cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cardiovascular Disease in Asian Indians Living in the United States

Asian Indians (people originating from the Indian subcontinent) are the largest Asian subgroup in the United States and one of the fastest growing ethnic groups as well, with the population projected to increase to 41 million by 2050. Prevalence of cardiovascular disease is significantly higher in Asian Indians compared to whites living in the United States. Asian Indians have a high risk of premature coronary artery disease and have high mortality from coronary heart disease, especially in the youngest age cohort. The factors for increased cardiovascular risk include the high prevalence of diabetes and insulin resistance, increased truncal fat distribution, and atherogenic lipoprotein profiles. When adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index, Asian Indians have the highest ethnic-specific prevalence of diabetes compared to whites, African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans. Among the lifestyle risk factors, prevalence of leisure time physical inactivity is reported to be higher among Asian Indians, and rates of smoking, obesity, and binge drinking are much lower compared to European populations. With the increasing affluence of Asian Indians living in United States and decreasing work-related physical activity, the lack of leisure time physical activity may become a major contributor to metabolic abnormalities in this population. The presence of excess insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, and lower plasma adiponectin concentration at lower total body fat in Asian Indians points to adipose tissue dysfunction. Although there is a public health need for early assessment of cardiovascular risk factors in this high-risk cohort and aggressive intervention to modify these factors with development of culturally tailored interventions to promote leisure time physical activity and healthy dietary habits, further research to identify targets for early diagnosis and intervention other than traditional approaches is warranted.
Long‐term complications and quality of life in children with intraspinal tumors

Pediatric intraspinal tumors are a heterogeneous group of raretumors, which can present with the same symptoms as a result of aspinal cord compression [1–3]. In these cases the decision to usesurgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy to decompress the spinalcordisbothurgentandcomplex.Thelocationandhistologyofthesetumors demonstrate their heterogeneity. Extradural tumors accountfor about 50% of cases and are likely to be neuroblastomasand Ewing sarcoma, and, more rarely, leukemia, lymphoma, orrhabdomyosarcoma [4–7]. Intradural tumors are intramedullary(25–40%) or extramedullary (about 10%) [8–12]. Intramedullarytumors include astrocytomas (40–60%) [13–15], gangliogliomas(10–40%) [16], and ependymomas (15–30%) [2,17].In recent years, the survival rates for intraspinal tumors haveincreased. Nevertheless, these tumors can cause severe andpermanent damage to motor, spine, bowel, and bladder functions.What has not yet been documented is the impact that such lateeffects have on social and psychological adjustment and on thequality of life (QoL) of the survivors.Interest in the measurement of QoL has expanded considerablyoverthepast10years,withincreasingappreciationoftheimportanceof the patient’s perspective [18]. According to the World HealthOrganization [19], health related qualityof life (HRQoL) is seen as amulti-dimensional concept including physical, social, cognitive, andemotional functioning [19]. The subjective perception and appraisalof functioning are as important as objective health becauseindividuals with the same objective health status can report verydifferent QoL [20].To study the outcome of intraspinal tumors in children, wefollowed 28 consecutively treated patients. A comprehensive assess-ment of tumor control, neurological, orthopedic, and cognitivecomplications and their impact on behavioral and psychologicaladjustment and HRQoL was performed.
Type 1 and type 2 herpes simplex virus in corneal cell cultures

Abstract The pathogenicity of herpes simplex virus (HSV) in primary cultures of epithelial, stromal, and endothelial cells of rabbit corneas was studied at various incubation temperatures (30°, 36°, and 40°C). We tested three strains each of type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2). At all three temperatures, the epithelial cells appeared to be more susceptible to both HSV-1 and HSV-2 than the stromal and endothelial cells. In general, less HSV-1 was required than HSV-2 to infect the same type of corneal cell at the same incubation temperature. At 40°C, however, there was far less cell destruction by either HSV-1 or HSV-2 than at 30° or 36°C. This inhibition at 40°C was more pronounced in the cells infected with HSV-2 than in those infected with HSV-1, and the inhibition was accompanied consistently by significant suppression of virus multiplication in the cells.
Overview of clinical efficacy and safety of pharmacologic strategies for blood conservation.

Purpose. The pharmacologic management of hemostasis in patients undergoing surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass is discussed. Summary. Nearly 45 studies involving 7,000 patients have reported efficacy of aprotinin in blood conservation. Both in primary coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgeries and in repeat surgeries, aprotinin treatment significantly reduces the incidence of blood transfusions and the number of units of blood transfused. These effects have been observed for red blood cell, platelet, and other blood products. The safety of aprotinin treatment has been extensively evaluated in randomized clinical trials, in postmarketing databases, and in systematic reviews of the literature. Overall, data do not indicate that aprotinin treatment increases mortality, myocardial infarction, or renal failure. These findings are supported by the results of a recent meta-analysis of 35 studies in patients undergoing CABG surgery. In addition, the meta-analysis suggests that aprotinin treatment was associated with a reduced incidence of stroke and a trend toward a reduced incidence of atrial fibrillation. Although lysine analogs, desmopressin, and recombinant factor VIIa are sometimes used to reduce bleeding, only aprotinin is indicated for use during CABG surgery. Conclusion. The future of cardiac surgery will be marked by an increasingly complex, high-risk group of patients and a greater need for multiple pharmacologic options for reducing bleeding. Pharmacologic approaches that attenuate the activation of the hemostatic system and inflammation need to be employed to decrease coagulopathies and the need for allogeneic blood administration.
Citizen Advocacy Relationships: Advocate, Protegé, and Relationship Characteristics and Satisfaction Ratings

This study assessed personal and relationship characteristics of 75 advocate-protege pairs involved in citizen advocacy relationships and related them to ratings of advocate and protege satisfactio...
Analytical Model for Prediction of Reduced Strain Energy Release Rate of Single-Side-Patched Plates

A study was undertaken to develop an analytical model that can predict how much reduction in Strain Energy Release Rate (SERR) can be achieved by repairing a cracked plate using a single-side bonded patch. The plate may be subjected to inplane or out-of-plane bending loading. Furthermore, the plate may be flat or curved in a cylindrical shape. The model helps to select patch material (i.e., elastic modulus of the material) and the appropriate patch size in order to reduce the SERR at the crack tip of the patched base plate. In other words, the analytical model can be utilized to select the patch material and patch dimensions required to achieve the desired SERR for a cracked base plate with known modulus, thickness, and crack size. The model is based on axial and bending stresses of the single-side strap joint configuration, which are related to the SERR at the crack tip of a plate with a single-side patch repair. In order to verify the analytical model, finite element analyses were conducted to determine stresses as well as SERR in many different patched plates. The numerical study confirmed the validity of the analytical model in predicting the reduction ratio of SERR resulting from the single-side patch repair.
Salt Preferences and Sodium Drive Phenology in Fox Squirrels and Woodchucks

Salt preferences and sodium (Na) drive were examined in southern Indiana populations of fox squirrels ( Sciurus niger ) and woodchucks ( Marmota monax ). Animal use of salt-impregnated wooden pegs demonstrated that Na compounds were highly preferred. Both seasonal variation in peg use and the phenology of animals licking the road surface for residues of winter-applied sodium chloride demonstrated definite seasonal variation in Na drive. Spring peaks for both species and an additional autumn peak in squirrels were clearly associated with sudden increases in dietary intake of potassium (K) in spring and decreases in Na intake in squirrels in autumn. The high K intake is postulated to interfere with otherwise efficient Na-conserving mechanisms.
Splenogonadal Fusion: A Rare Etiology of Solid Testicular Mass

A 35-year-old man presented with a painless left scrotal mass. Pathologic examination after orchiectomy revealed splenogonadal fusion. Splenogonadal fusion is an exceptionally rare, typically benign, congenital anomaly. Splenogonadal fusion should be included in the differential diagnosis of a left-sided testicular mass.
Performance Of The Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) VII. Image Shrinking In Sub-Arc Second Seeing At The MMT And 2.3m Telescopes

Observations of image size and motion have been made at the MMT and 2.3m telescopes. At the 2.3m, simultaneous observations were made of image size and position at 0.8μ and various IR wavelengths. The MMT observations were all at 0.6μ, and were used to measure the isoplanicity of the atmosphere for image motion, the time development of image position, and the telescope to telescope correlation of image motion. At both telescopes the image size was larger than expected for the image motion. The MMT results showed that although there is a finite outer scale of turbulence for the atmosphere, it did not appreciably reduce image motion. Therefore the excess image size is caused by excess small scale turbulence (presumably inside the dome), together with various telescope imperfections. It is inferred that sub-arc second seeing is frequently available at both Mt. Hopkins and Kitt Peak, but that the image is substantially deteriorated in the observations. While correction for image motion is a necessary nart of a program to shrink telescopic images, there are other high priority cures also needed.
Coherent Optical Phase Transfer over a 32-km Fiber with 1 s Instability at 10 − 17

The phase coherence of an ultrastable optical frequency reference is fully maintained over actively stabilized fiber networks of lengths exceeding 30 km. For a 7-km link installed in an urban environment, the transfer instability is $6\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}18}$ at 1 s. The excess phase noise of 0.15 rad, integrated from 8 mHz to 25 MHz, yields a total timing jitter of 0.085 fs. A 32-km link achieves similar performance. Using frequency combs at each end of the coherent-transfer fiber link, a heterodyne beat between two independent ultrastable lasers, separated by 3.5 km and 163 THz, achieves a 1-Hz linewidth.
Asthma outcomes in children and adolescents with multiple morbidities: Findings from the National Health Interview Survey

Background More Americans are managing multiple chronic conditions (MCCs), and trends are particularly alarming in youth. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and distribution of 9 chronic conditions in children and adolescents with and without asthma, and adverse asthma outcomes associated with having MCCs. Methods Cross-sectional interview data from the National Health Interview Survey were analyzed (N = 66,790) between 2007 and 2012 in youth 0 to 17 years of age. Bivariate analysis methods and multivariate generalized linear regression were used to examine associations. Results Five percent of children with asthma had 1 or more coexisting health conditions. The prevalence of 1 or more comorbidities was greater among those with asthma than those without (5.07% [95% CI: 4.5-5.6] vs 2.73% [95% CI: 2.6-2.9]). Those with asthma were twice as likely to have co-occurring hypertension (prevalence ratio [PR] = 2.2 [95% CI: 1.5-3.2]) and arthritis (PR = 2.7 [95% CI: 1.8-4.0]) compared with those without asthma. Every additional chronic condition with asthma was associated with a greater likelihood of an asthma attack (PR = 1.1 [95% CI: 1.0-1.2]), all-cause emergency department visits (PR = 1.3 [95% CI: 1.1-1.5]), and missed school days (PR = 2.3 [95% CI: 1.7-3.2]). Conclusions Children and adolescents with asthma in the US who suffer from MCCs have increased asthma symptoms, missed school days, and all-cause emergency department visits. Further research on optimal management strategies for this group is needed.
Potassium sorbate permeability of methylcellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose multi layer films

Spoilage by microorganisms growing on food surfaces is the shelf-life limiting factor for many food products. Previous publications have shown that this shelf-life limitation can be overcome by edible coatings lowering the diffusion rate into the food of antimicrobial agents applied on food surfaces. A permeability cell has been used to evaluate the potassium sorbate barrier properties of polysaccharide based films. In this paper we examine the effect of film formation technique and film formulation on the permeability rate of methyl- and hydroxy-propyl methyl cellulose based films. Permeability constant determinations ranging from 10−9 to 1011 (mg/s cm2)(cm)/(mg/cm3) indicate that surface resistance to microbial growth could be enhanced significantly. Scanning electron microscopy examinations showed that films were of uniform thickness. Morphological differences between films were consistent with permeability measurements.
1α, 25-Dihydroxyvitamin D Regulates Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1α in Untransformed and Harvey-ras Transfected Breast Epithelial Cells

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the mechanism by which 1α, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH) 2 D) alters hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) protein in untransformed and Harvey- ras (H- ras ) oncogene transfected MCF10A breast epithelial cells. Treatment with 1,25(OH) 2 D (10 nM) increased both mRNA (2.55 ± 0.6-fold vs. vehicle, p = 0.03) and protein levels (2.37 ± 0.3-fold vs. vehicle, p ras transfected MCF10A cells, 1,25(OH) 2 D treatment increased HIF-1α protein level (2.08 ± 0.38-fold vs. vehicle, p = 0.05) at 12 h, with no change in mRNA level and HIF-1α protein level returned to baseline after 24 h. A transcription inhibitor prevented the 1,25(OH) 2 D induction of HIF-1α protein and mRNA levels in MCF10A cells, but failed to alter the induction of HIF-1α protein level in H- ras transfected MCF10A cells. On the other hand, inhibition of proteasomal degradation prevented the 1,25(OH) 2 D-induced HIF-1α protein level in H- ras transfected MCF10A but not in MCF10A cells. These results support that 1,25(OH) 2 D regulates HIF-1α protein level via transcriptional regulation in MCF10A cells in contrast to through proteosomal degradation with the presence of H- ras oncogene in MCF10A cells.
A Little Rain Each Day: Psychological Stress & Health Disparities

It seems that nearly every day a new study is published that links psychological stress to poor health outcomes. Psychological stress has been found to cause immunosuppression, increased susceptibility to infectious diseases, delayed wound healing, and to contribute to the development of psychological disorders. Yet, the implications of psychological stress as it relates to health disparities are seldom addressed. Chronic stress is an important but understudied factor that interacts with culture, socioeconomic status, and other psychosocial factors to act not only directly on physiological systems, but also to shape and influence health-related behavior. Research indicates that psychological stress acts through multiple pathways to influence health. Likewise, psychological stress and its impact on vulnerable populations may be addressed and managed at multiple levels. We define stress, and briefly review the literature on psychological stress in health disparities. We briefly describe several models of how stress negatively impacts health generally, and the pathways through which is believed to impact the health of some vulnerable populations specifically. We suggest ways in which policymakers, health systems, organizations, communities, and individuals can begin to work to reduce psychological stress and stress-related health inequities.
Limitations of the Luneburg lens as a calibration target for a dual-antenna radar system

The Luneburg lens, which is commonly used to calibrate radar scatterometers, may not be appropriate for calibration of dual-antenna systems. Theory and results from measurements of the Luneburg lens reradiation pattern indicate that gross errors may be incurred when using the lens to calibrate a dual-antenna system. Measurements of the reradiation pattern indicate that special attention must be paid to the angular separation of the antennas when using the lens to calibrate a dual-antenna radar system. The angular separation of the antennas must be less than the half-power beamwidth of the lens to ensure accurate repeatable measurements. A formula for estimating the half-power beamwidth is given. >
Genetic Differentiation of Western Corn Rootworm Populations (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Relative to Insecticide Resistance

ABSTRACT As the single most important pest of field corn, Zea mays L., throughout most of the Corn Belt, the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), has undergone repeated selection for resistance to a variety of insecticides that persist widely among Nebraska populations. In this study, we used 11 microsatellite markers to genotype two populations with high levels of resistance to methyl-parathion and aldrin (Polk and Stromsburg), two populations with low and intermediate levels of resistance (Mead and Clay Center) from Nebraska, and one population from outside the Corn Belt (Safford, AZ). The genetic diversity measured by observed heterozygosity (H0) was reduced 15–32% in the highly resistant populations compared with the more susceptible populations in Nebraska. Significant genetic differentiation was detected between the resistant and susceptible populations (Polk and Stromsburg versus Mead and Clay Center) in Nebraska (FST = 0.016) and between all th...
New devices for asthma

The major antiasthma drugs currently are prescribed most often in aerosol form, with the use of a variety of inhaled-drug delivery devices. The 20th century has seen the evolution of ever more sophisticated aerosol delivery devices from the crude, medicated mist generators of questionable efficacy developed in the 19th century, to small-volume nebulizers, to the latest generation of metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) and dry-powder inhalers (DPIs).1 It is hoped that further refinements in these devices will occur in the 21st century to make aerosol drug delivery even more efficient and convenient, as well as environmentally friendly. MDIs are currently the most widely used aerosol delivery devices. Over the last two decades, auxilliary devices for MDIs have been developed, such as spacers or aerosol holding chambers, to overcome problems associated with press-andbreathe MDI use. In addition, a growing interest has emerged in microelectronic monitoring devices to help physicians and patients monitor their own inhaler use, to assess and improve compliance, and, at least with one device, to optimize drug delivery from MDIs. The purpose of this review is to provide a broad overview of both current and experimental devices for use in asthma and a brief discussion of what improvements are needed in such devices as we enter the new century.
Large-scale organization of tropical convection in two-dimensional explicit numerical simulations: Effects of interactive radiation

We examine interactions among radiative processes, water vapour, clouds, and the multi-scale organization of tropical convection in two-dimensional idealized cloud-resolving simulations using planetary-scale horizontal domains. We extend our earlier study where radiative cooling was prescribed. Therein, deep convection spontaneously organized into two primary scales: westward travelling mesoscale convective systems on a scale of a few hundred kilometres and the eastward-propagating envelopes of convection spanning thousands of kilometres. These envelopes represented large-scale convectively coupled gravity waves, two-dimensional non-rotating analogues of equatorially trapped Kelvin waves. Interactive radiation introduces a new mechanism of large-scale convective organization. Weak overturning circulations, steered by the mean wind and of a few thousand kilometres in scale, gradually develop. This overturning is a manifestation of the baroclinic response to horizontal gradients of radiative heating established between the moist and dry regions, which causes a spontaneous positive feedback among large-scale dynamics, water vapour, clouds, and radiation. The mechanism is as follows: the convective systems maintain the humidity (vapour and cloud) in the ascending branch which, in turn, maintains the differential radiative heating. Conversely, the large-scale overturning provides the large-scale dynamical forcing that maintains the deep convection. This quantifies recent idealized studies that applied convective parametrizations. The radiatively driven overturning and the deep convection are modulated by large-scale convectively coupled gravity waves responsible for the large-scale envelopes reported earlier. A series of sensitivity tests, including the effects of environmental shear, demonstrate the robustness of these results. Copyright © 2002 Royal Meteorological Society
Temperature dependence of nanoscale friction investigated with thermal AFM probes

Measurements of nanoscale friction between silicon AFM tips featuring an in-situ solid state heater and silicon substrates (both with native oxide) were performed. The temperature of the heater was varied between room temperature and approximately 650 °C. For these temperatures and the silicon substrate, the temperatures at the point of contact are estimated to range from room temperature to approximately 120±20 °C. Experiments were carried out in ambient atmosphere (~30% relative humidity) and under dry nitrogen. Tests under constant load revealed that in the presence of ambient, friction increased with heater temperature whereas it did not change in dry nitrogen. For experiments carried out for different tip velocities (40 to 7800 nm/s), friction decreased with velocity in ambient and did not change in dry nitrogen. Both trends can be explained by thermally-assisted formation of capillary bridges between tip and substrate and the kinetics of capillary condensation under ambient conditions.
Early Immune Markers Associated with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis Infection in a Neonatal Calf Model

The objective of this study was to observe early markers of cell-mediated immunity in naive calves infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis and how expression of these markers evolved over the 12-month period of infection. Groups for experimental infection included control (noninfected), oral (infected orally with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis strain K-10), oral/DXM (pretreatment with dexamethasone before oral inoculation), intraperitoneal (i.p.) inoculation, and oral/M (oral inoculation with mucosal scrapings from a cow with clinical disease) groups. One of the earliest markers to emerge was antigen-specific gamma interferon (IFN-γ). Only i.p. inoculated calves had detectable antigen-specific IFN-γ responses at 7 days, with responses of the other infection groups becoming detectable at 90 and 120 days. All infection groups maintained robust IFN-γ responses for the remainder of the study. At 1 month, calves in the oral and oral/M groups had higher antigen-stimulated interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels than calves in the other treatment groups, but IL-10 secretion declined by 12 months for all calves. T-cell activation markers such as CD25, CD26, CD45RO, and CD5 were significantly upregulated in infected calves compared to noninfected controls. Oral inoculation of calves resulted in significantly increased antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferation at 9 and 12 months, as well as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) secretion at 6 and 12 months. These results demonstrate that infection of naive calves with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis invoked early immunologic responses characterized by robust antigen-specific IFN-γ responses and induction of CD25 and CD45RO expression on T-cell subsets. These were followed by antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferation, iNOS secretion, and expression of CD26 and CD5(bright) markers in the latter part of the 12-month study.
Automatic Parallelization: An Overview of Fundamental Compiler Techniques

Compiling for parallelism is a longstanding topic of compiler research. This book describes the fundamental principles of compiling "regular" numerical programs for parallelism. We begin with an explanation of analyses that allow a compiler to understand the interaction of data reads and writes in different statements and loop iterations during program execution. These analyses include dependence analysis, use-def analysis and pointer analysis. Next, we describe how the results of these analyses are used to enable transformations that make loops more amenable to parallelization, and discuss transformations that expose parallelism to target shared memory multicore and vector processors. We then discuss some problems that arise when parallelizing programs for execution on distributed memory machines. Finally, we conclude with an overview of solving Diophantine equations and suggestions for further readings in the topics of this book to enable the interested reader to delve deeper into the field. Table of Contents: Introduction and overview / Dependence analysis, dependence graphs and alias analysis / Program parallelization / Transformations to modify and eliminate dependences / Transformation of iterative and recursive constructs / Compiling for distributed memory machines / Solving Diophantine equations / A guide to further reading
Beyond Taxonomy: Prospects for Understanding Morphological Diversity in the Grasses (Poaceae)

The grass family (Poaceae) is unusually well known taxonomically, with over 10,000 described species. These are characterized and classified according to a variety of morphological characters, particular those of the inflorescence and the spikelet but also a wealth of micromorphological and moleculary characters. Much data on the family is accessible electronically. Available phylogenies have identified 12 major lineages that are classified as subfamilies; within these subfamilies, especially for subfamily Panicoideae, the phylogeny is becoming increasingly clear. Developmental studies focus on the activity and fate of meristems throughout the plant, and illustrate how adult morphology arises. Analyses of quantitative trait loci (QTL) verify that some taxonomic characters are controlled by distinct genes, thus supporting their use in taxonomy. Studies of gene expression identify several genes, including LEAFY HULL STERILE1, RAMOSA1, and TEOSINTE BRANCHED1 that may have contributed to diversification of the grasses.
Fusion of fMRI, sMRI, and EEG data using canonical correlation analysis

Typically data acquired through imaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), structural MRI (sMRI), and electroencephalography (EEG) are analyzed separately. Each modality records brain structure and function at different scales, and fusing information from such complementary modalities promises to provide additional insight into connectivity across brain networks and changes due to disease. Recently, a number of methods have been proposed for data integration and fusion of two brain imaging modalities. We propose a new data fusion scheme based on canonical correlation analysis that enables the detection of associations across multiple modalities. Our multimodal canonical correlation analysis (mCCA) scheme works at the feature level using multi-set CCA to determine inter-subject covariations across modalities. We apply mCCA to fMRI, sMRI, and EEG data collected from patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Through data collected from an auditory oddball task, we show that the fusion of multiple modalities detects more specific associations as compared to fusion of two modalities.
A Model for the Horst and Graben Structure of Midocean Ridge Crests based upon Spreading Velocity and Basalt Delivery to the Oceanic Crust

Summary The East Pacific Rise crest from 17° N to 40° S is characterized by a central horst. This feature is suggested to be the steady-state product of constant spreading about a ridge with the standard deviation of dike injection rate smaller than the standard deviation of lateral strain rate. A model is developed, based only upon these two parameters, which adequately explains not only the central horst topography, but also that of central grabens. The latter feature is shown to occur within the model when the spreading velocity is so small that the standard deviation of the dike injection rate is larger than the standard deviation of the lateral strain rate. Such is believed to occur only when constant freezing and breaking of the central intrusion zone produces intermittent spreading. Thus, a ‘normal’ spreading centre has a central horst. Put simply, when material is intruded at the ridge crest over a distance greater than that required to accelerate the crestal material from zero horizontal velocity to the spreading velocity, a central graben forms. When material is intruded over a narrower distance than that required to accelerate to spreading velocity, a central horst forms.
Protective and cellular immune responses to idiotypic determinants on cells from a spontaneous lymphoma of NZB-NZW F1 mice.

A spontaneous lymphoma (141) producing monoclonal IgM is established in NZB/NZW F1 (B/W) mice who spontaneously develop an autoimmune disease. Idiotypic determinants of 141 IgM are present on the lymphoma cell surface as shown by indirect immunofluorescence and specific cytotoxicity with rabbit anti-idiotypic antiserum. Fluorescence and cytotoxicity are inhibited by 141 IgM but not by 104E IgM, a monoclonal IgM produced by a BALB/c plasmacytoma. Immunization of B/W mice with 141 IgM before transplantation of lymphoma 141 confers protective immunity. No such protection occurs after immunization with 104E IgM or other unrelated proteins. Protected mice contain spleen cells cytotoxic for 141 lymphoma cells. This cytotoxicity is blocked by incubation of spleen cells with 141 IgM but not with 104E IgM. Moreover, splenic lymphocytes from protected mice are stimulated to synthesize DNA by 141 IgM but not by 104E IgM. These results suggest that specific cellular immune responses to idiotypic determinants may participate in the observed protection against challenge with the corresponding B-cell tumor.
Working Class Birth Control in Wilhelmine Germany

In his recent study,The Decline of Fertility in Germany, 1871–1939, John Knodel shows that in about two generations the ‘overall fertility declined by 60 percent, marital fertility by 65 percent, and illegitimate fertility by 54 percent.’ Given the facts that a greater percentage of women of child-bearing ages than ever before were married during this period, and that illegitimate births never counted for more than 10 percent of the total births, Knodel concludes that the decline was mainly due to a reduction of marital fertility. This decline became apparent in the 1870s and was already pronounced enough to be a matter of concern for a variety of sociologists, demographers, and physicians in the decades immediately before the First World War. One of the reasons for this contemporary concern sprang from the belief that the secular decline in fertility indicated that birth control, hitherto presumably limited to the effete French and to rather small numbers of German middle class and professional families, was now being practiced with a marked degree of success by large numbers of German working class families. In the minds of many nationalistic demographers, what had been the private vice of the publicly virtuous now threatened to become a mass phenomenon with potentially disastrous results.
Down-regulation of the transcription factor snail in the placentas of patients with preeclampsia and in a rat model of preeclampsia

Background: Placental malfunction in preeclampsia is believed to be a consequence of aberrant differentiation of trophoblast lineages and changes in utero-placental oxygenation. The transcription factor Snail, a master regulator molecule of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in embryonic development and in cancer, is shown to be involved in trophoblast differentiation as well. Moreover, Snail can be controlled by oxidative stress and hypoxia. Therefore, we examined the expression of Snail and its downstream target, e-cadherin, in human normal term, preterm and preeclamptic placentas, and in pregnant rats that developed preeclampsia-like symptoms in the response to a 20fold increase in sodium intake. Methods: Western blotting analysis was used for comparative expression of Snail and e- cadherin in total protein extracts. Placental cells expressing Snail and e-cadherin were identified by immunohistochemical double-labeling technique. Results: The levels of Snail protein were decreased in human preeclamptic placentas by 30% (p < 0.01) compared to normal term, and in the rat model by 40% (p < 0.001) compared to control placentas. In preterm placentas, the levels of Snail expression varied, yet there was a strong trend toward statistical significance between preterm and preeclamptic placentas. In humans, e-cadherin protein level was 30% higher in preeclamptic (p < 0.05) placentas and similarly, but not significantly (p = 0.1), high in the preterm placentas compared to normal term. In the rat model of preeclampsia, e-cadherin was increased by 60% (p < 0.01). Immunohistochemical examination of human placentas demonstrated Snail-positive staining in the nuclei of the villous trophoblasts and mesenchymal cells and in the invasive trophoblasts of the decidua. In the rat placenta, the majority of Snail positive cells were spongiotrophoblasts of the junctional zone, while in the labyrinth, Snail-positive sinusoidal giant trophoblasts cells were found in some focal areas located close to the junctional zone. Conclusion: We demonstrated that human preeclampsia and the salt-induced rat model of preeclampsia are associated with the reduced levels of Snail protein in placenta. Down-regulation of the transcription factor Snail in placental progenitor cell lineages, either by intrinsic defects and/or by extrinsic and maternal factors, may affect normal placenta development and function and thus contribute to the pathology of preeclampsia.
Using a Metropolitan-area Econometric Model to Analyse Economic Development Proposals

This paper shows how an integrated input-output and econometric model has been developed and used by a municipal government to evaluate economic development proposals. The model simulates the impact of attracting or retaining various types of new businesses and calculates fiscal impacts for state and local governments. It can be used to determine a government's bottom-line tax concession or how much it is witting to give up to attract new businesses into the community. We present examples of proposals evaluated using our Louisville metropolitan-area econometric model and suggest that the methodology is readily adaptable to other urban areas.
Towards an Anthropology of Reading

“Anthropology of reading” in this paper means conceptions of the reader as a person and how reading shapes personhood. I attempt to deal with these questions both cross-culturally and diachronically, with the aim of asking what is peculiar about modern conceptions of reading, how they have affected the reading of ‘classics’, and how ‘classics’ might contribute to a new conception of reading.
Inhibition of Glyceraldehyde Phosphate Dehydrogenase by Salts other than Lithium Chloride

Lallier (1954) has shown that 0·4 M lithium chloride strongly inactivates glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase—a finding which might partially explain some of the developmental changes found in lithium-treated embryos. In an attempt to establish an enzymatic basis for the morphological effects of lithium ion on Hydra which have been observed in this laboratory (Ham & Eakin, 1955), we have repeated the enzyme study with lithium chloride and extended it to include a number of other salts as controls. From typical data (Table 1), it is obvious that the inhibition of glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase activity is in no way a specific effect due to lithium ions. Both sodium chloride and potassium chloride produced a greater inhibition than did lithium chloride. From the various sodium salts tested, it was found that the anion may be of more importance than the cation in determining the degree of inhibition, although the cation also has some effect.
Metastatic neuroblastoma (NB) to the central nervous system (CNS): Improved outcome with combined modality including 131-I-8H9 or 131-I-3F8 radioimmunotherapy (RIT) delivered through the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

2022 Background: NB metastatic to the CNS (NB-CNS) is difficult to control. We describe a salvage regimen incorporating intra- Ommaya RIT delivered to the CSF. Methods: 37 patients (pts) with NB-CN...
A novel process for comprehensive utilization of vanadium slag

Traditional processes for treating vanadium slag generate a huge volume of solid residue and a large amount of harmful gas, which cause serious environmental problems. In this study, a new process for the comprehensive utilization of vanadium slag was proposed, wherein zeolite A and a V2O5/TiO2 system were synthesized. The structural properties of the as-synthesized zeolite A and the V2O5/TiO2 system were characterized using various experimental techniques, including X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. The results reveal that zeolite A and the V2O5/TiO2 system are successfully obtained with high purity. The results of gas adsorption measurements indicate that the prepared zeolite A exhibits high selectivity for CO2 over N2 and is a candidate material for CO2 capture from flue-gas streams.
Leptin signaling regulates glucose homeostasis, but not adipostasis, in the zebrafish

Leptin is the primary adipostatic factor in mammals. Produced largely by adipocytes in proportion to total adipose mass, the hormone informs the brain regarding total energy stored as triglycerides in fat cells. The hormone acts on multiple circuits in the brain to regulate food intake, autonomic outflow, and endocrine function to maintain energy balance. In addition to regulating adipose mass, mammalian leptin also plays a role in the regulation of glucose homeostasis and as a gating factor in reproductive competence. Leptin-deficient mice and people exhibit early onset profound hyperphagia and obesity, diabetes, and infertility. Although leptin and the leptin receptor are found in fish, the hormone is not expressed in adipose tissue, but is found in liver and other tissues. Here, we show that adult zebrafish lacking a functional leptin receptor do not exhibit hyperphagia or increased adiposity, and exhibit normal fertility. However, leptin receptor-deficient larvae have increased numbers of β-cells and increased levels of insulin mRNA. Furthermore, larval zebrafish have been shown to exhibit β-cell hyperplasia in response to high fat feeding or peripheral insulin resistance, and we show here that leptin receptor is required for this response. Adult zebrafish also have increased levels of insulin mRNA and other alterations in glucose homeostasis. Thus, a role for leptin in the regulation of β-cell mass and glucose homeostasis appears to be conserved across vertebrates, whereas its role as an adipostatic factor is likely to be a secondary role acquired during the evolution of mammals.
Reengineering Dialysis: The Role of Palliative Medicine.

Abstract Background: End-stage renal disease is a life-limiting illness associated with significant morbidity. Half of all individuals with end-stage renal disease are unable to participate in decision making at the end of life, which makes advance care planning critical in this population. Objective: We sought to determine the feasibility of embedding palliative medicine consultations in the hemodialysis unit during treatment runs and the impact of this intervention on advance care planning and symptom management. Design: Single-center, prospective cohort study. Setting/Subjects: Adults receiving in-center hemodialysis at a single outpatient unit were eligible. All consultations occurred during the patients' hemodialysis runs between January 1 and June 30, 2012. Measurement: Medical records were reviewed for documentation of advance directives, resuscitation status, and goals of care discussions before and after palliative medicine intervention. Symptom surveys with the Modified Edmonton Symptom Assessme...
Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma for fluorescence-guided surgery (Conference Presentation)

During fluorescence-guided surgery, a cancer-specific optical probe is injected and visualized using a compatible device intraoperatively to provide visual contrast between diseased and normal tissues to maximize resection of cancer and minimize the resection of precious adjacent normal tissues. Six patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region (oral cavity (n=4) or cutaneous (n=2)) were injected with an EGFR-targeting antibody (Cetuximab) conjugated to a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent dye (IRDye800) 3, 4, or 7 days prior to surgical resection of the cancer. Each patient’s tumor was then imaged using a commercially available, open-field NIR fluorescence imaging device each day prior to surgery, intraoperatively, and post-operatively. The mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of the tumor was calculated for each specimen at each imaging time point. Adjacent normal tissue served as an internal anatomic control for each patient to establish a patient-matched “background” fluorescence. Resected tissues were also imaged using a closed-field NIR imaging device. Tumor to background ratios (TBRs) were calculated for each patient using both devices. Fluorescence histology was correlated with traditional pathology assessment to verify the specificity of antibody-dye conjugate binding. Peak TBRs using the open-field device ranged from 2.2 to 11.3, with an average TBR of 4.9. Peak TBRs were achieved between days 1 and 4. This study demonstrated that a commercially available NIR imaging device suited for intraoperative and clinical use can successfully be used with a fluorescently-labeled dye to delineate between diseased and normal tissue in this single cohort human study, illuminated the potential for its use in fluoresence-guided surgery.
Risk Factors for Neonatal Seizures

The association between maternal characteristics and birth admission seizures in a cohort of 2.3 million California children born at >36 weeks’ gestation between 1998 and 2002 was evaluated using database statistics at the University of California San Francisco and Davis, CA.
Optical Control of Cancer Initiation in Zebrafish

Although cancer initiation and evolution have been extensively studied, they are not, as of yet, fully understood. Several models have attempted to answer how cancer arises from individual transformed cells. However, current probes of cancer development are restricted to the collective properties of many thousands of cells. In particular, two outstanding questions, the effectiveness of oncogenic transformation and the role of the local microenvironment on cancer initiation, require the study of the fates of individual cells and their progenies. Recently, we developed a technology that allows for the control of protein activity and gene expression in single cells through light activation. In this work, we utilize this method to activate in a small number of cells in a live zebrafish a typical oncogene, K-RasG12V, and investigate effects of these changes on tumorigenesis under varied genetic backgrounds. We successfully demonstrated the spatiotemporal control of oncogene expression in live zebrafish. Furthermore, we investigated different tumorigenic phenotypes by transiently or permanently activating K-Ras at varied developmental stages. We believe that our studies could shed new light on cancer initiation and growth and provide new tools for target validation and testing of novel anti-cancer drugs.
Increased ACE and chymase-like activity in cardiac tissue of dogs with chronic mitral regurgitation.

The current study was designed to test the hypothesis that intracardiac angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity, chymase-like activity, and angiotensin (ANG) peptide levels are increased and are positively related to wall stress estimates in response to the chronic low pressure volume overload of mitral regurgitation produced by percutaneous chordal rupture in the dog. Chronic mitral regurgitation (MR) resulted in an increase in left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volume [59 +/- 11 (SD) to 103 +/- 32 ml, P < 0.001], LV mass (96 +/- 17 to 114 +/- 23 g, P < 0.001), and a decrease in the LV mass-to-end-diastolic volume ratio (1.64 +/- 0.22 to 1.16 +/- 0.23 g/ml, P < 0.001) measured by magnetic resonance imaging. In vitro studies of heart tissue extracts demonstrated that the majority of ANG II-forming activity was from chymase-like activity rather than from ACE activity in five normal (83.5 +/- 7.5 vs. 6.04 +/- 5.2%) and seven MR hearts (86 +/- 3.9 vs. 2.6 +/- 1.7%). ACE activity (1.22 +/- 0.22 vs. 3.55 +/- 0.62 mU/g, P < 0.05) and chymase-like activity (9.42 +/- 4.64 vs. 20.60 +/- 8.41 nmol.g-1.min-1, P < 0.05) were increased in MR compared with normal hearts. ACE activity correlated with the LV mass-to-volume ratio (r = -0.93, P < 0.001) and LV diastolic wall stress ( r = 0.71, P < 0.05); however, chymase-like activity did not correlate with any hemodynamic parameter. ANG II levels were significantly higher in the midwall of the left ventricle in MR hearts than in normal controls (85 +/- 39 vs. 27 +/- 16 pg/g, P < 0.01). Our results demonstrate a positive correlation between LV diastolic wall stress and increased ACE activity with increased ANG II stores, suggesting that mechanical wall stress activated intracardiac ACE. Although chymase accounted for most ANG II formation in vitro in extracts of both normal and MR dog hearts, the significance of this enzyme in vivo remains unclear.