cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Response to L-dopa in PD: the long and the short of it.

Motor fluctuations in a patient with advanced PD are among the most dramatic clinical phenomena encountered by neurologists. The rapid and frequent oscillations between immobility and mobility emphasize the 1- to 2-hour plasma half-life of l-dopa and the correspondingly short duration of action of each dose of drug. This clinical observation has dominated our thinking about l-dopa and guided our attempts to improve treatment for PD. It is less appreciated that l-dopa has therapeutic effects that persist much longer than its plasma half-life. Cotzias et al., in their seminal publication on the therapeutic efficacy of oral dopa, noted that “ . . . the re-establishment of the base-line state with abrupt termination of the drug [D,L-dopa], after prolonged therapy, was much longer (four to fourteen days).”1 Muenter and Tyce named the l-dopa–induced motor improvement that had a gradual onset with repeated dosing and declined over days upon drug withdrawal the …
Active immune response protects Stat6VT transgenic mice from developing a lymphoproliferative disorder.

Abstract Stat6 is a transcription factor that regulates important cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and survival through mediating IL-4 and IL-13 signaling. Importantly, increasing evidence indicates of a role for Stat6 in lymphoproliferative disorders. Mice expressing a constitutively active form of Stat6 (Stat6VT) primarily in T lymphocytes were generated, and it has been recently described that a small percentage (∼5%) of these mice develop a spontaneous lymphoproliferative disorder (LPD) resulting in dramatic splenomegaly and altered splenic cell populations. Here, we report that Stat6VT mice housed in a non-pathogen-free environment have an increased incidence (37%) of the LPD. Additionally, examination of the expression of Stat6-regulated genes known to have roles in tumorigenesis demonstrated that there appears to be no one genetic alteration common to lymphocytes from Stat6VT/LPD mice. Interestingly, however, uniform exposure to antigen via immunization resulted in complete abrogation of the LPD in Stat6VT mice.
Surface resistance of copper from 400 to 850 GHz

We find that the surface resistance of copper exceeds that predicted by classical electromagnetic theory. The small but significant discrepancy we find is consistent with results reported in adjacent frequency ranges. We will also present measurements of the reflectivity of rough copper surfaces and compare these results to theoretical predictions.
Ethylene-induced Isocoumarin Formation in Carrot Root Tissue

The concentrations of 3-methyl-6-methoxy-8-hydroxy-3,4-dihydroisocoumarin (MMHD) formed in carrot roots inoculated with certain fungi or treated with indole-3-acetic acid, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, or 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), were related to the amount of ethylene produced by the root tissue. Ethylene applied exogenously in concentrations above 0.3 ppm induced the formation of MMHD in carrot root discs. Continued production of MMHD required the continued presence of ethylene. The amounts of MMHD in the discs were reduced by CO2, an inhibitor of ethylene action, and by reduction of the partial pressure of ethylene in fungus-inoculated or 2,4,5-T-treated carrot root discs. The results indicate that ethylene is required for the induction of MMHD formation by carrot root tissue.
Unit-Consistent Decomposable Inequality Measures

This paper introduces a new axiom-the unit consistency axiom-into inequality measurement. This new axiom requires the ordinal inequality rankings (rather than the cardinal indices) to be unaffected when incomes are expressed in different units. I argue that unit consistency is an indispensable axiom for the measurement of income inequality. When unit consistency is combined with decomposability, I show that the unit-consistent decomposable class of inequality measures is a two-parameter extension of the one-parameter generalized entropy class. The extended class accommodates a variety of value judgments and includes different types of inequality measures.
Quantitative analysis of mask error effect on wafer CD variation in ArF lithography

This paper describes the effect of the mask errors such as mask critical dimension (CD) variation, phase and transmission error of attenuated phase shifting mask (att-PSM) on wafer CD in ArF lithography and also analyzes these errors quantitatively. Mask CD requirement using ELF and MEF is estimated firstly and mask CD should be controlled within about 7nm assuming O.7ONA ArF system with 1% illumination uniformity. Transmission error induces larger CD variation than phase error. However, phase error should be considered otherwise in that it reduces depth of focus (DOF). To control DOF degradation less than 10% in case of O.l4um and O.l6um isolated contact hole(C/H), the phase should be controlled within the range of Considering O.l4um isolated contact hole, transmission error of occupies 10% of CD tolerance. Finally, the budget of these factors are calculated in view of total wafer CD variation quantitatively except lens aberration, resist process, and etc. To reduce wafer CD variation, we should control mask CD more tightly.
Materials challenges in hydrogen production from hydrocarbons

Currently, about 80 pct. of hydrogen is produced from natural gas alone by Steam Methane Reforming (SMR), Partial Oxidation (POX) and Autothermal Reforming (ATR) in the form of syngas which is mainly a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Produced hydrogen is predominantly used to manufacture basic chemicals such as ammonia and methanol and to upgrade petroleum products and oils in refining processes. There are many corrosion related materials challenges in industrial processes for syngas production from fossil fuels. This paper examines these challenges with particular emphasis on a high temperature material degradation phenomenon termed "metal dusting". Control strategies to combat this form of corrosion are also outlined. Also included are materials challenges related to ExxonMobil's advanced steam reforming process known as Pressure Swing Reforming (PSR). This technology is a new way to make syngas from gaseous as well as liquid hydrocarbons and can be utilized in different process scenarios ranging from on-board vehicle reforming to industrial syngas production.
Patterns of physical and sexual abuse for men and women in dating relationships: a descriptive analysis

A random sample of students at a large Midwestern University was selected in order to examine whether and how physical and sexual abuse were related to each other for men and women, whether abuse in one relationship was independent of abuse in other relationships, and how victims responded to abusive incidents. The results revealed several important patterns. When comparing the frequency of physical and sexual abuse for men and women, it was found that sexual abuse was more common than physical abuse, but only for women. Additionally, women experienced more sexual abuse than men. While men and women did not experience physical abuse in other relationships at more than chance levels, women who sustained sexual abuse in one relationship were more likely to sustain sexual abuse in other relationships. Furthermore, while sustaining physical and sexual abuse were not associated with one another for men, there was a weak association for women. Finally, victims of abuse were more likely to tell their friends they had been abused than report it to criminal justice authorities.
Models and techniques for the reliability analysis of the smart grid

Calculating the reliability of the power grid is difficult because it is made up of thousands of components and even though the failure mode of each component may be known, they are not independent of each other. Thus the models required to conduct reliability analysis are difficult to develop and are often complex enough to make the techniques for analysis very cumbersome. Usually controllers like protection relays have been considered more such components and their failures taken into account. However, these independent relays and other controllers are morphing into more complex control systems that can be considered a layer of cyber system that overlays the power grid. This means that the failure modes of these relays and controls are no longer independent but are causally connected to each other through software and communications. In this presentation, we will discuss the models and methods of reliability analysis that are used today, how these models and analysis are being complicated by the growing cyber layer as a result of the move towards a smart grid, and what some of the directions of research may be to surmount the difficulties of analyzing this cyber-physical system.
Long-term Trends in the Seasonal Cycle of Great Lakes Water Levels

Numerous long-term trends in the rate-of-change in monthly mean Great Lakes water levels are identified for the period 1860 to 1998. Statistically significant trends are found for 2, 4, 5, and 7 months of the year for Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, Erie, and Ontario, respectively. Many of the trends translate into large changes in net water flux (600 to 1,700 m3/s). In each case, significant positive trends are roughly offset by negative trends during other times of the year. Together with similar trends in monthly lake level anomalies (deviations from the annual mean), these trends indicate important changes in the seasonal cycle of Great Lakes water levels. Specifically, Lakes Erie and Ontario are rising and falling (on an annual basis) roughly one month earlier than they did 139 years ago. Maximum lake levels for Lake Superior are also slightly earlier in the year, and the amplitude of the seasonal cycle of Lake Ontario is found to increase by 23% over the 139-year period. Some of the changes are consistent with the predicted impacts of global warming on spring snowmelt and runoff in the Great Lakes region. Other potential contributors to the observed trends include seasonal changes in precipitation and humaninduced effects such as lake regulation and changes in land use.
Influence of school-level variables on aggression and associated attitudes of middle school students

This study sought to understand school-level influences on aggressive behavior and related social cognitive variables. Participants were 5106 middle school students participating in a violence prevention project. Predictors were school-level norms opposing aggression and favoring nonviolence, interpersonal climate (positive student-teacher relationships and positive student-student relationships), and school responsiveness to violence (awareness and reporting of violence and school safety problems). Outcomes were individual-level physical aggression, beliefs supporting aggression, and self-efficacy for nonviolent responses. School norms and both interpersonal climate variables had effects on all three outcomes in theorized directions. Only one of the responsiveness measures, awareness and reporting of violence, had theoretically consistent effects on all outcomes. The other, school safety problems, affected self-efficacy later in middle school. Evidence of gender moderation was generally consistent with greater influence of school-level factors on female adolescents. Discussion focuses on implications in light of previous research and intervention possibilities.
Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein reciprocally regulates glucose and fatty acid utilization during exercise.

The role of heart-type cytosolic fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) in mediating whole body and muscle-specific long-chain fatty acid (LCFA) and glucose utilization was examined using exercise as ...
O-methylation and decarboxylation of α-methyldopa in brain and spinal cord: Depletion of S-adenosylmethionine and accumulation of metabolites in catecholaminergic neurones

Abstract The administration of α-methyldopa to rats caused a dose-related decline in brain S-adenosylmethionine concentrations, but no change in brain methionine. The decline in brain S-adenosylmethionine was maximal 2 hr after α-methyldopa administration, when brain α-methyldopa levels were highest. Intraperitoneal injections of [ 3 H]-α-methyldopa in mice caused large, dose-dependent accumulations of [ 3 H]-α-methyl catecholamines in brains and spinal cords; a major portion of these amines was also O-methylated. They disappeared slowly from the central nervous system, with turnover times approximating those reported for norepinephrine. Their accumulation was diminished, and their disappearance accelerated, in animals pretreated with intraventricular 6-hydroxydopamine. The importance of the O-methylation of α-methyldopa in brain may result from: 1) the consequences of S-adenosylmethionine depletion e.g. impaired metabolism of endogenous catecholamines: 2) the accumulation in the central nervous system of O-mcthylated, decarboxylated metabolites, which may be biologically inert; or 3) increases in the brain's requirements for cofactors e.g. vitamin B 12 , folic acid) needed to regenerate methionine. The hypotensive action of α-methyldopa might be mediated, in part, by the decarboxylated (and perhaps O-methylated) metabolites, which could act within the spinal cord to impair transmission across bulbospinal noradrenergic synapses.
Intergenerational Literacy Learning with Bilingual Families: A Context for the Analysis of Social Mediation of Thought:

This research initiative was undertaken to examine the effects of an intergenerational literacy program, held weekly for 2 hours over a 6-month period, on the measured English proficiency of nine bilingual families (9 parents, 15 children). The research was also conducted to explore the relationships among changes in the participants' use of identified categories of discourse during literacy activities and changes in their second-language competency on tests of literacy. Program goals were to encourage the parents to read storybooks to their children in the home as well as to provide literacy-based activities to family members, including storybook reading, hands-on projects related to the stories read, formal English instruction for the parents, and free play for the children. Sixteen observations (24 hours) of participants' discourse were conducted by the researcher and an assistant using a format adapted from research of family-based literacy learning and classroom discourse; semi-structured interviews with parents and teachers were also held. Results of pre-post comparisons of children's scores on the PLS and parents' scores on the CTBS revealed significant improvements. Frequencies of identified categories of parent-and-ch ild discourse between the third and fifteenth observations were also compared and revealed several significant differences. Significant correlations were also found between participant test scores and differences in their use of identified categories of discourse. These empirical results, as well as descriptive findings, are interpreted using Vygotsky's (1978,1987) sociocultural theory of learning. It is proposed that teacher scaffolding strategies, as well as the parents' and children's efforts to linguistically mediate each other's learning, were integral to the gains in the families' second-language proficiency.
Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network

Resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (fcMRI) studies constitute a growing proportion of functional brain imaging publications. This approach detects temporal correlations in spontaneous blood oxygen level--dependent (BOLD) signal oscillations while subjects rest quietly in the scanner. Although distinct resting-state networks related to vision, language, executive processing, and other sensory and cognitive domains have been identified, considerable skepticism remains as to whether resting-state functional connectivity maps reflect neural connectivity or simply track BOLD signal correlations driven by nonneural artifact. Here we combine diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography with resting-state fcMRI to test the hypothesis that resting-state functional connectivity reflects structural connectivity. These 2 modalities were used to investigate connectivity within the default mode network, a set of brain regions—including medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), medial temporal lobes (MTLs), and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/retropslenial cortex (RSC)—implicated in episodic memory processing. Using seed regions from the functional connectivity maps, the DTI analysis revealed robust structural connections between the MTLs and the retrosplenial cortex whereas tracts from the MPFC contacted the PCC (just rostral to the RSC). The results demonstrate that resting-state functional connectivity reflects structural connectivity and that combining modalities can enrich our understanding of these canonical brain networks.
Molecular cloning and characterization of a rat A1-adenosine receptor that is widely expressed in brain and spinal cord.

An A1-adenosine receptor has been cloned from a rat brain cDNA library using a probe generated by the polymerase chain reaction. The cDNA encodes a protein of 327 amino acids which is 91% identical to a recently cloned dog A1-adenosine receptor (RDC7). Expression of the rat cDNA in COS-6M and NIH 3T3 cells resulted in ligand binding and functional activity characteristics of an A1-adenosine receptor that is coupled to inhibition of adenylyl cyclase. Examination of the distribution of A1-adenosine receptor mRNA by Northern blot analysis showed that it is highly expressed in brain, spinal cord, testis, and white adipose tissue. In situ hybridization studies revealed an extensive hybridization pattern in the central nervous system, with high levels in cerebral cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, thalamus, brainstem, and spinal cord. The cloned Aradenosine receptor may thus mediate many of the modulatory actions of adenosine in neural and endocrine systems.
The conical spiral antenna over the ground

The two-arm, conical spiral antenna (CSA) is a well-known antenna that has several desirable features when isolated in free space, such as uniform input impedance, gain, and circular polarization over a broad frequency range. This antenna is investigated when placed directly over the ground with its axis normal to the surface of the ground. In this configuration, the CSA may be useful for applications in which signals must be transmitted into the ground and/or received from within the ground, such as communication links to underground tunnels and ground-penetrating radars. First, the performance of the CSA in free space is reviewed, and then qualitative arguments based on the geometrical and electrical properties of the isolated antenna are used to predict the performance when this antenna is placed over the ground. Next, results from a complete analysis of the CSA over the ground, performed with the finite-difference time-domain method, are used to quantitatively verify these predictions. The paper ends with an illustrative example in which the CSA is used in a monostatic ground-penetrating radar.
Fractal physiology and the fractional calculus: a perspective.

This paper presents a restricted overview of Fractal Physiology focusing on the complexity of the human body and the characterization of that complexity through fractal measures and their dynamics, with fractal dynamics being described by the fractional calculus. We review the allometric aggregation approach to the processing of physiologic time series as a way of determining the fractal character of the underlying phenomena. This straight forward method establishes the scaling behavior of complex physiologic networks and some dynamic models capable of generating such scaling are reviewed. These models include simple and fractional random walks, which describe how the scaling of correlation functions and probability densities are related to time series data. Subsequently, it is suggested that a proper methodology for describing the dynamics of fractal time series may well be the fractional calculus, either through the fractional Langevin equation or the fractional diffusion equation. Fractional operators acting on fractal functions yield fractal functions, allowing us to construct a fractional Langevin equation to describe the evolution of a fractal statistical process. Control of physiologic complexity is one of the goals of medicine. Allometric control incorporates long-time memory, inverse power-law (IPL) correlations, and long-range interactions in complex phenomena as manifest by IPL distributions. We hypothesize that allometric control, rather than homeostatic control, maintains the fractal character of erratic physiologic time series to enhance the robustness of physiological networks. Moreover, allometric control can be described using the fractional calculus to capture the dynamics of complex physiologic networks. This hypothesis is supported by a number of physiologic time series data.
The instability of a sedimenting suspension of weakly flexible fibres

Suspensions of sedimenting slender fibres in a viscous fluid are known to be unstable to fluctuations of concentration. In this paper we develop a theory for the role of fibre flexibility in sedimenting suspensions in the asymptotic regime of weakly flexible bodies (large elasto-gravitation number). Unlike the behaviour of straight fibres, individual flexible filaments rotate as they sediment, leading to an anisotropic base state of fibre orientations in an otherwise homogeneous suspension. A mean-field theory is derived to describe the evolution of fibre concentration and orientation fields, and we explore the stability of the base state to perturbations of fibre concentration. We show that fibre flexibility affects suspension stability in two distinct and competing ways: the anisotropy of the base state renders the suspension more unstable to perturbations, while individual particle self-rotation acts to prevent clustering and stabilizes the suspension. In the presence of thermal noise, the dominant effect depends critically upon the relative scales of flexible fibre self-rotation compared to rotational Brownian motion.
The Off-Price Retailer: Customer Service Strategies

Customer service is identified in this paper, as the fundamental difference between the traditional department store and the "off-price" retailer. The off-price trend is first described and then, the customer service components of off-pricers and department store retailers are evaluated. The paper concludes with suggested customer service strategies for the off-price retailer.
Diabetes and Reduced Risk for Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms and Dissections: A Nationwide Case-Control Study

Background Vascular diseases are the principal causes of death and disability in people with diabetes. At the same time, studies suggest a protective role of diabetes in the development of abdominal aortic aneurysms. We sought to determine whether diabetes is associated with decreased hospitalization due to thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections (TAAD). Methods and Results We used the 2006 and 2007 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) to determine TAAD discharge rates. Control subjects were randomly selected to achieve three controls per case. Predictor variables in multilevel logistic regression included age, race, median income, diabetes, and hypertension. We estimated that the average rate of hospital discharge for TAAD among individuals diagnosed with diabetes was 9.7 per 10 000, compared to 15.6 per 10 000 among all discharges. The prevalence of diabetes was substantially lower in TAAD (13%) than in control (22%) records. After adjustment for demographic characteristics, the negative association between diabetes and TAAD remained highly significant in both NIS datasets. Compared to discharges without diabetes, those with chronic complications of diabetes were least likely to be diagnosed with TAAD (OR [odds ratio] 0.17, 95% CI, 0.12–0.23). A significant association remained between uncomplicated diabetes and TAAD. We replicated these findings in an independent group of patients who were hospitalized with acute thoracic aortic dissections. Conclusions The principal implication of our findings is that diabetes is independently associated with a decreased rate of hospitalization due to TAAD in proportion to the severity of diabetic complications. Future studies should consider diabetes in predictive models of aneurysm expansion or dissection. ( J Am Heart Assoc . 2012;1:jah3-e000323 doi: 10.1161/JAHA.111.000323.)
Epidemiology as a liberal art: from graduate school to middle school, an unfulfilled agenda

Abstract Calls by Lilienfeld, Fraser, and others some three decades ago to introduce epidemiology into undergraduate college education remain largely unfulfilled. Consideration of epidemiology as a “liberal art” has also led to exploring possibilities for introducing epidemiology into early education: to high and even middle schools. Adding epidemiology to school curricula should help educate the public to understand science-based evidence concerning the causes and treatments of disease, help inoculate them against a tsunami of biased and fraudulent media messaging, and permit advancing postgraduate education in epidemiology to even higher levels of scholarship.
Do Immigrant Minority Parents Have More Consistent College Aspirations for Their Children

Objective. Educational aspirations are an important predictor of eventual attainment. We examine if immigrant parents have higher aspirations for their children compared to native-born parents and whether they are more likely to maintain high aspirations over time. Methods. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), we document differences in the formation and maintenance of white, black, Hispanic, and Asian parents' college aspirations for their children between kindergarten, third, and fifth grades. We also examine the role of acculturation in the stability of immigrant parents' aspirations. Results. We find that immigrant parents are more optimistic about their children's educational trajectories than are native-born parents and that over time they are more likely to maintain consistently high aspirations for their children. Conclusion. Immigrant parents do not see their children's future as downwardly mobile, and instead remain optimistic, consistently reinforcing messages about college plans throughout childhood.
G63(P) Disease pattern, bacteriological profile and outcome of childhood acute bacterial meningitis

Aim To determine the disease pattern, etiological agents and outcome of childhood acute bacterial meningitis Study design Descriptive observational study. Place and duration of study The Children’s Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Lahore, from Jan, 2012 to Dec, 2012. Statistical analysis SPSS 16.0 version Results Out of 199 pateints 36% were female and 64% male. 68.4% were between 2 months and 1 year 26.6% were between 1.1 and 3 years 10% were between 3.1 and 5 years 97% presented with fever 87% with poor feeding 25% with fits 10% with crying 23% with altered conscious level 13% with signs of mniengeal irritation Vaccination was incomplete in 7% unvaccinated 45% and vaccinated 48%. Complications 1% had hydrcephalus, 0.5% had subdural effusions, 4.5% had motor loss 10% have seizures maximum no of deaths less than 1 year. Malnutrition was associated with deaths in 31% and csf culture positivity in 25% (Figures 1, 2, 3). Conclusion Maxium no of deaths in males under 1 year, 33% with malnutritiion, 25% with csf culture positivitity coagulase negative staph aureus and streptoccoccus pneumnia were two most commoon pathogens in culture. Mortality under one year was maximun and associated with streptococcus pneumonia.
Finding and identifying text in 900+ languages

Abstract This paper presents a trainable open-source utility to extract text from arbitrary data files and disk images which uses language models to automatically detect character encodings prior to extracting strings and for automatic language identification and filtering of non-textual strings after extraction. With a test set containing 923 languages, consisting of strings of at most 65 characters, an overall language identification error rate of less than 0.4% is achieved. False-alarm rates on random data are 0.34% when filtering thresholds are set for high recall and 0.012% when set for high precision, with corresponding miss rates of 0.002% and 0.009% in running text.
A model of platelet concentration sampling in arterial flow

Platelet aggregation and accumulation are two major components of blood clotting: the normal hemostasis that maintains vascular integrity, and the pathological thrombosis that is the cause of heart attacks and strokes. The main goal of the research is to develop a computational model of platelet accumulation, with which we can predict the thrombus growth, reduce the vascular graft failure and control the thrombosis risk in patients. Platelet margination, which is defined as the enrichment at the near-wall region, is measured using local sampling experiments. A 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model based on the fluid mechanics is developed to design the experiment for medium size artery at physiological conditions. The model predicts the sample velocity required to sample platelet concentration from the near-wall zone, as the function of the bifurcation geometry and main tube flow conditions. The experiments verify the published Laser Doppler measurements of platelet margination in long 3 mm tubes at the normal shear rate. At normal arterial length, margination exists but is reduced. When pulsatility is included, the effect is reduced further. The near wall platelet count was a factor of 1.28 to 1.9 times the average platelet count.
Factors Regulating Hypothermic Protection in Experimental Models of Brain Injury

The importance of small variations in brain temperature on ischremie and traumatic outcome has been reported in a large number of experimental models. Although therapeutic hypothermia has been demonstrated in some patient populations, negative findings have been reported in others. The limitations of the effectiveness of hypothermia may be related to several factors, including therapeutic window, optimal levels and durations of cooling, rewarming protocol, injury severity, and gender. The purpose of this study was to assess the importance of several of these factors on hypothermie protection in an established model of fluid-percussion (F-P) brain injury. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent moderate F-P brain injury with or without periods of secondary hypoxia. Selective brain hypothermia (33°–34°C) was initiated 30 min after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and maintained for a 4-h period. Following the hypothermie treatment, animals were rapidly (30 min) or slowly (90 min) rewarmed. Three days following TBI, animals were perfusion-fixed and quantitatively assessed for contusion volume, numbers of NeuN-positive cortical neurons, and axonal pathology. Post-traumatic hypothermia significantly reduced contusion volume and protected against selective neuronal damage in male, but not female, rats. Interestingly, female rats that had been previously ovariectomized demonstrated protection with hypothermia. Hypothermie protection was not observed in TBI animals that underwent a secondary hypoxic insult when rapid rewarming was conducted. However, with slow rewarming, therapeutic hypothermia decreased overall contusion volume in TBI rats with secondary hypoxia. To continue investigating the importance of gender on traumatic outcome, the effects of post-traumatic hyperthermia in female rats was studied. Evidence was obtained for female rats being protected against a hyperthermic insult. Taken together, these experiments emphasize several factors, including gender, that may be important in determining the efficacy of therapeutic hypothermia in experimental models of TBI. Similar factors may be important in clinical neuroprotection studies utilizing hypothermia protocols.
Partitioning of Acid-Base Regulation Between Renal and Extrarenal Sites in the Adult, Terrestrial Stage of the Salamander Ambystoma Tigrinum During Respiratory Acidosis

Adult Ambystoma tigrinum were cannulated non-occlusively in the truncus arteriosus and subjected to 24 h of hypercapnia in 3% CO2. Adults showed the typical compensatory pattern, shared by larvae and many other amphibians, of partial compensation (44%) for the induced respiratory acidosis. Adults whose urinary bladders were ligated to allow the urine to bypass the bladder compensated as well as shams, indicating that the urinary bladder of this species is not necessary for compensation. Radioisotopic measurements of net and unidirectional fluxes of Na+ or Cl− in whole animals showed no effects of hypercapnia. Partitioning of acid-base responses showed that 75–80 % of the regulation takes place across the skin. The rest is accomplished by the kidneys. This did not change during hypercapnia and there was no evidence of renal involvement in the compensation. Total ammonia (NH3+NH4+) comprised only about one-sixth of the total cutaneous acid excretion. The charge associated with the cutaneous excretion of H+ equivalents was balanced by both Na+ uptake and Cl− loss. In contrast to larvae, whose cutaneous electrical potential difference (PD) increases during hypercapnia, adults decrease their PD. This could mean that acidosis stimulates an electrogenic H+ secretion and/sor that cutaneous Na+ and Cl− permeabilities change. Both possibilities are consistent with the data.
Consumer behavior in close relationships

This article provides an orientation to how relationships have been studied in consumer behavior and discusses four ways in which close relationships shape consumption. First, close relationships influence individual choices through social and mating motives. Second, close relationships impact choices made for others , such as gift-giving and resource sharing. Third, close others regularly are involved in joint consumption (e.g., within couples or families). Fourth, reminding individuals of close relationships they have or do not have shapes their perceptions and choices. Additional research is needed to investigate different types of close relationships, to determine how close relationships influence more diverse behaviors across consumption domains, and to reconcile potentially competing psychological processes tied to close relationships.
Photographing Guests in a Soup Kitchen: Examining the Application of Exchange Theory

This ethnographic project explored the question: How are the photographer and the homeless impacted by their exchanges over one year of photography in an urban soup kitchen? In this study, I explored how the exchange process played out when the subjects were homeless and guests at a church-based soup kitchen and I, the photographer, was a middle-class, middle-aged, White, female professor. Exchange theory was applied here because of the metaphor between producing and consuming photos of the homeless and the ethics of consuming the homeless being portrayed. Elements of critical and confessional tales are included to describe my feelings from initial entry into the soup kitchen until I was eventually given the affectionate title of "Picture Lady" by the soup kitchen guests.
Increased Gs Signaling in Osteoblasts Reduces Bone Marrow and Whole-Body Adiposity in Male Mice

Bone is increasingly recognized as an endocrine organ that can regulate systemic hormones and metabolism through secreted factors. Although bone loss and increased adiposity appear to be linked clinically, whether conditions of increased bone formation can also change systemic metabolism remains unclear. In this study, we examined how increased osteogenesis affects metabolism by using an engineered G protein-coupled receptor, Rs1, to activate Gs signaling in osteoblastic cells in ColI(2.3)(+)/Rs1(+) transgenic mice. We previously showed that these mice have dramatically increased bone formation resembling fibrous dysplasia of the bone. We found that total body fat was significantly reduced starting at 3 weeks of age. Furthermore, ColI(2.3)(+)/Rs1(+) mice showed reduced O2 consumption and respiratory quotient measures without effects on food intake and energy expenditure. The mice had significantly decreased serum triacylglycerides, leptin, and adiponectin. Resting glucose and insulin levels were unchanged; however, glucose and insulin tolerance tests revealed increased sensitivity to insulin. The mice showed resistance to fat accumulation from a high-fat diet. Furthermore, ColI(2.3)(+)/Rs1(+) mouse bones had dramatically reduced mature adipocyte differentiation, increased Wingless/Int-1 (Wnt) signaling, and higher osteoblastic glucose utilization than controls. These findings suggest that osteoblasts can influence both local and peripheral adiposity in conditions of increased bone formation and suggest a role for osteoblasts in the regulation of whole-body adiposity and metabolic homeostasis.
Real-world sensor network framework for long-term volcano monitoring

Wireless sensor network, composed of tens or hundreds of low-power and resource-constrained devices, has the potential to greatly enhance the understanding of volcanoes by permitting distributed deployments of sensor nodes at scales difficult to achieve with traditional instrumentation. An active volcano provides a challenging environment to examine and advance sensor network technology. One of the key challenges is to improve the resource utilization efficiency and best direct those limited network resources to deliver the most valuable data for volcano studies in response to volcano activities. This dissertation studies managing resource usage to improve the data quality provided by volcano sensor networks. We present the following core contributions. Firstly, we designed an energy-efficient remote network management system allowing command & controls to be reliably injected into the network in real time. In this way, the sensor network can adapt to volcano activity changes and deliver the most valuable data. Secondly, we designed a light-weight adaptive linear predictive compression algorithm ALFC to reduce bandwidth demands without compromise of data fidelity. ALFC can adapt to a dynamically changing source such as seismic data and achieve good compression performance. Thirdly, we developed a localized TDMA MAC protocol TreeMAC to address fair bandwidth distribution in multi-hop data collection sensor networks. Driven by the many-to-one network traffic pattern, TreeMAC assigns bandwidth proportional to the demands of sensor nodes to reduce network congestion and maximize network throughput. Furthmore, inspired by TreeMAC we design a QoS-aware robust TDMA MAC protocol RoMac for dynamic wireless networks. It can achieve persistent QoS as well as resilience to network dynamics with very little control message overhead. Finally, we present the design, deployment and evaluation of a realworld sensor network framework for remote volcano monitoring employing those techniques to improve data quality. The successful deployment has demonstrated that a low-cost sensor network system can provide real-time continuous monitoring in harsh environments and greatly promoted the confident use of sensor networks.
Problems of Urban Archaeology

A brief review of the rise of interest in historic sites preservation and of the use of archaeological techniques in this field, is followed by a discussion of the recent phenomenon of urban renewal as it applies to an increasing necessity for archaeological work in urban areas. Experience gained in the archaeological program at Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, provides the basis for a discussion of some of the specific problems encountered in urban sites: excavation costs, problems of public relations, the necessity for special equipment and specialized artisans, and the archeologists' training.
Molecular profiling of dilated cardiomyopathy that progresses to heart failure

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is defined by progressive functional and structural changes. We performed RNA-seq at different stages of disease to define molecular signaling in the progression from pre-DCM hearts to DCM and overt heart failure (HF) using a genetic model of DCM (phospholamban missense mutation, PLNR9C/+). Pre-DCM hearts were phenotypically normal yet displayed proliferation of nonmyocytes (59% relative increase vs. WT, P = 8 × 10-4) and activation of proinflammatory signaling with notable cardiomyocyte-specific induction of a subset of profibrotic cytokines including TGFβ2 and TGFβ3. These changes progressed through DCM and HF, resulting in substantial fibrosis (17.6% of left ventricle [LV] vs. WT, P = 6 × 10-33). Cardiomyocytes displayed a marked shift in metabolic gene transcription: downregulation of aerobic respiration and subsequent upregulation of glucose utilization, changes coincident with attenuated expression of PPARα and PPARγ coactivators -1α (PGC1α) and -1β, and increased expression of the metabolic regulator T-box transcription factor 15 (Tbx15). Comparing DCM transcriptional profiles with those in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) revealed similar and distinct molecular mechanisms. Our data suggest that cardiomyocyte-specific cytokine expression, early fibroblast activation, and the shift in metabolic gene expression are hallmarks of cardiomyopathy progression. Notably, key components of these profibrotic and metabolic networks were disease specific and distinguish DCM from HCM.
Sonographic and Pathological Staging of Patients with Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer

AbstractWe evaluated 64 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer (on the basis of rectal examination, serum acid phosphatase, bone scan and pelvic computerized tomography scan) by transrectal sonography before radical prostatectomy. Of the 48 patients with histologically proved localized prostate cancer sonography overstaged the disease in 5 (10%) and correctly staged it in 43 (90%). All overstaged cancer patients were scanned after either prostatic biopsy (4) or transurethral prostatectomy (1) established the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Of the 16 patients with histologically proved, locally advanced prostate cancer (that is extracapsular extension and/or seminal vesicle invasion) sonography understaged the disease in 10 (62%) and correctly staged the disease in 6 (38%). These data suggest that sonography is associated with considerable staging errors when used to evaluate men with clinically localized prostate cancer. (J. Urol., 142: 1259-1261, 1989)
Diagnosing inflammatory bowel disease and differentiating it from potential mimics

Abstract The initial diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) requires multiple diagnostic modalities; however, endoscopic evaluation as a diagnostic test is considered the gold standard. Endoscopic evaluation includes colonoscopy with ileoscopy, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, enteroscopy, and capsule endoscopy. IBD encompasses Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and IBD unclassified. Colonoscopy with ileoscopy along with biopsy collection is essential in most IBD cases for diagnosis and to rule out alternative findings that may mimic IBD including ischemia, diverticulitis, segmental colitis associated with diverticulosis, neoplasia, radiation enteritis, and drug-induced colitis. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy, enteroscopy, and capsule endoscopy are used in the initial workup of specific groups of patients with IBD. The role of endoluminal diagnostic studies in the initial diagnosis of IBD is discussed in detail in this article.
Optimal frequency of rabies vaccination campaigns in Sub-Saharan Africa

Rabies causes more than 24 000 human deaths annually in Sub-Saharan Africa. The World Health Organization recommends annual canine vaccination campaigns with at least 70% coverage to control the disease. While previous studies have considered optimal coverage of animal rabies vaccination, variation in the frequency of vaccination campaigns has not been explored. To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of rabies canine vaccination campaigns at varying coverage and frequency, we parametrized a rabies virus transmission model to two districts of northwest Tanzania, Ngorongoro (pastoral) and Serengeti (agro-pastoral). We found that optimal vaccination strategies were every 2 years, at 80% coverage in Ngorongoro and annually at 70% coverage in Serengeti. We further found that the optimality of these strategies was sensitive to the rate of rabies reintroduction from outside the district. Specifically, if a geographically coordinated campaign could reduce reintroduction, vaccination campaigns every 2 years could effectively manage rabies in both districts. Thus, coordinated campaigns may provide monetary savings in addition to public health benefits. Our results indicate that frequency and coverage of canine vaccination campaigns should be evaluated simultaneously and tailored to local canine ecology as well as to the risk of disease reintroduction from surrounding regions.
An improved local bridging centrality model for distributed network analytics

Classifying an edge or a node within a network graph according to its bridging characteristics is an important structural measure that has many practical analytic applications. Bridging centrality is a relatively new graph-based centrality metric for classifying nodes serving as key structural connections between dense components. A global bridging centrality has been previously introduced and requires global knowledge of the entire graph structure to perform the centrality computation. Recently, a local bridging centrality variant was also introduced that can be calculated locally requiring only limited local neighborhood graph information. We introduce an extended model of the recently introduced local bridging centrality based upon the the concept of a local “friends of friends” or 2-hop neighbor distance egocentric graph. We further develop and analyze the use of this extended centrality with both unweighted and weighted graph structures. Finally we present a series of comparative studies using a variety of graph models and examine ranking correlation comparisons with global bridging centrality results. Our analysis includes comparisons with both past literature models and newer temporal graph results of a 100-node mobile wireless network scenario with link weights representing dynamic reception quality.