cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using Positive Emotion Training With Maltreated Youths to Reduce Anger Bias and Physical Aggression

Maltreated youths often overinterpret anger in others' emotional expressions, particularly expressions that are ambiguous, and this "anger bias" is associated with aggressive behavior. In the current experiment, we tested the effect of an emotion-training intervention on anger bias and subsequent aggression. Eighty-four youths, ages 8 to 17, who had been removed from home because of maltreatment and had screened positive for aggressive tendencies, served as participants. Over 4 days, youths completed positive emotion training, a computerized program in which youths classify emotional expressions. Youths in the treatment condition received feedback to encourage their recognition of happiness over anger in ambiguous expressions. Physical aggression up to 1 week posttraining was assessed on the basis of self- and staff reports. The intervention was effective in reducing youths' anger bias and somewhat so in reducing aggression-the latter of-which occurred infrequently, limiting power. Results offer direction for developmental research and cost-effective interventions for maltreated youths at risk for aggression and future justice-system involvement.
Pressurized Metered-Dose Inhaler Extra Dispenses: Oh, the Horror!

Background: Metered dose inhaler (MDI) is one of the most common methods for inhalation medication administration in pediatrics and adults. The total annual spend associated with inhalers dispensed at our institution is $1,380,000 of that approximately 21% is due to replacing missing inhalers at the point of care. Upon investigation it was discovered that routine instances of missing inhalers were due to unstandardized storages areas, patient transfers, and change of shift. To decrease cost and improve efficiency, a team was established to verify and evaluate the problems and come up with solutions to improve practices around MDI administration. Methods: During the fall of 2017 a multidisciplinary team of respiratory therapists, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, nurses, data analyst, and a process improvement advisor experts were brought together to evaluate the workflows around MDI administration throughout the hospital. The team developed a charter using the CHOP Improvement Framework to identify the biggest problem areas and develop actions for improvement. A series of PDSA cycles in three clinical areas targeting patient transfers, change of shift, and medication storage areas were introduced to test process improvement work. Results: Figure 1 illustrates the mean cost of having to dispense additional MDIs equals 21% of the total cost associated with MDI therapy. Creating a general awareness to the team before improvement work started, led to an initial 9. 7% reduction from the previous high of 25.9%. The first PDSA cycle focusing on hand-off and transfer communication led to a cost drop of 13. 7% of the total cost. The second PDSA cycle focused on the use of medication bags to standardize storage during patient transfer, this decreased the cost another percent to 12.7% of the total cost. Conclusions: Inhalation administration is a costly expense in healthcare organizations. Implementing simple systems aimed at improved communication around patient transfers and change of shift as well as standardizing storage methods can improve efficiency and decrease cost of delivering MDI therapy.
Abstract 4757: TNFAIP8 facilitates metabolic reprogramming in prostate cancer cells

Tumor necrosis factor-α-induced protein 8 (TNFAIP8), a member of TIPE/TNFAIP8 family, has been associated with multiple oncogenic roles in human cancers. Here we investigated the role of TNFAIP8 in metabolic reprogramming in prostate cancer (PCa) cells. Ectopic expression of TNFAIP8 increased cell survival/proliferation by enhancing metabolic activity in PCa cells. TNFAIP8 activated the PI3K-AKT pathway and up-regulated the expression of cell proliferation markers, cell cycle-related proteins, and PCa stem cell markers. TNFAIP8 was also found to regulate the expression of glucose metabolizing enzymes, enhancing glucose consumption, and endogenous ATP production. Treatment with glycolysis inhibitor 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) reduced TNFAIP8 mediated glucose consumption /ATP production and spheroid formation in PCa cells. Moreover, TNFAIP8 maintained mitochondrial membrane potential and increased glycolysis/oxidative phosphorylation. These changes were also consistent with an observed altered metabolomic profile in PCa cells transfected with TNFAIP8. Collectedly, our data suggest that TNFAIP8 exerts its oncogenic effects by enhancing glucose metabolism and by facilitating metabolic reprogramming in PCa cells. Citation Format: Suryakant Niture, Minghui Lin, Joab O. Odera, John Moore, Deepak Kumar. TNFAIP8 facilitates metabolic reprogramming in prostate cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 4757.
On Countering Disinformation with Caution: Effective Inoculation Strategies and Others that Backfire into Community Hyper-Polarization.

The increasing adoption of social media platforms as a means of communication has made them into one of the main targets for disinformation and misinformation campaigns due, in part, to the speed increase and cost decrease of communication provided by these platforms. Given that facts and opinions are proposed, discussed and adopted by users of these platforms, countering this threat needs a better understanding of the dynamics by which false and misleading information spreads and gets adopted by users. This work develops an agent-based model that simulates an organized disinformation campaign performed by a group of users referred to as conspirators, which are opposed by a parallel organization acting as a barrier to the spread of disinformation, the inoculators. The exploration of the simulation results shows how different macroscopic states in respect to a disinformation infection and the stages for a macroscopic consensus exist. The control of the simulation based upon the model parameters allows the progression of the complete network to converge and separate over time. This provides insight into a plausible feature of social networks where the macrostate of the system depends upon the parameter values and can be modified. The relationship between these values is explored and provides intuition into aspects of a community which are necessary to withstand disinformation campaigns. The results also provide an important cautionary note that after a certain degree of conspiracy counter measures a network may become hyper-polarized.
Potential Volatility Comes to Earnings: A Look at Berkshire Hathaway's Equity Investments

Based in Omaha, Nebraska, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is a holding company that invests in many diverse businesses. The most significant of those are property and casualty insurance businesses, although the company owns businesses in the railroad, utilities, energy, and finance industries as well. The case focuses on accounting for investments at Berkshire Hathaway. The company adopted the new US guidance (ASU 2016-01) on accounting for investments in its 2018 10-K, and key excerpts from that report comprise much of the case. Students are asked to review Berkshire Hathaway's financial statements and the footnotes related to its investments, consider the method of accounting for those investments, and decipher their impact on the financial statements. Excerpt UVA-C-2426 Rev. Jan. 19, 2021 Potential Volatility Comes to Earnings: A Look at Berkshire Hathaway's Equity Investments It was mid-February 2019, and Maria rushed home. She knew that Warren Buffett's annual letter to shareholders had been posted to the Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway) website that morning, and she was anxious to see what Buffett, known as the Oracle of Omaha, had to say about Berkshire Hathaway's 2018 performance. She walked hurriedly through the front door of her condo, opened her laptop, located the letter on the website, and printed a copy to read. Berkshire earned $ 4.0billion in 2018 utilizing generally accepted accounting principles (commonly called GAAP). The components of that figure are $ 24.8billion in operating earnings, a $ 3.0billion non-cash loss from an impairment of intangible assets (arising almost entirely from our equity interest in Kraft Heinz), $ 2.8billion in realized capital gains from the sale of investment securities and a $ 20.6billion loss from a reduction in the amount of unrealized capital gains that existed in our investment holdings. . . .
Noire n'est pas mon métier ou un autre appel des Indigènes de la République

Le present article voudrait analyser L’ouvrage Noire n’est pas mon metier qui regroupe les recits et experiences de seize actrices francaises noires et metisses. S’inscrivant dans le prolongement de la reaction des acteurs afro-americains qui protestaient en 2016 contre leur absence de la liste des nomines pour la ceremonie des recompenses des oscars, les seize contributrices decrivent les discriminations dont elles sont victimes et les difficultes dont elles font face dans l’exercice de leur metier d’actrice. En inscrivant cette publication dans le contexte socio historique de la societe francaise de la fin du siecle dernier marque par la guerre des memoires, les emeutes dans les banlieues des grandes villes et le debat sur l’identite nationale, je postulerai que les revendications de ces actrices se situent dans la mouvance generale tracee par « les Indigenes de la Republique » qui refusent d’etre cantonnes dans l’arriere-cour de la republique. En revisitant les stereotypes, les discriminations, et tout le mecanisme d’invisibilisation des actrices noires dans le cinema francais, nous lirons cet ouvrage comme une tentative de prise de parole de la femme noire triplement subalterne et condamnee a une bataille permanente pour s’affirmer comme une humanite et avoir ainsi part a ce que Jacques Ranciere appelle « le partage du sensible. »
“Touching the sentiments of everyone”;: Nationalism and state broadcasting in thirties Mexico

This paper provides a historical perspective on the intersection of media, popular culture, and nationalism through a study of the broadcasting policies and programs of one of Mexico's earliest government radio stations. This study analyzes the musical programs that formed the centerpiece of government radio programming in order to evaluate the racial and class ideologies imbedded in the nationalist discourse of state broadcasters. By viewing these government programs through the lens of a broader literature on nationalism in the Third World and among diasporic communities, it is possible to identify a fundamental tension in Mexico's official nationalism between a search for the roots of an “authentic”; ethnic identity, and a need to position Mexican culture within the constellation of Western “civilization.”; Finally, this paper investigates audience reactions to state broadcasts in order to explore the meaning of early broadcast nationalism for Mexico's radio listeners.
Signal quality detection towards practical non-touch vital sign monitoring

Non-touch vital sign sensing is gaining popularity because it does not require users' cooperative efforts (e.g., charging, wearing) thus convenient for longitudinal monitoring. In recent radio-based heart and respiration rate (HR and RR) sensing using Wi-Fi, millimeter wave (mmWave), or ultra-wideband (UWB), inevitable user movements or background moving objects cause large disturbances to the much weaker respiratory and heart signals. Such "corrupted" signals must be detected and excluded to avoid making erroneous measurements. Despite several attempts, reliable signal quality detection (SQD) remains unresolved. In this paper, we spent over 80 hours to manually examine 50268 data samples collected from 8 participants. We find that heart and respiration signals are not always simultaneously available, which breaks an important assumption in prior work. We propose a 2-bit SQD to classify their "availability" separately. We further quantify the contributions of and correlation among a comprehensive set of features in both time and frequency domains, and use a forward selection strategy to identify an optimal and much smaller feature set for multiple common classification algorithms. Extensive experiments show that our 2-bit SQD achieves 91/95% precision, 88/91% recall in detecting available RR/HR signals, as compared to a flat spectrum detector (FSD) [3] and a spectrum-averaged harmonic path detector (SHAPA) [24] in prior work, and reduces the 80-percentile RR/HR errors from 10/18 bpm to 3.5/4.0 bpm, 3~4 fold reductions.
Blind Justice: Algorithmically Masking Race in Charging Decisions

A prosecutor's decision to charge or dismiss a criminal case is a particularly high-stakes choice. There is concern, however, that these judgements may suffer from explicit or implicit racial bias, as with many other such actions in the criminal justice system. To reduce potential bias in charging decisions, we designed a system that algorithmically redacts race-related information from free-text case narratives. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, we deployed this system at a large American district attorney's office to help prosecutors make race-obscured charging decisions, where it was used to review many incoming felony cases. We report on both the design, efficacy, and impact of our tool for aiding equitable decision-making. We demonstrate that our redaction algorithm is able to accurately obscure race-related information, making it difficult for a human reviewer to guess the race of a suspect while preserving other information from the case narrative. In the jurisdiction we study, we found little evidence of disparate treatment in charging decisions even prior to deployment of our intervention. Thus, as expected, our tool did not substantially alter charging rates. Nevertheless, our study demonstrates the feasibility of race-obscured charging, and more generally highlights the promise of algorithms to bolster equitable decision-making in the criminal justice system.
Exploiting Semantics from Ontologies to Enhance Accuracy of Similarity Measures

Precisely determining semantic similarity between entities becomes a building block for data mining tasks, and existing approaches tackle this problem by mainly considering ontology-based annotations to decide relatedness. Nevertheless, because semantic similarity measures usually rely on the ontology class hierarchy and blindly treat ontology facts, they may erroneously assign high values of similarity to dissimilar entities. We propose ColorSim, a similarity measure that considers semantics of OWL2 annotations, e.g., relationship types, and implicit facts and their inferring processes, to accurately compute the relatedness of two ontology annotated entities. We compare ColorSim with state-of-the-art approaches and report on preliminary experimental results that suggest the benefits of exploiting knowledge encoded in the ontologies to measure similarity.
Research Methodology: A Critique

The research in psychotherapy has been plagued by methodological problems. In all fairness to the researchers, it is not easy to conduct rigorous studies with human subjects. Standards may need to be compromised by ethical and legal considerations. And practical problems interfere with getting adequate samples or reliable and valid measures of successful treatment.
Enabling private sector investment in microgrid-based rural electrification in developing countries: A review

Access to electricity is widely recognized as an important factor for economic and social development. Low rates of access, particularly in remote rural areas in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, have led developing nations and international organizations to set ambitious goals to expand the reach of electricity. Decentralized solutions such as microgrids have been proposed as cost effective solutions to reaching communities located far from central grid infrastructure. Lack of capital from public and donor sources has severely impeded achieving access goals, leading to calls for greater private sector participation in electrification activities. However, due to the high level of risk associated with decentralized electrification projects in low-income areas, marginal expected returns on investment, and a lack of clear and effective public policy, the private sector has not shown significant interest in participating in such projects. The purpose of this paper is to review barriers to private sector participation in decentralized electrification projects and to identify solutions that have been implemented and proposed to overcome these barriers. The barriers discussed include unsecure revenue streams, inability to finance projects, and long-term project risks such as grid encroachment. The range of interventions and business models reviewed include methods to secure reliable demand, subsidy models, risk guarantees, and different revenue models. This paper does not include an analysis of the effectiveness of the different interventions described. Future research should evaluate the relative costs and benefits of these interventions in order to provide robust policy guidance to decision makers in developing countries.
Effects of Milnacipran on Clinical Pain and Hyperalgesia of Patients With Fibromyalgia: Results of a 6-Week Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Milnacipran is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as effective therapy for fibromyalgia (FM) symptoms. However, its analgesic mechanism of action is not well understood. We hypothesized that improvement of mechanical and heat hyperalgesia would be a critical component of overall milnacipran efficacy in FM. We used a novel quantitative sensory testing protocol for assessment of mechanical and heat pain sensitivity that can be used for testing of peripheral and central pain mechanisms and their impact on clinical pain over time. We applied tonic mechanical and heat pain stimuli to 46 patients with FM during a randomized controlled trial with either 50 mg milnacipran (n = 23) or placebo (n = 23) twice daily over 6 weeks. During this trial, mean clinical pain (standard deviation) was evaluated daily, and mechanical and heat pain sensitivity every 2 weeks. At study entry, clinical pain was 5.0 (1.8) and 5.5 (1.8) visual analog scale units for patients with FM randomized to placebo and milnacipran, respectively ( P > .05). Over 6 weeks, clinical pain of patients with FM significantly declined by 15%, but this improvement was not statistically different between milnacipran and placebo. However, repeated measures of mechanical and heat pain sensitivity reliably predicted up to 80% of the variance in clinical FM pain at every time point. Clinical pain and mechanical/heat pain sensitivity of patients with FM steadily declined during this trial, but the effects of milnacipran were not found to be superior to placebo. Repeated measures of mechanical/heat hyperalgesia reliably predicted large amounts of the variance in clinical pain across all participants, indicating their relevance for FM pain. Perspective Although clinical pain and hyperalgesia decreased during this 6-week trial, the efficacy of milnacipran was not superior to placebo. The high correlations between clinical pain and hyperalgesia ratings at every time point seem to emphasize the relevant contributions of mechanical and heat hyperalgesia to clinical FM pain.
Mucosal blood flow in canine antral and fundic pouches.

Aminopyrine clearance was used to compare mucosal blood flow in the resting and stimulated fundus and antrum. The intraluminal instillation of 0.16 n HCl provided a p H gradient allowing aminopyrine to move into the lumen. Resting mucosal perfusion was 0.64 ± E 0.23 (sd) ml per min per g of mucosa for the fundus and 0.34 ± E 0.10 ml per min per g of wet mucosa for the antrum. Extrapolated mucosal blood flow of the resting fundus by plotting aminopyrine clearance against acid output during secretory stimulation correlated well with mucosal blood flow during acid instillations. Graded doses of histamine by intravenous infusion stimulated mucosal blood flow in the fundus parallel to acid secretion; a maximal dose (2 μg of base per kg per min) increased mucosal perfusion of the fundus 4-fold and doubled antral mucosal perfusion. Isoproterenol (1 μg per kg per min intravenously) increased mucosal blood flow to the resting fundus by 100% and to the antrum by 110%. Vasopressin (4 mU per kg per min intravenously) decreased resting fundic mucosal blood flow by 75% and antral blood flow by 80%. The present study lends further support to the validity of aminopyrine clearance as a measure of mucosal blood flow. It is further shown that: (1) aminopyrine clearance in the fundus and antrum is not dependent on the secretion of hydrogen ions and can be measured by using exogenous acid; (2) no redistribution of mucosal blood flow from antrum to corpus occurs with histamine stimulation; (3) primary alterations in mucosal blood flow can be induced in both pouches by vasoactive drugs without affecting acid secretion.
Pharmacology of biliary tract

The sections in this article are: 1 Anatomic And Physiological Considerations 2 Pharmacological Considerations 3 Cholinergic Drugs 4 Adrenergic Drugs 5 Autacoids 5.1 Prostaglandins 5.2 Serotonin 5.3 Histamine 6 Neuropeptides 6.1 Cholecystokinin-Gastrin Family of Peptides 6.2 Gastrin 6.3 Caerulein 6.4 Secretin, Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide, Glucagon, and Gastrointestinal Inhibitory Polypeptide Family 6.5 Somatostatin and Bombesin 6.6 Opiates 6.7 Motilin 6.8 Pancreatic Polypeptide 6.9 Sex Hormones 6.10 Substance P
Ciudad de la memoria de José Emilio Pacheco: hacia la creación de un único poemario

La obra de Jose Emilio Pacheco se mueve hacia adelante, pero siempre retomando un impulso en lo ya creado. A diferencia de sus anteriores libros de poesia, Ciudad de la memoria , no se organiza en secciones. Treinta y cinco poemas que se entretejen libremente van desarrollando los temas constantes de Pacheco: el tiempo y sus derivados, la vejez, la muerte, el olvido y su enves, la memoria, la fugacidad de todo lo creado por el hombre, contrastada con la perennidad ciclica de la naturaleza.
Induced Fit, Drug Design, and dUTPase

Abstract In this issue of Structure , the crystal structure of trypanosomal dUTPase exemplifies convergent evolution and the role of induced fit in substrate recognition. This structure opens the door for developing antiparasitic therapies that induce cell death by targeting a dUTPase.
Stromal cell independent B cell development in vitro: Generation and recovery of autoreactive clones

We describe and characterize a stromal cell independent culture system that efficiently supports pro-B cell to IgM+ B cell development with near normal levels of IgH and Igkappa diversity. Pro-B cells present in non-adherent bone marrow cells proliferate in the presence of IL-7 and subsequent to the removal of IL-7 and addition of BAFF, differentiate normally into IgM+ B cells. B cell development in vitro closely follows the patterns of development in vivo with culture-derived (CD) B cells demonstrating characteristic patterns of surface antigen expression and gene activation. IgM+ CD B cells respond to TLR stimulation by proliferation and differentiation into antibody-secreting cells. Self-reactive IgM+ B cell development is blocked in 3H9 IgH knockin mice; however, cultures of 3H9 IgH knockin pro-B cells yields high frequencies of "forbidden", autoreactive IgM+ B cells. Furthermore, serum IgG autoantibody exceeded that present in autoimmune, C4(-/-) animals following the reconstitution of RAG1(-/-) mice with IgM+ CD cells derived from BL/6 mice.
Selective Thermal Effects with Pulsed Irradiation from Lasers: From Organ to Organelle

Specific damage by selectively absorbed, pulsed lasers can be predicted based on physical models. Thermally mediated alterations can be confined to pigmented targets from the level of subcellular organelles (e.g., mela-nosomes) to large multicellular tissue structures (e.g., blood vessels) by the appropriate manipulation of wavelength and pulse duration. Highly selective damage to human cutaneous microvessels in vivo is shown to occur after 0.3-μs 577-nm dye laser pulses; the epidermis and dermal structures other than vessels are spared. Observations in an animal model suggest that hemorrhage or, at lower doses, selective intravascular coagulation and permanent microvascular hemostasis occur. Highly selective damage to melanized cells and to single melanosomes in situ was shown to occur after single 20-ns 351-nm pulses from a XeF excimer laser. Basal-cell- and melanocyte-specific necrosis is followed by gross hypo-pigmentation. In this case there is no evidence of vascular damage. The most likely modes of selective alterations include localized thermal denaturation, vaporization, and shock-wave generation. Means of predicting and controlling histologically selective radiant heating effects in skin are suggested.
Effect of hypothalamic preparations on human omental adipose tissue in vitro.

Abstract The lipolytic responses of rat and human adipose tissue to several pituitary hormones, catecholamines, and purified preparations from human and porcine hypothalami have been compared. Fragments of human omental adipose tissue, obtained at surgery, or rat epididymal adipose tissue were incubated in vitro for 2 hr in 2 ml of Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate medium containing 3% bovine albumin. Acetic acid extracts of human and porcine stalk median eminence tissue were purified by gel filtration on Sephadex G-25. Lipid-mobilizing factor (LMF) activity emerged in an area occupied by peptides with a molecular weight of 3000–5000. This lipolytic fraction was found to be free of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and catecholamines. The ACTH content of this fraction was found to be less than 10 mU/mg. Addition of 20–60 μg/ml of porcine or human LMF to the medium significantly increased lipolysis, as measured by glycerol release into the medium, from human and rat adipose tissue. Human LMF elicited a greated lipolytic response in human omental adipose tissue than did the procine LMF, but porcine LMF was more potent in rat epididymal adipose tissue. This suggests that a species specificity may exist for the lipolytic activity of hypothalamic lipid mobilizers. Responsiveness of human omental adipose tissue to adrenalin was lower than that of rat epididymal adipose tissue. Addition of corticotropin A (10–20 μg/ml), human growth hormone (10–30 μg/ml), and alpha or beta melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) (10–30 μg/ml) had no effect on lipolysis when incubated with human omental adipose tissue. However, the addition of 1.5–3.0 mU/ml of human TSH significantly increased the release of glycerol from human omental adipose tissue. These data suggest that human hypothalamic extracts, like those of porcine hypothalamic extracts, contain a lipid-mobilizing factor or factors that may differ chemically from corticotropin, TSH, growth hormone, and the catecholamines.
The mechanism of cell binding and cell-sheet formation in L strain fibroblasts.

Abstract L strain mouse fibroblasts grow as single, rounded, independent units in suspension cultures containing horse serum. Serum is apparently not essential as a growth factor, since analogous and sustained growth can be obtained when methyl cellulose is substituted for serum in suspension culture. In the absence of either serum or methyl cellulose, binding occurs between adjacent cells and in suspension cultures cell sheets form. In this situation there is little or no net synthesis of DNA, RNA or protein. The protein involved in cell sheet formation is present on the surface of the cells at all times even when they are growing as rounded units in suspensions containing horse serum or methyl cellulose, since elaboration of fibers by such cells can be observed in a very short interval when they are transferred to saline. Binding between cells is dependent upon pH and these studies suggest that the phenomenon is due to cross linkage by polyvalent cations.
Expression of cytokeratin 20 in mucinous bronchioloalveolar carcinoma.

Mucinous bronchioloalveolar carcinomas (BACs) can closely mimic metastatic adenocarcinoma to the lung both clinically and morphologically. Several studies have demonstrated that the differential expression of cytokeratin 7 (CK7) and cytokeratin 20 (CK20) is a valuable diagnostic tool in differentiating primary pulmonary adenocarcinomas (PPAs) (usually CK7 positive/CK20 negative) from metastatic colonic adenocarcinoma (usually CK7 negative/CK20 positive). The present study is designed to correlate the histologic subtypes of PPA with expression of 7 and 20. A total of 113 cases of bonafide PPA were selected and classified according to the 1999 World Health Organization criteria as adenocarcinoma, NOS (n = 80), nonmucinous BAC (n = 14), and mucinous BAC (n = 19). Representive sections of all the tumors were immunohistochemically analyzed for CK7 and CK20 expression. To evaluate the diagnostic utility of CK7 and CK20 expression, 6 cases of colonic adenocarcinoma metastatic to the lung were tested with the same antibodies and compared with mucinous BAC. Results were expressed in a semiquantitative fashion based on the percentage of positive tumor cells: or =76%, 3+. All 113 PPAs exhibited strong, diffuse CK7 expression. With respect to CK20 expression, 17 of the 19 cases (89.4%) of mucinous BAC showed moderate to strong expression of this protein, whereas only 10 cases of conventional adenocarcinomas and 4 cases of nonmucinous BAC exhibited expression. All 6 examples of metastatic colonic adenocarcinomas were negative for CK7 and strongly positive for CK20. In summary, mucinous BAC is distinct from other PPAs by virtue of its CK20 expression. Although the CK7/CK20 immunoprofile is a valuable diagnostic marker for differentiating primary lung adenocarcinoma from metastatic colonic adenocarcinoma, caution should be exercised when dealing with mucinous BAC.
Impact of mechanism-based enzyme inactivation on inhibitor potency: Implications for rational drug discovery

Mechanism-based enzyme inactivators (MBEIs) have unique kinetic actions that make predictions of potency, selectivity, and potential for metabolic drug interactions more complex than for competitive antagonists. We have derived a mathematical relationship that links the influence of substrate concentration and binding constant ([S] and K(m), respectively), inhibitor concentration and binding constant ([I] and K(I), respectively), and inactivation rate constant (k(inact)) to enzyme activity (v) and maximal activity (V(max)) at any time (t). The kinetic behavior of this relationship was validated in murine-macrophage cell cultures using MBEIs of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). This initial equation was also used in the derivation of a new relationship that directly links the kinetic parameters of mechanism-based inactivation to inhibitory potency at a particular time (IC((t))(50)). Using this direct relationship, we observed that the predicted rank inhibitory potency of a series of MBEIs was improved over that predicted by the K(I) parameter alone. These relationships offer a fundamental understanding of the kinetics of MBEI action and may be useful in the evaluation of these compounds during the discovery process.
Cinematic Thinking: Narratives and Bioethics Unbound

Joshua Braun's thorough and provocative account shows that a typical report from the broadcast media on a medical ethics issue is likely to receive air time only if it is cloaked in a narrative, pr...
Impact of β-blockade on complex cognitive functioning

Fifty adult men with mild to moderate hypertension were recruited to participate in a double-blind crossover study. Each subject received 14 days of drug treatment and 14 days of placebo treatment (random order). Half the subjects were assigned to a metoprolol (150 mg/day) vs placebo treatment regimen and half to an atenolol (100 mg/day) vs placebo regimen. Blood pressure levels as well as measures of simple (proofreading), intermediate (visual-motor task), and complex (management simulation) task performance were obtained at the end of the drug and placebo treatment periods. Metoprolol treatment generated better scores than did placebo or atenolol treatment for proofreading, visual-motor performance, and several measures of complex managerial competence. Atenolol treatment generally resulted in performance levels that did not differ from those observed with placebo. However, atenolol-treated subjects made more errors than did placebo-treated subjects in the visual-motor task and also showed some deterioration on one measure of complex managerial functioning.
The M1 receptor is required for muscarinic activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase in murine cerebral cortical neurons.

Abstract Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChR) in the central nervous system are involved in learning and memory, epileptic seizures, and processing the amyloid precursor protein. The M1 receptor is the predominant mAChR subtype in the cortex and hippocampus. Although the five mAChR fall into two broad functional groups, all five subtypes, when expressed in recombinant systems, can activate the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. The MAPK pathway has been implicated in learning and memory, amyloid protein processing, and neuronal plasticity. We used M1 knock-out mice to determine the role of this receptor subtype in signal transduction in the mouse forebrain. In primary cortical cultures from mice lacking the M1 mAChR, agonist-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis was reduced by more than 60% compared with cultures from wild type mice. Although muscarinic agonists induced robust activation of MAPK in cortical cultures from wild type mice, mAChR-mediated activation of MAPK was virtually absent in cultures from M1-deficient mice. These results indicate that the M1 mAChR is the major subtype that mediates activation of phospholipase C and MAPK in mouse forebrain.
Antiderivatives and potentials of local differential operators

Abstract A necessary and sufficient condition for the antiderivative of a local differential operator to be local is derived. A formula is given which explicitly exhibits the antiderivative as a local operator when this condition is met. The analogous problem for local vector differential operators is treated. A decomposition of an arbitrary local differential operator in terms of the derivative of a local operator and the gradient of a functional is given.
The effects of phencyclidine and ketamine on sensory thresholds and reaction times in the baboon

Abstract Adult male baboons were trained on a reaction time procedure, and absolute thresholds and reaction times to both a 16.0 kHz pure tone and a white light were obtained. Acute IM injections of phencyclidine (0.0032 to 0.1 mg/kg) or ketamine (0.032 to 3.2 mg/kg) were given at the beginning of 2-hr test sessions. Phencyclidine had no effect on auditory thresholds, or visual reaction times, but selectively elevated auditory reaction times. Ketamine, on the other hand, elevated auditory thresholds and both auditory and visual reaction times, while having no effect on visual thresholds. Ketamine was also less potent than phencyclidine in elevating auditory reaction times, and recovery from these impairments was evident during the two-hour test sessions for ketamine, but not for phencyclidine.
Complementary Class-E amplifier for wireless power transfer

Class-E amplifiers are one of the power amplifier types widely used in wireless communication and wireless power systems. These Class-E amplifiers are used in the wireless and wireline transmitters in favor of their high power transfer efficiency. In this paper, dynamic configuration of Class-E wireless power transfer system (WPTS) is proposed. This approach will enable to change configuration based on the distance between the transmitter and the receiver or other factors while WPTS is in use.
Permeation and Gating in CaV3.1 (α1G) T-type Calcium Channels Effects of Ca2+, Ba2+, Mg2+, and Na+

We examined the concentration dependence of currents through Ca(V)3.1 T-type calcium channels, varying Ca(2+) and Ba(2+) over a wide concentration range (100 nM to 110 mM) while recording whole-cell currents over a wide voltage range from channels stably expressed in HEK 293 cells. To isolate effects on permeation, instantaneous current-voltage relationships (IIV) were obtained following strong, brief depolarizations to activate channels with minimal inactivation. Reversal potentials were described by P(Ca)/P(Na) = 87 and P(Ca)/P(Ba) = 2, based on Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz theory. However, analysis of chord conductances found that apparent K(d) values were similar for Ca(2+) and Ba(2+), both for block of currents carried by Na(+) (3 muM for Ca(2+) vs. 4 muM for Ba(2+), at -30 mV; weaker at more positive or negative voltages) and for permeation (3.3 mM for Ca(2+) vs. 2.5 mM for Ba(2+); nearly voltage independent). Block by 3-10 muM Ca(2+) was time dependent, described by bimolecular kinetics with binding at approximately 3 x 10(8) M(-1)s(-1) and voltage-dependent exit. Ca(2+)(o), Ba(2+)(o), and Mg(2+)(o) also affected channel gating, primarily by shifting channel activation, consistent with screening a surface charge of 1 e(-) per 98 A(2) from Gouy-Chapman theory. Additionally, inward currents inactivated approximately 35% faster in Ba(2+)(o) (vs. Ca(2+)(o) or Na(+)(o)). The accelerated inactivation in Ba(2+)(o) correlated with the transition from Na(+) to Ba(2+) permeation, suggesting that Ba(2+)(o) speeds inactivation by occupying the pore. We conclude that the selectivity of the "surface charge" among divalent cations differs between calcium channel families, implying that the surface charge is channel specific. Voltage strongly affects the concentration dependence of block, but not of permeation, for Ca(2+) or Ba(2+).
Shortness of breath secondary to a pet cockatiel

A case of hypersensitivity pneumonitis in a 40-year-old patient secondary to a pet bird is presented. The clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of hypersensitivity pneumonitis are reviewed.
Laryngeal atresia: a detailed histologic study

Summary Laryngeal atresia is a rare, life-threatening anomaly. A case is reported with histological analysis of the deformity. Although there are different theories of glottic development, all authors agree that the primitive glottis is occluded at one time by an epithelial plug. Laryngeal atresia is felt to represent a lack of recanalization of the embryonic larynx. Laryngeal embryology is reviewed and the various types of laryngeal atresia are compared to the stages of laryngeal development.
Altered mobility of polydeoxyribonucleotides in high resolution polyaciylamide gels due to removal of terminal phosphates

Abstract We have compared the electrophoretic mobility of a series of polynucleotides differing solely by the presence or absence of a terminal phosphate. As expected, the effect of removal of a single terminal phosphoryl residue on electrophoretic mobility is dependent on the size of the polynucleotide and therefore is not constant. Removal of a phosphoryl residue from polynucleotides shorter than 30 nucleotides reduces the mobility the equivalent of one nucleotide. Between 30 and 50 nucleotides the reduction in mobility is approximately one-half a nucleotide, while above 50 nucleotides in size the effect of phosphate removal approaches zero.
Effect of hydrogen attack on tensile and creep properties of low carbon steel

Abstract The tensile and the creep properties of low carbon steel were investigated in 9·9 M Pa hydrogen and in argon at 500°C. The results obtained are as follows: 1. (1) The tensile strength and ductility in hydrogen decreased relative to those in argon with decreasing strain rate. They also decreased with increasing exposure time in hydrogen. 2. (2) In hydrogen the extent of the secondary creep stage, the creep rupture time and the creep ductility were all smaller and the secondary creep rate was greater than those in argon. 3. (3) An incubation period for hydrogen attack that is found without stress disappeared with an applied stress. That is to say, the start of hydrogen attack was accelerated by stress. 4. (4) Internal methane pressure in bubbles formed by hydrogen attack were estimated using the model given by Shewmon and the effect of stress on the bubble growth is discussed.
Efficient coupler between silicon and polymer waveguides

We propose and efficient optical coupler between sub-micron sized silicon waveguides on chip and multi-micron wide polymer waveguides on board. We show low coupling loss < 0.4 dB with high tolerance to misalignment.
Minimizing urine autofluorescence under multi-photon excitation conditions.

We report on the effects of excitation wavelength, laser power, and phase resolution on the multi-photon-excited autofluorescence (background) from human urine. When compared to the autofluorescence under one-photon excitation conditions (λex = 260–480 nm), the urine multi-photon-excited autofluorescence (λex = 725–950 nm) can be less complicated. However, at higher laser powers, the multi-photon-excited autofluorescence spectra that are produced by excitation above ~775 nm are more complex in comparison to the corresponding one-photon-excited autofluorescence. The origin of these more complex spectra arises from simultaneous two- and three-photon-driven excitation of intrinsic luminescent species within the urine. At lower laser powers, three-photon-driven processes are minimized and the autofluorescence spectrum is simplified. Phase resolution is used to further minimize the urine autofluorescence, but it cannot fully eliminate autofluorescence even when excitation is performed under multi-photon conditions at 950 nm. For detecting 250 nM Rhodamine 6G (a mock analyte) dissolved in urine, we find that the two-photon excitation is superior in comparison to one-photon excitation by 5- to 70-fold, depending on the excitation wavelength. Phase resolution combined with two-photon excitation leads to an additional 5- to 7-fold improvement in signal-to-background ratios in comparison to steady-state two-photon excitation.
Facts and frictions: conflicts of interest in medical research.

OVERVIEW I'm going to give you a bird's eye view, as an editor-in-chief, of why conflict of interest in medical research is such a vital problem today in medicine. By the time I am finished, I hope that I will convince you that we physicians and medical scientists need to make sure we take control of our profession to protect our patients in a way that only we can do. The first definition of "conflict of interest" that I could find goes back to 1850 in Webster's Dictionary: "To conflict between the private interests and the official responsibility of a person in a position of trust." That sounds familiar to all of us in medicine, because that's who we are. Why do authors and reviewers have conflicts of interests? Career advancement, peer recognition, competing research interests, competition for research grants, intellectual biases and passions, and financial conflicts that we sometimes let get in the way. Editors have conflicts of interest because we want to promote our journal and improve our "impact factor"--a measure of the average number of citations to articles published in scientific journals. The impact factor is often used to gauge the relative importance of a journal within its field. I would love to do away with this. It is the most manipulative thing in the world because journal editors have to live by it, and departments use the impact factor as a mechanism for promotion. Editors also want to increase subscriptions and increase the financial profitability of their journals; sometimes, they have a conflict of interest because they're trying to eliminate or decrease stress, hostility, or harassment. In fact, I invite anyone who doesn't think a journal editor deals with stress, hostility, or harassment to spend a day with me.
Resolution enhancement of land mines in ground-penetrating radar images

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) has been found to be a promising technology for detecting landmines. Landmines reflect electromagnetic energy in many directions, causing the GPR antenna to pick up these reflections at multiple positions with respect to the landmine. This decreases the resolution of the GPR image. Reflection seismology, which images the earth's subsurface using elastic rather than electromagnetic waves, experiences similar difficulties. Migration is a technique used in reflection seismology to address this problem. This paper present an adaption of the Gazdag phase-shift migration algorithm for use on GPR data in the context of landmine detection. The possible benefits of migrating GPR dat are more precisely locating mines and improved detection of mines with weak signatures. Landmine detection requires a real-time approach whereas reflection seismology performs migration after the data are acquired. The different scenarios of usage have significant implications on the form of candidate migration algorithms. The adapted algorithm was applied to GPR data acquired during test of the Mine Hunter/Killer system at Fort AP Hill. The results presented herein demonstrate the resolution enhancement potential of the proposed algorithm.
In vivo biotransformation of testosterone by phase I and II detoxication enzymes and their modulation by 20-hydroxyecdysone in Daphnia magna

Abstract Phase I and phase II chemical detoxication processes were elucidated in Daphnia magna using in vivo techniques and [ 14 C]testosterone as a substrate. Testosterone was used because this compound undergoes multiple biotransformations and its metabolites are well characterized in other species. In addition, regulation of these processes by the endogenous steroid hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone, was investigated. Daphnids produced at least ten polar phase I metabolites and four nonpolar phase I metabolites of testosterone. Six of the ten polar metabolites have been identified as monohydroxy-products of testosterone. The polar metabolites were preferentially excreted while the nonpolar metabolites were preferentially retained by the daphnids. In addition, testosterone and all phase I metabolites were also excreted as glucose conjugates. A polar metabolite designated ‘C’ was preferentially conjugated with glucose over the other metabolites. Testosterone and its polar phase I metabolites were also excreted as sulfate conjugates with 2α-hydroxytestosterone being the predominant sulfate-conjugated metabolite. In contrast to glucose conjugation, no nonpolar phase I metabolites of testosterone were sulfate conjugated. Twenty-four hour pre-exposure of daphnids to 4.2 μM 20-hydroxyecdysone did not affect phase I metabolism of testosterone, but differentially modulated phase II conjugation in a manner suggesting the presence of at least two glucosyltransferases and two sulfotransferases. Treatment with 20-hydroxyecdysone significantly increased the elimination of sulfate conjugates due largely to increased sulfate conjugation of unmetabolized testosterone. These results demonstrate that daphnids can convert polycyclic compounds to multiple polar and nonpolar metabolites resulting from both phase I and phase II biotransformations, and that some phase II activities are under the regulatory control of 20-hydroxyecdysone.
Synoptic inventory of riparian ecosystems: The utility of Landsat Thematic Mapper data

Abstract It has been estimated that 66% of the naturally occurring riparian vegetation of the U.S. has been eradicated since 1776. In spite of the critical importance of riparian zones to the maintenance of wildlife populations, no adequate methods exist for the synoptic inventory and assessment of this critical resource. This paper presents the results of a feasibility study addressing the utility of Landsat Thematic Mapper data for the inventory of riparian habitats along the Yakima River of central Washington. Although the final map accuracy assessment was only 80%, the potential exists for the use of high-resolution satellite systems to provide synoptic inventory maps of riparian habitat. Recommendations for increasing map accuracy are presented.