cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Infanticide in male laboratory mice: Effects of social status, prior sexual experience, and basis for discrimination between related and unrelated young

Abstract Several aspects of infanticide, including effects of social status, prior sexual experience, and the basis for discrimination between related and unrelated young, were examined in Swiss-Webster laboratory mice (Mus musculus). Strange males introduced into the female's cage for 24 h on day 1 postpartum significantly reduced pup survival whereas the introduction of sires did not. Direct observations of infanticide were frequent, and the motor patterns used by males to kill pups are described. Males killed their own offspring when those young were in the nest of a strange female, whereas most males did not kill unrelated young in the nest of a familiar female. Thus, past association with the mother appears to be the single most important factor mediating male discrimination of young. Prior contact with a specific female's urine reduced a male's propensity for subsequently killing her young. The act of copulation itself also reduced infanticide. Infanticidal behaviour was correlated with the male's social status: most dominant males killed unrelated pups, whereas none of the subordinates engaged in infanticide. These results are discussed in terms of the population biology of this species.
Peruvian higher education: expansions amid economic crisis

The development of the university system in Peru is described and attention drawn to the periods of rapid expansion. The economic crisis of the 1980s led to some doubts about the wisdom of maintaining such a high growth rate. The fall in the number of university entrants in the period 1974 to 1978 is analyzed in the context of the educational reform program introduced by the military government. The new university law of 1983 followed the return in 1980 to civilian government. Future prospects for higher education in Peru are discussed.
Species and regional differences in the expression of cell-type specific elements at the human and rat tyrosine hydroxylase gene loci.

: The expression of the catecholamine biosynthetic enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), is confined to several different types of neuroendocrine cells. Using a transient assay system, we examined more than 10 kb of the human TH gene and 6.5 kb of 5’ flanking sequences of the rat TH gene for DNA elements that confer cell-type specific expression. Surprisingly, these elements do not appear to be conserved in position or sequence across species. When plasmids containing DNA sequences —749 bp from the transcription start site of the rat gene were introduced into PC12 cells, up to sixfold higher levels of expression were observed as compared to the same fragments introduced into HepG2 cells or LAN-1 cells. In contrast to the rat gene, analogous fragments of the human 5’ promoter failed to confer cell-type specific expression. However, when plasmids containing a truncated thymidine kinase promoter and either orientation of a 760 bp 3’ human TH gene fragment were introduced into PC12 and LAN-1 cells, we observed a six- and 3,5-fold increase, respectively, over that observed for HepG2 cells. Subsequent deletion of this fragment led to significant activation of transcription in PC12 and HepG2 cell lines. These data indicate the presence of multiple elements contributing to the cell-type specific expression of tyrosine hydroxylase genes.
Book review of applied medical image processing: A basic course

This article is a review of the book: 'Applied Medical Image Processing: A Basic Course', by Wolfgang Birkfellner, which is published by CRC Press. Basic information that should be helpful in deciding whether to read the book and whether to use it as a course textbook is presented. This includes an introduction, the suitability of the book for use in coursework, its coverage of medical imaging and image processing, discussion and conclusions, and an appendix with a relevant computer program for extracting medical images.
U.S. airport entry screening in response to pandemic influenza: Modeling and analysis

Summary Background A stochastic discrete event simulation model was developed to assess the effectiveness of passenger screening for Pandemic Influenza (PI) at U.S. airport foreign entry. Methods International passengers arriving at 18 U.S. airports from Asia, Europe, South America, and Canada were assigned to one of three states: not infected, infected with PI, infected with other respiratory illness. Passengers passed through layered screening then exited the model. 80% screening effectiveness was assumed for symptomatic passengers; 6% asymptomatic passengers. Results In the first 100 days of a global pandemic, U.S. airport screening would evaluate over 17 M passengers with 800 K secondary screenings. 11,570 PI infected passengers (majority asymptomatic) would enter the U.S. undetected from all 18 airports. Foreign airport departure screening significantly decreased the false negative (infected/undetected) passengers. U.S. attack rates: no screening (26.9%–30.9%); screening (26.4%–30.6%); however airport screening results in 800 K–1.8 M less U.S. PI cases; 16 K–35 K less deaths (2% fatality rate). Antiviral medications for travel contact prophylaxis (10 contacts/PI passenger) were high – 8.8 M. False positives from all 18 airports: 100–200/day. Conclusions Foreign shore exit screening greatly reduces numbers of PI infected passengers. U.S. airport screening identifies 50% infected individuals; efficacy is limited by the asymptomatic PI infected. Screening will not significantly delay arrival of PI via international air transport, but will reduce the rate of new US cases and subsequent deaths.
Specific labeling of connexin43 in NRK cells using tyramide-based signal amplification and fluorescence photooxidation.

Imaging of gap junction proteins, the connexins, has been performed in tissue culture cells both by labeling of connexins with immunocytochemical tags and by cloning and expressing chimeras of connexins and fluorescent proteins such as Green Fluorescent Protein. These two approaches have been used to gain information about protein localization or trafficking at light microscopic resolution. Electron microscopy provides higher resolution; however, analysis of electron micrographs of unlabeled connexins has been generally limited to recognition of gap junction structures. Immunolabeling of gap junction proteins in whole cells at the electron microscopic level has been difficult to achieve because of the fixation sensitivity of most gap junction antibodies. To obtain reasonable sensitivity, immunoperoxidase procedures are typically employed, and these suffer from relatively poor resolution. Here we describe the combination of tyramide signal amplification techniques and fluorescence photooxidation for higher resolution immunolocalization studies for correlative light and electron microscopic imaging. By using correlative microscopy, we can not only localize connexin pools or structures, but also discover what other cellular substructures interact with gap junction proteins. The use of tyramide signal amplification techniques is necessary to increase fluorescence levels that have decreased due to increased specimen fixation required to maintain cell ultrastructure. The fluorescence photooxidation technique provides a high-resolution method for staining of proteins in cells. Unlike colloidal gold-based methods, fluorescence photooxidation allows for three-dimensional localization using high-voltage electron microscopy. Microsc. Res. Tech. 52:331–343, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Sexual selection on female size in a marine snail, Littorina littorea (L.)

Abstract The mating pattern of the common shore-dwelling gastropod Littorina littorea was studied in five boulder shore populations on the Swedish west coast, to examine the occurrence of size assortative mating and sexual selection on size. We looked for correlations between sizes of mates in copulating male-female pairs in three of the populations to test the possibility of assortative mating. Furthermore, we compared the distribution of small and large individuals among copulating and non-copulating snails in all five populations to reveal components of sexual selection among males and females. Size assortative mating was found in one of three populations. In three of five populations, sexual selection on size among females were found, large females being favoured as mating partners over small ones. There was a trend towards this pattern in a fourth population. In no population did we find any indications of sexual selection on male size. Deviation from random mating and/or observation of sexual selection at a particular time may be effects of a non-random size distribution of snails, a pre-copulatory choice and/or different copulation durations among pairs of different composition. We performed laboratory experiments to test these possibilities. Although encounter rates may have been the same, large females were mounted at a higher rate and initiated in copulations more often than small females, and large females copulated for longer than did small females. These observations supported our field data in that large females were favoured as mates by most males. The shell length of females of Littorina littorea is positively correlated with their fecundity, and thus, males seem to prefer to mate with the more profitable large females.
Corrigendum: Vascular development and hemodynamic force in the mouse yolk sac.

The article “Vascular development and hemodynamic force in the mouse yolk sac” that is part of the research topic “Mechanotransduction and Development of Cardiovascular Form and Function” published 20 August 2014, is missing the following Acknowledgment Section:
Numerical studies of bubble and particle dynamics in a three-phase fluidized bed at elevated pressures

Abstract A discrete phase simulation is conducted to study the bubble and particle dynamics in a three-phase fluidized bed at high pressures. The Eulerian volume-averaged method, the Lagrangian dispersed particle method, and the volume of fluid (VOF) method are employed to describe, respectively, the motion of liquid, solid particles, and gas bubbles. A bubble-induced force model, a continuum surface force (CSF) model, and Newton's third law are applied to illustrate, respectively, the coupling effect of particle–bubble, gas–liquid, and particle–liquid interactions. A close-distance interaction (CDI) model is included in the particle–particle collision analysis, which considers the liquid interstitial effect on colliding particles. Effects of the pressure and solids holdup on the bubble rise characteristics such as the bubble rise velocity, bubble shape and trajectory are examined. Simulations of the bubble rise velocity at various solids holdups and pressures are conducted along with the maximum stable bubble size and the particle–bubble interactions. The simulated results compare favorably with the experimental data and calculation from a mechanistic model.
Orbital interaction analysis of cooperative Jahn–Teller distortion, orbital ordering, spin ordering, and spin exchange interactions in magnetic solids

Abstract The phenomena of cooperative Jahn–Teller distortion, orbital ordering and spin exchange in magnetic solids were examined in terms of orbital interactions between adjacent spin sites. Cooperative Jahn–Teller distortion and orbital ordering of a magnetic solid occur to minimize the two-electron two-orbital destabilizing interactions between adjacent spin sites. The magnetic structures of cubic perovskites KCuF 3 , LaMnO 3 and YVO 3 are well accounted for in terms of the spin exchange interactions associated with their ordered magnetic orbitals.
Perinatal regulation of cortisol in the primate.

These studies were designed to assess regulation of steroidogenic function of the human and rhesus monkey fetal adrenal gland. Studies were performed in vitro using superfusion and, in the monkey, in vivo, using fetal monkeys bearing catheters chronically implanted in utero. In vitro, there is functional specialization of the fetal and definitive zones of the human and monkey fetal adrenal glands. The definitive zone produces cortisol stimulable by ACTH and the fetal zone produces principally dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate which also can be stimulated by ACTH. In vivo, an increase in cortisol was seen in the fetal circulation toward the end of gestation. Administration of dexamethasone caused a prompt reduction in fetal cortisol and ACTH, indicating integrity of the fetal pituitary-adrenal axis. When fetal monkeys were challenged with 0.5 i.u. of ACTH only three of the nine studied had a cortisol response. In contrast, newborns delivered by hysterotomy and those delivered vaginally following labor all responded to ACTH stimulation. The responses of the newborns delivered vaginally after labor were greater than in the group delivered by hysterotomy prior to labor. The fetal metabolic clearance rate (MCR), production rate (PR), secretion rate (SR) and placental transfer of cortisol were determined in utero. The MCR of cortisol in the fetus was markedly greater than in the newborn which, in turn, was greater than in the adult. The PR of cortisol was higher in the fetus than in the mother when expressed on the basis of body weight. The difference between PR and SR in the fetus is due to transplacental passage of cortisol from the mother. Expressed on the basis of body weight, SR's in fetus and mother were not significantly different. There is an increase in fetal cortisol SR toward the end of pregnancy and immediately prior to or during labor which may play a role in parturition.
SU‐E‐T‐510: Static and Dynamic Polynomial Correlations of Internal/external Marker Positions in Radiotherapy

Purpose: Image guided radiotherapy offers the potential to determine the precise localization of mobile tumors in real time. This study investigates the use of polynomial curves to correlate the position of external skin surface markers with the position of the internally implanted fiducial markers. Methods: The simultaneous tracked 3D internal fiducial marker motion and 1D skin surface marker motion of 8 patients and 120 treatment fractions has been performed in this study. Three different correlation algorithms have been analyzed. The first method, the static correlation approach, only calculates the correlation once based on motion data of the first three breathing cycles and is used to calculate the internal position for the rest of the treatment fraction. The second method, the dynamic correlation approach, computes and updates the correlation in an online fashion at each end‐of‐exhale state based the motion of the most recent three breathing cycles is used to derive the correlation in an online fashion. The third method, the piecewise dynamic correlation approach, identifies the separate the breathing phases (including Exhale, End‐of‐Exhale, and Inhale) and the algorithm correlation approach is then applied for each breathing phase based on the motion signal of the corresponding phases from the most recent three breathing cycles. Results: The resulting RMS errors are 1.10mm, 1.01mm, 0.78mm, and 0.69mm for normalization only, static correlation, dynamic correlation, and piecewise dynamic correlation, respectively. Additionally, the accuracy of the correlation algorithm remains the roughly the same (<5% variation) when reducing the imaging rate from 30Hz to 15Hz and 10Hz. In most cases, the correlation was even slightly more accurate when applied to the motion data acquired at smaller imagining frequencies. Conclusions: In general, internal/external correlation based on polynomial functions results in smaller RMS errors. The dynamic correlation approaches, especially with the piecewise dynamic correlation, outperformed the static correlation.
The nucleation and growth of cavities in a superplastic quasi-single phase copper alloy

Abstract Experiments were conducted on a superplastic quasi-single phase copper alloy, Coronze CDA 638, to provide information on the nucleation and growth of internal cavities during deformation. It is shown that, at a temperature of 823 K, the cavities are generally associated with the presence of large Co-rich particles on the grain boundaries, with nucleation occurring at the particle/grain boundary interfaces. The cavities tend to form in stringers and these stringers are always oriented along the rolling direction regardless of the direction of the tensile axis. Thus, the cavity stringers are clearly associated with the Co-rich particles which also lie in stringers parallel to the rolling direction. A detailed series of tests at an initial strain rate of 1.3 × 10−5s−1 shows that the cavities grow by a diffusion-controlled mechanism for cavity radii 20μm. It is demonstrated that this conclusion is consistent both with direct measurements of the cavity growth rates and with estimates of the increases in cavity size due to superplastic diffusion growth. The results therefore emphasize the importance of diffusion-controlled cavity growth at low strain rates.
Consumer ecological concern and adaptive behavior

Consumer concern with the environmental problems and the related adaptive behavior have been investigated. For purposes of analysis the respondents are categorized into high concern and low concern groups on the basis of the degree of concern expressed by the respondents. Differences between the groups were analyzed in relation to the following consumer response variables: (1) attitudes towards pollution control; (2) pollution related message recalls; (3) believability of corporate pollution related advertisements; (4) purchase intentions of non-polluting products under different conditions of adaptive behavior; (5) willingness to make monetary and convenience sacrifice in buying non-polluting products; and (6) non-polluting product purchase recalls. Data analysis leads to the following conclusions: respondents in general do not consider that the dangers of pollution are exaggerated; respondents in both the groups expressed more willingness to adapt or change their behavior in situations involving socio-psychological, convenience and economic variables than product quality variable; and the two groups significantly differed with regard to the number of non-polluting product purchases recalled.
Thermophilic biodegradation of BTEX by two Thermus Species.

Two thermophilic bacteria, Thermus aquaticus ATCC 25104 and Thermus species ATCC 27978, were investigated for their abilities to degrade BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes). Thermus aquaticus and the Thermus sp. were grown in a nominal medium at 70 C and 60 C, respectively, and resting cell suspensions were used to study BTEX biodegradation at the same corresponding temperatures. The degradation of BTEX by these cell suspensions was measured in sealed serum bottles against controls that also displayed significant abiotic removals of BTEX under such high-temperature conditions. For T. aquaticus at a suspension density of only 1.3 {times} 10{sup 7} cells/mL and an aqueous total BTEX concentration of 2.04 mg/L (0.022 mM), benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-xylene, and an unresolved mixture of o- and p-xylenes were biodegraded by 10, 12, 18, 20, and 20%, respectively, after 45 days of incubation at 70 C. For the thermus sp. at a suspension density of 1.1 {times} 10{sup 7} cells/mL and an aqueous total BTEX concentration of 6.98 mg/L (0.79mM), benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-xylene, and the unresolved mixture of o- and p-xylenes were biodegraded by 40, 35, 32, 33, and 33%, respectively, after 45 days of incubation at 60 C. Raising the BTEX concentrationsmore » lowered the extents of biodegradation. The biodegradations of both benzene and toluene were enhanced when T. aquaticus and the thermus sp. were pregrown on catechol and o-cresol, respectively, as carbon sources. Use of [U-{sup 14}C]benzene and [ring-{sup 14}C]toluene verified that a small fraction of these two compounds was metabolized within 7 days to water-soluble products and CO{sub 2} by these nongrowing cell suspensions. Their investigation also revealed that the nominal medium can be simplified by eliminating the yeast extract and using a higher tryptone concentration (0.2%) without affecting the growth and BTEX degrading activities of these cells.« less
Vulvar embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma: a case report

Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) is a rare malignant neoplasm found in both male and female children. It typically presents as a protruding vaginal mass with vaginal bleeding in girls less than 8 years of age. It is often seen as the sarcoma botryoides histologic sub type. This report represents the first case study of ERMS presenting as a vulvar mass. The article further explores the etiologies of pediatric vulvar masses, including ERMS, and the suggested diagnostic and treatment modalities.
Decreased neuroinflammation and increased brain energy homeostasis following environmental enrichment after mild traumatic brain injury is associated with improvement in cognitive function

Persistent neuroinflammation and disruptions in brain energy metabolism is commonly seen in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Because of the lack of success of most TBI interventions and the documented benefits of environmental enrichment (EE) in enhancing brain plasticity, here we focused our study on use of EE in regulating injury-induced neuroinflammation and disruptions in energy metabolism in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Adult male Wistar rats were used in the study and randomly assigned to receive either: mild TBI (mTBI) using the controlled cortical injury model or sham surgery. Following surgery, rats from each group were further randomized to either: EE housing or standard laboratory housing (CON). After 4 weeks of recovery, cognitive testing was performed using the non-matching-to-sample and delayed non-matching-to-sample tasks. After completion of behavioral testing, levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 were measured. In addition, levels of AMPK (adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase), phosphorylated AMPK and uMtCK (ubiquitous mitochondrial creatine kinase) were assessed as measures of brain energy homeostasis. Our results showed that EE: (1) decreased the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α and enhanced levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 after mTBI; (2) mitigated mTBI-induced cognitive impairment; and (3) attenuated mTBI-induced downregulation in pAMPK/AMPK ratio and uMtCK levels. Our data demonstrated the potential of EE to modulate the persistent: (1) neuroinflammatory response seen following mTBI, and (2) persistent disturbance in brain energy homeostasis. It is possible that through the mechanism of modulating neuroinflammation, EE housing was able to restore the disruption in energy metabolism and enhanced functional recovery after mTBI.
The efficacy of alexithymia reduction treatment: A pilot study.

The aim of this pilot research project was to assess the efficacy of Alexithymia Reduction Treatment (ART), a six-session manualized psychoeducational group intervention. A quasi-experimental design was used. The six participants in the Treatment Group were recruited at a university-based counseling center and the seven participants in the Treatment as Usual group were from a hospital-based day treatment program. Participants in the Treatment Group demonstrated significant reductions in normative male alexithymia and the endorsement of traditional masculinity ideology from pre-test to post-test. The Treatment as Usual group did not demonstrate significant reductions in these variables pre-test to post-test. Neither group showed significant change in attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help.
Effects of Naltrexone During the Descending Limb of the Blood Alcohol Curve

The neuropharmacological effects of alcohol are known to vary by limb of the blood alcohol curve, yet human laboratory studies of alcoholism pharmacotherapies have largely failed to consider limb of intoxication when examining medication effects on subjective responses to alcohol. This study examined the effects of naltrexone compared to placebo on subjective responses to alcohol at the descending limb of the blood alcohol curve following a controlled intravenous (IV) alcohol administration. Non-treatment-seeking hazardous drinkers (n = 38) completed two double-blind counterbalanced IV alcohol challenge sessions, one after taking naltrexone (50 mg) for three days and one after taking a placebo for three days. During each session, participants reported on subjective responses to alcohol during the descending limb of the blood alcohol curve. Analyses revealed significant main effects of naltrexone, reflecting significantly decreased alcohol-induced stimulation, craving, vigor, positive mood, and alcohol “hi...
Complementary PLS and KNN algorithms for improved 3D-QSDAR consensus modeling of AhR binding

Multiple validation techniques (Y-scrambling, complete training/test set randomization, determination of the dependence of R2test on the number of randomization cycles, etc.) aimed to improve the reliability of the modeling process were utilized and their effect on the statistical parameters of the models was evaluated. A consensus partial least squares (PLS)-similarity based k-nearest neighbors (KNN) model utilizing 3D-SDAR (three dimensional spectral data-activity relationship) fingerprint descriptors for prediction of the log(1/EC50) values of a dataset of 94 aryl hydrocarbon receptor binders was developed. This consensus model was constructed from a PLS model utilizing 10 ppm x 10 ppm x 0.5 A bins and 7 latent variables (R2test of 0.617), and a KNN model using 2 ppm x 2 ppm x 0.5 A bins and 6 neighbors (R2test of 0.622). Compared to individual models, improvement in predictive performance of approximately 10.5% (R2test of 0.685) was observed. Further experiments indicated that this improvement is likely an outcome of the complementarity of the information contained in 3D-SDAR matrices of different granularity. For similarly sized data sets of Aryl hydrocarbon (AhR) binders the consensus KNN and PLS models compare favorably to earlier reports. The ability of 3D-QSDAR (three dimensional quantitative spectral data-activity relationship) to provide structural interpretation was illustrated by a projection of the most frequently occurring bins on the standard coordinate space, thus allowing identification of structural features related to toxicity.
DOES EARLY CYSTECTOMY IMPROVE THE SURVIVAL OF PATIENTS WITH HIGH RISK SUPERFICIAL BLADDER TUMORS

Purpose: We compared survival after early versus delayed cystectomy in patients with high risk superficial bladder tumors.Materials and Methods: Of 307 patients with high risk superficial bladder tumors who were treated initially with transurethral resection and bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) therapy 90 (29%) underwent cystectomy for recurrent tumor during a followup of 15 to 20 years. Disease specific survival distribution of these 90 patients was determined relative to the indications for and time of cystectomy.Results: Of the 90 patients who underwent cystectomy 44 (49%) survived a median of 96 months. Of 35 patients with recurrent superficial bladder tumors 92% and 56% survived who underwent cystectomy less than 2 years after initial BCG therapy and after 2 years of followup, respectively. Of 55 patients with recurrent muscle invasive bladder disease 41% and 18% survived when cystectomy was performed within and after 2 years, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that survival was improved in pat...
Strain-rate dependency of strength of soft marine deposits of the Gulf of Mexico

Many marine civil engineering applications require knowledge and understanding of the behavior and strength properties of soft cohesive marine sediments under high strain-rate conditions, typically encountered during impact penetration events of sediment probes and other objects as a result of free fall through the water column. In order to investigate these effects, a series of variable rotational rate vane shear tests were performed using a precision rheometer and spanning the rotational rate range of 0.25 to 1000 [1/min]. A wide range of water contents from 65 to 95% was examined as a primary influence on the response of a particular saturated silty clay material. Non-linearities in the behavior of the soft mud were analyzed and applicability and precision of various models examined. A modified rate equation is suggested yielding good correlation with experimental data at all water contents and all rotational rates explored.
Virtual angioscopy in human coronary arteries with visualization of computational hemodynamics

We are presenting a comprehensive system for fusion of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) data and x-ray angiography, aiming to create a geometrically accurate 3-D or 4-D (3-D plus time) model of the coronary vasculature. For hemodynamic analyses, methods of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are applied to the reconstructed data, resulting in quantitative estimates of the wall shear stress. Visualization is performed using the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). Lumen and adventitia borders are modeled as surfaces using indexed face sets; quantitative results are encoded as color per vertex. The endoscopic mode (virtual angioscopy) allows an interactive fly-through animation with variable speed along with arbitrary positioning within the vessel. Since this functionality exceeds those of the standard VRML animation nodes, an external prototype library containing VRML and JavaScript definitions has been developed that provides a 3-D graphical user interface to navigate within the endoscopic mode. The control panel is available on demand, but does neither obstruct any vessel features when not needed, nor does it limit the viewport for the scene. Preliminary results showed a good feasibility of the overall procedure, and a high reliability of the fusion and CFD methods as well as the visualization with the virtual endoscopy VRML library.
DOA estimation method for wideband color signals based on least-squares Joint Approximate Diagonalization

Direction of arrival (DOA) estimation is one of the major task in many acoustic array signal processing applications. In this work, we show that a modified joint approximate diagonlization (MJAD) method utilizing temporal structure of the wideband color signals can outperform the conventional wideband DOA estimation method such as approximate maximum likelihood (AML) and coherent signal-subspace processing(CSSP).
Hepatorenal and Splenorenal Artery Bypass for Salvage of Renal Function

Hepatic and splenic arteries have been used increasingly as inflow sources to avoid aortorenal bypass in patients whose cardiac dysfunction may be exacerbated by aortic clamping and in patients with previous aortic grafting in whom periaortic dissection is more hazardous than incising undisturbed tissue planes. During an 18-month period, eight patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis and azotemia were treated with six hepatorenal and five splenorenal artery bypasses. Serum creatinine improved initially in all patients. Severe hypertension, present in five patients, improved significantly in four (80%). In one-half the gastroduodenal branch of the hepatic artery was suitable for end-to-end anastomosis to the renal artery, obviating the need for an interposition graft. Hepatorenal bypass is a safe, simple procedure that has been associated with few complications, although occasional transient subclinical evidence of hepatic dysfunction has been reported. Splenorenal bypass requires a relatively more hazardous exposure and is associated with a low risk of splenic and pancreatic injury, especially when the spleen and splenic flexure of the colon are mobilized to expose the splenic artery. The risk of splenic injury is substantially reduced when the splenic artery is approached through the retroperitoneum at the base of the transverse mesocolon as described.
Oxyhemoglobin produces necrosis in cultured smooth muscle cells.

Object. Myonecrosis in the tunica media, which is defined morphologically, is one of the most striking alterations in the cerebral arterial wall following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). In this study, oxyhemoglobin (OxyHb) was added to cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells to determine the pattern of cell death by morphological and biochemical techniques.
A Role for the Endothelium in Vascular Calcification

Rationale: Vascular calcification is a regulated process that involves osteoprogenitor cells and frequently complicates common vascular disease, such as atherosclerosis and diabetic vasculopathy. However, it is not clear whether the vascular endothelium has a role in contributing osteoprogenitor cells to the calcific lesions. Objective: To determine whether the vascular endothelium contributes osteoprogenitor cells to vascular calcification. Methods and Results: In this study, we use 2 mouse models of vascular calcification, mice with gene deletion of matrix Gla protein, a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-inhibitor, and Ins2 Akita/+ mice, a diabetes model. We show that enhanced BMP signaling in both types of mice stimulates the vascular endothelium to contribute osteoprogenitor cells to the vascular calcification. The enhanced BMP signaling results in endothelial–mesenchymal transitions and the emergence of multipotent cells, followed by osteoinduction. Endothelial markers colocalize with multipotent and osteogenic markers in calcified arteries by immunostaining and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Lineage tracing using Tie2 - Gfp transgenic mice supports an endothelial origin of the osteogenic cells. Enhancement of matrix Gla protein expression in Ins2 Akita/+ mice, as mediated by an Mgp transgene, limits the generation of multipotent cells. Moreover, matrix Gla protein–depleted human aortic endothelial cells in vitro acquire multipotency rendering the cells susceptible to osteoinduction by BMP and high glucose. Conclusions: Our data suggest that the endothelium is a source of osteoprogenitor cells in vascular calcification that occurs in disorders with high BMP activation, such as deficiency of BMP-inhibitors and diabetes mellitus.
“Obese” Smooth Muscle Cells Fail to Assemble Collagen Fibrils

See related article, pages 832–841 Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) play an important role in the stabilization of atherosclerotic plaques. They contribute to form a firm fibrous cap by synthesizing and assembling fibrillar collagen I, a process that requires the synthesis of fibronectin and activation of integrins. However, extracellular matrix composition changes during the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Type I and III collagens predominate in the healthy vessel wall, whereas during atherogenesis, fibronectin and type VIII collagen are synthesized by vascular SMCs.1 In advanced plaques, SMCs and macrophages synthesize matrix metalloproteinases which degrade matrix proteins, thereby weakening the fibrous cap. During lesion development, SMC phenotypes change from a “contractile” to a “synthetic” phenotype.2 It has been shown that inflammatory mediators and oxidized phospholipids induce phenotypic switching in SMCs and consequently also modulate matrix metalloproteinases and collagen production.3 The SMC phenotype that determines migration and proliferation also controls matrix synthesis and degradation.4 Monomeric type I collagen, a byproduct of collagen I breakdown, has been shown to further potentiate an inflammatory SMC phenotype,5 possibly exacerbating the process of collagen turnover. Moreover, induction of apoptosis in SMCs results in decreased cellularity and thus enhanced vulnerability of atherosclerotic plaques. In summary, imbalance toward decreased production and assembly and increased degradation of matrix proteins such as collagens and fibronectin is believed to result in thinning and thus destabilization of the atherosclerotic fibrous cap.6 In the vascular wall, especially in atherosclerotic lesions, collagen I plays an important role in plaque stabilization. It is believed that the balance between collagen I fibrillogenesis and degradation is crucial for …
Virtualized healthcare delivery: Understanding users and their usage patterns of online medical consultations

Abstract Background Virtualization of healthcare delivery via patient portals has facilitated the increasing interest in online medical consultations due to its benefits such as improved convenience and flexibility, lower cost, and time savings. Despite this growing interest, adoption by both consumers and providers has been slow, and little is known about users and their usage and adoption patterns. Objective To learn characteristics of online healthcare consumers and understand their patterns of adoption and usage of online clinical consultation services (or eVisits delivered via the portal) such as adoption time for portal users, whether adoption hazard changes over time, and what factors influence patients to become early/late adopters. Methods Using online medical consultation records between April 1, 2009 and May 31, 2010 from four ambulatory practices affiliated with a major healthcare provider, we conduct simple descriptive analysis to understand the users of online clinical consults and their usage patterns. Multilevel Logit regression is employed to measure the effect of patient and primary care provider characteristics on the likelihood of eVisit adoption by the patient, and survival analysis and Ordered Logit regression are applied to study eVisit adoption patterns that delineate elements describing early or late adopters. Results On average, eVisit adopters are younger and predominantly female. Their primary care providers participate in the eVisit service, highlighting the importance of physician's role in encouraging patients to utilize the service. Patients who are familiar with the patient portal are more likely to use the service, as are patients with more complex health issues. Younger and female patients have higher adoption hazard, but gender does not affect the decision of adopting early vs. late. These adopters also access the patient portal more frequently before adoption, indicating that they are potentially more involved in managing their health. The majority of eVisits are submitted during business hours, with female physicians responding faster (from submission to reply), on average. Conclusions This study addresses virtualization of primary care delivery via patient portals and online clinical consultations and examines factors that distinguish eVisit adopters from patient portal users. Among many delineating characteristics, it is particularly significant that familiarity with the patient portal service and participation of primary care provider are found to be key elements that motivate patients to become an eVisit user and early/late adopter. These findings can be used by provider organizations to design and implement strategies to improve uptake of online medical consultations to complement traditional office visits. Offering such alternative channels of care delivery may potentially improve access, efficiency and outcomes for both patients and providers alike.
Interferon-γ activates EGF receptor and increases TGF-α in T84 cells: implications for chloride secretion

IFN-γ inhibits intestinal Cl− secretion, in part via downregulation of CFTR and Na+-K+-ATPase activity and expression, but the proximal signaling events were unknown. We have shown that transformin...
Early Mother–Infant interaction: Global Perspectives and Developing Country Concerns

The reported influences on the bonding phenomenon and attendant controversies in affluent societies regarding the importance of mother-infant interaction are reviewed. In the 3rd world countries where the concept of a mother with a high risk infant is not new an extension of the hospital neonatal special care unit (NSCU) in which mothers stay with high risk infants has been reserved for years. Some advantages of the NSCU maternal extension include more personal attention and emotional support as well as the method of supplying human milk to the high risk around the clock. The main identified advantage relate to non-emotional aspects namely maternal education on the care of the infant provision of human milk and promotion of breastfeeding as well as aid to inadequate healt staff. However inadvertant entry of mothers with major infections may result in problems in babies. Maintenance of cleanliness may be hampered. 7 brief guidelines are given regarding the practical organization of the maternal extension of the NSCU. The need to establish early mother-infant interaction is indisputable even on a worldwide basis. The influencing factors priorities for intervention and short and long-term outcome and benefits however may vary in advanced industrialized centers and in developing countries.
Selectivity of substance identification by HPLC-DAD in toxicological analysis using a UV spectra library of 2682 compounds

The UV spectra and relative retention times (RRT) of 2682 toxicologically relevant substances were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) in an acetonitrile phospate buffer (pH 2.3) mixture on an RP8 column and were arranged in a database. A complete survey of the molecular structures of all database entries showed the presence of 1650 different chromophores or chromophore combinations. The specificity of the UV spectrum for substance identification was determined by calculation of the similarity indices (SI) of all possible substance pairs within the database with an SI > 0.9990, which indicated spectral identity. In a similar way, the RRT was evaluated for all possible pairs: two compounds were declared indistinguishable because the RRT of at least one of them fell into the RRT error window of the other. Although the use of the RRT alone produced unsatisfactory identification results, 1619 substances (60.4%) were unambiguously identified by their UV spectrum only. This rate was increased to 84.2% by the combination of spectrum and RRT. The selectivity parameters discrimination power (DP) and mean list length (MLL) were calculated (DP = 0.9999, MLL = 1.253) and compared with literature data, which proved HPLC-DAD to be one of the most reliable methods for substance identification in toxicological analysis. The practical relevance of the results for systematic toxicological analysis is demonstrated by the example of a multidrug intoxication and in the context of sample preparation methods routinely used.
An hierarchical policy-based architecture for integrated management of grids and networks

The management of the underlying network infrastructure, which supports the grid communications, is not proceeded through the same management systems used for the grid management. In this scenario, an integrated management of grids and networks could turn the maintenance processes easier. This paper proposes an hierarchical policy-based architecture, whose goal is to allow such desired integration, where grid policies are translated to network policies following mapping rules defined by network administrators. It also describes a prototype implemented based on the architecture.
Structure, Distribution, and Function of Neuronal/Synaptic Spinules and Related Invaginating Projections

Neurons and especially their synapses often project long thin processes that can invaginate neighboring neuronal or glial cells. These “invaginating projections” can occur in almost any combination of postsynaptic, presynaptic, and glial processes. Invaginating projections provide a precise mechanism for one neuron to communicate or exchange material exclusively at a highly localized site on another neuron, e.g., to regulate synaptic plasticity. The best-known types are postsynaptic projections called “spinules” that invaginate into presynaptic terminals. Spinules seem to be most prevalent at large very active synapses. Here, we present a comprehensive review of all kinds of invaginating projections associated with both neurons in general and more specifically with synapses; we describe them in all animals including simple, basal metazoans. These structures may have evolved into more elaborate structures in some higher animal groups exhibiting greater synaptic plasticity. In addition to classic spinules and filopodial invaginations, we describe a variety of lesser-known structures such as amphid microvilli, spinules in giant mossy terminals and en marron/brush synapses, the highly specialized fish retinal spinules, the trophospongium, capitate projections, and fly gnarls, as well as examples in which the entire presynaptic or postsynaptic process is invaginated. These various invaginating projections have evolved to modify the function of a particular synapse, or to channel an effect to one specific synapse or neuron, without affecting those nearby. We discuss how they function in membrane recycling, nourishment, and cell signaling and explore how they might change in aging and disease.
Epistemology of Science, Science Literacy, and the Demarcation Criterion: The Nature of Science (NOS) and Informing Science (IS) in Context

The result of misunderstanding science by students is their inability as future citizens to impact science public policies. The solution argued last year included creating courses in science studies serving two purposes: destroy students’ stereotypical certainties about science and help them become “historical realists” in regard to scientific practices. But we also speculated that dismissing the myth of scientific objectivity and teaching the historical and sociological underpinnings of science might lead to turning students into epistemological relativists. We now have a solution to the social-constructivist trap stemming from studies of science. This paper inquires into American contexts such as scientific illiteracy, postmodernism in high schools and colleges, and the media, all of which help produce a generalized inability to demarcate science from pseudoscience. Science studies courses guide students into both making epistemological distinctions and understanding the nature of science. Informing methodologies, course format, and bibliography follow.
Semantics in Action

The paper presents a concise description of a comprehensive approach to computational lexical semantics and focuses on the treatment of events. We reason about the semantic information that should be encoded in a lexicon entry to support the twin tasks of constructing Text Meaning Representations (TMRs) for input texts and generating texts off TMRs. As static knowledge sources cannot be expected to cover all textual inputs, we describe and illustrate how lexical entries can be changed dynamically to fit the textual context at processing time. On the very important issue of knowledge acquisition, our experience shows that determining the meaning of lexical items is not a trivial task for a team of human acquirers (who are, we believe, absolutely indispensable for the more complex decisions in lexical knowledge acquisition). We illustrate how one can overcome the subjectivity of acquirers partly through advanced methodology and partly by having the lexical-semantic model account for some of the combinatory and (semi-)productive principles of natural language.