cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Correlation of optic nerve sheath diameter measurements by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract Background Traditionally, intracranial pressure is measured by direct ventriculostomy, which is invasive. Noninvasive measures such as bedside ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging have been advocated and utilized recently to assess the intracranial pressure. The role of this study is to determine the degree of agreement between measurements of the optic nerve sheath diameter by computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Materials and Methods Retrospective chart review of 100 consecutive patients who had both MRI and CT scan of the head from January 1, 2011, until March 31, 2013, at our center was performed. A discrepancy of 0.2 mm between the 2 measurements was set as acceptable difference. The measurements of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) were compared for agreement between the 2 modalities using the method by Bland and Altman. Results A total of 100 patients with both MRI and CT scan of the head were selected. Of these 100 patients, 24 were male and 76 were female. The average age was 63 years. No ONSD abnormality was detected in any of the patients. The discrepancy in measurements of the ONSD between CT and MRI in transverse plane was less than the predetermined cut-off value of 0.2 mm. Within-subject variance was estimated at 0.0058 for both CT and MRI. Conclusion Comparable results without significant discrepancy as predetermined by the study groups were obtained from CT scan. Measurement of ONSD by CT scan can be used to indirectly asses the intracranial pressure in addition to clinical assessment and other signs of increased intracranial pressure on CT scan.
Primary hemangiosarcoma of the spleen: report of four cases.

Four cases of primary splenic hemangiosarcoma are described. The most common presenting symptoms were recurrent fever, malaise, and abdominal pain. Three patients also had complaints referable to the urinary tract. Severe hemo-lytic anemia with bizarre or fragmented red blood cells on peripheral smear was noted in three patients, in two cases, for more than 1 year before diagnosis. Two patients had been treated for mammary carcinoma with ionizing radiation 10 years before developing hemangiosarcoma of the spleen. One patient had multiple congenital hemangiomas present from birth, and is thought to have developed hemangiosarcoma in a previously existing benign hemangi-oma. None of our patients survived more than 7 months after the diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma. The importance of early detection and treatment of this tumor is discussed.
Cracked Dry or Finely Ground High Moisture Shelled Corn as a Supplement for Grazing Cows

Feeding shelled corn as the primary supplement in cracked dry form or ground high moisture form to grazing cows was studied in an experiment using 32 cows in late lactation. Each of the two forms of corn accounted for 74.7% of the concentrate supplement, which was fed at 9 kg/d (DM). The experiment was 13 wk, during which cows grazed permanent native pasture containing mostly grasses and some clover. Milk yield was 2.4 kg/d higher for cows fed ground high moisture shelled corn than for those fed dry cracked shelled corn. Milk fat content was lower (3.28 vs. 3.67%), but protein content was higher (3.26 vs. 3.15%) for the high moisture corn supplement. Results suggest that high moisture corn can serve as a better supplement for grazing cows than dry corn, likely by providing more metabolizable energy and microbial protein due to more fermentable and digestible starch.
Irreversible Inhibition of Lysyl Oxidase by Homocysteine Thiolactone and Its Selenium and Oxygen Analogues IMPLICATIONS FOR HOMOCYSTINURIA

Homocysteine thiolactone, selenohomocysteine lactone, and homoserine lactone were found to be competitive, irreversible inhibitors of lysyl oxidase, with KI values of 21 +/- 3 microM, 8.3 +/- 2.2 microM, and 420 +/- 56 microM, respectively. The first order rate constants for inactivation (k2) of the enzyme varied over a much smaller range, ranging from 0.12 to 0.18 to 0.28 min-1 for the Se-, thio-, and O-lactones, respectively. Mutually exclusive labeling of the enzyme by [1-14C]beta-aminopropionitrile, [U-14C]phenylhydrazine, or [35S]homocysteine thiolactone was observed. These labeling results, together with the closely similar perturbations of the near UV-visible spectra of lysyl oxidase and of a model of its lysine tyrosylquinone cofactor by the thiolactone, indicate that the lactones likely derivatize and reduce the active site carbonyl cofactor. Substitution with deuterium at the alpha-carbon of the thiolactone caused a deuterium kinetic isotope effect on k2 of 3.2 +/- 0.2, consistent with the involvement of rate-limiting alpha-proton abstraction during lactone-induced inactivation of the enzyme. The activities of plasma amine oxidase and diamine oxidase were only minimally reduced at concentrations of the sulfur or selenium lactones that fully inhibited lysyl oxidase. Thus, these lactones constitute a new category of mechanism-based inactivators selective for lysyl oxidase. Further, these results may relate to the development of connective tissue defects seen in homocystinuria.
Studies of B‐ring aromatic tetracyclic Triterpenoid Derivatives

By treatment of methyl 3β-acetoxy-7β-hydroxy-4,4,14-trimethyl-1-oxo-5α-chol-8-en-24-oate 3 with p-toluenesulfonyl chloride in pyridine methyl 3β-acetoxy-4,4,14-trimethyl-11-oxo 19-norchola-5,7,9-trien-24-oate 1a was synthesized and its structure confirmed by spectral evidence. From 3β-acetoxy-19-norlanosta-5,7,9-trien-11-one 1b the 7-amino derivative 1d, of which was prepared by nitration and selective catalytic hydrogenation (10% Pd/C) of the obtained 7-nitro compound 1c.
Effect of Transcutaneous Nerve Stimulation on Esophageal Function in Normal Subjects — Evidence for a Somatovisceral Reflex

Transcutaneous stimulation (TNS) at esophageal acupuncture points decreases lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressures in patients with achalasia. We examined the effect of TNS on esophageal motility and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) levels in normal subjects. TNS was applied to either hand or foot (placebo) in 10 volunteers. Esophageal and LES pressures were recorded and blood was drawn for VIP analysis. Hand TNS improved LES relaxation and percent of peristaltic contractions to swallows, and decreased the number of spontaneous contractions. Foot TNS decreased only spontaneous contractions while LES pressures and VIP levels were unchanged. We conclude that a somatovisceral pathway involving the esophagus exists.
Anti-Aging at the APLS

229 ANTI-AGING MEDICINE was a hot topic at the annual meeting of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences (APLS), which was held at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel in Philadelphia, August 28–31, 2003. Founded in 1980, the APLS is an international and interdisciplinary association of scholars, scientists, and policymakers concerned with problems or issues that involve politics or public policy and one or more of the life sciences. On August 28, there was a lively roundtable discussion titled “Life-Extension and Biomedical Research: the Economic, Moral and Political Implications of Turning Back Our Biological Clocks.” The panelists included Ronald Bailey, Science Correspondent for Reason Magazine; Eric Cohen, President’s Council on Bioethics and editor of the journal The New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology and Society; James H. Fetzer, McKnight Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota–Duluth and noted philosopher of science; and, F. Brad Johnson, researcher for the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and an expert on telomeres. The moderator was Richard Haubner, director of the Gerontology Program and Associate Professor of Gerontology at the College of Mount St. Joseph. Johnson set the stage with a brief summary of the current state of life-extension science via telomeres, stem cells, and caloric restriction. All of the panelists agreed that the extension of the human life-span via biotechnology is probably inevitable and forthcoming in the very near future (maybe 20 years?). However, they also agreed that given the panoply of other human afflictions, especially automobile accidents, de facto human immortality is well beyond the reach of biotechnology. Moral and political debate focused on the sociopolitical context of aging as a “disease,” and whether life-extension constitutes medical “therapy” or “enhancement”; how these life-extending biotechnologies ought to be distributed in a democratic society; and how that distribution might be positively (or negatively) affected by science, government, and/or multinational corporations. The panel represented a variety of philosophical orientations including free-market libertarianism (Bailey), welfare liberalism (Fetzer), natural law (Cohen), and preference utilitarianism (Johnson). On the evening of the 28th, Ronald F. White displayed a poster titled “The Ethical and Political Implications of Lifespan-Extension Biology,” which included several charts summarizing how the various teleological and deontological moral systems (virtue-based, utilitarian, welfare liberal, and libertarian) tend to approach the issues of biotechnology and life-extension. A variety of materials pertaining to the roundtable and the poster session, including a short bibliography, can be found at http://www.msj.edu/ white/apls_antiaging.htm. On August 30, Arthur Caplan, Director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, delivered the keynote address, titled: “Revulsion is Not Enough: Why the Bioengineering of Human Beings is Not
Recent advances in the p-version of the finite element method for shells

Abstract Research efforts aimed at optimizing the computational efficiency of the p -method are described. These include (i) a novel quadrature scheme for hierarchical shell elements, (ii) a family of assumed strain hierarchical shell elements, (iii) selective polynomial order escalation for assumed strain elements, and (iv) accelerated multigrid-like solution procedures. Numerical experiments indicate that with these enhancements it is possible to speed up the overall computational time of p -method for analysis of shells by a factor greater than five for relatively small problems (less than 10 000 dofs), while computational savings for larger problems are even more significant. It has been found that the performance of the enhanced variant of the p -method for shells is comparable to that of the h -method for low accuracy requirements, and better if higher accuracies are desired.
Second-harmonic generation in planar waveguides of doped silica.

Second-harmonic generation was produced in germanium-doped silica planar waveguides prepared by simultaneous illumination with 1064- and 532-nm laser light. During preparation using prism coupling to specific waveguiding modes, the film-generated second-harmonic intensity grew as a function of preparation time until it saturated. The growth rate and saturation level for p-polarized second-harmonic intensity was an order of magnitude greater than that observed for the s polarization. The efficiency for a 2-cm waveguide length was at least 0.5%. The comparison of experimental results indicates a mechanism for this planar geometry that is similar to that producing harmonic effects in optical fibers.
The Precambrian nonesuch formation of the North American mid-continent rift, sedimentology and organic geochemical aspects of lacustrine deposition

Abstract The Precambrian Keweenawan Trough in the Lake Superior region of North America is part of a failed intractonic rift that is filled with a thick sequence of volcanic and sedimentary rocks. One unit in this sequence, the None-such Formation, is composed of black-to-green siltstones and shales and is conformable with the underlying alluvial Copper Harbor Conglomerate and the overlying fluvial Freda Sandstone. The formation is exposed as a lens in northern Michigan and Wisconsin and attains a maximum thickness of ∼ 200 m. Based on the integration of outcrop and core data, nine facies have been recognized in the formation; each has been assigned to one of three genetic facies assemblages. A marginal lacustrine assemblage, characterized by interbedded lithic sandstones, siltstones, mudstones and sandstone-shale couplets, is interpreted as a record of deposition on a sandflat-mudflat complex. A lacustrine assemblage is characterized by massive to well-laminated dark shaly siltstones, carbonate laminites, shales, siltstones and mudstones. These sediments were probably deposited in a progressively shallowing perennial lake. Bottom conditions were anoxic and became increasingly more oxic as lake regression progressed. A gradual transition from a lacustrine environment to a fluvial environment is represented by the red to brown, massive, horizontally laminated and rippled fine sandstones, siltstones and mudstones of the fluvial-lacustrine assemblage. Interactions among rates of subsidence, rates of sedimentation, fluctuations in lake level, possible changes in climate and differences in tectonic setting controlled sedimentation in the Nonesuch Lake and resulted in variable vertical facies sequences. Total organic carbon (TOC) analyses show a strong correlation between organic richness and the shale facies (lacustrine assemblage) and mudstone facies (marginal lacustrine assemblage). Detailed petrographic analysis using incident white light and reflected blue light fluorescence revealed two prevalent organic petrographies which could be distinguished using combined pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (PY-GC-MS) and, to a limited extent, by stable carbon isotope mass spectrometry. The geographic and stratigraphic distribution of rocks containing the two organic petrographies suggests that differential preservation (e.g., microbial degradation) accounts for the difference rather than maturity or variable source input.
Reactivity differences of Pt0 phosphine complexes in C-C bond activation of asymmetric acetylenes

Carbon−carbon bond activation reactions of asymmetric acetylene derivatives of the type L2Pt(PhC≡CR) were studied with 1,2-bis(diisopropylphosphino)ethane (dippe), 1,2-bis(di-tert-butylphosphino)ethane (dtbpe), and 1-diisopropylphosphino-2-dimethylaminoethane (dippdmae) chelates. (dippe)Pt(η2-PhC≡CCH3) (1a), (dippe)Pt(η2-PhC≡CCF3) (1b), and (dippe)Pt(η2-PhC≡CC(CH3)3) (1c) showed no thermal reactivity at 160 °C, but 1b showed evidence for C−C cleavage to form (dippe)Pt(Ph)(C≡CCF3) upon irradiation with UV light (>300 nm). In comparison, dtbpe analogues of these metal complexes, (dtbpe)Pt(η2-PhC≡CCH3) (2a), (dtbpe)Pt(η2-PhC≡CCF3) (2b), and (dtbpe)Pt(η2-PhC≡CC(CH3)3) (2c), showed either C−H or C−C activation products upon photolysis. 2b produced (dtbpe)Pt(Ph)(C≡CCF3), but 2a or 2c showed the formation of (dtbpe)Pt(D)(C6D5) (2D) by activation of the C6D6 solvent. Compounds 2a−c showed no thermal reactivity at 160 °C. Two complexes with the hemilabile chelate dippdmae were synthesized and fully characterized, ...
Noninvasive Assessment of Cerebrovascular Disease

Of the wide variety of noninvasive carotid examinations available, Duplex scanning offers the best combination of accuracy and detection of all clinically important lesions. Extensive technician training is required and the initial cost of the instrument is high, but the versatility of the method and a low cost per patient makes Duplex scanning cost effective. When high initial capital investments are not possible the use of pressure OPG or simple continuous-wave Doppler devices are satisfactory alternatives to screen for high grade lesions.
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Advance Care Planning Among Patients With Cancer: Impact of Terminal Illness Acknowledgment, Religiousness, and Treatment Preferences

Purpose Despite well-documented racial and ethnic differences in advance care planning (ACP), we know little about why these differences exist. This study tested proposed mediators of racial/ethnic differences in ACP. Patients and Methods We studied 312 non-Hispanic white, 83 non-Hispanic black, and 73 Hispanic patients with advanced cancer in the Coping with Cancer study, a federally funded multisite prospective cohort study designed to examine racial/ethnic disparities in ACP and end-of-life care. We assessed the impact of terminal illness acknowledgment, religiousness, and treatment preferences on racial/ethnic differences in ACP. Results Compared with white patients, black and Hispanic patients were less likely to have an ACP (white patients, 80%; black patients, 47%; Hispanic patients, 47%) and more likely to want life-prolonging care even if he or she had only a few days left to live (white patients, 14%; black patients, 45%; Hispanic patients, 34%) and to consider religion very important (white pat...
Measurement of upper and lower body strength and its relationship to underhand pitching speed.

This study investigated the possible relationship for legs, arms, shoulders, and grip strength with underhand throwing speed. 40 female subjects had their legs, arms, and shoulder strength measured using a multipurpose exercise machine for assessing resistive force. Grip strength was measured using a handgrip dynamometer. Underhand throwing speed was measured with a radar gun. Regression analysis indicated a relationship (p ⩽ .05) between strength of the arms and underhand pitching speed. No significant relationships were found for legs shoulders, and grip strength, and underhand pitching speed.
The therapeutic potential of novel cannabinoid receptors.

Cannabinoids produce a plethora of biological effects, including the modulation of neuronal activity through the activation of CB1 receptors and of immune responses through the activation of CB2 receptors. The selective targeting of either of these two receptor subtypes has clear therapeutic value. Recent evidence indicates that some of the cannabinomimetic effects previously thought to be produced through CB1 and/or CB2 receptors, be they on neuronal activity, on the vasculature tone or immune responses, still persist despite the pharmacological blockade or genetic ablation of CB1 and/or CB2 receptors. This suggests that additional cannabinoid and cannabinoid-like receptors exist. Here we will review this evidence in the context of their therapeutic value and discuss their true belonging to the endocannabinoid signaling system.
Office-based intervention for adolescent substance abuse

Because substance use is highly prevalent among teens, primary care clinicians may not be able to refer all adolescents to drug counselors or mental health care professionals. Pediatricians may therefore find it useful to use the basic principles of office intervention and reserve referral for those patients with the most significant drug and alcohol problems. Brief interventions have proven effective in reducing problematic drinking among adults, and early work among adolescents is promising. Effective interventions include feedback on risks and problems, an emphasis on personal responsibility, a menu of alternatives for change, an empathetic approach, and reinforcement of patient self-efficacy. Motivational interviewing is an effective means of enhancing success in counseling. When a referral is necessary, motivational interviewing can be used to maximize adherence.
Modeling 1H NMR transverse magnetization decay in polysiloxane-silica composites

Abstract Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been used effectively in the analysis of elastomeric, soft materials and has been proven to be both sensitive to micro- and macroscopic changes associated with “aging” mechanisms. Traditional analyses, however, rely on empirical formulae containing a large number of (often arbitrary) independent variables. The resulting ambiguity can be circumvented largely by developing models of NMR observables that are based on basic polymer physics. We compare two such models, one previously published and one derived herein, along with two empirical expressions that describe the proton transverse magnetization decay associated with complex polymer networks. One particular extracted parameter, the proton–proton residual dipolar coupling (RDC), can be directly related to network topology, and a comparison of the extracted RDCs reveals high consistency among the models. An expression derived from the properties of a static Gaussian chain can minimize the number of parameters necessarily to describe the solid-like, networked proton population to a single independent parameter, the average RDC, D avg . The distribution of RDCs derived via this methodology is qualitatively similar to those derived from previously published multiple quantum techniques, although quantitative differences between the derived RDCs persist, suggesting that further analysis is necessary.
Aquatic plant communities of poikilosaline waters

In 1920, Arber formulated a set of four properties indispensable for a marine water plant. These properties are: (1), adaptation to life in a saline medium; (2), ability to grow when fully submerged; (3), possession of a secure anchoring system; and (4), hydrophilous pollination. In his monograph of the seagrasses of the world, den Hartog (1970) stated that this set of properties is insufficient for the delimitation of these marine angiosperms, because there is a second group of species which shares these properties with the seagrasses. This second group, which is here referred to as the eurysaline group, consists of a number of aquatic plant species occurring in various fresh waters, mixo- and hyperhaline brackish waters, and in continental waters of very different chemical composition and concentration.
Immunological evidence for the synthesis of all canine distemper virus polypeptides in chronic neurological diseases in dogs. Chronic distemper and old dog encephalitis differ from SSPE in man.

Abstract Immunoprecipitation of the polypeptides of canine distemper virus (CDV) from lysates of infected cells has revealed that the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of dogs with chronic distemper and old dog encephalitis contain high levels of antibody to all the viral structural polypeptides, indicating that all of these polypeptides are being synthesized in the dogs. These findings, and the fact that infectious virus has been isolated from explants of brain tissue without cocultivation techniques, differ from those with measles virus in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) in which there is a lack of antibody to the virus membrane (M) protein and cocultivation of brain explants with permissive cells is required for virus isolation. These results indicate that CDV undergoes complete replication in the brain in the persistent infection resulting in chronic neurological disease, in contrast to the situation with measles virus in SSPE in which replication appears to be abortive.
Cloning of a novel MHC-encoded serine peptidase highly expressed by cortical epithelial cells of the thymus.

Antigen presentation by cortical thymic epithelial cells (cTEC) during the positive selection of T cells has been shown to differ from that of other antigen-presenting cells. In the case of MHC class II presentation, cathepsin L as opposed to cathepsin S is responsible at least in part for the degradation of invariant chain. Other proteases, however, must be involved. We have identified a putative serine protease that is specifically expressed in the thymus. Encoded within the class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region, this gene has sequence homology with lysosomal prolylcarboxypeptidase, suggesting that it is a serine protease. We have, therefore, designated this gene thymus-specific serine protease (TSSP). In situ hybridization and immunofluorescence staining reveal that TSSP is expressed exclusively by cortical thymic epithelial cells, with the strongest staining noted around vessels and the thymic capsule. The identification of TSSP further supports the theory that MHC class II antigen processing and presentation in the thymic cortex involves a proteolytic milieu that differs from that of other antigen-presenting cells.
Design, Synthesis, and Antiviral Activity of 2‘-Deoxy-2‘-fluoro-2‘-C-methylcytidine, a Potent Inhibitor of Hepatitis C Virus Replication

The pyrimidine nucleoside beta-d-2‘-deoxy-2‘-fluoro-2‘-C-methylcytidine (1) was designed as a hepatitis C virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (HCV RdRp) inhibitor. The title compound was obtained by a DAST fluorination of N4-benzoyl-1-(2-methyl-3,5-di-O-benzoyl-β-d-arabinofuranosyl]cytosine (6) to provide N4-benzoyl-1-[2-fluoro-2-methyl-3,5-di-O-benzoyl-β-d-ribofuranosyl]cytosine (7a). The protected 2‘-C-methylcytidine (7c) was obtained as a byproduct from the DAST fluorination and allowed for the preparation of two biologically active compounds from a common precursor. Compound 1 and 2‘-C-methylcytidine were assayed in a subgenomic HCV replicon assay system and found to be potent and selective inhibitors of HCV replication. Compound 1 shows increased inhibitory activity in the HCV replicon assay compared to 2‘-C-methylcytidine and low cellular toxicity.
Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of adenosine 5′-monophosphate deaminase (AMPD) from Arabidopsis thaliana in complex with coformycin 5′-phosphate

Adenosine 5'-monophosphate deaminase (AMPD) is a eukaryotic enzyme that converts adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) to inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP) and ammonia. AMPD from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtAMPD) was cloned into the baculoviral transfer vector p2Bac and co-transfected along with a modified baculoviral genome into Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells. The resulting recombinant baculovirus were plaque-purified, amplified and used to overexpress recombinant AtAMPD. Crystals of purified AtAMPD have been obtained to which coformycin 5'-phosphate, a transition-state inhibitor, is bound. Crystals belong to space group P6(2)22, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 131.325, c = 208.254 A, alpha = beta = 90, gamma = 120 degrees. Diffraction data were collected to 3.34 A resolution from a crystal in complex with coformycin 5'-phosphate and to 4.05 A resolution from a crystal of a mercury derivative.
Comparison of the serum and intracellular pharmacokinetics of azithromycin in healthy and diabetic volunteers.

Study Objective. To compare serum and intracellular pharmacokinetics of azithromycin in healthy volunteers and patients with diabetes. Design. Open-label, parallel study. Setting. Clinical research center. Subjects. Twelve patients with diabetes and 12 healthy volunteers. Interventions. Subjects were given a single 500-mg dose of azithromycin followed by 250 mg/day for 2 days. Blood samples were obtained just before and after the third dose for up to 24 hours for serum and 168 hours for intracellular measurement of azithromycin. Measurements and Main Results. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by noncompartmental methods and compared with a t test. The groups did not differ in maximum concentration, time to maximum concentration, or area under the concentration-time curve in serum or polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs). Differences in the PMN:serum ratio were observed at the 24-hour time point (healthy 1209 ± 432, diabetic 859 ± 286, p= 0.051). Conclusion. In general, the pharmacokinetics of azithromycin are comparable in diabetics and healthy volunteers. Accumulation of drug in macrophages was slightly lower in patients.
Preparation and Use of Specific Antibodies to the β-I and β-II Subunits of Gonadotropic Hormone from Fundulus heteroclitus Pituitary

Fundulus heteroclitus naturally spawns with a semilunar periodicity throughout most of the year in its southernmost habitat, an activity that can be maintained in the laboratory. The α and two β subunits comprising F. heteroclitus gonadotropic hormones (GtHs) I and II have been sequenced, and antibodies have been raised against unique peptides found in each of the two β subunits. On immunoblots of pituitary proteins, each antibody recognizes a single band with a molecular mass of 16–17 kDa, somewhat larger than the deduced sizes (11–13 kDa) of the unglycosylated subunits. Each antibody also recognizes a different subset of pituitary cells in the central (GtH I) and peripheral (GtH II) proximal pars distalis, regions that display the typical tinctorial properties of gonadotrops. The distribution and distinct separation of cells containing GtH β subunits I and II thus differ from those found for previously described teleost species, most of which are salmonids that engage in a single spawning episode during the year. The availability of these antibodies thus makes F. heteroclitus an inexpensive, easily manipulated model system for studies on the hormonal regulation of fractional spawning common to a large class of commercially important species other than salmonids.
Left-ear advantage for sounds characterized by a rapidly varying resonance frequency

Nonspeech stimuli were synthesized that could constitute second-formant transitions in consonant-vowel (CV) syllables, with either ascending or descending resonance frequencies. These were presented monaurally with contralateral noise, and reaction times for stimulus identification were measured. Reaction times were 12.8 msec faster when the stimulus was presented to the left ear than to the right ear, suggesting right-hemisphere involvement in the processing of these stimuli. This result suggests that rapid temporal variation is not a sufficient stimulus property to invoke left-hemisphere processing. The roles of acoustic structure of the stimulus and coding strategies of the subject are considered as factors that may determine lateralized hemispheric processing.
Nearest-neighbor methods

Nearest-neighbor classification is a simple and popular method for supervised classification. The basic method is to classify a query point as being of a certain class if of the k-nearest neighbors of the query point, more of them belong to this class than to any other class. Variations of the basic method include weighted nearest-neighbor methods and adaptive nearest-neighbor methods (which allow some variables to have greater influence than other variables). WIREs Comput Stat 2012, 4:307–309. doi: 10.1002/wics.1195 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website
Human Cytomegalovirus pUS24 Is a Virion Protein That Functions Very Early in the Replication Cycle

We have characterized the function of the human cytomegalovirus US24 gene, a US22 gene family member. Two US24-deficient mutants (BADinUS24 and BADsubUS24) exhibited a 20- to 30-fold growth defect, compared to their wild-type parent (BADwt), after infection at a relatively low (0.01 PFU/cell) or high (1 PFU/cell) input multiplicity. Representative virus-encoded proteins and viral DNA accumulated with normal kinetics to wild-type levels after infection with mutant virus when cells received equal numbers of mutant and wild-type infectious units. Further, the proteins were properly localized and no ultrastructural differences were found by electron microscopy in mutant-virus-infected cells compared to wild-type-virus-infected cells. However, virions produced by US24-deficient mutants had a 10-fold-higher genome-to-PFU ratio than wild-type virus. When infections were performed using equal numbers of input virus particles, the expression of immediate-early, early, and late viral proteins was substantially delayed and decreased in the absence of US24 protein. This delay is not due to inefficient virus entry, since two tegument proteins and viral DNA moved to the nucleus equally well in mutant- and wild-type-virus-infected cells. In summary, US24 is a virion protein and virions produced by US24-deficient viruses exhibit a block to the human cytomegalovirus replication cycle after viral DNA reaches the nucleus and before immediate-early mRNAs are transcribed.
Decline of disjunct green salamander (Aneides aeneus) populations in the southern Appalachians

Abstract Coincident with other amphibians around the world Aneides aeneus , a terrestrial plethodontid salamander, suffered a population collapse in a disjunct portion of its range in the mid–late 1970s. Long-term monitoring of seven historical green salamander populations throughout the 1990s showed a 98% decline in relative abundance since 1970. Three out of six populations first discovered in 1991 also crashed in 1996–1997. The synchronized suddenness of the declines, their region-wide impact, and effects on both small and larger populations, suggest the role of a novel agent of mortality beginning in the mid–late 1970s. Acting alone, but more likely in concert, habitat loss, overcollecting, epidemic disease and climate change could account for this region-wide decline.
Spatially Heterogeneous Estimates of Fire Frequency in Ponderosa Pine Forests of Washington, USA

Many fire history studies have evaluated the temporal nature of fire regimes using fire interval statistics calculated from fire scars. More recently, researchers have begun to evaluate the spatial properties of past fires as well. In this paper, we describe a technique for investigating spatio-temporal variability using a geographic information system (GIS). We used a dataset of fire-scarred trees collected from four sites in eastern Washington, USA, ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa C. Lawson) forests. The patterns of past fires recorded by individual trees (points) were converted to two-dimensional representations of fire with inverse distance weighting (IDW) in a GIS. A map overlay approach was then used to extract a fine-grained, spatially explicit reconstruction of fire frequency at the four sites. The resulting classified maps can supplement traditional fire interval statistics and fire atlas data to provide detailed, spatially heterogeneous estimates of fire frequency. Such information can reveal ecological relationships between fire and the landscape, and provide managers with an improved spatial perspective on fire frequency that can inform risk evaluations, fuels reduction efforts, and the allocation of fire-fighting resources.
Surgical treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue.

One hundred two patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue were treated by surgery. The grade of the tumor did not influence survival; however, survival was influenced by the stage of the disease and the operation selected. Operations that provided wider access decreased the incidence of local recurrence. Of the 102 patients, 23 percent required either total or partial laryngectomy. The survival curves of the 23 patients suggest that management of the larynx is a key factor in treating larger cancers. Overall, the five-year survival rate for the 102 patients was 42 percent. Surgery is the treatment of choice in squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue.
AFM Visualization of the Interaction between MutS and Heteroduplex DNA

Single base mismatches, which represent biosynthetic errors during DNA replication, are corrected by the mismatch repair system (MMR). One of the key players of the MMR reaction in E. coli is MutS, a protein that binds to the mismatch and initiates, with the help of other proteins, downstream events that involve the incision and partial degradation of the newly synthesized DNA strand. Details connecting mismatch recognition to downstream events are not fully understood at present. To gain better understanding of the modus operandi of MutS, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM) for direct visualization of MutS on heteroduplex DNA. Two different types of MutS/DNA complexes were captured by AFM. In the first type binding was observed at a single location on the DNA substrate and involved MutS dimers or tetramers. In the second type, DNA loops were identified, and at their bases, two closely associated MutS dimers were captured, possibly forming tetrameric complexes. Whenever a DNA loop was imaged, one of the MutS dimers was always found to be located on the mismatch. In the presence of ATP, one MutS dimer was still located on the mismatch, while the other MutS dimer was found to slide away from the mismatch site increasing the DNA loop size. Taken together these results suggest that loop formation and growth, which is orchestrated by two MutS dimers, one stationary, one mobile, may underlie the mechanism of search for the incision site. This work is supported by the NSF and the NIH.
Optical Processing Of Gigahertz Bandwidth Signals

An optical channel is two-dimensional and, with thousands of elements in each spatial dimension, can provide a time-bandwidth product in the millions. The major limitation to the practical utilization of this capability, for real-time optical computing at high data rates, had been the input transducer. The development of the General Electric Coherent Light Valve (CLV) provided the required video input transducer, but the system bandwidth was restricted to the 20 MHz region. Continuing development has extended the CLV system signal bandwidth; recent experiments have shown a useful frequency range in excess of 100 MHz with a BT of 105. This paper describes the considerations involved in extending the capability of a CLV optical processor to permit processing gigahertz bandwidth signals.
Steering Currents for the Future of Social Work

In considering the future of the social work profession, three influences must clearly be considered: increasing cultural diversity, expanding technological development, and managed care. Although ...
A New Chapter of Irony: The Legal Implications of the Darfur Genocide Determination

US Secretary of State Colin Powell determined that genocide as defined in the UN Genocide Convention had occurred in Darfur, but he disclaimed any new obligations as a result of that determination. Under the permissive provisions of Article 8 of the convention, he called upon the UN Security Council to investigate whether genocide or other crimes were being committed, with a view to accountability. The subsequent investigation by a UN Commission of Inquiry concluded, on rather dubious grounds, that the Sudanese government was not responsible for genocide but recommended referral of the situation to the International Criminal Court for purposes of accountability; ironically, the opposite conclusions of Powell and the UN Commission produced the same result: a call for steps toward accountability. A further irony is that the UN Convention, although articulating an international condemnation of the crime of genocide, compels nothing more. The attempts at the September 2005 World Summit to obtain recognition of an international responsibility to protect underscored the fundamental reality that nations will not act decisively to confront genocide and other massive human rights abuses out of a sense of legal obligation, but only as a matter of political and practical necessity.
Occult atrial septal defect in adults.

Two patients are described who presented with congestive heart failure and were found to have an atrial septal defect with a pulmonary blood flow approximately twice the systemic blood flow. Most of the usual clinical signs of atrial septal defect were absent, and the diagnosis was established by right heart catheterization and radioisotopic angiography. Both patients had hypertension and coronary artery disease. Atrial septal defect in the adult patient may not be recognized because of associated cardiac disease, including coronary artery disease and hypertension, or pulmonary disease which may obscure the usual clinical signs of a septal defect. Radioisotopic angiography and right heart catheterization should be considered in any patient with heart disease or congestive failure of obscure cause even if the usual diagnostic signs of atrial septal defect are absent.
Pollen load composition and size in the leafcutting bee Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

We examined how the species composition and volumes of pollen loads of Megachile rotundata varied seasonally and among females of different body sizes. Alfalfa and mustards (Brassicaceae) made up, on average, 88–95% of the pollen load volumes in each of three seasonal samples; in total, the 300 females sampled carried ten different pollen types. Because of variation in pollen grain size among plant species, estimates of the contribution of different species to pollen loads, based on pollen counts only, differed from those adjusted for pollen grain size. The overall size of pollen loads, as well as the contribution of alfalfa declined seasonally, while that for mustards (with smaller individual grain sizes) increased. The type of pollen carried by females did not vary with body size, but we found a significant relationship between female size and the size of the largest loads. Surprisingly, females of intermediate size carried the largest pollen loads, whether measured by counts or volume.
Sympathectomy does not alter the response of carotid chemoreceptors to hypoxemia during carboxyhemoglobinemia or anemia.

Abstract We tested the effects of section of the sympathetic innervation to the carotid body on the responses of single carotid chemoreceptor fibers to carboxyhemoglobinemia (40–50%) and anemia (15–20% Hct) at various levels of p a O 2 (range: 20–450 Torr). Sympathectomy had virtually no effect on the steady-state response curves of carotid chemoreceptors to O 2 , either in normal cats or in those with reduced oxygen transport due to anemia or carboxyhemoglobinemia.
Elastic constants of semiconducting Ti2O3 and metallic (Ti1−xVx)2O3 at 1.5 K☆

Abstract Ultrasonic measurements at 1.5 K reveal that the elastic constants of metallic (Ti1-xVx)2O3 differ from those of semiconducting Ti2O3. This is explained in terms of how vanadium influences the electronic energy band structure and the lattice parameters. The electronic effect is calculated as the strain-induced shift of Van Zandt's vanadium impurity band relative to the titanium valence band. The lattice parameter effect is compared with how pressure influences the elastic constants of Al2O3.
Acoustic radiation from the elastic impact of a sphere with a slab

Abstract The transient sound radiation from the impact of a spherical object with a slab is analysed theoretically and compared with experimental results. It is shown that the major source of sound radiation when a sphere impinges on a massive plate is due to the sudden change of velocity of the sphere. By using the method of images, an analytical expression predicting the sound pressure waveform is obtained. Experimental results confirm the theoretical analysis and provide further explanation of this rigid body type of acoustic radiation.
The evolution of RNA viruses.

The structures of spherical RNA plant tiruses, containing 180 copies of one protein subunit, are closely related to those of the animal RNA picornaviruses, which are built of 60 copies of each of three larger capsid proteins. Other spherical RNA and DNA viruses utilize the same structural motif as building units of the viral capsid. It is therefore probable that many of the simple RNA viruses, whether found in animals or plants, have had a common genetic origin. The original gene may have coded for a protein that bound to specific molecules on the cell surface.
Dimock's naturalistic ethics

Between 1937 and 1958 Marshall Dimock developed a naturalistic account of the administrative function. This account emphasized an organic and instrumentalist account of ethics which was akin to American pragmatism in its ontological assumptions, vocabulary, and conceptualization. His theory was self-consciously aimed at identifying and responding to the problems of an administrative theory and practice plagued by dichotomies. Through an organizational leadership comprised of a moral elite, Dimock hoped to integrate the processes of administration and value creation.
Generalized Unequal Error Protection LT Codes for Progressive Data Transmission

The original design of standard digital fountain codes assumes that the coded information symbols are equally important. In many applications, some source symbols are more important than others, and they must be recovered prior to the rest. Unequal error protection (UEP) designs are attractive solutions for such source transmissions. In this paper, we introduce a more generalized design for the first universal fountain code design, Luby transform (LT) codes, that make it particularly suited for progressive bit stream transmissions. We apply the generalized LT codes to a progressive source and show that it has better UEP properties than other published results in the literature. For example, using the proposed generalization, we obtained up to 1.7-dB peak signal to noise ratio gain in a progressive image transmission scenario over the two major UEP fountain code designs.
Using Reproductive Immunology to Improve Clinical Practices

The American Society for Reproductive Immunology's Second Clinical Reproductive Immunology Symposium: 'Using Reproductive Immunology to Improve Clinical Practices' was held on October 27th to 28th 2012, in New Haven, Connecticut. The objective of this symposium was to disseminate up-to-date clinical reproductive immunology information and how it relates to current clinical practices, diagnostics, and therapeutics for women's reproductive and pregnancy-related issues, with a view to bridging the distance between clinicians and translational researchers. It provided a common platform to physicians and physician scientists to facilitate the application of research outcomes into current medical practice. This symposium highlighted the current status of health issues during pregnancy including preeclampsia, preterm birth, maternal obesity and diabetes, autoimmunity and infection. In addition, a session was dedicated toward demystifying laboratory techniques of reproductive immunology for clinicians. This symposium was attended by approximately 50 delegates along with the 16 invited speakers and included 17 presentations that addressed key issues in the immunology of maternal-fetal well-being. This report will summarize the highlights of the meeting.
Pruning game tree by rollouts

In this paper we show that the α-β algorithm and its successor MT-SSS*, as two classic minimax search algorithms, can be implemented as rollout algorithms, a generic algorithmic paradigm widely used in many domains. Specifically, we define a family of rollout algorithms, in which the rollout policy is restricted to select successor nodes only from a subset of the children list. We show that any rollout policy in this family (either deterministic or randomized) is guaranteed to evaluate the game tree correctly with a finite number of rollouts. Moreover, we identify simple rollout policies in this family that "implement" α-β and MT-SSS*. Specifically, given any game tree, the rollout algorithms with these particular policies always visit the same set of leaf nodes in the same order with α-β and MT-SSS*, respectively. Our results suggest that traditional pruning techniques and the recent Monte Carlo Tree Search algorithms, as two competing approaches for game tree evaluation, may be unified under the rollout paradigm.
Biological and Biomaterial Approaches for Improved Islet Transplantation

Islet transplantation may be used to treat type I diabetes. Despite tremendous progress in islet isolation, culture, and preservation, the clinical use of this modality of treatment is limited due to post-transplantation challenges to the islets such as the failure to revascularize and immune destruction of the islet graft. In addition, the need for lifelong strong immunosuppressing agents restricts the use of this option to a limited subset of patients, which is further restricted by the unmet need for large numbers of islets. Inadequate islet supply issues are being addressed by regeneration therapy and xenotransplantation. Various strategies are being tried to prevent beta-cell death, including immunoisolation using semipermeable biocompatible polymeric capsules and induction of immune tolerance. Genetic modification of islets promises to complement all these strategies toward the success of islet transplantation. Furthermore, synergistic application of more than one strategy is required for improving the success of islet transplantation. This review will critically address various insights developed in each individual strategy and for multipronged approaches, which will be helpful in achieving better outcomes.