cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cholecystokinin modulates mucosal immunoglobulin A function

Abstract Background. We have established that mucosal immunoglobulin A (IgA) production is highly dependent on cholecystokinin release and is markedly suppressed by glucocorticoids. The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of cholecystokinin on the functional responsiveness of the mucosal IgA system in glucocorticoid treated rats. Methods. A total of 24 Fischer rats were assigned to three groups of 8 animals each. Animals were injected with vehicle (CON), dexamethasone (DEX) (0.08 mg/150 g), or DEX (0.08 mg/150 gm) and ARL1294KF (500 ng twice daily), a novel and potent long-acting cholecystokinin agonist (DEX+CCK). Animals were treated for 48 hours and killed. Duodenum was harvested, and the total mucosal concentration of cholecystokinin was measured by radioimmunoassay. Mucosal IgA was assayed by quantitation of immunoreactive cells in the ileum. Bacterial adherence was evaluated by quantitative culture of vigorously washed stripped cecal mucosa. Transepithelial electrical resistance, a measure of tight junction permeability, was assessed by mounting strips of adjacent cecal mucosa in Ussing chambers. Results. Glucocorticoid administration resulted in a statistically significant (p Conclusions. Cholecystokinin may play an important role in maintaining the functional responsiveness of mucosal immunity during catabolic stress.
Enhancing effect of maternal zinc deficiency and 137Cs γ‐irradiation on the frequency of fetal malformations in mice

It is well established that in mammals transitory zinc (Zn) deficiency during embryogenesis can have a negative influence on fetal development. Similar to Zn deficiency, maternal exposure to low levels of ionizing radiation during the first day of pregnancy has been shown to negatively affect preimplantation embryo development, and higher doses of maternal irradiation during late stages of embryogenesis can result in malformations. Here we report the effect of transitory maternal Zn deprivation combined with low dose irradiation during embryogenesis on fetal outcome. Pregnant mice were acutely dosed with 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, or 0.25 Gy of gamma-radiation the day after mating (GD0), or with 0.00 or 0.50 Gy on GD8. Mice irradiated on GD0 were either fed a low Zn diet (0.4 microgram Zn/g) for 48 h prior to mating through GD0 or GD5 and then switched to a control diet (50 micrograms Zn/g) through GD18, or they were fed the control diet throughout gestation. Dams irradiated on GD8 were either fed the low Zn diet from GD0 through GD10 and then switched to the control diet, or they were fed the control diet throughout gestation. Zn deprivation did not influence any of the maternal or embryonic/fetal parameters measured in the cohorts fed the low Zn diet through GD0. In contrast, groups fed the low Zn diet through GD5 or GD10 had lower mean maternal body weights, fewer live fetuses/litter, and a higher incidence of resorptions than controls. Fetuses from dams fed the low Zn diet through GD10 were smaller and shorter, and had a higher frequency of malformations than controls. Irradiation on GD8 under adequate Zn conditions had no effect on any parameter, but GD8 irradiation during maternal Zn deficiency had an additive effect on the frequency of fetal malformations.
Scaling at the critical temperature of a spin glass

Abstract It is argued that the critical exponent δ for an Edwards-Anderson spin glass at its critical temperature can be extracted from the magnetic susceptibility in a weak uniform magnetic field.
Going around in circles

Let @e>0 and let @W be a disk of sufficiently large radius R in the plane, i.e., R>=R(@e). We first show that the set of lattice points inside @W can be connected by a (possibly self-intersecting) spanning tour (Hamiltonian cycle) consisting of straight line edges such that the turning angle at each point on the tour is at most @e. This statement remains true for any large and evenly distributed point set (suitably defined) in a disk. This is the first result of this kind that suggests far-reaching generalizations to arbitrary regions with a smooth boundary. Our methods are constructive and lead to an efficient algorithm for computing such a tour. On the other hand, it is shown that such a result does not hold for convex regions without a smooth boundary.
Submaximal Treadmill Exercise Test to Predict VO2max in Fit Adults

This study was designed to develop a single-stage submaximal treadmill jogging (TMJ) test to predict VO2max in fit adults. Participants (N = 400; men = 250 and women = 150), ages 18 to 40 years, successfully completed a maximal graded exercise test (GXT) at 1 of 3 laboratories to determine VO2max. The TMJ test was completed during the first 2 stages of the GXT. Following 3 min of walking (Stage 1), participants achieved a steady-state heart rate (HR) while exercising at a comfortable self-selected submaximal jogging speed at level grade (Stage 2). Gender, age, body mass, steady-state HR, and jogging speed (mph) were included as independent variables in the following multiple linear regression model to predict VO2max (R = 0.91, standard error of estimate [SEE] = 2.52 mL · kg−1 · min−1): VO2max (mL · kg−1 · min−1) = 58.687 + (7.520 × Gender; 0 = woman and 1 = man) + (4.334 × mph) − (0.211 × kg) − (0.148 × HR) − (0.107 × Age). Based on the predicted residual sum of squares (PRESS) statistics (RPRESS = 0.91, ...
Dynamic MC simulation of nitrogen implanted Si/C and Zr/C bilayers

Abstract Efforts have been dedicated to the formation of carbon nitride, a super-hard material, by many researchers. However, the nitrogen to carbon ratio obtained by high dose nitrogen implantation into carbon is quite limited by nitrogen diffusion towards the surface during the implantation. In order to study the behavior of implanted nitrogen, dynamic Monte Carlo simulations were carried out using the dynamic-SASAMAL code for nitrogen implantation into carbon, Si/C and Zr/C bilayers with energies of 25, 50 and 150 keV at doses of 5 × 1016 to 1018 cm−2. The calculated results were compared with the experimental results obtained by NRA, RBS, and XPS for RT implantation with and without annealing, and for 700°C implantation. For the RT implantation at a low fluence up to 1 × 1017 ions/cm−2, the measured NRA profile agreed well with the calculated result and almost all implanted nitrogen retained in the target. But diffusion began around 2 × 1017 cm−2 and the maximum concentration did not reach the calculated value. And the nitrogen concentration saturated at 25 at.%, and retained doses were much lower than the calculated values in all systems. The atomic ion mixing and the sputtered losses obtained by the calculation and the experiment were agreed very well.
Photoperiod and Chemical Evidence of the Introduction to India of Xanthium from America

THE aggressiveness of Indian populations of Xanthium suggested exotic niche capacities of introduced plants. To test this hypothesis, the plants were compared with Xanthium from America and from Hong Kong. Effects of photoperiod and temperature conditions were tested and the plants examined chemically. The treatment of Xanthium, based largely on burrmorphology, is various. The indigenous populations of Europe and Asia are referred to X. strumarium L. and closely related species1,2 or to the strumarium morphological complex3. The indigenous American populations have been referred to numerous species1,2 and to seven morphological complexes3. Populations of the southeastern US and the Caribbean islands have been referred to the chinense morphological complex3.
Housing Appreciation, Mortgage Interest Rates, and Homeowner Mobility

Abstract This paper presents a model of the optimal timing of tradeup, which considers consumption and investment motives of homeownership. Households determine the optimal timing of trading up so as to maximize their intertemporal utility of both housing and nonhousing consumption. First we consider current homeowners, who already own a house and expect that they trade up to a more valuable house at some point in the future. Housing appreciation tends to induce an earlier optimal timing of trading up. Moreover, housing appreciation makes current homeowners better off in terms of welfare. However, current homeowners suffer from a rise in mortgage interest rates. Second, we consider first-time home buyers, who have decided to buy a house and expect to trade up to a more valuable house in the future. Their initial housing consumption is determined by an initial downpayment constraint. In this case, the effect of housing appreciation on the optimal timing of trading up is ambiguous and, unlike current homeowners, first-time home buyers suffer from housing appreciation. Moreover, as current homeowners, first-time home buyers suffer from a rise in mortgage interest rates. Most of the theoretical analytic results are ambiguous. Accordingly, we perform numerical simulations based on the theoretical model in order to determine the most likely comparative effects for a stylized set of parameters. As is apparent, the model captures the recent observations on homewner mobility and suggests that macroeconomic variables such as housing appreciation and mortgage interest rates effect the optimal timing of trading up and homeowner's welfare. Nevertheless, the model in this paper has several shortcomings, which should be the subject of future research. First, transaction costs are ignored. If transaction costs are incorporated, the lock-in effect from a rise in mortgage interest rates is well explained. However, the general analysis above is not altered in any essential way. Second, multiple moves are not considered in this model. Therefore, we concentrate on the timing of one tradeup as opposed to the timing and frequency of trading up. In a different vein, it would be interesting to test empirically the importance of the effects of macroeconomic variables on trading up by using microdata.
Self-referent Research

I will discuss a number of items that fall under the heading of selfreferent research, broadly conceived. This will include not only some comments on the state of our research on educational research, but also some comments on research dealing with vehicles of educational research, for example, the printed word, the machinery for its processing and production, and the journals which select and package it. Studies of research practice of the proportion of women presenters at AERA compared to the proportion of women members, or studies of the relative popularity of different research methods, for example, studies of the spread of ANOVA methodology in published educational research articles, constitute one kind of research on research that might be called descriptive metaresearch. This should be distinguished from R & D work on or evaluations of the machinery of research dissemination (e.g., ERIC or microforms, or videodiscs or communicating word processors). In addition to descriptive, R & D, and evaluative research on research, there is policy research on, for example, the policies of research journals. Educational research covers a broad area. Although I cannot guarantee the absence of a text or anthology of research on the many aspects of educational research, I am confident that there is no substantial number of such volumes, or large body of journal articles. However, there certainly have been some excellent individual studies and an occasional series. This paper does not report on such research, but I will discuss its importance and how it might be done or improved. Why is it important? A case can be made that a categorical imperative, an obligation of professionalism, should require us to treat this as a priority duty. We are all aware of the protracted failure of the great universities to inspire, support or reward research on their own teaching procedures, their own raison d'etre, a failure which is only being rectified because of external pressure. We should also bear in mind the
An Eye for an I: Thoughts About Management Communication Quarterly From the Next Generation

This article offers reflections and insights on Management Communication Quarterly from a younger scholar in the field of organizational communication. After providing a brief history of the journal, topics of internationality, interdisciplinarity, and identity are explored. This is followed by a discussion among other “emerging scholars” in the field of organizational communication about these topics. The article concludes with a discussion about the role and format of Management Communication Quarterly in the digital age.
A technique to screen American beech for resistance to the beech scale insect (Cryptococcus fagisuga Lind.).

Beech bark disease (BBD) results in high levels of initial mortality, leaving behind survivor trees that are greatly weakened and deformed. The disease is initiated by feeding activities of the invasive beech scale insect, Cryptococcus fagisuga, which creates entry points for infection by one of the Neonectria species of fungus. Without scale infestation, there is little opportunity for fungal infection. Using scale eggs to artificially infest healthy trees in heavily BBD impacted stands demonstrated that these trees were resistant to the scale insect portion of the disease complex1. Here we present a protocol that we have developed, based on the artificial infestation technique by Houston2, which can be used to screen for scale-resistant trees in the field and in smaller potted seedlings and grafts. The identification of scale-resistant trees is an important component of management of BBD through tree improvement programs and silvicultural manipulation.
Transthyretin gene (TTR) intron 1 elucidates crocodylian phylogenetic relationships

Transthyretin (TTR) is an attractive candidate for use in phylogenetic analysis because it is a short, single-copy nuclear gene with regions that are highly conserved across evolutionarily-divergent organisms from Xenopus laevis to Homo sapiens. To explore its utility as a phylogenetic marker, the complete intron one region (789-805 bp) was sequenced in 22 crocodylian species. Detailed analyses of intron 1 resolved the three expected lineages, Alligatorids, Crocodylids, and Gavialids, and offered additional evidence for the utility of synapomorphic indels in elucidating higher-level phylogenetic relationships. When used in conjunction with other genetic and morphological data sets, intron 1 should be a valuable tool in the investigation of other closely related taxa.
CO2 effects on near field aerodynamic phenomena in 40kW, co-axial, oxy-coal, turbulent diffusion flames

Abstract The effects of oxy-coal combustion on the near-field aerodynamics of simple, co-axial turbulent diffusion flames have been investigated. Experiments were carried out in a specially designed 40 kW (100 kW nominally) combustion test rig. Results from two sets of experiments are presented, with each set using once-through CO2, without H2O, plus added O2 for the oxidant stream. The first set consists of screening experiments that revealed: (i) how replacement of dilution N2 by CO2 (as in oxy-coal combustion) affected NOx emissions at equivalent adiabatic flame temperatures; (ii) how, for oxy-coal combustion at constant P O 2 , primary , changes in P O 2 , secondary affected lengths of both the standoff distance and the luminous zone, and (iii) how the luminosity of oxygen-enriched air flames compared to that of aerodynamically similar oxy-coal flames at similar adiabatic fame temperatures. These screening experiments also allowed for the evolution of a methodology for quantifying flame standoff distance from video images. This methodology involved photo-image processing and probability density functions (PDFs) that represented observed fluctuations in the near-field aerodynamic region. The second set consists of final experiments after the data processing techniques had been refined. Results presented here focus on the relationship between the flame shapes, as seen by an observer, to the PDFs used to quantify the fluctuating flame standoff distance. The latter was taken to be an essential characteristic of the near-field aerodynamics of oxy-coal flames. Flame images (yielding practical, but qualitative information) and the concomitant PDFs (yielding fundamental, and quantitative data) are presented showing the separate effects of primary P O 2 , secondary P O 2 , transport diluent composition, furnace wall temperature, and secondary stream preheat temperature. A simple model in which ignition was controlled by the rate of molecular diffusion of O2 through a gas film composed of the primary jet transporting fluid appeared to correlate some of the data. These experimental data provide not only a quantitative insight into mechanisms of ignition of coal in turbulent oxy-coal flames of practical relevance, but also (with uncertainty quantification) a quantitative basis for validation of future detailed simulations of this process.
Electron spin relaxation in carbon nanotubes

The long-standing problem of inexplicably short spin relaxation in carbon nanotubes is examined. The curvature-mediated spin-orbital interaction is shown to induce fluctuating electron spin precession causing efficient relaxation in a manner analogous to the Dyakonov-Perel mechanism. Our calculations in single-walled semiconducting nanotubes estimate longitudinal (spin-flip) and transversal (decoherence) relaxation times as short as 150 and 130 ps at room temperature along with a pronounced anisotropic dependence. Interference of electrons originating from different valleys can lead to even faster dephasing. The results can help clarify the measured data, resolving discrepancies in the literature.
New features in the SDDS-compliant epics toolkit

This paper introduces new features and programs developed to enhance various aspects of the SDDS-compliant EPICS toolkit. A new optimization program, sddsoptimize, was added to the toolkit; it employs the Simplex and 1-D scan methods and can be used for both EPICS and non-EPICS optimizations. Several new data logging programs were also developed, including a new, more flexible glitch logger that logs data before and after a glitch occurs. Another new data logger logs data every time the value of a process variable changes. With the data generated from this program, it is now possible to restore settings from any arbitrary time without the need for a snapshot of the system. Another new addition is the capability of saving and restoring waveform process variables. In addition to these new features, performance improvements have been realized in all the toolkit programs by replacing EZCA calls with low-level channel-access calls. Some of the toolkit programs have been upgraded to run on vxWorks to achieve higher performance
Electronic Structure of Mercury Oligomers and Exciplexes: Models for Long-Range/Multicenter Bonding in Phosphorescent Transition-Metal Compounds

Spectroscopic and bonding properties of Hgn oligomers and *Hgn exciplexes are determined by rigorous theoretical treatments. Reliable values that agree well with experimental data have been computed for the luminescence energies and other molecular spectroscopic parameters by making a careful selection of theoretical methods and basis sets. The calculations clarified the assignments for several phosphorescence bands in the mercury vapor based on calculated energies and other parameters that quantify the large excited-state distortion in the emitting states. Both the weak ground-state mercurophilic bonding and the stronger covalent bonding in the triplet and quintet excited states studied are found to be cooperative, which is important for fundamental and applied research for luminescent and magnetic materials that have spectral behavior similar to that of Hgn systems.
Interview: 21st century battlefield pain management.

Colonel Chester ‘Trip’ Buckenmaier 3rd, MD, speaks to Dominic Chamberlain, Assistant Commissioning Editor: Colonel Buckenmaier is the current Director of the Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management (MD, USA) and Fellowship Director of the Acute Pain Medicine and Regional Anesthesia program at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington DC (USA). He is an Associate Professor in Anesthesiology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda (MD, USA), and a Diplomat with the American Board of Anesthesiology. He attended Catawba College (NC, USA), on a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship, graduating with a degree in Biology and Chemistry in 1986. He then attended East Carolina University in Greenville (NC, USA), receiving a Master in Science in Biology in 1988. In 1992, he graduated from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, completing his Anesthesia Residency at Walter Reed. In addition, he completed a 1-year Fell...
Biology of the Adult Stage of Ufens principalis (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), an Egg Parasitoid of Homalodisca spp. (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in Southern California

ABSTRACT Aspects of the biology of the adult stage of Ufens principalis Owen (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), an important parasitoid of Homalodisca (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) eggs in southern California, were studied. The field-based sex ratio of U. principalis was significantly different from 1:1 and was female biased (62% females). Females and males did not differ significantly in size based on measurements of head width and hind tibia length, and these two variables were highly correlated. There was a significant effect of female age on egg load. Females aged 1, 4, and 5 d had significantly higher egg loads than freshly emerged females. There was also a significant positive linear relationship between egg load and hind tibia length. Egg load averaged 37.9 ± 1.1 eggs. Eggs, which measured 207.8 ± 12.2 µm in length, were elliptical with an anterior nipple-shaped constriction. The longevity of adults was significantly affected by temperature and food (1:1, honey/water). Food had a greater effect in prolo...
Historic View of Hemorrhage Management

LEEDING IS A highly visible manifestation of injury. Methods for hemorrhage control, including direct pressure, ligature, and suture to close injuries, were described in the Edwin Smith surgical papyrus from Egypt in 1600 BCE. 1 Cautery and the binding of wounds also were known to the ancients, with a classic Greek plate showing Achilles binding the wounded arm of Patroclus in a scene from the Trojan War. 2 Styptics, such as sulfur, and procoagulants, such as spider webs, were known and used in both folk and formal medicine. With the Renaissance, knowledge of anatomy and of the circulation of the blood led to the use of tourniquets and increasingly sophisticated amputation for the control of hemorrhage from extremity injuries. 3,4 Napoleon’s surgeon, Dominique Larrey, performed 200 amputations, including 11 at the shoulder, in the 24 hours after the battle of Borodino. 5 Blundell, who described the first successful human-tohuman transfusions in 1828, wrote that “States of the body really requiring the infusion of blood into the veins are probably rare; yet sometimes we meet with such cases in which the patient must die unless the procedure can be performed, …”. 6 Despite its obvious lifesaving potential, transfusion remained risky throughout the 19th century because of primitive and unsterile equipment and the lack of anticoagulants or knowledge of blood types. Nevertheless, modern understanding of coagulation started in the 19th century with the recognition that fibrin formed in standing rabbit blood, and that the fresh serum thus formed would clot hydrocele fluid. 7 This meant that the precursor of the fibrin—what now is called fibrinogen—was present in the hydrocele fluid, and the “fibrin ferment”—what is now called thrombin—was activated in the fresh serum and must exist in the blood in an inactive form that was activated when the blood was removed from the body or exposed to tissue other than the blood vessel. Late in the century, achromatic microscopes allowed the further recognition that platelets adhered to the walls of damaged blood vessels. 8 Advances in clinical chemistry allowed the identification of the salts in human blood and the development of blood volume replacement solutions such as Ringer’s solution. Early in the 20th century, Roger Lee confirmed the fibrinogen and thrombin model for human coagulation, identified citrate as an anticoagulant, and developed the Lee-White clotting time, the first coagulation test. 9 While serving in the Harvard Medical Unit in World War I, Lee arranged for his former student, Oswald Robertson, to collect “universal donor” whole blood in citrate in bottles, build the world’s first blood bank for the treatment of seriously injured battle casualties, and demonstrate the lifesaving capability of transfusion as an adjunct to surgical care. 10 In the same unit, Walter Cannon,
Historic preservation and neighbourhood change

Historical designation has become an important tool in efforts to revitalise central-city neighbourhoods. Yet designation has also come under scrutiny because of its presumed association with gentr...
Perioperative cardiac arrest in a patient with previously undiagnosed Becker's muscular dystrophy after isoflurane anaesthesia for elective surgery

A previously fit 12-yr-old boy, who had no previous history of anaesthesia, underwent general anaesthesia using isoflurane for an elective circumcision. After uneventful surgery and anaesthesia, he suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest in the recovery room. Prompt oxygenation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) were instituted. The initial serum potassium was >13 mmol litre−1 and prolonged CPR was required while potassium levels were reduced. Further investigation demonstrated a creatine kinase (CK) >70 000 U litre−1 which was consistent with a diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis. Despite requiring CPR for 1 h 45 min and a prolonged intensive care admission for multi-organ failure, the child has made an excellent recovery, including normal cognitive function. Subsequent genetic analysis has shown that the boy has previously undiagnosed Becker's muscular dystrophy. We believe that the patient had acute rhabdomyolysis as a result of a volatile anaesthetic agent in association with an undiagnosed muscular dystrophy. In recent years, largely based on case report literature, there has been a shift in opinion as to the cause of such adverse perioperative events. What was previously thought to be malignant hyperpyrexia (MH) is now considered to be anaesthesia-induced rhabdomyolysis, an alternative and distinct reaction. The distinguishing feature of anaesthesia-induced rhabdomyolysis from MH is an acute rhabdomyolysis, without preceding hypermetabolism.
Landscape-scale variation in forest structure and biomass in a tropical rain forest

A better understanding of the reasons for variation in tropical rain forest (TRF) structure is important for quantifying global above-ground biomass (AGBM). We used three data sets to estimate stem number, basal area, and AGBM over a 600-ha oldgrowth TRF landscape (La Selva, N.E. Costa Rica). We analyzed the effects of soil type, slope angle, topographic position, and different sample designs and measurement techniques on these estimates. All three data sets were for woody stems 10 cm in diameter. Estimated AGBM was determined from stand-level measurements using Brown’s (Brown, 1997) allometric equation for Tropical Wet Forest trees. One data set was from three subjectively-sited 4-ha plots (the ‘OTS plots’), another was based on 1170 0.01 ha plots spaced on a regular grid (the ‘Vegetation map plots’), and the third was from 18 0.5 ha plots (the ‘Carbono plots’) sited to provide unbiased samples of three edaphic conditions: flat inceptisol old alluvial terraces; flat ultisol hill-tops; and steep ultisol slopes. Basal area, estimated AGBM and the contributions of major life forms were similar among studies, in spite of the differences in sampling design and measurement techniques. Although the Carbono plots on flat inceptisols had significantly larger and fewer trees than those on ultisols, AGBM did not vary over the relatively small edaphic gradient in upland areas at La Selva. On residual soils, the largest trees were on the flattest topographic positions. Slope angle per se was not correlated with basal area or AGBM within the residual soils. Errors introduced by palm and liana life forms, as well as hollow trees, did not significantly affect AGBM estimates. In contrast, the methods used to measure buttressed trees had a large impact. Plot sizes of 0.35‐0.5 ha were sufficient to achieve coefficients of variation of <12% for basal area with only six replicates in a given edaphic type. AGBM estimates ranged from 161 to 186 Mg/ha. These low values appear to be mainly due to the Tropical Wet Forest allometry equation used. This in turn may be indicative of a real and substantially lower ratio of biomass/basal area in Tropical Wet Forest than in Tropical Moist, as previously noted by Brown (1996). Our results indicate that for upland TRF landscapes with levels of environmental variation similar to La Selva, AGBM will be relatively insensitive to soil type and topography. However, because topography and soil type had much stronger effects on stem size, stand density, and spatial heterogeneity of stems, stand dynamics may be more sensitive than AGBM to this range of conditions. We recommend that future studies of landscape-scale forest structure employ stratified sampling designs across major environmental gradients. Unbiased sampling with replication, combined with consistent and well-documented measurement techniques, will lead to a greatly improved understanding of the magnitude of and reasons for variation in forest structure and AGBM within TRF landscapes. # 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
The dropped head syndrome with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy

The dropped head syndrome occurs in a variety of neuromuscular disorders. We present a woman with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy who developed this syndrome, likely reflecting severe demyelination of nerves to cervical paraspinal muscles.
Phase II Trial of Paclitaxel, Carboplatin and Gemcitabine in Patients With Locally Advanced Carcinoma of the Bladder

Purpose: This 2-arm phase II multicenter trial was designed to assess the efficacy and toxicity of neoadjuvant paclitaxel, gemcitabine and carboplatin in patients with invasive bladder cancer.Materials and Methods: Patients in arm I had clinical stage T2 with hydronephrosis or T3 bladder cancer. They received 3 cycles of chemotherapy (200 mg/m2 paclitaxel on day 1, AUC 5 carboplatin on day 1, and 800 mg/m2 gemcitabine on days 1 and 8 of each 21-day cycle). Response was defined as achievement of a pathological complete response (pT0). Patients in arm II with T4 or lymph node positive disease received up to 6 cycles of paclitaxel, carboplatin and gemcitabine. Response was defined as conversion to surgical resectability.Results: In arm I, 31 patients were enrolled and 22 were evaluable for response. Seven patients had pT0 disease (32% of evaluable patients, 22% by intent to treat). In arm II, 37 patients were enrolled and 29 were evaluable for response with 24 suitable for surgical resection (83% of evaluabl...
The Field of Poetic Constitution

Any effort toward a theoretical delineation of the role of poetry in literature implies a more general consideration of the role literature can and should play in the evolution of a postmodern social, political and esthetic consciousness. Literature that not only reflects change, but inspires it must be investigated, moreover, within the perspective of its fundamental constitution and poetry, as a literary event, reveals its function precisely to that degree that it reveals the conditions of its very existence.
The phosphoinositide 3-kinase α selective inhibitor BYL719 enhances the effect of the protein kinase C inhibitor AEB071 in GNAQ/GNA11-mutant uveal melanoma cells.

G-protein mutations are one of the most common mutations occurring in uveal melanoma activating the protein kinase C (PKC)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphoinositide 3-Kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathways. In this study, we described the effect of dual pathway inhibition in uveal melanoma harboring GNAQ and GNA11 mutations via PKC inhibition with AEB071 (Sotrastaurin) and PI3k/AKT inhibition with BYL719, a selective PI3Kα inhibitor. Growth inhibition was observed in GNAQ/GNA11 mutant cells with AEB071 versus no activity in WT cells. In the GNAQ-mutant cells, AEB071 decreased phosphorylation of MARCKS, a substrate of PKC, along with ERK1/2 and ribosomal S6, but persistent AKT activation was present. BYL719 had minimal anti-proliferative activity in all uveal melanoma cell lines, and inhibited phosphorylation of AKT in most cell lines. In the GNA11 mutant cell line, similar effects were observed with ERK1/2 inhibition, mostly inhibited by BYL719. With the combination treatment, both GNAQ and GNA11 mutant cell lines showed synergistic inhibition of cell proliferation and apoptotic cell death. In vivo studies correlated with in vitro findings showing reduced xenograft tumor growth with the combination therapy in a GNAQ mutant model. These findings suggest a new therapy treatment option for G-protein mutant uveal melanoma with a focus on specific targeting of multiple downstream pathways as part of combination therapy.
A biologically derived pectoral fin for yaw turn manoeuvres

A bio-robotic fin has been developed that models the pectoral fin of the bluegill sunfish as the fish turned to avoid an obstacle. This work involved biological studies of the sunfish fin, the development of kinematic models of the motions of the fin's rays, CFD based predictions of the 3D forces and flows created by the fin, and the implementation of simplified models of the fin's kinematics and mechanical properties in a physical model. The resulting robotic fin produced the forces and flows that drove the manoeuvre and had a sufficiently high number of degrees of freedom to create a variety of non-biologically derived motions. The results indicate that for robotic fins to produce a level of performance on par with biological fins, both the kinematics and the mechanical properties of the biological fin must be modelled well.
Hamiltonian Formulation of Supergravity

The action of supergravity, including mass and cosmological terms, is cast into Hamiltonian form in terms of the graviton and fermion degrees of freedom, and the constraints corresponding to the coordinate and supersymmetry invariances are exhibited. Absence of contact terms in first-order form is an immediate consequence of the latter. Source interactions due to lowest-order exchange of a supergraviton are given in the massive and massless cases. The gravitational zero-mass discontinuity persists in the fermion sector. Invariances of the spin-3/2 field under chiral and dual transformations are analyzed.
Angioedema acute hypersensitivity reaction to injectable hyaluronic acid.

background. Injectable hyaluronic acid was introduced to European markets in 1996 and has demonstrated a high safety profile. We describe the first reported case of angioedema-type hypersensitivity following injection of the upper lip with non–animal-stabilized hyaluronic acid (NASHA) gel. objective. To report a case and discuss a potential mechanism for and treatment of angioedema-type hypersensitivity following injection with NASHA gel into the upper lip. methods and materials. Not applicable. results. Not applicable. conclusion. Although injectable hyaluronic acid has a high safety profile, this reaction is dramatic. Treatments and potential mechanisms are discussed.
Life history of Littorina scutulata and L. plena, sibling gastropod species with planktotrophic larvae

The intertidal, sibling species Littorina scutulata and L. plena (Gastropoda, Proso- branchia) are sympatric throughout most of their ranges along the Pacific coast of North Amer- ica. Both species release disc-shaped, planktonic egg capsules from which planktotrophic ve- liger larvae hatch. Here I review existing data and present new observations on these species' life history, including age at first reproduction, spawning season, maximum fecundity rates, capsule morphology, egg size and number, pre-hatching development, larval growth at three food concentrations, potential settlement cues, planktonic period, and protoconch size. Previous classification of egg capsule morphologies used to distinguish the species is inaccurate; instead, capsules can be categorized into three types of which each species may produce two. Females of L. scutulata produced capsules with either two rims of unequal diameter or one rim, while females of L. plena produced capsules with one rim or two rims of nearly equal diameter. Females of each species spawned sporadically from early spring to early fall in Puget Sound. Larvae of L. plena hatched one day earlier than those of L. scutulata, and both species grew fastest in the laboratory at intermediate food concentrations. Larvae metamorphosed in the presence of a variety of materials collected from their adult habitat, including conspecific adults, algae, rocks, and barnacle tests. This is the first report of planktotrophic larvae in this genus metamorphosing in the laboratory. The total planktonic period of 8 larvae of L. scutulatu raised in the laboratory was 37-70 days, and a single larva of L. plena metamorphosed after 62 days. Protoconch diameter of shells collected from the field was 256-436 km and did not differ significantly between the species, Previous allozyme and mitochondria1 DNA work has sug- gested high levels of genetic variability in both species and greater genetic population structure in L. plena, despite the long spawning season and long-lived larvae in both species. The interspecific life history differences described here appear insufficient to produce consistent differences in gene flow patterns.
Integrins of the Starlet Sea Anemone Nematostella vectensis

Integrins are extracellular matrix receptors composed of α and β subunits. Here we describe two α subunits and four β subunits from the starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the α subunits are most closely related to RGD- and LDV-dependent α subunits of chordates. The β subunits cluster with the previously described β integrins of the hard coral Acropora millepora. The expression of one of the α subunits and three of the β subunits was confirmed by reverse transcription PCR and in situ hybridization. The α subunit is primarily expressed in cells near muscles, by a subset of gastrodermal cells, and in the gonad. The three β subunits each have distinctive patterns of expression: one is concentrated in the gonad and mesenteric filament, another is found in a subset of cells in the epidermis of the oral region and in a subset of gastrodermal cells in the mesenteries, and a third is expressed widely. Changes in expression were also studied 48 h after horizontal transec...
Preparing Elementary Prospective Teachers to Teach Early Algebra.

Researchers have argued that integrating early algebra into elementary grades will better prepare students for algebra. However, currently little research exists to guide teacher preparation programs on how to prepare prospective elementary teachers to teach early algebra. This study examines the insights and challenges that prospective teachers experience when exploring early algebraic reasoning. Results from this study showed that developing informal representations for variables and unknowns and learning about the two interpretations of the equal sign were meaningful new insights for the prospective teachers. However, the prospective teachers found it a conceptual challenge to identify the relationships contained in algebraic expressions, to distinguish between unknowns and variables, to bracket their knowledge of formal algebra and to represent subtraction from unknowns or variables. These findings suggest that exploring early algebra is non-trivial for elementary prospective teachers and likely necessary to adequately prepare them to teach early algebra.
SUTURE MODIFICATION BY PECTINIRHOMB GROWTH IN LEPADOCYSTIS DECORUS, A NEW SPECIES OF CALLOCYSTITID GLYPTOCYSTITID RHOMBIFERAN (ECHINODERMATA) FROM ILLINOIS

A new species of Late Ordovician callocystitid rhombiferan (Glyptocystitidae), Lepadocystis decorus, is described from the Brainard Shale of north-central Illinois. This species is characterized by five pectinirhombs, open infralateral and lateral plate circlets, and well-developed ridges on the thecal plates. Lepadocystis decorus well illustrates that open vs. closed plate circlets in glyptocystitids can largely be a function of pectinirhomb length and is therefore in part an ontogenetically linked characteristic. Consequently, great care must be taken to assure maturity when using this feature in taxonomy.
Drinking difference: Race, consumption, and alcohol prohibition in Mexico and the United States:

This article examines how racialized meanings were attributed to alcoholic products (tequila, pulque, and beer) in the United States and in Mexico in the early part of the 20th century. Researchers...
Game practices and educational design: applying an ethnographic analysis of game play to an educational design problem

In this poster I use findings from an ethnographic analysis of young people's video gaming practices to approach an educational design problem. Three categories of practices are identified as a starting point for design principles informing a new virtual environment that simulates school practices. The intended purpose of the environment is to provide young people and their families with a resource for navigating the complexities of American schools.
Uveal melanoma in the first 4 decades of life.

Objectives According to reports in the clinical literature, metastatic uveal melanoma in young adults has not been well studied. This article describes the clinical characteristics and natural history of patients who were diagnosed as having uveal melanoma in the first 4 decades of life. Methods This was a chart review of patients aged 40 years or younger who were treated for metastatic uveal melanoma. The eligibility criteria included an established diagnosis of primary uveal melanoma that was treated with localized plaque radiation therapy or enucleation, the presence of radiologically confirmed systemic tumor metastasis, and available therapy and follow-up information. Sixty-five patients met the eligibility criteria and were included in our study. Results The interval between the time of diagnosis of the primary tumor to the diagnosis of systemic metastasis and the median survival duration from diagnosis of the primary and metastatic disease were significantly longer than were those of patients with uveal melanoma patients overall. Conclusions Patients with uveal melanoma who are diagnosed within the first 4 decades of life have a better prognosis than do patients with uveal melanoma overall; however, the prognosis of patients with metastatic uveal melanoma remains poor.
Tcf1 and Lef1 pack their own HDAC.

The transcription factors Tcf1 and Lef1 have intrinsic histone-deacetylase activity that is required for the repression of CD4+ T cell–lineage genes in CD8+ T cells.
In0.53Ga0.47As(001)−(2x4) and Si0.5Ge0.5(110) surface passivation by self-limiting deposition of silicon containing control layers

Metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) are diverging from the exclusive use of silicon and germanium to the employment of compound semiconductors such as SiGe and InGaAs to further increase transistor performance. A broader range of channel materials allowing better carrier confinement and higher mobility could be employed if a universal control monolayer (UCM) could be ALD or self-limiting CVD deposited on multiple materials and crystallographic faces. Silicon uniquely bonds strongly to all crystallographic faces of InGa1−xAs, InxGa1−xSb, InxGa1−xN, SiGe, and Ge enabling transfer of substrate dangling bonds to silicon, which may subsequently be passivated by atomic hydrogen. Subsequently, the surface may be functionalized with an oxidant such as HOOH(g) in order to create a UCM terminating Si-OH layer, or a nitriding agent such as N2H4(g) in order to create an Si-Nx diffusion barrier and surface protection layer. This study focuses on depositing saturated Si-Hx, and Si-OH seed layers via two separate self-limiting CVD processes on InGaAs(001)−(2x4), and depositing a Si-Nx seed layer on Si0.5Ge0.5(110) via an ALD process. XPS in combination with STS/STM were employed to characterize the electrical and surface properties of these silicon containing control layers on InGaAs(001)−(2x4) and Si0.5Ge0.5(110) surfaces. MOSCAP device fabrication was performed on n-type InGaAs(001) substrates with and without a Si-Hx passivation control layer deposited by self-limiting CVD in order to determine the effects on Cmax, frequency dispersion, and midgap trap states.
ADP ribosylation of type II pulmonary epithelial cell G proteins.

Secretion of pulmonary surfactant by type II pulmonary epithelial cells (T2P) is regulated by receptor-mediated mechanisms. In other systems, coupling of receptor-linked signals to intracellular ev...
Brown v. Board of Education

The 1954 Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision is one of the most significant events in American history. The ruling struck down the principle of “separate but equal,” established in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision. In doing so, Brown established the terrain on which the next sixty years of school desegregation and eventually resegregation would take place. Keywords: African American; race and ethnicity; sociology of education
Racing: When Should We Handicap the Advantaged Player?

Two competitors with different abilities engage in a winner-take-all race; should we handicap the advantaged competitor in order to reduce the expected completion time of the race? I show that if the discouragement effect is strong, i.e., both competitors are discouraged from exerting effort when it becomes more certain who will win the race, we should handicap the advantaged. We can handicap him either by reducing his ability or by offering him a lower reward if he wins. Doing so induces higher effort not only from the disadvantaged competitor because of his higher incentive from a higher chance of winning the race but also from the advantaged competitor because of their strategic interactions. Therefore, the expected completion time is strictly shortened.
Some advances in multiframe resolution enhancement

The multiframe resolution enhancement problem (and its close cousin the single-frame “superresolution” problem) have recently received a great deal of attention. Earlier controversy as to the possibility of producing a higher resolution image from a give set of low-resolution images having been more or less settled, the key problems being studied vigorously now are related to specific approaches and implementations. What we report in this paper is progress toward the efficient and stable implementation of an algorithm for recovering high resolution images from a set of lower resolution, sub-pixel shifted frames of the same scene. The “micro-scanned” images of the scene typically form an underdetermined system of equations, that is in any case severly ill-conditioned. We propose methods for efficiently stabilizing, regularizing, and computing the solution; present numerical methods for quickly computing the regularization parameter, and for recovering the (possibly unknown) point-spread function of the imaging system