cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trends in the intellectual property (IP) landscape of drug delivery systems: 30 years of growth and evolution

Abstract One of the most critical drivers of innovation in the drug delivery field is commercialization potential, which is facilitated by intellectual property (IP) protection primarily in the form of patents. This chapter provides a detailed overview of the evolution of the global IP landscape around drug delivery over the past 30 years, paying particular attention to the three most widely used drug delivery systems: oral, topical, and parenteral. Emerging areas of IP growth including targeted, nanoscale, and immunoconjugate drug delivery systems are highlighted, as is the importance and core requirements of a program to proactively monitor the dynamic IP landscape.
Diversity in the judiciary: how diversity matters for democratic inclusion, representation, and inequalities

While a rich and developed body of literature focuses on questions of diversity in legislatures, a growing body of scholarship addresses these questions for the judiciary. This burgeoning area of s...
The role of the community pharmacist in veterinary patient care: a cross-sectional study of pharmacist and veterinarian viewpoints.

Background: The role of the community pharmacist is rapidly expanding to encompass the care of veterinary patients in the United States of America This change makes it imperative for pharmacists and veterinarians who practice in community settings to establish mutual agreement on the roles of pharmacists in the care of these patients. Objective: To examine community-based pharmacist and veterinarian viewpoints on interprofessional collaboration and the role of the community pharmacist in veterinary patient care. Methods: Cross-sectional surveys were sent to pharmacists and veterinarians who practice in a community setting in Ohio. Surveys collected demographic information and addressed the following themes: attitudes toward collaboration, perceived roles of the pharmacist, expectations of the pharmacist, and previous collaborative experiences. A chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Results: In total, 357 pharmacists and 232 veterinarians participated in the study. Both professions agreed that pharmacist-veterinarian collaboration is important in order to optimize veterinary patient care (chi-square (1, N=589)=7.7, p=0.006). Overall, veterinarians were more likely to identify an important role of the community pharmacist to be compounding medications (chi-square (1, N=589)=26.7, p<0.001) compared to counseling pet owners (chi-square (1, N=589)=171.7, p<0.001). Both groups reported similar levels of agreement regarding the importance for pharmacists to have adequate knowledge of veterinary medicine. Conclusions: Our study found that while both pharmacists and veterinarians conveyed a positive attitude regarding interprofessional collaboration, they disagreed on what role the pharmacist should play in the care of veterinary patients. Rectifying the discordant perceptions of these health care professionals may be critical to developing collaborative initiatives and optimizing veterinary patient care.
Effects of Preexisting Psychotropic Medication Use on a Cohort of Patients with Ischemic Stroke Outcome

Background Several studies investigated the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) after ischemic stroke to improve motor recovery. However, little is known about the effects of preexisting psychotropic medication use (PPMU), such as antidepressants, on a long-term ischemic stroke functional disability. Objective We sought to determine the prevalence of PPMU and whether PPMU relates to the long-term clinical outcome in a cohort of patients presenting with acute ischemic strokes. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 323 consecutive patients who presented with an acute ischemic stroke in a single institution between January 2015 and December 2017. Baseline characteristics, functional disability as measured by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and major adverse cardiovascular complications (MACE) within 365 days were recorded. The comparison groups included a control group of ischemic stroke patients who were not on psychotropic medications before and after the index ischemic stroke and a second group of poststroke psychotropic medication use (PoMU), which consisted of patients started on psychotropic medication during the index admission. Results The prevalence of PPMU in the studied cohort was 21.4% (69/323). There was a greater proportion of females in the PPMU than in the comparison groups (P < 0.001), while vascular risk factors were similar in all groups, except for an increased presence of posterior circulation infarcts in the PPMU (37.4% vs. 18.8%, P < 0.001). Among the patients with available 1-year follow-up data (n = 246), we noted significantly greater improvement in stroke deficits, measured by National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) between PPMU and PoMU vs. control (3 (0-7) versus 1 (0-4), P = 0.041). The 1-year mRS was worse in PPMU and PoMU compared to the control group (2 (IQ 1-3) vs. 2 (IQ 0-3) vs. 1 (IQ 0-2), respectively, P = 0.013), but delta mRS reflecting the degree of mRS improvement showed no significant difference between any PMU and control patients (P = 0.76). There was no statistically significant difference in MACE. Conclusion PPMU in ischemic stroke is common; it can be beneficial in ischemic stroke in the long-term clinical outcome and is not associated with increased risks of MACE.
Polarization-Diverse Metasurfaces for High-Dimensional Spatial-Mode Entanglement Generation

We demonstrate metasurfaces consisting of meta-atoms that generate spatial-mode entangled photons with different polarization, designed through careful finite-difference time-domain simulations. Using our biphoton comb setup, these metasurfaces will enable for testing spatial-energy-time hyperentanglement.
Perception and risk of Covid-19 and climate change: Investigating analogies in a common framework

This paper investigates analogies in the dynamics of Covid-19 pandemic and climate change. A comparison of their common features (such as nonlinearity and inertia) and differences helps us to achieve a correct scientific perception of both situations, increasing the chances of actions for their solutions. Besides, applying to both the risk equation provides different angles to analyse them, something that may result useful especially at the policy level. It shows that not only short-term interventions are needed, but also long-term strategies involving some structural changes. More specifically, it also shows that, even if climate change is probably more critical and long-lasting than the Covid-19 crisis, we still have, at least currently, more options for reducing its related risk.
Distension-contraction profile of peristalsis in patients with nutcracker esophagus.

Introduction High amplitude peristaltic esophageal contractions, that is, nutcracker esophagus, were originally described in association with "angina-like pain" of esophageal origin. However, significant number of nutcracker patients also suffer from dysphagia. High-resolution esophageal manometry (HRM) assesses only the contraction phase of peristalsis. The degree of esophageal distension during peristalsis is a surrogate of relaxation and can be measured from the intraluminal esophageal impedance measurements. Aims Determine the amplitude of distension and temporal relationship between distension and contraction during swallow-induced peristalsis in nutcracker patients. Methods HRM impedance (HRMZ) studies were performed and analyzed in 24 nutcracker and 30 normal subjects in the Trendelenburg position. A custom-built software calculated the numerical data of the amplitudes of distension and contraction, the area under the curve (AUC) of distension and contraction, and the temporal relationship between distension and contraction. Results In normal subjects, the distension peaks similar to contraction traverse sequentially the esophagus. The amplitude of contraction is greater in the nutcracker esophagus but the amplitude of distension and area under the curve of distension are smaller in patients compared to controls. Distension peaks are aligned closely with contraction in normal subjects, but in patients, the bolus travels faster to the distal esophagus, resulting in a smaller time interval between the onset of swallow and distension peak. Receiver operative characteristics (ROC) curve reveals high sensitivity and specificity of the above parameters in patients. Conclusion Abnormalities in the distension phase of peristalsis are a possible mechanism of dysphagia in patients with nutcracker esophagus.
Exenteration and Adjuvant Radiotherapy for Primary Carcinosarcoma of the Anterior Orbit: A Case Report.

Carcinosarcoma is a malignant mixed tumor composed of epithelial and mesenchymal components which arises in a variety of tissues, including, in rare cases, the orbit. A 75-year-old male with a history of basal cell carcinoma of the left medial canthus, previously treated with surgical resection and adjuvant radiation therapy, presented with a recurrent 3 cm nodule of the left medial canthus. He underwent surgical resection of the left superior and inferior eyelid with pathology revealing invasive squamous cell carcinoma of upper and lower eyelids with deep orbital tissue involvement and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma involving the dermis and periosteum, consistent with carcinosarcoma. Orbital exenteration was subsequently performed. He successfully underwent adjuvant stereotactic body radiation therapy 30 Gy in 5 fractions with no significant side effects. Follow-up MRI revealed posttreatment changes without evidence of recurrent disease.
Clinical Presentation of Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (UCPPS) Varies With Presenting Age - Implication on Patient Evaluation.

Objective To compare the clinical presentation of UCPPS from a large clinical practice grouped by their presenting age to improve the evaluation of this condition. Methods A total of 223 male and female patients seeking care for their UCPPS were recruited to study their urologic and non-urologic presentation. Their evaluation included cystoscopy and multiple questionnaires to assess their pelvic pain, non-urologic pain, urinary symptoms, somatic symptoms, and psychosocial health. Patients were then grouped by age into the following groups: less than 30 years of age, between the ages of 30 and 60, and older than 60. These groups were then compared on multiple domains. Results Patients between the ages of 60 and 30 were most likely to have concomitant COPC (such as fibromyalgia or migraine headaches), more widespread distribution of non-urologic pain, higher somatic symptom burden, and depression. Patients 30 years old or younger were more likely to have more severe urologic and non-urologic pain, and urinary pain symptoms that are less typical of IC/BPS (eg, pain worsened during or after urination). Patients older than 60 were more likely to have Hunner lesion (55.6% vs 23.8% vs 8.6% among those who had cystoscopy, in decreasing age, P Conclusion Our findings support the evaluation of non-urologic pain, COPC and psychosocial health in middle-aged patients; Hunner lesion in older patients; and a higher clinical suspicion of other confusable diagnoses when younger patients present with atypical symptoms.
Generalities on Bundles

A bundle is just a map viewed as an object in a particular category. It is the basic underlying structure for the more complicated notions of vector bundle and fibre bundle. In this chapter we study the category of bundles in a manner that leads us to the additional structures on a bundle described in the next two chapters. Examples are given to illustrate the concept of a bundle and the various enrichments of this concept.
Gay Orthodox Jews in Fictional Texts

AbstractWithin the past decade, depictions of Orthodox Jews in same-sex relationships have entered American and Israeli fictional popular culture, and the portrayals, overwhelmingly, present Orthodox Judaism as incompatible with public expressions of gay sexuality. By building on Robert Orsi’s distinctions of “good/bad” religion, this essay argues that acceptance of gays and lesbians is becoming a twenty-first-century litmus test for deeming religious groups as modern, respectable and “good,” particularly among Jews. By uniformly presenting Orthodox Judaism as incongruous with same-sex relationships, these fictional works gesture to how sexuality can be used as a discursive strategy for designating select groups and traditions, in Orsi’s terminology, as “bad religion.” These works offer a reverse discourse to Orthodox claims of exclusive Jewish authenticity and narrow prescriptions for how to be Jewish, illustrating Helene Meyers’s argument that, in the twenty-first century, homophobia, not homosexuality,...
A place at the table: Women's committee requests and women's committee assignments in the U.S. house

Abstract This research examines the success of women House members in achieving requested committee assignments by using an extensive data set on the committee requests of members of the U.S. House between the 86th and 103rd Congresses. In contrast to previous research, these data allow insight into the committees that women would preferto sit on and the committees that they are assignedto by their party leadership. We hypothesize that the representative structure of the parties' committees-on-committees had important implications for women's success at achieving preferred committee assignments. Our results suggest that women of bothpolitical parties were at a disadvantage in their first term when requesting committee assignments. However, while Democratic women tended to get preferred committee assignments after their first term, Republican women largely failed to move into requested committee assignments.
Community policing: is it changing the basic functions of policing?

Abstract This article examines change in the organizational priorities of the three core functions of American policing — crime control, order maintenance, and service provision — in an era of community policing. The nature of contemporary organizational change in policing is analyzed using panel data from national surveys of 200+ municipal police departments conducted in 1993 and 1996. Two competing perspectives, contingency theory and institutional theory, are tested for their ability to account for survey findings. The primary findings indicate that police core function priorities have remained largely unchanged during this period. Rather than represent a systematic adaptation to a changing environment, in many police agencies, community-oriented policing (COP) seems to represent a method of strategic buffering of a largely unaltered core police operation reflective of the professional model.
An overview of optical coherence tomography for ovarian tissue imaging and characterization

Ovarian cancer has the lowest survival rate among all the gynecologic cancers because it is predominantly diagnosed at late stages due to the lack of reliable symptoms and efficacious screening techniques. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an emerging technique that provides high-resolution images of biological tissue in real time, and demonstrates great potential for imaging of ovarian tissue. In this article, we review OCT studies for visualization and diagnosis of human ovaries as well as quantitative extraction of ovarian tissue optical properties for classifying normal and malignant ovaries. OCT combined with other imaging modalities to further improve ovarian tissue diagnosis is also reviewed.
The “I” of the Camera: Vertigo : The Unknown Woman in Hitchcock

In “A Closer Look at Scopophilia: Mulvey, Hitchcock and Vertigo ,” Marian Keane contests the view that in Vertigo the camera allies itself exclusively with the male position. She argues that Vertigo , like all of Hitchcock's films, concerns a search for identity and what Stanley Cavell has called “the identifying and inhabitation of a feminine regoin of the self.” If this is true, Vertigo has a close affinity to so-called women's films, in particular to the genre Cavell terms “the melodrama of the unknown woman.” At the end of Vertigo , Scottie (James Stewart), like the Louis Jourdan figure at the end of Letter to an Unknown Woman , awakens to the realization that he has failed to acknowledge the woman he loves. In both films, this realization comes poetically too late. Then are we to count Vertigo as a member of the unknown-woman genre? If not, what does its exclusion from the genre, or rejection of the genre, reveal about the unknown woman melodramas, about the Hitchcock thriller, about the concepts of genre and authorship as instruments of film criticism, about the conditions of being human (Cavell's deepest concern, and that of the films we both study)? In the chapter that follows, I address such questions obliquely, letting my thoughts emerge out of detailed readings of two sequences in the film.
Bilingual and ESL Classrooms: Teaching in Multicultural Contexts Carlos J. Ovando and Virginia P. Collier

Bilingualism Through Schooling: Cross-Cultural Education for Minority and Majority Students: Arnulfo G. Ramirez The TESOL Quarterly welcomes evaluative reviews of publications of relevance to TESOL professionals. In addition to textbooks and reference materials, these include computer and video software, testing instruments, and other forms of nonprint materials.
Syntactic context and the shape bias in children's and adults' lexical learning

Abstract Previous research has shown that young children and adults share a shape bias in learning novel object count nouns: they generalize the label to objects sharing the same shape as a standard but differing greatly in size or texture (Landau, Smith, & Jones, 1988) . Three experiments tested the hypothesis that this shape bias is linked specifically to the acquisition of count nouns and therefore should be altered systematically by manipulating the form class of the novel word. Three-year-olds, five-year-olds, and adults were shown an object and taught a novel word in one of several different syntactic contexts and were asked to generalize the word to objects varying from the standard in shape, size, or texture. In the count noun context, “This is a dax,” all subjects showed the original shape bias even when the standard object's texture was made extremely salient. In the superordinate context, “This is a kind of dax,” 5-year-olds and adults showed a weaker shape bias, broadening their acceptance of shape changes. In the adjective context, “This is a daxy one” 5-year-olds and adults narrowed their acceptance of texture changes and broadened acceptance of shape changes, as did 5-year-olds in another adjective context, “This is a dax one.” Three-year-olds showed similar patterns of differentiation over the kind of and adjective contexts, but in a much weaker form. The results are discussed in terms of the representation of objects and their properties, the syntactic representation of these, and the joint interaction of syntax and perception in the early acquisition of words describing objects.
AN OBJECT-ORIENTED APPROACH TO SHADOW GENERATION IN COMPUTER GRAPHICS

This paper presents an object-oriented shadow generation algorithm for a large number of convex polyhedra (objects) in a 3-D scene. In the past, the shadow volume binary space partitioning (SVBSP) tree algorithm is known to be efficient in a static environment in which the point light source can be changed. However, if a scene consists of many objects and each object consists of many polygons, the time complexity for generating and traversing an SVBSP tree increases rapidly because the SVBSP tree algorithm only deals with polygons which are components of objects. Furthermore, the SVBSP tree algorithm suffers from polygon-splitting problems resulting in a high cost as the number of polygons increases. Our approach is object-oriented in the sense that an object is used as the basic logical unit instead of polygons. In the preprocessing stage the object ordering for shadow generation is determined for all possible light source positions. At the run time, the shadow detection algorithm is executed, and if nec...
Angular Broadening: Effects of Nonzero, Spatially Varying Plasma Frequency between the Source and Observer

Angular broadening of radiation due to scattering by density irregularities is usually described using geometric optics (GO) or the parabolic wave equation (PWE) with the assumptions that the radiation frequency f greatly exceeds the local plasma frequency f(sub p0) or that f(sub p0)/f is constant along the path. These assumptions are inappropriate for many solar system radio phenomena. Here the PWE and GO formalisms are extended to treat angular broadening in plasmas with nonzero, spatially varying ratios, f(sub p0)(z)/f depends on both f(sub p0)(z)/f at the observer and the foregoing factor inside the path integral. The PWE and GO predictions for are identical and involve equivalent assumptions. Previous GO and PWE results are recovered in the limits that f(sub p0)(z prime)/f is constant or zero. The new PWE and GO results will permit more accurate calculation of angular broadening for solar system and astrophysical sources. Moreover and importantly, due to the PWE and GO results for being identical, previous GO analyses of in solar system contexts are essentially correct, except for the neglect of or minor deficiencies in the treatment of nonzero, spatially varying f(sub p0)/f effects. The identical GO and PWE results for and the form of the PWE equation for the correlation function raise questions as to whether diffraction is unimportant for angular broadening (under the usual PWE conditions). Future direct comparisons of the PWE predictions with angular spectra calculated using existing GO ray-tracing codes should answer these questions. Diffraction effects are probably important when the medium and turbulence are not sufficiently homogeneous transverse to the central ray path. The implications are also discussed for studies of the 2-3.5 kHz radiation observed in the outer heliosphere.
Dopaminergic nature of apomorphine-induced pecking in pigeons

Abstract Apomorphine induces a pecking response in pigeons and the effects of various drugs on this pecking response were studied. The pecking induced by apomorphine (1.64 μmole/kg) has a rapid onset, and lasts for approximately 1 hr. Pecking induced by apomorphine can be blocked by dopaminergic receptor-blocking agents such as chlorpromazine, haloperidol, bulbocapnine and morphine, but not by α- or β-adrenergic receptor-blocking agents. Cholinergic agents have an inhibitory effect on pecking. The inhibitory effect of oxotremorine can be reversed by the prior administration of atropine. Apomorphine can induce both pecking and emesis while apomorphine methiodide causes only emesis. This ivestigation indicates that the pecking induced by apomorphine is caused by the stimulation of central dopaminergic receptors and that central cholinergic systems have a modulating effect on pecking. Serotonergic systems might also inhibit the pecking induced by apomorphine.
Requirement of human chromosomes 19, 6 and possibly 3 for infection of hamster × human hybrid cells with baboon M7 type C virus

Abstract The replication pattern of the endogenous baboon type C virus M7 was studied in 29 primary Chinese hamster × human hybrid clones generated with leukemic cells from two different patients with acute lymphoblastic or myeloblastic leukemia. There was no evidence of viral particulate RDDP or M7 antigen before viral infection. M7 virus replicated in human and some hybrid cells but not in Chinese hamster cells, indicating that M7 requires dominantly expressed human gene(s) for replication. Enzyme and cytogenetic analyses show that a gene(s) coded for by human chromosome 19 is necessary for M7 infection of these hybrids. Detailed cytogenetic correlations revealed, however, that the chromosome 19+/M7 + hybrid clones with intact chromosomes also had copies of chromosomes 3 and 6. Previously, Bevi , the putative integration site for M7 virus, has been assigned to human chromosome 6. Many clones with various combinations of chromosomes 3 and 6 lacked chromosome 19, however, and failed to replicate exogenously applied M7 virus, while tests of 27 secondary clones showed that M7 markers co-segregated with chromosome 19 markers. These findings all confirm the need for a chromosome 19-coded function in Chinese hamster × human hybrids. In addition, the yield of viral particulate RDDP produced into the culture fluid was 50–100 fold less per viral antigen-positive cell in the hybrids compared with human cells. Thus some form of regulation of viral components exists in the hybrid cells. When the virus replicating in hybrid cells was transferred back to human cells, this regulation was relaxed and the yield of RDDP per FA(+) cell greatly increased. We conclude that human chromosomes 6 and 19 code for functions involved in M7 virus metabolism, and we cannot exclude a function coded for by chromosome 3.
Management of Mild Head Injury in the Pediatric Patient

SUMMARY MHI is a common disorder in t he pediatric population. While most children recover uneventfully, a small percentage has persistence of symptoms and long-term sequelae. Determining the optimal timing for return to play can be difficult, but adherence to guidelines may reduce the risk of compounding the injury.
A centralized tool for managing, archiving, and serving point-in-time data in ecological research laboratories

The recent proliferation of software tools that aid researchers in various phases of data tracking and analysis undoubtedly contribute to successful development of increasingly complex and data-intensive scientific investigations. However, the lack of fully integrated solutions to data acquisition and storage, quality assurance/control, visualization, and provenance tracking of heterogeneous temporal data streams collected at numerous geospatial locations continues to occupy a general problem area for scientists and data managers working in the environmental sciences. We present a new Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) that allows users to: 1) automate the process of pushing real-time data streams from networks of environmental sensors or other data sources to an electronic data archive; 2) to perform basic data management and quality control tasks; and 3) to publish any subset of the data to existing cyberinfrastructure platforms for global discovery and distribution via the World Wide Web. The approach outlined here supports management of: 1) repeated field observations, 2) data from laboratory analysis of field samples, 3) simulation results, and 4) derived values. We describe how the use of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) Representational State Transfer (REST) methods for data model objects and Resource Query Language (RQL) interfaces respond to a basic problem area in environmental modelling by enabling researchers to integrate an electronic data repository with existing workflows, simulation models, or third-party software. Integrating data life-cycle management and e-Science publication systems is needed.The VOEIS Data Hub (VDH), a new software application, responds to this need.VDH provides software tools for data storage, management, and visualization.VDH integrates with models, third-party software, and other cyberinfrastructures.
Actions of 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone in Bacillus cereus.

Abstract Bacillus cereus was used to study the biochemical basis of the antibacterial action of 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (menadione). At 2.5 μM, menadione doubled the generation time of logarithmic phase cultures of B. cereus . The effect of the drug on the incorporation of labeled precursors for macromolecular synthesis was compared at equivalent turbidities. Incorporation of [ 14 C]adenine and [ 14 C]uracil into RNA was immediately inhibited. In contrast, incorporation of [ 14 C]adenine into DNA, [ 14 C]- l -lysine into protein, and [ 14 C]diaminopimelic acid into cell wall was depressed only in accordance with decreased cell mass. RNA content of inhibited cells was also decreased when measured by the colorimetric orcinol method. Sucrose density gradient analysis of cell-free extracts from control and drug-treated cells labeled with [ 14 C]-uracil showed that the drug effect was not specific for any particular RNA-containing fraction in that the incorporation of [ 14 C]uracil was decreased in all macromolecular components, including ribosomes, ribosomal subunits and soluble RNA. Menadione produced an immediate dose-dependent decrease in ATP content of inhibited cells. Although other possibilities cannot be excluded, the growth-inhibitory effect of menadione in B. cereus might be due to decreased ATP levels causing a “shift-down” response in which growth retardation is characterized by a selective inhibition of RNA compared to DNA, protein or cell wall synthesis. Menadione also decreased the acid-soluble sulfhydryl content of inhibited cells. However, the mechanisms of this depletion as well as the relationship of this effect to inhibition of RNA synthesis and growth is unclear. Reduced glutathione, but not glutathione disulfide prevented the growth-inhibitory effect of menadione. Thiodione, a naphthoquinone thioether formed by reaction of reduced glutathione and menadione, did not inhibit the growth of B. cereus .
Participant evaluations of rate and communication efficacy of an AAC application using natural language processing.

This research explores the efficacy of an AAC application, Converser, that uses natural language processing to assist in communication. Converser uses speech recognition of the speaking partner to predict contextually appropriate utterances. This article reports on the subjective data gathered from an experimental evaluation of Converser's efficacy (see Wisenburn and Higginbotham, for a full description of Converser and the objective results). Converser was evaluated in two communication tasks (a Conversation and an Interview task) under two conditions: a simple alphabet board without Converser (alpha-only condition), and an identical board with Converser (alpha-Converser condition). Subjective data was gathered through rating questionnaires and written comments. Program users rated the speed of communication faster in the alpha-Converser condition. Program user ratings of quality, and speaking partner ratings of speed and quality, showed no difference between the two conditions; however, the participant ...
Oligoclonal T cell proliferation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and their unaffected siblings

Objective. To analyze whether patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an intrinsic defect in T cell proliferation and survival, possibly contributing to the infiltration of the synovial membrane with CD4+ T cells. Methods. Fifteen patients with seropositive RA, 11 patients with psoriatic arthritis, 20 normal controls, and 9 affected and 13 unaffected siblings from 7 multiplex families with RA were analyzed for clonal proliferation. To investigate this clonal T cell proliferation, CD4+ T cells were purified from peripheral blood and synovial fluid by magnetic bead separation. T cell receptor (TCR) β-chain sequences were amplified by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction, using TCR BV and BJ gene segment–specific primer sets. Clonally expanded T cell specificities were identified by size fractionation and sequencing of the amplified product. Results. All RA patients carried clonally expanded CD4+ T cells in the peripheral blood compartment. Such expanded CD4+ T cell clonotypes were only infrequently observed both in normal individuals (P < 0.0001) and in patients with psoriatic arthritis (P = 0.004). Lymphoproliferation of selected CD4+ T cells was shared by affected and unaffected siblings from RA multiplex families (P = 0.005 and P = 0.0003, respectively, compared with normal controls). Expanded clonotypes persisted for several years and contributed to the T cell infiltrate in the joint. Clonal T cell proliferation involved a diverse spectrum of TCR molecules. Conclusion. RA patients have an abnormality in the homeostasis of CD4+ T cells, characterized by the emergence of clonally proliferating populations. The presence of clonal outgrowth of selected CD4+ T cell specificities in unaffected siblings of RA patients suggests that oligoclonality of CD4+ T cells is inherited and is a risk factor for, rather than a result of, synovial inflammation.
Hospital resource utilization by American Indians/Alaska natives for alcoholism and alcohol abuse

Previous work examining the issue of alcoholism and alcohol abuse among American Indians and Alaska Natives can be broadly categorized as either descriptions of the consumption patterns and behaviors of specific tribes or mortality studies, focusing on deaths due to alcoholism, alcohol abuse, chronic liver disease, or cirrhosis. A major shortcoming of previous studies has been that they have not looked at the burden this problem has imposed upon the system of health care delivery for this minority population. By using an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification taxonomy of diagnostic codes developed by the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) and the national Indian Health Service (IHS) inpatient database for direct and contract admissions, utilization patterns for 43 IHS facilities were investigated. The period of study was 1980–1988, and our case definition included any individual 14 years and older who had any mention upon discharge of an alc...
Life Span of Individual Yeast Cells

THE division of a yeast cell by budding gives rise to two cells which are identifiable, that is, the mother cell from which the bud arose, and the daughter cell which developed from the bud. The wall of the daughter cell presumably is synthesized de novo while that of the mother cell retains all or at least part of its identity through the division—an example of linear inheritance1. That the wall of the mother cell is not reformed is evidenced by the accumulation of scars associated with each budding event2. Electron micrographs3–5 reveal a scar area that is approximately 1 per cent of the surface area of the cells. If, as indicated by Barton2, a bud is never formed at the site of a scar, then it is possible that the life-span of individual cells would be limited by depletion of available budding sites. Barton observed one cell to bud 23 times but did not observe a cessation of budding. Other progressive changes also might limit the number of divisions that a single cell can complete. This report describes an experiment designed to determine the life-span of single yeast cells and includes consideration of possible mechanisms for life-span limitation.
IS THERE UNIT ROOT IN THE NITROGEN OXIDES EMISSIONS: A MONTE CARLO INVESTIGATION?

Abstract Use of the time-series econometric techniques to investigate issues about environmental regulation requires knowing whether air pollution emissions are trend stationary or difference stationary. It has been shown that results regarding trend stationarity of the pollution data are sensitive to the methods used. I conduct a Monte Carlo experiment to study the size and power of two unit root tests that allow for a structural change in the trend at a known time using the data-generating process calibrated to the actual pollution series. I find that finite sample properties of the Perron test are better than the Park and Sung Phillips-Perron (PP) type test. Severe size distortions in the Park and Sung PP type test can explain the rejection of a unit root in air pollution emissions reported in some environmental regulation analyses.
Characterizing the temporal evolution of altered cardiac mechanics in diet-induced obese mice using cine DENSE CMR

Background Obesity and metabolic syndrome are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Research suggests that altered cardiac mechanics (i.e., reduced strains, torsion, and synchrony of contraction) are present in obesity; yet, the causes of this mechanical dysfunction and its relationship to other sequelae of obesity (e.g., hypertension and elevated blood glucose) are not well understood. We hypothesize that diet-induced obesity in mice leads to reductions in measures of left ventricular (LV) mechanics, which develop in acute response to the onset of hyperglycemia, hypertension, and ventricular remodeling. Methods
Relationship between growth and meiotic maturation of the mouse oocyte.

Oocytes of various sizes were isolated from trypsinized ovaries of juvenile mice, cultured in a chemically defined medium, and scored for the resumption and completion of meiotic maturation. Oocytes recovered from mice younger than 15 days remained in the germinal vesicle stage, whereas those from mice 15 days or older resumed meiosis at a frequency which increased with the age of the mice. The mean diameter of the oocytes recovered also increased with the age of the mice. Within individual litters, the mean diameter of oocytes which failed to mature (incompetent oocytes) was significantly less than that of oocytes which matured (competent oocytes). The frequency of premature metaphase I arrest decreased markedly as the age of the mice and oocyte volume increased. These results suggest that the ability to resume meiosis is acquired at a specific stage of oocyte growth in the juvenile mouse, and that the ability to complete meiotic maturation is acquired subsequently. These oocytes provide an in vitro system with which to study the control of meiosis in the mammal.
An isothermal–isobaric computer simulation of the supercooled‐liquid/glass transition region: Is the short‐range order in the amorphous solid fcc?

It is demonstrated that one can easily distinguish between a supercooled liquid that becomes a glass and a supercooled liquid that nucleates to a defect crystal during a quench using the isothermal–isobaric Monte Carlo method.(AIP)
Ginger and turmeric expressed sequence tags identify signature genes for rhizome identity and development and the biosynthesis of curcuminoids, gingerols and terpenoids

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and turmeric (Curcuma longa) accumulate important pharmacologically active metabolites at high levels in their rhizomes. Despite their importance, relatively little is known regarding gene expression in the rhizomes of ginger and turmeric. In order to identify rhizome-enriched genes and genes encoding specialized metabolism enzymes and pathway regulators, we evaluated an assembled collection of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from eight different ginger and turmeric tissues. Comparisons to publicly available sorghum rhizome ESTs revealed a total of 777 gene transcripts expressed in ginger/turmeric and sorghum rhizomes but apparently absent from other tissues. The list of rhizome-specific transcripts was enriched for genes associated with regulation of tissue growth, development, and transcription. In particular, transcripts for ethylene response factors and AUX/IAA proteins appeared to accumulate in patterns mirroring results from previous studies regarding rhizome growth responses to exogenous applications of auxin and ethylene. Thus, these genes may play important roles in defining rhizome growth and development. Additional associations were made for ginger and turmeric rhizome-enriched MADS box transcription factors, their putative rhizome-enriched homologs in sorghum, and rhizomatous QTLs in rice. Additionally, analysis of both primary and specialized metabolism genes indicates that ginger and turmeric rhizomes are primarily devoted to the utilization of leaf supplied sucrose for the production and/or storage of specialized metabolites associated with the phenylpropanoid pathway and putative type III polyketide synthase gene products. This finding reinforces earlier hypotheses predicting roles of this enzyme class in the production of curcuminoids and gingerols. A significant set of genes were found to be exclusively or preferentially expressed in the rhizome of ginger and turmeric. Specific transcription factors and other regulatory genes were found that were common to the two species and that are excellent candidates for involvement in rhizome growth, differentiation and development. Large classes of enzymes involved in specialized metabolism were also found to have apparent tissue-specific expression, suggesting that gene expression itself may play an important role in regulating metabolite production in these plants.
The effectiveness of community-based delivery of an evidence-based treatment for adolescent substance use

This study evaluates the effectiveness of motivational enhancement therapy/cognitive behavioral therapy–5 (MET/CBT-5) when delivered in community practice settings relative to standard community-based adolescent treatment. A quasi-experimental strategy was used to adjust for pretreatment differences between the MET/CBT-5 sample (n = 2,293) and those who received standard care (n = 458). Results suggest that youth who received MET/CBT-5 fared better than comparable youth in the control group on five of six 12-month outcomes. A low follow-up rate (54%) in the MET/CBT-5 sample raised concerns about nonresponse bias in the treatment effect estimates. Sensitivity analyses suggest that although modest differences in outcomes between the MET/CBT-5 nonrespondents and respondents would yield no significant differences between the two groups on two of the six outcomes, very large differences in outcomes between responders and nonresponders would be required for youth receiving MET/CBT-5 to have fared better had they received standard outpatient care.
Express Virtual Channels with Capacitively Driven Global Links

Networks on chip must deliver high bandwidth at low latencies while keeping within a tight power envelope. Using express virtual channels for flow control improves energy-delay throughput by letting packets bypass intermediate routers, but EVCS have key limitations. Nochi (NoC with hybrid interconnect) overcomes these limitations by transporting data payloads and control information on separate planes, optimized for bandwidth and latency respectively.
Validation of a stimulation protocol suited to the investigation of odor–taste interactions with fMRI

Abstract A protocol suited to the investigations of odor–taste interactions in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner is described and results that confirm the validity of that protocol are presented. Stimuli were dissolved in water and presented to the mouth of the participant through plastic syringes and plastic tubes as 50 μl every 3 s for 18 s. Participants were lying on the back to simulate the conditions in a fMRI scanner and gave pleasantness and intensity ratings in response to each stimulus using a Labeled Magnitude Scale (LMS). Stimuli were three concentrations of two tastants (i.e., sucrose and NaCl) and two odorants [i.e., ethyl butyrate (fruity) and citral (citrus)] and all possible odor–taste mixtures. Results showed that additivity of intensity in odor–taste mixtures was linear and did not depend on the pleasantness of the mixture. This study showed the feasibility of acquiring reliable psychophysical data with a stimulation device compatible with the fMRI environment and provided the foundation for the interpretation of future fMRI investigations of odor–taste interactions in flavor.
Sampling potato tubers to determine peel loss

A simple marker was fabricated for the purpose of rapidly labeling tubers that are to be used for determining the amount of peel loss. The effect of tuber size and shape on quantity of peel removed, and its significance to continuous in-plant monitoring of peel loss, is discussed. A standardized peel removal testing procedure for plant use is described.
Perceptual categories for musiclike sounds: Implications for theories of speech perception

Sawtooth acoustic stimuli of different rise times are identified as coming from a plucked string instrument (pluck) or a bowed one (bow). Like stop consonants, these sounds are perceived categorically–-discrimination is poor for stimuli identified as belonging to a single class but good for those identified as members of different classes. Varying the interval between two successive musiclike stimuli hardly alters discrimination. Sawtooth stimuli lasting 750 ms are clearly perceived categorically; those lasting 250 ms are not. Prolonged exposure to a pluck or bow stimulus can shift the rise-time boundary between categories. Shifts due to such selective adaptation decrease as adapting and test stimuli share fewer characteristics. Adaptation of postulated “feature detectors” therefore may occur in input systems prior to the detectors themselves. Our findings contradict previous claims that categorical perception and selective adaptation are manifestations of psychological processes unique to speech perception.
Effects of phosphorothioate capping on antivense oligonucleotide stability, hybridization and antiviral efficacy versus herpes simplex virus infection

Abstract Efforts have been made to improve the biological stability of phosphodiester (PO) oligonucleotides by the addition of various modifications to either the 3', 5' or both the 3' and 5' ends of an oligonucleotide. ISIS 1080, a phosphorothioate (PS) 21-mer oligonucleotide complementary to the internal AUG codon of UL13 mRNA in HSV-1, reduces the infectious yield of HSV-1 in HeLa cells to 9.0% +/- 11%. PO analogs of ISIS 1080 containing three PS linkages placed on the 3' (ISIS 1365), 5' (ISIS 1370), both the 3' and 5' (ISIS 1364) ends or with four linkages in the middle (ISIS 1400) demonstrated reduced antiviral efficacy compared to fully PS ISIS 1080. Thermal denaturation profiles demonstrated that these oligonucleotides hybridized to complementary DNA or RNA with equivalent binding affinities. All were able to support E. coli RNAse H cleavage of the HSV mRNA to which they were targeted. The stability of the congeners in cell culture medium containing 10% fetal calf serum (FCS), HeLa cytosolic extract, HeLa nuclear extract and in intact HeLa cells revealed that ISIS 1080 was most resistant to nucleolytic digestion through 48 hours. Partial PS oligonucleotides exhibited increased degradation compared to the fully thioated oligonucleotide by exonuclease activity in FCS and endonuclease activity in cell extracts or intact cells. Thus, the reduced efficacy of partial compared to fully PS oligonucleotides against HSV-1 in HeLa cells may result from increased degradation of the mixed PO/PS oligonucleotides.