cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stimulant Use in Patients with Sturge-Weber Syndrome: Safety and Efficacy

Abstract Background Sturge-Weber syndrome is characterized by a facial port-wine birthmark, vascular eye abnormalities, and a leptomeningeal angioma. Attention and behavioral issues are common in Sturge-Weber syndrome. However, literature evidence for stimulant treatment is minimal. This study evaluates stimulant medication safety and efficacy in individuals with Sturge-Weber syndrome. Methods The research database of the Hunter Nelson Sturge-Weber Center (n = 210 subjects in the database) was reviewed for stimulant use. Twelve patients (mean age 10.5 years, age range 4 to 21 years) on stimulants were seen between 2003 and 2012. A retrospective chart review obtained comorbid diagnoses, stimulant type and dosage, medication side effects, vital signs, and medication efficacy. Results All 12 patients had brain involvement (unilateral, nine; bilateral, three). Additional comorbidities included epilepsy (twelve), hemiparesis (eight), headaches (eight), and vision deficits (six). Eight patients reported side effects, primarily appetite suppression (four) and headaches (three). There were no statistically significant changes in weight or blood pressure 6 months after medication initiation. Medication efficacy was subjectively reported in 11 patients. Seven patients remained on stimulants at their most recent follow-up visit. Conclusions This study preliminarily evaluates stimulant medication use in a small group of Sturge-Weber syndrome patients. Stimulants were tolerated and effective in most subjects. Side effects were mostly minor and medication did not negatively affect growth or vital signs. Stimulant medication may be a safe and effective intervention for Sturge-Weber syndrome children with attention issues/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed.
Volatile components of california live oak, quercus agrifolia

Abstract The essential oil isolated from Quercus agrifolia leaves (ca 0.02% wt) was investigated using GC, GC/MS and IR. The most abundant components were E-hex-2-enal, Z-hex-3-en-1-ol, Z-hex-3-en-1-yl acetate and nonanal, respectively, which together comprise 51% of the oil. Of the 15 compounds identified 10 contained a C6, straight-chain carbon skeleton as part of their structures. Only traces of terpenes were present with linalool and α-terpineol the only terpenes identified with certainty.
Mammary growth pattern in goats during pregnancy and lactation.

Nine groups of five dairy goats from four breeds, with each breed represented at least once in each group, were in our experiment to measure mammary gland growth. Groups were virgins, days 90 to 100 pregnancy, 5 days prepartum (145 days pregnancy), 1 or 2 days prepartum, and 1 or 2, 5, 10, 15, and 30 days in lactation. Virgins were 19 mo old while all others had one pregnancy and lactation prior to experiment. Indices of mammary growth included untrimmed and trimmed wet weights of udders, dried fat-free tissue weights, deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid contents. Each index was in a regression equation best to describe the pattern of mammary growth. These included linear, quadratic, cubic, and exponential model Y = AebX in which Y was the index of mammary growth and X was the day of pregnancy. Total deoxyribonucleic acid was the best index of mammary growth with a correlation of .95 in the exponential model. The predictive equation for total deoxyribonucleic acid in milligram was Y = 167e.019X on a daily basis, and the rate of growth on a monthly basis was .57. Mammary growth in goats continued into early lactation, peaking at day 5. Ribonucleic acid doubled on the day after parturition, which reflected the rapid increase in protein synthesis at this time.
Intensity dependence of the pulse profile and polarization of the Vela pulsar

Polarization measurements of the Vela pulsar PSR 0833-45 at 2295 MHz revealed that the radio pulse profile is composed of four components. The four component configuration was found to fit the observed dependence of the pulse profile on the intensity of the pulsar, and the dependence of the modulation index and power spectrum of the intensity fluctuations on the pulse-longitude. Deviations of the observed polarization position angles from those predicted by a rotating vector model were explained by the emission regions for each component being located at different distances from the star. The components are affected by retardation, aberration, and magnetic field curvature effects, all of which contribute to arrival of the components at different longitudes even though the components actually carry the position angle signature predicted by the rotating vector model.
CRH receptor antagonists: advances and prospective

Corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH), a 41-amino acid peptide, is the main regulator of pituitary adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH). Its secretion in humans plays a major role in the physiologic response to stress. CRH Type 1 and 2 receptors are widely distributed throughout the CNS and to a lesser extent in peripheral tissues. The CRH neurones modulate autonomic (locus ceruleus) and limbic system function. Furthermore, the presence of CRH receptors in inflammatory tissue and the placenta suggests that this neuropeptide is involved in modulation of the immune response and parturition. Hypersecretion of CRH is thought to play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of major depression, anxiety and drug withdrawal. Therefore, antagonising CRH action has become a major therapeutic strategy for these disorders. Data from transgenic mice lacking or overexpressing CRH and preclinical studies with CRH antagonists have supported this theory. The development of a soluble, highly lipophilic and selective non-pept...
Serum vitamin E determined by thin-layer chromatography.

SummaryForty normal adult sera were analyzed by one-dimensional TLC. The averages in mg/100 ml were: α-tocopherol, 0.916; combined β + γ-tocopherols, 0.133. No δ-tocopherol was found. The procedure was checked by comparing with GLC analyses and also with 2-dimensional TLC.
Finite size effects for quark-gluon plasma droplets

Abstract The partition function for color-singlet quark-gluon plasma droplets is calculated analytically including shell effects and a total momentum constraint. Bulk properties become size-dependent and the entropy shows how the effective number or plasma degrees of freedom decreases with size. The appropriate size-dependent phase-space distributions for quarks and gluons are derived, and phenomenological consequences of the results are pointed out.
Day-to-Day Variability in Empathy as a Function of Daily Events and Mood

Despite broad agreement that understanding a personality construct requires integrating trait and state levels of analysis, few studies have explicitly attempted such an integration. The present study did this by examining the relationships between trait and state measures of empathy. State measures were taken daily, with a focus on the day level (within-person) covariation between empathy and daily mood and events. Twice a week for up to 10 weeks, 103 participants provided measures of their daily empathy and mood (NA and PA) and described the events that occurred each day. Multilevel random coefficient modeling analyses found that daily empathy covaried positively with the impact of daily positive and negative social events and with daily positive and negative affect. Empathy did not covary with achievement-related events. Analyses that simultaneously included empathy, mood, and events suggested that daily NA mediated relationships between daily empathy and daily negative social events. Although mean daily empathy was positively related to trait empathy, trait empathy did not moderate relationships between daily empathy and events nor between daily empathy and mood. Moreover, daily empathy did not covary with daily depressogenic thinking, need for cognition, nor self-esteem, suggesting that empathy is distinct from these constructs. Possible mechanisms linking social events and empathy, such as emotional contagion, are discussed.
The inability of physicians to predict the outcome of in-hospital resuscitation

OBJECTIVE: To measure the accuracy, reliability, and discrimination of physicians’ predictions of the outcome of in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), using a large series of detailed clinical vignettes of patients with known outcomes.
An Evolutionary Perspective on Food and Human Taste

The sense of taste is stimulated when nutrients or other chemical compounds activate specialized receptor cells within the oral cavity. Taste helps us decide what to eat and influences how efficiently we digest these foods. Human taste abilities have been shaped, in large part, by the ecological niches our evolutionary ancestors occupied and by the nutrients they sought. Early hominoids sought nutrition within a closed tropical forest environment, probably eating mostly fruit and leaves, and early hominids left this environment for the savannah and greatly expanded their dietary repertoire. They would have used their sense of taste to identify nutritious food items. The risks of making poor food selections when foraging not only entail wasted energy and metabolic harm from eating foods of low nutrient and energy content, but also the harmful and potentially lethal ingestion of toxins. The learned consequences of ingested foods may subsequently guide our future food choices. The evolved taste abilities of humans are still useful for the one billion humans living with very low food security by helping them identify nutrients. But for those who have easy access to tasty, energy-dense foods our sensitivities for sugary, salty and fatty foods have also helped cause over nutrition-related diseases, such as obesity and diabetes.
Herbivory as a selective agent on the timing of leaf production in a tropical understory community

In highly seasonal environments (for example, temperate deciduous forest or tropical dry forest) plant phenologies are often constrained by physiological stress caused by seasonal variation in temperature and moisture1. Where climatic fluctuations are less pronounced (for example, tropical marine or lowland wet forest communities) determinants of phenology may include biotic selective pressures such as herbivores, predators, competitors, pollinators or dispersers. Temporal patterns of leaf production vary considerably between tropical forest species, but few species produce leaves continuously throughout the year2. Even in aseasonal tropical forests, most species show synchronous peaks in leaf production2. Results from this one-year study suggest that herbivores may influence leaf phenology of shade-tolerant understory plants in a Panamanian lowland moist forest. Leaves produced during the dry season or in synchronous flushes receive significantly less damage from herbivores than leaves produced during the wet season or out of synchrony with conspecifics.
Pineal influence on exploratory behavior of the female rat.

Abstract Female rats, pinealectomized at age 2–3 days and tested in an open field starting at age 80 days, showed more exploratory activity than either sham-operated or unoperated littermate controls. Treatment with an aqueous pineal extract had the opposite effect, lowering the activity of pinealectomized and control animals, while neither melatonin nor saline had a significant effect on this behavioral variable.
Aging and eating disorders: editor's introduction.

(2008). Aging and Eating Disorders: Editor's Introduction. The Journal of General Psychology: Vol. 135, No. 4, pp. 340-342.
A Graph Theoretic Approach for Modeling Mobile Robot Team Formations

This paper addresses a new approach for modeling and control of multiple teams of mobile robots navigating in a terrain with obstacles, while maintaining a desired formation and changing formations when required. We model each team as a triple, (g,r, ℋ ), consisting of a group element, g∈SE(2), that describes the gross position of the lead robot, a set of shape variables, r, that describe the relative positions of robots, and a control graph, ℋ, that describes the behaviors of the robots in the formation. We assume that all the robots are equipped with the appropriate sensors to detect and avoid other robots and obstacles in the environment. Our framework enables the representation and enumeration of possible control graphs, and the coordination of transitions between any two control graphs. Further, we describe an algorithm that allows each team of robots to move between any two formations, while avoiding obstacles. As the number of robots increases, the number of possible control graphs increases. However, because the control computations are decentralized, the algorithms scale with the number of robots. We present examples to illustrate the control graphs and the algorithm for transitioning between them in the presence and absence of sensor noise. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Leiomyoma of the esophagus presenting as a bleeding epiphrenic diverticulum.

A patient with a large leiomyoma of the esophagus presenting radiologically as a large epiphrenic diverticulum and associated with massive gastrointestinal bleeding is reported. At operation a large tumor involving almost the entire lower third of the esophagus was found. This tumor had grown circumferentially outward in all directions carrying normal mucosal lining with it so that it formed a pouch-like dilatation of the lumen. This case represents an unusual growth and presentation of esophageal leiomyoma.
Willy Burgdorfer: Lyme disease.

Abstract The documented history of erythema migrans dates to 1909, when Arvid Afxelius described a case of this skin lesion at a dermatologic meeting in Sweden. He felt that the eruption was likely produced by the bite of a tick. The initial description of Lyme arthritis appeared in 1977, and a number of the patients described in tbii series developed a rash thought to be erythema migrans. Four years later, Burgdorfer discovered the presence of spirochetes (subsequently named Borrelia burgdorferi ) in ticks from an endemic locus of Lyme arthritis and determined this to be the causative organism of the disease. Lyme disease is the most common tickborne infection in the United States. Its natural course has been divided into three clical stages. The infection begins with a rash and flulike symptoms and may progress after days to weeks to a disseminated stage and in months to years to a late stage. There is Little information (except erythema migraus) about the clinical features of the ihess that is specific for Lyme disease. There are a number of effective antibiotic treatment regimens, and although acute infection generally responds well to treatment, management of chronic illness with antibiotics has been less consistently successful. With respect to autibiotic prophylaxis, the few studies performed have led to the conchtsion that, even in endemic areas, the risk of infection is so low that routinely instituting treatment following a tick bite is not warranted.
Piranesi and Francesco Bianchini: "capricci" in the service of pre-scientific archaeology.

Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s interest in the role of images in constructing historical knowledge underlay the artist’s choice of a mode of representation known as the capriccio, or pastiche of ancient artefacts, to illustrate his archaeological publications of the late 1750s and early 1760s. Piranesi in part derived his attitude towards the capricci from Francesco Bianchini, author and illustrator of L’istoria universale provata coi monumenti, published first in 1697 and reissued in 1747. The significance of the connection between Piranesi and Bianchini is that it demonstrates that the artist upheld that the object or image could address historians’ epistemological concerns, and that the artistic imagination was a viable tool of historical research; these were attitudes typical of archaeology of the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In an addendum, the article suggests that in 1747 or 1748 Piranesi created four capricious compositions known as the Grotteschi with Bianchini’s work in mind, and possibly to earn an artistic commission related to the publication of Bianchini’s texts.
Irreducible fracture-dislocations of the femoral head without posterior wall acetabular fractures.

Objective To define the unique clinical and radiographic features, operative treatment, and complications of irreducible femoral head fracture-dislocation without associated posterior wall fracture. Design Retrospective clinical study from a prospectively gathered trauma database. Setting Level I trauma center. Patients/participants During a 6-year period (from January 2000 until August 2006), 72 patients with fractures of the femoral head (OTA 31C) were treated at a level I trauma center. Seven (9.7%) patients had irreducible femoral head fracture-dislocations without associated posterior wall acetabular fractures and underwent operative management. Intervention Open reduction and internal fixation of the irreducible femoral head fracture-dislocation with miniature fragment screw fixation using a Smith-Petersen exposure. Main outcome measures Clinical and radiographic markers of irreducibility, surgical findings, fixation methods, reduction accuracy, and injury- and treatment-related complications. Results Standardized postoperative pelvic computed tomography scans revealed that all 7 femoral head fractures were accurately reduced. Two patients with delayed operative management developed femoral head aseptic necrosis and underwent hip arthroplasty. Conclusions Irreducible femoral head fracture-dislocations without associated posterior wall fractures occur rarely, but are heralded by unique clinical and radiographic features. These patients warrant special consideration in terms of recognition and management. The physical examination findings and specific radiographic markers should alert the surgeon to this injury pattern and its related complications. Closed reduction of this fracture-dislocation should not be attempted. Delayed operative management may be related to femoral head aseptic necrosis. Accurate reduction and stable fixation can successfully be performed through a Smith-Petersen surgical exposure using small or miniature fragment cortical screws alone.
In Situ Fluorescent Protein Imaging with Metal Film-Enhanced Total Internal Reflection Microscopy

Fluorescence detection of single molecules provides a means to investigate protein dynamics minus ambiguities introduced by ensemble averages of unsynchronized protein movement or of protein movement mimicking a local symmetry. For proteins in a biological assembly, taking advantage of the single molecule approach could require single protein isolation from within a high protein concentration milieu. Myosin cross-bridges in a muscle fiber are proteins attaining concentrations of ;120 mM, implying single myosin detection volume for this biological assembly is ;1 attoL (10 � 18 L) provided that just 2% of the cross-bridges are fluorescently labeled. With total internal reflection microscopy (TIRM) an exponentially decaying electromagnetic field established on the surface of a glass-substrate/aqueous-sample interface defines a subdiffraction limit penetration depth into the sample that, when combined with confocal microscopy, permits image formation from ;3 attoL volumes. Demonstrated here is a variation of TIRM incorporating a nanometer scale metal film into the substrate/glass interface. Comparison of TIRM images from rhodamine-labeled cross-bridges in muscle fibers contacting simultaneously the bare glass and metal-coated interface show the metal film noticeably reduces both background fluorescence and the depth into the sample from which fluorescence is detected. High contrast metal film-enhanced TIRM images allow secondary label visualization in the muscle fibers, facilitating elucidation of Z-disk structure. Reduction of both background fluorescence and detection depth will enhance TIRM's usefulness for single molecule isolation within biological assemblies.
Interactions of diazepam and pentobarbital with RO 15-4513 on intracranial self-stimulation discrimination behavior in rats.

Abstract Rats implanted with electrodes in the lateral hypothalamus were trained in a discrete trial procedure to make a differential response (right or left lever press) in the presence or absence of brain stimulation. When a high level of accuracy (95% correct) was attained in the discrimination, testing with vehicle, RO 15–4513, diazepam (1.0–10 mg/kg), diazepam plus RO 15–4513 (1.0 mg/kg), pentobarbital (1.0–17.5 mg/kg) and pentobarbital plus RO 15–4513 began. Diazepam, at 10 mg/kg, disrupted the discrimination behavior, and it also decreased the total number of lever-presses and increased the time to complete the session. These effects were blocked by the coadministration of 1.0 mg/kg RO 15–4513. Pentobarbital produced effects similar to those of diazepam, but these effects were only reversed to a limited extent by RO 15–4513. By itself, however, RO 15–4513 also decreased the total number of lever presses and increased the time to complete the session. Results were consistent with our previous findings with alcohol and RO 15–4513, and supported the notion that diazepam and alcohol have some similar effects at the GABA-benzodiazepine receptor complex.
Semaphorin signaling in angiogenesis, lymphangiogenesis and cancer

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from preexisting vasculature, is essential for many physiological processes, and aberrant angiogenesis contributes to some of the most prevalent human diseases, including cancer. Angiogenesis is controlled by delicate balance between pro- and anti-angiogenic signals. While pro-angiogenic signaling has been extensively investigated, how developmentally regulated, naturally occurring anti-angiogenic molecules prevent the excessive growth of vascular and lymphatic vessels is still poorly understood. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on how semaphorins and their receptors, plexins and neuropilins, control normal and pathological angiogenesis, with an emphasis on semaphorin-regulated anti-angiogenic signaling circuitries in vascular and lymphatic endothelial cells. This emerging body of information may afford the opportunity to develop novel anti-angiogenic therapeutic strategies.
The Continuing Dominance of Traditional Gender Roles in Southern Elections

Objective. Studies of the election of women to public office have been increasingly encouraging about their prospects of female candidates. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which gender roles continue to influence the election of women to local office and the pool of candidates for higher office. Methods. Utilizing data on the gender of officials, the nature of the office, and constituency demographics from county elections in eight Southern states, we construct logit models of the election of women. Results. Women hold few local offices involved in fighting crime or of an executive nature. On the other hand, women routinely win election to process-oriented offices with less discretion. Our analysis of constituency demographics reinforces our conclusions. Women win election in areas where the public office is relatively undesirable compared to other opportunities and the ratio of high-quality male to high-quality female candidates is relatively low. Conclusions. Although the frequent election of women to county office provides an expanded pool of female candidates for higher offices, it seems unlikely that women will find it as easy to move up the electoral ladder into the more competitive arena of high-profile statewide and federal leadership offices.
Different options for treatment of inverting papilloma of the nose and paranasal sinuses: a report of 41 cases.

Forty-two cases of inverting papilloma of the nose and paranasal sinuses were reviewed from 1972 to 1989. Forty-one patients underwent surgical excision. Of those patients followed up for at least 6 months, lateral rhinotomy was performed in 14 patients and midfacial degloving in 9 patients. The recurrence rates were 29% and 22%, respectively. The other 10 patients underwent excision through an external ethmoidectomy, Caldwell-Luc operation, or intranasal approach. There were five patients (12%) diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma associated with inverting papilloma. The correlation of malignancy with proptosis, visual changes, infraorbital hypesthesia, and skull base involvement on presenting symptomatology is noted. Inverting papilloma is a benign neoplastic lesion that shows variable aggressiveness. A computed tomography (CT) scan evaluation is very important for the work-up. An aggressive wide surgical excision is best performed through an open approach. The approach for surgical removal should be based on the location and extension of the lesion. A graduating approach from a lesser to a more major excision is advocated even though a risk exists of having to reoperate in about one fifth of the patients who experience a recurrence. A secondary surgical excision, even with craniofacial resection, is essential to eradicate disease in cases of recurrence. Close follow-up is necessary. Further surgery may be indicated. Postoperative radiation therapy is recommended if malignancy is indeed present.
Mobilization without immune depletion fails to restore immunological tolerance or preserve beta cell function in recent onset type 1 diabetes

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) has been used to restore immune competence following chemoablative cancer therapy and to promote immunological tolerance in certain settings of autoimmunity. Therefore, we tested the potential of G-CSF to impact type 1 diabetes (T1D) progression in patients with recent-onset disease [n = 14; n = 7 (placebo)] and assessed safety, efficacy and mechanistic effects on the immune system. We hypothesized that pegylated G-CSF (6 mg administered subcutaneously every 2 weeks for 12 weeks) would promote regulatory T cell (Treg) mobilization to a degree capable of restoring immunological tolerance, thus preventing further decline in C-peptide production. Although treatment was well tolerated, G-CSF monotherapy did not affect C-peptide production, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) or insulin dose. Mechanistically, G-CSF treatment increased circulating neutrophils during the 12-week course of therapy (P < 0·01) but did not alter Treg frequencies. No effects were observed for CD4(+) : CD8(+) T cell ratio or the ratio of naive : memory (CD45RA(+)/CD45RO(+)) CD4(+) T cells. As expected, manageable bone pain was common in subjects receiving G-CSF, but notably, no severe adverse events such as splenomegaly occurred. This study supports the continued exploration of G-CSF and other mobilizing agents in subjects with T1D, but only when combined with immunodepleting agents where synergistic mechanisms of action have previously demonstrated efficacy towards the preservation of C-peptide.
An analysis of African e-Government service websites ☆

Abstract In most African countries, compared to any other part of the world, the use of information and communication technologies such as those necessary to provide e-Government services is minimal. The continent was once labeled a “technological desert.” The contributing factors, among others, are lack of infrastructure, low literacy rates, low economic development, and a variety of cultural factors. Despite these obstacles, most African countries have made noticeable progress during the last couple of decades. Almost all African governments now have some presence on the Web, including fully fledged e-Government web portals, albeit in small numbers. However, the current status of e-Government services in African countries is not well documented in detail. We present results of a comprehensive analysis of 582 e-Government service websites with respect to the type of websites, the services and features available, as well as the level of development of e-Government services. We also compute e-Government indexes, produce e-Government rankings, and compare our rankings to previous ones. A clear picture that emerges from our analysis and results is that although progress has been made, there is a long way to go, to bridge not only the North–South divide when it comes to e-Government services but also among the various sub-regions. In addition, recommendations for future researchers regarding e-Government services in Africa are made.
Surface Interaction Matrices for Boundary Integral Analysis of Lossy Transmission Lines

A method intended to characterize enclosed computational electromagnetic domains in terms of interaction and response of a defined set of surface excitations is described. The finite-element method is used to compute a matrix relating surface current and tangential field in terms of an appropriate basis set such that a coupled solution with a boundary integral formulation is rendered seamless. The proposed method allows for a decoupled finite-element boundary-integral system through use of a discrete-frequency surface interaction matrix, computed in an alternative way, that is still independent of the properties of the background in which the enclosed region resides. The method is applied to per-unit-length resistance and inductance extraction of a variety of multiconductor lossy transmission lines. The primary advantage the proposed method presents for this particular application is reuse of matrices given recurrence of specific conductor cross sections.
Two cases of premenstrual sleep terrors and injurious sleep-walking

There are currently three recognized menstrual-related sleep disorders: premenstrual insomnia, menopausal insomnia and premenstrual hypersomnia. Another category, premenstrual parasomnia (sleep behavior disorder), is now suggested. Case 1, a 17-year-old female, presented with a 6-year history of exclusively premenstrual sleep terrors and injurious sleep-walking that began 1 year after menarche. During the four nights preceding each menses, she would scream and run from her bed. There was no history of premenstrual syndrome. Neurological evaluations had been unrevealing, apart from mild mental retardation and attention deficit disorder; there was no psychiatric history. Polysomnography 3 days before the onset of menses confirmed the diagnosis of sleep-walking. Pharmacotherapies were not satisfactory, but self-hypnosis at bedtime was rapidly effective with benefit sustained at 2.5-year follow-up. Case 2, a 46-year-old woman without psychiatric disorder, presented with a 5-year history of sleep terrors and injurious sleep-walking that initially was not menstrually related, but beginning 8 months prior to referral, she developed an exclusively premenstrual parasomnia that, after polysomnography, was partially controlled with bedtime self-hypnosis and clonazepam, 0.25 mg.
Recovery of otoacoustic emissions after high-level noise exposure in the American bullfrog

The American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) has an amphibian papilla (AP) that senses airborne, low-frequency sound and generates distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) similar to other vertebrate species. Although ranid frogs are typically found in noisy environments, the effects of noise on the AP have not been studied. First, we determined the noise levels that diminished DPOAE at 2f1–f2 using an f2 stimulus level at 80 dB SPL and that also produced morphological damage of the sensory epithelium. Second, we compared DPOAE (2f1–f2) responses with histopathologic changes occurring in bullfrogs after noise exposure. Consistent morphological damage, such as fragmented hair cells and missing bundles, as well as elimination of DPOAE responses were seen only after very high-level (>150 dB SPL) sound exposures. The morphological response of hair cells to noise differed along the mediolateral AP axis: medial hair cells were sensitive to noise and lateral hair cells were relatively insensitive to noise. Renewed or repaired hair cells were not observed until 9 days post-exposure. Following noise exposure, DPOAE responses disappeared within 24 h and then recovered to normal pre-exposure levels within 3–4 days. Our results suggest that DPOAEs in the bullfrog are sensitive to the initial period of hair cell damage. After noise-induced damage, the bullfrog AP has functional recovery mechanisms that do not depend on substantial hair cell regeneration or repair. Thus, the bullfrog auditory system might serve as an interesting model for investigation of ways to prevent noise damage.
Is infection a factor in neonatal encephalopathy

In adults and in very preterm neonates, systemic infection is a well-recognised cause of encephalopathy. Although the manifestations of encephalopathy are very similar in the fetal inflammatory response and in acute hypoxic-ischaemic events, neonatal encephalopathy (NE) in term infants is more often attributed primarily to hypoxia-ischaemia rather than to infection. Is systemic infection an important etiological factor in NE in term and late preterm infants? A striking 1999 case report1 showed that placental infection with group B streptococcus can cause NE and that the clinical picture can closely mimic both immediate and later signs commonly assumed to indicate birth asphyxia. Many other reports describe associations of placental infections with encephalopathy in term neonates, suggesting that infection, or the resulting inflammation, can indeed underlie NE without an associated sentinel event causing asphyxia. This brief discussion considers the evidence of an infection-NE association, the difficulty of distinguishing infectious from non-infectious inflammation and the way forward. Most of the evidence relating infection to NE has concerned infections identified during the admission for delivery, usually defined histologically in the placenta, or clinically. Histological evidence includes chorioamnionitis, which is inflammation on the maternal side of the placenta and funisitis on the fetal side, with infiltration of the umbilical cord with inflammatory cells. Clinical evidence of infection includes maternal fever in labour, uterine tenderness, purulent discharge or fetal tachycardia. A third approach to identifying placental infection is by microbiological evaluation. Unfortunately, results of these approaches are often not in agreement,2 ,3 and multiple identification methods are rarely used in the same study. McDonald et al 4 compared placentas of 93 infants with NE with placentas of normal term controls (n=816) and of random controls (n=387), finding funisitis in 31.2% of NE placentas versus 5.4% and 4.4% of controls (p=0.002). Chorioamnionitis and villitis were …
The Dual Roots of Opinion Leadership

Political scientists often focus on the link between personal attributes and the flow of political information. In this article, I argue that opinion leadership may not be as singularly rooted in the presence of a certain predisposition or set of personal characteristics as suggested in previous political opinion leadership studies. I develop two sets of hypotheses: the first derived from the perspective that opinion leadership is a function of a recipe of attributes and the second derived from the perspective that opinion leadership is tied to the characteristics of the social milieu in which the citizen is embedded. I test these hypotheses empirically using a data set constructed from two surveys of individuals in the New York metropolitan area. The results suggest that while opinion leaders possess attributes that distinguish them from nonleaders, they appear to gain influence through their informational advantages relative to others in the same environment.
How Statewide LGB Policies Go From ''Under Our Skin'' to ''Into Our Hearts'': Fatherhood Aspirations and Psychological Well-Being Among Emerging Adult Sexual Minority Men

Researchers have noted increasingly the public health importance of addressing discriminatory policies towards lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) populations. At present, however, we know little about the mechanisms through which policies affect LGB populations’ psychological well-being; in other words, how do policies get under our skin? Using data from a study of sexual minority young men (N = 1,487; M = 20.80 (SD = 1.93); 65 % White; 92 % gay), we examined whether statewide bans (e.g., same-sex marriage, adoption) moderated the relationship between fatherhood aspirations and psychological well-being. Fatherhood aspirations were associated with lower depressive symptoms and higher self-esteem scores among participants living in states without discriminatory policies. In states with marriage equality bans, fatherhood aspirations were associated with higher depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem scores, respectively. Fatherhood aspirations were associated negatively with self-esteem in states banning same-sex and second parent adoptions, respectively. Our findings underscore the importance of recognizing how anti-equality LGB policies may influence the psychosocial development of sexual minority men.
Review of home paediatric parenteral nutrition in the UK

Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is an expensive technological development which has given life to children with chronic intestinal failure. However, HPN is a complex therapy which carries life-threatening risks. The British Artificial Nutrition Survey (BANS), launched in 1996, monitors and audits HPN in the UK. It is the largest ongoing survey in the world, reviewing patients receiving enteral and parenteral nutrition. Data collated from health professionals between June 1996 and September 1999 identified 81 children who were registered. The commonest diagnosis for starting HPN was short-bowel syndrome, with 41% of the children being under the age of 1 year. Readmission rates of children to hospital were reported as less than 2%, suggesting that most of the burden of care is placed on families. Questionnaire data received from families (response rate 38%) identified that sleep disturbance was common. Families also experience a deterioration in their family life. This relates to poor social life activities and overall quality of life after the child had started HPN. Further qualitative research data are required to review the ongoing psychosocial issues for families.
Structural Anomalies in Early Embryonic Death A 3-Dimensional Pictorial Essay

Objective. The purpose of this pictorial essay was to determine whether 3-dimensional (3D) surface rendering of a dead first-trimester embryo can provide any information for the loss. Methods. Three-dimensional surface rendering was performed on a collection of dead first-trimester embryos with crown-rump lengths between 12 and 27 mm. These were compared with 2-dimensional (2D) images of the same embryos and with 2D images and 3D surface renderings of normally developing embryos. Results. Surface rendering of dead embryos showed a variety of abnormalities in the contour and limb formation. Conclusions. The use of 3D sonography may provide insight into the etiology of first-trimester embryonic dearth.
DONNELLAN'S DISTINCTION AND A COMPUTATIONAL MODEL OF REFERENCE

In this paper, I describe how Donnellan's distinction between referential and attributive uses of definite descriptions should be represebnted in a computational model of reference. After briefly discussing the significance of Donnellan's distinction, I reinterpret it as being three-tiered, relating to object representation, referring intentions, and choiceo of referring expression. I then present a cognitive model of referring, the components of which correspond to this analysis, and discuss the interaction that takes place among those components. Finally, the implementation of this model, now in progress, is described.
Particle size distribution of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and relationships to compositional and color properties

Eleven distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), processed from yellow corn, were collected from different ethanol processing plants in the US Midwest area. Particle size distribution (PSD) by mass of each sample was determined using a series of six selected US standard sieves: Nos. 8, 12, 18, 35, 60, and 100, and a pan. The original sample and sieve sized fractions were measured for surface color and contents of moisture, protein, oil, ash, and starch. Total carbohydrate (CHO) and total non-starch CHO were also calculated. Results show that there was a great variation in composition and color among DDGS from different plants. Surprisingly, a few DDGS samples contained unusually high amounts of residual starch (11.1-17.6%, dry matter basis, vs. about 5% of the rest), presumably resulting from modified processing methods. Particle size of DDGS varied greatly within a sample and PSD varied greatly among samples. The 11 samples had a mean value of 0.660mm for the geometric mean diameter (dgw) of particles and a mean value of 0.440mm for the geometric standard deviation (Sgw) of particle diameters by mass. The majority had a unimodal PSD, with a mode in the size class between 0.5 and 1.0mm. Although PSD and color parameters had little correlation with composition of whole DDGS samples, distribution of nutrients as well as color attributes correlated well with PSD. In sieved fractions, protein content, L and a color values negatively while contents of oil and total CHO positively correlated with particle size. It is highly feasible to fractionate DDGS for compositional enrichment based on particle size, while the extent of PSD can serve as an index for potential of DDGS fractionation. The above information should be a vital addition to quality and baseline data of DDGS.
Molecular Imaging of Temporal Dynamics and Spatial Heterogeneity of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 Signal Transduction Activity in Tumors in Living Mice

Tumor hypoxia is a spatially and temporally heterogeneous phenomenon, which results from several tumor and host tissue-specific processes. To study the dynamics and spatial heterogeneity of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1)-specific transcriptional activity in tumors, we used repetitive noninvasive positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of hypoxia-induced HIF-1 transcriptional activity in tumors in living mice. This approach uses a novel retroviral vector bearing a HIF-1-inducible "sensor" reporter gene (HSV1-tk/GFP fusion) and a constitutively expressed "beacon" reporter gene (DsRed2/XPRT). C6 glioma cells transduced with this multireporter system revealed dose-dependent patterns in temporal dynamics of HIF-1 transcriptional activity induced by either CoCl2 or decreased atmospheric oxygen concentration. Multicellular spheroids of C6 reporter cells developed a hypoxic core when >350 microm in diameter. 18F-2'-fluoro-2'deoxy-1beta-D-arabionofuranosyl-5-ethyl-uracil (FEAU) PET revealed spatial heterogeneity of HIF-1 transcriptional activity in reporter xenografts in mice as a function of size or ischemia-reperfusion injury. With increasing tumor diameter (>3 mm), a marked increase in HIF-1 transcriptional activity was observed in the core regions of tumors. Even a moderate ischemia-reperfusion injury in small C6 tumors caused a rapid induction of HIF-1 transcriptional activity, which persisted for a long time because of the inability of C6 tumors to rapidly compensate acute changes in tumor microcirculation.
Partial-Burning Regime for Quasi-Steady Droplet Combustion Supported by Cool Flames

A simplified model for droplet combustion in the partial-burning regime is applied to the cool-flame regime observed in droplet-burning experiments performed in the International Space Station with normal-alkanes fuels resulting in expressions for the quasi-steady droplet burning rate and for the flame standoff ratio. The simplified predictions are found to produce reasonable agreement with the experimentally measured values of burning-rate constants but not with their apparent dependencies on pressure or on the initial droplet diameter. Good agreement is found, however, with newly measured and numerically calculated flame standoff ratios in this droplet combustion supported by cool flames.
DAPA, 'Lawful Presence,' and the Illusion of a Problem

When the Supreme Court adjudicates United States v. Texas, the lawsuit challenging the Obama administration's executive actions on immigration, one focal point may be the question of whether those initiatives — Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents and its predecessor, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — impermissibly confer "lawful presence" upon their recipients. In both of his opinions for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Judge Jerry E. Smith went out of his way to characterize DAPA and DACA as affirmatively conferring their recipients with "lawful presence." In their briefing to the Supreme Court the plaintiffs have now followed his lead, arguing that DAPA and DACA impermissibly "transform presence deemed unlawful by Congress into lawful presence."In this essay, I explain why these claims about "lawful presence" are incorrect and ultimately a red herring. Describing DAPA and DACA as entailing a grant of "lawful presence" mischaracterizes those initiatives, relying upon a misunderstanding of both the structure and content of immigration law and the manner in which undocumented immigrants are recognized and constructed as legal subjects. Moreover, as a legal matter, “lawful presence” does not even exist as a thing in the sense that Judge Smith and the plaintiffs describe it. In order to characterize DAPA and DACA as something other than guidance structuring the exercise of enforcement discretion, as permitted by existing law, both Judge Smith and the plaintiffs fashion a conception of "lawful presence" as constituting an aggregated, intertwined package of benefits, in a manner that approximates conventional understandings of lawful immigration "status." That conception, however, has no actual legal basis. Ultimately, since "unlawful presence" does not carry the meaning that Judge Smith and the plaintiffs ascribe to it, there is only the illusion of a substantive problem here.
Application of optical coherence tomography based microangiography for cerebral imaging

Requirements of in vivo rodent brain imaging are hard to satisfy using traditional technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging and two-photon microscopy. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an emerging tool that can easily reach at high speeds and provide high resolution volumetric images with a relatively large field of view for rodent brain imaging. Here, we provide the overview of recent developments of functional OCT based imaging techniques for neuroscience applications on rodents. Moreover, a summary of OCT-based microangiography (OMAG) studies for stroke and traumatic brain injury cases on rodents are provided.