cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early Detection of Endolymphatic Hydrops using the Auditory Nerve Overlapped Waveform (ANOW).

Endolymphatic hydrops is associated with low-frequency sensorineural hearing loss, with a large body of research dedicated to examining its putative causal role in low-frequency hearing loss. Investigations have been thwarted by the fact that hearing loss is measured in intact ears, but gold standard assessments of endolymphatic hydrops are made postmortem only; and that no objective low-frequency hearing measure has existed. Yet the association of endolymphatic hydrops with low-frequency hearing loss is so strong that it has been established as one of the important defining features for Meniere's disease, rendering it critical to detect endolymphatic hydrops early, regardless of whether it serves a causal role or is the result of other disease mechanisms. We surgically induced endolymphatic hydrops in guinea pigs and employed our recently developed objective neural measure of low-frequency hearing, the Auditory Nerve Overlapped Waveform (ANOW). Hearing loss and endolymphatic hydrops were assessed at various time points after surgery. The ANOW detected low-frequency hearing loss as early as the first day after surgery, well before endolymphatic hydrops was found histologically. The ANOW detected low-frequency hearing loss with perfect sensitivity and specificity in all ears after endolymphatic hydrops developed, where there was a strong linear relationship between degree of endolymphatic hydrops and severity of low-frequency hearing loss. Further, histological data demonstrated that endolymphatic hydrops is seen first in the high-frequency cochlear base, though the ANOW demonstrated that dysfunction begins in the low-frequency apical cochlear half. The results lay the groundwork for future investigations of the causal role of endolymphatic hydrops in low-frequency hearing loss.
Modeling wastewater temperature and attenuation of sewage-borne biomarkers globally.

Abstract Accurate modeling of in-sewer degradation of sewage-borne epidemiological biomarkers requires information on local wastewater temperature. We applied a deterministic, physical model to map theoretical wastewater temperature on a monthly scale worldwide and incorporated in the model estimated changes in the decay rate of 31 biomarkers of public health relevance frequently used in wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). Over the course of a year, 75% of the world’s global wastewater temperatures were estimated to fall into the temperature range of 6.9–34.4 °C. These non-fitted results obtained purely a priori were in good agreement with empirical observations (n = 400), as indicated by coefficients for Pearson (0.81; 0.76) and Spearman (0.86; 0.78) correlations for annual minima and maxima, respectively. Application of the Q10 rule for biochemical reaction rates showed that, depending on wastewater temperature, half-lives of sewage-borne biomarkers will change significantly (range: 27%-7,010%) from the baseline at ambient conditions (21 ± 1 °C; 100%). Importantly, these temperature-related modulations of in-sewer biomarker decay changed the size of the area observable by WBE; in the extreme, changes in the distal reach observable by WBE were predicted to be as large as 49-fold over the course of a year at a given location. This first model of spatial and temporal variability in wastewater temperature has multiple suggested applications, including (i) utility for explaining literature-reported discrepancies in the detectability and levels of sewage-borne biomarkers, (ii) identification of optimal and sub-optimal wastewater-borne biomarkers depending on their varying half-lives over the course of the year at the sampling location of interest, and (iii) estimating the effective size of the sewershed capture zone in WBE studies.
Association of Preoperative PROMIS Scores With Short-term Postoperative Improvements in Physical Function After Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion.

OBJECTIVE This study examines the associations between preoperative Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) physical function (PF) score, measured by PROMIS-PF and the change between pre- and postoperative PROMIS-PF scores. METHODS A prospectively maintained surgical registry was retrospectively reviewed for spine surgeries between May 2015-June 2019. Inclusion criteria were primary, single-level minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusions. Revisions, multilevel procedures, and patients missing preoperative surveys were excluded. Patients were grouped by preoperative PROMIS-PF scores of ≥ 35 and < 35, with higher scores indicating greater PF. A chi-squared and Student t-test were used to analyze categorical and continuous variables respectively. Linear regression evaluated the relationship of PROMIS-PF score improvement. RESULTS Of the 180 subjects, 84 were in the PROMIS-PF < 35 group which had more obese patients (p < 0.001) and more males (p = 0.001). Length of stay was greater for the PROMIS-PF < 35 group (36.2 hours vs. 28.7 hours, p = 0.014). PROMIS-PF and Oswestry Disability Index scores were significantly different between subgroups at all timepoints. PROMIS-PF < 35 cohort had larger postoperative PROMIS-PF improvements at 6 weeks (p = 0.008) and 12 weeks (p = 0.003). Linear regression demonstrated a negative association between preoperative PROMIS-PF scores and improvement at 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months, and 2 years (p < 0.001). PROMIS-PF < 35 demonstrated significantly lower rate of achieving minimum clinically important difference at 6 months, otherwise no difference observed throughout the 2-year follow-up. CONCLUSION Up to 6 months postoperatively, lower preoperative PROMIS-PF scores were associated with larger PROMIS-PF improvements. Understanding the relationship preoperative PROMIS-PF scores have with postoperative improvement may enable better patient counseling.
Age of Majority and Alternatives to Guardianship: A Necessary Amendment to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004:

Federal law requires that schools provide students receiving special education services and their parents/guardians with notice, 1 year before the student reaches the age of majority, that all of t...
Over-Expression of RNA Processing, Heat Shock, and DNA Repair Proteins in Breast Tumor Compared to Normal Tissue

This study identifies the main changes in protein expression in human breast tumors compared to normal breast tissue. Malignant tumors (32) and normal breast tissue samples (23), from formaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens are subjected to discovery proteomics using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry, with spectral counts for quantitation. The dataset contains 1406 proteins. Differential expression is measured using a method that takes advantage of estimates of the percentage of tumor on a slide. This analysis shows that the major classes of proteins over-expressed by tumors are RNA-binding, heat shock and DNA repair proteins. RNA-binding proteins, including heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (HNRNPs), SR splice factors (SRSF) and elongation factors form the largest group. Comparison with results from another study demonstrates that the RNA-binding proteins are associated specifically with malignant transformation, rather than with cell proliferation. HNRNP and SRSF proteins help define splice sites in normal cells. Their over-expression may dysregulate splicing, which in turn has the potential to promote malignant transformation.
Neonatal feeding performance is related to feeding outcomes in childhood.

Abstract Aim Define relationships of early feeding performance with feeding outcomes in childhood, while assessing the predictive validity of the Neonatal Eating Outcome Assessment. Study design Ninety-one infants (44 preterm infants born ≤32 weeks at term-equivalent age and 47 full-term infants within 4 days of life) had feeding evaluated using the Neonatal Eating Outcome Assessment and the Neonatal Oral Motor Assessment Scale (NOMAS). At 4 years of age, 39 of these infants (22 preterm infants and 17 full-term infants; 43% follow-up rate) had parent-report measures of feeding conducted using the Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale (BPFAS) and Pediatric Eating Assessment Tool (PediEAT). Results Lower Neonatal Eating Outcome Assessment scores were related to higher PediEAT scores (p = 0.01; r = −0.44), but were not related to BPFAS scores (p = 0.17; r = −0.23). Relationships were not detected between the NOMAS and BPFAS (p = 0.35; r = 0.17), and relationships between the NOMAS and PediEAT failed to reach significance (p = 0.06; r = 0.34). There was a relationship between the BPFAS and PediEAT scores at 4 years (p Discussion Neonatal feeding performance is an important predictor of feeding outcomes at 4 years of age. The Neonatal Eating Outcome Assessment has predictive validity, and the Pediatric Eating Assessment Tool has concurrent validity with relationships to another childhood feeding tool.
Prefrontal cortical activity predicts the extra-place field spiking of hippocampal place cells

Abstract The receptive field of a neuron describes the regions of a stimulus space where the neuron is consistently active. Sparse spiking outside of the receptive field is often considered to be noise, rather than a reflection of information processing. Whether this characterization is accurate remains unclear. We therefore contrasted the sparse, temporally isolated spiking of hippocampal CA1 place cells to the consistent, temporally adjacent spiking seen within their spatial receptive fields (“place fields”). We found that isolated spikes, which occur during locomotion, are more strongly phase coupled to hippocampal theta oscillations than adjacent spikes and, surprisingly, transiently express coherent representations of non-local spatial representations. Further, prefrontal cortical activity is coordinated with, and can predict the occurrence of future isolated spiking events. Rather than local noise within the hippocampus, sparse, isolated place cell spiking reflects a coordinated cortical-hippocampal process consistent with the generation of non-local scenario representations during active navigation.
Regulation of the Nfkbiz Gene and Its Protein Product IkBζ in Animal Models of Sepsis and Endotoxic Shock.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises from a poorly regulated inflammatory response to pathogenic organisms. Current treatments are limited to antibiotics, fluid resuscitation, and other supportive therapies. New targets for monitoring disease progression and therapeutic interventions are therefore critically needed. We previously reported that lipocalin-2 (Lcn2), a bacteriostatic mediator with potent pro-apoptotic activities, was robustly induced in sepsis. Other studies showed that Lcn2 was a predictor of mortality in septic patients. However, how Lcn2 is regulated during sepsis is poorly understood. We evaluated how IkBζ, an inducer of Lcn2, was regulated in sepsis using both the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) and endotoxemia (LPS) animal models. We show that Nfkbiz, the gene encoding for IkBζ, was rapidly stimulated but, unlike Lcn2, whose expression persists during sepsis, mRNA levels of Nfkbiz decline to near basal levels several hours after its induction. In contrast, we observed that IkBζ expression remained highly elevated in septic animals following CLP but not LPS, indicating the occurrence of a CLP-specific mechanism that extends IkBζ half-life. By using aninhibitor of IkBζ, we determined that the expression of Lcn2 was largely controlled by IkBζ. Altogether, these data indicate that the high IkBζ expression in tissues likely contributes to the elevated expression of Lcn2 in sepsis. Since IkBζ is also capable of promoting or repressing other inflammatory genes, it might exert a central role in sepsis.
Mechanisms contributing to ado-trastuzumab emtansine-induced toxicities: a gateway to better understanding of ADC-associated toxicities

In order to improve the safety of novel therapeutic drugs, better understanding of the mechanisms of action is important. Ado-trastuzumab emtansine (also known as T-DM1) is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) approved for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. While the treatment with T-DM1 results in significant efficacy in the selected patient population, nonetheless, there are concerns with side effects such as thrombocytopenia and hepatotoxicity. While current understanding of the mechanism of T-DM1-mediated side effects is still incomplete, there have been several reports of HER2-dependent and/or -independent mechanisms that could be associated with the T-DM1-induced adverse events. This review highlights the importance of HER2-independent mechanism of T-DM1 to induce hepatotoxicity, which offers a new insight into a role for CKAP5 in the overall maytansinoid-based ADC (DM1 and DM4)-mediated cytotoxicity. This discovery provides a molecular basis for T-DM1-induced off-target toxicity and opens a new avenue for developing the next generation of ADCs.
PET Imaging of Peripheral Benzodiazepine Receptor Standard Uptake Value Increases After Controlled Cortical Impact, a Rodent Model of Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a chronic, life threatening injury for which few effective interventions are available. Evidence in animal models suggests un-checked immune activation may contribut...
Nearest-neighbor effects modulate loxP spacer DNA chemical shifts and guide oligonucleotide design for NMR studies

Cre recombinase catalyzes site-specific DNA recombination at pseudo-palindromic loxP sites through two rounds of strand cleavage, exchange, and religation. Cre is a potential gene editing tool of interest due its lack of requirements for external energy sources or host factors, as well as the fact that it does not generate potentially cytotoxic double-stranded DNA breaks. However, broader applications of Cre in editing noncanonical target sequences requires a deeper understanding of the DNA features that enable target site selection and efficient recombination. Although Cre recombines loxP DNA in a specific and ordered fashion, it makes few direct contacts to the loxP spacer, the region where recombination occurs. Furthermore, little is known about the structural and dynamic features of the loxP spacer that make it a suitable target for Cre. To enable NMR spectroscopic studies of the spacer, we have aimed to identify a fragment of the 34-bp loxP site that retains the structural features of the spacer while minimizing the spectral crowding and line-broadening seen in longer oligonucleotides. We report sequential backbone resonance assignments for loxP oligonucleotides of varying lengths and evaluate chemical shift differences, {Delta}{delta}, between the oligos. Analysis of flanking sequence effects and mutations on spacer chemical shifts indicates that nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor effects dominate the chemical environment experienced by the spacer. We have identified a 16-bp oligonucleotide that adequately preserves the structural environment of the spacer, setting the stage for NMR-based structure determination and dynamics investigations.
The Effects of Frost-Heaving on Objects in Soils

AbstractFrost-heaving of natural and cultural materials occurs in soils whenever soil temperatures drop below freezing and the soils are moist. Frost-heaving is greatest in imperfectly drained, sil...
Fibronectin Matrix Assembly after Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract After spinal cord injury (SCI), a fibrotic scar forms at the injury site that is best characterized by the accumulation of perivascular fibroblasts and deposition of the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin. While fibronectin is a growth-permissive substrate for axons, the fibrotic scar is inhibitory to axon regeneration. The mechanism behind how fibronectin contributes to the inhibitory environment and how the fibronectin matrix is assembled in the fibrotic scar is unknown. By deleting fibronectin in myeloid cells, we demonstrate that fibroblasts are most likely the major source of fibronectin in the fibrotic scar. In addition, we demonstrate that fibronectin is initially present in a soluble form and is assembled into a matrix at 7 d post-SCI. Assembly of the fibronectin matrix may be mediated by the canonical fibronectin receptor, integrin α5β1, which is primarily expressed by activated macrophages/microglia in the fibrotic scar. Despite the pronounced cavitation after rat SCI, fibrotic sc...
Evidence of Th2 polarization of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) in melanoma

Melanoma has a propensity for lymphatogenous metastasis. Improved understanding of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) immunological environment may improve outcomes. The immune phenotype of fresh melanoma SLNs (n = 13) were compared to fresh control lymph nodes (n = 13) using flow cytometry. RNA was isolated from CD4+ T cells of the SLN and control lymph node and assessed for Th1/Th2 gene expression pathways using qRT-PCR. In addition, VEGF expression was compared between primary melanoma (n = 6) and benign nevi (n = 6) using immunohistochemistry. Melanoma SLNs had fewer CD8+ T cells compared to controls (9.2% vs. 19.5%, p = 0.0005). The CD8+ T cells within the SLN appeared to have an exhausted phenotype demonstrated by increased PD-1 mRNA expression (2.2% vs. 0.8%, p = 0.004) and a five-fold increase in CTLA-4 mRNA expression. The SLN also contained an increased number of CD14 (22.7% vs. 7.7%, p = 0.009) and CD68 (9.3% vs. 2.7%, p = 0.001) macrophages, and CD20 B cells (31.1% vs. 20.7%, p = 0.008), suggesting...
Factors Affecting Aggression during Nest Guarding in the Eastern Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)

Abstract Defending young against intruders is a potentially risky behavior, and is energetically costly. Yet female eastern red-backed salamanders, Plethodon cinereus, guard their clutches for many weeks and aggressively defend eggs against predators and conspecifics. I examined the effect of clutch age, clutch size, and attendant size on the level of aggression attained during nest defense by staging conspecific invasions of nests of brooding female P. cinereus in the laboratory. I predicted that older and larger clutches would elicit increased aggression from the guarding females, and that larger females would be more aggressive when defending. The females were significantly more aggressive when guarding older clutches (6 wk postoviposition) than younger clutches (4 wk postoviposition). However, there was no difference in aggressive behavior when females guarded large (10-egg) or small (4-egg) clutches. There was also no relationship between body size and level of aggression; females were aggressive reg...
The Common Disaster and the Unexpected Education: Delta Flight 1141 and the discourse of aviation safety

News coverage of transportation disasters, such as the crash of Delta Flight 1141, reveal the disaster behavior of passengers, flight personnel, and rescue workers. Within a mystery framework, the Flight 1141 discourse provides clues that readers can use to construct their own disaster behavior awareness. The media must expand their pedagogical role beyond natural and technological disasters and begin providing basic airplane safety behavior information.
PUTTING THE PAST AND PRESENT ON TRIAL: MIGRATION AND MEMORY IN LUDWIG LAHER'S DOCUMENTARY NOVEL, VERFAHREN (2011)

This paper discusses the articulation of ‘multidirectional memories’ in the Austrian author Ludwig Laher's documentary novel Verfahren (2011) as an attempt to mobilise readers to effect social change. Close examination of the documentary techniques employed illuminates the political thrust of the novel and the possibilities of literature to contribute to political discourse in a Western Europe increasingly influenced by immigration from the East. By drawing on theories of autobiography and Bill Nichols's work on documentary film, I offer a working definition for the under-theorised genre of the documentary novel, and demonstrate how the coexistence of three types of rhetoric – judicial/historical, commemorative/critical, and deliberative – enables Laher to expose the inhumanity of Austria's immigration policies, to situate a Kosovar's application for asylum in a longer history of immigration struggles and WWII-era politics, and to challenge Austrian citizens to exercise their political responsibility. Finally, I argue that this focus on subjectivity and personal memories does not preclude close attention to politics, and that documentary art is well equipped to navigate the supposed dichotomies of fact and fiction, memory and rights, and the individual and society. Dieser Artikel interpretiert die Artikulation ʻmultidirektionaler Erinnerungen’ in dem 2011 vom osterreichischen Schriftsteller Ludwig Laher veroffentlichten Dokumentationsroman Verfahren als einen Versuch, den Leser fur soziale Veranderung in Osterreich zu mobilisieren. Die Analyse der von Laher verwendeten dokumentarischen Mittel verdeutlicht das politische Anliegen des Romans und die besondere Fahigkeit von Literatur, zum politischen Diskurs im von osteuropaischer Migration beeinflussten Westeuropa beizutragen. Theorien zur Autobiographie und Bill Nichols’ Forschungen uber Dokumentarfilme werden herangezogen, um eine Arbeitsdefinition fur das theoretisch noch unzureichend erfasste Genre des Dokumentarromans zu erstellen. Zudem zeige ich, wie die Koexistenz von drei Arten von Rhetorik (die rechtlich/historische, die erinnernd/kritische, und die erwagende) es Laher ermoglicht, die Unmenschlichkeit von Osterreichs Migrationsgesetzen aufzudecken, das Asylverfahren eines aus dem Kosovo Stammenden in einen langeren historischen Kontext von Migrationskampfen und der Politik des zweiten Weltkriegs einzufugen, und an die osterreichischen Staatsburger zu appellieren, ihre politische Handlungsfahigkeit wahrzunehmen. Die bewusste Darstellung von Subjektivitat und personlichen Erinnerungen schliest eine gezielte Auseinandersetzung mit der Politik Osterreichs nicht aus. Dokumentarische Kunstformen sind vielmehr besonders gut geeignet, die scheinbaren Dichotomien von Tatsache und Fiktion, Erinnerung und Gesetzen, Vergangenheit und Gegenwart, und Individuum und Gesellschaft zu durchbrechen.
Messenger Ribonucleic Acid of Dormant Spores of Bacillus subtilis

Evidence of the presence of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) in dormant spores of Bacillus subtilis has been obtained. The bulk RNA from spores was isolated and labeled in vitro with tritiated dimethyl sulfate. The spore RNA hybridized to 2.4 to 3.2% of the B. subtilis genome. The RNA hybridized to both the complementary heavy and light fractions of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Bulk RNA from log-phase cells competed with virtually all the spore RNA for the heavy DNA fraction and with part of the spore RNA for the light DNA fraction. Bulk RNA from stage IV cells in sporulation also competed with all of the spore RNA for the heavy DNA fraction and with essentially all the spore RNA for the light DNA fraction. These results indicate that dormant spores contain mRNA species present in both log-phase cells and stage IV cells of sporulation. The RNA polymerase in the developing forespore must be able to recognize promotor sites for both log-phase and sporulation genes.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) appears to be increasing since the advent of computers in the workplace. People performing repetitive wrist movements over period of time appear to be at particular risk for this syndrome. Prevention of this common entrapment neuropathy can increase the productivity of the workplace as well as avoid needless human suffering. Nurse practitioners play a key role in the education of the client who is at risk, and in the diagnosis and treatment of CTS itself. The author addresses these issues in this overview of diagnosis, treatment, and education of the client with CTS.
Progress and history

w hether writing about The Quest for Community, Tradition and Revolt, The Social Bond, or The Twilight of Authority, Robert Nisbet is rarely less than provocative and never uninteresting. It is therefore no surprise that his wideranging generalizations about "Progress and Providence" are both stimulating and provocatively insightful. It is likewise no surprise that his arguments, often quite eloquently put, are always lucid and direct. But, of course, like all creative scholars who dare to step beyond their computers, he raises as many questions--substantive and methodologic a l a s he answers and leaves himself open to the charge of making unwarranted inductive leaps. Nisbet is at his best in analyzing basic concepts and in describing with broad summary strokes the crisis of confidence that now pervades the West, as evidenced by the decline of religious faith, the waning of belief in economic growth, the loss of respect for politics, the spread of the occult, and the narrowing of academic philosophy and literature. Although Nisbet's is but the latest in a long series of apocalyptic voices bemoaning the decline of the West, his is more compelling than most because of his wind-swift thought, his generally impeccable grasp of history, and his style which, though polemical, is frequently brilliantly incisive. It is to Nisbet's credit that he has chosen to confront head-on the most fundamental and complex questions known to social science: What really is social change? What is the basic dynamic of historical development? And what is most likely to produce an attitudinal syndrome of optimism or
Scrolled sheet precursor route to niobium and tantalum oxide nanotubes

The nanoscroll-to-nanotube thermal transformation was studied for H4Nb6O17·4.4H2O scrolls, prepared by exfoliation of K4Nb6O17. Thermal dehydration of the scrolls produces Nb2O5 nanotubes at 400−450 °C. The nontopochemical transformation results in polycrystalline nanotubes; however, significant texturing with respect to the tube axis is observed. Substituting Ta for Nb in the precursor compound led to a lower yield of scrolls, most likely because there is less built-in lattice strain to drive scrolling of the unilamellar colloidal sheets.
Secondary ion emission from oxidized vanadium as a function of projectile energy in the range 10–90 MeV

Abstract The intensity of secondary ion emission from oxidized V bombarded by 10–90 MeV 79 Br projectiles has been measured. The intensity of V + ion emission was proportional to the nuclear stopping cross section for Br in V indicating that these ions were produced as a consequence of a collision cascade. However, I (O + ) and I (F + ) were approximately constant across the projectile energy range demonstrating that those ions were produced by a different mechanism. The variation of I (VO + ) with projectile energy was intermediate between that of I (V + ) and I (O + ). Possible mechanisms for the production of the O + and F + secondary ions are discussed.
Endoscope-guided biopsy of a mandibular cystic lesion.

patient with JIA. Intra-articular steroid injections in JIA have been attempted based on the experience with adults. Although it is a safe and rapidly effective treatment for synovitis, there are no data to confirm whether the disease course is modified in the long term and the literature lacks controlled studies. Its use remains anecdotal. Vallon et al found that the long-term development of symptoms and signs from the TMJ and the long-term progression of the joint destruction were low in patients previously treated with steroid intra-articular injections. Despite the good response of our patient after the arthrocentesis and lavage, the management of JIA remains an unsolved dilemma and a great challenge for the future, especially in limiting dramatic growth disturbances.
Asymmetric temporary and permanent stock-price innovations

Abstract This paper estimates a nonlinear, structural bivariate threshold model in order to identify independent temporary and permanent stock-price innovations in positive-return and negative-return regimes. The model finds that temporary innovations account for as much as 68% of the innovations after negative returns and less than 4% of the innovations after positive returns. This paper shows that the negative-return regime is also the high-volatility regime, a result that links the excess-volatility and asymmetric-volatility literatures. This link provides evidence that temporary stock-price innovations are due primarily to time-varying expected returns in an efficient market and not to a market inefficiency.
1.3 Billion years of acritarch history: An empirical morphospace approach

Abstract Acritarchs are a group of organic-walled vesicular microfossils interpreted as protists, and are among the first eukaryotes preserved in the fossil record. Taxonomic inconsistencies amongst acritarch workers have made it difficult to address the evolutionary history of this group through more traditional methods (i.e., biodiversity through species counts). We have constructed an empirical morphospace to examine the first 1.3 billion years of acritarch evolution. We show that protist morphologic evolution is broadly correlated with major environmental and biologic revolutions in Earth history such as late Neoproterozoic global glaciations, the first appearance of the Ediacaran metazoans and the Cambrian explosion. Our results also show that protist morphologic expansion precedes their taxonomic diversification; this pattern, similar to that seen in Phanerozoic animal clades, suggests that early morphospace saturation and convergence are common occurrences in eukaryote macroevolution. In addition, our data do not support a monotonic increase in maximum diameter of acritarch vesicles through the Proterozoic; instead, maximum vesicle diameter appears to fluctuate in the Proterozoic before decreasing significantly in the early Cambrian.
Hypertrophy, Hyperplasia, and Infectious Virus in Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue of Mice after Oral Inoculation with Simian-Human or Bovine-Human Reassortant Rotaviruses

Oral inoculation of infants with a vaccine that contains simian-human reassortant rotaviruses has been found to be a rare cause of intussusception. Because intussusception can be associated with enlargement of gut-associated lymphoid tissue, we studied the capacity of simian-human and bovine-human reassortant rotaviruses to cause lymphoid hypertrophy and hyperplasia of Peyer's patches (PP) of adult BALB/c mice. Neither hypertrophy nor hyperplasia was detected in PP after oral inoculation with simian-human or bovine-human reassortant rotaviruses. However, infectious virus was detected in PP and mesenteric lymph nodes after oral inoculation with simian, but not bovine, reassortant rotaviruses. Implications of these findings on the pathogenesis of intussusception are discussed.
Acid Phosphatase Levels in Unkeratinized Oral Epithelium in the Rabbit

The unkeratinized buccal mucosa of the rabbit was the object of the present study. It was divided into anterior and posterior halves, and levels of activity of acid phosphatase were determined in whole epithelium and in isolated, histologically identifiable epithelial layers from each half. The ultramicrochemical method of Lowry and his associates was used. In each case, activity was highest in the basal cells and decreased towards the surface. In homologous layers, activity with either substrate was higher in the anterior region than in the posterior one. The results obtained with inhibitors and with slide-histochemistry suggest that, in the tissue studied, the hydrolysis of alpha-naphthyl phosphate is due to a lysosomal enzyme and that of para-nitrophenyl phosphate to a non-lysosomal one. Other comparisons suggest that lysosomal acid phosphatase plays a more important role than the non-lysosomal one in the metabolism of the epithelium of the anterior half of the region studied.
Morphology Development and Dynamics of Photopolymerization-Induced Phase Separation in Mixtures of a Nematic Liquid Crystal and Photocuratives

Dynamics of photopolymerization-induced phase separation (PIPS) and morphology development in mixtures of low molar mass nematic liquid crystal (LC) 4-n-heptyl-4‘-cyanobiphenyl (designated K21) and...
Postfundoplication Complications in Children.

The optimal “treatment” of postfundoplication complications is preoperative prevention of them. Nonreflux causes of the symptom prompting surgery should be carefully eliminated preoperatively. Failure to respond to optimal powerful antireflux pharmacotherapy suggests that GERD was not the cause of symptoms. Neurologic or respiratory disease, delayed gastric emptying or retching, short esophagus, and esophageal dysmotility may predispose patients to complications, and may require careful tailoring of the fundoplication. The optimal antireflux surgery, with a wrap neither too loose nor too tight, may require a nadir lower esophageal sphincter pressure of more than 5 mm Hg to prevent reflux, but less than some value to prevent dysphagia. This latter value may be approximately 10 mm Hg, but depends on swallowing parameters such as peristaltic pressure, lower esophageal sphincter opening diameter, swallowed bolus diameter, and other considerations. Infants may require a gastrostomy tube for venting because of their lower gastric compliance to deal with swallowed air. Children with delayed gastric emptying may benefit from pyloroplasty, but this is debated. When complications occur, re-evaluate the diagnosis and the competence of the fundoplication with barium fluoroscopy, endoscopy with histology, pH probe, and other modalities as indicated. Initially try conservative management of the patient’s complications, including dietary and feeding modifications. Give a trial of antireflux pharmacotherapy for recurrent reflux or pharmacotherapy directed at the specific side-effect of the fundoplication if one is present. Consider endoscopically dilating a persistently tight wrap or surgically revising the fundoplication if it is suggested by the evaluation.
Yeast α-factor and somatostatin enhance binding of [3H]estradiol to proteins in rat pancreas and saccharomyces cerevisiae

Pancreatic tissue contains an [3H]estradiol-binding protein that requires a coligand in the steroid-binding reaction. The endogenous coligand appears to be the tetradecapeptide somatostatin. Yeast α-factor, a tridecapeptide pheromone that induces conjugation between haploid cells of opposite mating type, was found to be as effective as somatostatin in enhancing specific binding of [3H]estradiol to partially purified pancreatic protein. Supernatant fractions from yeast cells also contain an [3H]estradiol-binding protein, α-Factor can enhance specific binding of [3H]estradiol to such yeast fractions. Somatostatin, somatostatin analogues, and an analogue of α-factor enhanced binding of [3H]estradiol but did not inhibit cell growth or induce morphological changes in S. cerevisiae. Thus, it appears that coligand-requiring [3H]estradiol-binding activity and mating in yeast are not directly related.
Effect of chronic restraint on open field activity of aging C57BL/6N mice

Abstract Fight, 20, and 31 month old male C57BL/6N mice were exposed to three 24-hour restraint sessions per week, or to a nontreatment condition. All mice received five 2-minute open field tests after 5 and after 6 weeks of treatment. The activity of restrained mice tended to be greater than that of nonrestrained animals. In general 8 month old mice were more active than older subjects. Age related activity decrements were prominent in the first series of open field tests, while restraint effects were most pronounced in the second series.
Experimental comparison of design/documentation formats for expert systems

Abstract This study examines the effectiveness of using a design methodology to modify an expert system. In this study, professional programmers were asked to make one of two different types of modifications to an existing expert system. Along with standard documentation (e.g., listings, program specifications, etc.) programmers were provided with either no design/documentation format or one of two different design/documentation formats. The measures collected were time to modify the program and number of errors. Results indicate that the subjects who used a design/documentation format took less time to modify their expert systems than subjects who did not have a documentation format. Furthermore, results suggest that programmers who used an Entity-Relationship design format were able to complete the modification task in less time. These differences are discussed with respect to their impact on software engineering practices for expert systems.
Optical System Analysis With Physical Optics Codes

As the complexity and variety of laser systems has expanded over the years the capabilities and sophistication of analytical tools has increased as well. In this paper, the General Laser Analysis and Design (GLAD) code is described. This code is very versatile and has been used to analyze laser fusion, isotope separation, high energy laser, free-electron laser, excimer/Raman and other nonlinear optical systems. GLADV is user friendly and is fully documented with theory, command description, and numerous examples of operation.
Endothelins and the Role of Endothelin Antagonists in the Management of Posttraumatic Vasospasm

Increasing evidence implicates endothelin in the pathophysiological development of cerebral vasospasm. This review summarizes background topics such as the structures and biosynthesis of endothelins, the types of endothelin and their receptors, as well as their biological effects. Basic science and clinical observations supportive of the role of endothelins in the spasm associated with stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage are presented. Similar basic science and clinical observations are presented regarding the role of endothelins in impaired cerebral hemodynamics following traumatic brain injury, cryogenic cortical lesion injury and fluid percussion brain injury. The role of age in the contribution of endothelin to impaired cerebral hemodynamics following fluid percussion brain injury is discussed. Finally, potential mechanisms for endothelin contributions to vasospasm following fluid percussion brain injury such as impaired K + channel function are described.
Nasomaxillary remodeling and facial form in robust Australopithecus: a reassessment.

In a previous study of the patterns of facial growth remodeling characteristic of early hominid taxa, Bromage (1989) demonstrated that the nasoalveolar clivus of A. robustus was resorptive throughout ontogeny. Based upon the remodeling information provided by small samples (n = 6 each) of chimpanzees and modern humans, he concluded that the clival resorption pattern characteristic of robust Australopithecus differed significantly from that of chimpanzees and was instead somewhat convergent upon that of modern humans, in that it served to emphasize a downward facial growth vector. The present study used the SEM/replica technique to assess nasomaxillary remodeling in larger, more age-varied samples of chimpanzee (n = 33) and modern human crania (n = 22). Results indicate far more intraspecific variability in nasomaxillary remodeling than suggested by Bromage's earlier study. In particular, results from an expanded sample demonstrate that the nasoalveolar clivus of chimpanzees is frequently resorptive, especially at later stages of ontogeny. However, the pattern of clival remodeling observed in chimpanzees is unlike that typical of robust Australopithecus, in which clival resorption occurs throughout ontogeny and in expansive fields that cover the entire clival surface. Although Bromage (1989) considered the pattern of nasomaxillary remodeling observed in robust Australopithecus to have been a byproduct of an extreme maxillary growth rotation, the failure of A. africanus to display a similar pattern suggests that some other factor(s) may have been involved. Regardless, it is unlikely that clival resorption in robust Australopithecus would have significantly impacted the overall vector of facial growth. Instead, the primary morphogenetic effect of this pattern of clival resorption would have been one of local surface sculpting.
Correlation between Microdilution, E-test, and Disk Diffusion Methods for Antifungal Susceptibility Testing of Posaconazole against Candida spp.

Agar-based antifungal susceptibility testing is an attractive alternative to the microdilution method. We examined the correlation between the microdilution, E-test, and disk diffusion methods for posaconazole against Candida spp. A total of 270 bloodstream isolates of Candida spp. with a broad range of posaconazole MICs were tested using the CLSI M27-A2 method for microdilution, as well as the M-44A method and E-test methods for agar-based testing on Mueller-Hinton agar supplemented with 2% glucose and 0.5 μg of methylene blue. MICs and inhibitory zone diameters at the prominent growth reduction endpoint were recorded at 24 and 48 h. The Candida isolates included Candida albicans (n = 124), C. parapsilosis (n = 44), C. tropicalis (n = 41), C. glabrata (n = 36), C. krusei (n = 20), C. lusitaniae (n = 3), and C. dubliniensis (n = 2). The overall concordance (i.e., the percentage of isolates within two dilutions) between the E-test and microdilution was 64.8% at 24 h and 82.6% at 48 h. When we considered an arbitrary breakpoint of ≤1 μg/ml, the agreement between the E-test and microdilution methods was 87.8% at 24 h and 93.0% at 48 h. The correlation of MICs with disk diffusion zone diameters was better for the E-test than the microdilution method. Zone correlation for diameters produced by the disks of two manufacturers was high, with a Pearson test value of 0.941 at 24 h. The E-test and microdilution MICs show good concordance and interpretative agreement. The disk diffusion zone diameters are highly reproducible and correlate well with both the E-test and the microdilution method, making agar-based methods a viable alternative to microdilution for posaconazole susceptibility testing.
Fourier Transform Infrared Examination Of Surface Contamination On Aluminum Coil Stock And Flavor Impact On Beverages Packaged In Aluminum Cans

Using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, we successfully examined low levels of organic contamination on aluminum coil stock surfaces. These organics were thought to have a significant impact on the flavor of beverages packaged in aluminum cans manufactured from these coils. By combining the data from the FTIR spectra and the results from professional panels trained in Profile Attribute Analysis, we were able to derive some strong analytical chemistry/sensory correlations. These types of correlations are useful in examining chemistry that impacts flavor and, in this instance, could lead to an on-line monitoring application.
The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free Markets since the Depression

Masters of the Universe: Hayek, Friedman, and the Birth of Neoliberal PoliticsDaniel Stedman JonesPrinceton and Oxford, Princeton University Press, 2012, 424 pp., US$35.00, ISBN 978 0 691 15157 1Ne...
Factors influencing ambulatory care education in the u.s. Department of veterans affairs

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is undergoing change in the way it delivers health care. Forces underlying this change include demographics of its population, new fiscal constraints, and the requirements of its academic affiliates. The benefit to the medical school affiliates will be the availability of patients in a structure useful for outpatient teaching of medical students and houseofficers. Barriers to effective delivery of ambulatory health care and education in VA facilities are (1) the historic focus on episodic, inpatient care, (2) continuous changes in eligibility requirements, (3) increases in patient care responsibilities for affiliated faculty, and (4) concomitant withdrawal of resources from the VA at a time when costs of health care and education are increasing. The VA medical centers will be increasingly forced to investigate innovative models for patient care delivery and education in the ambulatory setting.
Bacillus megaterium neutral protease, a zinc-containing metalloenzyme

Abstract 1. 1.| Bacillus megaterium strain MA protease has been examined to determine its relationship to other well characterized Bacillus proteases. 2. 2.| B. megaterium protease has been purified by treatment with active charcoal, (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 precipitation and hydroxylapatite chromatography. 3. 3.|The protease has been shown to be a zinc-containing neutral protease with one zinc atom per 40 000 molecular weight. 4. 4.|The specificity against a series of dipeptide substrates is similar (although quantitatively different) to that shown by Bacillus subtilis neutral protease and thermolysin. 5. 5.|The B. megaterium protease partially crossreacts with anti-thermolysin serum with loss of enzyme activity accompanying the precipitin reaction.
Canine visceral leishmaniasis with amyloidosis: An immunopathological case study

Abstract Visceral leishmaniasis with amyloidosis was diagnosed in a dog in New York State which had been imported from Greece. Hyperglobulinemia, replacement of small lymphocytes in the spleen by plasma cells and amyloid as well as a predominance of plasma cells rather than lymphocytes around intracellular parasites suggested an imbalance in the immune system with an inappropriate increase in the humoral response and a decrease in cell-mediated immunity. On electron microscopy, plasma cells in the spleen were observed to contain amyloid-like fibrils associated with the Golgi region. Evidence that these fibrils were assembled in the Golgi apparatus of the plasma cells was presented.
Encouraging students during Science and Tech Week

On 30 April, Robert Ballard, head of the Jason Project science education program, delivered a pep talk to students and teachers about environmental stewardship, ocean exploration, and science education, as part of Global Science and Technology Week. Addressing students in a Congressional hearing room, Ballard urged them to investigate the vast, undiscovered regions of the Earth.