cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The triangular future of epidemiology.

‘‘SCOPE: [Epidemiology is the] field of medicine concerned with the determination of causes, incidence, and characteristic behavior of disease outbreaks affecting human populations. It includes the interrelationships of host, agent, and environment as related to the distribution and control of disease.’’ (1) This National Library of Medicine description of epidemiology neatly captures the unique, triangular approach epidemiologists take toward understanding disease causation and control. This agent-host-environmental triangle underpins systematic epidemiologic theory, as outlined by Gerald M. Lower, Jr., in his essay published in 1983 (2). Utilizing the triangle, Lower provides a ‘‘.logical (as opposed to a conceptual) framework.’’ in which to place ‘‘.theoretical elements (as opposed to observations) borrowed from mathematical, physcio-chemical [sic], biological and cultural-environmental sciences..’’ (2, p. 203) Lower distinguishes between the causal disease process ‘‘.leading to the initial causal agent-host interactions,’’ and effectual disease process ‘‘.leading to the manifestation of symptomatic disease, diagnosis, therapy and final outcome.’’ (2, p. 197) He points out that the causal disease process occurs in the human external environment with ‘‘mechanisms of causal agent formation’’ and ‘‘mechanisms of environmental vector transportation.’’ (2, p. 197) When the human is exposed, the causal disease process ‘‘moves to the human internal environment and host immunologic and metabolic mechanisms of modulation..’’ (2, p. 198) Based on the key assumption that disease and health result from the interplay of agent, host, and environment, Lower posits foundational presuppositions, axioms, and related corollaries for epidemiologists’ causal concepts of (a) disease, (b) disease incidence, (c) disease symptomatology, and (d) health. This framework harmonizes more recent, competing approaches to epidemiologic theory, as well as the pragmatic (‘‘whatever works’’) atheoretical argument of operational epidemiologists (3–7), by recognizing five interrelated biomedical disciplines. These are (1) systematic epidemiology, studying disease causality; (2) bioepidemiology, examining reasons behind variation in disease incidence; (3) cultural-environmental epidemiology, addressing both disease causality and reasons behind variation
Efficacy, plasma concentrations and adverse effects of a new sustained release procainamide preparation

To assess the efficacy, plasma drug concentrations and adverse effects of a new sustained release preparation of procainamide, 33 patients with heart disease were studied in an acute dose-ranging protocol and a chronic treatment protocol. Patients initially received a daily dose of 3 g of sustained release procainamide; this dose was increased by 1.5 g daily until ventricular premature depolarizations were suppressed by 75 percent or more, adverse drug effects occurred or a total daily dose of 7.5 g of sustained-release procainamide was reached. Twenty-five patients (76 percent) had at least a 75 percent reduction (range 75 to 100percent [mean +/- standard deviation 91 +/- 8.2]) in ventricular permature depolarization frequency at a dosage of 4.8 +/- 1.46 g/day (range 3.0 to 7.5). Despite the 8 hour dosing interval, the variation between maximal and minimal plasma procainamide and N-acetylprocainamide concentrations under steady state conditions was very small. Mean maximal procainamide and N-acetylprocainamide plasma concentrations were 10.4 +/- 6.02 and 12.0 +/- 7.40 micrograms/ml, respectively. The respective mean minimal concentrations were 6.8 +/- 4.50 and 8.7 +/- 5.99 micrograms/ml. In nine patients (27 percent) treatment with sustained release procainamide resulted in conversion of the antinuclear antibody test from negative to positive. Adverse drug effects occurred in 17 (52 percent) of the subjects. In general, adverse effects were minor and abated within 24 hours after administration of the drug was stopped. One patient had the procainamide-induced systemic lupus erythematosus-like syndrome.
Low-dose droperidol versus standard-dose droperidol for prevention of postoperative vomiting after pediatric strabismus surgery

Abstract Study Objective: To determine whether a low dose of droperidol is as effective as a high dose in preventing vomiting after pediatric strabismus surgery. Design: Randomized, double-blind study. Setting: Operating room and recovery room at a university medical center. Patients: One hundred children undergoing strabismus procedures. Interventions: Patients were divided randomly into three groups and received either droperidol 75 μg/kg, droperidol 20 μg/kg, or saline. Measurements and Main Results: Vomiting was assessed in all groups, as was time to discharge and ability to perform a satisfactory postoperative eye examination. Children who received droperidol vomited less frequently than those who did not ( p = 0.0521). There was no difference in the frequency of vomiting between the two groups that received droperidol. Conclusions: Droperidol 20 μg/kg is as effective as droperidol 75 μg/kg in preventing vomiting after pediatric strabismus surgery. Because higher doses of droperidol may sedate some patients, the lowest effective dose should be used. In this study, however, there was no statistically significant difference with regard to length of recovery room stay.
Relationship Between Maternal and Neonatal Staphylococcus aureus Colonization

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to assess whether maternal colonization with Staphylococcus aureus during pregnancy or at delivery was associated with infant staphylococcal colonization. METHODS: For this prospective cohort study, women were enrolled at 34 to 37 weeks of gestation between 2007 and 2009. Nasal and vaginal swabs for culture were obtained at enrollment; nasal swabs were obtained from women and their infants at delivery and 2- and 4-month postbirth visits. Logistic regression was used to determine whether maternal colonization affected infant colonization. RESULTS: Overall, 476 and 471 mother-infant dyads had complete data for analysis at enrollment and delivery, respectively. Maternal methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) colonization occurred in 10% to 17% of mothers, with the highest prevalence at enrollment. Infant MRSA colonization peaked at 2 months of age, with 20.9% of infants colonized. Maternal staphylococcal colonization at enrollment increased the odds of infant staphylococcal colonization at birth (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval: 4.8; 2.4–9.5), hospital discharge (2.6; 1.3–5.0), at 2 months of life (2.7; 1.6–4.3), and at 4 months of life (2.0; 1.1–3.5). Similar results were observed for maternal staphylococcal colonization at delivery. Fifty maternal-infant dyads had concurrent MRSA colonization: 76% shared isolates of the same pulsed-field type, and 30% shared USA300 isolates. Only 2 infants developed staphylococcal disease. CONCLUSIONS: S aureus colonization (including MRSA) was extremely common in this cohort of maternal-infant pairs. Infants born to mothers with staphylococcal colonization were more likely to be colonized, and early postnatal acquisition appeared to be the primary mechanism. * Abbreviations: CA-MRSA — : community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus GBS — : group B Streptococcus GEE — : generalized estimating equation MRSA — : methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus MSSA — : methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus PCR — : polymerase chain reaction PVL — : Panton-Valentine leukocidin SSTIs — : skin and soft-tissue infections VUMC — : Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Identification of fibroblast heterogeneity in the tumor microenvironment

Tumors are unorganized organs that contain many different cell types. In the recent years, many studies have reported that primary tumors contain fibroblasts/myofibroblasts (carcinoma-associated fibroblasts), mesenchymal cells such as pericytes/mural cells and other vascular smooth muscle cells. Several different markers are used routinely to identify carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) such as alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), vimentin, S100A4 protein/fibroblast specific protein-1 (FSP1) and type I collagen. Likewise markers such as platelet derived growth factor receptor-beta (PDGFRβ) and NG2 chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (NG2) are used to identify mesenchymal cells such as pericytes and other vasculature associated smooth muscle cells. It is still unknown whether these markers overlap with each other or identify a unique population of cells within the tumor microenvironment. Therefore in the present study we utilized two different mouse models of cancer, the Rip1Tag2 mice that develop progressi...
From research evidence to context: the challenge of individualizing care.

When strong research evidence supports a low risk intervention that is easy to implement, the practice of medicine may seem straightforward. The decision, for instance, to prescribe a β blocker for a patient who has had a myocardial infarction is generally clear cut. However, as the possibility of harm increases, the evidence for efficacy diminishes, or the steps to implementation become more complex, challenges abound. Deciding whether to recommend adjusted dose warfarin in a 75 year old man with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation and a previous history of stroke can become nearly overwhelming as we delve into the particulars of his life: that he recently relocated to a second floor flat after his wife died and has slipped on the stairs twice; that his daughter will be moving in with him to help out, but not for 6 months; that he can only arrange transport to the clinic to get his international normalised ratio checked bimonthly; and that he is also taking amiodarone, which will make dosing more difficult. We may opt to talk with his daughter to see if she can come sooner, to his cardiologist to determine if he can substitute another antiarrhythmic, and to the visiting nurses association to see if they can monitor him in his home. Our plan of care will evolve as we factor in these options. Unless we ask the right questions, we are likely to miss the contextual issues that are so often essential to care. Even in apparently straightforward cases such as the initiation of β blocker therapy described above, recognising that a …
Proportions of 2C and 4C nuclei in the root and shoot of dormant and germinated embryos of Festuca arundinacea and Dactylis glomerata

Abstract The 2C and 4C nuclear DNA content in the root and shoot of both dormant and germinated (72 hr at 20°C) embryos of Festuca arundinacea and Dactylis glomerata was determined by Feulgen microspectrophotometry. A cold hydrolysis technique was employed, and squashes were made of roots and shoots separately. Results showed predominantly 2C nuclei in both the root and shoot of dormant embryos of both species suggesting that the cells were arrested in G1 during embryo maturation. A mixed population of cells was observed in both roots and shoots of germinated embryos of both species. The proportion of 2C, S, and 4C nuclei were approximately the same in the root versus the shoot of Festuca; whereas, in Dactylis, a higher proportion of 4C nuclei and a lower proportion of 2C nuclei were observed in the root compared to the shoot.
Lesion of floor of the mouth

A 39-year-old white woman was referred for evaluation of swelling of the floor of the mouth and neck. The lesion had been present for 3 to 4 months with progressive enlargement. The patient denied any fever, pain, chills, or airway compromise. She did complain of biting the left floor of the mouth when chewing. The patient’s medical history was significant for hepatitis A in the past, previous appendectomy, and 3 pregnancies. She denied taking any medications and reported an allergy to silk tape. The patient did admit to smoking and denied alcohol use. Examination of the head and neck was remarkable for swelling of the left floor of the mouth that extended down into the left submandibular space and submental space. The lesion was fluctuant on palpation but nontender, and no lymphadenopathy was noted. The patient denied any difficulty with swallowing or change in quality of voice (Figs 1A, B). Panoramic radiography showed no evidence of stone formation. A computed tomography scan with contrast medium revealed a large, well-demarcated, hypodense cystic lesion in the left floor of the mouth. The mass appeared to extend inferiorly and anteriorly to a level just beneath the hyoid bone. The surrounding soft tissues appeared normal (Fig 2).
Nerve fiber conduction-velocity distributions. I. Estimation based on the single-fiber and compound action potentials

A method is described for estimating the distribution of nerve-fiber conduction velocities in a nerve bundle. This method is based on a detailed general model of the nerve bundle compound action potential, which is characterized as a weighted sum of delayed single-fiber action potentials. The non-iterative estimation method is applied to two examples taken from existing literature, demonstrating the similarity of conduction velocity and fiber diameter distributions, sensitivity of the estimate to variations in important model parameters, and applicability to the differentiation of normal and abnormal nerve function.
Alcoholics treated by individualized behavior therapy: one year treatment outcome.

Abstract One-year treatment outcome results are reported for 70 male alcoholics who, while hospitalized at Patton State Hospital, served as subjects in an experiment evaluating ‘Individualized Behavior Therapy (IBT)’ techniques. Initially, subjects had been assigned to a controlled drinking or non-drinking (abstinence) treatment goal, and then were randomly assigned to either an experimental group receiving IBT or a control group receiving conventional state hospital treatment. One year follow-up results demonstrated that IBT treated subjects had functioned significantly better than control subjects. Dependent variable measures included daily drinking disposition, general emotional adjustment, vocational satisfaction, occupational status, driving status and an index of residential status and stability. The results support the view that some ‘alcoholics’ can acquire and maintain controlled drinking behavior over at least a 1-yr follow-up interval. The difficulties of designing and applying sophisticated follow-up procedures and measures are discussed.
Targeted coastal circulation phenomena in diagnostic analyses and forecasts

Oceanography is moving toward the construction of operational observing systems in coastal regions. The essential system design scheme is widely distributed measurements assimilated in computational simulation models, from which a variety of analysis products and forecasts are extracted and publicly disseminated. The detailed specifications for this system must be tested against the relevant oceanic phenomena. This essay surveys coastal physical phenomena in two categories. The more familiar ones are external tides, storm surges, river plumes, coastal topographic waves, upwelling and alongshore boundary currents, mesoscale instability eddies, and topographic contour currents and standing meanders. The phenomena with more recent attention are internal tides, surface fronts, submesoscale vortices, wakes, and littoral currents. Some illustrations are drawn from model simulations made without the aid of data assimilation.
Formula Hybrid Racing at Illinois Institute of Technology: Design to Implementation

The formula hybrid competition is a student competition where teams compete against each other in a real world engineering environment. The Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) decided to field a team in the competitions inaugural year. A true passion for designing, improving, and racing Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) has evolved at IIT from this remarkable experience. The team was named ACE for it primary sponsor, the Armour College of Engineering and performed beyond expectations by achieving a podium position in dynamic events. The competition provided students a fun environment to learn not only about HEVs and what it takes to build one, but also what teamwork and steadfast dedication can accomplish. A first time entry in formula competitions, launching a project like Formula Hybrid proved to be a demanding task for the ACE Team. This paper discusses the many stages of the ACE Team that spanned over 9 months providing insight into what it actually takes to participate in a competition of this nature while providing recommendations on how to go about it more efficiently. The paper also provides a review of the hybrids developed by other schools for the competition.
Finding the Black Self: A Humanistic Strategy:

This brief paper develops a humanistic strategy for study of Black self-definition. It contrasts the distinction be tween personality and culture traditionally conceived in the social sciences with the way in which these important constructs are regarded by those utilizing humanistic strategies. Particular attention is given to the utility of humanistic strategy for penetrating Afro-American pre sentations of self, and an effort has been made to explore humanistic developments in anthropology, history, and sociology, as well as psychology.
Reliability-conscious process scheduling under performance constraints in FPGA-based embedded systems

This paper proposes, for the FPGA-based embedded systems, a reliability-aware process scheduling strategy that operates under performance bounds. A unique characteristic of the proposed approach is that it employs multiple implementations (also called versions) of a given process; each version differs from the other implementations (of the same process) from the viewpoint of reliability, performance, power, or area metrics. Our scheme, which can work under a base scheduler or independently, tries to use the most reliable version for each process, restricted only by the performance bound specified. We implemented this scheme and simulated it using a custom simulator.
Sliding mode tracking for pneumatic muscle actuators in opposing pair configuration

Sliding mode techniques are applied to pneumatic muscle actuators arranged in an agonist/antagonist, or opposing pair configuration. The pneumatic muscle (PM) pair actuates a planar elbow manipulator, with PMs in place of bicep and tricep. The control objective is elbow angle tracking under load. A nonlinear mathematical model is derived for this system and a sliding mode controller is designed to give elbow angle tracking to within a guaranteed accuracy despite modeling errors. Static pressure requirements are also derived for stable arm behavior in the absence of a control signal. Stability results are derived, and the results of simulation studies are presented. The simulation studies also address the effects of PM heating.
Compilation of scientific programs into multithreaded and message driven computation

Many programs written in the SPMD programming model send messages asynchronously, and block when receiving messages. Multiple threads can make use of the processor while other threads wait for messages. This paper describes and evaluates two techniques for multithreading on the nodes of distributed memory message passing systems. One method is a purely runtime threads package. The second method requires the SPMD code to be systematically transformed into message driven code which can be run under a message driven model. The multithreading of scientific applications is evaluated on the iPSC2 and the CM5. >
Examining Classroom Negotiation Strategies of International Teaching Assistants.

From a constructivist point of view teacher identity evolves as the teacher interacts and negotiates with others. However, before negotiation can occur, instructors must establish their own teacher identity as a starting position. This narrative study analyzes how international teaching assistants negotiated with their American undergraduate students. Twenty participants engaged in two individual interviews and a videotaped classroom observation where the negotiation strategies were discussed and observed. Findings revealed that although experience improved their negotiation skills, many international teaching assistants struggled with negotiating with students because they did not understand the students' background. Furthermore, cultural norms influenced how participants approached the negotiating process. The implications of cultural norms in cross-cultural teacher negotiation are discussed.
Green's functions for a theoretical model of an aperture fed stacked-patch microstrip antenna

The Greens function kernels in the mixed potential integral equations (MPIEs) used to calculate the current distributions of an aperture-fed stacked-patch microstrip antenna are discussed, along with numerical methods for evaluating the Green's functions. The goal of this analysis is to construct and evaluate the Green's functions used in the MPIEs to calculate the induced electric currents and charge distributions on the antenna patches and feed line, as well as equivalent magnetic current and charge distribution over the aperture, for a given incident current on the feed line. These distributions can then be used to determine the resonant frequency, input impedance, bandwidth, radiation pattern, and other operating characteristics of the aperture-fed stacked-patch microstrip antenna. >
Temperature‐dependent Newtonian and non‐Newtonian convection: Implications for lithospheric processes

Convection studies of temperature-dependent Newtonian and non-Newtonian rheology in aspect-ratio seven boxes have been carried out for volume averaged Rayleigh numbers between O(105) and O(107). Large lateral viscosity variations, O(104) are found for non-Newtonian cases with total temperature-dependent viscosity variations up to 250. Flow structures for both rheologies are distinguished by large-scale circulations with relatively stable descending limbs. Much larger hot thermal anomalies are found near the surface for non-Newtonian rheology. Lithospheric thinning is facilitated by non-Newtonian rheology because of stress-softening and the lubrication of the descending limbs by hot diapirs.
Hydrogen sulfide mediates vasoactivity in an O2-dependent manner.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has recently been shown to have a signaling role in vascular cells. Similar to nitric oxide (NO), H2S is enzymatically produced by amino acid metabolism and can cause posttra...
Esophagogastric ulcers associated with Ascaris suum infestation in swine.

When a group of 3-month-old pigs was moved to another location. several died from internal bleeding. Two pigs that were necropsied had large esophagogastric ulcers. hepatic fibrosis with "milk spots" and swollen edematous lungs. The ulcers involved the full thickness of the gastric mucosa with pronounced eosinophilic infiltration and perivascular cuffing of the submucosal vessels. There was an acute interstitial and granu- lomatous pneumonia with an inflammatory exudate composed mainly of eosinophils. Ascarid larvae were recovered from the lungs. Gastric ulceration could have resulted from a second exposure to Ascaris suum infestation because pigs not removed from their original location did not develop ulcers. Esophagogastric ulcers in swine are caused by multiple factors such as genetic predisposition, confinement and crowding, transportation under stress, changes in environment, nutrition, infection and toxins 191. Reports on parasitic causes of gastric ulceration are few. Among the parasites incriminated are Hyostrongylus rubidus (4), larval stages of the flies Sarcophaga bullata and Musca dornestica (l), Ollulanus tricuspis and Gnathostoma hispidurn (8). The first report on the association of Ascaris suurn with esophagogastric ulcers in swine was published when such lesions were seen in specific pathogen-free swine during investigation of the pathogenesis of ascariasis (5). This paper presents evidence of esophagogastric ulcers associated with ascariasis under field conditions.
Status functions and institutional facts: reply to Hindriks and Guala

Hindriks and Guala (2014) hope to provide a unified account of institutional theory that will combine the accounts of regulative rules, constitutive rules, and equilibria. I argue that only the constitutive rule approach has any possibility of success, and that the other two cannot even pose the right questions, much less answer them. Hindriks and Guala think constitutive rules can be reduced to regulative rules. I argue that their reduction is mistaken. The key to understanding social ontology is understanding status functions.
Design and Development of the Lifting and Propulsion Mechanism for a Biologically Inspired Water Runner Robot

This paper describes the design and development of a novel robot, which attempts to emulate the basilisk lizard's ability to run on the surface of water. Previous studies of the lizards themselves have characterized their means of staying afloat. The design of a biomimetic robot utilizing similar principles is discussed, modeled, and prototyped. Functionally, the robot uses a pair of identical four bar mechanisms, with a 180 deg phase shift to achieve locomotion on the water's surface. Simulations for determining robot lift and power requirements are presented. Through simulation and experimentation, parameters are varied with the focus being a maximization of the ratio of lift to power. Four legged robots were more easily stabilized, and had a higher lift-to-power ratio than two legged robots. Decreases in characteristic length and running speed, and increases in foot diameter and foot penetration depth all cause a higher lift to power ratio. Experimental lift approached 80 gr, and experimental performance exceeded 12 gr/W for four legged robots with circular feet. This work opens the door for legged robots to become ambulatory over both land and water, and represents a first step toward robots which run on the water instead of floating or swimming.
Political Competence and Mass Media Use

Relationships are examined between feelings of political competence and cumulative media usage in five Western nations. Wide differentiation among the nations studied is found, suggesting that multivariate analysis is needed to establish whether media usage makes a unique contribution to feelings of political competence, or acts as a surrogate for other background variables. Frank B. Feigert is Professor of Political Science, State University of New York, Brockport, New York. Data for this study were supplied through the facilities of the Inter-University Consortium for Political Research, which bears no responsibility for the analysis and interpretations which follow. POQ 40 (1976) 234-238 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.138 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 06:03:45 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms POLITICAL COMPETENCE AND MASS MEDIA 235 Contrary to this hypothesis is the view that media actually serve to deprive a system of legitimacy. If "political news is drunk up by the public as drama,"3 the "drama" of politics may "contribute to a widespread and chronic distrust" of political institutions and actors.4 Passive participation and the impersonality of the media may also reinforce feelings of futility or apathy as regards the possibility of citizen control-by-elections.5 Thus, increasing alienation may be a consequence of media usage. Which of these two hypotheses best describes the impact of mass media on feelings of political competence? The Almond and Verba study contains several variables that permit us to examine this relationship. Almond and Verba defined political or citizen competence as an ability to exert influence in the decision-making process. Subjective competence is one's belief in this ability, and in turn consists of (1) administrative competence (the belief that government officials and police would be responsive); and (2) subject competence, a belief that these officials would mete out equal treatment.6 In their study, Almond and Verba provide some information about media usage in the five nations under study (U.S., Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and Mexico).7 However, they do not relate such usage to the varieties of competence as defined. In the following analysis we hypothesize a positive relationship between the extent of mass media exposure to politics and several attitudinal variables. Media exposure is defined as the number of media used to follow public affairs, regardless of the frequency with which each medium is used. The attitudinal variables include the varieties of subjective competence, as operationalized by Almond and Verba; political information; and more generalized attitudes toward government and the electoral process.
Review and unification of learning framework in Cog Ex Machina platform for memristive neuromorphic hardware

Realizing adaptive brain functions subserving perception, cognition, and motor behavior on biological temporal and spatial scales remains out of reach for even the fastest computers. Newly introduced memristive hardware approaches open the opportunity to implement dense, low-power synaptic memories of up to 1015 bits per square centimeter. Memristors have the unique property of “remembering” the past history of their stimulation in their resistive state and do not require power to maintain their memory, making them ideal candidates to implement large arrays of plastic synapses supporting learning in neural models. Over the past decades, many learning rules have been proposed in the literature to explain how neural activity shapes synaptic connections to support adaptive behavior. To ensure an optimal implementation of a large variety of learning rules in hardware, some general and easily parameterized form of learning rule must be designed. This general form learning equation would allow instantiation of multiple learning rules through different parameterizations, without rewiring the hardware. This paper characterizes a subset of local learning rules amenable to implementation in memristive hardware. The analyzed rules belong to four broad classes: Hebb rule derivatives with various methods for gating learning and decay, Threshold rule variations including the covariance and BCM families, Input reconstruction-based learning rules, and Explicit temporal trace-based rules.
Inheritance of auxiliary spur in the domestic fowl.

Abstract TWO chickens showing a distinct reduction in feather melanization were hatched from a non-pedigree mating of a synthetic line that was homozygous for the Columbian feather-pattern gene, Co. Subsequent observations of these two mutants and their descendants indicated that the plumage achromatosis was also accompanied by an anemia and an extra pair of spurs. None of the three mutant phenotypes had been observed in the parent Co-line or the lines from which it was formed, although with the exception of the mutant plumage color, the other phenotypes have been present but undetected previously. The Co-line and its synthesis has been described in detail previously (Smyth and Somes, 1965). The partial achromatosis of the plumage has been shown to be due to an autosomal, incompletely-recessive gene (Washburn and Smyth, 1967). The anemia, which has been characterized as macrocytic and normochromic does not segregate in discernable mendelian ratios and appears to segregate…
Opioid-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling in rat enteric neurons following chronic morphine treatment.

Opioids, acting at μ opioid receptors, are commonly used for pain management. Chronic opioid treatment induces cellular adaptations, which trigger long-term side effects, including constipation mediated by enteric neurons. We tested the hypothesis that chronic opioid treatment induces alterations of μ opioid receptor signaling in enteric neurons, which are likely to serve as mechanisms underlying opioid-induced constipation. In cultured rat enteric neurons, either untreated (naive) or exposed to morphine for 4 days (chronic), we compared the effect of morphine and DAMGO (D-Ala2,MePhe4,Gly-ol5 enkephalin) on μ opioid receptor internalization and downstream signaling by examining the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (MAPK/ERK) pathway, cAMP accumulation and transcription factor cAMP Response Element-Binding protein (CREB) expression. μ opioid receptor internalization and MAPK/ERK phosphorylation were induced by DAMGO, but not morphine in naive neurons, and by both opioids in chronic neurons. MAPK/ERK activation was prevented by the receptor antagonist naloxone, by blocking receptor trafficking with hypertonic sucrose, dynamin inhibitor, or neuronal transfection with mutated dynamin, and by MAPK inhibitor. Morphine and DAMGO inhibited cAMP in naive and chronic enteric neurons, and induced desensitization of cAMP signaling. Chronic morphine treatment suppressed desensitization of cAMP and MAPK signaling, increased CREB phosphorylation through a MAPK/ERK pathway and induced delays of gastrointestinal transit, which was prevented by MAPK/ERK blockade. This study showed that opioids induce endocytosis- and dynamin-dependent MAPK/ERK activation in enteric neurons and that chronic morphine treatment triggers changes at the receptor level and downstream signaling resulting in MAPK/ERK-dependent CREB activation. Blockade of this signaling pathway prevents the development of gastrointestinal motility impairment induced by chronic morphine treatment. These findings suggest that alterations in μ opioid receptor downstream signaling including MAPK/ERK pathway in enteric neurons chronically treated with morphine contribute to the development of opioid-induced constipation.
When Does Hypoglycemia Develop After Sulfonylurea Ingestion

Abstract [Burkhart KK: When does hypoglycemia develop after sulfonylurea ingestion? Ann Emerg Med June 1998;31:771-772.]
Considering altruism in peer-to-peer internet streaming broadcast

In peer-to-peer overlay or video broadcast, peers contribute a portion of the bandwidth to the overlay in return or the service. In the presence of network heterogeneity, it is not well understood how much bandwidth peers should contribute and receive in return. Existing protocols implicitly assume peers are either completely altruistic (which leads to airness concerns) or completely selfish (which leads to sub-optimal performance). In this paper, we argue that altruism should be explicitly considered. We propose a policy framework in which a wide range of altruism can be modeled and parameterized. The key findings are (i) the level of altruism has significant implication on the overall performance of the receivers; even a small degree of altruism goes a long way in improving their performance, and (ii) a wide range of altruism policy can be implemented efficiently in a distributed fashion. We validate these claims using simulation, with traces from real Internet broadcast events.
Mother–Daughter Communication About HPV Vaccine

Abstract Purpose Parent–child conversations about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine may provide parents with the opportunity to talk with their daughters about sexual health. We sought to characterize mothers' communication with their adolescent daughters about HPV vaccine. Methods We surveyed 609 mothers of girls aged between 11 and 20 years living in North Carolina in Fall 2008. We used logistic regression to identify the correlates of mother–daughter communication. Results Most mothers (81%) reported having discussed HPV vaccine with their daughters. For almost half of these families (47%), discussion of HPV vaccine led to a conversation about sex. This was more common among mothers who believed that their daughters may be sexually active (odds ratio [OR]: 1.88; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25–2.83), had greater knowledge of HPV vaccine (OR: 2.46; 95% CI: 1.07–5.64), lived in urban areas (OR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.21–2.54), or reported being born-again Christians (OR: 1.74; 95% CI: 1.17–2.58). Most mothers who talked with their daughters about HPV vaccine reported having discussed the reasons for and against getting vaccinated (86%). Mothers most commonly reported having discussed the potential HPV vaccine benefits, usually protection against cervical cancer (56%), and less frequently reported having discussed the perceived disadvantages of HPV vaccine. Conclusions HPV vaccine conversations may provide opportunities for sexual health promotion and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention.
Effectiveness of ultrasound-guided aspiration and sclerotherapy with 95% ethanol for treatment of recurrent ovarian endometriomas.

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of transvaginal ultrasound aspiration and ethanol sclerotherapy in patients with recurrent ovarian endometriomas. Design Retrospective study. Setting Teaching hospital affiliated with Chang Gung University, Taipei. Patient(s) Patients (n = 108) with recurrent ovarian endometriomas ≥3 cm. Intervention(s) Preoperative evaluation of previous pathology, midcycle serum CA-125 level, and color Doppler ultrasonography to exclude possibility of malignancies. After aspiration, sclerotherapy with 95% ethanol irrigation of the cystic cavity was performed (group 1, n=78, 0–10 minutes of retention; group 2, n=30, ethanol left in situ [retention]). Main Outcome Measure(s) Ultrasonography was performed at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months to determine persistence and size of cysts and the number of antral follicles. Pelvic pain score was also determined at those time points. Result(s) The 1-year recurrence rate for group 2 patients was significantly lower than for group 1 patients (13.3% vs. 32.1%). Antral follicle count was increased and pain score was decreased in both groups to a similar level. No significant change in CA-125 was observed. Conclusion(s) Ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy with 95% ethanol is an effective therapy for ovarian endometriomas. Retention of ethanol is more effective than irrigation only.
Congratulations on Your Hallucinations: Why the PTO's 1992 Amendment to Section 1.56 is Irrelevant to Inequitable Conduct

This paper analyzes whether the U.S. patent office has statutory authority to alter the definition of materiality, or any element of the inequitable conduct defense. The paper concludes that the USPTO does not.
The Use of Bibliotherapy With Adolescents and Their Families

Adolescence can be a time when youth describe feeling misunderstood by those around them, particularly adults. Family counselors and therapists working with adolescents are challenged with the task...
Graduate Students’ Construction of Researcher Identities Explored Through Discourse Analysis

While many research methods courses challenge students to make sense of their own researcher identities as they relate to research paradigms and perspectives, there is a lack of research that examines how students actually go about constructing theses identities, particularly at the level of discourse. In this study, we attended to graduate students’ talk in an introductory research methods course, taking note of how students used particular discursive resources to construct a research identity in online classroom discussions. We analyzed 93 discussion posts students were asked to make in response to a discussion board prompt after completing assigned readings related to research paradigms and researcher identity. We identified two discursive patterns through our analysis: 1) minimizing knowledge, and 2) justifying paradigmatic orientations. Our findings highlight how being asked to talk about one’s research identity is a potentially fragile task, as evidenced by disclaimers of ‘knowing’, and one that evokes justifications and connections to students’ everyday lives. We highlight implications for the teaching of research methodology, particularly qualitative methods courses.
Li Ion diffusion measurements in crystalline and amorphous V2O5 thin-film battery cathodes

Thin films of crystalline and amorphous V2O5 were deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and the chemical diffusion coefficients, D, were measured by the potentiostatic intermittent titration technique (PITT). In crystalline V2O5 films, the maximum and minimum D were found to be 1.7 × 10−2 cm2/s and 5.8 × 10−15 cm2/s respectively, with a general trend for D to rise in single-phase regions. The changes in D correlated well to the known phases in LiV2O5. In amorphous V2O5 films, D exhibited a smooth, continuous decrease as the Li concentration increased.
Studies on the biosynthesis of tropane alkaloids in Datura stramonium L. transformed root cultures : 1. The kinetics of alkaloid production and the influence of feeding intermediate metabolites.

The factors by which the endogenous regulation of tropane-alkaloid biosynthesis may be effected have been examined in a transformed root culture of Datura stramonium. Pools of intermediates showed a subculture-related maximal accumulation, as did the enzyme activities by which they are synthesised and/or metabolised. The end-products, principally hyoscyamine and apohyoscyamine, in contrast, accumulated steadily in growing cultures. Feeding putrescine, agmatine or tropine did not enhance alkaloid accumulation, but rather may even have resulted in a lowering of hyoscyamine levels. Similarly, feeding precursors for the tropate moiety of hyoscyamine either had no influence or had a detrimental effect on hyoscyamine accumulation. Under some feeding conditions, intermediates in the pathway from N-methylputrescine up to and including tropine accumulated up to 40-fold. Little effect on early intermediates was found, however, when tropinone or tropine were fed. The expression of the enzyme arginine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.19) was particularly sensitive to feed-back repression, both by its product agmatine and by more distant pathway intermediates, notably putrescine and tropine. Some diminution of the levels of putrescine N-methyltransferase (EC 2.1.1.53) and N-methylputrescine oxidase, the first committed enzymes of alkaloid biosynthesis, was also seen with tropine, although only at rather high levels. It is concluded that the pathway is not regulated in a simple manner and that (i) the early enzymes of the pathway are at near rate-limiting levels, (ii) there is a major limitation to flux at the level of the esterification of tropine, and (iii) the level of free tropine may be important in determining the flux into and through the tropane pathway.
A CFD model for the Multipurpose Hydrogen Test Bed (MHTB) Ground-Based Self-Pressurization and Pressure Control Experiments

This paper presents a CFD model for simulating the self-pressurization of a large scale liquid hydrogen storage tank. In this model, the kinetics-based Schrage equation is used to account for the evaporative and condensing interfacial mass flows. Laminar and turbulent approaches to modeling natural convection in the tank and heat and mass transfer at the interface are compared. The flow, temperature, and interfacial mass fluxes predicted by these two approaches, during tank self-pressurization, are compared against each other. The ullage pressure and vapor temperature evolutions are also compared against experimental data obtained from the MHTB self-pressurization experiment. A CFD model for cooling cryogenic storage tanks by spraying cold liquid in the vapor region is also presented. The Euler-Lagrange approach is utilized for tracking the spray droplets and for modeling interaction between the droplets and the continuous phase (vapor). The spray model is coupled with the VOF model by performing particle tracking in the vapor, removing particles from the vapor domain when they reach the interface, and then adding their contributions to the liquid. Only droplet-vapor heat transfer is included in the model. The flow, temperature, and interfacial mass flux predicted by the model are presented. The ullage pressure is compared against experimental data obtained from the MHTB spray bar mixing experiment.
Evaluation of a peer mentoring program for early career gerontological nursing faculty and its potential for application to other fields in nursing and health sciences.

Abstract Background As the retirement rate of senior nursing faculty increases, the need to implement new models for providing mentorship to early career academics will become key to developing and maintaining an experienced faculty. Purpose This evaluation of a peer mentorship program for predoctoral and postdoctoral gerontological nurses examined its efficacy, utility, and potential for improvement. Methods A web-based survey was developed, implemented, and completed by 22 mentees and 17 mentors (71% and 61% response rates, respectively) as part of the evaluation. Discussion The peer mentorship program was found to be valuable by both mentors (64.7%) and mentees (72.7%) in helping mentees further develop their careers and networks and providing mentors with supported mentorship experience. Conclusion The peer mentorship program could serve as a model for other professional organizations, academic institutions, and consortiums to enhance and extend the formal vertical mentorship provided to early academic career individuals.
County Government Fleet Purchasing Practices: Financial Efficiency vs. Need Assertion

An abundant amount of local government services are implemented through the use of automobiles each year. These costs include initial purchase, use, repair, and replacement. Traditional budgeting research is broad and does not isolate fleet costs or the influential actors in the process. This study examines the finance practices and need assertion associated with vehicle purchases and acquisition. Findings indicate most county governments in North and South Carolina choose to purchase vehicles on a cash basis, especially if there is a low resale value for surplus automobiles. In addition, county staff are very influential in additional vehicle purchases, especially if the sheriff can convince the county manager that additional automobiles of a particular make can enhance service delivery.
Clinical experience on 31 cases of renal cyst-deroof decompression under retroperitoneal laparoscopy

Objective To explore the techniques and efficacy of retroperitoneal laparoscopy in the treat- ment of renal cyst. Methods Retrospectively.analyzed the clinical data of 31 cases patients with renal cyst which were performed retroperitoneal laparoscopic deroof decompression under general anesthesia. Results All deroof decompression for renal cyst succeeded. The operation time was 50-120 minutes, with a mean of 80 minutes. The intraopeative blood loss was 20-100 ml, with a mean of 40 ml. The postoperative hospital stay was 4-8 days, with a mean of 5 days. No severe complications were found. All the patients were followed up for 5 months after operation, renal cysts no longer recurrenced. Conclusion Renal cyst-deroof decompression under retroperitoneal laparoscopy is a safe and effective technique for renal cyst with the advantages of little trauma ,rapid recovery and good efficacy.
Analysis of influenza surveilance in Qingyuan during 2011

Objective:To analyze the results of influenza surveillance during 2011 in Qingyuan city and to understand the epidemiological characteristics of influenza,and to provide a scientific basis for influenza control and prevention.Methods: The influenza virus nucleic acids were detected and the virus serotypes were determined by Real Time quantitative RT-PCR.Results: A total of 484 throat swab specimens were detected during 2011,of which 36 samples were positive for influenza virus nucleic acids,the total positive rate was 7.44%.The positive rates of Influenza A H1N1 and B were 69.44%,16.67%.No subtype H1 and H3 were observed during 2011.Positive rate of nontypeable A popular type accounted for 13.89%.In 2011,influenza peak was mainly in January~March,and December in Qingyuan.Conclusion: Main influenza subtypes changed continuously from Influenza A(H1N1) in the spring of 2011 to B subtype in Qingyuan city.