cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On What (In General) Grounds What

A generic grounding claim is a grounding claim that isn’t about any particular entity or fact. For example, consider the claim: an act is right in virtue of maximizing happiness. One natural idea is that generic grounding claims state mere regularities of ground. So if an act is right in virtue of maximizing happiness, then every possible right act is right in virtue of maximizing happiness. The generic claim generalizes over particular grounding relations. In this essay, I argue that this simple story is wrong. Generic grounding claims are not merely quantificational; rather, they express real definitions, where real definitions are (in part) claims about essence. My view has two major upshots: (i) it makes better sense of debates where generic grounding claims are at issue (like debates about moral laws); (ii) it clarifies the distinction between reductive and non-reductive metaphysical theories.
A generalized system of tissue-mimicking materials for computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

The advent of technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided radiation therapy has led to the need for phantom materials that are capable of producing tissue-like contrast on both MRI and computed tomography (CT) imaging modalities. The purpose of this work is to develop a system of easily made and formed materials with adjustable T1 and T2 relaxation times, and x-ray attenuation properties, for mimicking soft tissue and bone with both MRI and CT imaging modalities. The effects on T1/T2 relaxation times and CT numbers were quantified for a range of Gd contrast (0–25 μmol/g), agarose (0–8% w/w), glass microspheres (GMs) (0–10% w/w ) and CaCO3 (0–50% w/w) concentrations in a carrageenan-based gel. 105 gel samples were prepared with the additives, carrageenan and water. Samples were imaged in a 3D-printed holding structure to find the attainable range of T1/T2 relaxation time and CT number combinations. T1 and T2 relaxation time maps were generated using voxel-wise inversion-recovery and spin-echo techniques, respectively. A multivariate linear regression model was generated to allow the materials system to be generalized to semi-arbitrary T1/T2 relaxation times and CT numbers. Nine diverse tissue types were mimicked for fit model validation. The achievable T1/T2 relaxation times and CT numbers for the additive concentrations tested in this study spanned from 82 to 2180 ms, 12 to 475 ms, and -117 to +914 Hounsfield Units (HU) respectively. The mean absolute error between the fit model predicted and measured T1/T2 relaxation times and CT numbers for the nine tested tissue types was 113±64 ms, 16±26 ms and 11±14 HU respectively. In conclusion, we have created a system of materials capable of producing tissue-like contrast for 3.0T MRI and CT imaging modalities.
Considerations in Access Cannulation: Traditional and Evolving Approaches

Needle cannulation of hemodialysis access is the soft underbelly of hemodialysis access care that has remained unchanged for a long time. Cannulation error results in complications such as infiltration, hematoma, subsequent revision procedures, and potential loss of hard-earned access. The "best" cannulation method is contingent upon access type and characteristics along with local expertise. The rope ladder technique of cannulation, characterized by successive rotation of puncture sites with each hemodialysis session, permits sufficient time for healing of prior cannulation sites, and reduction in complications such as bleeding, infection, and aneurysm development. A steeper needle angle, higher blood flow rates, and deep needle tip can lead to wall stress on the posterior wall and up to 10 cm from the needle cannulation site. Plastic cannulas provide a viable alternative to metallic needles; they have lower complications and a favorable cost-benefit ratio. There is lack of evidence to support an optimal arterial needle direction configuration. Needle injury may promote intimal thickening, but its effect on access outcomes is currently unknown. Percutaneous creation of arteriovenous fistula presents new challenges in dialysis access cannulation. Point-of-care ultrasound-guided cannulation will likely lead to a paradigm shift in access cannulation. Novel care delivery using cannulation stations is a promising development.
Flow-Mediated Susceptibility and Molecular Response of Cerebral Endothelia to SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Background and Purpose: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is associated with an increased rate of cerebrovascular events including ischemic stroke and intracere...
A routability-driven complimentary-FET (CFET) standard cell synthesis framework using SMT

As the technology node is evolving, standard cell (SDC) design scaling is obstructed by design constraints such as limited routing resources, lateral P-N separation, and performance requirements. Complimentary-FET (CFET) technology, which stacks the P-FET on N-FET or vice versa, is able to release the restriction of P-N connection for SDC layout scaling. However, (both in-cell and block-level) routable CFET SDC design, while maintaining the scaling advantages, is a non-trivial problem because of the extremely limited routability (including pin-accessibility) comes from the intrinsic stacked FET structure. In this paper, we propose an SMT (Satisfiability Modulo theories)-based framework to automate CFET SDC synthesis through the simultaneous place-and-route optimization methodology with a novel Dynamic Complimentary Pin Allocation scheme. Moreover, our framework generates optimized CFET SDC layouts in terms of routability through our novel pin access and routing resource related objectives/constraints, while the scaling advantage of CFET structure is maintained compared to conventional FET structure. We demonstrate that CFET cell structure provides 10.1/22.2% on average reduced cell width and metal length compared to conventional FET structure. Moreover, we validate that our routability-driven features successfully improve routability in practical circuit designs through block-level analysis. Compared to the previous work, our routability-driven framework improves 4.2% utilization and reduces 83% routing errors on average in block-level designs.
Some Benefits and Costs of Cost-Benefit Analysis

The American administrative state has become a cost-benefit state, at least in the sense that prevailing executive orders require agencies to proceed only if the benefits justify the costs. Some people celebrate this development; others abhor it. For defenders of the cost-benefit state, the antonym of their ideal is, alternately, regulation based on dogmas, intuitions, pure expressivism, political preferences, or interest-group power. Seen most sympathetically, the focus on costs and benefits is a neo-Benthamite effort to attend to the real-world consequences of regulations, and it casts a pragmatic, skeptical light on modern objections to the administrative state, invoking public-choice theory and the supposed self-serving decisions of unelected bureaucrats. The focus on costs and benefits is also a valuable effort to go beyond coarse arguments, from both the right and the left, that tend to ask this unhelpful question: “Which side are you on?” In the future, however, there will be much better ways, which we might consider neo-Millian, to identify those consequences: (1) by relying less on unreliable ex ante projections and more on actual evaluations; (2) by focusing directly on welfare and not relying on imperfect proxies; and (3) by attending closely to distributional considerations – on who is helped and who is hurt.
Cancer Driver Log (CanDL): Catalog of Potentially Actionable Cancer Mutations

Massively parallel sequencing technologies have enabled characterization of genomic alterations across multiple tumor types. Efforts have focused on identifying driver mutations because they represent potential targets for therapy. However, because of the presence of driver and passenger mutations, it is often challenging to assign the clinical relevance of specific mutations observed in patients. Currently, there are multiple databases and tools that provide in silico assessment for potential drivers; however, there is no comprehensive resource for mutations with functional characterization. Therefore, we created an expert-curated database of potentially actionable driver mutations for molecular pathologists to facilitate annotation of cancer genomic testing. We reviewed scientific literature to identify variants that have been functionally characterized in vitro or in vivo as driver mutations. We obtained the chromosome location and all possible nucleotide positions for each amino acid change and uploaded them to the Cancer Driver Log (CanDL) database with associated literature reference indicating functional driver evidence. In addition to a simple interface, the database allows users to download all or selected genes as a comma-separated values file for incorporation into their own analysis pipeline. Furthermore, the database includes a mechanism for third-party contributions to support updates for novel driver mutations. Overall, this freely available database will facilitate rapid annotation of cancer genomic testing in molecular pathology laboratories for mutations.
An approach to optimizing adaptive parabolic PDE solvers for the Grid

The method of lines is a widely used algorithm for solving parabolic partial differential equations that could benefit greatly from implementation on Grid computing environments. This paper outlines the issues involved in executing method-of-lines codes on a Grid and in developing model-driven adaptive control strategies for these codes. We have developed a parameterizable benchmark called MOL that captures a wide range of realistic method-of-lines codes. We are using this benchmark to develop performance models that can be used to achieve specific optimality criteria under the available (and dynamically varying) resources of a Grid environment, and under user-specified goals for solution error and computational rate-of-progress. We are developing a componentization strategy that can enable effective adaptive control of MOL, as well as language and compiler support that can simplify the development of adaptive distributed applications. If successful, this work should yield a much better understanding than we have at present of how an important class of parallel numerical applications can be executed effectively in a dynamic Grid environment.
Acute abdominal pain in children

A child with acute abdominal pain can be a disconcerting experience for most doctors, and there is often little in the way of aids or investigations that can be used to arrive at a correct diagnosis. Certainly there are common conditions that cause problems in most age groups (such as appendicitis) and others that are usually confined to a specific age group (such as intussusception). Abdominal pain is common, with most children never seeing a doctor, and, of those that do, most being seen and treated at home by a general practitioner. Of those that are taken to hospital, some recover without obvious sequelae despite the lack of a specific diagnosis. The label non-specific abdominal pain has been used for these cases, and this, in truth, will be the commonest “cause” of most acute abdominal pain that most clinicians will see. Diagnostic breakdown of one year's admissions for abdominal pain in a district general hospital (after Jones1). An accurate history is vital, although in younger children it is usually hearsay. Important points are the length of the current illness; previous similar episodes; periodicity if it is a colicky pain; whether it is constant, worsening, or getting better; and any related or aggravating factors. Gastrointestinal upset (such as vomiting) is common and can be a non-specific feature. The presence of bile in vomit is an important discriminant suggesting intestinal obstruction. Alternatively, substantial diarrhoea can accompany surgical pathology and should not be accepted simply as enteritis. Urinary symptoms such as dysuria and frequency can be difficult to establish in young children and again can also be entirely erroneous—both are common in a child with a pelvic appendicitis. #### Symptoms associated with surgically correctable causes of acute abdominal pain The examiner needs to have a patient, gentle technique, not only with the child, but …
The Texture of the Everyday in John Manningham's Diary (1602–1603)

AbstractThis essay explores the generic traditions and discursive form of John Manningham's Diary, a recordbook kept at the turn of the seventeenth century by a young member of the Middle Temple. By looking at the Diary in this way we can begin to see how it structures a distinct representation of daily life. Implicit in this examination is the acknowledgment that the specific discursive forms of Manningham's Diary created and encouraged a particular perception of everyday existence. What we shall see is that the very eclecticism of the dated entries, their detailed yet incongruous quality, re‐creates a particular version of the quotidian, one that emphasizes the fragmentary moment, the playful and ineluctable rather than the useful and the essential. (C. D.)
Structural Changes in Stigmatella aurantiaca During Myxospore Induction

Suspension cultures of Stigmatella aurantiaca ( Chondromyces aurantiacus ) were induced to form myxospores by addition of glycerol to the growing culture. The cells were fixed at various stages during conversion, thin sections were prepared, and changes in fine structure were studied. Vegetative cells are quite similar in their ultrastructure to Myxococcus xanthus . During transformation into myxospores, three important cytological changes were observed. Granules of storage material, probably polysaccharide and polyphosphate, accumulated; a 200 to 300-μm thick capsule was laid down, and the outer triple layer of the cell wall became locally folded. These cell wall folds were often densely packed and lay in pockets formed by the cytoplasmic membrane. We have suggested the possibility that the cell may store in these folds wall material which has become superfluous by the decrease in surface area during conversion. Images
Self-organizing dominance hierarchies in a wild primate population

Linear dominance hierarchies, which are common in social animals, can profoundly influence access to limited resources, reproductive opportunities and health. In spite of their importance, the mechanisms that govern the dynamics of such hierarchies remain unclear. Two hypotheses explain how linear hierarchies might emerge and change over time. The ‘prior attributes hypothesis’ posits that individual differences in fighting ability directly determine dominance ranks. By contrast, the ‘social dynamics hypothesis’ posits that dominance ranks emerge from social self-organization dynamics such as winner and loser effects. While the prior attributes hypothesis is well supported in the literature, current support for the social dynamics hypothesis is limited to experimental studies that artificially eliminate or minimize individual differences in fighting abilities. Here, we present the first evidence supporting the social dynamics hypothesis in a wild population. Specifically, we test for winner and loser effects on male hierarchy dynamics in wild baboons, using a novel statistical approach based on the Elo rating method for cardinal rank assignment, which enables the detection of winner and loser effects in uncontrolled group settings. Our results demonstrate (i) the presence of winner and loser effects, and (ii) that individual susceptibility to such effects may have a genetic basis. Taken together, our results show that both social self-organization dynamics and prior attributes can combine to influence hierarchy dynamics even when agonistic interactions are strongly influenced by differences in individual attributes. We hypothesize that, despite variation in individual attributes, winner and loser effects exist (i) because these effects could be particularly beneficial when fighting abilities in other group members change over time, and (ii) because the coevolution of prior attributes and winner and loser effects maintains a balance of both effects.
Prognosis of acute myocardial infarction complicated by complete heart block (the Worcester Heart Attack Study)

As part of a community-based study of patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the Worcester, Massachusetts, metropolitan area, changes over time in the incidence rates of complete heart block (CHB) complicating AMI, and the prognostic impact of CHB on the in-hospital and long-term survival of these patients were examined. In all, 4,762 patients with validated AMI hospitalized at 16 hospitals in the Worcester metropolitan area during 1975, 1978, 1981, 1984, 1986 and 1988 constituted the study sample. The incidence rates of CHB complicating AMI remained relatively stable at 5.8% over the 13-year (1975 to 1988) period studied. The incidence rates of CHB were approximately twice as high in patients with inferior/posterior wall AMI (7.7%) as in those with anterior wall AMI (3.9%). Use of a multivariate regression analysis to control for factors affecting the incidence rates of CHB revealed that patients were at highest risk for developing CHB during the latter 2 study years (1986 and 1988). Patients with AMI developing CHB had higher in-hospital case fatality rates than did those without CHB overall, as well as during each of the 6 periods studied. The in-hospital survival associated with CHB did not improve over time. After use of a multivariate regression analysis to control for additional prognostic factors, the independent effect of CHB on in-hospital prognosis remained (adjusted risk of dying = 2.10; 95% confidence intervals = 1.37, 3.21). Patients with inferior wall AMI complicated by CHB were at significantly increased risk of dying during hospitalization compared with those without CHB (adjusted risk of dying = 2.71; 95% confidence intervals = 1.60, 4.59).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Resurrecting Surviving Neandertal Lineages from Modern Human Genomes

Anatomically modern humans overlapped and mated with Neandertals such that non-African humans inherit ~1 to 3% of their genomes from Neandertal ancestors. We identified Neandertal lineages that persist in the DNA of modern humans, in whole-genome sequences from 379 European and 286 East Asian individuals, recovering more than 15 gigabases of introgressed sequence that spans ~20% of the Neandertal genome (false discovery rate = 5%). Analyses of surviving archaic lineages suggest that there were fitness costs to hybridization, admixture occurred both before and after divergence of non-African modern humans, and Neandertals were a source of adaptive variation for loci involved in skin phenotypes. Our results provide a new avenue for paleogenomics studies, allowing substantial amounts of population-level DNA sequence information to be obtained from extinct groups, even in the absence of fossilized remains.
Diffusion constants of a maltosaccharide series

A series of maltosaccharides, from glucose through maltohexaose, was prepared from starch labeled with 14C. Self and integral diffusion coefficients were measured in dilute and in concentrated solvents. The coefficients were related more or less rectilinearly with the logarithm of degree of polymerization, presumably because of molecule asymmetry. A greater diminution in the coefficient occurred in 20% sucrose than in 20% corn syrup of approximately equal molarity but considerably greater viscosity.
Equatorial potassium currents in lenses

Earlier work with the vibrating probe demonstrated the existece of outward potassium currents at the equator and inward sodium currents at the optical poles of the lens. By adding microelectrodes to the system, it is possible to relate steady currents ( J ) to the potential difference (PD) measured with a microelectrode. By injecting an outward current ( I ), it is possible to determine resistances and also the PD at which the steady outward potassium current becomes zero (PD J =0 ). At this PD the concentration gradient for potassium efflux and the electrical gradient for potassium influx are balanced so that there is no net flow of potassium across the membranes associated with the production of J . The PD J =0 for 18 rat lenses was 86 mV and that for 12 frogs lenses was −95 mV. This agrees with the potassium equilibrium potential and provides strong evidence to support the view that the outward equatorial current, J , is a potassium current. With the injection of outward current, I , the PD becomes more negative, the outward equatorial current, J , decreases, and the inward current at the optical poles increases. This suggests that there are separate electrical loops for K + and Na + that are partially linked by the Na, K-pump. Using Ohm's law, it is possible to calculate the input resistance ( R =ΔPD/ I ), the resistance related to the production of J ( R J =ΔPD/Δ J ), and the effect of the combined resistances (Δ J/I ). The driving force for J can be estimated (PD J −0 −PD). The relationships among currents, voltages and resistance can be used to determine the characteristics of the membranes that are associated with the outward potassium current observed at the equator. The effects of graded deformation of the lens were determined. The effects were reversible. The sites of inward and outward currents were not altered. Following deformation, the equatorial current, J , increased, and the PD became less negative. The PD J =0 remains the same so the ratio of K + concentrations across the membrane responsible for J is unchanged. Therefore, the decrease in PD is ascribed to an increase in Na + permeance with a resultant increase in driving force accounting for the increase in J .
A simple model of evaporatively driven downdraft: application to microburst downdraft

It is pointed out that the physics of a downdraft are very different from that of an updraft. An updraft is virtually saturated, while the downdraft can be unsaturated. The present investigation is concerned with the dynamics of a simple one-dimensional, time-dependent model of a downdraft. Earlier treatments are extended on the basis of a number of considerations, taking into account a distribution of drop sizes, modification of the drop size distribution by evaporation, entrainment of environmental air into the downdraft, and, most importantly, explicit calculation of the intensity of the downdraft. A large number of calculations are performed to study the effects of conditions at the top of the downdraft and in the environment.
Dislocation cores and their electronic states: partial dislocations in GaAs

The electronic structures, as predicted by the local density approximation, of the glide set partial dislocations in GaAs are presented. The calculation reveal mid-gap states for both the 90° and 30° α-type partials, whereas the β-cores reveal states only slightly above the valance band energy.
Vegetation removal in two soils of the humid tropics: Effect on microbial biomass

Abstract Conversion of forests of the humid tropics into pastures and agricultural fields is expected to produce, in the long-term, a decline in soil organic matter content and soil fertility. Changes in microbial biomass (Biomass C, Be) following vegetation removal can provide an early indication for slower, less easily detectable SOM changes. Microbial biomass can also provide an index of soil fertility because it represents an important labile pool of soil nutrients and plays an active role in preventing nutrient loss. There are few published measurements of Be in the humid tropics and fewer of Be changes due to shifts in vegetation cover. We measured Be in two humid tropical soils (an oxic Humitropept at 4.5% C and pH of 5.0 and a fluventic Dystrandept at 2.6% C and pH of 6.4) subjected, for 3 yr, to extreme treatments: soil maintained bare, annual harvest of re-growth, and native 20 yr old secondary vegetation. Both soils showed a similar pattern in total SOM and Be decline following vegetation removal: after 3 yr, total C and N were reduced by 20%. Response of Be was more pronounced. In the bare soil, most of the decline in Be occurred within the first 6 months (to 50% of initial values) and after 15 months. Be appeared to have stabilized at ca 35% of its initial value. Response of Be to the annual harvest treatment was more moderate than to the bare soil treatment. Determining the precise size of microbial biomass is difficult because of variability in time and differences between techniques, but Be values determined by two techniques and on numerous dates were high: in control plots around 2000 (oxic Humitropept) and 1300 (fluventic Dystrandept) μg Cg−1 soil (or 250 and 187 gm−2 after correction for differences in bulk density), which suggests that Be in humid tropical soils can be high. Microbial C represented ca 4% of the total C in the control and declined to ca 1.5% of the total C in the bare soil. Eucaryote:procaryote ratios were close to l for all treatments except in the Fluventic Dystrandept control, which supported a woody vegetation and had a ratio of 3.3. This study demonstrates the dynamic nature of microbial biomass following tropical forest clearing and its potential importance for affecting nutrient loss.
Does diet composition have structural consequences in the hypothalamus

Sustaining weight loss by caloric restriction invokes metabolic (decreased energy expenditure), autonomic (decreased sympathetic and increased parasympathetic nervous system tone), neuroendocrine (decreased thyroid hormones and leptin), and behavioral (increased hunger) changes that conspire to favor the regain of lost weight [1]. The similarities between this “weight-reduced phenotype” and states of congenital leptin deficiency, and the remediation of these states in response to leptin repletion, suggest that the metabolic opposition to sustained weight loss is integrated in part via leptin signaling pathways [1]. A key question is whether the neural circuitry of the hypothalamus and other brain regions that mediate these responses can be influenced by specific aspects of diet. In this issue of Molecular Metabolism, McNay and Speakman [2] suggest that the macronutrient content of the diet affects both the anatomy and function of this circuitry.
On spherical nanoindentations, kinking nonlinear elasticity of mica single crystals and their geological implications

In this paper, we show, using cyclic spherical nanoindentation experiments, that the deformation mechanisms in mica, including basal plane ruptures and delaminations, can be explained by invoking the presence of mobile dislocation walls, and incipient and regular kink bands. Our results clearly show that the energy dissipated or that was stored during the deformation of muscovite depends critically on its previous deformation history and/or the pre-existing defect concentration. Once nucleated, the dislocation-based incipient kink bands are believed to be responsible for the nonlinear elastic deformation and hysteretic loops obtained during cyclic loading. Moreover, a model is presented to estimate the number and distribution of dislocations and the energy consumed in their motion under the indenter. From the model, we also estimate the critical resolved shear stress for the motion of basal plane dislocations under the indenter. The implications of this work can be extended beyond mica to understand the nonlinear hysteretic deformation in other geological formations dominated by layered minerals.
Determination of solanesol in tobacco by capillary gas chromatography

A gas chromatographic (GC) method has been developed for solanesol, a long-chain (C45 terpenoid alcohol of tobacco. The method separates and quantities solanesol as its volatile trimethylsilyl derivative. After saponification of the tobacco sample with methanolic potassium hydroxide to liberate bound solanesol, total solanesol was determined on a wide-bore fused-silica SE-54 capillary column. The reproducibilities of both the extraction and GC methods were found to be excellent. As an example of application, six tobacco varieties, used in a low-solanesol tobacco breeding study, were analyzed. In these tobaccos, free solanesol content varied from 70 to 90% of the total solanesol, which ranged from 1.9 to 2.8% of dry weight.
Identification of secreted proteins that mediate cell-cell interactions in an in vitro model of the lung cancer microenvironment

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells with somatic mutations in K-ras recruit to the tumor a variety of cell types (hereafter collectively termed "stromal cells") that can promote or inhibit tumorigenesis by mechanisms that have not been fully elucidated. Here, we postulated that stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment alter the tumor cell secretome, including those proteins required for tumor growth and dissemination, and we developed an in vitro model to test this hypothesis. Coculturing a murine K-ras mutant lung adenocarcinoma cell line (LKR-13) with a murine lung stromal cell (macrophage, endothelial cell, or fibroblast) enhanced stromal cell migration, induced endothelial tube formation, increased LKR-13 cell proliferation, and regulated the secretion of proteins involved in angiogenesis, inflammation, cell proliferation, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Among these proteins, CXCL1 has been reported to promote NSCLC development, whereas interleukin-18 (IL-18) has an undefined role. Genetic and pharmacologic strategies to inhibit CXCL1 and IL-18 revealed that stromal cell migration, LKR-13 cell proliferation, and LKR-13 cell tumorigenicity required one or both of these proteins. We conclude that stromal cells enhanced LKR-13 cell tumorigenicity partly through their effects on the secretome of LKR-13 cells. Strategies to inhibit tumor/stromal cell interactions may be useful as therapeutic approaches in NSCLC patients.
The Relationship between “Share of Voice” and “Share of Market” and Implications for Youth Health Promotion

This article explores the relationship between “share of voice” and “share of market,” terms that are used in marketing, and the implications of this relationship for youth health promotion. Recent research shows a strong and predictive relationship between the marketing activities of the tobacco industry and smoking by underage youth. The intensity of marketing, the “share of market,” in terms of the potency and pervasiveness of cigarette advertising and promotional activities, is predictive of “share of voice” or youth smoking behavior. This can be seen in the brands that youth smoke, historical smoking patterns, greater sensitivity among adolescents to advertising, and that exposure and receptivity to advertising predict youth smoking behavior. In youth health promotion programs, “share of voice” also appears to be related to “share of market.” The intensity of a health promotion program, in terms of its behavioral potency and pervasiveness throughout the community, is associated with positive changes ...
A precision electronic timer for the measurement of acoustic signals

An electronic speech timer that uses only relatively inexpensive and readily available electronic components and common circuitry is described. This device rapidly and accurately measures the durational characteristics of speech and the durations of other acoustic signals over extended lengths of time. Its application to the measurement of total speaking time, articulation time, and phonation time are outlined. Accuracy, reliability, and validity are discussed and compared with other, more time-consuming and cumbersome methods of durational measurement.
A low-voltage nano-porous electroosmotic pump.

Abstract A low-voltage electroosmotic (EO) micropump based on an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nano-porous membrane with platinum electrodes coated on both sides has been designed, fabricated, tested, and analyzed. The maximum flow rate of 0.074 ml min−1 V−1 cm−2 for a membrane with porosity of 0.65 was obtained. A theoretical model, considering the head loss along the entire EO micropump system and the finite electrical double layer (EDL) effect on the flow rate, is developed for the first time to analyze the performance of the EO micropump. The theoretical and experimental results are in good agreement. It is revealed that the major head loss could remarkably decrease the flow rate, which thus should be taken into account for the applications of the EO micropump in various Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices. However, the effect of the minor head loss on the flow rate is negligible. The resulting flow rate increases with increasing porosity of the porous membrane and κa, the ratio of the radius of the nanopore to the Debye length.
Differential localization and activity of the A- and B-forms of the human progesterone receptor using green fluorescent protein chimeras

Subcellular localization and transcriptional activity of green fluorescent protein-progesterone receptor A and B chimeras (GFP-PRA and GFP-PRB) were examined in living mammalian cells. Both GFP-PRA and B chimeras were found to be similar in transcriptional activity compared with their non-GFP counterparts. GFP-PRA and PRA were both weakly active, while GFP-PRB and PRB gave a 20- to 40-fold induction using a reporter gene containing the full-length mouse mammary tumor virus long-terminal repeat linked to the luciferase gene (pLTRluc). Using fluorescence microscopy, nuclear/cytoplasmic distributions for the unliganded and hormone activated forms of GFP-PRA and GFP-PRB were characterized. The two forms of the receptor were found to have distinct intracellular distributions; GFP-PRA was found to be more nuclear than GFP-PRB in four cell lines examined. The causes for and implications of this differential localization of the A and B forms of the human PR are discussed.
Microglia-mediated neurotoxicity: uncovering the molecular mechanisms

Mounting evidence indicates that microglial activation contributes to neuronal damage in neurodegenerative diseases. Recent studies show that in response to certain environmental toxins and endogenous proteins, microglia can enter an overactivated state and release reactive oxygen species (ROS) that cause neurotoxicity. Pattern recognition receptors expressed on the microglial surface seem to be one of the primary, common pathways by which diverse toxin signals are transduced into ROS production. Overactivated microglia can be detected using imaging techniques and therefore this knowledge offers an opportunity not only for early diagnosis but, importantly, for the development of targeted anti-inflammatory therapies that might slow or halt the progression of neurodegenerative disease.
Clash of cultures: nephrologists meet the market economy

Over the past decade, the delivery of medical care has units are unclear. undergone dramatic changes and the practice of nephrologists in their care of end-stage renal disease ( ESRD) patients has been transformed. In the US, Physician’s responsibility for patient outcome approximately 70% of patients are now dialysed in facilities managed and owned by corporate entities. There are few data that deal with the outcome of These companies are publicly traded on the stock patients in corporate-run dialysis units versus nonexchanges and thus have investor-owners. Some of profit health care providers. However, a recent publicathese companies are vertically integrated, such that tion in a peer-reviewed journal suggested that mortality everything that is purchased such as dialysis machines, was greater in these corporate units [1]. While there dialysers, accessories and tubing are products of the has been bitter criticism of these findings by industry corporation. The dialysis nurses are employees of the representatives [2], the fact remains that data using corporation. While physicians managing their patients the United States Renal Data System database raise in these units are usually not corporation employees questions as to the physician’s role and responsibility some exceptions exist. It is unclear whether these trends for these outcomes. A further disturbing trend was affect the outcomes of nephrology care, but at the very that the ‘for-profit’ dialysis units also have lower least they make the relationship between the doctors referral rates for transplantation than non-profit units and their patients more complex. Decisions regarding [1]. While there are many explanations for this it is drugs and medical interventions including the adminis- hard to avoid the conclusion that one possibility is tration of erythropoietin are often dictated by corpor- that loss of patients from these units results in loss ate policy rather than individual patient needs. As an of revenue. example, most experts agree that erythropoietin given subcutaneously is equally effective as given intravenously, and is certainly cheaper. Yet intravenous Differences in dialysis practice between countries erythropoietin yields dialysis units and their proprietors maximum profit based on current reimbursement polThe nephrology profession is increasingly subject to icies. Since it is often not the patient that pays for questions about its ethics and behaviour. Physician
More questions and more ideas on electronic monitoring: Response to Lilly, Ball and Lotz

SUMMARY Although the absence of uniformity and the continuing ambiguity over the use of EM are not necessarily perceived as negative descriptors of EM programs, these states of being do preclude haphazard application of principles and practices pertinent to other release conditions. Guidelines are generally not existent or formalized, yet the fact that legislation is in the design stage speaks to the need for such guidelines. Program reactions to violations of EM conditions are varied among the several programs and mostly not solidified to the point that objectivity and clarity are suggested. The manner in which EM will function to aid achievement of criminal justice is not yet known. Incapacitation is probably the most realistic goal and, assuming that the EMD is technologically sound is a likely outcome. Diversion remains a concern. EM may justifiably be used as an additional supervisory technique for community release. But for instances in which individuals would otherwise be released, this extra super...
Retroviruses and nervous system disease

During the past decade retroviruses have been recognized as causes of human neurological disease. A wide clinical spectrum of neurological and neuromuscular diseases have been reported with HIV infections, and studies of these diseases have raised novel and exciting hypotheses of pathogenesis. As yet the full clinical spectrum of diseases associated with HTLV-1 has yet to be defined, and the pathogenesis of the chronic spastic paraparesis remains a mystery. Chronic neurological diseases in animals caused by both oncoviruses and lentiviruses can provide some clues to the pathogenesis of these newly recognized human neurological illnesses.
Travel distance, age, and sex as factors in follow-up visit compliance in the post-gastric bypass population.

Abstract Background There is no consensus regarding the optimal rate of follow-up in the post-bariatric surgery patient population. Methods The records of all patients who underwent laparoscopic Roux-en- Y gastric bypass from 2001 to 2003 were reviewed. Using patient zip codes, travel distances were calculated between the patients’ places of residence and our clinic. Patients were then assigned to 1 of 3 cohorts according to the following distances: (1) 100 miles. Patient compliance with follow-up appointments at 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months was analyzed. Linear trends were identified using the Mantel-Haenszel test. Age and sex were analyzed as possible predictors of compliance using the χ 2 test. P values Results The study group comprised 150 patients (127 females and 23 males). The 3 cohorts contained 115, 21, and 14 patients, respectively. All patients in each cohort were compliant with the 3-week follow-up appointment. Although there were differences in compliance between cohorts at each of the remaining appointments, only the 9-month (70.3% vs 61.9% vs 35.7%) visit showed statistical significance ( P = .035). The 6-month visit trended toward significance (85.2% vs 76.2% vs 64.3%; P = .088). Males were more likely to be compliant with the 12-month follow-up ( P = .040). When controlling for sex, travel distance was also a predictor of compliance at this follow-up visit ( P = .024). Age was not predictive of compliance ( P = .827). Conclusion Based on our findings, we conclude that travel distance from the clinic does not significantly affect compliance at the initial follow-up, 3-month, and 12-month appointments. However, distance does tend to affect compliance at the 6-month appointment and significantly affects compliance at the 9-month appointment. Males are more likely to be compliant at the 12 month follow-up visit. We must continue to strive for 100% follow-up in our post-bariatric surgery patients.
Direct Observation of Triplet State Emission of Single Molecules: Single Molecule Phosphorescence Quenching of Metalloporphyrin and Organometallic Complexes by Molecular Oxygen and Their Quenching Rate Distributions

Single molecules are detected through the phosphorescence emission of their triplet states. Emission of the triplet states of single molecules of Pt octabutoxycarbonyl porphyrin (PtOBCP) and ruthenium(II)-tris-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline dichloride (Ru(dpp)3Cl2) is reported. The single molecule phosphorescence is very sensitive to molecular oxygen. Each molecule has its own characteristic quenching rate by oxygen, and the distribution of these rates is measured for (Ru(dpp)3Cl2) on a quartz surface. The large variance of this distribution is presumed to be caused by fluctuations in the pseudobimolecular rate coefficient and the local oxygen concentration. The possibility of creating a quantitative single oxygen molecule sensor is suggested.
Identification and Regulation of Genes from a Biocontrol Strain of Fusarium oxysporum

Differential display with three time points revealed that thiram altered expression of numerous genes in the biocontrol fungus Fusarium oxysporum CS-20. Of the 101 bands purified from the differential display gel, 86 were successfully cloned, and 64 sequenced. Based on nucleic acid sequences, homology to known products was found using BLASTn for 26 sequences and homology to hypothetical proteins was found for six sequences, also from Gibberella zeae. One band (BM1 24-1) showed homology to an ABC transporter from three different fungi. Because of its association with detoxification functions, the ABC transporter was selected for further study. Mycelia of CS-20 were exposed to 25 μg active ingredient (a.i.) thiram in liquid culture for various times from 0 to 8 h. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to evaluate gene expression. At 30 min after treatment with thiram, the ABC transporter was upregulated 20- to 25-fold relative to the control treatment. The ABC transporter was upregulated 15-fold at 1 h after treatment and 10-fold at 2 h. At 8 h after treatment, there was no difference between treated and non-treated for expression of the ABC transporter. Transcription of the gene encoding EST BM1 24-1 is induced in response to thiram treatment and may function in providing resistance in F. oxysporum isolate CS-20 to fungicides and other toxins. Tolerance to toxins may be critical to the successful inclusion of CS-20 in disease control strategies in cropping systems.
Mortality in workers employed in pig abattoirs and processing plants

Abstract Objective: workers in slaughterhouses and processing plants that handle pigs, and pork butchers/meatcutters have been little studied for health risks associated with employment, in spite of the fact that they are potentially exposed to oncogenic and non-oncogenic transmissible agents and chemical carcinogens at work. We report here on an update of mortality in 510 workers employed in abattoirs and processing plants that almost exclusively handled pigs and pork products. Methods: standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were estimated for the cohort as a whole, and in subgroups defined by race and sex, using the corresponding US general population mortality rates for comparison. Study subjects were followed up from January 1950 to December 2006, during which time 45% of them died. Results: mortality was significantly increased overall in the cohort. A statistically significant excess of deaths was observed for colon and lung cancers in the entire cohort, SMR=2.7 (95% CI, 1.2–5.1), SMR=1.8 (95% CI, 1.1–2.7), respectively. Significant SMRs in the cohort as a whole were also observed for senile and pre-senile psychotic conditions (SMR=5.1, 95% CI, 1.4–13.1), and pneumonia (SMR=2.6, 95% CI, 1.3–4.8). An observed excess of subarachnoid hemorrhage was seen mainly in whites (SMR=10.1, 95% CI, 1.2–36.3). There was a suggestion of an excess of deaths from ischemic heart disease also, but the elevated SMR was confined to men and was not statistically significant. Conclusion: this study confirms the excess occurrence of lung and colon cancers, and stroke previously reported in this occupational group. New findings are the excess of risk for senile and pre-senile psychotic conditions and pneumonia, which together with the excess of colon cancer appear specific for pig/pork workers, as they were not evident in much larger studies of workers in abattoirs and processing plants handling cattle and sheep. However, caution should be exercised in interpreting these findings, since some of them could have occurred by chance, resulting from our examination of a large number of causes of death in multiple study subgroups. For the moment, the significance of these findings remains unknown until they are confirmed in larger studies of adequate statistical power. Studies that will take into account possible occupational and non-occupational confounding factors are needed.
Reverse translational strategies for developing animal models of bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder (BD) affects a significant portion of the population of the world, yet there has been limited success in developing novel treatments for the disorder. One of the major reasons for this dearth is the absence of suitable animal models for BD. Traditionally, animal models of human phenomena have been evaluated based on similarity to the human syndrome, response to appropriately corresponding medications, and the degree to which a model supports a common mechanistic theory between the human disorder and the model itself. The following review emphasizes the use of ‘reverse translation’, drawing on patient-based findings to develop suitable animal models for BD. We highlight some examples of this strategy, emphasizing their construct validity as a starting point. These studies have produced informative models that have altered the expression of genes/pathways implicated in BD, including the point mutation D181A of mouse mitochondrial DNA polymerase (POLG), glutamate receptor 6 (GluR6), Clock, extracellular regulated kinase 1 (ERK1), glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated athanogene (BAG-1). These studies demonstrate that this method is useful, viable and deserves attention in new efforts to generate animal models of BD.