cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of a Searchable Database of Cryoablation Simulations for Use in Treatment Planning

Purpose To create and validate a planning tool for multiple-probe cryoablation, using simulations of ice ball size and shape for various ablation probe configurations, ablation times, and types of tissue ablated.
Involvement of Nrf2 in Ocular Diseases.

The human body harbors within it an intricate and delicate balance between oxidants and antioxidants. Any disruption in this checks-and-balances system can lead to harmful consequences in various organs and tissues, such as the eye. This review focuses on the effects of oxidative stress and the role of a particular antioxidant system—the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway—on ocular diseases, specifically age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. Together, they are the major causes of blindness in the world.
Assessment of the Amino Sugar-Nitrogen Test on Iowa Soils: II. Field Correlation and Calibration

There has been growing interest in using the amino sugar–nitrogen test (ASNT) to improve N fertilization of corn (Zea mays L.). The ASNT is intended to measure the soil organic N fraction that contributes to plant available N. The objectives of this study were to correlate the ASNT to corn N response measures and calibrate the test to Iowa soils and climatic conditions. Soil samples were collected in the fall, early spring, and late spring at the 0- to 15-cm and 0- to 30-cm sample depths. No significant correlation could be found between the ASNTand relative leaf chlorophyll meter value, relative grain protein, relative grain yield, grain yield response to applied N, and economic optimum N rate (EONR). The ASNT was not able to differentiate sites that were responsive or nonresponsive to N fertilization and could not be calibrated to EONR. There were strong linear correlations between the ASNT and total soil N (TSN), hydrolyzable NH4–N, and hydrolyzable NH4 1 amino sugar–N. The ASNTwas not significantly correlated to hydrolyzable amino sugar–N. The soils tested in this study had large amounts of hydrolyzable NH4–N relative to hydrolyzable amino sugar–N, which may partially explain the poor results with the ASNT. Also, liberation of a constant proportion of TSN by the ASNT procedure explains the inability of the test to estimate a specific portion of soil N that contributes to plant available N. Based on the results of this work, the ASNT is not recommended in Iowa for estimating corn N responsiveness or adjusting N application rate.
Surgery for Duodenal and Gastric Neuroendocrine Tumors

Duodenal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) (also called carcinoid tumors) are rare, with an incidence in the population of approximately 1 per million. They may be found incidentally on endoscopy as a mass in the submucosa at endoscopy (Fig. 14.1), or they can produce hormones that cause clinical syndromes. These tumors can make somatostatin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), or more commonly, gastrin. When they make gastrin, it is called the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (ZES). Duodenal NETs may be either benign or malignant, but even when malignant, they have a low malignant potential. In general, they have an excellent prognosis.
Personal and contextual factors in substance abuse treatment among racial and ethnic minorities: Studies from the NIDA clinical trials network

The National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) is a collaboration of substance abuse researchers and treatment providers aimed at developing, evaluating, and disseminating effectiv...
Management of tibioperoneal trunk aneurysm in a patient with Behçet disease.

Abstract Only a few cases of infrapopliteal aneurysms are reported in the literature. These are commonly associated with trauma, infection, and iatrogenic injuries and mostly present as pseudoaneurysms. We report the case of a 44-year-old man with Behcet disease and an 8-cm tibioperoneal trunk aneurysm and discuss the management options of these aneurysms.
The Ideal Thigh: A Crowdsourcing-Based Assessment of Ideal Thigh Aesthetic and Implications for Gluteal Fat Grafting.

Background As the popularity of aesthetic gluteoplasty continues to grow, there is renewed focus on defining the ideal buttocks. However, the literature lacks studies characterizing an ideal thigh, despite the impact of thigh contour on overall gluteal aesthetic. Objectives The authors performed the first population analysis of the characteristics of perception of attractive thighs, to identify a role for fat grafting of the thigh in gluteoplasty. Methods Survey images were digitally modified to create thighs of varying widths and angles relative to fixed buttocks. Thigh-to-buttock ratios and the buttock-thigh junction were studied. Data were stratified and analyzed according to age, gender, and ethnicity of the respondents. Amazon Mechanical Turk was used as a novel crowdsourcing platform for surveying aesthetic preferences. Results A total of 1034 responses were included of whom 54.4% were male, and 45.6% were female. All age groups and ethnicities were represented. Overall, 43.8% of respondents preferred the widest buttock-thick junction angle on posterior view. There was no clear preference between larger or smaller thigh-to-hip ratios on lateral view. Conclusions Characteristics of the ideal thigh include wider thighs with greater horizontal projection, creating a more natural contour from the augmented buttock. These findings represent a paradigm shift from the traditionally assumed preference for slender thighs. Plastic surgeons should carefully consider thigh anatomy in their gluteal augmentation patients, as simultaneous thigh augmentation may lead to a more aesthetically pleasing outcome. Further research is needed into best practices and techniques to attain ideal thigh proportions.
A Clinician’s Guide to PTSD Biomarkers and Their Potential Future Use

The authors give an overview of issues regarding the clinical use of PTSD biomarkers and examine a set of genetic and physiological markers currently proposed as candidate tests for PTSD. They disc...
Animal Models to Investigate Social Support Induced Anxiety Reductions

Abstract Social support is a powerful tool for reducing anxiety and a critical component of successful interpersonal therapies used to treat anxiety disorders. Social contact reduces anxiety-like behavior in animal models and the type or quality of social contact can affect the degree to which anxiety is reduced. Here, we focus on preclinical research investigating interactions between models of social support and anxiety with emphasis on how social support may augment safety learning as a means to reduce anxiety.
Menstrual Problems in Adolescents

Menarche is a significant event in the course of puberty. Although the age of menarche varies among adolescents, it occurs in most adolescents at an SMR of 4. With the onset of ovulatory cycles, local prostaglandins are released, often causing dysmenorrhea. This usually responds to PSIs. Abnormal uterine bleeding usually is the result of anovulatory cycles. However, complications of pregnancy, systemic illnesses, and local pathology must be considered. Significant bleeding usually responds to hormonal therapy. Amenorrhea may result from abnormalities affecting the hypothalamus, pituitary, or ovaries. The evaluation should be done in a logical, orderly fashion. In addition, pregnancy must always be considered first in the differential diagnosis.
The Raw Water Supply of the Ford Motor Company

In order to appreciate the present method of handling of mill water at the River Rouge Plant of the Ford Motor Co. let us delve into the past and see what manner of events built up the present system with its tremendous capacity for clean water at a temperature better suited for efficient condenser cooling and general service than had heretofore been the case. To explain why this is so requires that the old mill water system be briefly sketched. Along the southerly side of the Rouge Plant area runs the River Rouge, which winds in a general eastward direction to empty into the Detroit River. When the Ford Motor Co. first began establishing itself on its present site this was little more than a sluggish creek with a normal summer temperature of from 75° to 80°F. Subsequently the stream bed was dredged to a uniform depth of approximately 20 feet for the admittance of large boats from the Detroit River directly to the Rouge Plant. Inland at the edge of the plant a turning basin for shipping was provided; and, leading from this basin, and almost perpendicular to the stream's course, a boat slip was excavated. This slip is 250 feet wide by a half a mile in length. It is from the closed or upper end of this that water was drawn for plant and mill use. From the intake it passed through a tunnel to a screen house. The intake draft averaged 567,648,000 gallons every 24 hours. Of this total, 20 percent was for plant use and 80 percent was for the power house. The latter supply then passed through a tunnel 12.67 feet in diameter and approximately 5000 feet long. After passing through the condensers, the water traveled through an outlet tunnel or tail race, the mouth of which emptied into the Rouge stream a little below the turning basin. On the other hand, water from the steel mill, glass plant etc., following its use for cooling
Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis, Duodenum

The duodenum is the initial C-shaped segment of the small intestine and is a continuation of the pylorus. Distally, it is in continuation with the jejunum and ileum, with the proximal segment being the shortest and widest. Positioned inferiorly to the stomach, the duodenum is approximately 25 to 30 cm long. Interestingly enough, this portion of the small intestine got its name due to its length. In Latin, the term "duodenum" means 12 fingers, which is roughly the length of the duodenum. The 4 segments of the duodenum include the following: The duodenal bulb, which connects to the undersurface of the liver via the hepatoduodenal ligament, which contains the portal vein, the hepatic artery, and common bile duct. The second or descending segment is just above the inferior vena cava and right kidney, with the head of the pancreas lying in a C-shaped concavity. The third segment runs from right to left in front of the aorta and inferior vena cava, with the superior mesenteric vessels in front of it. The fourth segment continues as the jejunum. The walls of the duodenum are made up of 4 layers of tissue that are identical to the other layers of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. From innermost to the outermost layer, these are the mucosa, submucosa, muscularis, and serosa layers. The mucosal layer lines the inner surface of the duodenum and is made of simple columnar cells with microvilli and numerous mucous glands. The submucosal layer is mostly a layer of connective tissue where blood vessels and nerves travel through. The muscularis layer contains the smooth muscle of the duodenum and allow mixing and forward peristaltic movement of chyme. The serosal layer is characterized by squamous epithelium that acts as a barrier for the duodenum from other organs within the human body.
Abstract P140: Sexual Orientation Disparities in Cardiovascular Risk Factors Differ by Sex and Race/Ethnicity Among High School Aged Youth

Compared to their sex-matched heterosexual counterparts, sexual minority high school aged youth have been found to be more likely to be overweight or obese and less likely to meet physical activity...
Lorentz- and C P T -violating standard model extension in chiral perturbation theory

Lorentz and CPT violation in hadronic physics must be tied to symmetry violations at the underlying quark and gluon level. Chiral perturbation theory provides a method for translating novel operators that may appear in the Lagrange density for color-charged parton fields into equivalent forms for effective theories at the meson and baryon levels. We extend the application of this technique to the study of Lorentz-violating and potentially CPT-violating operators from the minimal standard model extension. For dimension-4 operators, there are nontrivial relations between the coefficients of baryon-level operators related to underlying quark and gluon operators with the same Lorentz structures. Moreover, in the mapping of the dimension-3 operators from the quark and gluon level to the hadron level (considered here for the first time), many of the hadronic observables contain no new low-energy coupling constants at all, which makes it possible to make direct translations of bounds derived using experiments on one kind of hadron into bounds in a completely different corner of the hadronic sector. A notable consequence of this is bounds (at $10^{-15}$-$10^{-20}$ GeV levels) on differences $a^{\mu}_{B}-a^{\mu}_{B'}$ of Lorentz and CPT violation coefficients for $SU(3)_{f}$ octet baryons that differ in their structure by the replacement of a single valance $d$ quark by a $s$ quark. Never before has there been any proposal for how these kinds of differences could be constrained.
Dengue Viral Pathogenesis and Immune Responses in Humanized Mice

Dengue is an insect-borne viral infection of significant global public health concern. Viral and host factors and prior humoral and cellular immunity are key contributors to severe dengue illness, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). Progress in dengue research has been hampered by the lack of an ideal animal model that recapitulates key aspects of the immune responses and disease. In this regard, the generation of novel humanized mouse models presents a unique opportunity to overcome deficiencies of traditional mouse and nonhuman primate models. Two leading models of immunodeficient humanized mice, the human hematopoietic stem cell (hu-HSC) and bone marrow-liver-thymus (BLT) mice have recently been used to study dengue. Both models permit productive dengue viral infection, fever, and thrombocytopenia. Insect viral transmission has been examined in the hu-HSC model. Consistent virus-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) responses, weak immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses with neutralizing activity, and virus-specific T cell responses are generated in hu-HSC and BLT mice. However, both humoral and cellular responses in humanized models need further improvement to match responses detected in humans. These studies are a good foundation to further our understanding of key aspects of dengue virus infection, immunity, and pathogenesis.
Serotonin 5-HT1A and 5-HT1B receptors co-mediate the RU 24969-induced locomotor activity of male and female preweanling rats.

Abstract The serotonin (5-HT) 1A/1B agonist RU 24969 robustly increases the locomotor activity of adult male rats and mice; however, studies using selective antagonists alternately report that 5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, or both receptor types mediate RU 24969's locomotor activating effects. The purpose of the present study was to extend these past findings by administering a selective 5-HT1 agonist and/or antagonists to male and female preweanling rats. This age group was tested because younger rats often exhibit psychopharmacological responses that are quantitatively or qualitatively different from adult rats. In a series of experiments, male and female preweanling rats were pretreated with vehicle, the 5-HT1A antagonist WAY 100635 (0.5, 1, 5, or 10 mg/kg), or the 5-HT1B antagonists NAS-181 (5 or 10 mg/kg) or SB 216641 (5 or 10 mg/kg) 30 min before assessment of locomotor activity. Rats were injected with saline or RU 24969 immediately prior to testing. Results showed that RU 24969 (0.625, 1.25, 2.5, or 5 mg/kg) significantly increased the locomotor activity of both male and female preweanling rats (no sex differences were apparent). Antagonism of either the 5-HT1A or the 5-HT1B receptor was sufficient to significantly reduce the locomotor activity of RU 24969-treated preweanling rats. Unexpectedly, NAS-181 did not act as a silent receptor antagonist, as both doses of NAS-181 significantly increased the locomotor activity of saline-treated preweanling rats. In sum, the present results show that both the 5-HT1A and 5-HT1B receptor systems mediate locomotion during the late preweanling period, and this mediation does not vary according to sex.
Genetic labeling of extracellular vesicles for studying biogenesis and uptake in living mammalian cells.

Abstract Molecular imaging methods are powerful tools for gaining insight into the cellular organization of living cells. To understand the biogenesis and uptake of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as well as to engineer cell-derived vesicles for targeted drug delivery and therapy, genetic labeling with fluorescent proteins has increasingly been used to determine the structures, locations, and dynamics of EVs in vitro and in vivo. Here, we report a genetic method for the stable labeling of EVs to study their biogenesis and uptake in living human cells. Fusing a green fluorescent protein (GFP) with either the endogenous CD63 (CD63-GFP) or a vesicular stomatitis virus envelope glycoprotein, VSVG (VSVG-GFP), we successfully obtained distinct fluorescence signals in the cytoplasm, revealing the biogenesis of EVs in post-transfected cells. We describe experimental procedures in detail for EV isolation, imaging, and cellular uptake using both confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. We also provide a perspective on how genetic labeling methods can be used to study EV biology, characterization of engineered EVs, and development of EV-based nano-medicine.
A proteomic analysis of grain yield-related traits in wheat

Grain yield, which is mainly contributed by tillering capacity as well as kernel number and weight, is the most important trait to plant breeders and agronomists. Label-free quantitative proteomics was used to analyse yield-contributing organs in wheat. These were leaf sample, tiller initiation, spike initiation, ovary and three successive kernel development stages at 5, 10 and 15 days after anthesis (DAA). We identified 3182 proteins across all samples. The largest number was obtained for spike initiation (1673), while the smallest was kernel sample at 15 DAA (709). Of the 3182 proteins, 296 of them were common to all seven organs. Organ-specific proteins ranged from 148 in ovary to 561 in spike initiation. When relative protein abundances were compared to that of leaf sample, 347 and 519 proteins were identified as differentially abundant in tiller initiation and spike initiation, respectively. When compared with ovary, 81, 35 and 96 proteins were identified as differentially abundant in kernels sampled at 5, 10 and 15 DAA, respectively. Our study indicated that two Argonaute proteins were solely expressed in spike initiation. Of the four expansin proteins detected, three of them were mainly expressed during the first 10 days of kernel development after anthesis. We also detected cell wall invertases and sucrose and starch synthases mainly during the kernel development period. The manipulation of these proteins could lead to increases in tillers, kernels per spike or final grain weight, and is worth exploring in future studies.
Stochastic modelling and performance analysis of feeding unit in paper plant

In the present paper a probabilistic method for stochastic modelling and performance evaluation of a feeding unit is suggested. The paper plant consists of various units like feeding, pulping unit, bleaching unit, screening unit and paper production unit. Feeding unit is one of the paper plant's most significant functional units, consisting of three repairable subunits. Using Markov process, differential equations are created after drawing transition diagram and these models are then used to discover the feeding unit's availability by considering the repair and failure information acquired from maintenance personnel. Based upon the various performance values obtained for each subunit priority ranking is formulated for blower subunit.
Influence of air shock wave on shelter

In modern conditions, sheltering people in protective structures, as a way of protection from dangers, in combination with evacuation from the affected areas (pollution) and the use of personal protective equipment, increases the reliability of public protection. In conditions when evacuation measures from cities can be complicated in a short time, protection of the population in shelters becomes the only possible and effective. Therefore, an important task is to study the impact of loads caused by the explosion of various munitions, substantiate recommendations for improving the protective properties of the shelter and the choice of their location. The most common issues are considered in the article that arise during the arrangement of shelter in buildings and outside them. Based on experimental studies, Taylor's formula and the system of non-stationary Navier-Stokes equations for gas, it’s conducted an analysis of the influence of external and internal factors on the possible nature of the dynamic load from the shock wave on buildings, structures and structural elements in which shelters are located. The results of studies of the parameters of dynamic loads showed that if the storage facilities are located in the basements of buildings, their stability is characterized by three parameters: maximum pressure, time to increase the load to maximum and effective time. The parameters of the loads and the law of their change over the time depend on the location of the structure relative to the surface of the earth and the building, the force of the explosion and the distance to the center of the explosion.
Tracking Discourse Topics in Co-speech Gesture.

This paper argues for the integration of co-speech gesture into formal models of discourse structures. In particular, I use a variation of the Question Under Discussion (QUD) framework to show how features of co-speech gesture may be used to inform discourse analysis. To do this, I look at examples of three discourse relations: clarification, citation and attitude expression. All three of these involve a momentary digression from the main discourse topic, a phenomenon which I call ‘micro-excursion’. I show that these micro-excursions correspond to particular and recurrent changes in co-speech gesture sequences. I provide micro-analyses of three discourse fragments taken from interviews on late night television. For each fragment, I look at speech-gesture alignment and then use this alignment to inform an analysis of the discourse’s structure. In particular, I show the ways in which hand shape and orientation can be used to segment a discourse into different topics. By using features of co-speech gesture in this way, we are able to inform and justify a proposed discourse structure analyses in a principled and non-circular way. Furthermore, I show that this methodology can be straightforwardly integrated into existing models of discourse structure, despite them being designed for mono-modal discourses.
Such splendid prisons: diplomatic detainment in America during World War II: by Harvey Solomon, Lincoln, NE, University of Nebraska Press, 2020, 341 pp., $34.95 (hardback), ISBN: 9782640120846

In an engaging account, Henry Solomon describes the immediate fate of hundreds of Axis diplomats in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack. His account does not begin with the events of 7 December 194...
Systemic Therapy, Trials, and Future Directions for Chordoma of the Spine

Surgical resection and adjuvant radiation are the mainstays of treatment for patients with chordoma. However, these local therapies are easily exhausted during the treatment of chordoma of the axial skeleton in patients with advanced, recurrent, or metastatic disease. There is currently no approved standard of care first-line systemic therapy for the systemic treatment of chordoma. Conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy has been shown to have few benefits for the treatment of chordoma. Therefore, efforts to improve and expand systemic treatment options have focused on the identifying and targeting genetic, epigenetic, cellular signaling, and immunologic characteristics of chordoma cells. In this chapter, we review preclinical and clinical data from the use of molecularly targeted therapies for the treatment of chordoma, including those targeted against receptor tyrosine kinases, intracellular signaling pathways, the cell cycle, and epigenetic regulation of gene control. Finally, we detail ongoing efforts to use immunotherapy strategies to treat patients with chordoma.
Physiological barriers to delivery of monoclonal antibodies and other macromolecules in tumors.

The efficacy in cancer treatment of monoclonal antibodies or other macromolecules bound to radionuclides, chemotherapeutic agents, toxins, enzymes, growth factors, or effector antibodies has been limited by their inability to reach their target in vivo in adequate quantities. Heterogeneity of tumor-associated antigen expression alone has failed to explain the nonuniform uptake of antibodies. As a result, only in recent years have the peculiarities of tumor physiology been recognized as determinants of antibody distribution. Three physiological barriers responsible for the poor localization of macromolecules in tumors have been identified: (a) heterogeneous blood supply; (b) elevated interstitial pressure; and (c) large transport distances in the interstitium. The first barrier limits the delivery of blood-borne molecules to well-perfused regions of a tumor; the second barrier reduces extravasation of fluid and macromolecules in the high interstitial pressure regions and also leads to an experimentally verifiable, radially outward convection in the tumor periphery which opposes the inward diffusion; and the third barrier increases the time required for slowly moving macromolecules to reach distal regions of a tumor. Binding of antibody to an antigen further lowers the effective diffusion rate of the antibody by reducing the amount of mobile antibody. Due to micro- and macroscopic heterogeneities in tumors, the relative magnitude of each of these barriers would vary from one location to another and from one day to the next in the same tumor and from one tumor to another. If the genetically engineered macromolecules, e.g., lymphokines, and other new modalities, e.g., killer lymphocytes, as well as low molecular weight cytotoxic agents, are to fulfill their clinical promise, methods must be developed to overcome these physiological barriers. Some of these methods are discussed, and situations wherein these barriers may not be a problem are pointed out.
Can sfx replace your homegrown periodicals holding list? How the university of wisconsin-la crosse made the transition

SUMMARY Ex Libris' SFX software is widely known for its context-sensitive linking capabilities, but it can also provide a searchable and browseable interface to a library's print and electronic journal holdings data. After five years of maintaining a homegrown Web-based periodicals holding database, Murphy Library has licensed SFX software and migrated all periodicals holdings information from its locally managed database to SFX. This article outlines the process of switching to this new system and some of the benefits of moving to an SFX environment.
The Effects of Brefeldin A on the Glucose Transport System in Rat Adipocytes IMPLICATIONS REGARDING THE INTRACELLULAR LOCUS Of INSULIN-SENSITIVE Glut4

Abstract Insulin activates glucose transport by recruiting Glut4 glucose transporters from an intracellular pool to plasma membrane (PM). To localize intracellular translocating Glut4, we studied the effects of brefeldin A (BFA), which disassembles Golgi and prevents trans-Golgi vesicular budding, on the glucose transport system. Isolated rat adipocytes were treated with and without both BFA (10 μg/ml) and insulin. BFA did not affect maximal rates of either 2-deoxyglucose or 3-O-methylglucose transport or the insulin:glucose transport dose-response curve but did increase basal transport by 2-fold (p < 0.05). We also measured Glut4 in PM, low (LDM) and high density microsome subfractions. In basal cells, BFA increased PM Glut4 by 58% concomitant with a 18% decrease in LDM (p < 0.05). Insulin alone increased PM Glut4 by 3-fold concomitant with a 56% decrease in LDM. BFA did not affect insulin-induced changes in Glut4 levels in PM or LDM. Most intracellular Glut4 was localized to sub-PM vesicles by immunoelectron microscopy in basal cells, and BFA did not affect insulin-mediated recruitment of immunogold-labeled Glut4 to PM. In summary, 1) in basal cells, BFA led to a small increase in glucose transport activity and redistribution of a limited number of transporters from LDM to PM; 2) BFA did not affect insulin's ability to stimulate glucose transport or recruit normal numbers of LDM Glut4 to PM; and 3) insulin action is predominantly mediated by a BFA-insensitive pool of intracellular Glut4, which localizes to sub-PM vesicles. Thus, the major translocating pool of Glut4 in rat adipocytes does not involve trans-Golgi.
Overview of the joint services lightweight standoff chemical agent detector (JSLSCAD)

This paper presents a system-level description of the Joint Services Lightweight Standoff Chemical Agent Detector (JSLSCAD). JSLSCAD is a passive Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) based remote sensing system for detecting chemical warfare agents. Unlike predecessor systems, JSLSCAD is capable of operating while on the move to accomplish reconnaissance, surveillance, and contamination avoidance missions. Additionally, the system is designed to meet the needs for application on air and sea as well as ground mobile and fixed site platforms. The core of the system is a rugged Michelson interferometer with a flexure spring bearing mechanism and bi-directional data acquisition capability. The sensor is interfaced to a small, high performance spatial scanner that provides high-speed, two-axis area coverage. Command, control, and processing electronics have been coupled with real time control software and robust detection/discrimination algorithms. Operator interfaces include local and remote options in addition to interfaces to external communications networks. The modular system design facilitates interfacing to the many platforms targeted for JSLSCAD.
International comparison of cost effectiveness of medical management strategies for nephrolithiasis

Although medical therapy is known to reduce the risk of kidney stone recurrence, the cost effectiveness of medical prophylaxis is controversial. We evaluated medical treatment strategies including dietary measures (conservative), empiric medical therapy (empiric) or directed medical therapy (directed) based on comprehensive metabolic evaluation (CME) for patients with recurrent kidney stones, and compared the costs of these strategies using cost data from ten different countries. We previously established rates of stone formation in recurrent stone-formers, risk reduction of medical therapy, sensitivity of CME and rates of spontaneous stone passage from a comprehensive literature search (Lotan et al. 2004 J Urol 172: 2275). The costs of medication, surgical therapy, emergency room visits and CME for ten different countries were obtained from a published report of an international cost survey (Chandhoke 2002 J Urol 168: 937) as well as from our own county hospital in the US. Medication costs in the US were obtained from two national pharmacy chains. A decision tree model was created to compare the costs of different treatment strategies assuming cost accrual for metabolic evaluation, medical therapy and surgery or emergency room visits. For medical therapy, we assumed the distribution of medication use described in the published report, consisting of potassium citrate (60%), thiazide (30%) and allopurinol (10%). A nearly 20-fold difference in the costs of shock-wave lithotripsy, ureteroscopy and medication was found among different countries. From the model (US dollars/patient/year), conservative therapy alone was the most cost effective approach followed by empiric and directed medical therapy in all countries except in the UK. In the UK, the cost of drug therapy (estimated at $29/patient/year) resulted in empiric therapy being the most cost effective strategy for recurrent stone formers. The low likelihood of surgical intervention, as well as the low relative cost of surgery to medication, contributed to the higher cost of empiric and directed medical therapy strategies. Of note, despite the higher cost, drug treatment strategies were associated with significantly lower stone recurrence rates. We found that drug treatment strategies are more costly than conservative treatment but produce good control of stone formation. In all but one country (UK), dietary therapy was the most cost effective approach due to the relatively low cost of surgery compared with medication. The differential resource allocation to different components of a healthcare system (i.e. subsidized medication versus surgical treatment) in different countries determines the cost effectiveness of various treatment strategies.
Transforming Geographies and Reconfigured Spaces: South Africa's National Arts Festival

Janelle Reinelt explores playwright Howard Brenton's return to Britain's national stages after almost a decade's absence, discussing recent productions that address the fraught relationship between religious belief and human conduct. Joshua Chambers-Letson contemplates the queer politics of failure in regard to Nao Bustamante's Hero, which challenges the value of “normality” via the possibility of a communal being-in-failure for queers, people of color, and other nonnormative subjects. Engaging South Africa's 2006 National Arts Festival, Daniel Larlham addresses the country's national transformations through its changing artistic landscape, newly opened to a variety of imaginative, discursive, and affective spaces in which a communal historical consciousness might develop.
A pilot study of the use of kaolin-impregnated gauze (Combat Gauze) for packing high-grade hepatic injuries in a hypothermic coagulopathic swine model

Abstract Background Severe hepatic injuries may be highly lethal, and perihepatic packing remains the mainstay of treatment. This is not always successful, particularly in the setting of hypothermia and coagulopathy. Kaolin-impregnated Combat Gauze (CG) is an effective hemostatic dressing used primarily to treat external wounds. The objective of this study was to determine the ability of CG to control severe hemorrhage in hypothermic, coagulopathic swine with a high-grade hepatic injury. Methods Anesthetized animals underwent splenectomy and were cooled to 32°C while undergoing a 60% exchange transfusion with Hextend. A grade V liver injury was created in the left middle hepatic lobe. Animals were allowed to freely bleed for 30 s and then randomized to treatment with CG or plain gauze laparotomy pads (PG) applied to the injury site. Animals were then resuscitated with warmed Hextend. Results There was no difference between groups in preinjury hemodynamic or laboratory values. Animals packed with CG had less blood loss when compared with standard packing (CG = 25 mL/kg versus PG = 58 mL/kg, P = 0.05). There was a trend towards lower hetastarch resuscitation requirements in the CG group (CG = 7 mL/kg versus PG = 44 mL/kg, P = 0.06) but no statistically significant difference in mortality (CG = 13% versus PG = 50%, P = 0.11). Histology of the injury sites revealed more adherent clot in the CG group, but no inflammation, tissue necrosis, or residual material. Conclusion In pigs with severe hepatic injury, Combat Gauze reduced blood loss and resuscitation requirements when compared with plain laparotomy pads. Combat Gauze may be safe and effective for use on severe liver injuries.
What Is Too Much or Too Little? The Curvilinear Effects of Job Tension on Turnover Intent, Value Attainment, and Job Satisfaction

This study addressed 2 relatively unexplored issues in the current job stress literature. First, a significant body of research has substantiated a curvilinear relationship between job tension and performance without examining the potential impact of work stress on other important outcomes. Second, past research has failed to control for the influence of role stressors and other important variables that might alter the job-tension/work-outcomes relationship. We hypothesized that experienced job tension would predict turnover intent, value attainment, and job satisfaction, and that this relationship would be nonlinear. Data gathered from 270 hotel managers confirmed our hypotheses. Notably, tension predicted turnover intent (U shape), value attainment (inverted-U shape), and job satisfaction (inverted-U shape) in the expected manner, while explaining additional variance beyond that contributed by demographic factors, role stressors, and linear tension terms. Implications of these findings for theory and practice, as well as avenues for future research are provided.
The diagnosis of tricuspid insufficiency; clinical features in 60 cases with associated mitral valve disease.

In a series of 146 patients with mitral stenosis studied by cardiac catheterization, 60 were found to have right atrial pressure curves diagnostic of tricuspid insufficiency. The clinical and hemodynamic features of these patients are reviewed. The oft-cited, classic manifestations of tricuspid insufficiency were found with relative infrequency and the diagnosis had been made clinically in less than one fourth of the cases. Modification of criteria for the diagnosis of tricuspid insufficiency is suggested.
Nursing Home–Associated Pneumonia

Nursing home–associated pneumonia (NHAP) is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. The etiology of NHAP continues to be debated and has influenced treatment guideline recommendations. Diagnosis may not be straightforward but at least one respiratory symptom usually is present and the presence of hypoxemia is a key finding. Treatment recommendations vary depending on the organisms believed the predominant cause of NHAP. Pneumococcal and influenza vaccination remain the most important methods for prevention of NHAP at present.
A New System of Faint Near-Infrared Standard Stars

A new grid of 65 faint near-infrared standard stars is presented. They are spread around the sky, lie between 10th and 12th magnitude at K, and are measured in most cases to precisions better than 0.001 mag in the J, H, K, and Ks bands; the latter is a medium-band modified K. A secondary list of red stars suitable for determining color transformations between photometric systems is also presented.
A low-power, offset-corrected potentiostat for chemical imaging applications

Traditional potentiostat designs often focus on high accuracy using high precision discrete components and often involve a limited number of discrete electrodes. Modern medicine and biological research require the use of high-density biosensor arrays to gain a better understanding of cellular communication in biological systems. Such applications involves hundreds or thousands of electrodes on a single silicon substrate. Each set of electrodes is supported by an independent group of circuits to allow real-time, multichannel detection and characterization of bio-signals. This paper presents a low power, offset-calibrated potentiostat design in a commercial 0.18um CMOS process for use in single-chip biosensor array applications to generate high resolution chemical images. The design uses a reusable on-chip calibration circuit to reduce amplifier offset error, with 40.3 μW of power consumption and a total silicon area of .02 mm2.
A NEUROBIOLOGICAL THEORY OF MEANING IN PERCEPTION PART III: MULTIPLE CORTICAL AREAS SYNCHRONIZE WITHOUT LOSS OF LOCAL AUTONOMY

Information transfer and integration among functionally distinct areas of cerebral cortex of oscillatory activity require some degree of phase synchrony of the trains of action potentials that carry the information prior to the integration. However, propagation delays are obligatory. Delays vary with the lengths and conduction velocities of the axons carrying the information, causing phase dispersion. In order to determine how synchrony is achieved despite dispersion, we recorded EEG signals from multiple electrode arrays on five cortical areas in cats and rabbits, that had been trained to discriminate visual or auditory conditioned stimuli. Analysis by time-lagged correlation, multiple correlation and PCA, showed that maximal correlation was at zero lag and averaged 0.7, indicating that 50% of the power in the gamma range among the five areas was at zero lag irrespective of phase or frequency. There were no stimulus-related episodes of transiently increased phase locking among the areas, nor EEG "bursts" of transiently increased amplitude above the sustained level of synchrony. Three operations were identified to account for the sustained correlation. Cortices broadcast their outputs over divergent–convergent axonal pathways that performed spatial ensemble averaging; synaptic interactions between excitatory and inhibitory neurons in cortex operated as band pass filters for gamma; and signal coarse-graining by pulse frequency modulation at trigger zones enhanced correlation. The conclusion is that these three operations enable continuous linkage of multiple cortical areas by activity in the gamma range, providing the basis for coordinated cortical output to other parts of the brain, despite varying axonal conduction delays, something like the back plane of a main frame computer.
Membrane transport/reaction model of the neurotransmission process at the nerve-muscle junction

Abstract Transmission at the neuromuscular junction is known to comprise the following steps: synchronous and asynchronous vesicular release of Ach pulses (Ach = acetylcholine); transport across the synaptic cleft; partial hydrolysis by Ach-ase; binding to Ach receptors; ion channel opening and closure, and, thereby, alteration of sodium and potassium conductances. Combining these elements, a unified model has been constructed which is effective in describing the relation between neurotransmitter arrival/departure at receptor sites and channel opening/closure, leading to simple relationships for sodium and potassium conduction at the neuromuscular junction. Application of the model to miniature endplate current (mepc) and endplate potential (epp) data has been successful.
Constituents Versus Fat Cats: Testing Assumptions About Congressional Access Decisions

Studies of interest groups and Congress generate conflicting perspectives about the influence of campaign contributions on legislative decisions. In choosing between constituent and donor interests, electorally minded legislators always (a) pay attention to their campaign contributors and (b) attend “slavishly” to constituents. But do donor “fat cats” indeed get preferential treatment at the expense of constituents? I replicate an experimental design reported by Chin, Bond, and Geva (2000) to test whether organized groups with a history of high campaign contributions are more likely than groups with a history of low campaign contributions to gain access to members of the U.S. Congress. Ninety-six congressional staffers participated in this experiment. I find that members’ access decisions are influenced primarily by constituency status rather than an access-seeker’s contribution history or PAC status. There are no interactive effects between the PAC, constituency, or contribution history variables.
Strain Relaxation in GaN/AlN Films Grown on Vicinal and On-Axis SiC Substrates

Strain relaxation in the GaN/AlN/6H-SiC epitaxial system grown by vicinal surface epitaxy (VSE) is investigated and compared with that in on-axis epitaxy. High resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD) measurements show that GaN films grown by VSE have improved crystalline quality. High resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) studies reveal that there are two types of misfit dislocations (MDs) at AlN/6H-SiC interfaces: 60˚ complete dislocations along directions with Burgers vector 1/3 and 60˚ Shockley partials along directions with Burgers vector 1/3. The latter are usually geometrical partial misfit dislocations (GPMDs) that are dominant in VSE to accommodate the lattice mismatch and stacking sequence mismatch simultaneously. In VSE, it is the high-density GPMDs formed at the vicinal surface steps that facilitate rapid strain relaxation at the initial stage of deposition and hence lead to superior crystalline quality of the subsequently grown GaN films.
Constructing an adenocarcinoma vaccine: Immunization of mice with synthetic KH-1 nonasaccharide stimulates anti-KH-1 and anti-Ley antibodies

There is mounting evidence to suggest that immunization-based strategies can be used to mobilize the human immune system against specific carbohydrate antigens displayed on the surface of cancer cells. Following isolation and identification, such antigens can be administered as conjugate vaccines. The tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen KH-1 is 1 such antigen and may serve as a potential target for immunization against adenocarcinoma. However, a serious impediment to the application of a vaccine-based approach involving this antigen is that its availability from natural sources is severely limited. In order to overcome this limitation, we have developed an efficient total synthesis of this complex glycolipid. We have extended our synthesis to reach a structurally related analog in which the ceramide portion of KH-1 is replaced with an allyl substituent. These synthetic advances have led to the preparation of 2 potential vaccine constructs, each based on the conjugation of the KH-1 nonasaccharide and the carrier protein keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). In 1 construct (KH-1-Et-KLH), the nonasaccharide is conjugated to KLH via a simple ethyl linkage, while in the other (KH-1-MMCCH-KLH), conjugation is mediated by a 4-(4-N-maleimidomethyl)cyclohexane-1-carboxyl hydrazide (MMCCH) cross-linker. We report here the immunological properties of these 2 constructs. Mice were immunized with either of the 2 KH-1-KLH vaccine candidates or the KH-1 ceramide, along with the immunological adjuvant QS-21. Immunization with the ceramide served as a negative control and, as expected, failed to stimulate the production of antibodies against the KH-1 glycolipid. The construct in which the KH-1 nonasaccharide is linked to KLH via a simple alkyl chain stimulated significant quantities of IgM antibodies, whereas the construct linked to KLH by MMCCH induced high titers of both IgM and IgG antibodies. Inhibition data demonstrated that antibodies generated in response to immunization with the KH-1-KLH constructs recognize not only the KH-1 antigen but also the Lewisy (Ley) antigen, which, from a structural perspective, is similar to the 4 residues located at the non-reducing end of the KH-1 nonasaccharide. Thus, the KH-1-KLH constructs elicit an immune response that successfully targets 2 adenocarcinoma markers. As assessed by FACS analysis, the antibodies raised were strongly reactive with the KH-1/Ley positive cell line MCF-7 but not with KH-1 and Ley negative melanoma cell lines. Based on the results of our study, a KH-1-KLH plus QS-21 vaccine is being prepared for clinical evaluation. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Photonuclear tritium yields at 90 MeV

Abstract Photonuclear (γ, t) yields have been determined for Al, Zn, Sn and Bi using 90 MeV bremsstrahlung from the NBS electron synchrotron. The National Bureau of Standards P2 ionization chamber was used for primary monitoring of the bremsstrahlung beam; supplementary C and Cu activation foils, whose absolute yields are reported, were employed for relative intensity measurements. Tritium yields were determined by quantitative extraction from the molten samples with hydrogen carrier followed by activity measurement by means of low-level gas counters. The observed yields were generally consistent with those of other workers at lower energies. Comparison of the tritium yields with the results of statistical model calculations suggests the predominance of non-evaporative processes in the higher mass region (A ⪆ 100) .