cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
3D MR elastography of the pancreas in children

Early diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis (CP) remains elusive. Preliminary data suggest that MR elastography (MRE) may have diagnostic value in the identification of CP. We sought to measure pancreas stiffness by MRE in healthy children and to compare measured values to stiffness values in pediatric patients with acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP) or CP. Under IRB approval, 49 healthy controls volunteered to be included, and 14 patients with ARP or CP that underwent 3D MRE on a 1.5T MR scanner were included in the study. A soft passive driver was utilized and vibrated at 40 Hz. Regions of interest for measurement of pancreatic stiffness were drawn by two blinded readers and statistical analysis were performed for comparisons between the two groups. Mean age of the healthy controls was 11 ± 2.7 years and mean pancreas stiffness was 1.7 ± 0.3 (Reader 1) and 1.7 ± 0.3 (Reader 2) kPa. For patients with ARP or CP, mean age was 12.6 ± 4.4 years and mean pancreas stiffness was 0.9 ± 0.2 (Reader 1) and 1.1 ± 0.3 (Reader 2) kPa. Pancreas stiffness was significantly lower in patients with ARP and CP as compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001). Between readers, there was a strong and statistically significant agreement on measured pancreas stiffness (r = 0.81; p < 0.001). Bland–Altman difference analysis showed a mean bias of only 0.05 kPa (95% limits of agreement: − 0.49 to + 0.58) MRE of the pancreas can be performed in pediatric patients. Through this study, we have defined normal pancreas stiffness for children and have shown decreases in measured stiffness in patients with ARP or CP compared to healthy controls. 3D MRE of the pancreas offers a novel approach for detecting pancreatic disease based on changes in tissue mechanical properties.
Needs management in families affected by childhood-onset dystrophinopathies.

Purpose:To collect information about the needs of families affected by childhood-onset dystrophinopathies residing in the United States.Methods:Individuals with an eligible dystrophinopathy were id...
Auxin Induces Widespread Proteome Remodeling in Arabidopsis Seedlings

It is known that auxin induces rapid gene expression changes throughout plant development, but how these transcriptional responses relate to changes in protein abundance is not well characterized. This report identifies early auxin responsive proteins in whole Arabidopsis seedlings using an isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification-based quantitative proteomics approach. Approximately 25% of the detected proteins (1045 out of 4257 proteins) are auxin responsive, which is in line with the central role of auxin in the regulation of plant growth and development. Several well-known auxin pathway proteins are identified as differentially expressed, validating this quantitative proteomics approach. Additionally, functional categorization of these auxin responsive proteins indicates that rapid and complex metabolic changes occur in seedlings in response to auxin, including lipid metabolism. Altogether, these data describe novel auxin-regulated proteins and are an excellent resource for identifying new downstream signaling components related to auxin-mediated plant growth and development.
Dui Lisu (Dui Menre yang dikembalikan) Menurut Perspektif Hukum Islam

This paper discusses the "Dui Lisu (Dui Menre who is returned) according to the perspective of Islamic law" by revealing the following issues: (1) How to dui lisu with Bugis Traditional law, and (2) How to dui lisu with Islamic law. Dui lisu in view of Bugis custom law is dui menre returned by the women to the men, both returns are half or more. This is because the woman does not fulfill her duty as a wife. Whereas the law of dui lisu according to the Islamic law's view is prohibited. Asking dui lisu is tantamount to asking for a return which in Islamic law is prohibited
APPENDIX 3F One-Dimensional SDS Gel Electrophoresis of Proteins

Electrophoresis is used to separate complex mixtures of proteins (e.g., from cells, subcellular fractions, column fractions, or immunoprecipitates), to investigate subunit compositions, and to verify homogeneity of protein samples. It can also serve to purify proteins for use in further applications. In polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, proteins migrate in response to an electrical field through pores in a polyacrylamide gel matrix; pore size decreases with increasing acrylamide concentration. The combination of pore size and protein charge, size, and shape determines the migration rate of the protein. In this unit, the standard Laemmli method is described for discontinuous gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions, that is, in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Both full-size and minigel formats are detailed. Several modifications are provided for specific applications. For separation of peptides and small proteins, the standard buffers are replaced with either a Tris-tricine buffer system or a modified Tris buffer in the absence of urea. Continuous SDS-PAGE is a simplified method in which the same buffer is used for both the gel and electrode solutions and the stacking gel is omitted. Other protocols cover the preparation and use of ultrathin gels and gradient gels, and the simultaneous preparation of multiple gels. Keywords: protein; electrophoresis; separation; polyacrylamide; SDS-PAGE
Telemedicine visits reduce time to biopsy, travel time and costs for interventional radiology patients.

2082Background: Telemedicine has been utilized to increase access to care for patients in primary care practices and more recently, specialty practices. The purpose of the study was to test the hyp...
Two distinct pathways of pregranulosa cell differentiation support follicle formation in the mouse ovary

We sequenced more than 52,500 single cells from embryonic day 11.5 (E11.5) postembryonic day 5 (P5) gonads and performed lineage tracing to analyze primordial follicles and wave 1 medullar follicles during mouse fetal and perinatal oogenesis. Germ cells clustered into six meiotic substages, as well as dying/nurse cells. Wnt-expressing bipotential precursors already present at E11.5 are followed at each developmental stage by two groups of ovarian pregranulosa (PG) cells. One PG group, bipotential pregranulosa (BPG) cells, derives directly from bipotential precursors, expresses Foxl2 early, and associates with cysts throughout the ovary by E12.5. A second PG group, epithelial pregranulosa (EPG) cells, arises in the ovarian surface epithelium, ingresses cortically by E12.5 or earlier, expresses Lgr5, but delays robust Foxl2 expression until after birth. By E19.5, EPG cells predominate in the cortex and differentiate into granulosa cells of quiescent primordial follicles. In contrast, medullar BPG cells differentiate along a distinct pathway to become wave 1 granulosa cells. Reflecting their separate somatic cellular lineages, second wave follicles were ablated by diptheria toxin treatment of Lgr5-DTR-EGFP mice at E16.5 while first wave follicles developed normally and supported fertility. These studies provide insights into ovarian somatic cells and a resource to study the development, physiology, and evolutionary conservation of mammalian ovarian follicles.
Spatial Pyramid Pooling with 3D Convolution Improves Lung Cancer Detection.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths. Low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening has been shown to significantly reduce lung cancer mortality but suffers from a high false positive rate that leads to unnecessary diagnostic procedures. The development of deep learning techniques has the potential to help improve lung cancer screening technology. Here we present the algorithm, DeepScreener, which can predict a patient's cancer status from a volumetric lung CT scan. DeepScreener is based on our model of Spatial Pyramid Pooling, which ranked 16th of 1972 teams (top 1%) in the Data Science Bowl 2017 (DSB2017) competition, evaluated with the challenge datasets. Here we test the algorithm with an independent set of 1449 low-dose CT scans of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) cohort, and we find that DeepScreener has consistent performance of high accuracy. Furthermore, by combining Spatial Pyramid Pooling and 3D Convolution, it achieves an AUC of 0.892, surpassing the previous state-of-the-art algorithms using only 3D convolution. The advancement of deep learning algorithms can potentially help improve lung cancer detection with low-dose CT scans.
Ultrasound First for Removal of Nonpalpable Contraceptive Implants

The Sound Judgment Series consists of invited articles highlighting the clinical value of using ultrasound first in specific clinical diagnoses where ultrasound has shown comparative or superior value. The series is meant to serve as an educational tool for medical and sonography students and clinical practitioners and may help integrate ultrasound into clinical practice.
Analysis of Nonlinear Oscillating Cascade Aerodynamics Including Separated Flow

A mathematical model is developed to analyze the unsteady flow, including separated flow, through an harmonically oscillating cascade of airfoils. The computational model incorporates the time-marching Euler analysis, NPHASE, with an inverse integral boundary layer solution. Grid generation is simplified by utilizing an embedded composite grid formulation. Fourier series unsteady periodic boundary conditions are implemented, which reduce computational requirements. The integral turbulent boundary layer model is closed with steady correlations adopted in a quasi-steady manner. The viscous effect is modeled in the unsteady Euler solution in a quasi-steady manner by a transpiration boundary condition, thereby coupling the solution methods. An advanced design compressor geometry is utilized to study the effect of flow separation on the unsteady aerodynamics. An experimental unsteady aerodynamics data set for this configuration with separated meanflow executing torsional oscillations compared favorably with the analysis.
Practical Verification for the Working Programmer with CodeContracts and Abstract Interpretation - (Invited Talk).

CodeContracts provide a language agnostic way to specify and check preconditions, postconditions and object invariants (collectively called contracts [17]). Speci cations take the form of calls to static methods of a Contract library [7]. The authoring library is available out-of-the-box to all .NET programmers from v4.
Mechanisms by Which Obesity Promotes Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease in Mice

The efficacy of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is limited by the occurrence of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). We have recently demonstrated that obesity results in exacerbated acute gastrointestinal GVHD in both mouse models and clinical outcomes due to increased pro-inflammatory cytokine responses and microbiota alterations. We therefore wanted to delineate the role of the various parameters in obesity, adiposity, effects of high-fat (HF) diet, and the role of microbiome on GVHD pathogenesis, by taking advantage of a mouse strain resistant to diet-induced obesity (DIO). Female BALB/c mice are resistant to DIO phenotype with approximately 50% becoming DIO under HF diets. The DIO-susceptible recipients rapidly succumb to acute gut GVHD, whereas the DIO-resistant recipient littermates, which do not become obese, are partially protected from GVHD, indicating that being on HF diet alone contributes to but is not the primary driver of GVHD. Microbiome assessment revealed restricted diversity in both cohorts of mice, but coprophagy normalizes the microbiota in mice housed together. We then individually housed DIO-resistant, DIO-susceptible, and lean control mice. Notably, each of the individually housed groups demonstrates marked restricted diversity that has been shown to occur from the stress of single housing. Despite the restricted microbiome diversity, the GVHD pathogenesis profile remains consistent in the group-housed mice, with the lean control single-housed mice exhibiting no acute GVHD and DIO-resistant recipients showing again partial protection. These results demonstrate that the deleterious effects of obesity on acute gut GVHD are critically dependent on adiposity with the HF diet also playing a lesser role, and the microbiome alterations with obesity instead appear to fuel ongoing acute GVHD processes.
Advent of a New Generation of Antimigraine Medications

This chapter will address recent developments in the treatment of migraine. The recent promising clinical trials using a new antimigraine medication, BIBN4096BS, heralds the advent of a new generation of therapeutics. BIBN4096BS targets the receptor for the neuropeptide calcitonin gene–related peptide (CGRP), which appears to play a causal role in migraine pain. We will discuss the rationale and therapeutic implications of modulating CGRP, including its potential for acting at multiple sites in the trigeminovasculature. We will then discuss the currently used acute and preventative pharmacological treatments. Of particular interest is the increasing evidence that antiepileptic drugs may be an effective prophylactic treatment for migraine. Future strategies to selectively downregulate CGRP synthesis and the potential use of migraine drugs for other forms of trigeminal-mediated pain, such as temporomandibular disorder and trigeminal neuralgia, will be explored. Keywords: calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP); migraine; triptan; trigeminal ganglion; anti-epileptic; CGRP receptor antagonist; neurogenic inflammation; neuropeptide; neurovascular headache; pathophysiologic mechanisms; acute migraine therapies; preventive migraine therapies
The Absence of Psychiatric C/S/X Perspectives in Academic Discourse: Consequences and Implications

There is growing recognition that psychiatric consumer, survivor or ex-patient perspectives are not well-integrated into disability studies work and academic discourse more generally. While limited debate has focused on whether the preferred next step is an independent ‘mad studies’ discourse or a disability studies framework more inclusive of c/s/x voices, the broader consequences of this absence have been largely overlooked. The purpose of this review is to highlight three major consequences of the absence of c/s/x voices in US academics: The (1) relatively greater biomedicalization and (2) clinical professionalization of psychiatric disability compared with other forms of disability, and (3) barriers and obstacles to training and advancement in academia for doctoral students and faculty with psychiatric disabilities. Keywords: consumer/survivor movement, disability studies, activist scholarship, disability in higher education
PATTERN OF SHEATH SYNTHESIS IN SPHAEROTILUS NATANS

Romano, Antonio H. (University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio), and Dorothy J. Geason. Pattern of sheath synthesis in Sphaerotilus natans. J. Bacteriol. 88:1145-1150. 1964.-Formation of the characteristic sheath of Sphaerotilus natans was followed by immunofluorescence. Fluorescent antisheath antibody was obtained by injecting rabbits with purified sheath material from S. natans, fractionating the serum with ammonium sulfate, and conjugating the globulin fraction with fluorescein isothiocyanate. To follow sheath formation, S. natans was grown on slides immersed in Stokes' medium at 28 C for 9 hr, and was reacted with labeled antibody. The slide cultures were then washed to remove unbound antibody, and were incubated further in fresh medium. Samples were removed at intervals and examined by fluorescence microscopy. Old portions of the sheath remained discretely labeled with no diminution in intensity of fluorescence, whereas non-fluorescent new sheath material appeared at the ends of the filaments. These results indicate that sheath synthesis does not take place by intussusception or diffuse intercalation, but by linear extension of pre-existing sheath. This interpretation was confirmed by a reverse procedure, whereby old sheath was reacted with unlabeled antibody, and new sheath was identified by addition of labeled antibody after further incubation. In this procedure, fluorescence was most intense at the growing tips of the filaments.
Designer Vandalism: Indonesian Indie Fashion and the Cultural Practice of Cut 'n’ Paste

Indonesian independent clothing labels like 347, Triggers Syndicate, and Monik/Celtic routinely appropriate their designs from the vaults of international popular culture. They remix corporate logos, rework the album covers of foreign rock bands, and sample a variety of icons and images from an expansive repertoire of digital material. This is not piracy, such designers insist. Pirates copy their material as closely as they can, whereas these labels fundamentally alter what they reproduce. And it is not “culture jamming” or anticommercial resistance either. These indie labels tend to take from bands and brands they themselves consume or desire. Instead, this article argues, indie designers use cut 'n’ paste design techniques to stake claim on the visual attributes of transnational capitalism. Retooling the classic structuralist concept of bricolage, the author analyzes the aesthetic practices of Indonesian indie clothing designers as a medium for global repositioning, a strategy for middle-class youth to demarginalize, deterritorialize, and assert themselves into the world economy “on their own terms,” as a new generation of Indonesian youth no longer content to stand on the sidelines as cultural production happens elsewhere.
Quantifying the curvilinear metabolic scaling in mammals

A perplexing problem confronting students of metabolic allometry concerns the convex curvature that seemingly occurs in log–log plots of basal metabolic rate (BMR) vs. body mass in mammals. This putative curvilinearity has typically been interpreted in the context of a simple power function, Y=a*Xb, on the arithmetic scale, with the allometric exponent, b, supposedly increasing steadily as a dependent function of body size. The relationship can be quantified in arithmetic domain by exponentiating a quadratic equation fitted to logarithmic transformations of the original data, but the resulting model is not in the form of a power function and it is unlikely to describe accurately the pattern in the original distribution. I therefore re-examined a dataset for 636 species of mammal and discovered that the relationship between BMR and body mass is well-described by a power function with an explicit, non-zero intercept and lognormal, heteroscedastic error. The model has an invariant allometric exponent of 0.75, so the appearance in prior investigations of a steadily increasing exponent probably was an aberration resulting from undue reliance on logarithmic transformations to estimate statistical models in arithmetic domain. Theoretical constructs relating BMR to body mass in mammals may need to be modified to accommodate a positive intercept in the statistical model, but they do not need to be revised, or rejected, at present time on grounds that the allometric exponent varies with body size. New data from planned experiments will be needed to confirm any hypothesis based on data currently available. J. Exp. Zool. 323A: 540–546, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Integrating mobile swarms with large-scale sensor networks using satellites

Sensor networking technologies have developed very rapidly in the last ten years. However, due to the limited capability (e.g., low quality camera, limited wireless channel bandwidth, limited battery life etc.) of the sensor nodes, it is very difficult to support multimedia streams in current sensor networks. To solve the problem, we propose to enhance the ground sensor network by deploying several mobile "swarms". The swarm nodes have much higher capabilities than the sensor nodes in terms of both hardware functionalities and networking throughput. The mobile swarms can fly to the "hot spots" in the sensor network to collect detailed information about the targeted area. However, the mobile swarms are usually far apart from each other, and from the control centers. Using satellites is then the best way to connect the mobile swarms among themselves and to the command centers. We examine such kinds of sensor networks with the enhancement of mobile swarms and satellites and evaluate their performance via simulations. With the help of a satellite, we can effectively integrate mobile swarms with large scale sensor network to support high quality multimedia streams.
High prevalence of screening-detected prostate cancer among Afro-Caribbeans: the Tobago Prostate Cancer Survey.

Risk for prostate cancer is high among African Americans.We hypothesized that risk for prostate cancer isalso high in other populations of African descent. Our objective was to determine the screening-detected prevalence of prostate cancer in the predominantly Afro-Caribbean population on the island of Tobago. Male residents, ages 40–79 years, were invited to participate in a population-based screening for prostate cancer using serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal exam (DRE). Men with elevated PSA (≥4 ng/ml) or abnormal DRE were offered an ultrasound-guided sextant biopsy of the prostate gland. Men (2484), ages 40–79 years, underwent prostate cancer screening between September 1997 and June 2001. Mean age was 55.9, SD was 10.6 years, and median was 54 years. Mean serum PSA was 14.8 ng/ml, SD was 376 [excluding 4 values ≥ 2 SD above the mean (1,112, 1,317, 1,818, and 18,330 ng/ml) mean PSA was 5.5 ng/ml and SD was 29.6], and median PSA was 1.2 ng/ml. Elevated PSA and/or abnormal DRE were observed in 31% (759 of 2484) overall, and in age groups 40–49 (87 of 843, 10%), 50–59 (201 of 729, 28%), 60–69 (262 of 584, 45%), and 70–79 (209 of 328, 64%). Of 681 men biopsied, 259 (38%, or 10% of the 2484 screened) were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Age-specific rates of screening detected prostate cancer were: 1%, ages 40–79 years; 7%, ages 50–59 years; 18%, ages 60–69 years; and 28%, ages 70–79 years. These screening results indicate a very high screening-detected prevalence of prostate cancer in this population of West African descent. These data support the hypothesis that populations of African descent share genetic and/or lifestyle factors that contribute to their elevated risk for prostate cancer.
Macro and micro methods for the determination of serum iron and iron-binding capacity.

Blood serum is incubated with ascorbic acid and hydrochloric acid to liberate protein-bound iron. Proteins are precipitated with trichloroacetic acid in the presence of chloroform. To an aliquot of clear supernatant is added a solution of tripyridyltriazine and sufficient ammonium acetate to adjust the ρH between 4 and 5. Absorbance of the blue-colored complex is measured at 590 m µ . Iron-binding capacity is measured by saturation of serum with ferric iron followed by removal of excess iron with magnesium carbonate. Measurement of total bound iron is completed as above. Macro and micro technics for either determination require 2 ml. and 0.1 ml. of serum, respectively. Reliability of the methods has been established by recovery experiments, replicate analyses, and variation of reagent concentrations and incubation times.
Emergent learning opportunities in an inner‐city youth gardening program

An emphasis on doing science calls for rich descriptions of the kind of science that gets done in such informal educational contexts as science museums and science-focused after-school and summer programs. Described in this article is a study of an inner-city youth gardening program and of the kinds of learning opportunities that it supported and that emerged from youth-initiated actions and talk. In particular, there is an examination of the ways in which the garden environment and the experiential nature of the program gave support to the emergence of learning opportunities, while also making connections possible among science, community, and work. The description emphasizes the value of a science that emerges from participants' engagement in activities they deem valuable, meaningful, and authentic. In essence, the results of the study show that informal educational programs that do not have science as their primary goal may provide important insights into the development of learning communities in the classroom. The study highlights the educational value of a school science practice that is driven by its consumers, rather than being imposed on them, and that provides opportunities for the integration of science, work, and community. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 39: 164-184, 2002
Like Fire Shut Up in Our Bones: Religion and Spirituality in Black Gay Men's Literature

The essay will address what I perceive to be a problem in Black liberation theology's descriptions of God, liberation, and Black experience. By linking, inextricably, God and liberation to Black resistance to White supremacy, Black liberation theology presents a roadblock to describing the diverse expressions of African American life. I contend that this theological roadblock commits hermeneutical violence to diverse Black communities by syndicating difference into racialized discourse. I wish to put forward a reading of sexual difference in Black life that presents the possibility of transcending what I believe to be static discourses regarding homosexuality that ground Black queers as an object to be pitied or as a challenge to the health of the Black body politic. While Black liberation theology attempts to make space for Black queers, I contend that its fixation upon Black experiences as bound by crisis cannot provide substantive theological resources for Black queers.
Recasting the Creative Class to Examine Growth Processes in Rural and Urban Counties

McGranahan D. and Wojan T. (2007) Recasting the creative class to examine growth processes in rural and urban counties, Regional Studies 41, 1–20. Richard Florida's Rise of the Creative Class (2002) makes a compelling argument that regional development now depends on novel combinations of knowledge and ideas, that certain occupations specialize in this task, that people in these occupations are drawn to areas providing a high quality of life, and thus the essential development strategy is to create an environment that attracts and retains these workers. The present analysis of recent rural development in rural US counties, which focuses on natural amenities as quality of life indicators, supports the creative class thesis. A repetition for urban counties also shows a strong relationship between creative class presence and growth, although natural amenities play a smaller role. However, the results depend on a recast creative class measure, which excludes from the original Florida measure many occupations ...
Generating wireframes from set-theoretic solid models by spatial division

Abstract Wireframe modelling has been discredited as a primary shape representation technique, but is still useful as a fast way to display simple objects, in particular when selecting projections. Computing wireframes from set-theoretic solid models is potentially very time-consuming. Recursive division of the object space may easily be used to accelerate this process, but the resulting wireframes are unnecessarily segmented. By searching for the vertices of a model and deriving submodels, which are then used to find edges between vertices, a program has been written that both exhibits the good complexity performance of recursive division and produces wireframes containing maximal length wires.
Macroscopic quantum fluctuations of pulsed nanosecond optical parametric generation in periodically-poled Li Nb O 3

We present simulations and experimental results for quantum-noise-initiated emission from an optical parametric generator (OPG) fabricated from periodically poled lithium niobate. The model we employ, which includes transverse coupling effects to enable off-axis phase matching, has been successfully used for describing broadband emission spectra in OPG's and optical parametric amplifiers. The emission spectra and the quantum statistics deduced from macroscopic fluctuations are compared between simulations and experiment.
Hispanic College Students’ Perceptions of Members of Business Occupations: An Exploratory Study

The authors explored freshmen Hispanic and non-Hispanic White student perceptions of the members of three different business occupations: bankers, accountants, and marketing managers. Using t tests, some differences were found between the two ethnic groups regarding perceived individual characteristics of members of the occupations, but the application of a supervised learning technique to identify the ethnicity of respondents, based on these results, was not successful. Chi-square tests indicated that student responses were often related to whether they knew someone practicing the occupation. The authors offer suggestions for helping students obtain a more accurate understanding of bankers, accountants, and marketing managers.
The Effects of Viewer Attributes on Preference for Forest Scenes: Contributions of Attitudes, Knowledge, Demographic Factors, and Stakeholder Group Membership

Although the primary focus on forest aesthetics research has been on identifying the relationships between landscape attributes and preference or scenic beauty, some studies have explored the relationships between viewer attributes and preference. Specifically, viewer responses to forested landscapes have been shown to vary by stakeholder group membership, demographic factors, knowledge, and attitudes. Most of these studies, however, have explored these viewer attributes in isolation. This study begins to look at the relative contributions of viewer attributes to forest preference across a range of forest scenes. The study specifically assessed the relationships between preference and: demographic factors, attitudes toward forest management, general forest management knowledge, and stakeholder group membership. Results show that attitudes toward forest management, and in particular whether or not one endorses a
The need for immune evaluation prior to thymosin-containing chemoimmunotherapy for melanoma

In an attempt improve the response to BCG or BCG + DTIC therapy in Stage IIIB melanoma patients, we added thymosin treatment with repeated doses of 4 mg/m2 or 40 mg/m2. Twenty-eight patients were clinically and immunologically evaluable. Pretreatment immunological evaluation consisted of determination of delayed-type hypersensitivity to recall antigens, enumeration of E-rosettes in blood, and measurement of blood lymphocyte response to phytohemmagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (Con-A). The disease-free interval was correlated with thymosin dose and parameters of immunocompetence. Immunocompetent melanoma patients treated with a high thymosin dose and BCG relapsed earlier than those treated with a low thymosin dose and BCG. Thus, 72% of the melanoma patients who had a PHA SI≥50 and were treated with 4 mg thymosin/m2, were disease-free at 9 months, compared with only 31% of those treated with 40 mg/m2 (P=0.02). When the dermatophytin delayed hypersensitivity response (>10 mm induration) was used as a parameter of immunocompetence, 86% of the patients treated with 4 mg/m2, were disease-free at 9 months, as against 28% of patients treated with 40 mg thymosin/m2 (P=0.07). None of the immunoincompetent patients on high thymosin dose relapsed (0/3). The results suggest that while a high thymosin dose (40 mg/m2) may be detrimental to immunocompetent patients, it may have a beneficial effect in immunoincompetent patients. A low thymosin dose is probably not detrimental to immunocompetent melanoma patients in this study. Monitoring of the immune status prior to and during the use of thymosin in cancer immunotherapy is mandatory.
Transient precocious puberty in an 11 month old infant

In sexual precocity hormone secretion and sexual maturation can be halted with drug therapy, but will resume after therapy withdrawal. We have encountered a girl who had developed puberty at age 6 months and experienced menarche at age 11 months. FSH and IH concentrations (LER 907) were elevated and showed an adult pulsatile secretion pattern. LHRH response was markedly exaggerated as compared to normal puberty. Daily injections of longaction LHRH analog for 10 weeks caused suppression of gonadotropin and estrogen secretion and reversal of pubertal signs. During subsequent 18 months off therapy no recurrence of puberty has been observed. FSH-LH pulsatile secretion did not recur, LHRH response was lessened, vaginal maturation indices did remain prepubertal, growth and skeletal maturation paralleled normal. It is proposed that the cause of transient precocity was due to hypersensitivity to LHRH. Therapy with LHRH analog while effectively suppressing puberty is not considered causative for the subsequent remission.
The thalamostriatal projection in the cat

The organization of the projections from the intralaminar and other thalamic nuclei to the caudate nucleus (CD), putamen (PU), nucleus accumbens (Acc), and olfactory tubercle (TO) were examined in the cat by autoradiography after deposits of 3H-amino acids in individual thalamic nuclei and by retrograde cell labeling after intrastriatal deposits of wheat-germ-conjugated horseradish peroxidase. All of the rostral intralaminar nuclei, here considered to include the central lateral (CL), paracentral (PC), central medial (CeM), and rhomboid nuclei (Rh), project to the striatum. Projections closely associated with those of the rostral intralaminar group arise from cells of the paraventricular nucleus (PV) and a region lateral to the stria medullaris. These nuclei, which roughly form a ring around the mediodorsal nucleus, project in a highly particular, but loosely arranged topographic pattern to all parts of the striatum. The medially located cells in Rh, PV, and those alongside the stria medullaris project mainly to medial parts of Acc and CD; the dorsolaterally located cells of CL project mainly to the dorsolateral parts of CD and PU; cells in PC and CeM project to progressively more ventral and medial parts of CD and PU, and the lateral part of Acc. Superimposed on this projection from the rostral intralaminar region is the projection from the caudal intralaminar group including the centromedian (CM), parafascicular (PF), and subparafascicular nuclei (subPF). Together these nuclei project in a loosely but specifically organized topography to the entire striatum. The lateral and dorsal parts of CD and PU receive fibers mainly from CM. Ventral and medial parts of CD and PU and Acc receive fibers mainly from PF; TO receives fibers from subPF and the ventral part of PF. Several nuclei in the lateral nuclear mass of the thalamus also project to particular parts of the striatum. Thus, cells in the rostromedial part of the ventral anterior nucleus project to the head of CD and some cells in the rostral part of the ventromedial nucleus project to the head of CD and to PU. Several cells scattered in the lateral posterior complex project to lateral parts of the head of CD, and cells in the rostral extension of the medial subdivision of the posterior nuclear complex project to lateral parts of the head and body of CD. Finally, several cells of the paratenial nucleus project selectively to Acc. These data provide a detailed map of the total thalamostriatal projection in the cat and, hence, form a basis for more specific functional questions about this poorly understood system.
Creativity, innovation, and ingenuity summer enrichment program — Collaborating with a cultural institution and preliminary assessment

Lawrence Technological University has developed and administers a week-long summer enrichment program for undergraduate engineering students focused on progressively building from the foundations of the creative process/competencies to the application of innovative techniques coupled with engineering design and problem solving. While this summer enrichment program is administered by the University, the program is facilitated in close partnership with The Henry Ford, a nationally renowned cultural, historical, and educational destination. This paper will explain the objectives and format of the program, summarize the benefits of collaborating with a local cultural institution, explain how this program can be transferable to other universities, and present preliminary assessment results. Two different assessments were performed: pre- and post-surveys determine the students' perceptions of creativity, problem solving, teamwork, and leadership; and a curriculum survey evaluates the effectiveness, format and delivery techniques. A preliminary results for both assessments are positive. Further data will be obtained this year to allow for a more robust analysis. Based on the assessment results, the program is undergoing continuous improvement.
International Trade in Textiles and Clothing: Implications for the Future:

For over ten years the United States has tried through multilateral and bilateral agreements to resolve the problems of trade in textiles and apparel with developing nations. Through first the Long Term Arrangement Regarding Trade in Cotton Textiles (LTA) and then the Multi Fiber Arrangement (MFA) and many bilateral arrangements, almost constant negotiation has occurred. The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) supervises compliance with all textile agreements with adaice from industry, labor and importers and retailers groups. Embargoes of goods, pleadings before the Textile Surveillance Board in Geneva, and complaints filed with the International Trade Commision (ITC) are all a part of the textiles trade in practice. When non-MFA signatories are large textiles exporters, further legal and diplomatic complications arise. The final balance of consumer versus producer interests, foreign jobs versus U.S. jobs, and support for U.S. foreign policy versus support for U.S. workers is a ...
Differences in reactions to paintings by male and female college students.

38 male and 55 female college students rated digitized color facsimiles of 40 paintings that varied in artistic period (Renaissance, Rococo, Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, 20th Century) and subject matter (portrait, landscape, still life, behavior depiction) on 12 7-point semantic differential scales, e.g., simple-complex. Women judged the content of Rococo and Impressionist paintings as more pleasing than did men and Impressionist paintings evoked greater feelings of pleasure and relaxation among women than among men. In addition, paintings that depicted behaviors evoked more pleasure and alertness among women than among men. The results were interpreted in terms of underlying differences between men and women in perceptual style and emotional sensitivity.
ESOPHAGOGASTRO-DUO DENOSCOPY

The need for rapid, accurate, and cost-effective diagnosis of common complaints that arise from the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract has caused many primary care physicians to add diagnostic esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) to the armamentarium of procedures that they offer in their offices. The use of a scope to visualize the upper GI tract began with Kussmaul's passage of a rigid tube into the stomach of a sword swallower in 1868. From that time until the 1930s rigid esophagogastroscopy provided the only available nonsurgical method of viewing parts of the upper GI tract. The rigid procedure had a high risk of perforation and other complications. In 1932 Schuidder and Wolfe introduced a semiflexible gastroscope that substantially decreased the risk of esophageal perforation. By the late 1950s several companies had developed a fully flexible fiberoptic upper GI endoscope that provided much better visibility of a larger portion of the GI anatomy. Finally, during the past 25 years, better illumination techniques and high-quality video cameras have been added to the equipment, making EGD a highly effective diagnostic procedure. 6
Evidence Based Clinical Practice: A Primer for Urologists

Purpose: Evidence based clinical practice has been defined as the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of the current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. It refers to a broad set of principles and methods intended to ensure that medical decisions, guidelines and health policy are based on well designed studies of therapeutic effectiveness and benefit.Materials and Methods: We review the principles and practice of evidence based clinical practice using examples from the urology literature. We further provide a guide to currently available web based evidence based clinical practice resources and guidelines for urologists.Results: Evidence based clinical practice integrates a hierarchy of evidence and patient values with practitioner judgment to guide decision making for the individual patient. Important steps in the evidence based clinical practice process include the formulation of an answerable question and a systematic search of the literature. In the absence of ...
MIXING AND PHASE SEPARATION IN LIQUID CRYSTAL/MATRIX SYSTEMS

We review mixing and phase separation (demixing) in mixtures of low molecular weight liquid crystals (LCs) and organic matrices, with emphasis on aspects relevant to the formation of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal films. These films, which contain a myriad of micron-sized LC droplets, are of interest because of their electro-optic properties. Film formation is simple: A liquid crystal and a liquid polymer precursor are initially mixed to form a single phase. Subsequently the polymer is hardened, and LC microdroplets phase-separate from the matrix. Although matrix hardening can be achieved in several ways, this review focuses on curing, during which cross-linking reactions lead to an increased matrix molecular weight. Topics discussed include: phase behavior of the binary system before, during, and after cure and LC/matrix solubilities. The Flory-Huggins model for phase separation (as modified by several workers) has provided a theoretical basis for the studies. Principal experimental tools have been calorimetry and light scattering. Uncured LC/matrix binaries possess phase diagrams with an upper critical solution temperature. Such systems, when heated through the mixing temperature, exhibit a decrease in specific heat, the (negative) excess specific heat of mixing, ∆Cmix. A plot of ∆Cmix vs. LC concentration exhibits a minimum, from which we can estimate LC and uncured-matrix solubilities. Matrix cure plays a major role in the phase separation process: In partially-cured samples, ∆Cmix transitions persist until cure is nearly complete, at which time a fraction of the LC is permanently phase-separated, with the rest remaining dissolved in the matrix. The kinetics of phase separation can be determined by calorimetry or light scattering. Cure rates have been shown to control LC microdroplet size, with fast cures leading to small droplets. Calorimetry of the fully cured system also allows us to determine the solubility of liquid crystal in the polymer matrix, as well as the fraction of phase-separated LC. An approximation based on the lever rule and the Flory-Huggins spinodal curve provides an upper bound for the solubilities and also describes their temperature dependence.
The effects of vibratory and electrical stimulation on habituation in the ciliated protozoan, Spirostomum ambiguum

The effects of vibratory and electrical stimulation on habituation in the ciliated protozoan, Spirostomum ambiguum, have been investigated. Vibratory stimuli delivered at the rate of one stimulus per 10 sec for 10 min led to a decrement in the probability of contracting. Recovery occurred within 30–45 min. Two-millisecond biphasic electric shocks, which elicited contraction, did not cause a decrement in the probability of contracting when presented at a rate of once per 10 sec for 10 min. The interaction of the two modes of stimulation on the same animal was investigated. Electrical stimulation led to a decrement in the probability of contracting to a vibratory stimulus. However, vibratory stimulation did not alter the probability of contracting to electrical stimulation.
A Proposed Methodological Synthesis of Post-Keynesian and Institutional Economics

Post-Keynesian and institutionalist writers have commented on the theoretical and conceptual commonalities between the two schools. Some have suggested a theoretical synthesis based on these commonalities. In spite of these theoretical and conceptual commonalities each tradition has developed significantly different methods of analysis. Instead of theoretical or conceptual synthesis we seek here to present a methodological synthesis. Institutionalist methods have yielded "plausible" explanations, but these have been too "vague and suggestive" to be consistently used for economic policy. Post-Keynesian methods have policy necessary "rigor," but the similarity to neoclassical methods has exposed post-Keynesian theories to unwarranted synthesis with incompatible traditions. This essay presents a synthesis of post-Keynesian and institutionalist methodology, one of "plausible rigor," combining elements of "institutional dynamics" with a heuristic framework based on John Dewey's "instrumental logic," and propos...
Partially and totally unloading respiratory muscles based on real-time measurements of work of breathing. A clinical approach.

Objective To evaluate the clinical feasibility of using real-time measurements of work of breathing obtained at the bedside with a portable, commercially available respiratory monitor as an objective and quantifiable guideline for appropriately setting pressure support ventilation (PSV) to partially and totally unload the respiratory muscles in patients with respiratory failure. Design In vivo measurements of work of breathing were performed on a consecutive series of patients after applying incremental levels of PSV. Setting University teaching hospital in a surgical ICU. Patients Thirty adults (18 men and 12 women, ages 20 to 77 years) who had acute respiratory failure were studied. All patients had an endotracheal or a tracheostomy tube in place and were breathing spontaneously, receiving continuous positive airway pressure and PSV. Interventions Intraesophageal pressure (indirect measurement of intrapleural pressure) was measured with an esophageal balloon catheter positioned in the mid- to lower-third of the esophagus. Tidal volume was obtained by positioning a flow sensor between the “Y” piece of the breathing circuit and the endotracheal or tracheostomy tube. Airway pressure was measured from a catheter attached to the flow sensor. Data from these measurements were directed to the respiratory monitor (CP-100, Bicore Monitoring Systems) which calculates work of breathing performed by the patient using the Campbell diagram. Work of breathing performed by the ventilator to inflate the respiratory system was calculated by the monitor by integrating the change in airway pressure and tidal volume. Initially, the level of PSV was set to 0 cm H2O and work measurements were obtained. Pressure support ventilation was then increased until the work performed by the patient decreased to a range of 0.3 to 0.6 J/L, which corresponds to a normal range for physiologic work of breathing (ie, partial respiratory muscle unloading), and then until the work decreased to 0 J/L (ie, total respiratory muscle unloading). Results Work performed by the patient varied inversely (r=−0.83; p Conclusion We propose an objective and goal-oriented clinical approach for using PSV by directly measuring the work of breathing performed by the patient with an easy to operate, bedside respiratory monitor and then applying pressure support ventilation to decrease the work to appropriate levels. Partially or totally shifting the workload from the respiratory muscles to the ventilator is appropriate under specific clinical conditions.