cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of Ice-like Proteases in Endothelial Cell Hypoxic and Reperfusion Injury

Because of its location between blood and tissue, the endothelium is particularly vulnerable to hypoxic/reperfusion injury, but the mechanisms responsible for this injury are not known. A number of recent findings suggest that hypoxia and reperfusion injures neuronal cells via apoptosis. Apoptosis has recently been shown to depend on the activation of a class of proteases with homology to Interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme (ICE) protease. Therefore, we examined the effect of specific inhibitors of ICE-like proteases on hypoxic and reperfusion injury in cultured EAhy926 endothelial cells. Pretreatment of cells with ICE inhibitor II (Ac-YVAD-CMK), ICE inhibitor III (Z-Asp-2,6-dichlorobenzoyloxy-methylketone-Z-Asp-CH2-DCB+ ++), or ICE inhibitor IV (Ac-YVKD-CHO) (all at 10-100 microM) did not protect cells from hypoxic injury. However, pretreatment of cells with ICE inhibitor III and to a lesser extent with ICE inhibitor II, but not with ICE inhibitor IV, protected cells from reperfusion injury. The protective effect of ICE inhibitor III was not dependent upon pH, but was associated with decreased release of arachidonic acid from cells. These findings suggest that reperfusion injury to EAhy926 endothelial cells involves ICE-like proteases. The identity of the protease(s) is not known but it does not appear to be a YAMA-type protease based upon ICE inhibitor specificity. Our data also indicate that a potential target of this protease is phospholipase A2 (PLA2).
Illustrated Approach to Imaging and Staging of Nodal Disease in the Neck

This article provides a review of the anatomic classification and staging of nodal disease in the neck through the use of tables, illustrations, and sample imaging cases. The article reinforces knowledge of nodal disease in the neck while reviewing imaging examples of common and uncommon disease entities in this region. We review nodal disease in the neck using American Joint Committee on Cancer staging criteria. We illustrate anatomy of the nodal levels of the neck with accompanying examples of selected cases. These are presented in an integrated manner, highlighting items of importance to radiologists. The accompanying images and clinical scenarios aid recognition with an emphasis on differential diagnosis. Case examples include a broad range of pathologically and clinically proven disease entities involving lymph node disease in the neck accumulated from 1999 to 2008 at a tertiary referral center. The anatomical relationships and major disease processes for this location are reviewed and illustrated with example images from commonly used imaging modalities for this region. Examples of cases discussed include lymphoma, metastatic neoplasms such as head/neck squamous cell carcinoma and esthesioneuroblastoma, and inflammatory and infectious processes such as mononucleosis. The reader will gain or refresh information about the anatomical relationships and demarcations of the nodal levels of the neck as well as disease entities that frequently present with neck adenopathy. This information is useful both in clinical practice and in preparation for certifying examinations. The images provided aid recognition with an emphasis on clinical context and differential diagnosis. A succinct review of patterns of nodal disease of the neck with anatomic orientation using illustrations of typical and atypical disease entities in this region enhance and reinforce understanding of this often complex area of imaging.
Elimination of Quantitative Trait Loci Equations in an Animal Model Incorporating Genetic Marker Data

Abstract An animal model for BLUP of additive effects at marked quantitative trait loci and breeding values does not require quantitative trait loci equations for animals that were not marker genotyped and do not provide relationship ties among genotyped descendants. An animal model in quantitative trait loci effects and breeding values is equivalent to a previous model in quantitative trait loci effects and residual breeding values. With no marker data, absorption of quantitative trait loci into breeding value equations reduces to the standard animal model for phenotypic data. With marker data on some animals, quantitative trait loci equations for animals without marker data and not providing relationship ties among genotyped descendants can be eliminated. Resulting mixed model equations contain the inverse of a variance-covariance matrix among breeding values and remaining quantitative trait loci effects, which can be computed directly. Quantitative trait loci effects of progeny with parental quantitative trait loci effects eliminated are linked to breeding values of parents. Animals without marker data may be ancestors and nonelite members of the current population. Hence, a substantial fraction of a population may not be genotyped. Then, the number of equations is reduced considerably.
PCSK9 Inhibition: Current Concepts and Lessons from Human Genetics

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) plays a central role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Statins are the cornerstone of therapy for the treatment of elevated LDL-C and for the primary and secondary prevention of ASCVD. However, some patients are intolerant of statins or are unable to achieve acceptable lipid levels on statin-based regimens alone. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) serves as an important regulator of hepatocyte LDL receptor expression and degradation, and recent genetic studies have highlighted the critical role of PCSK9 in human disease. Gain-of-function mutations in PCSK9 are associated with familial hypercholesterolemia, whereas loss-of-function mutations are protective against ASCVD. Therefore, PCSK9 inhibition offers a promising supplement or alternative to statin therapy in the reduction of LDL-C. Numerous phase II and III randomized control trials have demonstrated the tolerability of monoclonal antibodies against PCSK9 and their efficacy in lowering LDL-C by an additional 40–70 %. In this article, we review the growing role of PSCK9 inhibition in LDL-C reduction for diverse patient populations.
Cytotaxonomy of Nicotiana. II

In the fourteen years intervening since CYTOTAXONOMY OF NICOTIANA. I. appeared (Goodspeed, 1945), articles bearing on this subject have been relatively few. However, this period has seen the publication of a major work on Nicotiana, a monograph on the genus (Goodspeed, 1954) which is the culmination of investigations covering almost fifty-years, results of many of which were previously unpublished. The objectives of the monograph are: first, presentation of evidence, geographic, morphological and cytogenetic, contributing to interpretation of origins, evolution and relationships of the modern species of Nicotiana; second, application of this entire body of evidence to a revised taxonomic organization of the genus. Since the monograph contains many data not elsewhere published, emphasizing the cytogenetic approach to taxonomy, it will be drawn upon extensively in the present review of the cytotaxonomy of Nicotiana. In order to avoid repetitious citation, it will be understood that statements not otherwise documented are referable to the monograph. For further detailed cytogenetic data and their interpretation, and for complete morphological and distributional data, the reader is referred to the monograph where some one hundred and twenty maps, drawings and charts supplement descriptive text. The earliest Nicotiana investigations, begun in 1904 by the late Dr. W. A. Setchell, were concerned only with genetic analysis of varieties of N. tabacum and with such other species as were in American Indian cultivation, preand post-Columbian. As early as 1915, however, there was begun at the University of California Botanical Garden in Berkeley, a living collection of species of Nicotiana which ultimately included all but three of the currently recognized species, to permit morphological and cytogenetic investigations on an extremely extensive scale. The majority of the species of Nicotiana are native to South Amer-
Mutagenicity testing of chlorinated biphenyls and chlorinated dibenzofurans.

Abstract 4 chlorinated biphenyl and 5 chlorinated dibenzofuran compounds have been evaluated in the reversion assay developed by B.N. Ames using Salmonella typhimurium histidine auxotrophs. All these compounds (2,4,2′,4′-tetrachlorobiphenyl, 3,4,3′,4′-tetrachlorobiphenyl, 4-chlorobiphenyl, 2,4,6,2′,4′,6′-hexachlorobiphenyl, dibenzofuran, 2,9-dichlorodibenzofuran, 3,6-dichlorodibenzofuran, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran and octachlorodibenzofuran) were nonmutagenic for strains TA98 and TA100 when tested over a 3-log dose range. They were also not mutagenic whether or not varying concentrations of microsomal extracts (S9) from uninduced rats or from rats induced by several methods were included in the experimental protocol.
The relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: a research note

Abstract Previous studies of the relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure have consistently documented a lack of significance. This study examines the relation between 1990 annual report environmental disclosures for a sample of 131 US companies and their environmental performance as based on toxics release data from 1988 (made available in 1990). In contrast to the previous examinations, results indicate that, controlling for firm size and industry classification (two factors previously shown to be related to the extent of environmental disclosure), there is a significant negative relation between performance and disclosure for the sample firms. However, the disclosure level of firms from non-environmentally sensitive industries is more affected by toxic release levels than is the disclosure of firms from environmentally sensitive industries.
Domestic Violence Survivors' Access of Career Counseling Services: A Qualitative Investigation

The present study was a qualitative investigation of the impact of domestic violence on women's career development and the contextual barriers and supports that affect women's ability to access career counseling services. Our sample included 11 women who completed various stages of a community-based career counseling intervention program. The primary aim of this sampling strategy was to provide career development scholars and counselors with information about the contextual barriers and supports that influence women's decisions to access and complete career counseling services. Data indicated that emotional consequences of abuse, fear of new situations, others' judgments, and practical constraints served as barriers to accessing and completing the career program. Elements of the career group context and the career program structure served as supports to accessing career services. Recommendations for research and practice are provided.
Radioligand receptor assay for prolactin using chicken and turkey kidney membranes

1. A sensitive and specific radioreceptor assay for measuring prolactin in tissue extracts, culture media and serum has been developed utilizing membrane fractions prepared from either chicken or turkey kidney, and an ovine prolactin standard and tracer. 2. Assay sensitivity was 1.0 +/- 0.1 ng per tube, 50% inhibition of binding occurred with 12.8 +/- 1.2 ng of unlabeled ovine prolactin standard, and intra- and interassay coefficients of variation were 3.9% and 8.8%, respectively. 3. The 47,800 g kidney membrane preparation, which yielded maximum specific binding of 20-40%, offered advantages over current methods including use of an easily available and inexpensive tissue, no need for pretreatment of the donor animal, a high yield of receptor protein, and a simplified method of membrane preparation.
Glass-liquid scintillating fibers for calorimetry

Abstract An interesting calorimeter technology for possible use in high radiation and high rate applications is the liquid scintillating fiber spaghetti calorimeter. Once a leading candidate for use at the SSC, a considerable amount of research was done to find liquid scintillating fibers with properties (light output, attenuation length and radiation resistance) satisfying the requirements for use in this application. In this report, a summary of results from a search for long attenuation fibers constructed using high refractive index liquid scintillator in glass tubes is presented. Fibers with attenuation lengths exceeding 4 m were found which well satisfied the requirements. In addition, the test stand and fiber light coupling scheme used for this study are discussed.
A Self-Consistent Substrate Thermal Profile Estimation Technique for Nanoscale ICs—Part I: Electrothermal Couplings and Full-Chip Package Thermal Model

As CMOS technology scales to nanometer regime, power dissipation issues and associated thermal problems have emerged as critical design concerns in most high-performance integrated circuits (ICs) including microprocessors. In this scenario, accurate estimation of the silicon junction (substrate or die) temperature is crucial for various performance analyses and chip-level thermal management. This paper introduces the notion of self-consistency in the junction temperature estimation by taking into account various electrothermal couplings between chip power, average junction temperature, operating frequency, and supply voltage. The self-consistent solutions of the average junction temperature are shown to have significant implications for various chip-level power, performance, reliability, and cooling cost tradeoffs. Moreover, a realistic package thermal model is introduced that comprehends different packaging layers and noncubic structure of the package, which are not accounted for in traditional analyses. The model is subsequently incorporated in the self-consistent substrate thermal profile estimation, which is discussed in Part II with implications for power estimation and thermal management in nanometer-scale CMOS technologies.
Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry for the identification of bacterial and fungal isolates

Identification of bacterial and fungal isolates from clinical specimens has traditionally been performed by examination of colony morphology and by biochemical characterization using classic tube sets. While these methods remain the gold standard for identification, they can be laborious to perform and subjective to interpret. These drawbacks have largely been alleviated with the advent of automated biochemical testing platforms and with the development of DNA sequencing and polymerase chain reaction techniques. Though reliable and rapid, molecular-based platforms are associated with significantly higher cost and require advanced user expertise for assay development and performance. These factors limit the routine implementation of molecular diagnostic methods to large hospitals and reference laboratories. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry is an automated, molecular platform recently adopted by many clinical laboratories worldwide, which offers a rapid, straightforward, and inexpensive method for the identification of bacterial and fungal organisms.
Attempted prevention of blast crisis in chronic myeloid leukemia by the use of pulsed doses of cytosine arabinoside and cis-chloronitrosurea during the course of busulfan-maintained remission.

AbstractWe performed this chemotherapeutic trial to try to delay the onset of the blast crisis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) by pulsing doses of drugs most likely to be effective against emerging “blast” cells characteristic of acute phase disease. A randomized trial in patients with CML comparing busulfan maintenance to busul-fan maintenance plus pulsed doses of cytarabine and lomustine did not yield any differences in either time to blast crisis or death.
Growth and properties of HgTe-CdTe and other Hg-based superlattices

This review paper reports on growth by molecular beam epitaxy and characterization of HgTe-CdTe. Hg 1-x Cd x Te-CdTe, and HgTe-ZnTe superlattice systems.
Ownership of Education Reforms in the Kyrgyz Republic: Kto V Dome Hozyain?:

An important subset of issues involved in describing the process of educational globalization emerges when considering the reception, response and/or rejection of international proposals, ideologies and agents by indigenous national and regional educators. This case study describes and discusses how foreign/Western education proposals and policies were solicited and then responded to by educators in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, now an independent country, between 2001 and 2004. It also discusses the pivotal role of one key figure in the process, the former minister of education in Kyrgyzstan, now responsible for a large World Bank project to improve rural education in that country. A powerful figure both in her own nation and in the eyes of foreign sponsors, both American and European, her biography continues to illustrate both possibilities and tensions between the former education system and international hopes and designs for school reform in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Kellogg, John Harvey (1852–1943)

John Harvey Kellogg, the inventor of flaked cereals, was for 67 years physician-in-chief at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan. He was a disciple of Ellen White, a founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Both of them were crusaders against masturbation. Kellogg condemned sexual activity except for the purpose of procreation. These views were expressed in his influential book, Plain Facts about Sexual Life (1877). Keywords: masturbation; unchastity
PRISMS: the story of a pivotal clinical trial series in multiple sclerosis.

AbstractBackground:The PRISMS (Prevention of Relapses and disability by Interferon beta-1a Subcutaneously in Multiple Sclerosis) study was initiated in 1994, at which time there were few disease-modifying drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS). The PRISMS series of studies has since provided up to 8 years of clinical, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), safety, and immunogenicity data on the use of subcutaneous (sc) interferon (IFN) beta-1a in patients with relapsing–remitting MS. This review is the first collation of all these data in one article, with a look ahead to the next generation of studies involving the new formulation of sc IFN beta-1a.Methods:Published efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity data, in terms of prospectively defined endpoints and later post hoc analyses, from years 1–8 of the PRISMS series are summarized and collated for the first time. Some of the studies of sc IFN beta-1a that evolved from the PRISMS studies are also discussed.Findings:In the 2-year, double-blind, randomized, placebo-co...
Surface emitting terahertz quantum cascade lasers

Design and simulation results for surface-emitting terahertz quantum cascade lasers using phase-shifted second-order gratings are presented. Analysis shows performance superior to edge-emitting devices, with outcoupling efficiencies nearly twice as large, and narrow output beam widths.
Impact of Sociodemographic Patient Characteristics on the Efficacy of Decision Aids A Patient-Level Meta-Analysis of 7 Randomized Trials

Background—Decision aids (DAs) increase patient knowledge, reduce decisional conflict, and promote shared decision making (SDM). The extent to which they do so across diverse sociodemographic patient groups is unknown. Methods and Results—We conducted a patient-level meta-analysis of 7 randomized trials of DA versus usual care comprising 771 encounters between patients and clinicians discussing treatment options for chest pain, myocardial infarction, diabetes mellitus, and osteoporosis. Using a random effects model, we examined the impact of sociodemographic patient characteristics (age, sex, education, income, and insurance status) on the outcomes of knowledge transfer, decisional conflict, and patient involvement in SDM. Because of small numbers of people of color in the study population, we were not powered to investigate the role of race. Most patients were aged ≥65 years (61%), white (94%), and women (59%); two thirds had greater than a high school education. Compared with usual care, DA patients gai...
Pharmacological properties of recombinant N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors containing the ϵ4 (NR2D) subunit

Abstract The modulatory effects of spermine, histamine, and ifenprodil on recombinant N -methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptors expressed from the NR1A and ϵ4 (NR2D) subunits were studied by voltage-clamp recording in Xenopus oocytes. Spermine had no effect on responses to glutamate and glycine at NR1A/ϵ4 receptors. None of the four previously described effects of spermine, all of which are seen at NR1A receptors and at NR1A/NR2B receptors, was seen at NR1A/ϵ4 receptors. Similarly, NR1A/ϵ4 receptors were insensitive to potentiation by histamine and to blockade by ifenprodil. The properties of NR1A/ϵ4 receptors thus resemble those of NR1A/NR2C receptors and are markedly different from those of homomeric NR1A receptors. In heteromeric NR1A/ϵ4 receptors the ϵ4 subunit may alter properties associated with the NR1A subunit, as has been previously suggested for NR2A, NR2B, and NR2C subunits in NR1A/NR2 receptors.
The Journals of Ernest Becker, 1964-1969

Written from 1964 until 1969, the year in which Ernest Becker rediscovered the writings of Otto Rank, these journals offer a poignant answer to Becker's call to all of us, and most of all to himsel...
The effect of beta adrenergic blockade on bronchial sensitivity to acetyl-beta-methacholine in normal and allergic rhinitis subjects

The effect of propranolol inhalation on sensitivity to methacholine inhalation was studied in normal and allergic rhinitis subjects to determine whether beta adrenergic blockade alters sensitivity to mediators in nonasthmatic atopic individuals. A partial beta adrenergic blockade is suggested as being instrumental in asthma. Hay fever patients studied showed similar effects and also developed asthma for the first time.
Testicular morphology and function in boars differing in concentrations of plasma follicle-stimulating hormone

The objective of this study was to evaluate morphological characteristics and testicular function of boars with different endogenous concentrations of FSH. Boars were selected at 6 mo of age on the basis of mean FSH concentrations in plasma collected at 4, 5, and 6 mo of age. Boars were classified within half-sibling families based on whether they had high concentrations of FSH (HiFSH, > 500 ng/ml, n = 9) or low concentrations (LoFSH, 0.70) in volume, diameter, or total number of Leydig cells or in total interstitial volume in testes (p > 0.41) of these two groups. Production of testosterone in vitro per paired testis and per million Leydig cells was not different (p > 0.65) between boars with HiFSH or LoFSH. Greater concentrations of FSH in blood plasma were negatively associated with development of seminiferous tubules and spermatogenic efficiency, whereas Leydig cell development was not different in boars of these two groups.
Concrete polymer materials as alternative materials of construction for Geothermal applications: Field test evaluations

A serious problem in the development of geothermal energy is the availability of durable and economical materials of construction for handling hot brine and steam. Hot brine and other aerated geothermal fluids are highly corrosive and they attack most conventional materials of construction. Brookhaven National Laboratory has been investigating the use of concrete polymer materials as alternate materials of construction for geothermal processes. To date, successful field tests have been demonstrated at the Geysers, US Bureau of Mines Corrosion Facility, and at the East Mesa Geothermal Facility. This is a survey of field and laboratory evaluations of concrete polymer materials which have been shown to be durable and economical as alternate materials of construction.
A localized approach for the method of approximate particular solutions

The method of approximate particular solutions (MAPS) has been recently developed to solve various types of partial differential equations. In the MAPS, radial basis functions play an important role in approximating the forcing term. Coupled with the concept of particular solutions and radial basis functions, a simple and effective numerical method for solving a large class of partial differential equations can be achieved. One of the difficulties of globally applying MAPS is that this method results in a large dense matrix which in turn severely restricts the number of interpolation points, thereby affecting our ability to solve large-scale science and engineering problems. In this paper we develop a localized scheme for the method of approximate particular solutions (LMAPS). The new localized approach allows the use of a small neighborhood of points to find the approximate solution of the given partial differential equation. In this paper, this local numerical scheme is used for solving large-scale problems, up to one million interpolation points. Three numerical examples in two-dimensions are used to validate the proposed numerical scheme.
Comment in Reply

(1977). Comment in Reply. Annals of the Association of American Geographers: Vol. 67, No. 1, pp. 176-177.
Mode evolution in a droplet

We present a modifed Fox–Li analysis for the evolution of the mode in a dielectric sphere. When Fresnel apodization is included, the final field distributions resemble those calculated by the more traditional, steady-state Mie–Debye theory. For microdroplets of the size typically studied in linear and nonlinear scattering experiments, we find that this steady-state distribution evolves in approximately 200 iterations, and this corresponds to a mode evolution time in the tens of picoseconds.
Hamster Sperm-Associated Alpha-L-Fucosidase Functions During Fertilization

Sperm-associated alpha-L-fucosidases have been identified in diverse organisms. Their wide phylogenetic distribution and known properties support the likelihood that L-fucose and alphaL-fucosidase have fundamental function(s) during gamete interaction. This is consistent with the substantial evidence in the literature documenting the importance of carbohydrate moieties during fertilization. Direct enzyme assays were employed to evaluate the functional distribution of alpha-L-fucosidase in preparations of hamster sperm. In vitro fertilization was performed using Syrian hamster sperm and eggs to identify the functional role of hamster sperm-associated alpha-L-fucosidase during zona pellucida binding/penetration, sperm-egg membrane fusion, and postfusion events. Results reported here document the presence of hamster sperm-associated alpha-Lfucosidase and demonstrate that it functions during fertilization at the stage of sperm-oocyte membrane interaction and/or postfusion events within the zygote. Understanding the role of alpha-L-fucosidase during human fertilization could lead to development of improved infertility treatments. DFJ, fertilization, fucose, gamete biology, in vitro fertilization
Nutrient limitation of biofilm biomass and metabolism in the Upper Snake River basin, southeast Idaho, USA

It is essential to know the nutrient limitation status of biofilms to understand how they may buffer uptake and export of nutrients from polluted watersheds. We tested the effects of nutrient additions on biofilm biomass (chlorophyll a, ash free dry mass (AFDM), and autotrophic index (AI, AFDM/chl a)) and metabolism via nutrient-diffusing substrate bioassays (control, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and N + P treatments) at 11 sites in the Upper Snake River basin (southeast Idaho, USA) that differed in the magnitude and extent of human-caused impacts. Water temperature, turbidity, and dissolved inorganic N concentrations all changed seasonally at the study sites, while turbidity and dissolved inorganic N and P also varied with impact level. Chl a and AI on control treatments suggested that the most heavily impacted sites supported more autotrophic biofilms than less-impacted sites, and that across all sites biofilms were more heterotrophic in autumn than in summer. Nutrient stimulation or suppression of biofilm biomass was observed for chl a in 59% of the experiments and for AFDM in 33%, and the most frequent response noted across all study sites was N limitation. P suppression of chl a was observed only at the most-impacted sites, while AFDM was never suppressed by nutrients. When nutrient additions did have significant effects on metabolism, they were driven by differences in biomass rather than by changes in metabolic rates. Our study demonstrated that biofilms in southeast Idaho rivers were primarily limited by N, but nutrient limitation was more frequent at sites with good water quality than at those with poor water quality. Additionally, heterotrophic and autotrophic biofilm components may respond differently to nutrient enrichment, and nutrient limitation of biofilm biomass should not be considered a surrogate for metabolism in these rivers.
GWAF: an R package for genome-wide association analyses with family data

Summary: GWAF, Genome-Wide Association analyses with Family, is an R package designed for GWAF. It implements association tests between a batch of genotyped or imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a binary or continuous trait with user specified genetic model, and generates informative results from the analyses. In addition, GWAF provides functions to visualize results. We evaluated GWAF using a simulated continuous trait and a binary trait dichotomized from the simulated continuous trait with real genotype data from the Framingham Heart Study's SNP Health Association Resource project. Availability: http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/GWAF/ Contact: ude.ub@gnayq Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Perognathus intermedius (Rock pocket mouse)

No distinct secondary constrictions. Identification of X somewhat equivocal but not too difficult. Identification of Y very easy.
Sodium Pump Activity, Not Glial Spatial Buffering, Clears Potassium After Epileptiform Activity Induced in the Dentate Gyrus

A number of mechanisms have been proposed to play a role in the regulation of activity-dependent variations in extracellular potassium concentration ([K(+)](o)). We tested possible regulatory mechanisms for [K(+)](o) during spontaneous recurrent epileptiform activity induced in the dentate gyrus of hippocampal slices from adult rats by perfusion with 8 mM potassium and 0-added calcium medium in an interface chamber. Local application of tetrodotoxin blocked local [K(+)](o) changes, suggesting that potassium is released and taken up locally. Perfusion with barium or cesium, blockers of the inward rectifying potassium channel, did not alter the baseline [K(+)](o), the ceiling level of [K(+)](o) reached during the burst, or the rate of [K(+)](o) recovery after termination of the bursts. Decreasing gap junctional conductance did not change the baseline [K(+)](o) or the half-time of recovery of the [K(+)](o) after the bursts but did cause a decrease in the ceiling level of [K(+)](o). Perfusion with furosemide, which will block cation/chloride cotransporters, or perfusion with low chloride did not change the baseline [K(+)](o) or the half-time of recovery of the [K(+)](o) after the bursts but did increase the ceiling level of [K(+)](o). Bath or local application of ouabain, a Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase inhibitor, increased the baseline [K(+)](o), slowed the rate of [K(+)](o) recovery, and induced spreading depression. These findings suggest that potassium redistribution by glia only plays a minor role in the regulation of [K(+)](o) in this model. The major regulator of [K(+)](o) in this model appears to be uptake via a Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, most likely neuronal.
Use of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for the Treatment of PTSD

Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression often fail to resolve with traditional interventions using psychotherapy and/or pharmacotherapy. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation treatment that may offer efficacy for those patients who have not obtained adequate relief from their symptoms.
Consumption in Soap Operas from Brazil, New Zealand, and the U.S.: Production, Products, and Process

This session examined the influence on consumers of consumption imagery and cultural reality depicted in soap operas from Brazil, New Zealand, and the United States. The papers presented studies of products placed in television soaps in selected countries where the vehicle and/or the audience have not been sufficiently well studied. The rationale is that knowledge of the entertainment-education value of soaps in context contributes both to better understanding of consumers as well as to ways that placed products impact their lives (Kennedy et al. 2004; Singhal and Rogers 1999). Insofar as soaps produced and consumed in each culture have important but not fully researched differences, the session provided insight into consumption scenarios and consumer interpretations.
How Can Competition Agencies Use Behavioral Economics

Behavioral economics is both mainstream and timely. The financial crisis raised important issues of market failure, weak regulation, moral hazard, and our poor understanding of how key markets operate. One therefore expects lawyers and economists to bring the current economic thinking to competition agencies, some of which are already taking note. How should the competition agencies respond? This article examines how competition agencies can consider behavioral economics' implications on four levels: first as a gap filler, that is, to help explain “real world” evidence that neoclassical economic theory cannot explain; second, to assess critically the assumptions of specific policies, such as merger review and cartel prosecutions; third, to revisit fundamental questions, such as what is competition and what are the goals of competition law; and fourth, to assess how behavioral economics will affect the degree of convergence of competition law among the over 100 jurisdictions with competition laws today.
Characterizing the Effect of Radial Vane Height on Flame Migration in an Ultra Compact Combustor

The Ultra Compact Combustor (UCC) has shown viable merit for significantly improving gas turbine combustor performance. UCC models for small engines can provide centrifugal loading up to 4,000 gs. However, as the scale of the combustor increases, the g-load will necessarily decrease and the radial vane height will increase. Thus, the importance of understanding flame migration over increasing radial vane heights is pivotal to the applicability of this design to larger engine diameters. The Air Force Institute of Technology’s Combustion Optimization and Analysis Laser laboratory studied this effect with a sectional UCC model using three different vane heights. By varying the mass flow rates of the circumferential UCC section, the g-loading was varied from 500–2,000 gs. Two-line Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence at 10Hz was used for 2D temperature profiles. High-speed video at 2kHz was also used for qualitative flame migration characterization. Several cases were studied varying the radial vane height, the circumferential g-load, and the UCC/core mass flow ratio but specifically focusing on the interaction between matching the core mass flow and the core freestream velocity among the different vane heights. Finally, the decreased core flow velocity for the same mass flow weakened the shear layer between the main and cavity flows and this allowed deeper flame migration into the core flow from the UCC. Control of the overall flame migration is the key to produce desirable combustor exit temperature profiles. Increased spans lead to higher velocity gradients and increased flame injection angles at the same mass flow rates. However, at the same core flow velocities and UCC to core flow velocity ratios the flame injection angle was relatively independent of the radial vane height and almost entirely dependent on the core flow velocity alone.© 2011 ASME
Coliforms, Escherichia coli and Salmonella serovars associated with a citrus-processing facility implicated in a salmonellosis outbreak.

A salmonellosis outbreak occurred during the summer of 1995 among individuals who consumed nonpasteurized orange juice from a Florida citrus-processing facility. Clinical isolates were identified by the Centers for Disease Control as Salmonella serovars Hartford, Gaminara, and Rubislaw. At the processing facility, 70 samples (equipment swabs, fruit surface swabs, juice, and miscellaneous environmental samples) were collected before, during, and after processing runs on two different dates. Bottled juice samples from eight previous extraction dates were also collected. Total plate counts, fecal coliforms, and Escherichia coli were enumerated for each sample. Analyses for Salmonella cells were conducted on all juice samples, fruit surface swabs, environmental samples, and selected equipment swabs using direct enrichment and pre-enrichment techniques. Salmonella serovars Hartford, Rubislaw, Saintpaul, and Newport were detected from either juice, unwashed fruit surfaces, or amphibians (Hyla cinerea and Bufo t...
A Multitheoretical, Multilevel, Multidimensional Network Model of the Media System: Production, Content, and Audiences

(2013). A Multitheoretical, Multilevel, Multidimensional Network Model of the Media System: Production, Content, and Audiences. Annals of the International Communication Association: Vol. 37, Communication Yearbook 37, pp. 67-93.
Jurisdiction and Resentencing

This Essay is about what prosecutors can do to ensure that prisoners with meritorious legal claims have a remedy.
Improving Pediatric Education for Emergency Medical Services Providers: A Qualitative Study.

Objectives Previous studies have illustrated pediatric knowledge deficits among Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers. The purpose of this study was to identify perspectives of a diverse group of EMS providers regarding pediatric prehospital care educational deficits and proposed methods of training improvements. Methods Purposive sampling was used to recruit EMS providers in diverse settings for study participation. Two separate focus groups of EMS providers (administrative and non-administrative personnel) were held in three locations (urban, suburban, and rural). A professional moderator facilitated focus group discussion using a guide developed by the study team. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze data. Results Forty-two participants provided data. Four major themes were identified: (1) suboptimal previous pediatric training and training gaps in continuing pediatric education; (2) opportunities for improved interactions with emergency department (ED) staff, including case-based feedback on patient care; (3) barriers to optimal pediatric prehospital care; and (4) proposed pediatric training improvements. Conclusion Focus groups identified four themes surrounding preparation of EMS personnel for providing care to pediatric patients. These themes can guide future educational interventions for EMS to improve pediatric prehospital care. Brown SA , Hayden TC , Randell KA , Rappaport L , Stevenson MD , Kim IK . Improving pediatric education for Emergency Medical Services providers: a qualitative study. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(1):20-26.
Synthesis, structural characterization, and volatility evaluation of zirconium and hafnium amidate complexes

Abstract Treatment of tetrakis(dimethylamido)zirconium or tetrakis(dimethylamido)hafnium with four equivalents of N-tert-butylacetamide, N-isopropylisobutyramide, N-isopropylacetamide, N-methylacetamide, or N-tert-butylformamide in refluxing toluene, followed by sublimation of the crude products at 105–125 °C/0.05 Torr, afforded tetrakis(N-tert-butylacetamido)zirconium (81%), tetrakis(N-isopropylisobutyramido)zirconium (87%), tetrakis(N-isopropylacetamido)zirconium (51%), tetrakis(N-tert-butylacetamido)hafnium (83%), tetrakis(N-isopropyliso-butyramido)hafnium (79%), tetrakis(N-isopropylacetamido)hafnium (67%), tetrakis(N-methylacetamido)zirconium (5%), and tetrakis(N-tert-butylformamido)zirconium (1%) as colorless crystalline solids. The structural assignments for the new complexes were based upon spectral and analytical data and by X-ray crystal structure determinations for tetrakis(N-tert-butylacetamido)zirconium, tetrakis(N-isopropylacetamido)zirconium, tetrakis(N-isopropylacetamido)hafnium, tetrakis(N-methylacetamido)zirconium, and tetrakis(N-tert-butylformamido)zirconium. These complexes are monomeric in the solid state, with eight-coordinate metal centers surrounded by four κ2-N,O-amidate ligands. Six of the eight new complexes undergo sublimation on a preparative scale from 130 to 140 °C at 0.05 Torr, with 84.5–95.8% sublimed recoveries and 0.68–3.06% nonvolatile residues. Tetrakis(N-methylacetamido)zirconium and tetrakis(N-tert-butylformamido)zirconium decompose extensively upon attempted sublimation. Solid state decomposition temperatures for the zirconium complexes range between 218 and 335 °C and 290–360 °C for the hafnium complexes. Tetrakis(N-isopropylisobutyramido)zirconium, tetrakis(N-tert-butylacetamido)hafnium, and tetrakis(N-isopropylacetamido)hafnium exhibit the highest solid state decomposition temperatures in the series, possess good volatility, and have useful properties for chemical vapor deposition and atomic layer deposition precursors.
The Challenges of Research on Interventions for Low Back Pain.

Nguyen and colleagues report a randomized trial of glucocorticoid injection for patients with chronic low back pain associated with active discopathy. The editorialists the trial's authors for avoi...
Detection and tracking of chemical trails in bio-inspired sensory systems

Many aquatic organisms exhibit remarkable abilities to detect and track chemical signals when foraging, mating and escaping. For example, the male copepod T. longicornis identifies the female in th...
Scenes from the Unconscious

Administering and examining organizations needs to shift toward the unconscious, described as a conceptual space between the postmodern and modern perspectives. We should become clearer why we tend to trivialize it. A prime characteristic of the unconscious is that is uncanny; it is not simply an add-on to consciousness. We trivialize it for such reasons as repression, resistance, discomfort with loss of conscious control and are indicated in terms of radical hesitation about theory, the aversion to the uncanny. The benefits in this shift toward the unconscious is illustrated by discussing transference manifestations and defensive functioning. It is also proposed that organizations can benefit from storying and re-storying, where psychoanalytic interpretations are understood in terms of truth approximations. Two examples are given that understand organizational behavior in terms of the Oedipal scene. How the modernist and the postmodern frameworks provide different understandings of the workings of the unconscious claims of distinct disciplines, positivism, categorization, and ultimate reality.
COMMENTARY: Process Safety: Look Looking Beyond Personal Safety to Address Occupational Hazards and Risks

“A controlling agency, together with the individuals who are controlled by it, comprises a social system … and our task is to account for the behavior of all participants.”—B. F. Skinner in Science...
Mary Snyder Broussard. Reading, Research, and Writing: Teaching Information Literacy with Process-Based Research Assignments. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2017. 140p. Paper, $40.00 (ISBN 978-0-8389-8875-6).

Any academic librarian involved in reference and instruction can point to many titles that examine information literacy. In the case of Mary Broussard’s Reading, Research, and Writing: Teaching Information Literacy with Process-Based Research Assignments, the reader will find a book that takes a more holistic view on the subject. In this case, that view also includes exploring how reading and the writing process are as important as and critically connected to the research process.
Pathogenic Effects of IFIT2 and Interferon-β during Fatal Systemic Candida albicans Infection.

ABSTRACT A balanced immune response to infection is essential to prevent the pathology and tissue damage that can occur from an unregulated or hyperactive host defense. Interferons (IFNs) are critical mediators of the innate defense to infection, and in this study we evaluated the contribution of a specific gene coding for IFIT2 induced by type I IFNs in a murine model of disseminated Candida albicans. Invasive candidiasis is a frequent challenge during immunosuppression or surgical medical interventions, and C. albicans is a common culprit that leads to high rates of mortality. When IFIT2 knockout mice were infected systemically with C. albicans, they were found to have improved survival and reduced fungal burden compared to wild-type mice. One of the mechanisms by which IFIT2 increases the pathological effects of invasive C. albicans appears to be suppression of NADPH oxidase activation. Loss of IFIT2 increases production of reactive oxygen species by leukocytes, and we demonstrate that IFIT2 is a binding partner of a critical regulatory subunit of NADPH oxidase, p67 phox . Since the administration of IFN has been used therapeutically to combat viral infections, cancer, and multiple sclerosis, we evaluated administration of IFN-β to mice prior to C. albicans infection. IFN-β treatment promoted pathology and death from C. albicans infection. We provide evidence that IFIT2 increases the pathological effects of invasive C. albicans and that administration of IFN-β has deleterious effects during infection. IMPORTANCE The attributable mortality associated with systemic C. albicans infections in health care settings is significant, with estimates greater than 40%. This life-threatening disease is common in patients with weakened immune systems, either due to disease or as a result of therapies. Type I interferons (IFN) are cytokines of the innate defense response that are used as immune modulators in the treatment of specific cancers, viral infections, and multiple sclerosis. In this study, we show using a murine model that the loss of a specific IFN-stimulated gene coding for IFIT2 improves survival following systemic C. albicans infection. This result infers a harmful effect of IFN during C. albicans infection and is supported by our finding that administration of IFN-β prior to invasive infection promotes fatal pathology. The findings contribute to our understanding of the innate immune response to C. albicans, and they suggest that IFN therapies present a risk factor for disseminated candidiasis.
Confirmation of identity by gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry of sulfathiazole, sulfamethazine, sulfachloropyridazine, and sulfadimethoxine from bovine or swine liver extracts after quantitation by gas chromatography/electron-capture detection

Four sulfonamide veterinary drug residues were quantitated by electron-capture detection (ECD) after separation by gas chromatography (GC). The identities of sulfathiazole (ST), sulfamethazine (SM), sulfachloropyridazine (SCP), and sulfadimethoxine (SDM) were confirmed in bovine or swine liver residues by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Bovine or swine liver tissues were extracted by using either the Tishler or the Manuel-Steller cleanup. The methylated residues containing ST, SM, SCP, and SDM were separated by GC prior to MS/MS daughter ion analysis. Control tissue, control tissue fortified at 0.1 ppm, and incurred tissue residues at approximately 0.1 ppm were analyzed for these 4 sulfonamides. A Finnigan Model TSQ-46 operating in the chemical ionization mode was used to perform the MS/MS daughter ion experiments. The identities of all 4 sulfonamides were confirmed in a single GC/MS/MS analysis.