cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endovascular Treatment of Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis with Combination of Rheolytic Thrombectomy, Angioplasty and tPA Thrombolysis Reversed Severely Elevated ICP Syndrome: A Case Study. (P2.295)

OBJECTIVE: To report a successful case of combined endovascular treatment of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) with reversal of severe papilledema and elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) syndrome. BACKGROUND: Optimal treatment for CVST is controversial. An ongoing randomized clinical trial, TO-ACT Trial, is designed to assess if endovascular therapy can improve outcome in severe CVST. In this case, a 28 year-old woman presented with acute onset of severe headache, diplopia, and pulse-synchronous tinnitus for several days. MRI/MRV brain revealed thrombosis of the right transverse/sigmoid sinus. Systemic anticoagulation was initiated. She was referred 3 weeks later for persistent diplopia and headache. On exam, visual acuity was 20/20 OU, visual field was normal (tangent screen), and bilateral abduction deficits (-3) and severe papilledema was present. Retinal nerve fiber layer ocular coherence tomography (RNFL OCT) thickness was 553/590µ OD/OS. DESIGN/METHODS: Lumbar puncture opening pressure was 50cmH2O. Cerebral angiography revealed minimal flow within the right transverse and sigmoid sinus with torcular pressure of 35mmHg and lower right sigmoid sinus pressure of 9mmHg. Aggressive endovascular intervention was performed: intrasinus tPA thrombolysis, AngioJet rheolytic thrombectomy, and angioplasty followed by 48-hour continuous tPA infusion. The repeat angiography the following day revealed good flow through the right transverse and sigmoid sinus with torcular pressures of 22-25mmHg, and right lower sigmoid pressures of 13-14mmHg. RESULTS: The patient’s headache improved within a few hours of the procedure. Two weeks post-intervention, lumbar puncture opening pressure was decreased to 16cmH2O and papilledema was mild-moderate (247/301µ). In two-month follow-up, papilledema was completely returned to baseline (104/105µ) without any residual visual deficits. CONCLUSIONS: CVST is associated with high morbidity and mortality if diagnosis is delayed or missed. Endovascular intervention for cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is a safe and effective approach, especially for patients with severe elevated ICP syndrome who are refractory to systemic anticoagulation. Disclosure: Dr. Higashimori has nothing to disclose. Dr. Seinfeld has nothing to disclose. Dr. Pelak has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for MD Consult. Dr. Pelak has received research support from Pfizer, Inc.
Slavery in the Roman Economy

This paper discusses the location of slavery in the Roman economy. It deals with the size and distribution of the slave population and the economics of slave labor and offers a chronological sketch of the development of Roman slavery.
Anxiety and Cueing in a Visual Concept Learning Task.

This study investigated the relationship of two anxiety measures to performance on a visual concept acquisition task. Criterial information was embedded at two levels for the noncued treatment group and made salient by color cues for the cued treatment group. Two-way analyses of variance were used and indicated a significant interaction between cueing treatment andState-Trait Anxiety Inventory (stai) anxiety scores for the heavily embedded figures. Further research is suggested utilizing different populations and cueing techniques. The addition of cues is suggested for deeply embedded criterial information for use with high-anxiety students.
Experiences with GroupLens: marking usenet useful again

Collaborative filetering attempts to alleviate information overload by offering recommendations on whether information is valuable based on the opinions of those who have already evaluated it. Usenet news is an information source whose value is being severely diminished by the volume of low-quality and uninteresting information posted in its newsgroups. The GroupLens system applies collaborative filtering to Usenet news to demonstrate how we can restore the value of Usenet news by sharing our judgements of articles, with our identities protected by pseudonyms. This paper extends the original GroupLens work by reporting on a significantly enhanced system and the results of a seven week trial with 250 users and over 20,000 news articles. GroupLens has an open and flexible architecture that allows easy integration of new newsreader clients and ratings bureaus. We show ratings and prediction profiles for three news-groups, and assess the accuracy of the predictions.
SCALE MODEL EVALUATION OF EARTHMOVING TOOLS

The problem of accurately evaluating the performance of earthmoving tools has been for many years severely handicapped by the variability of field soils. The machine operator also contributes to the variability of field test data, since he cannot accurately reproduce adjustments of the cutting element on successive tests. Minimizing these two factors has been of prime consideration in the establishment of an indoor scale-model testing facility for earthmoving tools, described here. In addition there is a discussion of the soils used, the testing technique, and the type of test results that can be obtained.
Prospects for using improved climate information to better manage energy systems

Given the rising costs of energy and the tight supply of key fuels, climate variations can have a major impact on society by affecting energy production and demand. The winter of 1976–77 brought continued drought to the western United States and cold weather to the eastern United States. This lifted U. S. energy demand for fossil fuels by the equivalent of 200 million barrels of oil. The weather pattern for that winter was an extreme version of a common pattern that is associated with colder than normal temperatures for most of the heavily populated north temperate zone. If such an extreme climate event had occurred during the winter of 1979–80, it would have increased the world oil shortfall by several percent making a bad situation worse. An international effort would be needed to determine the frequency and nature of such extreme climate variations, and to discover if these events are predictable. Monitoring of global temperature and precipitation data could provide early warning that world-wide energy consumption is unusually high. Use of such information could help ameliorate the impact of an extreme climate event on the global economy.
Gridded Ensemble Precipitation and Temperature Estimates for the Contiguous United States

AbstractGridded precipitation and temperature products are inherently uncertain because of myriad factors, including interpolation from a sparse observation network, measurement representativeness, and measurement errors. Generally uncertainty is not explicitly accounted for in gridded products of precipitation or temperature; if it is represented, it is often included in an ad hoc manner. A lack of quantitative uncertainty estimates for hydrometeorological forcing fields limits the application of advanced data assimilation systems and other tools in land surface and hydrologic modeling. This study develops a gridded, observation-based ensemble of precipitation and temperature at a daily increment for the period 1980–2012 for the conterminous United States, northern Mexico, and southern Canada. This allows for the estimation of precipitation and temperature uncertainty in hydrologic modeling and data assimilation through the use of the ensemble variance. Statistical verification of the ensemble indicates ...
Blood trauma testing of CentriMag and RotaFlow centrifugal flow devices: a pilot study.

Mechanical circulatory assist devices that provide temporary support in heart failure patients are needed to enable recovery or provide a bridge to decision. Minimizing risk of blood damage (i.e., hemolysis) with these devices is critical, especially if the length of support needs to be extended. Hematologic responses of the RotaFlow (Maquet) and CentriMag (Thoratec) temporary support devices were characterized in an in vitro feasibility study. Paired static mock flow loops primed with fresh bovine blood (700 mL, hematocrit [Hct] = 25 ± 3%, heparin titrated for activated clotting time >300 s) pooled from a single-source donor were used to test hematologic responses to RotaFlow (n = 2) and CentriMag (n = 2) simultaneously. Pump differential pressures, temperature, and flow were maintained at 250 ± 10 mm Hg, 25 ± 2°C, and 4.2 ± 0.25 L/min, respectively. Blood samples (3 mL) were collected at 0, 60, 120, 180, 240, 300, and 360 min after starting pumps in accordance with recommended Food and Drug Administration and American Society for Testing and Materials guidelines. The CentriMag operated at a higher average pump speed (3425 rpm) than the RotaFlow (3000 rpm) while maintaining similar constant flow rates (4.2 L/min). Hematologic indicators of blood trauma (hemoglobin, Hct, platelet count, plasma free hemoglobin, and white blood cell) for all measured time points as well as normalized and modified indices of hemolysis were similar (RotaFlow: normalized index of hemolysis [NIH] = 0.021 ± 0.003 g/100 L, modified index of hemolysis [MIH] = 3.28 ± 0.52 mg/mg compared to CentriMag: NIH = 0.041 ± 0.010 g/100 L, MIH = 6.08 ± 1.45 mg/mg). In this feasibility study, the blood trauma performance of the RotaFlow was similar or better than the CentriMag device under clinically equivalent, worst-case test conditions. The RotaFlow device may be a more cost-effective alternative to the CentriMag.
The mass and ion kinetic energy spectra of H2, HD arid D2

The collision-induced reactions, (1) H +· 2 → H + + H · , (2) H + 3 → H + + H 2 , and (3) H + 3 → H +· 2 + H · , and the corresponding reactions of the deuterated species, have been examined for their kinetic energy release using a double focusing mass spectrometer. Reaction (1) encompasses two discrete processes, the first apparently involving only the ground electronic state of H + 2 and the second apparently occurring via excitation to the repulsive first excited state. Isotope effects on the kinetic energy release associated with the transition to the repulsive state in process (1) are consistent with the proposed mechanism. Process (2) gives a ‘meta- ­ stable peak’ which shows fine structure, possibly due to individual vibrational states of H 2 . Reaction (3) occurs by electronic transition to a repulsive state(s).
Saturn's magnetospheric dynamics

[1] The dynamics of Saturn's magnetosphere are driven by two major features of the system: First, the dominant source of magnetospheric plasma is the icy moon Enceladus, located deep within the magnetosphere; and second, like Jupiter, Saturn is a very fast rotator, with a rotational period of only 10.7 h. The dynamical imperative is to rid the magnetosphere of the continuously supplied plasma, and the fast rotation provides the mechanisms to do so. Thus, magnetospheric dynamics are intimately related to mass transport processes, including radial diffusion, flux tube interchange, magnetic reconnection, and plasmoid formation. We review recent progress and new questions relating to these processes at Saturn.
Counting Rational Points on Curves and Abelian Varieties over Finite Fields

We develop efficient methods for deterministic computations with semi-algebraic sets and apply them to the problem of counting rational points on curves and abelian varieties over finite fields. For abelian varieties of dimension g in projective N space over Fq, we improve Pila's result and show that the problem can be solved in O((log q)δ) time where δ is polynomial in g as well as in N. For hyperelliptic curves of genus g over Fq we show that the number of rational points on the curve and the number of rational points on its Jacobian can be computed in time \(O((\log q)^{O(g^6 )} )\)time.
Release of serotonin from RBL-2H3 cells by the Escherichia coli peptide toxin STb

Abstract Heat-stable enterotoxin b (STb) of Escherichia coli is a 48-amino acid basic, disulfidebonded peptide that causes intestinal secretion in experimental animal models. Recent evidence suggests that the in vivo mechanism of STb action involves release of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and production of prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ). Here we show STb-mediated release of 5-HT from rat basophilic leukemic cells (RBL-2H3), a mast cell line model used extensively to study 5-HT release. Increasing concentrations of biologically active STb resulted in a dose-dependent release of 5-HT from RBL-2H3 cells. In contrast to these results, reduced and alkylated STb had no effect on 5-HT release. Release of 5-HT from RBL-2H3 cells was independent of extracellular calcium ions and did not involve changes in the intracellular concentration of free Ca 2+ . In addition, pertussis toxin treatment completely blocked 5-HT release, indicating a role for a pertussis toxin-sensitive G-protein in the mechanism of 5-HT release from this cell type.
Diffusion research in the industrial setting: Some conceptual clarifications☆

Abstract This paper deals with some conceptual and methodological issues concerning research into the diffusion of innovations. In particular, it examines differences in the research traditions of anthropological and sociological work on the one hand, and economic research on the other, and evaluates the usefulness of each field's paradigms in the study of industrial technological change. Such differences are found to exist with respect to the appropriate measure of diffusion, the role of information flows in the spread process, and the meaning of resistance to change. It concludes that explanations of diffusion processes in industry couched in terms of economic variables form a more solid basis for purposes of technological forecasting and planning.
Thermal Efficiency Projections of a Simple-Cycle Gas Turbine in Biogas Power Generation

The thermal efficiency of a 125 kW simple-cycle gas turbine for biogas power generation was estimated, using a computer code developed for simple-cycle gas turbines. The computer code can predict expected values for the thermal efficiency and specific work along with the expected temperatures and pressures at various stages in the gas turbine. For the 125 kW Solar Gas Turbine (Titan series), the projected thermal efficiency is about 14%. This paper additionally presents a sensitivity analysis oo the operating condition and design parameter which had the greatest impacts on the thermal efficiency. These results will assist the California Energy Commission in determining the type of combustion device most suitable for biogas power generation.Copyright © 1996 by ASME
Influence of Mobile Phase Gradients on the Retention and Separation of Peptides from a Cytochrome-c Digest by Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography

The retention data of the components of the peptide mixture obtained by the enzymatic digestion of cytochrome-c were measured under different gradient conditions, using different organic modifiers (acetonitrile, methanol, and tetrahydrofuran) in a 0.1% (v/v) aqueous solution of trifluoroacetic acid. The influences of the nature of the organic modifier, of the gradient steepness, and of the column length on the retention and the resolution of these peptides were studied. Peak capacity and retention factor calculations for gradient separations were helpful in determining a desired gradient for this separation. All three organic modifiers are shown to cause reversal orders of some peaks in the cytochrome-c digest separation.
Effects of Phorbol Ester Tumor Promoters and Hyperplasiogenic Agents on Cytoplasmic Glucocorticoid Receptors in Epidermis

Glucocorticoids (anti-inflammatory steroids) are very potent inhibitors of mouse skin tumor promotion induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). This report describes a high-affinity, limited-capacity binding component which specifically interacts with glucocorticoids and which is identified as a glucocorticoid (GC) receptor present in the cytosol of adult mouse epidermis. Also described is the effect of a single application of TPA and other hyperplasiogenic agents on the level of epidermal cytosol GC receptor. After treatment with acetone the epidermal GC receptor level was 0.38 pmol/mg cytosol protein, whereas after application of TPA (4 micrograms) there was a time-dependent transient decrease in the level of GC receptor (39% of control 24 hr after TPA) followed by an increase (55% and 66% of control 48 and 72 hr, respectively, after TPA). Hyperplasiogenic agents such as mezerein and ethylphenylpropiolate were also effective in causing a reduction in the level of epidermal cytosol GC receptor level, but weak tumor promoters such as phorbol dibenzoate and 4-O-methyl TPA were less effective than TPA. Therefore, there is a good correlation among agents which induce epidermal hyperplasia and agents which cause a reduction in epidermal cytosol GC receptor levels. The functional significance of the decrease in receptor level is discussed.
Slow Inactivation of Nav Channels Described by Composite Movements of Voltage Sensors in Domains I, II and III

Slow inactivation (SI) of voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels is a primary determinant of their ‘availability’ and therefore the excitability of muscles and nerves. This process has been difficult to describe because it is a multi-timescale phenomenon that can be perturbed by mutations at many channel locales including the S4 voltage sensors (VS). Here, we compare ionic and gating currents during SI with changes in fluorescence from probes conjugated to the VS in each of the four domains (DI-DIV) of the rat skeletal muscle isoform (NaV1.4). We observe that onset and recovery of SI can be approximated by three time constants of ∼1, 10 and 100 s and that these temporal components are reflected in domain-specific fluorescence immobilization. The kinetics of immobilization of DI and DII correlate with the 10 s component and are potently inhibited by TTX. Immobilization of DIII reflects both the 1 and 100 s components and enhancing the speed and magnitude of SI via a mutation that removes fast inactivation (IQM) has the same effects on DIII immobilization. Limited immobilization observed for DIV shows no correlation with SI. Rapid gating is a hallmark of NaV channels and results from movements of VSs over ms. This study links slow, differential movements of VSs in DI, DII and DIII with the time constants required to model SI kinetics over multiple time domains. The findings offer a basis for understanding the effects on SI of previously reported disease-associated and experimental mutations in the pore, inactivation lid and VSs.
Truman's rhetorical reticence, 1945–1947: An interpretive essay

Harry S. Truman's speaking on the subject of Soviet‐American relations from the inception of his presidency on April 12, 1945 until the enunciation of the Truman Doctrine on March 12, 1947, failed ...
The attribution cube and moral evaluations

An attribution-based theory of moral evaluations was investigated by systematically varying the distinctiveness, consistency, and consensus of actions that conflicted with or conformed to one of four moral norms (telling the truth, doing one’s duty, not stealing, and keeping promises). Analyses of subjects’ moral judgments indicated that (1) moral character is assumed to be a prime cause of behaviors that are low in distinctiveness and high in consistency, (2) actions that are high in distinctiveness and low in consistency are less likely to be attributed to the actor’s moral character, and (3) consensus information has a lesser impact on moral judgments.
Some factors influencing salivary function when treating with radiotherapy

Abstract Salivary flow rate (FR) was studied in 29 patients treated with external irradiation to bead and neck areas. “Resting” saliva samples were collected before, during the radiotherapy course and follow-up. Several parameters were investigated: field arrangement, amount of salivary glands irradiated, dose to these glands, initial FR, its recovery during and after irradiation, and influence of therapy interruption (split course) in FR. We found that the level of the upper border of the field is a critical factor when using parallel-opposed lateral fields to the upper neck area and lateral face. More than 50% of the parotids have to be outside the fields to prevent severe dryness. Neck fields which do not encompass salivary glands do not decrease salivary secretion. There is some relation between the initial FR and the dose necessary to produce dryness: patients with high initial salivary FR require higher doses. FR recovery occurs during weekend interruptions before xerostomia develops. Interruptions of therapy for more than two weeks during the radiotherapy course prior to development of dryness might decrease late xerostomia, at least in patients with high initial FR. Objective recovery of the FR has not been observed after treatment in spite of the subjective improvement in the sensation of dryness of some patients.
Three-dimensional crack closure behavior

A crack closure measurement technique involving fatigue striations was used to produce a three-dimensional crack opening load profile for 2024-T351 aluminum alloy. The crack opening load profile, determined through the specimen thickness, was compared with crack opening load measurements made with strain gages and displacement gages. The results of this study indicate that a significant three-dimensional variation in crack closure behavior occurs in the alloy examined. An understanding of this phehomenon is important in understanding crack growth behavior, predicting crack shape changes, and interpreting 'standard' crack closure measurement techniques.
High-Energy Approximation and the Nonlocal Nucleon-Nucleus Watson Potential

The high-energy approximation is used to evaluate an effective local optical potential to describe nucleon-nucleus scattering in terms of soft-core two-body potentials.
Variation of the intrinsic efficiency of a cylindrical planar Ge(Li) gamma-ray detector with source distance

Abstract The relative full-energy peak efficiency of a cylindrical planar Ge(Li) gamma-ray detector deviates considerably from r −2 behavior when the distance r from the front face of the detector to a localized source of radiation approaches the order of the dimensions of the detector. The measured deviations have been observed to agree quite well with predictions of simple formulae derived in this paper.
Classification of Reaches in the Missouri and Lower Yellowstone Rivers Based on Flow Characteristics

Several aspects of flow have been shown to be important determinants of biological community structure and function in streams, yet direct application of this approach to large rivers has been limited. Using a multivariate approach, we grouped flow gauges into hydrologically similar units in the Missouri and lower Yellowstone Rivers and developed a model based on flow variability parameters that could be used to test hypotheses about the role of flow in determining aquatic community structure. This model could also be used for future comparisons as the hydrological regime changes. A suite of hydrological parameters for the recent, post-impoundment period (1 October 1966–30 September 1996) for each of 15 gauges along the Missouri and lower Yellowstone Rivers were initially used. Preliminary graphical exploration identified five variables for use in further multivariate analyses. Six hydrologically distinct units composed of gauges exhibiting similar flow characteristics were then identified using cluster analysis. Discriminant analyses identified the three most influential variables as flow per unit drainage area, coefficient of variation of mean annual flow, and flow constancy. One surprising result was the relative similarity of flow regimes between the two uppermost and three lowermost gauges, despite large differences in magnitude of flow and separation by roughly 3000 km. Our results synthesize, simplify and interpret the complex changes in flow occurring along the Missouri and lower Yellowstone Rivers, and provide an objective grouping for future tests of how these changes may affect biological communities. Copyright  2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Studies of surface oxidation in ultrasmall magic‐sized white‐light emitting CdSe nanocrystals using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy

A large number of II-VI and III-V semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) or quantum dots (QDs) have been studied over the years because of their size and band gap tunable optical properties, and their application in miniaturizing optoelectronic devices. Significant studies have been done in the synthesis and characterization of CdSe NCs, and their surface has been studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Recently, pyrolytically grown white-light (WL) emitting ultra small, “magic size” CdSe NCs with an absorption feature at 414 nm and a broadband emission between 420 and 710 nm have been reported which show no band edge emission. Due to the extreme surface-to-volume ratio, the electrons and holes apparently interact on the surface producing a broad emission covering the entire visible spectrum. Due to the technological interest as white-light phosphors for application in white light emitting diodes (LEDs), it is important to understand the surface coverage of the ligands on the surface of the CdSe NCs, and oxidation of these NCs. This paper reports the surface oxidation of these ultra-small white-light emitting CdSe NCs and effect of their relevant ratios of Cd and Se surface atoms as compared to regular CdSe NCs using X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Results shows that the degree of oxidation in the ultra small white light emitting NCs is quiet comparable to that of larger size NCs and makes it more suitable for application in optoelectronics and miniature of devices in white light emitting devices. (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Random Antiferromagnetic Chain

The quantum spin-\textonehalf{} Heisenberg antiferromagnet in one dimension with randomly distributed coupling constants is solved approximately. Ground-state energies and low-temperature properties are obtained for several distributions of coupling constants (including both singular and nonsingular distributions). Power-law temperature dependence in specific heat and in susceptibility are found for all distributions studied.
Monitoring an underground repository with modern seismological methods

Abstract An experiment utilizing microearthquake and acoustic emission techniques has been designed to investigate the discrete failure and behavior of hard rock in response to storage of high level nuclear waste. Data are presently being collected from a 15-station, three-dimensional array of piezoelectric sensors surrounding 11 canisters of spent nuclear fuel and 6 electricaty heated simulator canisters. The canisters are arranged in a linear array 420 m beneath the surface in the Climax Stock at the Nevada Test Site. Because of the unique scale of the experiment (array dimension - 50 × 20 × 10 m), techniques employed are drawn from the fields of acoustic emission and earthquake analysis. The data are digitized and analyzed in-field via an Automated Seismic Processor (ASP) developed for earthquake studies. Although the discrete events are high frequency in nature (1–10 kHz) their behavior and appearance are typical of shear failure observed in microearthquake sequences. Sought are not only the spatial and temporal characteristics of the events with respect to induced thermal, mechanical, or radiation stresses, but also a complete understanding of the source characteristics relative to these induced stresses. The velocity and attenuation characteristics within the array imply that the rock is not homogenous at the observed frequencies. This paper reviews the basis for experiment's concept, the instrumentation emplaced, and preliminary results of the monitoring program.
The laboratory networking dilemma

Computer networking in the research laboratory is still a rarity. But growing demands for shared resources may prompt laboratories to make the connection . . . the question is when and how.
The noise figure of transistor converters

The noise figure of a transistor converter may be expressed in terms of the usual transistor and circuit parameters (source resistance, base resistance, emitter-base diode impedance, current gain, cutoff frequency, and conversion conductance). Theoretical values are in good agreement with measured values.
Malignant and Nonmalignant Gene Signatures in Squamous Head and Neck Cancer

Genetic events specific to the pathogenesis of malignancy can offer clues to the tumorigenesis process. The objective of this study was to identify gene alterations that differentiate tumor and nontumor lesions in squamous head and neck cancer (HNSCC). DNA from 220 primary HNSCC with concurrently present tumor and nontumor lesions from the same patient was interrogated for genomic alterations of loss or gain of copy. Conditional logistic regression dealt with tumor and non-tumor records within a patient. Of 113 genes, 53 had univariate effects (P < 0.01), of which 16 genes remained in the multivariable model with P < 0.01. The model had a C-index (ROC) of 0.93. Loss of CDKN2B and gain of BCL6, FGF3, and PTP4A3 predicted tumor. Loss of BAK1 and CCND1 and gain of STCH predicted nontumor. This highly powered model assigned alterations in 16 genes specific for malignant versus nonmalignant lesions, supporting their contribution to the pathogenesis of HNSCC as well as their potential utility as relevant targets for further evaluation as markers of early detection and progression.
Magnetic Susceptibility of an Electron Gas at High Density

The magnetic susceptibility of an electron gas at high density is determined using the exact theory of Gell-Mann and Brueckner.
Redox Mechanism of Neurotoxicity by a Serotonin–Acrolein Polymeric Melanoid

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction may be associated with the toxic products of lipid peroxidation, such as the α,β-unsaturated aldehyde acrolein, which accumulates in aging. We previously identified an acrolein-mediated, serotonin-derived melanoid product, or SDM. This study further characterizes this putative novel neuromelanin, which is not made from catecholamines. In addition to its strong protein-binding properties, we observed that SDM binds Fe2+ readily and exhibits complex redox characteristics. SDM may exist as a two-dimensional network of polymers that coalesce into larger entities exhibiting electroactive properties. These observations suggest that SDM may contribute to the decline in cognition due to focal degeneration from SDM-mediated free-radical production. We know that inhalational anesthetics sequester acrolein, which is toxic to neurons, and we propose that the local increase in acrolein depletes serotonin levels and enhances neuronal vulnerability through the production of neuromelanin-like structures, such as SDM.
Overexpression of ErbB2 enhances ethanol-stimulated intracellular signaling and invasion of human mammary epithelial and breast cancer cells in vitro

Both epidemiological and experimental studies indicate that ethanol is a tumor promoter and may promote metastasis of breast cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying ethanol-mediated tumor promotion remain unknown. Overexpression of ErbB proteins in breast cancer patients is generally associated with poor prognosis. The ErbB proteins are a family of receptor kinases that include four closely related members: epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/ErbB1), ErbB2/neu, ErbB3, and ErbB4. Particularly, ErbB2 plays a pivotal role in ErbB-mediated activities. Here we demonstrated that amplification of ErbB2 expression sensitized a specific cellular response to ethanol. Human breast cancer cells or mammary epithelial cells with a high expression of ErbB2 exhibited an enhanced response to ethanol-stimulated cell invasion in vitro. Ethanol also stimulated cell proliferation; however, this stimulation was independent of ErbB2 levels. Ethanol triggered divergent intracellular signaling among cells expressing different ErbB2 levels. In the cells overexpressing ErbB2, ethanol was more effective in the activation of c-Jun NH2 terminal protein kinases (JNKs) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) as well as the induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) than the cells with normal ErbB2 expression. Blockage of either JNKs or p38 MAPK activation eliminated ethanol-mediated cell invasion. In contrast, the reduction of hydrogen peroxide concentration by catalase exposure had little effect on ethanol-induced cell invasion. These results indicated that ethanol-induced cell invasion was primarily mediated by JNKs and p38 MAPK, whereas the involvement of ROS formation might be minimal. Our study suggests that overexpression of ErbB2 may augment ethanol-elicited signaling and promote ethanol-stimulated tumor metastasis.
Total hip replacement in the congenitally dysplastic hip

Abstract Total hip replacement arthroplasty can relieve pain and improve function for many patients with end-stage arthritis.Patients with congenital hip dysplasia, however, present special problems because of the deformities of the acetabulum and femur.Noncemented porous-coated hemispheric acetabular components available in small sizes, and small, straight-stemmed, cemented, femoral components can be used to deal with the bony deformities and have considerably expanded the success of total hip replacement in such patients.The acetabular dysplasia can be managed in most cases by reaming to the medial wall, inserting small-diameter, porous-coated, acetabular components and stabilizing them with screws to provide rigid initial stability. Small portions of the components can be covered with bone graft chips. If necessary, the acetabular component can be placed more proximal than normal, thus increasing the height of the prosthetic hip center, while restoring the limb length with a longer neck prosthesis. a high total dislocation without the development of an adequate false acetabulum, however, requires trochanteric osteotomy, femoral shortening, placement of the acetabular component in the true acetabulum, and the use of straight-stem femoral components.
Anisotropic contact processes on homogeneous trees

Abstract Sufficient conditions are given for the existence of a weak survival phase in a homogeneous but not necessarily isotropic contact process on a homogeneous tree. These require that the contact process be homogeneous , that is, for any two vertices x , y of the tree there is an automorphism mapping x to y leaving the infection rates invariant; and that the contact process be weakly symmetric , that is, for each vertex there should be at least two incident edges with the same infection rate.
The basic elements of community mental health education

An adequate plan for community mental health educa- tion should include consideration of five basic elements which are derived from an exam- ination of the core concepts of community mental health. These five elements are ap- proached from the vantage point of the conceptualizations and skills necessary for practice in community mental health. Illustrations of these elements are offered along with some suggestions about relevant field experiences and conceptual tools. If community mental health is to shed the appearance of an occasional bandwagon and take on the character of a broadly based new approach, the professions must educate graduates who can shape, im- plement, and rationalize its ideology. Ideology alone is insufficient unless it is supported by empirically validated conceptualizations and transmit- table skills and the professions must provide these in their community mental health educational programs. Moreover, these programs must have sufficient capacity to supply an adequate number of personnel. If these ends are to be accomplished, existing educational programs are likely to be the primary resource for meeting the manpower requirements. Too few students can avail themselves of post-professional programs which would appear to be the only feasible alternative to existing programs. Moreover by the time the advanced level is achieved, many students will have acquired trained incapacities that interfere with their ability to bene- fit from a program involving major revisions of existing mental health practices. The knowledge and manpower requirements are simply too great for community mental health to be the domain of a particular profession or the exclusive concern of advanced educational programs. Therefore, each profession must assume responsibility for education in community mental health. However, a multilevel and multiprofessional to community mental health education will be adequate only if it is based on a sound edu-
The coupling of supercritical fluid chromatography and field ionization time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometry for rapid and quantitative analysis of petroleum middle distillates.

We report the first coupling of supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) with field ionization time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometry (FI-ToF HRMS), in parallel with ultraviolet (UV) detection and flame ionization detection (FID), for rapid and quantitative analysis of petroleum middle distillates. SFC separates petroleum middle distillates into saturates and 1- to 3-ring aromatics. FI generates molecular ions for hydrocarbon species eluted from the SFC. The high resolution and exact mass measurements by ToF mass spectrometry provide elemental compositions of the molecules in the petroleum product. The amounts of saturates and aromatic ring types were quantified using the parallel SFC-FID assisted by SFC-UV. With a proper carbon–number calibration, the detailed composition of the petroleum middle distillate was rapidly determined.
Evolution and control of ion-beam divergence in applied-B diodes.

The time evolution of beam divergence induced by electomagnetic instabilities in applied-B ion diodes is examined using the 3D particle-in-cell code quicksilver. The evolution is generally characterized by a high-frequency, low-divergence phase, associated with the diocotron mode, followed by a low-frequency, high-divergence phase, associated with the two-stream-like ion mode. Limiting the extent of the electron density profile evolution allows the diocotron phase to be sustained with a resulting divergence of \ensuremath{\approxeq}10 mrad.
Linear‐exponential functions for eddy current analysis

A finite element formulation based on a superposition of linear and exponential interpolation functions is presented for eddy current problems. These special interpolation functions are valid for problems with and without imposed source current. An error calculation demonstrates the skin depth independent and uniformly high accuracy of the linear‐exponential interpolation functions and the remarkable reduction in computational effort in comparison with linear interpolation functions.
Effects of diet and time on blood serum proteins in the newborn calf.

Abstract The effect of colostrum on serum protein constituents during the first seven and one-half hours after birth was studied in 11 calves removed from their dams immediately after birth and bled every half hour. Calves received pooled colostrum (0.7kg) after the first bleeding and again five and one-half hours later. At Time Zero, a small amount of γ -globulin (0.02 g/100ml) was detected, indicating that calves do not obtain all their serum γ -globulin by colostrum absorption. Serum γ -globulin increased linearly (P α - 1,2 , and β -globulin remained constant. The concentration of serum protein constituents was also studied in calves which did not receive colostrum until 24 hours, postnatally. The small amount of serum γ -globulin at birth remained constant over the 31 hours in calves fed glucose or nothing. Feeding of pooled colostrum at the 24th hour of life after receiving nothing or glucose for 24 hours did not alter the serum γ -globulin by the 31st hour of life (0.02 g/100ml). This suggests that the gut was impermeable to colostral proteins by the 24th hour after birth. y-Globulin level was significantly higher by seven hours after birth in calves fed pooled colostrum than calves nursing their damns. However, serum γ -globulin levels in nursing calves were higher at 24 to 31 hours than in calves fed pooled colostrum (0.57 versus 0.29 g/100ml).
Immunologic Aging in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease: Does Infant Sternotomy Matter?

Thymectomy is performed routinely in infants undergoing cardiothoracic surgery. Children post-sternotomy have decreased numbers of T lymphocytes, although the mechanisms involved and long-term consequences of this have not been defined. We hypothesized that lymphopenia in patients with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) would be reflective of premature T cell maturation and exhaustion. Adults with ACHD who had sternotomy to repair congenital heart disease as infants (<1 year) and age-matched ACHD patients without prior sternotomy were studied using polychromatic flow cytometry interrogating markers of lymphocyte maturation, exhaustion and senescence. Group differences were analyzed using Mann–Whitney U and Fisher’s exact tests. Eighteen ACHD patients aged 21–40 years participated: 10 cases and 8 controls. Median age at sternotomy for cases was 52 days. Cases and controls were matched for age (28.9 vs. 29.1 years; p = 0.83), gender (p = 0.15) and race (p = 0.62) and had similar case complexity. Cases had a lower mean percentage of cytotoxic CD8 lymphocytes compared to controls (26.8 vs. 33.9 %; p = 0.016), with fewer naive, undifferentiated CD8 T cells (31.0 vs. 53.6 %; p = 0.027). CD8 cells expressing PD1, a marker of immune exhaustion, trended higher in cases versus controls (25.6 vs. 19.0 %; p = 0.083). Mean percentage of CD4 cells was higher in cases versus controls (65.6 vs. 59.6 %; p = 0.027), without differences in CD4 T cell maturation subtype. In summary, ACHD patients who undergo sternotomy as infants exhibit differences in T lymphocyte composition compared to ACHD controls, suggesting accelerated immunologic exhaustion. Investigation is warranted to assess the progressive nature and clinical impact of this immune phenotypic change.
EVEVis: A multi-scale visualization system for dense evolutionary data

Evolutionary simulations can produce datasets consisting of thousands or millions of separate entities, complete with their genealogical relationships. Biologists must examine this data to determine when and where these entities have changed, both on an individual basis and on a population-wide basis. Therefore, desirable features of a visualization system for evolutionary data are the capability of showing the status of the population at any given moment in time, good scalability, and smooth transition between high-level and low-level views. We propose a multi-scale visualization method, including a novel tree layout that both shows population status over time and can easily scale to very large populations. From this layout, the user can navigate to visualizations for moments in time or for individual entities. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the visualization on an existing evolutionary simulation called EVE: Evolution in Variable Environments.
Expression of insulin-like growth factor binding proteins in healing tendon lesions

he treatment of overuse tendon injuries with exogenous growth factors such as insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) may facilitate an improved return to sustained athletic function. The biological effects of IGF-I are exerted under the control of a complex of IGF receptors, binding proteins, and proteases. This IGF system includes a family of six structurally related high-affinity IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) that protect IGF-I from local proteases and restrict access of IGF-I to its receptor. This study describes the expression of the IGFBPs in flexor tendon after acute injury and during healing over time. Collagenase-induced lesions were created in the tensile region of the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon of both forelimbs of 14 horses. Tendons were harvested from euthanatized horses 1, 2, 4, 8, or 24 weeks following injury. Gene expression was quantitated by fluorescent real-time PCR, and protein expression was evaluated by Western ligand blot (WLB). Message for IGFBPs 2 to 6 was expressed in both normal and healing tendon. No IGFBP-1 mRNA was detected in equine tendon. Message expression for IGFBP-2, -3, and -4 increased following injury, whereas message expression for IGFBP-5 and -6 decreased. Protein expression for IGFBP-2, -3, and -4 was detected by WLB in normal tendon and showed a marked increase following injury. Protein for IGFBP-5 and -6 was not detectable by WLB in normal or healing tendon. The results of this study document the IGFBP response of flexor tendons to injury and healing, which provides information necessary for the design of protocols that may enhance tendon healing through manipulation of IGF-I ligand and binding protein levels.
D-MAP: Distributed Maximum a Posteriori Probability Estimation of Dynamic Systems

This paper develops a framework for the estimation of a time-varying random signal using a distributed sensor network. Given a continuous time model sensors collect noisy observations and produce local estimates according to the discrete time equivalent system defined by the sampling period of observations. Estimation is performed using a maximum a posteriori probability estimator (MAP) within a given window of interest. To mediate the incorporation of information from other sensors we introduce Lagrange multipliers to penalize the disagreement between neighboring estimates. We show that the resulting distributed (D)-MAP algorithm is able to track dynamical signals with a small error. This error is characterized in terms of problem constants and vanishes with the sampling time as long as the log-likelihood function which is assumed to be log-concave satisfies a smoothness condition. We implement the D-MAP algorithm for a linear and a nonlinear system model to show that the performance corroborates with theoretical findings.
Mortality and long-term functional outcome associated with intracranial pressure after traumatic brain injury

Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) has been associated with increased mortality in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). We have examined whether raised ICP is independently associated with mortality, functional status and neuropsychological functioning in adult TBI patients. Data from a randomized trial of 499 participants were secondarily analyzed. The primary endpoints were mortality and a composite measure of functional status and neuropsychological function (memory, speed of information processing, executive function) over a 6-month period. The area under the curve of the ICP profile (average ICP) during the first 48 h of monitoring was the main predictor of interest. Multivariable regression was used to adjust for a priori defined confounders: age, Glasgow Coma Score, Abbreviated Injury Scale–head and hypoxia. Of the participants, 365 patients had complete 48-h ICP data. The overall 6-month mortality was 18 %. The adjusted odds ratio of mortality comparing 10-mmHg increases in average ICP was 3.12 (95 % confidence interval 1.79, 5.44; p < 0.01). Overall, higher average ICP was associated with decreased functional status and neuropsychological functioning (p < 0.01). Importantly, among survivors, increasing average ICP was not independently associated with worse performance on neuropsychological testing (p = 0.46). Average ICP in the first 48 h of monitoring was an independent predictor of mortality and of a composite endpoint of functional and neuropsychological outcome at the 6-month follow-up in moderate or severe TBI patients. However, there was no association between average ICP and neuropsychological functioning among survivors.