cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TandemHeart Insertion via a Femoral Arterial GORE-TEX Graft Conduit in a High-Risk Patient

The TandemHeart percutaneous ventricular assist device (pVAD), which provides temporary circulatory support of the left ventricle, can be used in high-risk and hemodynamically unstable patients. The easily inserted TandemHeart provides cardiac support superior to that from the use of intra-aortic balloon pumps. Herein, we discuss TandemHeart implantation via end-to-side femoral arterial grafting in a cardiac patient whose sepsis and multiorgan failure were complicated by coagulopathy and thromboembolism. A 47-year-old woman, on intra-aortic balloon and intravenous inotropic support after an acute myocardial infarction and emergency coronary artery bypass grafting, was transferred to our institution via helicopter. She developed sepsis and multiorgan failure. Her condition was further complicated by coagulopathy and a left-lower-extremity thromboembolism. After 6 weeks of aggressive pharmacologic and intermittent intra-aortic balloon treatment, the patient developed cardiogenic shock and received a TandemHeart pVAD for short-term circulatory support. A GORE-TEX access graft, sewn end-to-side to the femoral artery because of the patient's leg ischemia and very small vessels, served as a conduit for the TandemHeart's femoral arterial inflow cannula. Her difficult circulatory, anatomic, and coagulopathic status stabilized after 2 weeks of TandemHeart support, and she was bridged to the long-term MicroMed DeBakey VAD Child in anticipation of heart transplantation. The case of our patient shows that high-risk patients who have experienced cardiogenic shock with multiorgan failure and coagulopathy can benefit from the TandemHeart pVAD as a bridge to other therapeutic options, even when creative approaches to treatment and to TandemHeart insertion are required.
The prevalence and predictors of mental health diagnoses and suicide among U.S. college students: Implications for addressing disparities in service use.

Background The college years represent a period of increased vulnerability for a wide range of mental health (MH) challenges. The onset of common psychiatric conditions occurs during this period of development. Increases in depression, anxiety, and suicidality among U.S. college students have been observed. This study identified prevalence and correlates of MH diagnoses and suicidality in a recent sample of U.S. college students. Methods The Spring 2015 American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA) survey assessed MH diagnoses and suicidality from U.S. undergraduate students (n = 67,308) across 108 institutions. Results Stress was strongly associated with a greater likelihood of suicide attempts and MH diagnoses, even among students reporting 1-2 stressful events (OR [odds ratio] range 1.6-2.6, CI [confidence interval] = 1.2-3.2). Bisexual students were more likely to report MH diagnoses and suicidality, compared to heterosexual and gay/lesbian students (OR range 1.5-3.9, CI = 1.8-4.3), with over half engaging in suicidal ideation and self-harm, and over a quarter reporting suicide attempts. Transgender students reported a higher rate of MH diagnoses and suicidality relative to females (OR range 1.9-2.4, CI = 1.1-3.4). Racial/ethnic minority students were generally less likely to report MH diagnoses relative to Whites, although the likelihood for suicidality was mixed. Conclusions The high rate of multiple stress exposures among the U.S. college population and the high impacts of stress on MH and suicidality point to an urgent need for service utilization strategies, especially among racial/ethnic, sexual, or gender minorities. Campuses must consider student experiences to mitigate stress during this developmental period.
The Romantic Skylark in Taiwanese Literature: Shelleyan Religious Scepticism in Xu Zhimo and Yang Mu

Terence H.W. Shih’s essay explores how the Taiwanese writer Yang Mu was inspired by Xu Zhimo and influenced by Shelley’s religious scepticism. English Romanticism was introduced to Taiwan by early Chinese intellectuals who launched the May Fourth Movement (1919). Using the concept of “Romantic legacies”, Shih’s essay demonstrates the subtle relation between English Romantic literature and Taiwanese literature. The Chinese poet Xu Zhimo’s famous respect for Shelley led him to be regarded as “the Chinese Shelley”: in Taiwanese literature, Yang Mu’s Romantic ideas are shaped both by Shelley and through the indirect influence of Xu. Shelley’s unconventional philosophy and religious scepticism appealed to Yang in his later life, shaping in particular his Yi Shen (The Sceptic: Notes on Poetical Discrepancies), which is now considered his representative work against religious views.
Lactic Acid Is an Independent Predictor of Mortality and Improves the Predictive Value of Existing Risk Scores in Patients Presenting With Acute Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

Background There are validated clinical risk scores for risk stratifying patients presenting with acute upper gastrointestinal bleed (GIB), including Glasgow-Blatchford score (GBS), Pre-endoscopic Rockall score (RS-PE) and post-endoscopic complete Rockall Score (RS-C), and AIMS65. Several studies have explored the predictive value of lactic acid (LA) in the context of GI bleeding, but the prognostic role of LA and its incremental value in combination with existing clinical risk scores is not well defined. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients presenting to the emergency department of a single large academic tertiary care center from January 2014 to December 2015 with a charted diagnosis of acute GIB, inclusive of both upper and lower sources. We evaluated the independent role of LA as well as three clinical risk scores for predicting in-hospital mortality in these patients. Results Out of 704 patients admitted with acute GI bleeding, 366 patients had LA measured on presentation to the emergency department. The mean LA level, GBS, RS-PE and RS-C were found to be significantly higher in non-survivors, while there was no difference in the mean AIMS65 score between survivors and non-survivors. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that LA level was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality. The area under the curve (AUC) for the receiver operator characteristic for RS-C, RS-PE, and GBS were 0.742, 0.675, and 0.652, respectively. When integrating LA into the above risk scores, the AUC for RS-C, RS-PE, and GBS showed statistical significance improvements to 0.780 (P = 0.04), 0.774 (P = 0.012), and 0.706 (P = 003), respectively. Conclusions In unselected patients with GIB who presented to the emergency department, LA is an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality. Integration of LA into RS-C, RS-PE, and GBS risk scores improved their ability to predict in-hospital mortality. The modified LA-based RS-PE (L-Rockall pre-endoscopic) score demonstrated predictive value comparable to the post-endoscopic RS-C.
Bullying in Young Adulthood: College Hazing as a Form of Bullying

Bullying does not stop with high school graduation. To the contrary, young adults who graduate from high school and enter college are at risk for hazing, a brutal and illegal form of abuse used to initiate newcomers into sports teams, groups, clubs, and organizations. Hazing involves intense humiliation and often causes enduring emotional and physical scars, and sometimes death. Fraternity and sorority pledges and new members of sports teams, marching bands, clubs, or groups are at risk for hazing victimization while senior members of these groups perpetrate hazing “traditions.” Although some might argue that pledges or newcomers willingly engage in hazing, we believe that hazing can best be understood as a form of bullying. We provide an overview of hazing, including a discussion of the definition in general and as related to state anti-hazing laws. We also provide prevalence rates and discuss the consequences of hazing. Finally, we apply the three definitional components of bullying (repetition, power imbalance, and intent to harm) to hazing incidents and argue that the bullying dynamic forms a foundation for a nuanced understanding of hazing.
Acquiring Structured Temporal Representation via Crowdsourcing: A Feasibility Study

Temporal Dependency Trees are a structured temporal representation that represents temporal relations among time expressions and events in a text as a dependency tree structure. Compared to traditional pair-wise temporal relation representations, temporal dependency trees facilitate efficient annotations, higher inter-annotator agreement, and efficient computations. However, annotations on temporal dependency trees so far have only been done by expert annotators, which is costly and time-consuming. In this paper, we introduce a method to crowdsource temporal dependency tree annotations, and show that this representation is intuitive and can be collected with high accuracy and agreement through crowdsourcing. We produce a corpus of temporal dependency trees, and present a baseline temporal dependency parser, trained and evaluated on this new corpus.
Anomalous Course of Coronary Arteries

There are a wide range of variations in the course of the coronary arteries. An understanding of the common anomalous courses of the coronaries is helpful when looking at infants and children, in whom the size of the coronary arteries is significantly smaller than those in adults. Anomalies and variations of the course of the coronaries are often seen when their origin is from the opposite sinus. Common pathways for these anomalies of origin are interarterial, prepulmonary, retro- or circum-aortic, trans-septal, and retrocardiac. The interarterial course may be intramural or within the wall of the aorta. This can have adverse clinical outcomes.
Passive leg movement in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: evidence of locomotor muscle vascular dysfunction

Utilizing both the single and continuous passive leg movement (PLM) models, which induce nitric oxide (NO)-dependent hyperemia, this study provides evidence of vascular dysfunction in the locomotor...
The effect of household income on outcomes following supratentorial meningioma resection.

Abstract Objective This study assesses the impact of Median Household Income (MHI) on short- and long-term morbidity and mortality following supratentorial meningioma resection. Patients and methods 351 consecutive patients undergoing supratentorial meningioma tumor resection, at a single health system over a six-year period (June 09, 2013 to April 26, 2019) were analyzed retrospectively. Outcomes assessed included readmission, emergency department (ED) evaluation, and mortality within 90 days of surgery. Univariate regression analysis was conducted amongst the entire population. The population was then divided into quartiles based on median household income and univariate analysis was conducted between the lowest (Q1) and highest (Q4) quartiles. Significance was set at a P-value Results In the whole population, lower Median Household Income correlated to a significant increase in ED evaluation within 90-days of supratentorial meningioma resection. No significant difference was noted between median household income and 90-day readmission, 90-day unplanned re-operation, return to surgery after index admission within 90-days, return to surgery during the duration of the follow-up period, mortality within 90-days, and mortality during the duration of the follow-up period. In addition, when comparing Q1 (MHI ≤ $51,780) and Q4 (MHI ≥ $87,958), similar results were noted with increased ED evaluation for patients with lower MHI, but no significant difference in other factors of morbidity or mortality. Conclusion Following supratentorial meningioma resection, a lower median household income was significantly associated with increased emergency department visits within 90 post-operative days.
Coesite Formation at Low Pressure during SupersonicMicroprojectile Impact of Opal

The shock metamorphism of opal-A induced by supersonic microprojectile impacts in an advanced laser-induced projectile impact test (LIPIT) was investigated using synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD)...
Blinding Curiosity: Exploring Preferences for ""Blinding"" One’s Own Judgment

We investigate people's degree of preference for ""blinding"" in decision-making: purposefully restricting the information one sees in order to form a more accurate evaluation. For example, when gr...
Secure Contingency Prediction and Response for Cyber-Physical Systems

The complex nature of recent attacks on cyber-physical systems calls for more expressive models for contingency prediction and response. In this paper, in an attempt to address the primary difficulties facing the design of models for cyber-physical systems security, we propose a general model, termed secure contingency prediction and response (SCPR), that explicitly links the security status of the cyber layer with the operational status of the physical system. This is achieved by describing the security status of the cyber layer as the progression of an attacker through an attack graph and drawing a correspondence between compromised nodes in the attack graph and attacker capabilities in the physical layer. Using the proposed model, we formulate a novel cyber-physical systems security problem, termed control-aware intrusion response, in which actions in the cyber layer take into account the structural controllability of the physical system. The expressiveness of the proposed model is further illustrated by briefly discussing its applicability to some foundational cyber-physical systems security problems.
Labor Productivity Convergence in Mexico

Mexico exhibits the lowest labor productivity of all OECD countries and main groups of nations. However, little is known about its behavior at the sector-state level, or whether it was affected by ...
Performance of a commercial camera with the SAPHIRA near-infrared APD array: evaluation of performance before and after correction of two issues by the factory

We present our laboratory tests of a commercial near-infrared camera, the C-RED One, which was built by First Light Imaging. The camera uses a high-speed, low-noise, HgCdTe avalanche photo-diode (APD) array from Leonardo. We used the photon transfer technique to measure the gain and read noise. In early 2019, we identified the source of a fluctuating sensor bias, which limited the noise performance of the camera. We also measured the effect of the cryo-cooler on vibration of the array, which limited its performance as a tilt sensor. We sent the camera back to the FLI, where they installed a redesigned power-supply board to address the issue with the fluctuating sensor bias. FLI also installed passive damping to reduce the vibration of the sensor array. Here we present the performance characteristics of the camera before and after the repair of the camera by the manufacturer.
Variable intraspecific space use supports optimality in an apex predator.

Within optimality theory, an animal’s home range can be considered a fitness-driven attempt to obtain resources for survival and reproduction while minimizing costs. We assessed whether brown bears (Ursus arctos) in two island populations maximized resource patches within home ranges (Resource Dispersion Hypothesis [RDH]) or occupied only areas necessary to meet their biological requirements (Temporal Resource Variability Hypothesis [TRVH]) at annual and seasonal scales. We further examined how intrinsic factors (age, reproductive status) affected optimal choices. We found dynamic patterns of space use between populations, with support for RDH and TRVH at both scales. The RDH was likely supported seasonally as a result of bears maximizing space use to obtain a mix of nutritional resources for weight gain. Annually, support for RDH likely reflected changing abundances and distributions of foods within different timber stand classes. TRVH was supported at both scales, with bears minimizing space use when food resources were temporally concentrated. Range sizes and optimal strategies varied among sex and reproductive classes, with males occupying larger ranges, supporting mate seeking behavior and increased metabolic demands of larger body sizes. This work emphasizes the importance of scale when examining animal movement ecology, as optimal behavioral decisions are scale dependent.
Social and economic inequality in coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination coverage across Illinois counties.

Prior research has well established the association of ethno-racial and economic inequality with COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates across counties in the US. In this ecological study, a similar association was found between ethno-racial and economic inequality and COVID-19 full vaccination rates across the 102 counties in the American state of Illinois in the early months of vaccination. Among the counties with income inequality below the median, a county’s poverty rate had a negative association with the proportion of population fully vaccinated. However, among the counties with income inequality above the median, a higher percentage of Black or Hispanic population was persistently associated with a lower proportion of fully vaccinated population over the two-month period from early February to early April of 2021.
The use of Videotape in Psychiatric Education Chairman’s Introduction and Overview of the Symposium

Medical education has of necessity always involved the use of illustration. Charts, graphs, diagrams of bodily systems, organs or tissues, as imagined or as actually observed, convey information quickly (“a picture is worth 1,000 words”) and have great heuristic value for conceptualization.
Root Growth of Black Walnut Trees Related to Soil Temperature, Soil Water Potential, and Leaf Water Potential

ABSTRACT. The effects of soil temperature, soil water potential, and leaf water potential were evaluated on root length growth, number of growing roots, and suberization for three mature black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) trees in an oak-hickory forest in central Missouri. Rhizotrons were used to access the root systems. When only roots growing in wet soils were included, growth began at a soil temperature of 4oC and increased slowly to 13•C, with a more rapid increase above that. Growth rate peaked at 17 o to 19oC and the number of growing roots peaked at 21•C, the highest temperature observed. When roots in dry soil were the only ones included in the analysis, root growth was low with a peak at 17oC. Root growth and number of growing roots decreased sharply as soil water potential decreased from 0 to -0.5 MPa, and approached zero as soil water potential went from -0.5 to - 1.0 MPa. At low and high soil temperatures suberization rate was high, and at intermediate temperature• it was low. Suberization rate was low at high water potentials and increased as the soil dried. FOREST SCI. 31:617-629. ADDITIONAL KEY WORDS. Juglans nigra, root growth, soil temperature, soil water potential,
Nitric oxide, cAMP and the biphasic muscarinic modulation of ACh release at the lizard neuromuscular junction.

In this study, we characterized the pharmacology and physiology of the automodulation of ACh release at the lizard neuromuscular junction (NMJ). The activation of muscarinic ACh receptors generated a biphasic modulation of synaptic transmission. Muscarine-induced activation of M3 receptors (0–12 min) decreased release, whereas M1 activation (> 12 min) enhanced release. Both phases of the biphasic effect are dependent on nitric oxide. However, cAMP acting via protein kinase A is also necessary for the M1 effect. In summary, we present a novel biphasic role for muscarine and implicate M3 receptors in the inhibition and M1 receptors in the enhancement of transmitter releaseat the cholinergic lizard NMJ.
SFF-8431 12.5Gbps channel return loss (RL) failure debug: Simulation and measurement validation

The process of troubleshooting a 12.5Gbps SFF-8431 channel return loss compliance failure is described in details. Excellent simulation to measurement correlation has been achieved after capturing a capacitive dip at the package/PCB interface (“phantom” capacitance) with package and board physical layout geometries merged into one single electromagnetic simulation. Source of the “phantom” capacitance is identified and explained. Design techniques to circumvent the “phantom” capacitance and their effectiveness are evaluated through simulation studies and measurements.
Fractal Surfaces as Models of Physical Matches

Computer-generated fractal surfaces may be used as models of evidence physical matches. The complexity of the model surface, and by extension, the degree of uniqueness of the surface, may be expressed in terms of the time required for the calculation of the surface parameters.
International Trade Decisions of the Federal Circuit: 2006 Cases and Highlights of 2003-2005

Introduction 1024 I. U.S. Customs Laws 1024 A. Tariff Classification 1025 B. Jurisdictional Issues 1030 C. Deemed Liquidation 1035 D. Byrd Amendment 1036 E. Other Customs Issues 1039 II. Trade Remedy Laws 1047 A. U.S. Department of Commerce 1047 B. United States International Trade Commission 1061 III. Other Trade Cases 1068 A. United States Trade Representative and Presidential Trade Authority 1068 B. Trade Adjustment Assistance 1071 Conclusion 1072
Heart transplantation in the young and elderly.

Introduction: Heart transplantation has become an acceptable treatment in pediatric patients with end-stage heart disease and complex congenital heart disease. The liberalization of recipient eligibility criteria, mainly age, along with the expansion of the donor pool has resulted in the acceptable transplantation of older recipients.
Experimental Study of Independent and Dominating Sets in Wireless Sensor Networks Using Graph Coloring Algorithms

The domatic partition problem seeks to maximize the partitioning of the nodes of the network into disjoint dominating sets. These sets represent a series of virtual backbones for wireless sensor networks to be activated successively, resulting in more balanced energy consumption and increased network robustness. In this study, we address the domatic partition problem in random geometric graphs by investigating several vertex coloring algorithms both topology and geometry-aware, color-adaptive and randomized. Graph coloring produces color classes with each class representing an independent set of vertices. The disjoint maximal independent sets constitute a collection of disjoint dominating sets that offer good network coverage. Furthermore, if we relax the full domination constraint then we obtain a partitioning of the network into disjoint dominating and nearly-dominating sets of nearly equal size, providing better redundancy and a near-perfect node coverage yield. In addition, these independent sets can be the basis for clustering a very large sensor network with minimal overlap between the clusters leading to increased efficiency in routing, wireless transmission scheduling and data-aggregation. We also observe that in dense random deployments, certain coloring algorithms yield a packing of the nodes into independent sets each of which is relatively close to the perfect placement in the triangular lattice.
Abstract T P29: The Impact of Contrast Based CTA/CTP Brain Attack Protocol on Kidney Function

Background: We aimed to evaluate the occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI) associated with contrast based CTA/CTP Brain Attack (BAT) Protocol in a cohort of patients who presented to an academic stroke center with acute stroke symptoms. Methods: Consecutive patients who presented to the Emergency Department with acute stroke symptoms from 01/12 to 12/12 and received CTA/CTP contrast-based BAT protocol were identified and their medical records reviewed. Clinicodemographic information was retrieved. Serum creatinine values at baseline, at discharge, and at a follow-up visit, as well as the highest in-hospital value were recorded. AKI was defined as a 0.3 absolute increase in creatinine level from baseline. A logistic regression was fit to identify the potential predictors for AKI. Results: Of 348 patients had complete information. 37(11%) patients experienced AKI during hospitalization. Of 38 patients, 16 (43%) patients had persistent elevated creatinine at hospital discharge (5 patients also received end...
The Use of Talking Circles to Describe a Native American Transcultural Caring Immersion Experience

Background: The Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at the Florida Atlantic University is grounded in the Nursing as Caring theory. A transcultural caring immersion experience for nursing students is provided within the tribal community of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees. Aims: The purpose of this study was to ascertain descriptions of nursing students’ transcultural immersion experience. Design: A qualitative descriptive approach was used via the Talking Circle method. The consensual qualitative research analytical approach was used to categorize participant responses. Findings: Six themes emerged that are consistent with the Nursing as Caring theoretical key concepts: (1) persons are caring as diverse human beings, (2) persons care from a unique cultural perspective moment to moment, (3) persons are whole and complete in the moment when engaging with diverse others, (4) personhood is a process of living with meaningful purpose by diverse persons, (5) personhood evolves while caring for diverse o...
A Social Problems Framework for the Critical Appraisal of Automobility and Sustainable Systems Innovation

Over the past three decades, critical assessment of the automobile has evolved from a focus on the technical inadequacies of the internal combustion engine to a more comprehensive appraisal of the sociotechnical system for providing mobility. The following study charts the evolution of this discourse by focusing in particular on the way in which the Worldwatch Institute has interpreted the various problems of the motorcar during this timeframe. There are now indications that a more thoroughgoing systems view of automobile dependency is developing predicated upon three problem dimensions: fuel use, urban congestion and sedentary lifestyles. The analysis presents a social‐problems framework for beginning to conceptualize more sustainable modes of mobility in the post‐automobile era.
METHANE MITIGATION CONFERENCE REPORT

The Second International Methane Mitigation Conference, held June 18-23, 2000, in Novosibirsk, Russia, drew 200 participants from nearly 30 countries to address opportunities and issues related to methane mitigation. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and, depending on the source, implementing reduction strategies can improve operational efficiency, provide a viable energy source, or improve agricultural productivity. During the conference, participants developed a stronger understanding of the specific measures that can lead to the most pragmatic and cost-effective emission reductions, and set forth recommendations to improve conditions for the development of projects. The Conference, jointly organized by the Russian Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with co-sponsorship by a number of private and governmental bodies, included presentations on a variety of topics related to greater project realization, such as project finance, markets for emission credits, institutional ba...
Linearly many faults in Cayley graphs generated by transposition trees

Abstract We prove that when linearly many vertices are deleted in a Cayley graph generated by a transposition tree, the resulting graph has a large connected component containing almost all remaining vertices.
Institutional Change and Coproduction of Public Services: The Effect of Charter Schools on Parental Involvement

Recent discussions of school choice have revived arguments that the decentralization of governing institutions can enhance the quality of public services by increasing the participation of intended beneficiaries in the production of those services. We use data from the Schools and Staffing Survey to examine the extent to which the decentralization of authority to charter schools induces parents to become more involved in their children's schools. We find that parents are indeed more involved in charter schools than in observationally similar public schools, especially in urban elementary and middle schools. Although we find that this difference is partly attributable to measurable institutional and organizational factors, we also find that charter schools tend to be established in areas with above-average proportions of involved parents, and we find suggestive evidence that, within those areas, it is the more involved parents who tend to select into charter schools. Thus, while the institutional characteristics of charter schools do appear to induce parents to become more involved in their children's schools, such characteristics are only part of the explanation for the greater parental involvement in charter schools than in traditional public schools.
Positive smoking outcome expectancies mediate the relation between alcohol consumption and smoking urge among women during a quit attempt

Social learning models of addiction hypothesize that situational factors interact with cognitive determinants to influence a person's motivation to use substances. Ecological momentary assessment was used to examine the association between alcohol consumption, smoking outcome expectancies, and smoking urge during the first 7 days of a smoking quit attempt. Participants were 113 female smokers who enrolled in a study that tested an individually tailored smoking cessation treatment. Participants carried a palm-top personal computer for 7 days and were instructed to complete 4 random assessments each day and to initiate an assessment when they were tempted to smoke. Multilevel mediational analyses were used to examine (a) the effects of alcohol consumption before time j and positive smoking outcome expectancies at time j on smoking urge at time j + 1 (Model 1) and (b) the effects of alcohol consumption before time j and smoking urge at time j on positive smoking outcome expectancies at time j + 1 (Model 2). Model 1 found a significant effect of alcohol consumption before time j on smoking urge at time j + 1 (p = .04), and this effect was significantly mediated by positive smoking outcome expectancies at time j (p < .0001). Model 2 failed to find a significant effect of alcohol consumption before time j on positive smoking outcome expectancies at time j + 1. The findings suggest that alcohol consumption is significantly associated with increased positive smoking outcome expectancies that, in turn, are associated with increased smoking urge in women seeking to quit smoking.
A physical assay for meiotic recombination in Coprinus cinereus

We have used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method to monitor meiotic recombination in the basidiomycete Coprinus cinereus. We used DNA-mediated transformation to recover strains with modifications of the trp1 locus. The modifications were designed to introduce unique PCR priming sites separated by a homologous 2.4 kb region in which crossing over could occur. We showed that exchange occurred in this region at the frequency expected for a typical region of this genome (2.4 kb should correspond to a genetic length of 0.08 cM). We also detected products resulting from crossing over in DNAs extracted from cells in meiotic prophase. The assay should be useful for monitoring exchange in mutants that cannot complete meiosis.
Temperature acclimation in the nervous system of the brown bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus)

Abstract 1. 1. The gustatory response of the brown bullhead ( Ictalurus nebulosus ) was used as an indicator system for assessing the nature and location of temperature acclimation in the nervous system. 2. 2. Complete acclimation was found to occur in the brains of cold-acclimated but not warm-acclimated animals. No acclimatory response was found in either the peripheral sensory nerves or the spinal portion of the reflex pathway. 3. 3. Data presented in this study support the theory that the synapse is the primary locus of acclimatory responses although the actual mechanism of compensation remains unknown.
Kinetics of Urinary Excretion of D-(−)-Mandelic Acid and its Homologs I: Mutual Inhibitory Effect of D-(−)-Mandelic Acid and its Certain Homologs on Their Renal Tubular Secretion in Rats

It has been shown from the apparent first-order urinary excretion studies of D-(-)-mandelic acid and certain of its homologs, DL-tropic acid, D-(-)-4-hydroxy-4-phenylbutanoic acid, DL-phenyllactic acid, and D-(-)-benzyllactic acid, that the biological half-lives of the homologs are significantly shorter than that of D-(-)-mandelic acid in rats. Since these compounds, which differ from each other in their content of methylene groups around the carboxyl group, exhibit negligible metabolism and protein binding, low pKa values (3.3-4.7), and low lipid solubility at the physiological pH, and are primarily recovered in the urine in the intact form, they are utilized in these studies as model compounds to study the effect of hydrophobic group(s) on the rate of secretion. These compounds are shown to exert a mutual inhibitory effect on their renal tubular secretion, indicating a common “carrier” mechanism for their secretion. The utilization of these compounds indicated that the addition of methylene group(s) in the vicinity of the carboxyl group of the mandelic acid molecule increased its affinity for the carrier molecules of the renal tubular secretion system in rats.
Version management needs for structural engineering design

As design objects are created during the design process, it is not sufficient to represent only a single current state of each object. Instead, it will usually be necessary to represent a number of past and current states, existing parallel to each other at various design stages. This requirement has led to the development of various schemes to help manage and control multiple occurrences of a design object.
Distribution and effects of tachykinin-like peptides in the stomatogastric nervous system of the crab, Cancer borealis.

The rhythmically active pyloric and gastric mill motor patterns in the stomatogastric ganglion of the crab, Cancer borealis, are influenced by modulatory projection neurons whose somata are located primarily in the other ganglia of the stomatogastric nervous system. One of these projection neurons exhibits substance P-like immunolabeling. However, bath application of substance P does not influence these motor patterns. To determine whether a different peptide is responsible for the substance P-like immunolabeling, we studied the presence and physiological effects of the locustatachykinins and the leucokinins, two families of tachykininlike peptides originally identified in insect nervous systems. Locustatachykinin-hke immunolabeling has the same distribution in the stomatogastric nervous system as substance P-like immunolabeling and colocalizes with it in the majority of immunopositive structures. Preincubation of locustatachykinin antibody with substance P, and preincubation of substance P antibody with locustatachykinin, blocks subsequent immunolabeling in the stomatogastric nervous system. In contrast, we found no leucokinin-like immunolabeling in this system. Bath application to the stomatogastric ganglion of individual locustatachykinins or leucokinins excited the pyloric rhythm in a state-dependent manner. Each peptide family had distinct effects on the pyloric rhythm. Thus, both of these tachykinin-like peptide families are likely related to native neuropeptides that influence the pyloric rhythm. Furthermore, a member of the locustatachykinin family is likely to be the source of the previously identified substance P-like immunoreactivity in the stomatogastric nervous system. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Sexual dimorphism in endothelin-1 induced mechanical hyperalgesia in the rat

Abstract While the onset of mechanical hyperalgesia induced by endothelin-1 was delayed in female rats, compared to males, the duration was much longer. Given that the repeated test stimulus used to assess nociceptive threshold enhances hyperalgesia, a phenomenon we have referred to as stimulus-induced enhancement of hyperalgesia, we also evaluated for sexual dimorphism in the impact of repeated application of the mechanical test stimulus on endothelin-1 hyperalgesia. In male and female rats, endothelin-1 induced hyperalgesia is already maximal at 30 min. At this time stimulus-induced enhancement of hyperalgesia, which is observed only in male rats, persisted for 3–4 h. In contrast, in females, it develops only after a very long (15 day) delay, and is still present, without attenuation, at 45 days. Ovariectomy eliminated these differences between male and female rats. These findings suggest marked, ovarian-dependent sexual dimorphism in endothelin-1induced mechanical hyperalgesia and its enhancement by repeated mechanical stimulation.
The fate of effector CD8 T cells in vivo is controlled by the duration of antigen stimulation

What controls the fate of the T-cell response remains incompletely defined. Gain of effector function facilitated by costimulation has been thought to be a crucial factor in determining the outcome of the T-cell response, i.e. long-term memory in the presence of costimulation versus tolerance induction in the absence of costimulation. In this study, we show that while costimulation or cognate CD4 helps to promote the acquisition of effector function during the initial phase of the CD8 T-cell response, the fate of effector CD8 T cells is controlled by the duration of subsequent antigenic stimulation. Effector CD8 T cells differentiate into memory cells only after clearance of antigen, whereas in the presence of persistent antigen, effector CD8 T cells are tolerized. Furthermore, protective immunity against tumour cannot develop in the persisting antigen environment. These results suggest that removal of persisting antigen by other means might be a prerequisite for effective immunotherapy in cancer.
Lipoic Acid Attenuates Innate Immune Infiltration and Activation in the Visceral Adipose Tissue of Obese Insulin Resistant Mice

Visceral adipose inflammation mediated by innate and adaptive immune alterations plays a critical role in diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance (IR). The dietary supplement α-lipoic acid (αLA) has been shown to ameliorate inflammatory processes in macrophages, however the relative significance of these effects in the context of visceral adipose inflammation and IR remain unknown. In this study we investigated its effects via both intraperitoneal and oral administration in lean and obese transgenic mice expressing yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) under control of a monocyte specific promoter (c-fmsYFP+). αLA significantly improved indices of insulin-resistance concomitant with a decrease in total (YFP+CD11b+) and activated (YFP+CD11b+CD11c+) visceral adipose tissue macrophages. Histologically, the visceral adipose tissue of obese mice receiving αLA had fewer “crown-like structures,” a hallmark of adipose inflammation in murine obesity. Monocyte adhesion assessed by intravital microscopy of cremasteric venules was attenuated by αLA. In cultured WT and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) null primary mouse macrophages, αLA significantly decreased basal CCR-2, MCP-1 and TNF-α expression levels. LPS treatment resulted in increased TNFα, MCP-1, and IL-6 expression while αLA partially abrogated the LPS effect on MCP-1 and TNFα; Interestingly, CCR-2 was not coordinately regulated. AαLA prevented LPS-induced nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) activation in the same cultured macrophages. These data suggest that αLA may modulate visceral adipose inflammation, a critical determinant of IR via TLR4 and NF-κB pathways.
A theory generalized to cage effects in radical formation for determining initiator efficiency

A Theory Generalized to Cage Effects in Radical Formation for Determining Initiator Efficiency
Benign angiopathy of the central nervous system: Cohort of 16 patients with clinical course and long-term followup

Objective Benign angiopathy of the central nervous system (BACNS) is a subset of primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS) with favorable outcome, not requiring prolonged immunosuppression. We retrospectively studied the clinical characteristics and prospectively assessed long-term outcome in a cohort of BACNS patients. Methods Patients meeting the clinical description for BACNS, evaluated and treated by a single investigator, were included. Data on demographics, signs and symptoms, laboratory studies, neuroimaging, brain biopsy, treatment, and complications were recorded. The long-term assessment included a phone interview utilizing the Barthel index and a specifically designed cognitive index. Results Sixteen cases met the inclusion criteria. Mean age was 40 years (range 10–66 years) with female:male ratio of 4.3:1 and a mean followup period of 35 months (0–128 months). Headache was the most common presenting symptom, seen in 88% of the cases, followed by focal symptoms (63%), and diffuse symptoms (44%). All patients had highly abnormal cerebral angiography, and magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities were present in 77% (10 of 13). Severe cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) abnormalities were present in 1 patient (7%). All followup cerebral angiography showed marked improvement. Recovery was demonstrated in 94% of the patients, 6% relapsed, and there were no deaths. Of patients assessed by the Barthel index, 71% showed no disability and 29% had mild disability. Conclusion There is a PACNS subset characterized by acute presentation (most commonly headache), normal to mildly abnormal CSF findings, female predominance, and highly abnormal cerebral angiography (reversible after treatment), requiring less intensive treatment than has been traditionally used.
School's out… forever: A study of juvenile crime, at-risk youths and teacher strikes

Abstract The goal of this paper is to better understand the implications of forcing children to be in school, in terms of juvenile criminal activity. By combining a unique measure of unexpected school closings (using teacher strikes) with highly detailed criminal data, I show: (1) that incapacitation deters property crime and leads to increased violent crime to degrees that are potentially much larger than previously estimated, (2) that highly urban school districts are the most affected by incapacitation, (3) that juveniles with differing criminal histories are differentially impacted by incapacitation. I also confirm that these changes in crime rates reflect a change in overall crime and not a displacement of existing crime.
Cathodic stripping determination of iron at a platinum electrode modified by adsorption of adenosine-5'-monophosphate

Abstract Irreversible adsorption of adenosine-5'-monophosphate onto platinum yields an electrode surface which is readily plated by formation of a non-labile complex with iron(III) present initially in solution or formed by oxidation of iron(II). A negative potential scan subsequent to a 60-s deposition step produces a cathodic stripping peak, the height of which is proportional to the sum of the Pe(III) and Fe(II) concentrations in solution. Oxalate can be used to mask the response to Fe(III). The method is shown to be applicable to determinations of Fe(III) and Fe(II) in the concentration range lO -8 –lO -6 mol l -1 .
The Neuropsychological Underpinnings to Psychopathic Personality Traits in a Nationally Representative and Longitudinal Sample

Although psychopathy is a major area of research in psychology and criminology, much remains unknown about its etiological underpinnings. Drawing on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the current study explored the association between neuropsychological deficits and psychopathic personality traits and produced three key findings. First, four neuropsychological deficits measures were consistently related to the measure of psychopathic personality traits both longitudinally and cross-sectionally. Second, neuropsychological deficits measures predicted variation in psychopathic personality traits for both males and females and the magnitude of the association between neuropsychological deficits and psychopathic personality traits did not vary as a function of gender. Third, parental socialization measures had relatively small and inconsistent effects on psychopathic personality traits. Suggestions for future research are offered.
TU‐C‐211‐01: Automatic Digital Gain Control for a New Dual EMCCD‐Based Modular Fluoroscopic Detector Using An Arbitrary‐Shaped Operator‐Selected Region of Interest

Purpose: To report on the design and operation of a fluoroscopic automatic gain control (AGC) system with arbitrary‐shaped operator‐selected region of interest (ROI) for a new high resolution detector consisting of an array of two EMCCD‐based modules. Methods: A solid‐state x‐ray imager consisting of dual EMCCD‐based modules was built to provide high resolution (effective pixel size 26.4 um) and wide dynamic range (55dB) in fluoroscopy. A graphic user interface was employed based on LabVIEW to display the 2K × 1K 12‐bit digital images. The image from the second sensor was digitally rotated and shifted so as to maintain image registration with the image from the first sensor. The AGC system consisting of a real‐ time feed‐back loop and a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter platform was implemented to enable control by comparing the current average digital values in the operator‐selected ROI with a preset desired value resulting in a step by step change of the EMCCD built‐in gains to achieve the desired imagebrightness. A standard aluminum step wedge was used to demonstrate the response speed and a head phantom was employed to provide a realistic complex structure, rich in contrast variations. Results: The operator‐selected ROI was able to be positioned anywhere in the full 1K × 2K field of view, even with parts in each module. The settling time for smoothly reaching stable brightness was in the range of 10 to 20 frames. A video sequence demonstrates a smooth brightness transition to the desired value when the head phantom is arbitrarily moved across the field of view of the detector. Conclusions: We introduce a new real‐time AGC design for a unique custom‐built high resolution modular array detector. Stable levels of brightness within the ROI were demonstrated. Operators can set up an arbitrary shaped ROI in advance or during the procedure. Support: NIH Grants R01‐EB008425, R01‐EB002873
Therapeutic potential of isoform selective HDAC inhibitors for the treatment of schizophrenia

Increasing evidence supports a role for epigenetic involvement in some of the neurobiological alterations observed in neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia. In particular, there is mounting evidence implicating dysfunction in acetylation status, a chromatin modification mediated in part by HDACs, as a possible contributing factor to certain facets of this debilitating disease. Additional data support the notion that small molecule inhibition of HDACs may provide therapeutic alternatives to treating many of the symptoms associated with schizophrenia, particularly cognitive deficits. However, the development of highly potent and selective inhibitors of the individual HDAC isoforms will be necessary to delineate the associated biological effects and test the feasibility of such an approach for this complex and chronically treated disease. Here, we summarize current evidence for the role of HDAC isoforms in schizophrenia and highlight the state of the art in developing selective inhibitors of these isoforms as a potential treatment for schizophrenia.