cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Fluoxymesterone on the Pituitary-Gonadal Axis: The Role of Testosterone-Estradiol-Binding Globulin

Abstract Four normal men and two agonadal men were given the oral synthetic androgen, fluoxymesterone (9α-fluoro-llβ, 17β-dihydroxy-17α-methyl-4-androstene-3-one) for three days. Plasma testosterone (T), 17 α-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), and LH were measured every 30 minutes on a control day and on the first day of treatment. Testosterone and LH were measured every six hours on the last day of treatment. During the first 24 hours of treatment the number of LH secretory episodes per day decreased from 10.5 ± 2.5 (SD) to 6.2 ±2.9 (SD) (P <0.01), mean 24 hour LH decreased from 12.6 ± 3.5 (SD) mlU/ml to 9.3 ± 3.7 (SD) mlU/ml (P < 0.01), and mean 17-OHP decreased from 2.33 ± 1.4 (SD) ng/ml to 1.18 ± 0.39 (SD) ng/ml (P < 0.01) in all normal subjects. T was significantly decreased (P < 0.01) from 464.5 ± 76.4 (SD) ng/100 ml to 294.2 ± 99.5 (SD) ng/100 ml. By the third day of treatment, LH had decreased further in four, and T in three of four normals. The number of LH spikes and the mean LH levels did not decrea...
College Health: A Nursing Perspective

The evolution of nursing practice and the nursing profession in college health is reviewed from three perspectives: contributions to the field, the emergence of college health nursing as a certified subspecialty, and the nature of historical and contemporary healthcare reforms. The standards that are likely to be established for the education and training of future college health nurses are described, as are the functional responsibilities of the role, the organizational structure in which college health nursing is best provided, and the interprofessional climate that would optimize nursing's potential contributions to college health. The author notes areas of college health nursing practice that would benefit from increased attention and concludes that college health nurses are ideally equipped to serve students (and others) in the emerging healthcare environment, independent of whether campus-controlled health services and programs endure.
Impact of atomization treatment on ZnS phosphor for inorganic EL

We investigated the impact of atomization treatment for reduction of phosphor layer thickness to improve the luminance properties of distributed-type ZnS inorganic EL devices. The luminance intensity of EL devices with the phosphor atomized for the optimal time (0.5 h) has become six times higher than that with the original phosphor.
Effects of a sexual enhancement workshop on young adults

Twenty-two undergraduate students participated in a workshop for enhancing sexuality. This workshop involved small group discussion after viewing sexually explicit films. The effects of the sexual enhancement workshop were measured in three areas: Sexual attitudes, sex-role views, and sex-related anxiety. A two-group pre- and posttest design was employed. Analyses of covariance indicated that there were significant changes in attitudes that concerned masturbation and a lessening of sex-related anxiety. It appears that participation in this sexual enhancement workshop influenced attitude shifts in the direction of more accepting feelings about masturbatory activity and lessened anxiety related to sexual experiences.
A conceptual model for establishing tolerance limits for analytic bias and imprecision based on variations in population test distributions

A conceptual model is proposed for defining analytic bias limits utilizing the variations found in cumulative test value distributions. The model is based on the propositions that changes in analytic bias are more important than analytic imprecision in medical diagnoses and that analytic bias alters clinical specificity more than clinical sensitivity. The rationale for these propositions are presented along with a step-by-step procedure for estimating bias tolerance limits. These concepts are illustrated with an example using prostate-specific antigen. A second protocol is provided to define analytic imprecision tolerance limits, based on the quality control performance characteristics required to maintain the bias tolerance limits. This model can be applied to most chemistry, immunoassay, and hematologic quantitative assays. The relationship of this procedure to the published procedures using biologic variation for defining analytic tolerance limits is discussed.
Segmental non-familial colonic polyposis

agents. In fact, patients with AIDS are unique because they may be affected by multiple simultaneous diseases and infections often difficult to discover. Immunodeficiency may be associated with the absence of reaction to the dissemination of a potentially lethal parasite such as Leishmania donovani, delaying effective treatment. Therefore, during an endoscopic procedure in a patient with AIDS, we recommend that, in addition to formaldehyde for light microscopy, some specimens should be fixed in glutaraldehyde for electron microscopy and others should be placed in suitable microbiological media to detect viruses, bacteria, fungal forms, and protozoa.
Sotalol: a new, safe beta adrenergic receptor blocking agent.

Abstract Sotalol [MJ 1999-dl-4(2-isopropylamino-1-hydroxylethyl) methanesulphonanilide] is a highly selective beta adrenergic receptor blocking agent devoid of major toxic effects in the isolated and intact myocardium of experimental animals. This study was performed to determine whether Sotalol acts as a beta adrenergic receptor blocking agent when given intravenously to man, the dose at which it blocks the beta adrenergic stimulating effect of an intravenous infusion of isoproterenol, the duration and constancy of its action and whether toxic effects would appear when the drug had been used in doses two to three times larger than the effective beta adrenergic blocking dose in man. Three healthy volunteers were utilized in an acute study to determine the beta adrenergic receptor blocking dose and 5 healthy volunteers were utilized in a chronic study to determine the constancy of action and possible toxic effects. Sotalol, in doses of 0.06 to 0.08 mg./kg., produced effective blockade of the isoproterenolinduced stimulation of the beta adrenergic receptors. These effects remained constant for five days, the duration of the chronic study. The drug, in doses two to three times larger than that required to inhibit the chronotropic action of isoproterenol, was well tolerated and produced no untoward or toxic effects in either the acute or chronic study. Sotalol, in doses sufficient to block the isoproterenol-induced beta adrenergic receptor stimulation, did not reduce cardiac output or cardiac work below control values. If it can be verified that oxygen consumption is reduced, then cardiac efficiency would be increased by Sotalol. Sotalol would thus be safe to use in those clinical states in which beta adrenergic blockade is indicated but cardiac depressant drugs are contraindicated.
Automatic multi-mode Lamb wave arrival time extraction for improved tomographic reconstruction

An ultrasonic signal processing technique is applied to multi-mode arrival time estimation from Lamb waveforms. The basic tool is a simplified timescale projection called a dynamic wavelet fingerprint (DWFP) which enables direct observation of the variation of features of interest in non-stationary ultrasonic signals. The DWFP technique was used to automatically detect and evaluate each candidate through-transmitted Lamb mode. The area of the DWFP was then used as a feature to distinguish false modes caused by noise and other interference from the true modes of interest. The set of estimated arrival times were then used as inputs for tomographic reconstruction. The Lamb wave tomography images generated with these estimated arrival times were able to indicate different defects in aluminium plates.
Practicalities of lipids : ICU patient, autoimmune disease, and vascular disease

Although the use of lipids should be individualized, certain generalizations are appropriate. 1. Lipid infusion should be limited in the fulminately septic patient to 10% of total calories in an effort to reduce immunosuppression. 2. The stressed, nonseptic patient with difficulties in ventilator weaning or TPN-induced hepatic dysfunction may reap benefit from a reduction in dextrose calories and the provision of daily lipids. 3. Patients with severe autoimmune disease have had mild amelioration of symptoms with PUFA supplementation. The relative benefits of omega-6 vs omega-3 continue to be examined. 4. Dietary immunomodulation in transplant and burns remains an area of active investigation. 5. Patients with fat-free TPN show transient declines in serum lipids. The development of a "fat-solubilizer" remains in the experimental realm. 6. The provision of fish oil, high in W-3 EPA, has shown promise in atherosclerosis and immunomodulation. The changes in the relative amounts of each prostaglandin class depend on precursor prevalence.
Benzophenone metabolism. I. Isolation of p-hydroxybenzophenone from rat urine

Abstract Two sets of male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered 6.2 and 5.0 mmole of benzophenone by stomach tube. Ethyl acetate extracts obtained from 24 hour β-glucuronidase/aryl sulfatase hydrolyzed urine samples led to the isolation of 44.4 and 55.4 μmole, respectively, of p-hydroxybenzophenone. The phenol was identified from its melting point, elemental analysis, infrared, proton magnetic resonance, and mass spectral characteristics. Thin-layer chromatographic and mass spectral analyses of unhydrolyzed 24 hour urine and fecal samples showed no detectable quantities of p-hydroxybenzophenone. The identification of p-hydroxybenzophenone in rat urine may prove useful as a trapping agent for detecting benzophenone as an intermediate in the metabolism of (AR) 2 - CHX type diphenylmethyl drugs.
Harvesting Social Change: a peace education program in three acts

This article narrates the story of how a peace education program, over the course of a year, shifts from a more traditional form of peace education as conflict resolution skill building to a critical form of peace education. The path of this journey was neither straight nor direct; rather it meandered through an iteration of itself that actually produced another form of violence among its educators. Thus, in this one-case study, three different forms of peace education are observed – a traditional form, an ‘unpeaceable’ form, and a critical form. Building on Noddings’ notions of care, Freire’s notion of critical consciousness and Bajaj’s and Brantmeier’s complementing notions of a critical peace education, the author argues that it is not until the program identifies a space where youth and the facilitator can be vulnerable in meaningful dialog, that the program becomes critical. As the data from this activist research project show, it is in these dialogs that youth have the opportunity to make sense of t...
Mechanical and Thermal Management Characteristics of Ultrahigh Surface Area Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Aerogels

Lightweight aerogels with large specific surface area (SSA) have numerous applications. Free-standing aerogels are created from single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), and their SSA and pore characteristics, electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, and thermal management attributes are determined. The SSA of the aerogels is extraordinarily high and approaches 1291 m2 g−1 at a density of 7.3 mg mL−1, which is close to the theoretical limit (≈1315 m2 g−1). Mechanical characterization shows that these aerogels have open-cell structures and their Young's moduli are higher than other aerogels at comparable density. The aerogels also enhance heat transfer in a forced convective process by ≈85%, presumably due to their large porosity and surface area.
Childhood Leukemias: Osseous Changes in Jaws on Panoramic Dental Radiographs

A review was undertaken of 374 panoramic dental radiographs of 214 children admitted to a hospital for the diagnosis or treatment, or both, of acute leukemia. The radiographs were studied for loss or thinning of the crypts of developing teeth and of the lamina dura of erupted teeth, and for the displacement of teeth. On dental radiographs, the earliest signs of acute leukemia occurred in the molar regions and the apical portion of the alveolar bone. Alternations of the jaws were shown for 62.9% of the children with active leukemia.
Hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers promote systemic hyperfibrinolysis that is both dependent and independent of plasmin.

Abstract Background Hyperfibrinolysis plays an integral role in the genesis of trauma-induced coagulopathy. Recent data demonstrate that red blood cell lysis promotes fibrinolysis; however, the mechanism is unclear. Hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) have been developed for resuscitation and have been associated with coagulopathy. We hypothesize that replacement of whole blood (WB) using an HBOC results in a coagulopathy because of the presence of free hemoglobin. Materials and Methods WB was sampled from healthy donors (n = 6). The clotting profile of each citrated sample was evaluated using native thromboelastography. Serial titrations were performed using both HBOC (PolyHeme) and normal saline (NS; 5%, 25%, and 50%) and evaluated both with and without a 75-ng/mL tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) challenge. Tranexamic acid (TXA) was added to inhibit plasmin-dependent fibrinolysis. Fibrinolysis was measured and recorded as lysis at 30 min (LY30), the percentage of clot LY30 after maximal clot strength. Dilution of WB with NS or HBOC was correlated using LY30 via Spearman rho coefficients. Groups were also compared using a Friedman test and post hoc analysis with a Bonferroni adjustment. Results tPA-provoked fibrinolysis was enhanced by both HBOC (median LY30 at 5%, 25%, and 50% titrations: 11%, 21%, and 44%, respectively; Spearman = 0.94; P Conclusions HBOCs enhance fibrinolysis both with and without addition of tPA; moreover, this mechanism is independent of plasmin as the phenomenon persists in the presence of TXA. Our findings indicate the hemoglobin molecule or its components stimulate fibrinolysis by both tPA-dependent and innate mechanisms.
Incorporating an EPR system with a Universal Patient Record

Electronic Patient Record (EPR), systems could be built or changed to share a distributed universal patient medical record that would benefit health care in many ways.
Coercive and voluntary referrals: how ethnic minority adults get into mental health treatment.

Abstract Two hypotheses are typically invoked to examine the referral of adults into mental health care. The first is the clinical behavior hypothesis that suggests the psychiatric problem defines people as dangerous and risky. Accordingly, people with severe mental disorders are more likely to be coercively placed into mental health facilities. The second hypothesis suggests that people with less power are more likely than the powerful to be coercively placed in psychiatric care. We examine the extent to which these hypotheses are supported in a large urban community by investigating referrals into community mental health clinics that serve predominantly poor populations. The data set is unique because it includes four ethnic categories, whites, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Mexican Americans. The findings indicate that the clinical behavior hypothesis is applicable to whites and the stratification hypothesis is consistent with the data for African American, particularly African American men. T...
A (16, 9, 6, 5, 4) error-correcting DC free block code

A (2n, k, l, c, d) DC free binary block code is a code of length 2n, constant weight n, 2/sup k/ codewords, maximum runlength of a symbol l, maximum accumulated charge c, and minimum distance d. The purpose of this code is to achieve DC freeness and error correction at the same time. The goal is to keep the rate k/2n and d large and l and c small. Of course, these are conflicting goals. H.C. Ferreira (IEEE Trans. Magn., vol.MAG-20, no.5, p.881-3, 1984) presented a (16, 8, 8, 5, 4) DC free code. Here, a (16, 9, 6, 5, 4) DC free code is presented. Easy encoding and decoding algorithms are also given. >
Incidence and therapeutic implications of synchronous colonic pathology in colorectal adenocarcinoma

Abstract Background . The presence of synchronous benign and malignant colonic pathology may influence the magnitude of surgery for colorectal adenocarcinoma. The aim of this prospective study was to quantitate the need for a more extensive surgical procedure because of synchronous pathology in colorectal cancer patients. Methods . Between 1984 and 1996, 235 consecutive patients were treated for colorectal adenocarcinoma. Preoperative survey of the colon in 228 patients included colonoscopy (91%) and double contrast barium enema (35.7%). Seven patients were excluded for incomplete preoperative survey because of perforating or obstructing colon carcinoma or acute ulcerative colitis. Results . One hundred four patients (45.6%) had the following synchronous colonic lesions: benign polyps (68 patients, 29.8%), diverticular disease (30, 13.1%), ulcerative colitis (10, 4.4%), synchronous adenocarcinoma (8, 3.5%), and Crohn's colitis (3, 1.3%). Pathologic examination demonstrated three additional synchronous adenocarcinomas for a total of 11 patients (4.9%). Twenty-five (11%) required more extensive surgery than dictated by the primary cancer. Of these 25 patients, 17 had a benign or premalignant condition associated with their carcinoma and 8 had a synchronous carcinoma. Seventeen patients underwent a sphincter-saving procedure. Of the remaining eight patients requiring sphincter ablation, seven were needed because of a synchronous nonmalignant lesion, rather than because of the primary tumor. Conclusions . In our patient population, the incidence of synchronous colorectal lesions was 45.6%. Synchronous colorectal cancer occurred in 4.9%. In 11 %, the presence of synchronous colorectal lesions made the surgical procedure more extensive than that dictated by the primary cancer, and in 3%, the need for a sphincter ablating procedure was dictated by a synchronous nonmalignant lesion.
Regulation of Human (Caco-2) Intestinal Epithelial Cell Differentiation by Extracellular Matrix Proteins☆

Extracellular matrix regulation of intestinal epithelial differentiation may affect development, differentiation during migration to villus tips, healing, inflammatory bowel disease, and malignant transformation. Cell culture studies of intestinal epithelial biology may also depend on the matrix substrate used. We evaluated matrix effects on differentiation and proliferation in human intestinal Caco-2 epithelial cells, a model for intestinal epithelial differentiation. Proliferation, brush border enzyme specific activity, and spreading were compared in cells cultured on tissue culture plastic with interstitial collagen I and the basement membrane constituents collagen IV and laminin. Each matrix significantly increased alkaline phosphatase, dipeptidyl peptidase, lactase, sucrase-isomaltase, and cell spreading in comparison to plastic. However, the basement membrane proteins collagen IV and laminin further promoted all four brush border enzymes but inhibited spreading compared to collagen I. Proliferation was most rapid on type I collagen and slowest on laminin and tissue culture plastic. Basement membrane matrix proteins may promote intestinal epithelial differentiation and inhibit proliferation compared with interstitial collagen I.
Harnessing optical forces in integrated photonic circuits

The force exerted by photons is of fundamental importance in light-matter interactions. For example, in free space, optical tweezers have been widely used to manipulate atoms and microscale dielectric particles. This optical force is expected to be greatly enhanced in integrated photonic circuits in which light is highly concentrated at the nanoscale. Harnessing the optical force on a semiconductor chip will allow solid state devices, such as electromechanical systems, to operate under new physical principles. Indeed, recent experiments have elucidated the radiation forces of light in high-finesse optical microcavities, but the large footprint of these devices ultimately prevents scaling down to nanoscale dimensions. Recent theoretical work has predicted that a transverse optical force can be generated and used directly for electromechanical actuation without the need for a high-finesse cavity. However, on-chip exploitation of this force has been a significant challenge, primarily owing to the lack of efficient nanoscale mechanical transducers in the photonics domain. Here we report the direct detection and exploitation of transverse optical forces in an integrated silicon photonic circuit through an embedded nanomechanical resonator. The nanomechanical device, a free-standing waveguide, is driven by the optical force and read out through evanescent coupling of the guided light to the dielectric substrate. This new optical force enables all-optical operation of nanomechanical systems on a CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor)-compatible platform, with substantial bandwidth and design flexibility compared to conventional electrical-based schemes.
The clinical outcome of small (<20 mm) arterially enhancing nodules on MRI in the cirrhotic liver

The Clinical Outcome of Small (<20 mm) Arterially Enhancing Nodules on MRI in the Cirrhotic Liver
Raising constructions in Haitian Creole

This paper examines the raising constructions of Haitian Creole both from a descriptive and from a theoretical point of view. Descriptively, the constructions involve a local relation between the non-thematic subject position of a verbal predicate and the thematic subject position of an embedded tensed sentence, which is occupied by an overt pronominal copy in place of the expected trace and manifests the thematic dependency characteristic of well-understood forms of raising. The theoretical interest of these constructions concerns the theory of A-chains and predication. Despite the fact that Haitian Creole raising appears to manifest resumptive pronouns in A-chains, I argue that a revision of the standard A-chain theory is not warranted. Haitian Creole raising constructions manifest both NP movement and predication in the sense of Williams (1980, 1986). I provide evidence supporting the existence of clausal predicates, small clauses, and A-chains conceived in terms of NP movement.
A stitchwork quilt: or how I learned to stop worrying and love cognitive relativism

Abstract The work of cognitive psychologists, philosophical naturalists, post‐modernists, and other such epistemic subversives conspires to endanger the well being of traditional analytic epistemology. Stephen Stich (et tu Stich) has contributed his design for epistemology's coffin. I look hard at his proposed radical revision of epistemology. The ostensible target of Stich's analysis is the traditional enterprise of analytic epistemology. It is, however, the conceptual pillars that underpin both the traditional analytic and naturalist epistemologies that are the primary focus. It is a conceptual domain neutral to the priorists and naturalists which Stich calls normative cognitive monism. Normative cognitive monism is the view that there is a unique system of cognitive processes that people should use. The point of Stich's analytical exercise is to disabuse us of the belief that there is such a unique and global set of standards by which cognitive performance is to be evaluated. He argues that all the evi...
Molecular interactions in one-dimensional organic nanostructures.

Intermolecular interactions involving π−π interaction and hydrogen bonding are used to create one-dimensional molecular nanostructures of hexasubstituted aromatics. Site-selective steady state fluorescence, time-resolved fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy measurements detail the intermolecular interactions that drive the aromatic molecules to self-assemble in solution to form well-ordered columnar stacks. These nanostructures, formed in solution, vary in their number, size, and structure depending on the solvent used. In addition, our results indicate that the substituents/ side groups and the proper choice of the solvent can be used to tune the intermolecular interactions. The 1D stacks and their aggregates can be easily transferred by solution casting, thus allowing a simple preparation of molecular nanostructures on different surfaces.
Stimulation of resistance to 6-hydroxydopamine in a human neuroblastoma cell line by nerve growth factor

Resistance of human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-SH-SY5Y (SY5Y) to the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) was established by exposure of the cells to nerve growth factor (NGF). SY5Y cells display several properties of immature sympathetic nerve cells, including morphological responses to nerve growth factor and susceptibility to cytolysis by 6-OHDA. High resistance to 6-OHDA was achieved by culturing SY5Y cells with NGF. Protection persisted when NGF was absent for 24 h or when cells were treated with colcemid. In contrast, dibutyryl cyclic AMP did not stimulate resistance to 6-OHDA. NGF-treated cells were also resistant to H2O2, a toxic product of 6-OHDA autoxidation.
Disproportionation reactions between alkyl and fluoroalkyl radicals. V. Perfluoro‐n‐propyl and ethyl radicals revisited

A redetermination of the disproportionation/combination ratio for n–C3F7 and C2H5 radicals gives a value of Δ(n–C3F7, C2H5) = 0.13 ± 0.01, independent of the temperature. The radicals were produced by the photolysis of n–C3F7COC2H5. The previous determinations of this ratio are discussed and are found to be largely incorrect. The values for Δ(CF3, C2H5) and Δ(C2F5, C2H5) are also re-evaluated, and the recommended values are 0.10 ± 0.02 and 0.12 ± 0.02, respectively. Systems involving perfluoroalkyl and ethyl radicals are complicated due to rapid perfluororadical addition to the ethylene formed in the disproportionation process. The extent of this reaction, and its consequences, are discussed and evaluated. The role of the propionyl (C2H5CO) radical in the room temperature photolysis is also assessed. However, it is found that the Δ values determined by the intercept method used in this work are not affected by the secondary reactions that occur. It is concluded that high cross-combination ratios are general to perfluoroalkyl-alkyl radical interactions. For C3F7 and C2H5 radicals the ratio is 2.7–2.8. Above 100°C ratios exceed 3 due to secondary reactions.
Herbimycin A inhibits angiogenic activity in endothelial cells and reduces neovascularization in a rat model of retinopathy of prematurity.

Abstract The pathogenesis of retinopathy of prematurity involves dysregulated angiogenesis resulting in pre-retinal growth of new vessels. Inhibition of tyrosine kinase-dependent pro-angiogenic signals may provide a rational therapeutic approach to the reduction of pre-retinal neovascularization. Vascular endothelial growth factor stimulates endothelial cell mitogenesis, differentiation and migration, by binding and activating the receptor tyrosine kinases vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2. One of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor substrates implicated in vascular endothelial growth factor signal transduction is c-Src. The ability of herbimycin A, a c-Src-selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor, to inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor-induced bovine retinal microvascular endothelial cell proliferation and tube formation was investigated. The ability of the compound to inhibit pathologic angiogenesis was tested in a rat model of retinopathy of prematurity. Exposure of neonatal rats to oxygen concentrations cycling between 10 and 50% induced severe pre-retinal neovascularization in all rats. Some of the eyes of these variable oxygen-exposed rats were herbimycin A-injected or vehicle-injected 1 or 3 days post-oxygen exposure while some eyes were non-injected. All rats were sacrificed for assessment 6 days post-exposure. Herbimycin A inhibited both vascular endothelial growth factor-induced bovine retinal microvascular endothelial cell proliferation and capillary tube formation in a dose-dependent manner. Injection of herbimycin A into oxygen-treated rats 1day post-oxygen exposure produced a 63% decrease in pre-retinal neovascularization relative to vehicle ( P =0·0029). There was a 41% decrease in pre-retinal neovascularization in herbimycin-injected eyes relative to vehicle-injected eyes 3 days post-oxygen ( P =0·031). Pre-retinal neovascularization was reduced in vehicle-injected eyes relative to non-injected eyes at both injection times. There were no significant differences in retinal vascular area between any of the experimental groups. Based on the results of this study, herbimycin A inhibits endothelial cell proliferation and tube formation at non-toxic concentrations and reduces pre-retinal neovascularization in a rat model of retinopathy of prematurity. Reduction of angiogenesis by the inhibition of tyrosine kinase activity may be a viable route to the development of effective chemotherapies applicable to eye disease.
Glioma-associated endothelial cells are chemoresistant to temozolomide

Temozolomide is considered the standard of care and drug of choice for the treatment of initially diagnosed malignant gliomas. Although well tolerated, temozolomide still has limited clinical efficacy. Following drug treatment, patient prognosis still remains poor; tumor recurrence is almost universal. We hypothesized that this lack of effectiveness with temozolomide is because this drug does not target the glioma microenvironment, which is highly vascular in malignant gliomas. To test this hypothesis we analyzed the effects of temozolomide on the tumor vasculature in vitro and in vivo. We found that this drug did not affect the viability or proliferation rate of endothelial cells isolated from human glioma specimens, although temozolomide was highly cytotoxic to the glioma cell lines U87MG and U251. Furthermore, temozolomide did not inhibit the migration of these glioma-associated endothelial cells, a key mechanism responsible for tumor angiogenesis. In in vivo studies, using the intracranial glioma mouse model, temozolomide did not cause a pronounced effect on microvessel density. Our findings show that temozolomide has no apparent effect on the glioma vascular microenvironment. Thus combination therapy with anti-vascular agents may enhance temozolomide effectiveness as glioma therapeutic protocol.
Behavioral effects of low dissolved oxygen on the bivalve Macoma balthica

Abstract Hypoxia, a dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) below 2 mg l– 1, is a significant stressor in many estuarine ecosystems. Many sedentary organisms, unable to move to avoid hypoxic areas, have metabolic and behavioral adaptations to hypoxic stress. We tested the effects of hypoxia on the behavior and mortality of the clam Macoma balthica, using four levels of dissolved oxygen in flow-through tanks. We used five replicates of each of four treatments: (1) Hypoxic (DO mean ± SE = 1.1 ± 0.06 mg O2 l– 1), (2) Moderately hypoxic (DO 2.6 ± 0.05 mg O2 l– 1), (3) Nearly normoxic (DO 3.2 ± 0.04 mg O2 l– 1), (4) Normoxic (DO = 4.9 ± 0.13 mg O2 l– 1). We lowered the dissolved oxygen with a novel fluidized mud-bed, designed to mimic field conditions more closely than the common practice of solely bubbling nitrogen or other gasses. This method for lowering the DO concentrations for a laboratory setup was effective, producing 1.4 l min–1 of water with a DO of 0.8 mg O2 l– 1 throughout the experiment. The setup greatly reduced the use of compressed nitrogen and could easily be scaled up to produce more low-DO water if necessary. The lethal concentration for 50% of the M. balthica population (LC50) was 1.7 mg O2 l– 1 for the 28-day experimental period. M. balthica decreased its burial depth under hypoxic and moderately hypoxic (~2.5 mg O2 l– 1) conditions within 72 hours of the onset of hypoxia. By the sixth day of hypoxia the burial depth had been reduced by 26 mm in the hypoxic tanks and 10 mm in the moderately hypoxic tanks. Because reduced burial depth makes the clams more vulnerable to predators, these results indicate that the sub-lethal effects of hypoxia could change the rate of predation on M. balthica in the field.
Development of a multimedia CD-ROM on telemedicine and teleradiology

The Department of Defense Telemedicine Test Bed produced a CD-ROM including information on telemedicine, teleradiology and military medical advanced technology projects. The CD-ROM was produced using media from the Telemedicine Test Bed World Wide Web site and academic papers and presentations. Apple Media Tools software was used to produce the interactive program and the authoring was done on a high speed Apple Macintosh Power PC computer. The process took roughly 100 hours to author 50 Mb of data into 200 frames of interactive material. Future versions of the Telemedicine CD-ROM are in progress which will include much more material to take advantage of the 650 Mb available on a compact disk. This paper graphically depicts and explains the authoring process.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
TH-C-I-609-07: Multi-Resolution Rigid Registration of Ultrasound and CT Based On Similarity Measures

Purpose: In radiation therapy, registration of real-time ultrasound (US) images to CT/MR images is valuable in reducing patient setup errors. Any registration process starts with rigid registration. At present practice this often is done manually by visual inspection. This study investigates the use of similarity measures as the basis of US to CT registration. This approach is potentially faster and less prone to errors compared to segmentation or landmarks based approaches. Method and Materials: A special phantom with objects visible in both CT and US was constructed and imaged. 3D-US images were obtained using a 2D probe attached to a mechanical translator. US and CT datasets were co-registered using an iterative registration algorithm that includes: an interpolator, a similarity metric and an optimizer all working at multiple resolution. The fitness of a similarity metric to the registration task was studied by translational and rotational perturbations of rigid transforms to compute functional trends of a similarity score versus deviation. Metrics, if effective, should guide the optimizer back to the true position. A multi-resolution technique was employed to improve speed. Resolution degradation is guided by voxel sizes of both modalities toward isotropic resolution. A general purpose optimizer, Simplex, was used along with the nearest neighbor interpolation method. Results: The Simplex optimizer demonstrated feasibility but not speed. In evaluating similarity metrics, square differences expectedly failed in this multi-modality registration, while mutual information (MI) and cross correlation (CC) were reasonable. Randomly rigid perturbations of up to +/− 10mm translations and +/−5° rotations from the true position converged to a visually accurate position within clinically acceptable limits of 1.0mm shifts and 1.0° rotations. Conclusion: Similarity based registration using CC or MI is feasible and effective even on raw US/CT images. Future improvement will include image filtering, adding a weighting bias, or selecting a better optimizer.
Correlation of adverse neurological outcomes with increasing volumes and delayed administration of autologous epidural blood patches for postdural puncture headaches.

Introduction: Epidural blood patches (EBPs) usually afford rapid and successful treatment outcomes for postdural puncture headaches (PDPH) with few adverse sequelae. Patients and Methods: In order to identify potential risk factors for any adverse outcomes of EBP, a Medline search, 1966 to the present, of case reports and series of any adverse outcomes following EBP for PDPH was conducted. The literature search identified 26 patient cases with 21 cases defined as adverse neurological outcomes, and further stratified as compression or noncompression syndromes, and five cases defined as persistent cranial nerve (CN) palsies. Cases were also stratified by age, sex, and blood volumes of EBP or delays in administration, and compared for statistically significant differences in continuous variables by unpaired, two-tailed t-tests and for significant correlations between predictor variables, including EBP volumes and delays in administration, and adverse neurological outcomes, by simple linear regression analysis. Results: There were no statistically significant sex differences in the mean ages or weights of the study population, or in the total volumes of autologous blood injected in EBPs. When the study population was compared for adverse neurological outcomes by compression or noncompression syndromes, patients experiencing compression syndromes received significantly more EBP volumes (35.36 mL) than patients experiencing noncompression (17.46 mL) syndromes (P = 0.025). Regression analysis confirmed a significant direct linear relationship between increasing EBP volumes and worsening adverse neurological outcomes (P = 0.008). In patients with CN palsies associated with PDPH and unrelieved by EBP, regression analysis again confirmed significant direct linear relationships between increasing days waited to perform EBP and increasing duration of CN palsies in months (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Epidural blood patches for the management of PDPH, especially PDPH associated with CN palsies, should be administered as soon as the diagnosis of PDPH is made with lower volumes of autologous blood (≤20 mL) to assure the best treatment outcomes.
Epibenthic megafauna of a bathyal basin off southern California: patterns of abundance, biomass, and dispersion

Abstract A total of 50 species was recorded in a survey of near-bottom megafauna at a depth of 1300 m in the Santa Catalina Basin using the submersibles Alvin and Sea Cliff , and bottom trawls. The nine most common epibenthic types were counted in Alvin photographic surveys, yielding a total density of 16.7 individuals per m 2 . Biomass of the four most abundant species (an ophiuroid, gastropod, holothurian, and rockfish) totaled 67.9 g m −2 . The ophiuroid Ophiophthalmus normani comprised 99% of the community in terms of abundance and standing crop. All four dominant epibenthic species showed nonrandom dispersion patterns on the studied scales of one-half to hundreds of meters. Ophiophthalmus normani showed weak tendencies toward evenness on the smallest scale (0.5 m) and also formed randomly located patches 1 to 4 m in diameter. Both the gastropod Bathybembix bairdii and the holothurian Scotoplanes globosa aggregated in clumps from 25 to 96 m in diameter, but they showed no significant between-species correlation in patch location. The rockfish Sebastolobus altivelis was in most cases evenly distributed on scales of 6 to 158 m. Potential causes of patterns included attraction to detrital kelp parcels, avoidance of disturbed areas, breeding aggregation, and other social interactions. We conclude that the megafauna comprises a major fraction of the bathyal benthic biomass and that it, particularly the ophiuroids, significantly impacts the energetics and ecology of bathyal communities.
Validity of a self-report depression symptom scale for identifying remission in depressed outpatients

In treatment studies of depression, remission is usually defined by scoring less than a threshold value on an interview-based measure of depression severity such as the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD). Although it has been recommended that measures such as the HRSD be used by clinicians in clinical practice to evaluate remission status, the time demands of clinical practice limit the feasibility of this suggestion. Self-report questionnaires are a cost-effective option to thoroughly, systematically, reliably, and validly evaluate clinical status because they are inexpensive in terms of professional time needed for administration and do not require special training for administration. In a previous report from the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services project, we derived a cutoff on a self-report depression questionnaire corresponding to the widely used definition of remission on the HRSD (ie, < or = 7). In the present report, we examined the validity of this questionnaire as an indicator of remission among patients who responded to antidepressant treatment. Specifically, we examined psychosocial functioning in treatment responders who were and were not in remission according to the self-report symptom scale. In a sample of 371 depressed outpatients who were judged by their treating psychiatrists as having responded to treatment, 250 scored in the remission range on the symptom scale. Compared with treatment responders whose depression was not in remission, the patients who were in remission reported significantly less psychosocial impairment and significantly better quality of life and were significantly more likely to assert that they are in remission from their depression. These findings support the validity of a self-report depression questionnaire as an index of remission status among treatment responders.
Liquid–Liquid Extraction of Insecticides from Juice: An Analytical Chemistry Laboratory Experiment

A laboratory experiment was developed to target analytical chemistry students and to teach them about insecticides in food, sample extraction, and cleanup. Micro concentrations (sub-μg/mL levels) of 12 insecticides spiked into apple juice samples are extracted using liquid–liquid extraction and cleaned up using either a primary–secondary amine (PSA) cartridge or a C18 cartridge. Extracts are then separated by gas chromatography and analyzed with tandem mass spectrometry. The method has been successfully tested by three cohorts of quantitative analysis students to determine the concentration of the insecticides spiked at 50 ng/mL in apple juice. Students’ average recoveries were between 78 and 121% using C18 cartridges (n = 30). Using PSA cartridges, average recoveries were between 47 and 121% (n = 6). Overall, this laboratory experiment was successful in teaching analytical chemistry students about environmental exposure to insecticides and sample processing.
The case for broader computer architecture education: keynote address

Most introductory computer architecture courses -- at both the graduate and undergraduate level -- are primarily courses on CPU architecture. They tend to cover instruction set architecture, processor microarchitecture, and perhaps caches. While this is all useful content, our students would be better served by an introductory course that paints a more complete picture of computer architecture and one that better places computer architecture in context with the related fields of digital design and compilers.
Generalized Wolter Type I design for wide-field x-ray imaging applications

Surface scatter effects are a dominant image degradation mechanism for very short X-ray wavelengths, even for state- of-the-art optical surfaces. And the severe off-axis aberrations of the classical Wolter Type I grazing incidence X-ray telescope consisting of a confocal paraboloid and hyperboloid severely limit the useful angular field that can be imaged onto a flat detector. A new family of alternative designs based on two hyperboloids has been developed that improves the wide-field imaging performance by aberration balancing and a compete optical systems engineering analysis. A particular member of this family, designed as H- T number 17, has been selected for use in the Solar X-ray Imager (SXI) instrument to be integrated into the NOA GOES satellite. The development of the SXI optical prescription and its defining parameters are first presented, then detailed image quality predictions, as degraded by diffraction effects, geometrical aberrations, surface scatter effects, and all other residual errors in the mirror manufacturers error budget tree are presented. This new optimized design yields an 80 percent increase in the number of spatial resolution elements over the full solar disc when compared to the classical Wolter Type I design that was the SXI baseline design.
Track routing optimizing timing and yield

In this paper, we propose a track routing algorithm for timing and yield optimization. The algorithm solves the problem in two stages: wire ordering, and wire spacing and sizing. The wire ordering problem is solved by an algorithm based on wire merging. For the wire spacing and sizing problem, we show that it can be represented as a Mixed Linear Geometric Programming (MLGP) problem which can be transformed into a convex optimization problem. Since general nonlinear convex optimization may take a long running time, we propose a heuristic that solves the problem much faster. Experimental results show that, compared to the algorithm that only optimizes yield, our algorithm is able to improve the minimum timing slack by 20%.
Wnt11 patterns a myocardial electrical gradient through regulation of the L-type Ca 2+ channel

Electrical gradients are critical for many biological processes, including the normal function of excitable tissues, left-right patterning, organogenesis and wound healing. The fundamental mechanisms that regulate the establishment and maintenance of such electrical polarities are poorly understood. Here we identify a gradient of electrical coupling across the developing ventricular myocardium using high-speed optical mapping of transmembrane potentials and calcium concentrations in the zebrafish heart. We excluded a role for differences in cellular excitability, connexin localization, tissue geometry and mechanical inputs, but in contrast we were able to demonstrate that non-canonical Wnt11 signals are required for the genesis of this myocardial electrical gradient. Although the traditional planar cell polarity pathway is not involved, we obtained evidence that Wnt11 acts to set up this gradient of electrical coupling through effects on transmembrane Ca(2+) conductance mediated by the L-type calcium channel. These data reveal a previously unrecognized role for Wnt/Ca(2+) signalling in establishing an electrical gradient in the plane of the developing cardiac epithelium through modulation of ion-channel function. The regulation of cellular coupling through such mechanisms may be a general property of non-canonical Wnt signals.
THE HEAT OF COMBUSTION OF DRIED CITRUS PULP

The heat of combustion of dried citrus pulp has been found to be 4150 ± 118 cal/g or 7470 ± 212 Btu/lb. Dried citrus pulp has been compared with Bunker “c” fuel as a source of energy and found to be more valuable as a livestock feed.
Public management research: The triumph of art over science

If the lights that guide us ever go out, they will fade little by little, as if of their own accord. Confining ourselves to practice, we may lose sight of basic principles, and when these have been entirely forgotten, we may apply the methods derived from them badly; we might be left without the capacity to invent new methods, and only able to make a clumsy and an unintelligent use of wise procedures no longer understood.
Forecasting Emerging Market Exchange Rates from Foreign Equity Options

The use of derivatives to infer future exchange rates has long been a subject of interest in the international finance literature. With the recent currency crises in Mexico, Southeast Asia, and Brazil, work on exchange rate expectations in emerging markets is of particular interest. For some emerging markets, foreign equity options are the only liquid exchange-traded derivatives with currency information embedded in their prices. Given that emerging markets sometimes undergo currency realignment with discrete jumps in their exchange rate, estimation of risk-neutral probability density functions from foreign equity option data provides valuable evidence concerning market expectations. To illustrate the use of foreign equity options in estimating market beliefs, we consider Telmex options around the 1994 peso devaluation and find evidence that markets anticipated the change in the Mexican government's foreign exchange policy.