Dabbas and Fowler proposed a modified dispatching approach that combines multiple dispatching criteria into a single rule with the objective of simultaneously optimizing multiple objectives. In this paper, we validate their proposed approach using two different fab models at different levels of complexity: a hypothetical six stage-five machines Mini-Fab model and a full scale wafer fab model adapted from an actual Motorola wafer fab. We also discuss the actual implementation of the proposed dispatching algorithm into a scheduler for daily operation at a Motorola wafer fabrication facility. Results show an average 20% improvement for all responses when using the proposed dispatching approach.
Vital Staining of Cardiac Myocytes During Embryonic Stem Cell Cardiogenesis In Vitro

Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells differentiate in vitro into a variety of cell types, including spontaneously contracting cardiac myocytes. The primary aim of this work was to use vital stain techniques for real-time detection of developing cardiac myocytes in ES cell differentiation cultures. The -440 to +6 human cardiac alpha-actin promoter was used to direct expression of the Escherichia coli reporter gene lacZ (pHCActlacZ) into ES cell-derived cardiac myocytes during cardiogenesis in vitro. Undifferentiated ES cells were electroporated with HCActlacZ together with a plasmid containing the neomycin gene under the direction of the phosphoglycerate kinase promoter, and stable transformants were selected in G418. Individual clones were screened for activation of lacZ gene expression in cardiac myocytes developing in vitro. Results showed that expression of the HCActlacZ reporter construct was activated very early during the ES cell differentiation program, at a time point before the appearance of spontaneous contractile activity. The earliest detection was at day 6 of differentiation, when approximately 25% of the differentiation cultures expressed the reporter construct, with expression increasing to approximately 70% at day 9 and continuing throughout the duration of spontaneous contractile activity exhibited by the ES cell-derived cardiac myocytes. Indirect immunofluorescence assays provide evidence that expression was restricted to the cardiac myocytes in culture. In the present study, we show vital staining of transgene expression in living cardiac myocytes using lipophilic fluorogenic beta-galactopyranoside substrates for real-time detection of the reporter gene during continuous contraction of the ES cell myocytes in vitro. The vital stain approach used in the present study will permit the identification of differentiating ES cells that are committed to the cardiac lineage for analysis of gene expression at early time points of ES cell cardiogenesis and, in addition, will aid in selecting genetically modified ES cell cardiac myocytes for use in functional studies.
Design of a minimal-order observer for singular systems

This paper considers the design of an observer for generalized state-space systems using the concept of generalized inverses. In contrast to the Luenberger observer theory, a new method is proposed which does not presuppose the observer structure. It is shown that under certain conditions it is possible to construct a minimal-order observer for this class of systems. Illustrative examples are included.
Molecular Mechanisms of Repeated Social Defeat-Induced Glucocorticoid Resistance: Role of microRNA

Glucocorticoid (GC) resistance is a severe problem associated with various inflammatory diseases. Previous studies have shown that repeated social stress induces GC resistance in innate immune cells, but the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine potential underlying molecular mechanism(s) of repeated social defeat (RSD) stress on GC resistance in splenic macrophages. It was hypothesized that mRNA expression of receptors for GC and nuclear translocating-associated regulators in splenic macrophages would be affected by RSD, and that these changes would be associated with epigenetic modification. The data showed that the mRNA expression of GC and mineralocorticoid receptors were significantly decreased in splenic macrophages by RSD. RSD also induced a significantly decreased mRNA expression in FK506-binding protein 52 (FKBP52), consequently resulting in a significantly increased ratio of FKBP51 to FKBP52. Moreover, DNA methyltransferases 3a and 3b showed a significant decrease in their mRNA expression in the RSD group as did mRNA expression of histone deacetyltransferase 2. The RSD group also showed a significantly reduced quantity of methylated DNA in splenic macrophages. Based on microRNA (miRNA) profiling data, it was determined that RSD induced significantly increased expression of 9 different miRNAs that were predicted to interact with mRNAs of the GC receptor (6 miRNAs), mineralocorticoid receptor (3 miRNAs) and FKBP52 (2 miRNAs). Spearman correlation analysis revealed significantly strong correlations between the expression of 2 miRNAs and their target mRNA expression for GC receptors. Among these miRNAs, we verified direct effects of miRNA-29b and -340 overexpression on mRNA expression of GC receptors in L929 cells. The overexpression of miRNA-29b or -340 in L929 cells significantly reduced LPS-induced overexpression of GC receptors. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that epigenetic regulation, such as DNA methylation and miRNA expression, may play a role in the RSD-induced GC resistance that we have observed in splenic macrophages.
Age and Serum Fluphenazine Concentrations

Fluphenazine (FPZ) is relatively commonly used in geriatric patients. However, the effects of advanced age on FPZ pharmacokinetics are poorly understood. To test the hypothesis that FPZ concentration/dose ratios are positively associated with age, we retrospectively studied 43 patients who were on stable doses of FPZ and had serum concentrations determined by HPLC during their hospitalization. Their ages ranged from 20 yrs to 87 yrs. In 11 patients FPZ concentrations were below the limit of detection. The ages and FPZ doses of patients with detectable FPZ concentrations overlapped those of patients with nondetectable FPZ. In patients with detectable FPZ, the correlation between age and FPZ concentration/dose was not significant (r=.15). In aged patients, lower doses of FPZ may not be generally necessary to achieve concentrations equivalent to those in younger patients.
A novel technique for fabrication of fully depleted CMOS devices in ultra-thin SOI films

Summary form only given. A novel technique which allows fabrication of CMOS devices in ultrathin silicon films without using the exotic source-drain metallization schemes has been developed. This technique, in the limit, will allow fabrication of devices in extremely thin ( >
Search and rescue with serpentine robots

Serpentine robots offer advantages over traditional mobile robots and robot arms because they have enhanced flexibility and reachability; especially in convoluted environments. These mechanisms are especially well suited for search and rescue operations where making contact with surviving victims trapped in a collapsed building is essential. The same flexibility that makes serpentine robots incredibly useful also makes them difficult to design and control. This paper will describe the current status of serpentine robot design and path planning underway in our research group and point towards future directions of research.
Scaling laws for perturbations in the ocean–atmosphere system following large CO 2 emissions

Abstract. Scaling relationships are found for perturbations to atmosphere and ocean variables from large transient CO2 emissions. Using the Long-term Ocean-atmosphere-Sediment CArbon cycle Reservoir (LOSCAR) model (Zeebe et al., 2009; Zeebe, 2012b), we calculate perturbations to atmosphere temperature, total carbon, ocean temperature, total ocean carbon, pH, alkalinity, marine-sediment carbon, and carbon-13 isotope anomalies in the ocean and atmosphere resulting from idealized CO2 emission events. The peak perturbations in the atmosphere and ocean variables are then fit to power law functions of the form of γ DαEβ, where D is the event duration, E is its total carbon emission, and γ is a coefficient. Good power law fits are obtained for most system variables for E up to 50 000 PgC and D up to 100 kyr. Although all of the peak perturbations increase with emission rate E/D, we find no evidence of emission-rate-only scaling, α + β = 0. Instead, our scaling yields α + β s 1 for total ocean and atmosphere carbon and 0
SU‐FF‐T‐07: The Application of Sr‐90/Y‐90 for the Prevention of Abdominal Adhesions

Recently, a resurgence in the use of beta particles from 90Sr/90Y has occurred, primarily due to its use in intracoronary brachytherapy. 90Sr/90Y has also been employed in the ophthalmologic community for postoperative irradiation of pterygia. Due to these successes and other advantageous results of irradiating benign tumors and diseases, a new use for the 90Sr/90Y ophthalmologic applicator has been hypothesized: the use of beta radiation for the prevention of abdominal adhesions. To characterize the source for this use, preliminary measurements were made in a polystyrene phantom using GafChromic film and TLDs. Our results compared favorably with measured values for clinically relevant depths. Upon completion of the phantom measurements, experiments commenced to test the hypothesis in an animal model. Two potential adhesion sites were created in the abdomen of rats via denudation of the serosa of the small intestine. Irradiation of one site with the 90Sr/90Y beta applicator occurred; the other site was used as a positive control (no radiation). A 10-day recovery followed, allowing adhesion formation if it occurred; the animals were then euthanized and the injured areas analyzed for efficacy of treatment. Nine Sprague-Dawley rats were irradiated with varying doses (to determine a dose-response relationship) to a prescribed depth of 1mm. This choice was based on the Novoste clinical trials, clinical treatment depths for the 90Sr/90Y applicator, and experimental research on 90Sr/90Y beta particles (Buckley et al., 2001). The animals were sacrificed and gross and microscopic pathology was performed. Results show that radiation is effective in preventing adhesion formation. Eight of nine irradiated sections showed no formation of adhesions, while the ninth developed a single adhesion, whereas twelve of thirteen unirradiated sections formed adhesions. The Mann-Whitney U test yielded a p-value of 0.022 confirming the effectiveness of adhesion prevention by the addition of small amounts of beta radiation.
The effect of heat and radiation on the initiation and elongation processes of DNA synthesis.

SummaryThe pH step alkaline elution and alkaline sucrose gradient techniques were utilized to evaluate alterations in DNA replication (initiation and elongation) induced by heat and low dose X-irradiation in synchronized Chinese hamster ovary cells. The initiation and elongation processes of DNA synthesis were radioresistant at the G1/S boundary (4 hours after mitosis) while in mid S phase (9 hours after mitosis) DNA initiation and elongation were sensitive to X-irradiation. The initiation and elongation processes of DNA synthesis which were radiation resistant at the G1/S boundary could be inhibited by a hyperthermia treatment (43°C for 1 hour beginning at 4 hours after mitosis). The impairment of initiation in the heated cells was maintained through late S phase while that of elongation was reversible as judged by full recovery at 15 hours after mitosis. These data suggest that the known synergistic lethality of heat and radiation may be mediated by an impairment of initiation of DNA synthesis.
What have we learned from recent dyspepsia trials

Dyspepsia is a common disorder and a frequent complaint of patients presenting for primary care. Understanding of the role of Helicobacter pylori has led to re-evaluation of management strategies for these patients. This article highlights results from clinical trials that have helped to clarify the role of empiric therapy, endoscopy, radiography, and H. pylori eradication in patients with nonulcer dyspepsia.
Global mantle flow and the development of seismic anisotropy: Differences between the oceanic and continental upper mantle

[1] Viscous shear in the asthenosphere accommodates relative motion between Earth’s surface plates and underlying mantle, generating lattice-preferred orientation (LPO) in olivine aggregates and a seismically anisotropic fabric. Because this fabric develops with the evolving mantle flow field, observations of seismic anisotropy can constrain asthenospheric flow patterns if the contribution of fossil lithospheric anisotropy is small. We use global viscous mantle flow models to characterize the relationship between asthenospheric deformation and LPO and compare the predicted pattern of anisotropy to a global compilation of observed shear wave splitting measurements. For asthenosphere >500 km from plate boundaries, simple shear rotates the LPO toward the infinite strain axis (ISA, the LPO after infinite deformation) faster than the ISA changes along flow lines. Thus we expect the ISA to approximate LPO throughout most of the asthenosphere, greatly simplifying LPO predictions because strain integration along flow lines is unnecessary. Approximating LPO with the ISA and assuming A-type fabric (olivine a axis parallel to ISA), we find that mantle flow driven by both plate motions and mantle density heterogeneity successfully predicts oceanic anisotropy (average misfit 13). Continental anisotropy is less well fit (average misfit 41), but lateral variations in lithospheric thickness improve the fit in some continental areas. This suggests that asthenospheric anisotropy contributes to shear wave splitting for both continents and oceans but is overlain by a stronger layer of lithospheric anisotropy for continents. The contribution of the oceanic lithosphere is likely smaller because it is thinner, younger, and less deformed than its continental counterpart.
Gauge-invariant poisson brackets for chromohydrodynamics

Abstract Noncanonical hamiltonian structures are presented both for Yang-Mills Vlasov plasmas, and for ideal fluids interacting with Yang-Mills fields. These hamiltonian structures are given Lie-algebraic interpretations.
Quark loop model of radiative meson decays

Radiative meson decays are computed from quark loop anomalies, taking into account the SU(3) splitting of the quark masses. Predicted rates for ϕ→ηγ,K*→Kγ, and η→ππγ are brought into satisfactory agreement with experiment. Formulas are given for the radiative decay rates of charmed las are given for the radiative decay rates of charmed mesons, and a mechanism suggested for suppression of the radiative decays of mesons containing a charmed quark.
Phase Transitions in Anisotropic Classical Heisenberg Ferromagnets

The method of Peierls is used to prove the existence of a spontaneous magnetization for a spin system with nearest-neighbor interactions and Hamiltonian\(H = - J \sum\limits_{\left\langle {ij} \right\rangle } { [S_i^z S_j^z + \alpha (S_i^x S_j^x + S_i^y S_i^y )], S_i } \) a (classical) unit vector at thei'th site, with |α|<0.0298 and 0.0198 for a square lattice and simple cubic lattice, respectively.
Paclitaxel (Taxol) and Docetaxel (Taxotere): active chemotherapeutic agents in lung cancer

Paclitaxel (Taxol), the prototype of a new class of plant-derived antineoplastic compounds, is a natural product isolated from the Pacific yew. Docetaxel (Taxotere) is a hemisynthetic product derived from the European yew. These agents share a unique mechanism of cytotoxic action by promoting assembly of microtubules and rendering the microtubules resistant to depolymerization. In vitro studies suggest a possible role for radiation sensitization. In Phase I trials, the dose-limiting toxicity was neutropenia for both agents. Other toxicities include infusion-related hypersensitivity reactions, alopecia, neurotoxicity, mucositis, diarrhoea and myalgias. To prevent infusion-related reactions, routine premedication is recommended. Noncumulative cardiac toxicity has been observed with paclitaxel. Fluid retention and rash have been reported with docetaxel. In Phase II studies of paclitaxel in advanced non-small cell lung cancer, response rates of 21% and 24% were observed. In Phase II studies of docetaxel in similar patients, response rates ranging from 28-38% were reported, including patients previously treated with cisplatin. The most common toxicity in these studies was neutropenia. Combination studies with cisplatin and other agents are in progress. Paclitaxel and docetaxel are among the most active chemotherapeutic agents for non-small cell lung cancer patients. Their testing will dominate trials of new therapies in this disease for years to come.
Effects of Bacillus thuringiensis var. Israelensis on nontarget benthic organisms in a lentic habitat and factors affecting the efficacy of the larvicide

The goal of this study was to examine the effects of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis applications on waterfowl invertebrates food resources at the Minnesota Valley National Wildfife Refuge. Specific objectives were to determine the effect of Vectobac-G® on benthic invertebrates in an aquatic wetland community and to conduct laboratory toxicity tests to evaluate the conditions under which environmental factors influenced toxicity
COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN THE POST‐13 ERA: INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSES TO TAX LIMITATION

The Jarvis‐Gann amendment to the California constitution cut property taxes by almost 60%. The state's community‐college system, the largest and among the oldest in the country, depends heavily on property taxes, and consequently faces a constrained future. This study sought some indication of the responses these constraints would bring. Based on six case studies, in the late summer of 1978, colleges’ major responses appear to have been general cuts across all programs and activities. Where these were insufficient, colleges often cut community‐service activities, eliminated weekend or evening classes, spent excess reserves, or deferred major expenditures for maintenance or compliance with legal obligations. The result, for the present, is roughly the same mix and level of services, although convenience and flexibility have been reduced. The future looks much bleaker: salaries, at first effectively frozen by state law, will have to increase; state support in lieu of property taxes will stabilize or decline...
Development of a Brief Assessment Scale for Caregivers of the Medically Ill

Abstract Studies have documented high degrees of burden and negative outcomes for caregivers. The present study sought to develop a brief instrument for caregiver burden. An item pool was administered to 102 caregivers of patients with chronic illnesses (cancer, 55%; neurological, 15%; psychiatric 12%), along with measures of caregiver burden and quality of life. Item reduction was accomplished through content review and factor analysis. This yielded a 14-item Brief Assessment Scale for Caregivers (BASC) and an eight-item subscale measuring negative personal impact (NPI). Cronbach's alpha was 0.70 for the BASC and 0.80 for the NPI. Construct validity was confirmed by appropriate patterns of intercorrelation with other measures of caregiver burden. Higher burden was found for caregivers expected to have higher levels of distress (adult children caring for parents, P
The Role of PTHrP in Pancreatic Beta-Cells and Implications for Diabetes Pathophysiology and Treatment

Diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases worldwide, with an immense economic and health burden attached. It is now well accepted that a deficiency of functional insulin-producing pancreatic beta-cells is the main cause for all forms of diabetes. Several approaches are being taken to increase functional beta-cell mass. These include differentiation of new beta-cells from stem cells or progenitor cells, transdifferentiation of beta-cells from other mature cell types, as well as finding ways to enhance the function, proliferation, survival, and regeneration of preexisting beta-cells. This article enumerates on the role of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and its mode of action on pancreatic beta-cell function, proliferation, and survival in rodents as well as in human beta-cells. A further understanding of the mechanism of action of PTHrP and its role in the normal physiology and pathophysiology of the beta-cell will be important for its potential use in future as a therapeutic treatment for diabetes.
Synthesis of a Tricyclic Mescaline Analogue by Catalytic C−H Bond Activation

A tetrahydrobis(benzofuran) mescaline analogue has been prepared in six steps and 38% overall yield from (4‘-O-methyl)methyl gallate. The key step in this synthesis is a tandem cyclization reaction via directed C−H activation followed by olefin insertion.
Stripe forming architecture of the gap gene system

In this report, we show that gap genes encode exactly one set of pair-rule stripes, which occur in the native even-skipped position. The core of this work is a detailed analysis that shows how this conclusion follows from the arrangement of gap domains in the embryo. This analysis shows that: (1) pattern forming information is transmitted from gap to pair-rule genes by means of a nonredundant set of morphogenetic gradients, and (2) the stripe forming capability of the gap genes is constrained by the arrangement of these gradients and by the fact that each gap domain consists of a pair of correlated gradients. We also show that in the blastoderm, the regulatory sign of a transcriptional regulator is unlikely to change in a concentration dependent manner. The principal analytic tool used to establish these results is the gene circuit method. Here, this method is applied to examine hybrid data sets consisting of real gene expression data for four gap genes and hypothetical pair-rule expression data generated by translating native even-skipped data along the anterior-posterior axis. In this way, we are able to investigate the stripe forming capabilities of the gap gene system in the complete absence of pair-rule cross regulation. We close with an inference about evolutionary development. It is argued that the constraints on gap gene architecture identified here are a consequence of selective pressures that minimize the number of gap genes required to determine segments in long-germ band insects.
Meclizine: Safety and Efficacy in the Treatment and Prevention of Motion Sickness

Motion sickness is a self-limiting but uncomfortable phenomenon experienced by many people. It is common during civilian travel and also among professionals during travel or military manoeuvres. Meclizine is a piperzine antihistamine that is effective for the prevention and treatment of motion sickness, particularly during mild civilian travel. It is well tolerated with few adverse effects and its oral dosage form is convenient for patients to take prior to exposure to motion as a preventative measure.
Capacity limit of visual short-term memory in human posterior parietal cortex

At any instant, our visual system allows us to perceive a rich and detailed visual world. Yet our internal, explicit representation of this visual world is extremely sparse: we can only hold in mind a minute fraction of the visual scene. These mental representations are stored in visual short-term memory (VSTM). Even though VSTM is essential for the execution of a wide array of perceptual and cognitive functions, and is supported by an extensive network of brain regions, its storage capacity is severely limited. With the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging, we show here that this capacity limit is neurally reflected in one node of this network: activity in the posterior parietal cortex is tightly correlated with the limited amount of scene information that can be stored in VSTM. These results suggest that the posterior parietal cortex is a key neural locus of our impoverished mental representation of the visual world.
Hot-electron scattering at Au/Si(100) Schottky interfaces measured by temperature dependent ballistic electron emission microscopy

Abstract Ballistic electron emission microscopy (BEEM) measurements have been performed on n-type Au Si (100) interfaces as a function of STM tip bias, Au film thickness, and temperature. From these measurements, the attenuation length, λa, of the BEEM electrons in the metal overlayer has been determined to be 133 ± 2 A at room temperature (RT) and 147 ± 6 A at 77 K for tip biases from −1.20 V to −0.92 V. The ratio of the zero thickness BEEM transmittances at 77 K to that at RT, I 0 (77 K ) I 0 ( RT ) , was determined to be 1.79 ± 0.09. Within the experimental uncertainties of these measurements, no energy dependence of λa or I 0 (77 K ) I 0 ( RT ) was observed. The large increase in the BEEM transmittance and the relatively small increase in λa at 77 K indicate that the primary temperature dependent scattering mode affecting BEEM electron transport is phonon absorption in the Si substrate. Images with large reductions in the BEEM current at topographic locations which have a large surface gradient have been obtained at RT. Our calculations, which assume that the probability of transmission across the interface is independent of the electron's transverse momentum, correlate well with the experimentally observed reductions. This result indicates that the BEEM electrons remain forward focused with very little broadening as they pass through the Au overlayer, and also implies that strong scattering must occur at the Au Si interface to explain the previously documented non-conservation of transverse momentum at Au Si interfaces.
Optimal use of blood in trauma patients.

Injury is rapidly becoming the leading cause of death worldwide, and uncontrolled hemorrhage is the leading cause of potentially preventable death. In addition to crystalloid and/or colloid based resuscitation, severely injured trauma patients are routinely transfused RBCs, plasma, platelets, and in some centers either cryoprecipitate or fibrinogen concentrates or whole blood. Optimal timing and quantity of these products in the treatment of hypothermic, coagulopathic and acidotic trauma patients is unclear. The immediate availability of these components is important, as most hemorrhagic deaths occur within the first 3–6 h of patient arrival. While there are strongly held opinions and longstanding traditions in their use, there are little data within which to logically guide resuscitation therapy. Many current recommendations are based on euvolemic elective surgery patients and incorporate laboratory data parameters not widely available in the first few minutes after patient arrival. Finally, blood components themselves have evolved over the last 30 years, with great attention paid to product safety and inventory management, yet there are surprisingly limited clinical outcome data describing the long term effects of these changes, or how the components have improved clinical outcomes compared to whole blood therapy. When focused on survival of the rapidly bleeding trauma patient, it is unclear if current component therapy is equivalent to whole blood transfusion. In fact data from the current war in Iraq and Afghanistan suggest otherwise. All of these factors have contributed to the current situation, whereby blood component therapy is highly variable and not driven by long term patient outcomes. This review will address the issues raised above and describe recent trauma patient outcome data utilizing predetermined plasma:platelet:RBC transfusion ratios and an ongoing prospective observational trauma transfusion study.
Supramacromolecular self-assembly: Chain extension, star and block polymers via pseudorotaxane formation from well-defined end-functionalized polymers

Dibenzo-24-crown-8-terminated polystyrene (5) was chain extended to “dimeric” 8 by pseudorotaxane formation with a ditopic guest, α,ω-bis[p-(N-benzylammoniomethyl)phenoxy]heptane bis(hexafluorophosphate) (7). The three-armed star polymer 11 was similarly formed by complexation of the dibenzo-24-crown-8-terminated polystyrene (5) with a tritopic secondary ammonium salt, 1,3,5-tris[p-(benzylammoniomethyl)phenyl]benzene tris(hexafluorophosphate) (10). Another three-armed star polymer 13 was self-assembled from dibenzo-24-crown-8-terminated polystyrene (5) and a tetratopic paraquat compound, 1,2,4,5-tetrakis{p-N-[(N′-methyl-4,4′-bipyridinium)methylphenyl]}benzene octakis(hexafluorophosphate) (12). The above chain extension and star polymer formation processes seemed to be cooperative; that is, the second and third complexation steps proceed with stepwise higher efficiencies than statistically expected. Dibenzo-24-crown-8-terminated polystyrene (5) was chain extended with secondary ammonium terminated polystyrene 14, forming 16, and also self-assembled with a secondary ammonium ion terminated polyisoprene 15 to form supramolecular block copolymer 17. These processes were examined by NMR, mass spectrometry and viscometery. Thus, although binding in these systems is not particularly strong (association constants <104 M−1), these examples provide proof-of-principle that pseudorotaxane formation is a viable concept for chain extension and self-assembly of novel types of block copolymers and star polymers. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3518–3543, 2009
Thyrohyoid Approach to Cidofovir Injection: A Case Study

Summary Various techniques for injection into the larynx have been well described, including transoral injection with indirect laryngoscopy or direct laryngoscopy and transcutaneous injection through the thyroid cartilage or cricothyroid membrane. We describe a case not amenable to these techniques, in which entry through the thyrohyoid membrane for injection of cidofovir was successfully performed with a thyrohyoid approach. This technique is described, and comparisons are made with currently available techniques.
Effects of Culling on Sire Evaluations by Mixed Models

The data consisted of the first two records for milk and fat yield of 677,800 daughters of 200 widely used Holstein sires. From these data, 10, 20, and 30% of second records were eliminated for least yield of milk in first lactation. Best Linear Unbiased Prediction evaluations of sires were obtained separately for both records and seconds only for culled and unculled groups and for all first records. Evaluations from second records were affected by culling with standard deviations for milk evaluations declining 58 kg as elimination of second records increased from 0 to 30%. Correlations between first and second milk evaluations declined from .84 to .70 as culling increased. Evaluations by both records showed little effect of culling with standard deviations declining only slightly with culling, and correlations among the evaluations close to unity. Adjustment of second evaluations for selection appeared to remove much effect of selection. Best Linear Unbiased Prediction evaluations and those based on the same daughters from Modified Contemporary Comparison procedures showed similar effects of culling and adjustment for culling and ranked bulls nearly identically.
The Perils of Translation: A First Step in Reconsidering Vygotsky's Theory of Development in Relation to Formal Education

In this brief note I want to address the problem of translating into English the Russian word, obuchenie, as it concerns ongoing discussions of Vygotsky's ideas about the arrangement of children's ...
Safety and immunogenicity of the PFP vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): the western blot assay aids in distinguishing immune responses of the PFP vaccine from RSV infection

PFP-1 vaccine was evaluated in a randomized, controlled study in 47 RSV seropositive children. Trivalent inactivated influenza virus (TIV) vaccine was the control. Vaccine reactions were monitored, and bloods were obtained before vaccination, 4 weeks after vaccination, and at the end of the RSV season. Respiratory illnesses were evaluated during the outbreak. Neutralizing antibody (Nt Ab) assay to RSV, IgG ELISA to RSV proteins and a Western blot assay were performed. Acute reactions with the PFP vaccine were mild. An early RSV outbreak resulted in infection of 44.4% of the TIV recipients shortly after vaccination. In the PFP vaccine groups, the Nt Ab and ELISA assays did not distinguish between Ab rises due to natural infection versus vaccine; however, the Western blot assay characterized the post-vaccine rises. Two major Western blot profiles were produced: an infection profile (antibodies that recognized the F and G surface glycoproteins and internal proteins) and a vaccine profile (antibodies that recognized only the surface glycoproteins). The PFP vaccinees who were not infected with RSV developed ELISA and Nt Ab responses to the surface glycoproteins that were similar to the TIV vaccines with natural RSV infection. None of the children developed vaccine-enhanced disease. Thus, the PFP-1 vaccine was safe and immunogenic in RSV seropositive children even when vaccine was administered during a RSV outbreak, and the Western blot assay was useful in distinguishing Ab rises caused by RSV infection versus PFP vaccine.
Document representation models for retrieval systems

Document retrieval system models are presented. Measures to rank the closeness of documents to a query are given. Algorithms to calculate the measures for graph and partition models are provided.
Asparaginase-Induced Hypertriglyceridemia Presenting as Pseudohyponatremia during Leukemia Treatment

Asparaginase is a chemotherapeutic agent used to induce disease remission in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We describe the cases of two females with ALL who developed pseudohyponatremia as a presentation of hypertriglyceridemia following asparaginase treatment. Nine similar published cases of asparaginase-induced hypertriglyceridemia and its complications are also discussed. Possible mechanisms of action include inhibition of lipoprotein lipase, decreased hepatic synthesis of lipoprotein, and increased synthesis of VLDL. Effects of asparaginase-induced hypertriglyceridemia range from asymptomatic to transaminasemia, pancreatitis, and life-threatening thrombosis or hyperviscosity syndrome. All cases of hypertriglyceridemia described resolved following cessation of asparaginase treatment ± further treatments.
Liaison Psychiatry: A Role on the Medical Intensive Care Unit:

A psychiatric liaison program on a medical intensive care unit is described. The principle elements of the program include the psychiatrist becoming a member of the MICU “team” via: 1) attendance at morning medical rounds; 2) conducting case conferences; 3) availability to the nursing staff as a separate entity; 4) consulting with the unit directors; and 5) supervising a resident in psychiatry in his consultative work on the unit. The liaison psychiatrist's presence on the team facilitates an holistic approach to the patient and deals with intra-staff and patient-staff reactions in the critical care setting.
Endoscopic laser ablation of clival chordoma with magnetic resonance-guided laser induced thermal therapy

Abstract Background Chordomas are rare malignant tumors that are difficult to treat and have high recurrence rates despite aggressive therapy. Objectives We present the first case of a patient with a clival chordoma in which complete tumor ablation was achieved using Magnetic Resonance guided Laser Induced Thermal Therapy (LITT) delivered via an endoscopic endonasal approach. We analyzed the safety and feasibility of this approach and quantified the response of this pathology to thermal energy. This novel technique is intended to provide chordoma patients with an alternative to surgery and radiotherapy. Methods A 54 year-old female with a newly diagnosed clival chordoma elected MRI- guided LITT. She underwent placement of the laser catheter into the chordoma via an endoscopic endonasal approach. With real-time MR thermometry monitoring, laser-generated thermal energy was delivered to the tumor. We defined several parameters to quantify the thermal ablation response: the thermal damage ratio and the thermal ablation constant. Results Post procedure contrast-enhanced MRI demonstrated a complete thermal ablation of the mass. The patient tolerated the procedure well and is being followed with serial imaging. The tumor continues to regress beyond 4 months. Additionally, chordoma cells seem to be sensitive to LITT, as indicated by a complete ablation in less than 60 s. Conclusion The endoscopic endonasal approach to MRI-guided laser ablation is both technically feasible and safe. As a result, this therapy may be a useful alternative in hard-to-reach chordomas, or in recurrent cases that have failed other conventional treatment modalities.
High-Output Congestive Heart Failure Following Transjugular Intrahepatic Portal-Systemic Shunting

A hyperdynamic circulatory state with elevated cardiac output, decreased peripheral vascular resistance, and sodium retention occurs in patients with portal cirrhosis. Surgical portal-systemic shunts and transjugular intrahepatic portal-systemic shunts (TIPS) have been shown to worsen the high-output state in these patients. However, clinical evidence of high-output congestive heart failure has been reported only rarely to complicate cirrhosis. We describe a patient who developed high-output congestive heart failure with markedly elevated filling pressures after TIPS and had complete resolution of heart failure after liver transplantation.
Gender and Ethnic Differences in Smiling: A Yearbook Photographs Analysis from Kindergarten Through 12th Grade

Previous research has demonstrated that women smile more frequently and more broadly than men (Abel 2002; LaFrance et al. 2003). However, little research has focused specifically on the age at which this gender difference first emerges, and even less on the ethnic differences in smiling. This study attempts to identify the age when gender differences in smiling emerge among European American and African American children and teenagers. Additionally, we looked at the level of diversity within each school and its relation to smiling behavior. In total, 18,201 yearbook photographs ranging from kindergarten through 12th grade from 17 schools in the state of Michigan were evaluated for smile type: full smile, partial smile or no smile. Results suggest that a significant gender difference in smiling emerges around age 11. In contrast to other studies (e.g., LaFrance et al. 2003) and our own expectations, differences in smiling were found to be larger between African American boys and girls than between European American boys and girls. In addition, we found that African American girls’ smiling behavior did not differ as a function of school diversity while African American boys from predominantly African American schools displayed less smiling compared to those from mixed or predominantly European-American schools. This study provides insight into the emergence and progression of gender differences in smiling and indicates that gender as well as ethnicity and ethnic diversity are influential factors in smiling behavior.
The PEN-Ivory Project: Exploring User-interface Design for the Selection of Items from Large Controlled Vocabularies of Medicine

Objective : To explore different user-interface designs for structured progress note entry, with a long-term goal of developing design guidelines for user interfaces where users select items from large medical vocabularies. Design : The authors created eight different prototypes of a pen-based progress-note-writing system called PEN-Ivory. Each prototype allows physicians to write patient progress notes using simple pen-based gestures such as circle, line-out, and scratch- out. The result of an interaction with PEN-Ivory is a progress note in English prose. The eight prototypes were designed in a principled way, so that they differ from one another in just one of three different user-interface characteristics. Measurements : Five of the eight prototypes were tested by measuring the time it took 15 users, each using a distinct prototype, to document three patient cases consisting of a total of 63 medical findings. Results : The prototype that allowed the fastest data entry had the following three user-interface characteristics: it used a paging rather than a scrolling form, it used a fixed palette of modifiers rather than a dynamic “pop-up” palette, and it made available all findings from the controlled vocabulary at once rather than displaying only a subset of findings generated by analyzing the patient's problem list. Conclusion : Even simple design changes to a user interface can make dramatic differences in user performance. The authors discuss possible influences on performance, such as positional constancy, user uncertainty and system anticipation, that may contribute significantly to the effectiveness of systems that display menus of items from large controlled vocabularies of medicine.