cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Second-Degree Atrioventricular Block in the His-Purkinje System Following Acute Myocardial Infarction: Clinical Observations on Its Evolution

The evolution of second-degree atrioventricular block in the His-Purkinje system was studied in four patients with acute myocardial infarction, utilizing continuous electrocardiographic monitoring and serial His bundle recordings. Three patients had anterior wall infarction; all developed acute right bundle-branch block and two also showed a left anterior hemiblock one to four hours prior to onset of second-degree atrioventricular block. The fourth patient had an old anteroseptal infarction and chronic right bundle-branch block and left anterior hemiblock; he developed second-degree atrioventricular block following an acute lateroposterior infarction. His bundle electrograms were obtained during the insertion of a temporary ventricular pacemaker within the first 24 hours of onset of chest pain. A second His bundle electrogram was obtained during removal of the temporary pacemaker 7 to 14 days after the first recording. In all cases the block was localized in the His-Purkinje system. In three patients the first His bundle recording showed second-degree atrioventricular block with minimal increment of delay in conduction (3 to 10 msec) prior to the blocked beat (equivalent of Mobitz type 2 block). The second His bundle electrogram showed the development of significant increment of delay in conduction (35 to 210 msec) prior to block (equivalent of Wenckebach conduction). The fourth patient illustrated the reverse order of the observations seen in the other three. Three patients showed resumption of 1:1 atrioventricular conduction; however, when one patient was challenged with rapid atrial pacing, he developed repetitive block in the His-Purkinje system.
Dynamics of Drop Formation in an Electric Field.

Abstract The effect of an electric field on the formation of a drop of an inviscid, perfectly conducting liquid from a capillary which protrudes from the top plate of a parallel-plate capacitor into a surrounding dynamically inactive, insulating gas is studied computationally. This free boundary problem which is comprised of the surface Bernoulli equation for the transient drop shape and the Laplace equation for the velocity potential inside the drop and the electrostatic potential outside the drop is solved by a method of lines incorporating the finite element method for spatial discretization. The finite element algorithm employed relies on judicious use of remeshing and element addition to a two-region adaptive mesh to accommodate large domain deformations, and allows the computations to proceed until the thickness of the neck connecting an about to form drop to the rest of the liquid in the capillary is less than 0.1% of the capillary radius. The accuracy of the computations is demonstrated by showing that in the absence of an electric field predictions made with the new algorithm are in excellent agreement with boundary integral calculations (Schulkes, R. M. S. M. J. Fluid Mech. 278, 83 (1994)) and experimental measurements on water drops (Zhang, X., and Basaran, O. A. Phys. Fluids 7(6), 1184 (1995)). In the presence of an electric field, the algorithm predicts that as the strength of the applied field increases, the mode of drop formation changes from simple dripping to jetting to so-called microdripping, in accordance with experimental observations (Cloupeau, M., and Prunet-Foch, B. J. Aerosol Sci. 25(6), 1021 (1994); Zhang, X., and Basaran, O. A. J. Fluid Mech. 326, 239 (1996)). Computational predictions of the primary drop volume and drop length at breakup are reported over a wide range of values of the ratios of electrical, gravitational, and inertial forces to surface tension force. In contrast to previously mentioned cases where both the flow rate in the tube and the electric field strength are nonzero, situations are also considered in which the flow rate is zero and the dynamics are initiated by impulsively changing the field strength from a certain value to a larger value. When the magnitude of the step change in field strength is small, the results of the new transient calculations accord well with those of an earlier stability analysis (Basaran, O. A., and Scriven, L. E. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 140(1), 10 (1990)) and thereby provide yet another testament to the accuracy of the new algorithm.
Determinants of alcohol use and abuse: Impact of quantity and frequency patterns on liver disease.

More than 70% of alcohol is consumed by 10% of the population in the United States. Implicit in this statistic is that tremendous variation in the pattern of drinking (quantity, frequency, and duration) exists among alcohol consumers. Individuals who are binge or chronic drinkers will have different health outcomes than social drinkers. Therefore, knowing the pattern of drinking will shed light on how severely individuals are alcohol-dependent and on the extent of liver damage. Thus, these parameters assume particular relevance for the treatment-providing physician. Genetic factors contribute substantially to differences in alcohol metabolism. Variations in the activities of the alcohol-metabolizing enzymes, cytosolic alcohol dehydrogenase and mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase, in part determine blood alcohol concentration, thereby contributing to the predisposition to becoming alcohol-dependent and to susceptibility to alcohol-induced liver damage. Chronic alcohol consumption induces cytochrome P450 2E1, a microsomal enzyme that metabolizes alcohol at high concentrations and also metabolizes medications such as acetaminophen and protease inhibitors. Alcohol metabolism changes the redox state of the liver, which leads to alterations in hepatic lipid, carbohydrate, protein, lactate, and uric acid metabolism. The quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption severely impact the liver in the presence of comorbid conditions such as infection with hepatitis B or C and/or human immunodeficiency virus, type 2 diabetes, hemochromatosis, or obesity and thus have implications with respect to the extent of injury and response to medications. Conclusion: Knowledge of the relationships between the quantity, frequency, and patterns of drinking and alcoholic liver disease is limited. A better understanding of these relationships will guide hepatologists in managing alcoholic liver disease. (HEPATOLOGY 2007;46:2032–2039.)
Protein phosphorylation associated with epipodophyllotoxin-induced apoptosis of lymphoid cells: role of a serine/threonine protein kinase.

We have previously shown that apoptosis induced in thymocytes by dexamethasone or teniposide (VM-26) could be inhibited by 1-(5-isoquinolinylsulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine (H7) and sangivamycin, both relatively specific inhibitors for protein kinase C, but not by N-(2-guanidinoethyl)-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide (HA1004), a more specific inhibitor for cAMP-dependent protein kinases. Apoptosis in this model system was not blocked by EGTA and no increase in cytosolic Ca2+ was observed during apoptosis induced by either dexamethasone or VM-26, suggesting that this kinase was Ca2+-independent. In the present study, we demonstrate that addition of 10 microM sangivamycin to thymocyte cultures up to 2 h after addition of either inducer resulted in virtually complete inhibition of apoptosis. Addition of 10 microM sangivamycin at 3 or 4 h after addition of inducer resulted in partial inhibition of apoptosis. Computerized image analysis of two-dimensional PAGE analyses of whole-cell lysates demonstrated that treatment of mouse thymocytes with VM-26 resulted in a limited number of de novo phosphorylation events within 1 h of treatment. The most prominent phosphorylation events associated with VM-26-induced apoptosis were that two intracellular protein species (Protein 1: m.w. = 22.9 kDa, pI, 5.11; and Protein 2: m.w. = 22.9 kDa, pI, 4.98). Similar phosphorylation events were seen in cells treated with dexamethasone. Finally, Western blot analysis suggests that de novo protein phosphorylation induced by VM-26 is on serine/threonine residues. These results provide further evidence that the mechanism of VM-26-induced apoptosis of murine thymocytes involves the action of one or more serine/threonine kinases.
Utility of the indium 111-labeled human immunoglobulin G scan for the detection of focal vascular graft infection.

Abstract The ability to diagnose and localize vascular graft infections has been a major challenge. Recent studies in animal models and humans with focal bacterial infection have shown that radiolabeled, polyclonal, human immunoglobulin G accumulates at the site of inflammation and can serve as the basis for an imaging technique. This study investigated this new technique for the diagnosis and localization of vascular graft infections. Twenty-five patients with suspected vascular infections involving grafts (22), atherosclerotic aneurysms (2), and subclavian vein thrombophlebitis (1) were studied. Gamma camera images of the suspected area were obtained between 5 and 48 hours after intravenous administration of 1.5 to 2.0 mCi (56 to 74 mBq) of indium 111—labeled, human, polyclonal immunoglobulin G. Scan results were interpreted without clinical information about the patient and were subsequently correlated with surgical findings, other imaging modalities, and/or clinical follow-up. In 10 of 10 patients found to have positive scan results, localized infections were confirmed at the involved sites. In 14 of 15 patients whose scan results were interpreted as negative, no vascular infections were identified at follow-up. The patient with false-negative results and recurrent bacteremia from an aortoduodenal fistula was found to have a negative scan outcome at a time when his disease was quiescent. These data suggest that nonspecific, human, indium 111—labeled immunoglobulin G scanning can be a useful noninvasive means of localizing vascular infections. (J Vasc Surg 1989;10:20–8.)
Limbic and Neocortical Gliomas Associated with Intractable Seizures: A Distinct Clinicopathological Group

ABSTRACTTHE AUTHORS STUDIED 65 patients with intractable seizures and glial tumors who were treated between 1978 and 1991. Most of the tumors were in the temporal (63%) or occipital lobe (18%) and were commonly found in limbic or perilimbic neocortical locations. The majority of these gliomas (83%)
Neisseria meningitidis type C capsular polysaccharide inhibits lipooligosaccharide‐induced cell activation by binding to CD14

Encapsulated Neisseria meningitidis can invade mucosal barriers and cause systemic diseases. Activation of the innate immune system by conserved meningococcal molecules such as lipooligosaccharides (LOS) is essential for the generation of an effective host immune response. Here we show that the type C capsular polysaccharide of N. meningitidis (MCPS) inhibited LOS-induced interleukin-6 and TNF-alpha secretion from monocytes, and blocked the maturation of dendritic cells induced by LOS, while the capsular polysaccharide from group B streptococcus type III and t(4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl) acetyl (NP)-Ficoll had no such effect. MCPS also inhibited the LOS-induced NF-kappaB activation and phosphorylation of signalling molecules such as ERK1/2, p38 and Jun N-terminal kinase. In a direct binding assay, MCPS manifested a concentration-dependent binding to recombinant lipoprotein binding protein and CD14, the two members of the LOS receptor complex. In addition, the binding of LOS to CD14 and lipopolysaccharide binding protein was inhibited by MCPS. We established that MCPS binding to CD14 is responsible for the inhibition of LOS-mediated cell activation because MCPS inhibition of LOS was reversed when access amounts of CD14 were added to culture media of HEK293 cells expressing TLR4 and MD-2, and the magnitude of recovery in LOS stimulation correlated with the increase in CD14 concentration. These results suggest a new virulence property of meningococcal capsular polysaccharides.
Elastic constants and velocity surfaces of indurated anisotropic shales

The velocities of two Devonian-Mississippian shales have been measured to confining pressures of 200 MPa in a laboratory study of anisotropy and wave propagation. Both samples were found to be transversely isotropic at elevated pressures with the main symmetry axis perpendicular to bedding. The elastic constants of the shales were used to calculate phase and group velocity surfaces as a function of angle to the bedding normal. Multiple velocity measurements in non-symmetry directions, not undertaken in previously published studies of shales, have been used to confirm features observed on calculated velocity surfaces. It is demonstrated that velocities measured in non-symmetry directions are phase velocities. Group velocities were found to be significantly lower than the corresponding phase velocities of the shales due to their high anisotropies. Shear wave splitting was found to be negligible for propagation directions within approximately 30° of the bedding normals.
Microsecond rotational motion of spin-labeled myosin heads during isometric muscle contraction. Saturation transfer electron paramagnetic resonance.

We have used saturation transfer electron paramagnetic resonance (ST-EPR) to detect the microsecond rotational motions of spin-labeled myosin heads in bundles of skinned muscle fibers, under conditions of rigor, relaxation, and isometric contraction. Experiments were performed on fiber bundles perfused continuously with an ATP-regenerating system. Conditions were identical to those we have used in previous studies of myosin head orientation, except that the fibers were perpendicular to the magnetic field, making the spectra primarily sensitive to rotational motion rather than to the orientational distribution. In rigor, the high intensity of the ST-EPR signal indicates the absence of microsecond rotational motion, showing that heads are all rigidly bound to actin. However, in both relaxation and contraction, considerable microsecond rotational motion is observed, implying that the previously reported orientational disorder under these conditions is dynamic, not static, on the microsecond time scale. The behavior in relaxation is essentially the same as that observed when myosin heads are detached from actin in the absence of ATP (Barnett and Thomas, 1984), corresponding to an effective rotational correlation time of approximately 10 microseconds. Slightly less mobility is observed during contraction. One possible interpretation is that in contraction all heads have the same mobility, corresponding to a correlation time of approximately 25 microseconds. Alternatively, more than one motional population may be present. For example, assuming that the spectrum in contraction is a linear combination of those in relaxation (mobile) and rigor (immobile), we obtained a good fit with a mole fraction of 78–88% of the heads in the mobile state.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Reply to Editorial Comments on 'Axial penile buckling forces vs Rigiscan radial rigidity as a function of intracavernosal pressure: why Rigiscan does not predict functional erections in individual patients'.

Reply to Editorial Comments on ‘Axial penile buckling forces vs Rigiscan™ radial rigidity as a function of intracavernosal pressure: why Rigiscan does not predict functional erections in individual patients’
Ligand bridging by thioethers during the oxidation of Cr2+ at mercury electrodes

Abstract A variety of evidence supporting the proposal that the sulfur atom in thiodiacetic acid. S(CH2COOH)2, acts as a bridge between the electrode surface and Cr2+ during the oxidation of the latter at mercury electrodes is presented and discussed. The bridging ligand is extensively incorporated in the Cr(III) product when the oxidation is carried out near -0.3 to -0.4 V vs. SSCE, but the incorporation diminishes at more positive potentials. the initial Cr(III) complex containing the coordinated ligand features a chromium-sulfur bond, but is not strongly adsorbed on the electrode surface
Ultrafast frequency-selective optical switching based on thin self-assembled organic chromophoric films with a large second-order nonlinear response

Thin films consisting of self-assembled chromophoric superlattices exhibit very large second-order nonlinear responses [χ(2)]. Using such films, a “static” diffraction grating is created by the interference of two coherent infrared beams from a pulsed yttritium–aluminum–garnet laser. This grating is used to switch the second-harmonic and third-harmonic “signal” beams (generated from the fundamental “pump” beam or mixed within the chromophoric superlattice) into different channels (directions). Ultrafast switching response as a function of the time overlap of the pumping beams is demonstrated. It is suggested that such devices can be used to spatially and temporally separate signal trains consisting of pulses having different frequencies and arrival times.
Characterisation and modelling of mitered coplanar waveguide bends on silicon substrate

Mitered coplanar waveguide (CPW) bends are cascaded to form meandered CPW lines. Test samples are fabricated and characterised. In this article a compact, CAD-oriented semi-empirical equivalent circuit model is presented. The validity of the model is verified by comparing it with the experimental and simulation results. It is demonstrated that a meandered CPW with mitered bends has higher characteristic impedance and lesser loss when compared to straight CPWs.
FOG-2 Attenuates Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transformation in the Endocardial Cushions of the Developing Heart

Development of the heart valves is a complex process that relies on the successful remodeling of endocardial cushions. This process is dependent on a number of transcriptional regulators, including GATA4 and its interacting partner FOG-2. We have previously shown that the endocardial cushions in FOG-2 deficient mice are hyperplastic and fail to remodel appropriately, suggesting a defect late in endocardial cushion development. To elucidate this defect, we examined the later steps in endocardial cushion development including mesenchymal cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. We also measured myocardialization and endothelial-to-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) using previously described in vitro assays. We found no difference in the ability of the endocardial cushions to undergo myocardialization or in the rates of mesenchymal cell proliferation, differentiation, or apoptosis in the FOG-2 deficient cushions when compared to wild-type controls. However, using a collagen gel invasion assay, we found a 78% increase in outflow tract cushion EMT and a 35% increase in atrioventricular cushion EMT in the FOG-2 deficient mice when compared with wild-type mice. Taken together with GATA4's known role in promoting EMT, these results suggest that FOG-2 functions in cardiac valve formation as an attenuator of EMT by repressing GATA4 activity within the developing endocardial cushions.
Effect of calcium removal on monoamine-elicited depressions of cultured tuberal neurons.

The role of extracellular calcium in monoamine responses of central neurons was investigated using explant cultures of tuberal hypothalamus. The spontaneous activity of neurons in cultures was recorded in balanced salt and calcium-deficient salt solutions. The firing rate was reversibly augmented during perfusion with calcium-free salt solutions. This increased firing rate was counteracted by the addition of magnesium. Addition of magnesium also regularized the pattern of firing. Iontophoretic application of putative monoamine neurotransmitters reversibly decreased the rate of firing in both normal and calcium-deficient salt solutions. These results suggest that monoamine inhibitions are not primarily mediated by transmembrane calcium fluxes.
Risk for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Hispanic Youth With Bmi ≥95th Percentile

Objectives: To characterize children at risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and to explore possible mechanisms underlying the development of NAFLD in Hispanic youth with a body mass index ≥95th percentile. Patients and Methods: Hispanic nonoverweight (n = 475) and overweight (n = 517) children, ages 4 to 19 y, were characterized in terms of body composition (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry), maturation (Tanner stage), diet (24-h recall), physical activity (accelerometry), fitness (maximal oxygen uptake), and biochemical profile (fasting alanine aminotransferase [ALT], glucose, insulin, and lipids; inflammation markers such as adiponectin, leptin, C-reactive protein, and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1; and total antioxidants) using standard laboratory techniques. Risk for NAFLD was defined by fasting serum ALT values >97.5th percentile for age- and sex-specific reference values. Results: Fasting serum ALT was elevated in 24% of overweight children and in only 4% of nonoverweight children. Therefore, to identify risk factors associated with elevated ALT, the remaining statistical analysis was restricted to the overweight group. The percentage of overweight children with elevated ALT did not differ by sex, age, or Tanner stage. Weight, body mass index, z score, waist-to-hip ratio, fat-free mass, fat mass, and percent truncal fat mass were higher in the overweight children with elevated ALT. Fasting insulin, glucose, and homeostasis model-insulin resistance were higher in the overweight children with elevated ALT, as were triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, thyroid-stimulating hormone, and triiodothyronine. Fasting serum leptin, C-reactive protein, and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 were significantly higher and adiponectin was lower in the overweight children with elevated ALT. Conclusions: The risk for developing NAFLD was high in the overweight Hispanic children. The proportion of “at risk” children was not influenced by gender, age, or maturation. The risk for elevated ALT was predicted by the severity of obesity, central adiposity, hyperinsulinemia, hypertriglyceridemia, elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone, and systemic inflammation.
Structural Analysis of CdTe Hetero-epitaxy on (211) Si

X-ray diffraction full-width at half-maximum (XRD FWHM), reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) indicate a mosaic structure for molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) (211)B CdTe/Si. AFM measurements indicate long, thin, small-angle-disoriented grains for CdTe/Si epilayers. These disoriented grains are ~1 μm in the [ $$ \overline{1} 11 $$ ] direction and are ~40 nm in the [ $$ 01\overline{1} $$ ] direction. The RHEED pattern in the [ $$ \overline{1} 11 $$ ] direction depicts nearly ideal single-crystal periodicity. The RHEED pattern in the [ $$ 01\overline{1} $$ ] direction is indicative of small-angle-disoriented crystalline grains. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), AFM, and XRD measurements all indicate an approximate factor of 10 increase in the Everson etch pit density (EPD) over standard Nomarski microscopy Everson EPD determination.
Fundamentals of Molecular Diagnostics. David E. Bruns, Edward R. Ashwood, and Carl A. Burtis, editors. St. Louis, MO: Saunders/Elsevier, 2007, 288 pp, $69.95 (hardcover). ISBN-13: 978-1-4160-3737-8.

This book is the perfect companion textbook for a course in molecular diagnostics. It clearly explains the essentials and principles of various methods and methodologies, and is comprehensive without losing itself in technical minutiae. Although the book does not provide specific protocols and information for setting up a particular test, readers will gain beneficial knowledge on how to choose among different techniques. For those considering starting a molecular …
Ground-based thermal imaging of groundwater flow processes at the seepage face

[1] There is no existing method to quantitatively image groundwater processes along a seepage face. Thus, it is often difficult to quantify the magnitude and spatial variability of groundwater flux. The objective of this work is to assess the use of ground-based thermal remote sensing for fine-scale mapping of groundwater discharge and for locating the water table position along a stream bank seepage face. Seepage faces are poorly understood and often neglected in regional hydrologic studies though they likely exert significant influence on hydrologic and ecologic processes in riparian zones. Although the importance of riparian areas is broadly recognized, our ability to quantify hydrologic, ecologic and biogeochemical processes and ecosystem services is hampered by our inability to characterize spatially variable processes such as groundwater discharge. This work employs a new, transferable, non-invasive method that uses heat as a natural tracer to image spatially-variable groundwater flow processes and distinguish between focused and diffuse groundwater discharge to the surface. We report, for the first time, that thermal remote sensing of groundwater at the seepage face provides indirect imaging of both the saturated zone-unsaturated zone transition and groundwater flux at the centimeter scale, offering insight into flow heterogeneity.
A C. trachomatis Cloning Vector and the Generation of C. trachomatis Strains Expressing Fluorescent Proteins under the Control of a C. trachomatis Promoter

Here we describe a versatile cloning vector for conducting genetic experiments in C. trachomatis. We successfully expressed various fluorescent proteins (i.e. GFP, mCherry and CFP) from C. trachomatis regulatory elements (i.e. the promoter and terminator of the incDEFG operon) and showed that the transformed strains produced wild type amounts of infectious particles and recapitulated major features of the C. trachomatis developmental cycle. C. trachomatis strains expressing fluorescent proteins are valuable tools for studying the C. trachomatis developmental cycle. For instance, we show the feasibility of investigating the dynamics of inclusion fusion and interaction with host proteins and organelles by time-lapse video microscopy.
Application of Ion-pairing to Separation of Selected Sulfonamides by Partition Chromatography

Methods are presented for the separation and determination of individual sulfonamides in mixtures. These procedures are based on the ion-pair formation of the sulfonamides with the tetrabutylammonium ion, followed by separation on partition chromatographic columns. One procedure separates the trisulfapyrimidines (sulfamethazine, sulfamerazine, and sulfadiazine) and a second procedure separates sulfamethizole, sulfadiazine, and phenazopyridine hydrochloride. The separated sulfonamides are then determined by UV spectrophotometry and phenazopyridine hydrochloride by visible spectrophotometry. Ten commercial and five synthetic preparations were assayed by the procedures. Recoveries from the synthetic preparations ranged from 99 to 101%.
Beam dynamics studies in the driver LINAC pre-Stripper section of the RIA facility.

The RIA facility driver LINAC consists of about 400 superconducting (SC) independently phased rf cavities. The LINAC is designed to accelerate simultaneously several charge-state beams to generate as much as 400 kW of uranium beam power. The LINAC beam dynamics is most sensitive to the focusing and accelerating structure parameters of the pre-stripper section, where the uranium beam is accelerated from 0.17 keV/u to 9.4 MeV/u. This section is designed to accept and accelerate two charge states (28 and 29) of uranium beam from an ECR ion source. The pre-stripper section must be designed to minimize the beam emittance distortion of this two-charge-state beam. In particular, the inter-cryostat spaces must be minimized and beam parameters near transitions of the accelerating and focusing lattices must be matched carefully. Several sources of possible effective emittance growth are considered in the design of the pre-stripper section and a tolerance budget is established. Numerical beam dynamics studies include realistic electric and magnetic three-dimensional field distributions in the SC rf cavities and SC solenoids. Error effects in the longitudinal beam parameters are studied.
The development of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: an interview with Dr. John J. ‘Jack’ Downes

Dr. John J. 'Jack' Downes (1930-), the anesthesiologist-in-chief at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (1972-1996), has made numerous contributions to pediatric anesthesia and critical care medicine through a broad spectrum of research on chronic respiratory failure, status asthmaticus, postoperative risks of apnea in premature infants, and home-assisted mechanical ventilation. However, his defining moment was in January 1967, when The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia inaugurated its pediatric intensive care unit--the first of its kind in North America. During his tenure, he and his colleagues trained an entire generation of pediatric anesthesiologists and intensivists and set a standard of care and professionalism that continues to the present day. Based on an interview with Dr. Downes, this article reviews a career that advanced pediatric anesthesia and critical care medicine and describes the development of that first pediatric intensive care unit at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Antidiuretic hormone in cerebrospinal fluid during endogenous and exogenous changes in its blood level.

Antidiuretic activity in blood plasma, sampled from conscious and pentobarbital- anesthetized dogs and rabbits, and in cisternal CSF, obtained under anesthesia, was assayed in water-loaded ethanol-anesthetized rats. No activity was detected in peripheral plasma from conscious or anesthetized dogs and rabbits in the resting state; only slight activity (5–10 μ/ml) was found in occasional samples of CSF, withdrawn from animals at ½ or 2½ hr after induction of anesthesia. Thirty min after severe hemorrhage, the mean antidiuretic activity in arterial plasma was equivalent to 415 μU/ml AVP in the dogs and 79 μU/ml in the rabbits. CSF was 47 μU/ml (dogs) and 17 μU/ml (rabbits). Both CSF and plasma antidiuretic activity was completely inactivated with human pregnancy plasma or with vasopressin antiserum, and therefore is almost certainly due to endogenous vasopressin. Antidiuretic activity could not be detected in the CSF of 3 dogs after intravenous infusion of arginine vasopressin with a rise of plasma antidiure...
A rare cause of graft dysfunction after a heart transplant

A 39-year-old man with a dilated cardiomyopathy was treated for recurrent life threatening ventricular arrhythmias with an automatic defibrillator and multiple antiarrhythmic agents. After transplant, the donor heart was asystolic probably secondary to these agents. A biventricular paracorporeal device supported the patient for four days and the heart recovered. He remains NYHA class I seven years later.
Digital link pre-emphasis with dynamic driver impedance modulation

Digital push-pull impedance-modulating (RM) pre-emphasis driver overcomes the power overhead of equalization in voltage-mode (VM) drivers, improving the output stage efficiency ∼2–3x. A compact, fully-digital RAM-DAC implementation with pattern lookup compensates both duty-cycle distortion and driver nonlinearity, while providing a programmable pre-emphasis. A testchip fabricated in 90nm CMOS process shows relatively small signal degradation from dynamic modulation of driver output impedance over a variety of 20″ backplanes at 4Gb/s, with energy-efficiency of 2pJ/bit at 100mV of receiver eye.
The effects of lithium and physostigmine on rat brain acetylcholinesterase activity.

The anti-cholinesterase activity of lithium and physostigmine have been investigated. The purpose of the study was two-fold: 1. to determine whether lithium could inhibit acetylcholinesterase, and 2. to determine whether repeated injections of physostigmine, a known cholinesterase inhibitor, could result in tolerance. It was found that lithium had no anti-cholinesterase activity in vivo (100 or 200 mg/kg LiCl), and slight anti-cholinesterase activity in vitro. The latter effect was evident only under markedly unphysiological conditions, i.e., concentrated lithium (10−2−10−1 M) and dilute acetylcholinesterase (1∶10000 dilution; w∶v). It was also found that repeated injections of physostigmine (0.75 mg/kg) did not result in tolerance to the anti-cholinesterase effects of the drug. A single challenge dose of physostigmine (0.75 mg/kg, in vivo) or a series of concentrations of physostigmine (10−8−10−5 M, in vitro) resulted in similar inhibition of AChE from animals which had or had not received a 5 day regimen of repeated physostigmine injections. The relationship of these findings to the treatment of mania is discussed.
Structural properties of dicyclopentenobenzo-cyclobutene, a small ring tris-annelated benzene

Abstract The synthesis of dicyclopententobenzocyclobutene from 1,1-dicyclopentenyl and dimethyl cyclobutene-1,2-dicarboxylate is described. Current theories regarding sterically induced aromatic bond alternation would predict that both the σ and π frameworks should show more double bond character exocyclic to the small fused rings. The structural parameters of dicyclopentenobenzocyclobutene have been determined by single crystal X-ray analysis. No significant bond alternation is observed in the central ring. The thermal ellipsoids for the cyclopentene rings show the non-benzylic methylene groups to be moving perpendicularly through the plane of the molecule while the adjacent benzylic methylenes compensate by lateral movement in the plane.
The Effect of Several Types of Pretrial Publicity on the Guilt Attributions of Simulated Jurors1

The experiment (N= 312) tested the effects of two types of pretrial publicity (PTP) on the guilt verdicts of simulated jurors. Heinous PTP was manipulated by varying the degree to which the lurid details of a rape-murder were presented to prospective jurors. Prejudgement PTP varied in the extent to which it implied that the defendant was the perpetrator or the rape-murder. As predicted, PTP which was high in either heinousness or prejudgment increased the females' tendency to conclude-after the trial evidence-that the defendant was guilty of the crime. The biasing effect of prejudgment PTP, however, was significant only among females categorized as being of low IQ. In contrast, neither dimension of PTF' significantly influenced the guilt verdicts of male jurors. Several possible explanations of the sex's differential vulnerability to PTP were proposed. In addition, evidence was obtained that female jurors may have been derogating the rape-murder victim and defensively minimizing the gravity of her fate, as a result of motivations to believe in a just world.
Idempotent-Conjugate Monoids with Nilpotent Unit Groups

Let M be a finite monoid with unit group G such that J-related idempotents in M are conjugate. If G is nilpotent, we prove that the complex monoid algebra CM of M is semisimple if and only if M is an inverse monoid. Conversely let G be a finite group such that for any finite idempotent-conjugate monoid M with unit group G, CM semisimple implies that M is an inverse monoid. We then show that G is a nilpotent group.
Amino-acid substitutions in the zinc finger of NIT2, the nitrogen regulatory protein of Neurospora crassa, alter promoter element recognition

NIT2, the major nitrogen regulatory protein of Neurospora crassa mediates nitrogen catabolite derepression of the structural genes which specify enzymes of nitrogen catabolism. The promoter of the structural gene for L-amino acid oxidase, a nitrogen-regulated enzyme, was found to contain two NIT2 binding sites, each with two copies of a GATA core consensus sequence. Site-directed mutagenesis was employed to create amino-acid substitutions within the single zinc-finger region of NIT2, which serves as the DNA-binding domain. The affect of those mutations upon NIT2 function in vivo in the activation of three separate structural genes was examined by transformation assays and relevant enzyme activities, and DNA-binding activity in vitro was determined by gel band mobility-shift assays. It was shown that specific amino-acid residues within the zinc-finger loop region of NIT2 are important for DNA-binding activity, whereas other residues influence the specificity of DNA binding. Mutant NIT2 proteins were obtained which retain DNA-binding activity and alter the specificity of DNA recognition, thus allowing a distinction between related DNA elements.
Semi-parametric discrete choice measures of willingness to pay☆

Abstract A semi-parametric discrete choice method is proposed to recover welfare measures from individual choice data. The proposed method is compared with the traditional binary choice models in an application to measure benefits of recreation trips.
Walls of Flesh. Spanish Postwar Reconstruction and Public Morality

The soul is the effect and instrument of political anatomy; the soul is the prison of the body. (Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish [1975]) Catholicism pervades Francoist political language. Re...
Bile acids: LXI. Synthesis and properties of conjugates of 5α-bile acids

Allo bile acids and their taurine- and glycine-conjugates were synthesized by modification of existing procedures. Their chromatographic and spectral properties were investigated and compared with the 5β-analogs. Some of the naturally occurring 5α- and 5β-conjugates were separable by high performance liquid chromatography via straight-phase (Corasil II column) or reverse-phase systems (μBondapak/C18 column), though unsuccessful with thin layer or gas liquid chromatography. Differences between the C-5 epimers in the infrared and proton magnetic resonance spectra could be attributed to the configurations at the A/B ring junction and the configuration of the 3-hydroxyl group. The calcium salts of the allo compounds were generally less soluble in water than the 5β-isomers.
Does manufacturer advertising suppress or stimulate retail price promotions? Analytical model and empirical analysis

Abstract Does manufacturer advertising for a brand stimulate or suppress retail price promotions? This study addresses this controversial issue. The authors develop an analytical model that shows that the relationship between manufacturer advertising and retail price promotion depends on the role of advertising. If advertising differentiates brands and suppresses consumer response to retail promotion, then the relationship is negative. But, if advertising is informative enough to increase consumer response to retail promotions, then the relationship is positive. A follow-up empirical analysis shows a strong positive relationship between category advertising expenditure and size of retail price discount, and between advertising and discount frequency. The finding supports the informative role of advertising in the context of retail price promotions. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.
Mechanisms Mediating Children’s Perceived Maternal Nonsupportive Reactions to Sadness and Children’s Social and Emotional Functioning

This study examined whether children’s perceptions of maternal nonsupportive reactions to sadness (active discouragement and non-response) influenced children’s loneliness and classroom popularity indirectly through their effects on children’s sadness inhibition and self-perception of social competence. Participants were children in grades 3–6 from a university affiliated public elementary school (N = 175; 53 % females; 37 % racial/ethnic minority). Children reported on the frequency of their mother’s active discouragement and non-response of their sadness, as well their own sadness inhibition, self-perceived social competence, and loneliness. Classroom peers reported on children’s popularity. Results indicated that perceived maternal non-response to sadness was indirectly related to classroom popularity and loneliness through the effect on children’s self-perception of social competence. In contrast, perceived maternal active discouragement of sadness was indirectly related to children’s classroom popularity through the effect on children’s sadness inhibition. These results support the consideration of active discouragement and non-response as distinct constructs and indicate the likelihood of different pathways of influence in predicting emotional and social outcomes such as loneliness and classroom popularity.
Treatment with a Cannabinoid Receptor 2 Agonist Decreases Severity of Established Cystitis

Purpose: We investigated whether treatment with the selective cannabinoid receptor 2 agonist GP1a would ameliorate the severity of experimental cystitis. We determined the association of referred hyperalgesia and increased urinary frequency after establishing cystitis in mice by intravesical instillation of acrolein.Materials and Methods: Cystitis was induced by intravesical instillation of acrolein in female C57BL/6NH mice. Mice were treated with GP1a (10 mg/kg intraperitoneally) or vehicle 3.5, 22 and 30 hours after instillation of acrolein. Mice were tested for mechanical sensitivity of hind paws. Short-term voluntary voiding was assessed by quantifying urine spots of freely moving mice. Bladders were collected, weighed and processed for immunohistochemical, histological and immunoblotting analysis.Results: At 48 hours after acrolein instillation the bladder of all mice showed histological evidence of inflammation. The severity of edema and increase in bladder weight were inhibited in cannabinoid recep...
TeraScope: distributed visual data mining of terascale data sets over photonic networks

TeraScope is a framework and a suite of tools for interactively browsing and visualizing large terascale data sets. Unique to TeraScope is its utilization of the Optiputer paradigm to treat distributed computer clusters as a single giant computer, where the dedicated optical networks that connect the clusters serve as the computer's system bus. TeraScope explores one aspect of the Optiputer architecture by employing a distributed pool of memory, called LambdaRAM, that serves as a massive data cache for supporting parallel data mining and visualization algorithms.
A closed-form SEM solution to the transient far-field response of a thin-wire antenna

A closed-form SEM representation for the transient far-field response of a thin-wire cylindrical antenna is derived, and explicit expressions for all of the corresponding SEM parameters are presented. In particular, a so-called time-dependent natural far-field mode is introduced, and its corresponding integral is analytically evaluated. Excellent agreements with the numerical results are obtained. >
By-Product Feed Utilization by Grazing Cattle

Supplementation of grazing cattle is a routine management practice that serves several purposes. It can be used to fill the gaps created by seasonal deficiencies in forage growth and quality. Supplementation can also extend pasture availability during drought, increase the carrying capacity of the pasture, and provide nutrients that are inadequate or missing in the forage. Supplementation can also be used effectively to dilute anti-quality factors present in certain forages. Locally available by-products of the grain and food-processing industries can provide a cost-effective source of nutrients to balance the nutritional needs of grazing cattle. It is expected that the availability and cost effectiveness of these feeds will only grow as cattle compete with the biofuels industry for grain in the future.
Applications of lexicographic semirings to problems in speech and language processing

This paper explores lexicographic semirings and their application to problems in speech and language processing. Specifically, we present two instantiations of binary lexicographic semirings, one involving a pair of tropical weights, and the other a tropical weight paired with a novel string semiring we term the categorial semiring. The first of these is used to yield an exact encoding of backoff models with epsilon transitions. This lexicographic language model semiring allows for off-line optimization of exact models represented as large weighted finite-state transducers in contrast to implicit (on-line) failure transition representations. We present empirical results demonstrating that, even in simple intersection scenarios amenable to the use of failure transitions, the use of the more powerful lexicographic semiring is competitive in terms of time of intersection. The second of these lexicographic semirings is applied to the problem of extracting, from a lattice of word sequences tagged for part of speech, only the single best-scoring part of speech tagging for each word sequence. We do this by incorporating the tags as a categorial weight in the second component of a {Tropical, Categorial} lexicographic semiring, determinizing the resulting word lattice acceptor in that semiring, and then mapping the tags back as output labels of the word lattice transducer. We compare our approach to a competing method due to Povey et al. (2012).
Applications of graph theory to an English rhyming corpus

Abstract: How much can we infer about the pronunciation of a language - past or present - by observing which words its speakers rhyme? This paper explores the connection between pronunciation and network structure in sets of rhymes. We consider the rhyme graphs corresponding to rhyming corpora, where nodes are words and edges are observed rhymes. We describe the graph G corresponding to a corpus of ~ 12000 rhymes from English poetry written c. 1900, and find a close correspondence between graph structure and pronunciation: most connected components show community structure that reflects the distinction between full and half rhymes. We build classifiers for predicting which components correspond to full rhymes, using a set of spectral and non-spectral features. Feature selection gives a small number (1-5) of spectral features, with accuracy and F-measure of ~90%, reflecting that positive components are essentially those without any good partition. We partition components of G via maximum modularity, giving a new graph, G', in which the ''quality'' of components, by several measures, is much higher than in G. We discuss how rhyme graphs could be used for historical pronunciation reconstruction.
Regional patient safety initiatives: the missing element of organizational change.

Biography James G. Anderson, Ph.D. is a fellow of the American College of Informatics. Currently he is a professor of medical sociology and health communication at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. He has published four books on applications of information technology to health care; the latest two are Ethics and Information Technology and Evaluating the Organizational Impact of Healthcare Information Systems. He has served as chair of the Ethical, Legal and Social Issues Working Group and chair of the Quality Improvement Working Group of the American Medical Informatics Association. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics. He holds degrees in engineering and the social sciences from Johns Hopkins University.
The Economic Impact of Automation Technology

There Is a growing consensus among academicians, business leaders and government officials that the American competitive problem rests centrally on the slowing rate of Investment to Integrate new automation technology Into manufacturing operations. Although the source of major Innovations In automation technology Is from United States universities and research centers, American firms have been too slow In adopting these technologies. One of the major factors underlying this problem is the lack of an economic analysis technique specifically aimed at estimating the benefits of automation technology. This paper offers an economic analysis technique based upon the premise of Increased probability of capturing the market segments through economies of scope. The paper first demonstrates the Inadequacy of current economic analysis techniques to assess the benefits of automation technology, then proposes a new methodology which can be Integrated to an expert system to assess the economic Impact of various types of automation technology.