cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Age versus comorbidities as risk factors for complications after elective abdominal aortic reconstructive surgery

Abstract Purpose: This study estimated the association between age and in-hospital postoperative complications, controlling for known or suspected risk factors, in a series of patients undergoing elective abdominal aortic reconstructive surgery (AAR). Methods: This retrospective cohort study of outcome data with multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted at Emory University Hospital, a tertiary care, university-affiliated hospital. All patients undergoing elective AAR between Jan 1, 1986, and Aug 1, 1996, were included (n = 856). An estimate of the odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI for the association between patient age and in-hospital major morbidity or mortality after elective AAR was made, controlling for significant risk factors. Results: Among the 856 patients, 170 had a nonfatal complication (136 with major and 34 with minor complications), and 11 patients (1.3%) died. The final logistic regression model demonstrated a mild association between increasing age and rate of major postoperative complications, including death (for each increase in age of 10 years: OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.00-1.52; P =.052). Other significant covariates in the final model included cardiac disease (OR, 2.84; 95% CI, 1.18-6.86; P =.020), pulmonary disease (OR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.35-2.84; P =.0004), and renal disease (OR, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.66-3.99; P =.0001). Increasing age was associated with a moderate increase in the rate of death (for each increase in age of 10 years: OR, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.22-6.16; P =.015) in a model with cardiac disease as the only significant covariate (OR, 14.67; 95% CI, 3.46-62.16; P =.0003). Conclusion: For patients undergoing elective AAR, increasing patient age is associated with a small increase in risk for in-hospital morbidity or mortality. However, significant cardiac, pulmonary, or renal disease is associated with a much greater risk of postoperative complications, and, therefore, advanced age should not be the sole basis of exclusion for otherwise suitable candidates for elective AAR. (J Vasc Surg 2001;33:345-52.)
Somatic cell genetics of immunoglobulin production

Abstract Tissue culture lines of mouse myeloma cells have been used to study the somatic cell genetics of immunoglobulin production. Assays have been developed to identify and quantify mutants that have undergone changes in either the synthesis or structure of the immunoglobulin molecule. All of the classical types of mutants have been identified. What is unusual is that these mutants arise at a very high frequency. This genetic instability seems to be restricted to immunoglobulin genes. The fusion of mutant and wild-type cells allows the study of interaction of genes and gene products.
Composition of Brain Pentose Nucleic Acid in Normal and Poliomyelitis Virus Infected Mice.

SummaryThe purine and pyrimidine composition of brain cytoplasmic pentose nucleic acid from normal mice and mice infected with the MEF1 strain of poliomyelitis virus was investigated. For this purpose, two different methods of hydrolysis and chromatography were applied to isolated and purified PNA preparations, and the results were found to be in good agreement. A small but apparently significant rise in uracil content in pentose nucleic acid was observed in the brains of mice showing paralytic symptoms of central nervous system involvement.
Setpoint control of the uncertain electromagnetically controlled oscillator

We apply an extension of retrospective cost adaptive control (RCAC) to a command-following problem for the uncertain electromagnetically controlled oscillator (ECO). We assume that an estimate of the first Markov parameter of the discretized and linearized plant is known, but RCAC does not require knowledge of the inertia, damping, or stiffness of the plant. RCAC uses a setpoint feedback path and an auxiliary nonlinearity to stabilize the unstable ECO at the commanded equilibria.© 2012 ASME
Two Multiplierless Designs for MF Receivers

Admitting coefficients that are sums of powers of 2, two multiplierless designs of digital MF receivers are proposed. Design 1. requires 22 additions per set of six output values. Design 2 requires 11 additions per set of three output values, but there is a strict requirement that the input be a valid MF sequence.
Binomial andQ-Binomial Coefficient Inequalities Related to the Hamiltonicity of the Kneser Graphs and TheirQ-Analogues

The Kneser graphK(n, k) has as vertices all thek-subsets of a fixedn-set and has as edges the pairs {A, B} of vertices such thatAandBare disjoint. It is known that these graphs are Hamiltonian ifformula]forn?2k+1. We determine asymptotically for fixedkthe minimum valuen=e(k) for which this inequality holds. In addition we give an asymptotic formula for the solution ofk?(n)?(n?2k+1)=?2(n?k+1) forn?2k+1, ask?∞, whennandkare not restricted to take integer values. We also show that for all prime powersqandn?2k,k?1, theq-analoguesKq(n, k) are Hamiltonian by consideration of the analogous inequality forq-binomial coefficients.
Sense of exhaustion and coronary heart disease among college alumni

Vital exhaustion, defined as a combination of fatigue, lack of energy, feelings of hopelessness, loss of libido, and increased irritability, has been proposed as a risk indicator for the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). It is unclear if the association between vital exhaustion and CHD is independent of sleep behavior, depression, and physical activity. We ascertained sense of exhaustion among 5,053 male college alumni who were free of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by asking, "How often do you experience sense of exhaustion (except after exercise)?" on a health survey in 1980. Eight hundred fifteen men died during 12 years of follow-up, 25% due to CHD. After adjustment for age, body mass index, smoking status, and history of physician-diagnosed diabetes and hypertension, frequent sense of exhaustion was associated with a twofold increase in CHD mortality (rate ratio 2.07; 95% confidence interval 1.08 to 3.96). After additional adjustment for insomnia, sleep duration, use of sleeping pills and tranquilizers, physical activity, history of physician-diagnosed depression, and alcohol intake, the rate ratio was not appreciably altered; however, the association now was of borderline significance (rate ratio 2.06; 95% confidence interval: 0.98 to 4.36) because there were only 10 deaths from CHD among men who were frequently exhausted. In a prospective observational study, frequent sense of exhaustion appeared to be independently associated with increased risk of CHD mortality in men.
Maltreatment Characteristics and Emotion Regulation (ER) Difficulties as Predictors of Mental Health Symptoms: Results from a Community-Recruited Sample of Female Adolescents

Mental health outcomes vary among maltreated youth, and the factors that impact variance need further investigation. The current study examined how maltreatment characteristics (age at onset, cumulative perpetrators, and cumulative types) and difficulties with emotion regulation (ER) predicted trauma-relevant symptoms among a community-recruited sample of female adolescents with histories of exposure to violence (N = 115; M(SD) age = 15.96 (1.56) years). To predict each trauma-relevant symptom (i.e. anger, anxiety, depression, dissociation, and posttraumatic stress (PTS)), a hierarchical two-step regression was conducted. For Step 1, maltreatment characteristics, taken together, predicted variance in four of five symptoms: anger, anxiety, dissociation, and posttraumatic stress (PTS). Above and beyond variance accounted for by maltreatment characteristics, age at onset predicted variance in anger, anxiety, and PTS symptoms. For Step 2, ER difficulties predicted variance in all symptoms. Findings highlight the need for further research about how maltreatment histories impact subsequent mental health. Results also suggest that ER difficulties should be increasingly considered in models of posttraumatic distress among maltreated youth.
A System Approach to Injection Molding Process

Abstract Use of polymeric materials has rapidly increased in recent years to replace metals for the purpose of conserving energy and reducing production costs. Injection molding processes are inherently superior for mass production of intricate parts to high precision at low cost. Although the process is not new, there is very little fundamental understanding of its behavior and practically no theories have been established to characterize the process [1].
Effects of adjacent mud rocks on CO2 injection pressure: Model case based on a typical U.S. Gulf Coast salt diapir field under injection

Abstract Geological carbon storage aims at long-term storage of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in deep geological formations to reduce anthropogenic CO 2 emissions into the atmosphere. The viability of CO 2 storage hinges on how much of the CO 2 can be injected into the storage formation. However, the rate of CO 2 injection can be limited by low injectivity of the storage formation and limits placed on the injection pressure to maintain seal integrity. Therefore, pressure evolution during CO 2 injection is an important consideration for CO 2 storage operation and is investigated in this study. We use geological characteristics of a typical oil field near a salt diapir in the Gulf Coast basin in the Southern United States. In this case CO 2 is injected into a complex sedimentary rocks deposited in a fluviatile environment, juxtaposing volumes of high- and low-permeability rocks. The rock volume in which CO 2 injection is taking place can be modelled, for the purpose of this study, as a simple reservoir surrounded by mud rocks which exhibit small, but finite, permeability and high compressibility. The mud rock is expected to behave as a capillary seal preventing upward CO 2 migration, but may allow significant pressure dissipation. This pressure attenuation can be important from an operational standpoint as a fault in the vicinity of the injection well requires an accurate estimate of pressure evolution to avoid leakage along the fault. Most numerical simulations of geological CO 2 storage have focused on the behavior of fluids within a storage formation and assumed that overlying and underlying rocks are impermeable and incompressible. Such a reservoir model has immediate pressure buildup and drawdown corresponding to start and end of injection. Numerical simulations using reservoir parameters and a simple geomechanical model based on rock and fluid compressibilities were performed with the commercial simulator GEM from CMG. They show that overlying and underlying mud rocks attenuate pressure build-up within a reservoir during injection and extend the period of pressure recovery after the end of injection. The attenuation of pressure propagation within a target formation can reduce the probability of creation and/or reactivation of geological discontinuities. In addition, strong pressure gradients detected just outside the storage formation require high numerical resolution at the boundaries between the storage formation and mud rocks, otherwise extensive numerical diffusion will lead to unphysical pressure dissipation. It is therefore not just important to include the surrounding rocks but also to discretize them appropriately, and this is currently not standard practice.
Incidence and outcomes of malignant pediatric lung neoplasms.

Background We sought to define current incidence trends and outcomes for children with lung and bronchus tumors. Methods The SEER registry was queried from 1973 to 2004 for all patients with pulmonary tumors less than 20 y of age. Results Overall, 160 patients were identified. The age-adjusted incidence has remained stable at 0.049 per 100,000 persons. The median age at diagnosis was 16 y. Whites had the highest age-adjusted population incidence at 0.056 per 100,000. Most tumors arose in the lower lobe (37%), followed by the upper lobe (31.2%). The most common histology was endocrine tumor (51.6%), followed by sarcoma (11%), and mucoepidermoid tumor (9%). Overall survival was greater than 381 mo with a 15-y survival of 65%. Males had better survival (>381 versus 288 months). Endocrine and mucoepidermoid tumors had the best survival. Small cell carcinoma had the worst median survival at less than 5 mo. Squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma both had a 14-mo median survival. Median survival for nonsurgically treated patients was 14 mo with a 10-y survival rate of 32%. Surgery improved the 10-y survival to 75% (P Conclusion The incidence of pediatric lung cancer remains stable. Several factors, including nonsurgical treatment and nonendocrine tumors confer a poor prognosis. Early diagnosis and surgical therapy provide the best chance for survival.
Progesterone as a predictor of ectopic pregnancy when the ultrasound is indeterminate

The objective of this study was to evaluate a progesterone cutpoint of 5.0 ng/mL ability to identify abnormal pregnancy (abnormal intrauterine pregnancy and ectopic pregnancy) as well as ectopic pregnancy alone in 2 subclasses of indeterminate ultrasounds. This was a prospective observational study of emergency department patients with abdominal pain or vaginal bleeding and an indeterminate transvaginal ultrasound. Two subclasses of indeterminate ultrasounds were eligible: those with an empty uterus and a beta-human chorionic gonadotropin value <3,000 mIU/mL and those with a nonspecific fluid collection. Patients were enrolled if a progesterone assay was collected the day of the emergency department visit. Patients were excluded if lost to follow-up. One hundred sixty patients were enrolled. Of these, 24 were diagnosed with ectopic pregnancy. The sensitivity and specificity of progesterone identifying abnormal pregnancy were 84% and 97%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of progesterone identifying ectopic pregnancy were 88% and 40%, respectively. In the 2 subclasses, the progesterone cutpoint was both sensitive and specific in identifying abnormal pregnancy and was sensitive but only moderately specific for identifying ectopic pregnancy.
5 Approaches to improve the outcome of patients with delayed recovery

The purpose of this chapter is to promote a model to prevent chronicity and disability from non-specific low back pain (NSLBP). Delayed recovery is defined in this chapter as the period between 4 and 8 weeks after onset of NSLBP during which a patient has not yet returned to work. The recognition of predictors associated with delayed recovery at onset of the problem helps health care providers in their treatment plan. An algorithm can be useful for health care providers and employers in guiding the employee back to work. A multidisciplinary return to work programme is an essential part of the algorithm.
Multimodeling as a unified modeling framework

In this tutorial talk, we will present the technique of multimodeling which permits one to create large, structured models with many levels of abstraction from high levels of granularity down to continuous state models. Multimodeling, in a nutshell, endows the simulationist with the capability to blend different model types together to form hybrid models. To model a milk sterilization facility, for instance, might involve a finite state machine or Petri net at the high level to model phase transitions associated with transporting the milk, heating the milk and packaging. Lower level functional block models refine the FSA or Petri net states to define relationships in a lower level phase space with variables representing temperature, pressure, volume and position. Multimodeling offers a unified view toward modeling with well known model types instead of promoting a singular model type which is insufficient to model large scale systems at many levels (Fishwick 1994).
Minorities struggle to advance in academic medicine: A 12-y review of diversity at the highest levels of America's teaching institutions.

Abstract Background Blacks, Hispanics, and women are underrepresented in academic medicine. This study sought to identify recent trends in the academic appointments of underrepresented groups at all levels of academic medicine. Methods This was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of the Association of American Medical Colleges' data on faculty at U.S. medical schools from 1997 to 2008. The distribution across race and gender at different academic ranks (instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor) and the leadership positions of chairperson and dean were calculated for each year of the study. Results Averaged over the 12-y study period, whites accounted for 84.76% of professors, 88.26% of chairpersons, and 91.28% of deans. Asians represented 6.66% of professors, 3.52% of chairpersons, and 0% of deans. Blacks represented 1.25% of professors, 2.69% of chairpersons, and 4.94% of deans. Hispanics represented 2.76% of professors, 3.37% of chairpersons, and 2.91% of deans. Women represented 14.7% of professors, 9.2% of chairpersons, and 9.3% of deans. Overall, there was a net positive increase in the percentage of minority academic physicians in this study period, but at the current rate, it would take nearly 1000 y for the proportion of black physicians to catch up to the percentage of African Americans in the general population. Additionally, year-by-year analysis demonstrates that there was a reduction in the percentage of each minority group for the last 2 y of this study, in 2007 and 2008. Conclusions Minorities, including Asian Americans, and women remain grossly underrepresented in academic medicine. Blacks have shown the least progress during this 12-y period. The disparity is greatest at the highest levels (professor, chairperson, and dean) of our field. We must redouble our efforts to recruit, retain, and advance minorities in academic medicine.
NETWORKS AND 1/f NOISE

Complex networks form one of the most challenging areas of modern research overarching the traditional scientific disciplines. Of particular importance is the manner in which information is shuttled back and forth between such networks, and whether or not there exists general principles that guide the flow of information. Herein, we identify Wiener's rule, which conjectures how information is transfered in an information-dominated process. Moreover, we show that this rule is a consequence of the Principle of Complexity Management (PCM) that determines the information exchange between complex networks. A consequence of the PCM is that the maximum information transfer occurs at a 1/f noise resonance. The information transfer between two complex networks is also determined by direct numerical calculation of a master equation model of network dynamics using interacting two-state elements, the decision-making model (DMM). The DMM generates phase transitions and on a two-dimensional lattice, reduces to the Ising model in an appropriate limit. The computations using the DMM suggest that the inverse power laws of links and survival probability are not necessarily related.
Mood as an Indicant of Happiness: Age, Sex, Social Class, and Situational Differences

Does mood vary as a function of age, sec, or situation? In four investigations, 6,452 persons aged 4 to 99 were interrupted at leisure, at home, at school, and at work and asked to assess their mood as being happy, neutral, or unhappy. Moods of happiness and neutrality were each reported about 45% and unhappiness about 10% of the time. Females more frequently reported moods of happiness or unhappiness than males, while mood did not vary as a function of age. Persons at leisure reported more affectively pleasant moods than those at work, at home, or at school. Persons of higher socioeconomic status reported more happy moods than those of lower status. In another study, a class of 255 students was administered various personality scales and then interrupted 21 times over the course of the quarter and their mood indexed. Tested religiosity negatively correlated with frequency of pleasant moods, the Barron Ego-Strength Scale was uncorrelated with frequency of kind of mood, and the Eysenck Neuroticism Scale correlated with frequency of unpleasant moods.
Entanglement, mixedness, and spin-flip symmetry in multiple-qubit systems

A relationship between a recently introduced multipartite entanglement measure, state mixedness, and spin-flip symmetry is established for any finite number of qubits. It is also shown that, for those classes of states invariant under the spin-flip transformation, there is a complementarity relation between multipartite entanglement and mixedness. A number of example classes of multiple-qubit systems are studied in light of this relationship.
Molecular and genetic analysis of factors controlling host range in Agrobacterium tumefaciens

We have investigated the factors which contribute to the host specificity of a tumor inducing plasmid of Agrobacterium, pTiAg162, which confers a narrow host range. Determinants both within the T-DNA and virulence regions contribute to host specificity. Within the T-DNA a defective cytokinin biosynthetic gene limits host range. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed a large deletion in the 5′ coding region of this gene when compared with the homologous gene from the wide host range tumor inducing plasmid, pTiA6. Introduction of the wide host range cytokinin biosynthesis gene into the T-DNA of the limited host range strain expanded the host range and suppressed the rooty morphology of tumors incited by the limited host range strain. Two genes from the virulence region of the wide host range plasmid, designated virA and virC, must also be introduced into the limited host range strain in order to restore a wide host range phenotype. The wide host range strain is avirulent on some cultivars of Vitis plants on which the limited host range strain induces tumors. This avirulence is apparently due to a hypersensitive response in which infected plant cells are killed at the site of inoculation. Mutations within the virC locus of the wide host range plasmid prevented the hypersensitive response and allowed the formation of tumors by the wide host range strain.
International politics is not foreign policy

(1996). International politics is not foreign policy. Security Studies: Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 54-57.
Salbutamol and quinterenol: dipsogenic action produced by beta-adrenergic stimulants.

Abstract Subcutaneous injection of the beta-adrenergic agonists salbutamol and quinterenol produced a dose-related increase in water intake in water-satiated rats. These agents were approximately equal in dipsogenic efficacy and equivalent to isoproterenol, but less effective than diazoxide. The smaller cardiac stimulant action of salbutamol and quinterenol was probably responsible for their low lethality compared to previous results with isoproterenol.
Freezing nuclei in marine waters

Inorganic soil materials (Isono et al., 1959; Mason, 1960) and extraterrestrial meteoritic particles (Bowen, 1956; Bigg, 1963) have been suggested as possible sources of atmospheric ice nuclei which play important roles in the production of precipitation. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1975.tb01682.x
PEIRCEAN APPROACHES TO EMERGENT SYSTEMS IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE AND RELIGION

. Cognitive science and religion provides perspectives on human cognition and spirituality. Emergent systems theory captures the subatomic, physical, biological, psychological, cultural, and transcendent relationships that constitute the human person. C. S. Peirce's metaphysical categories and existential graphs enrich traditional cognitive science modeling tools to capture emergent phenomena. From this richer perspective, one can reinterpret the traditional doctrine of soul as form of the body in terms of information as the constellation of constitutive relationships that enables real possibility.
Active control of product selection in a chemical reaction: a view of the current scene

A brief overview is given of active control of product selection in a chemical reaction. Attention is then focussed on the use of coherent superpositions of states to control molecular dynamics. Both adiabatic and non-adiabatic population transfer generated by use of coherent superpositions of states are considered. After discussion of the optical control of the molecular dynamics of isolated molecules, a plausible model for the influence of solvent on the states of a solute molecule is introduced. Studies using this model imply that optical control of molecular dynamics in liquid solution should be possible.
Nonobstructive anuria in children: hemolytic uremic syndrome

Abstract The hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) must be considered as a cause of oligoanuria in a previously healthy young child. This syndrome consists of a viral-like prodromal illness, followed by acute renal failure, thrombocytopenia, and an abnormal blood smear with fragmented erythrocytes. Awareness of this syndrome will permit earlier diagnosis and management and will minimize unnecessary investigation in the anuric child.
Quantitative aspects of active transport by the lactose transport system of Escherichia coli.

Accumulation by the lactose transport system of Escherichia coli has been measured in cells induced so as to contain increasing numbers of membrane carriers. Carrier activity was assayed both by the rate of o-nitrophenyl-β-d-galactopyranoside entry and the initial rate of accumulation of methyl-1-thio-gb-d-galactopyranoside. At the steady-state cells with a low number of carriers accumulated considerable amounts of substrate when compared to the fully induced control. This is consistent with the hypothesis that there are two distinct routes of both entry and of exit: a carrier mediated pathway and a diffusion component. When these two factors are evaluated quantitatively they account for the observed relationship between the number of carriers and the steady-state accumulation achieved.
Scan-playback corrections.

Corrections for playback aperture effects in image digitizers are discussed theoretically.(AIP)
Strength predictions of pile caps by a strut-and-tie model approach

In this paper, a strut-and-tie model approach is presented for calculating the strength of reinforced concrete pile caps. The proposed method employs constitutive laws for cracked reinforced concre...
Josephson current and noise at a superconductor/quantum-spin-Hall-insulator/superconductor junction

We study junctions between superconductors mediated by the edge states of a quantum-spin-Hall insulator. We show that such junctions exhibit a fractional Josephson effect, in which the current phase relation has a $4\ensuremath{\pi}$ rather than a $2\ensuremath{\pi}$ periodicity. This effect is a consequence of the conservation of fermion parity---the number of electron $\text{mod}\text{ }2$---in a superconducting junction and is closely related to the ${Z}_{2}$ topological structure of the quantum-spin-Hall insulator. Inelastic processes, which violate the conservation of fermion parity, lead to telegraph noise in the equilibrium supercurrent. We predict that the low-frequency noise due these processes diverges exponentially with temperature $T$ as $T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$. Possible experiments on HgCdTe quantum wells will be discussed.
Feeding Whole Cottonseed to Lactating Dairy Cows

Abstract Whole unprocessed cottonseed was fed to lactating cows in two trials. Total concentrates were fed at 1 kg/2 kg milk in excess of 9.1 kg per cow daily. In Trial I, 18 cows were fed a control ration. Cottonseed (1.9 kg) replaced an equivalent amount of regular concentrate for 20 cows. Milk production was higher from cows fed cottonseed, but percentage of protein was lower. Cottonseed feeding did not affect percentage of fat and solids-not-fat, intake of hay, silage, regular concentrate, or dry matter. Increased intake of digestible energy accounted for 75% of the increased production. In Trial II, 18 cows were assigned to one of six Latin squares. Three rations were used: 1) regular concentrate, 2) replacement of 20% regular concentrate with cottonseed, 3) ration 2 but fed to provide energy equal to ration 1. Production of milk and solids-not-fat was highest from ration 2. Rations caused no significant differences for production of fat-corrected-milk, fat, and protein; percentage of fat and protein; efficiency of utilization of energy and protein; and intake of hay, silage, dry matter, and energy. Percentage of acetic, propionic, butyric, and valeric acid in rumen fluid was not affected by ration.
In utero transplantation of haemopoietic stem cells

In utero haematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a potentially valuable therapeutic approach that strives to take advantage of biological opportunities for cellular transplantation that exist in the early gestational fetus. However, with the exception of severe combined immunodeficiency, clinical application has been limited by minimal or no engraftment, suggesting the presence of significant barriers to engraftment within the fetal environnment. Research directed toward elucidating these barriers is progressing, and there is hope that the barriers to engraftment can be overcome in the near future. In the meantime, there are a limited number of specific disorders that are biologically favourable and may be amenable to treatment by this approach using conventional techniques. In the future, strategies that improve the competitive capacity of donor cells or the use of pre-natal transplantation to induce donor-specific tolerance followed by post-natal non-myeloablative enhancement of donor chimerism may allow broad clinical application of this approach.
Compensatory Roles of Nitrogen Uptake and Photosynthetic N-use Efficiency in Determining Plant Growth Response to Elevated CO2: Evaluation Using a Functional Balance Model

We used a modified functional balance (FB) model to predict growth response of Helianthus annuus L. to elevated CO2. Model predictions were evaluated against measurements obtained twice during the experiment. There was a good agreement between model predictions of relative growth rate (RGR) responses to elevated CO2and observations, particularly at the second harvest. The model was then used to compare the relative effects of biomass allocation to roots, nitrogen (N) uptake and photosynthetic N-use efficiency (PNUE) in determining plant growth response to elevated CO2. The model predicted that a rather substantial increase in biomass allocation to root growth had little effect on whole plant growth response to elevated CO2, suggesting that plasticity in root allocation is relatively unimportant in determining growth response. Average N uptake rate at elevated compared to ambient CO2was decreased by 21–29%. In contrast, elevated CO2increased PNUE by approx. 50% due to a corresponding rise in the CO2-saturation factor for carboxylation at elevated CO2. The model predicted that the decreased N uptake rate at elevated CO2lowered RGR modestly, but this effect was counterbalanced by an increase in PNUE resulting in a positive CO2effect on growth. Increased PNUE may also explain why in many experiments elevated CO2enhances biomass accumulation despite a significant drop in tissue nitrogen concentration. The formulation of the FB model as presented here successfully predicted plant growth responses to elevated CO2. It also proved effective in resolving which plant properties had the greatest leverage on such responses.
Host plant direct defence against eggs of its specialist herbivore, Heliothis subflexa

1. The insect Heliothis subflexa Guenee is a specialist on plants in the genus Physalis. In the present study, the physical response of Physalis leaves to egg deposition by H. subflexa is described. 2. It was observed that the leaves of Physalis plants respond to the eggs of H. subflexa, while co-occurring non-host plants do not. Leaves of Physalis angulata L. and Physalis pubescens L. respond to H. subflexa eggs by the formation of (i) necrotic tissue, (ii) undifferentiated cells that form a bump (neoplasm) under the eggs of this herbivore, or (iii) both types of responses. 3. Greenhouse experiments showed that 64% of eggs laid on P. angulata elicited a response, and that a response to an egg decreased the probability of hatching. Further experiments in the field with P. angulata showed that the mean response to eggs by leaves was 31%, and that this response increased as temperature increased. Field experiments also confirmed that a plant response to an egg decreased the probability of hatching and increased the probability of removal from the plant by physical dislodgement or predation. 4. Eggs that elicited a response had a 25% lower probability of hatching and a 28% lower probability of remaining on the plant, resulting in an average fitness cost of 19.3% for H. subflexa. This is the first study to show an induced direct physical defence of a plant against eggs of a noctuid moth.
Expression of the Homeobox Gene HOXA9 in Ovarian Cancer Induces Peritoneal Macrophages to Acquire an M2 Tumor-Promoting Phenotype

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) exhibit an M2 macrophage phenotype that suppresses anti-tumor immune responses and often correlates with poor outcomes in patients with cancer. Patients with ovarian cancer frequently present with peritoneal carcinomatosis, but the mechanisms that induce naive peritoneal macrophages into TAMs are poorly understood. In this study, we found an increased abundance of TAMs in mouse i.p. xenograft models of ovarian cancer that expressed HOXA9 , a homeobox gene that is associated with poor prognosis in patients with ovarian cancer. HOXA9 expression in ovarian cancer cells stimulated chemotaxis of peritoneal macrophages and induced macrophages to acquire TAM-like features. These features included induction of the M2 markers, CD163 and CD206, and the immunosuppressive cytokines, IL-10 and chemokine ligand 17, and down-regulation of the immunostimulatory cytokine, IL-12. HOXA9-mediated induction of TAMs was primarily due to the combinatorial effects of HOXA9-induced, tumor-derived transforming growth factor-β2 and chemokine ligand 2 levels. High HOXA9 expression in clinical specimens of ovarian cancer was strongly associated with increased abundance of TAMs and intratumoral T-regulatory cells and decreased abundance of CD8 + tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Levels of immunosuppressive cytokines were also elevated in ascites fluid of patients with tumors that highly expressed HOXA9. HOXA9 may, therefore, stimulate ovarian cancer progression by promoting an immunosuppressive microenvironment via paracrine effects on peritoneal macrophages.
The effects of alcohol and persuasive social pressure on human physical aggression

Intoxicated and nonintoxicated subjects were given the opportunity to administer electric shocks to a nonprovocative opponent within the context of a competitive reaction time task. Social pressure was used to persuade subjects to administer a highly noxious electric shock to the passive opponent. The social pressure manipulation significantly increased the intoxicated subjects' use of the highly noxious shock. Non-intoxicated subjects did not evidence an appreciable increase in the use of the intense shock option.
A randomized feasibility trial of brief telephone counseling to increase fruit and vegetable intakes.

Abstract Objective This study examined the feasibility of eliciting dietary changes in subjects recruited from a diverse primary care setting in Michigan using a written, one-page plan, either alone or with telephone counseling. Methods A total of 96 subjects were enrolled from 9/28/06 to 5/7/07 (49% minorities). Subjects were randomized into three groups. Group 1 received written materials. Group 2 received written materials plus a one-page form that asked them to make a specific daily plan for substituting one less nutritious food with two servings of fruits and vegetables. Group 3 received the written materials, the one-page form and telephone counseling from a dietitian. Results Subject retention was 76% for the 12-week study. Subjects in Groups 1, 2 and 3 changed their mean intakes of fruit and vegetables by 0.4, −0.7 and 1.4 servings/day, respectively. Participants in Group 3 lost an average of 0.73 kg, increased their perception of the importance of eating fruits and vegetables, and 63% increased their serum levels of carotenoids by 20% or more. Conclusion Recruitment through a primary care clinic was effective. Formulation of a written plan combined with telephone counseling appears to be promising for improving fruit and vegetable intakes and warrants more definitive study.
Dihydrofolate reductase activity and loss of resistance in an antifolate-resistant subline of leukemia 11210 after discontinuation of treatment

Abstract A subline of systemic leukemia L1210 resistant to methotrexate (MTX) and dichloromethotrexate (DCM), which had a 70-fold increased dihydrofolate reductase activity, was carried in the absence of treatment. Enzyme activity reverted to the original level of the parent line after 28 transfer generations, but was again increased 70-fold by daily treatment with 80 mg/kg DCM for one generation. After two further similarly treated transfers, 77 untreated transfer generations were required for return of enzyme activity to the original low level. The tumor remained resistant to therapy for several additional generations but finally reverted to the drug-sensitive state.
Development, validation, and clinical implementation of an assay to measure total antibody response to naglazyme (galsulfase).

Naglazyme (galsulfase, rhASB) was developed as enzyme replacement therapy for mucopolysaccharidosis type VI. Naglazyme generated an IgG antibody response in most patients. To better characterize Naglazyme immunogenicity, a solution phase bridged immunoassay was developed to measure total antibody response regardless of isotype. Overnight incubation of serum dilutions with rhASB labeled with biotin and ruthenium-based tags allowed antibody-antigen complexes to form prior to capture on a streptavidin plate. Neat serum was tolerated in the assay, with a 1:10 screening dilution implemented for testing. At this dilution, the assay was sensitive to 75 ng/ml anti-rhASB. Titers were reported as the highest dilution factor with signal above a 95% confidence interval from naive individual sera. Precise measurement of titers, within two consecutive dilution factors, was observed across analysts and days. Clinical samples showed similar positive/negative results between the IgG ELISA and the total antibody ECLA, although with an imperfect correlation. Improvements in assay performance and implementation strategy altered some positive clinical samples to negative and vice versa. Comparison of the titer readout for clinical samples with the screening signal illustrates a range of relationships for signal versus sample dilution factor, confirming that signal from a screening dilution cannot directly predict the reported titer.
Magnetic surface anisotropy of amorphous Fe-B ultrathin films

Abstract The magnetic surface anisotropy constants K S of amorphous Fe x B 100- x was determined by performing ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) measurements on ultrathin films and adapting a recent FMR theory to amorphous materials. For a given Fe content x the same value of K S is obtained at two frequencies and two FMR configurations.
Long-term results of transsclerally sutured posterior chamber lenses in penetrating keratoplasty.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of transsclerally sutured posterior chamber lenses in penetrating keratoplasty. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of 130 patients who underwent penetrating keratoplasty and placement of a transsclerally sutured posterior chamber lens with at least 1 year of follow-up. The mean follow-up period was 38.8 months. There were 61 patients who had been followed for at least 3 years (mean, 59 months). RESULTS: At follow-up the visual acuity was 20/40 or better in 40 patients (31%) and 20/50 to 20/200 in 48 patients (36%). The primary reasons for decreased visual acuity were age-related macular degeneration (18%) and graft failure (13%). New-onset glaucoma was found in 19 of 82 patients (23%). In the 48 patients who had elevated intraocular pressures preoperatively, the pressure improved in 13 patients (27%) and worsened in 12 patients (25%). Exposure of the haptic suture through the conjunctiva occurred in 14 patients (11%) at an average of 12 months after surgery. Of these, seven (19%) occurred in patients with conjunctival flaps, and seven (16%) in patients who had scleral flaps covering the haptic suture. No erosions occurred in the cases in which the suture was rotated inside the eye. CONCLUSION: Improvements in the surgical technique have made transsclerally sutured posterior chamber lenses safer in patients with inadequate capsular support. The long-term visual results in penetrating keratoplasty are acceptable and comparable to those of other techniques.
Comparison of solutol HS 15, cremophor EL and novel ethoxylated fatty acid surfactants as multidrug resistance modification agents

Some well-known fatty acid ester surfactants, e.g., Cremophor EL and Solutol HS 15, are modulators of multidrug resistance in vitro and in vivo. Because they are polydisperse, and their active component(s) have not been identified, the therapeutic potential of such surfactants is unclear. To better define the active components of Solutol HS 15 and to make more potent surfactant multidrug resistance modulators, highly purified C-18 fatty acids were esterified with ethylene oxide at 5-200 molar ratios. Unexpectedly, ethylene oxide esters of pure 12-hydroxy stearic acid, the major components of Solutol HS 15, displayed negligible resistance modification activity compared with Solutol HS 15 itself or to stearic and oleic acid esters synthesized under identical conditions. Since oleic acid esters appeared to have good activity, a series of these compounds was prepared to determine the optimal ethylene oxide/fatty acid ratio. The optimal ratio was found to be 20 mole ethylene oxide: I mole fatty acid, with a steep decline in activity for products made with ratios above and below the optimum. The most active oleic acid ester, designated CRL 1337, was 8.4-fold as potent as Solutol HS 15 and over 19-fold as potent as Cremophor EL in promoting rhodamine 123 accumulation in multidrug-resistant KB 8-5-11 cells in vitro. Our results show that the structure of the hydrophobic domain (fatty acid) of surfactants as well as its hydrophile-lipophile balance are critical in determining the potency of surfactants as reversing agents.
Acute tolerance to morphine following systemic and intracerebral injection in the rat.

Abstract Morphine produces hypothermia in rats when administered intravenously or directly into the anterior hypothalamus. When the dose was repeated in 3–4 hr there was evidence of acute tolerance and the dose had to be increased two to four times to produce a comparable response. Four days after an initial injection the dose had to be increased by 50% to produce a comparable fall in temperature. Tolerance to systemic administration was evident for over 20 days after an initial injection. Many animals developed hyperthermia following a second dose of morphine and this appears to be a stimulatory effect of the drug to which tolerance does not develop.
Immunoreactive Prolactin in the Hypothalamus and Cerebrospinal Fluid of Male and Female Rats

Immunoreactive prolactin (ir-PRL) has been identified in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain of the male and female rat. In this study we determined the concentration of ir-PRL in the CSF and hypothalamus under conditions known to increase or decrease serum PRL. Hypophysectomy (60 days) significantly decreased the concentration of ir-PRL in the CSF of male (4.9 ± 0.7 vs. 3.0 ± 0.3 ng/ml) and female (5.8 ± 0.9 vs. 3.1 ± 0.5 ng/ml) rats. However, the effect of long-term hypophysectomy on hypothalamic ir-PRL was gender-dependent. That is, in the male rat hypophysectomy did not affect the content of ir-PRL in the median eminence, ventral hypothalamus or dorsal hypothalamus. In contrast, in the female rat, long-term hypophysectomy decreased the content of ir-PRL in the median eminence, ventral hypothalamus, and dorsal hypothalamus 37, 40, and 47%, respectively. Estradiol replacement to the hypophysectomized female rat normalized the content of ir-PRL in the median eminence (96 ± 5.8 to 131 ± 9.6 ng/mg protein), ventral hypothalamus (11 ± 0.6 to 16.0 ± 1.1 ng/mg protein), dorsal hypothalamus (4.7 ± 0.4 to 8.6 ± 0.4 ng/mg protein), and the concentration ir-PRL in the CSF (2.5 ± 0.3 to 4.6 ± 0.4 ng/ml). In intact female rats, administration ofhaloperidol induced a marked hyperprolactinemia, and significantly increased CSF ir-PRL (5.1 ± 1.5 vs. 18.0 ± 3.8 ng/ml). However, in the same rats, the content of ir-PRL in the median eminence was significantly decreased while the ir-PRL content in the ventral hypothalamus and dorsal hypothalamus was unaffected. Administration of haloperidol to hypophysectomized female rats did not affect the concentration of ir-PRL in the CSF, but decreased the content of ir-PRL in the median eminence (83.0 ± 7.3 to 62.6 ± 6.8 ng/mg protein). The detection of ir-PRL in the CSF of hypophysectomized male and female rats indicates that CSF ir-PRL is not completely dependent on plasma ir-PRL. The increase in CSF and hypothalamic ir-PRL in estradiol-, but not haloperidol-, treated hypophysectomized female rats indicates that hypothalamic and CSF ir-PRL is regulated by an estrogen-dependent mechanism at an extrapituitary site. In addition, the failure of hypothalamic ir-PRL to parallel changes in either plasma or CSF ir-PRL indicates that hypothalamic ir-PRL is not derived from the plasma or CSF. In contrast, this study suggests that hypothalamic ir-PRL may be one source of CSF PRL.
The antiarrhythmic effect of nortriptyline in cardiac patients with ventricular premature depolarizations.

The effect of nortriptyline against ventricular arrhythmias was determined in 16 cardiac patients with 30 or more ventricular premature depolarizations per hour. Nortriptyline was administered orally, 0.5 mg/kg body weight per day, and increased by 0.5 mg/kg per day every third day until ventricular premature depolarizations were suppressed (≥80%), adverse effects occurred or a total daily dose of 3.5 mg/kg per day was given. Each patient had daily 24 hour continuous electrocardiograms, 12 lead standard electrocardiograms and physical examination; blood pressure was measured in the supine and standing position four times a day. Each patient also had radionuclide angiography at rest to measure ejection fraction before and at the effective or maximal dose. Thirteen patients (81%) had an antiarrhythmic response and 11 met the study criterion of at least 80% improvement. Doses ranged from 50 to 200 mg/day (mean 111 ± 45), steady state plasma concentration ranged from 46 to 410 ng/ml (mean 153 ± 96) and half-life of elimination of nortriptyline was 4 to 22 hours (mean 13 ± 4). Administration of nortriptyline did not depress mean ejection fraction (before 42 ± 12%, after 41 ± 12%); it was associated with an orthostatic decrease in systolic blood pressure (mean -13 ± 13 mm Hg). Nortriptyline is an effective antiarrhythmic agent which may be given twice a day even in patients with impaired ventricular function.