cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differential effects of opioid agonists on G protein expression in CHO cells expressing cloned human opioid receptors.

Abstract Recent evidence indicates that agonist ligands of G protein coupled receptors (GPCR) can activate different signaling systems. Such “agonist-directed” signaling also occurs with opioid receptors. Previous work from our laboratory showed that chronic morphine, but not DAMGO, up-regulates the expression of Gα12 and that both morphine and DAMGO decreased Gαi3 expression in CHO cells expressing the cloned human mu opioid receptor. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that chronic opioid regulation of G protein expression is agonist-directed. Following a 20 h treatment of CHO cells expressing the cloned human mu (hMOR-CHO), delta (hDOR-CHO) or kappa (hKOR-CHO) opioid receptors with various opioid agonists, we determined the expression level of Gα12 and Gαi3 by Western blots. Among five mu agonists (morphine, etorphine, DADLE, DAMGO, herkinorin) tested with hMOR-CHO cells, only chronic morphine and etorphine up-regulated Gα12 expression. All five mu agonists decreased Gαi3 expression. Among six delta agonists (SNC80, DPDPE, deltorphin-1, morphine, DADLE, etorphine) tested with hDOR-CHO cells, all six agonists down-regulated Gαi3 expression or moderately up-regulated Gα12 expression. Among five kappa agonists, ((−)-ethylketocyclazocine, salvinorin A, U69,593, etorphine, (−)-U50,488) tested with hKOR-CHO cells, only chronic (−)-U50,488 and (−)-EKC up-regulated Gα12 expression. All kappa agonists decreased Gαi3 expression. These data demonstrate that chronic opioid agonist regulation of G protein expression depends not only on the agonist tested, but also on the type of opioid receptor expressed in a common cellular host, providing additional evidence for agonist-directed signaling.
Performance analysis of job scheduling policies in parallel supercomputing environments

The authors analyze three general classes of scheduling policies under a workload typical of large-scale scientific computing. These policies differ in the manner in which processors are partitioned among the jobs as well as the way in which jobs are prioritized for execution on the partitions. The results indicate that existing static schemes to not perform well under varying workloads. Adaptive policies tend to make better scheduling decisions, but their ability to adjust to workload changes is limited. Dynamic partitioning policies, on the other hand, yield the best performance and can be tuned to provide desired performance differences among jobs with varying resource demands.
Successful treatment of vancomycin resistant enterococcus faecium mediastinitis associated with left ventricular assist devices

We present 2 cases of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium mediastinitis associated with left ventricular assist devices in the setting of heart transplantation. Despite complicated operative courses and deep infection secondary to antimicrobial resistant organisms, both patients were successfully treated and have remained infection free in the long term.
Physics issues of a spheromak refluxing scenario

The spheromak has a toroidal magnetic fusion geometry embedded in a simply connected flux conserver, which would simplify a reactor design if energy confinement were sufficiently good. Helicity injection is an efficient current-drive mechanism used in many spheromak experiments but has been shown theoretically and computationally to open the magnetic flux surfaces. Experiments are consistent with this: excellent confinement has been demonstrated in slowly decaying spheromaks with good surfaces, but it is poor in driven spheromaks. One option to overcome this limitation is to operate in a 'refluxing' mode in which the current drive and confinement phases of operation are separated in time. After the toroidal current and magnetic field have partially decayed, the current drive would be turned back on to rebuild the magnetic field. The physics of refluxing operation is explored in the resistive-MHD approximation using simulations and an integrated-physics model. The results suggest that sustaining the confinement phase for an extended time will require an auxiliary means of controlling the safety-factor profile.
Modeling and control insights into demand-side energy management through setpoint control of thermostatic loads

This paper examines the problem of using thermostat offset signals to directly control distributed air conditioning loads attached to the grid. The paper models these loads using a novel partial differential equation framework that builds on existing diffusion-based load modeling ideas in the literature. Both this PDE model and its finite-difference discretizations are bilinear in the state and control variables. This key insight creates a unique opportunity for designing nonlinear direct load control algorithms with theoretically guaranteed Lyapunov stability properties. The paper's main contribution to the literature is the development of the bilinear PDE model and Lyapunov-stable controller for real-time management of thermostatic air conditioning loads.
Probability grid: a location estimation scheme for wireless sensor networks

Location information is of paramount importance for wireless sensor networks (WSN). The accuracy of the collected data can significantly be affected by an imprecise positioning of the event of interest. Despite the importance of location information, real system implementations that do not use specialized hardware for localization purposes have not been successful. In this paper, we propose a location estimation scheme that uses a probabilistic approach for estimating the location of a node in a sensor network. Our localization scheme makes use of additional knowledge of topology deployment. We assume a sensor network is deployed in a controlled manner, where the goal of the deployment is to form a grid topology. We evaluate our localization scheme through simulations, showing localization errors as low as 3% of radio range. We outperform similar localization schemes by obtaining 50% less error in localization. We also evaluate our localization solution and the DV-hop scheme in a real implementation, obtaining an average error in location of 79% of radio range, outperforming DV-hop by approximately 40%. We analyze the significant differences in performance between simulations and a real implementation and stress the importance of further evaluations of real implementations. The result is an effective and realistic protocol that works in an actual implementation, under certain assumptions, because it exploits deployment information.
Senses of humor, media use, and opinions about the treatment of marginalized groups

Abstract This research examines public opinions toward marginalized groups, applying the notion of multiple “senses of humor” as a filter in the process of opinion formation while controlling for the relative impact of media exposure on such opinions. A sample of 288 students at a large urban university responded to an online survey measuring a variety of public opinions, media use (including traditional, news, and interactive) variables, four senses of humor (disparagement, dark/arousal, incongruity, and social currency), and social locators, including political orientation. Results confirm that, in addition to social locators, senses of humor provide a viable set of predictors of public opinion about marginalized groups, clearly surpassing media use. Further, the senses of humor are found to be linked to political orientation, raising issues of the commonalities and origins of these critical filters of sociopolitical attitudes.
Reduced mass persistent switches for large superconducting magnets in space

Superconducting magnets in space must operate in the persistent mode. The author describes the characteristics of low mass niobium titanium persistent switches for low mass superconducting magnets which were designed to quench protect themselves through the quench back process. The whole coil is driven normal shortly after the quench has started and the magnet stored energy is taken up by the coil and the persistent switch. The concept of using a resistor and diode in parallel with the persistent switch to reduce the overall mass of the persistent switch system and the helium consumption during magnet charging is discussed. A 1.4-m-diameter free-flyer version of the 11.6-MJ stored energy ASTROMAG magnet and its persistent switch is presented as an example. >
Σ5 (210)/[001] Symmetric Tilt Grain Boundary in Yttrium Aluminum Garnet

The Σ5 (210)/[001] symmetric tilt grain boundary in yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) was produced by diffusion bonding precisely oriented single crystals. The crystals were cleaned and bonded in an ultra-high-vacuum environment. The atomic structure of the boundary was characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Model atomic structures were created by geometric construction to form the coincident site lattice model boundary. Comparison of model structures with high-resolution micrographs was performed by high-resolution image simulation. Many aspects of the boundary structure were properly represented by the models, but some details of the high-resolution images indicated that differences existed.
Development of Selection and Screening Procedures for Rapid Identification of H2-Producing Algal Mutants with Increased O2 Tolerance

Algal hydrogen photoproduction from water is catalyzed under anaerobic conditions by a reversible hydrogenase. However, the sensitivity of the enzyme to O2 has precluded commercial applications. Two types of selective pressure have been developed to isolate mutants of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that produce H2 in the presence of O2, and they depend on survival (or growth) of algal cells under either H2-producing or H2-uptake conditions in the presence of O2. The application of H2-production selective pressure yielded a variant of C. reinhardtii with 330% higher tolerance to O2 (as measured by an increase in O2 I50 for H2 evolution), and, subsequently, a mutant with an additional 40% increase in O2 I50. Application of H2-uptake selective pressure resulted in a mixture of survivors with a 50% increase in O2 I50. Our results demonstrate the efficacy of the two selective pressures in isolating desirable C. reinhardtii mutants; however, the selective pressures are not very specific. Thus, progress up until now has been limited due to the amount of time it takes to screen for O2-tolerant, H2-producing survivors. We now report a procedure based on the use of a H2-sensitive chemochromic film that provides the potential to rapidly screen large numbers of colonies on agar plates for H2 production capability.
BODY WEIGHTS AND WORK PERFORMANCE OF ADRENALECTOMIZED RATS TREATED WITH PROGESTERONE, Δ4 17 A-METHYL-D-HOMO-ANDROSTENE-17 A-OL,-3, 17-DIONE, AND 6-HYDROXY-11-DESOXYCORTICOSTERONE DIACETATE1

PROGESTERONE IS CAPABLE of maintaining the life of adrenalectomized rats (1) and other animals. Ruzicka and Meldahl (2) reported the synthesis of a compound which was first described as 17-hydroxy-progesterone and it was stated (3) that Professor E. Laqueur had found the substance to be approximately as effective as corticosterone in maintaining the life of adrenalectomized dogs. Subsequently, Ruzicka and Meldahl (4) found that rearrangement had occurred during synthesis of the compound and that its structure is that of Δ4-17a-methyl-D-homOandrostene-17a-ol-3, 17-dione. It is, therefore, not a member of the progesterone or corticosterone series. Ehrenstein (5) prepared 6-hydroxy-11-desoxycorticosterone diacetate by partial synthesis. This substance is a position isomer of corticosterone. These three compounds have been examined for their effect on the body weight and the work performance of adrenalectomized rats. In addition, Pfiffner and North (6) isolated 17 (β)-hydroxy-progesterone from adrenal glands ...
The utility of neurophysiological markers in the study of alcoholism

Abstract Objective This review attempts to differentiate neuroelectric measures (electroencephalogram (EEG), event-related potentials (ERPs) and event-related oscillations (EROs)) related to acute and chronic effects of alcohol on the brain from those that reflect underlying deficits related to the predisposition to develop alcoholism and related disorders. The utility of these neuroelectric measures as endophenotypes for psychiatric genetics is evaluated. Methods This article reviews the main findings of EEG and ERP abnormalities in alcoholics, offspring of alcoholics at high risk to develop alcoholism and the electrophysiological effects of alcohol on high risk compared to low-risk offspring. It highlights findings using EROs, a fast developing tool in examining brain function and cognition. It also reviews evidence of genetic findings related to these electrophysiological measures and their relationship to clinical diagnosis. Results Many of these abnormal neuroelectric measures are under genetic control, may precede the development of alcoholism, and may be markers of a predisposition toward the development of a spectrum of disinhibitory conditions including alcoholism. Genetic loci underlying some neuroelectic measures that involve neurotransmitter systems of the brain have been identified. Conclusions Quantitative neuroelectric measures (EEG, ERPs, EROs) provide valuable endophenotypes in the study of genetic risk to develop alcoholism and related disorders. Significance Genetic studies of neuroelectric endophenotypes offer a powerful strategy for identifying susceptibility genes for developing psychiatric disorders, and provide novel insights into etiological factors.
A distributed power control MAC protocol for wireless ad hoc networks

A novel distributed power control (DPC) scheme and a MAC protocol for wireless ad hoc networks in the presence of radio channel uncertainties such as path loss, Shadowing and Rayleigh fading is presented. The DPC quickly estimates the time-varying nature of the channel and uses the information to select a suitable transmitter power value in order to maintain a target signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) at the receiver. The standard assumption of a constant interference during a link's power update used in other works is relaxed. The performance of the proposed DPC is demonstrated analytically. The power used for all RTS-CTS-DATA-ACK frames is selected using the proposed DPC; hence, energy savings and spatial reuse are achieved. The hidden-terminal problem is overcome by periodically increasing the power. The NS simulator is used to compare the proposed scheme with 802.11. The proposed MAC protocol renders a significant increase in throughput in the presence of channel variations compared with 802.11 while consuming low energy per bit.
A model for robotic perception

The author presents a model for robotic perception. Within the framework of this model, he developed a system which utilizes passive vision and active touch for the task of object categorization. The design of the system is based on psychological theories of human perception, and its implementation on techniques from artificial intelligence. >
Different localization of the product of the v-rel oncogene in chicken fibroblasts and spleen cells correlates with transformation by REV-T

Reticuloendotheliosis virus strain T (REV-T) is a highly oncogenic avian retrovirus that transforms early lymphoid cells in vivo and in vitro, but REV-T does not transform chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF). Using antisera to p59v-rel, the v-rel oncogene product of REV-T, we show that p59v-rel is expressed at equal levels and is a phosphoprotein in REV-T infected spleen cells and CEF. Biochemical fractionation and immunofluorescence of REV-T infected nontransformed CEF show that p59v-rel is loosely associated with the nucleus. However, in REV-T transformed spleen cells p59v-rel is primarily a cytoplasmic protein. MSB-1 cells, a Marek's disease virus transformed T cell leukemic line, and E26 virus transformed myeloid cells show nuclear staining of p59v-rel when they are infected by REV-T. Our results indicate that there is a correlation between a cytoplasmic localization of p59v-rel and transformation by REV-T, and they suggest that p59v-rel cannot transform cells in which it assumes solely a nuclear location.
Prediction of transmission distortion for wireless video communication: Algorithm and application

In this paper, we develop algorithms for estimating transmission distortion in wireless video communication systems. By leveraging the analytical results obtained in our previous works, we design low complexity algorithms that are capable of estimating transmission distortion accurately. We also extend our algorithm for pixel-level transmission distortion estimation to pixel-level end-to-end distortion estimation. Furthermore, we apply our pixel-level end-to-end distortion estimation algorithm to prediction mode decision in H.264 encoder. Experimental results show that (1) our transmission distortion estimation algorithm is more accurate and more robust against inaccurate channel estimation than existing distortion estimation algorithms; (2) our mode decision algorithm achieves remarkable PSNR gain over the existing algorithms for prediction mode decision in H.264 encoder, e.g., an average PSNR gain of 1.44dB for 'foreman' sequence when Packet Error Probability (PEP) equals 5%.
Fast motion estimation algorithm using unequal search effort for H.264|MPEG-4 AVC encoder

H.264IMPEG-4 AVC allows multiple reference frames and multiple partition types to improve the coding performance at the expense of much higher computation complexity. This paper proposes a fast motion estimation (ME) algorithm to reduce search complexity for this demanding configuration. Our experimental results show that the partition type which gives the lowest matching cost for the reference frame closest to the current picture in temporal domain is likely to be the best partition type for all reference frames. Based on this finding, the proposed method performs a less complicated search effort for the other partition types on the remaining reference frames to obtain significant savings in search complexity. This approach can be easily modified to support any existing fast search algorithms. Simulation results show the proposed algorithm significantly reduces the overall motion search complexity and at the same time, maintains minimum coding performance degradation.
Motivational interviewing : does it increase alcohol and other drug addicted clients' retention in outpatient treatment?

MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING: DOES IT INCREASE ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUG ADDICITED RETENTION IN TREATMENT David A. Patterson April 20, 2006 This dissertation is a post-test only comparison group study. It tests the effects of additional Motivational Interviewing sessions during the first two weeks in an intensive outpatient clinic. The object is to learn whether these additional sessions will help to increase rates of treatment retention and completion with alcohol and other drug addicted individuals as well as those who are dually diagnosed with HIV/AIDS infection and addiction. It begins with the problems associated with alcohol and other drugs followed by problems related to HIV/AIDS and treatments for both illnesses. It uses Transtheoretical Stages of Change Model as a guide for intervention development. The latter part of the dissertation describes the method used to study this population and the results. The dissertation is divided into five chapters. Chapter I discusses the problems associated with alcohol and other drug addiction and HIV/AIDS followed by treatments related to those illnesses. Chapter II begins with reviewing the literature linked to treatment retention. This chapter identifies the
The area under the curve of l-lactate in neonatal foals from birth to 14 days of age

Background Prior studies have shown the prognostic utility of measuring l-lactate in critically ill neonatal foals, both as single (at admission) and serial measurements. Greater prognostic sensitivity and specificity may be achieved by use of the area under the l-lactate versus time curve (LACArea) over the first 24 hours of hospitalization, which captures both severity and duration of hyperlactatemia. Prior to application of this concept in sick equine neonates, a reference interval for LACArea should be determined. Methods The concentration of lactate [LAC] was measured in blood obtained via direct jugular venipuncture from clinically normal foals on Days 1 (birth–24 h of age), 3, 7, and 14 following birth at 6-hour intervals for each 24-hour period. LACArea was calculated using the trapezoidal method. Differences in LACArea by Day were determined by MANOVA with a priori Bonferroni correction, P ≤ 0.05. Results LACArea differed by Day (P = 0.001), being largest on Day 1, followed by Day 3. Days 7 and 14 were smallest and not different from each other. Conclusion LACArea decreases substantially and predictably over the first week of life in normal neonatal foals. Knowing how LACArea normally changes over the first 2 weeks of life will aid in future study of LACArea as it applies to sick neonatal foals, allowing for consideration of maturational changes potentially unrelated to disease.
Impact of patient selection and treatment strategies on outcomes after lobectomy for biopsy-proven stage IIIA pN2 non-small cell lung cancer

Objectives We evaluated the impact of patient selection and treatment strategies on long-term outcomes of patients who had lobectomy after induction therapy for stage IIIA pN2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods The impact of various patient selection, induction therapy and operative strategies on survival of patients with biopsy-proven stage IIIA pN2 NSCLC who received induction chemotherapy ± radiation followed by lobectomy from 1995 to 2012 was assessed using Cox proportional hazards analysis. Results From 1995 to 2012, 111 patients had lobectomy for stage IIIA pN2 NSCLC after chemotherapy ± radiation with an overall 5-year survival of 39%. The use of induction chemoradiation decreased over time; from 1996 to 2007, 46/65 (71%) patients underwent induction chemoradiation, whereas from 2007 to 2012, 36/46 (78%) patients underwent induction chemotherapy. The use of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) increased over the time period of the study, from 0/26 (0%) in 1996-2001, to 4/39 (10%) in 2002-07 to 33/46 (72%) in 2008-12. Compared with patients given induction chemotherapy alone, patients given additional induction radiation were more likely to have complete pathologic response (30 vs 11%, P = 0.01) but had worse 5-year survival in univariable analysis (31 vs 48%, log-rank P = 0.021). Patients who underwent pathologic mediastinal restaging following induction therapy but prior to resection had an improved overall survival compared with patients who did not undergo pathologic mediastinal restaging {5-year survival: 45.2 [95% confidence interval (CI): 33.9-55.9] vs 13.9% (95% CI: 2.5-34.7); log-rank, P = 0.004}. In multivariable analysis, the particular induction therapy strategy and the surgical approach used, as well as the extent of mediastinal disease were not important predictors of survival. However, pathologic mediastinal restaging was associated with improved survival (HR 0.39; 95% CI: 0.21-0.72; P = 0.003). Conclusions For patients with stage IIIA pN2 NSCLC, the VATS approach or the addition of radiation to induction therapy can be selectively employed without compromising survival. The strategy of assessing response to induction therapy with pathologic mediastinal restaging allows one to select appropriate patients for complete resection and is associated with a 5-year overall survival of 39% in this population.
Diagnosis of the phase function of random media from light reflectance

Light reflectance has been widely used to diagnose random media in both in situ and in vivo applications. The quantification of the phase function of the medium from reflectance measurements, however, remains elusive due to the lack of an explicit connection between the light reflectance profile and the phase function. Here we first present an analytical model for reflectance of scattered light at an arbitrary source-detector separation by forward-peaked scattering media such as biological tissue and cells. The model incorporates the improved small-angle scattering approximation (SAA) to radiative transfer for sub-diffusive light reflectance and expresses the dependence of the light reflectance on the phase function of the scattering medium in a closed form. A spreading length scale, lΘ, is found to characterise subdiffusive light reflectance at the high spatial frequency (close separation) limit. After validation by Monte Carlo simulations, we then demonstrate the application of the model in accurate determination of the complete set of optical properties and the phase function of a turbid medium from the profile of subdiffusive and diffusive light reflectance.
The site response of two rock and soil station pairs to strong and weak ground motion

Abstract The site response to strong and weak ground motion depends largely on the subsurface conditions at the soil site for the two rock-soil station pairs studied. The first station pair consists of a soft-soil site (Treasure Island) and a sandstone and shale site (Yerba Buena Island). These stations recorded strong ground shaking from the Loma Prieta mainshock and weak ground motion from four aftershocks. The range of peak ground acceleration is from approximately 0.00006 to 0.07 g at the rock site. Compared to the rock site, the strong ground motion at the soft-soil site is amplified by a factor of about 3 over a frequency range from 0.5 to 2.0 Hz. The amplification is much higher for weak motion and suggests a dependence on signal amplitude. For example, near 1 Hz, the site response shows an increasing amplification as magnitude (and the peak velocity at the rock site) decreases. For events of local magnitude 7.0, 4.3, 4.1, 3.5, and 3.3, the maximum soil-site amplifications are 4, 12, 17, 19, and 25, respectively. A second station pair consisting of a stiff-soil site (Gilroy #2) and a sandstone site (Gilroy #1) was also studied with contrasting results. These two stations recorded strong ground shaking from the 1979 Coyote Lake, 1984 Morgan Hill, and 1989 Loma Prieta mainshocks. Weak ground motion was recorded at these stations after the Loma Prieta mainshock. The range of peak ground acceleration is from 0.006 to 0.43 g at the rock site. Unlike the results for the soft-soil study above, the estimated stiff-soil site responses are not significantly different for strong and weak motion from 0.5 to 2.0 Hz. Near 0.7 Hz, the stiff-soil site responses range from 2.5 to 4.5 for strong ground shaking from three mainshocks and from 1.5 to 4.0 for weak ground shaking from thirteen aftershocks.
Oxford's Research Encyclopedias: A New Model for Reference Content?

Oxford University Press (OUP) presented Oxford Research Encyclopedias (OREs Au: Removed apostrophe from ORE, okay? It does not show possessive or deleted letters.; http://oxfordre.com), its ambitio...
Acid phosphatase activity in senile plaques and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Alzheimer's disease

The origin of the various components of senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD) continues to be a focus of intense research scrutiny. Lysosomal enzyme activity within the plaques is of particular interest because of its possible relevance to a presumed abnormal processing of precursor molecules that may lead to the formation of plaque amyloid. Histochemical evidence of acid phosphatase (ACP), a lysosomal hydrolase, activity in senile plaques has been documented long before many of the current biochemical data regarding plaque pathogenesis became available. Recent evidence suggests the presence of neuronal membrane abnormalities that may allow "leakage" of some intracellular molecules, including enzymes, into the perineuronal environment and from there, possibly, to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In the course of investigating this hypothesis, we decided to readdress the issue of ACP activity in AD by assaying the enzyme both in brain tissue sections as well as in CSF samples from neuropathologically confirmed cases of AD and from normal control subjects. Brain frozen sections from five cases with AD and five control subjects were histochemically stained for ACP using the alpha-naphthylphosphate hydrolysis method. Frozen CSF samples from 15 cases with AD and 19 control subjects were assayed for ACP activity using the thymolphthalein monophosphate hydrolysis method. In all cases studied, CSFs were cytologically unremarkable. Neurons in normal and AD brains were strongly positive for ACP. In AD, numerous senile plaques showed strong ACP activity with both granular and diffuse patterns. The CSFs from six of 15 AD cases (40%) showed ACP activity with values ranging from 0.04 to 0.4 U/L. No ACP activity was detected in any of the 19 control CSFs analyzed. The exact source of ACP in senile plaques and CSF of patients with AD cannot be established based on these data alone but the ACP may have originated from neurons with oxidative stress or oxygen free radical-mediated membrane damage. The data encourage further investigation of this hypothesis.
Photorefractive and thermal fixing properties of 4 mol% MgO-doped lithium niobate

It has been shown that appropriate doping levels of lithium rich lithium niobate with magnesium oxide significantly reduces the photorefractive effect via an increase in the crystal's photoconductivity with little change in its photovoltaic current.1 We have observed a favorably different effect in samples where the magnesium oxide levels are near 4 mol%. In such samples there exists a relatively strong photorefractive effect yet a relatively weak photovoltaic effect. As well, we observed photo-induced grating reconfiguration times significantly shorter than in most forms of lithium niobate. These unique room temperature photorefractive characteristics induced us to further study how these crystals behave during thermal holographic fixing processes.
The languages of immunological dispute

The secondary literature in the history of medicine contains numerous reports of immunological disputes, but little attention has been paid to the linguistic aspects of these disputes. Opposing theories are often associated with different terminologies, whose semantic implications may be unacceptable and even incomprehensible to the other side. This chapter discusses the linguistic aspects of the great immunological debate. Paul Ehrlich found it necessary to coin a new vocabulary to describe the various participants in the several immunologic reactions under consideration. Karl Landsteiner adhered to the concepts of Jules Bordet, and they both violently disagreed with the Ehrlich theories, employing a completely different language, based upon diametrically opposite views of the origin, nature, and workings of the immunologic reactants. The members of each school would be loath to accept and to employ the language of the other. But while they would not willingly speak one another's language, it is clear that they understood one another's terms and their implications quite well. In each instance, theories and lexicons may have been incommensurable, but the historian must be cautious in joining to his conclusion that the theories were mutually incompatible the further conclusion that the respective languages were untranslatable, and thus quite incomprehensible to the opposition.
On the suitability of Ada multitasking for expressing parallel algorithms

This paper examines the suitability of the Ada multitasking model, for supporting parallel algorithms. The algorithms we consider include both SIMD (single instruction multiple data) and MIMD (multiple instruction multiple data) algorithms ([7]). These algorithms are typically used in numerical and other computation-intensive programs, where the ability to take advantage of parallelism available in the supporting hardware, is critical for a program's performance. The multitasking facilities of Ada are shown to lack an essential property necessary to support parallel algorithms: the ability to express parallel evaluation and distribution of parameters to the respective tasks. The resulting serial bottleneck could in certain situations offset the gain from parallelization. Constructs which support parallel evaluation and distribution of parameters to parallel tasks are proposed.
The Effect of Pretreatment on Pd/C Catalysts: II. Catalytic Behavior

Abstract Pd catalysts were anaerobically prepared using a Pd acetylacetonate precursor and a high surface area turbostratic carbon black which had been pretreated to change its surface functionalities and remove sulfur impurities. These Pd/C catalysts exhibited suppressed chemisorption and hydride formation, which was attributed to the presence of carbon atoms on the surface and in the bulk of Pd particles. The effect of these carbon atoms on three probe reactions-benzene hydrogenation, CO hydrogenation, and CO oxidation-was examined. If sulfur were not removed from the carbon, it contaminated the Pd surface and caused a drastic decrease in benzene hydrogenation activity and a decrease in both activity and activation energy in CO hydrogenation. Coverage of the Pd surface by carbon atoms had different effects on the three probe reactions. The turnover frequency (TOF) in benzene hydrogenation, a structure-insensitive reaction, was not affected for Pd supported on the clean carbon blacks, although specific activity was lower than expected based on crystallite size, and the apparent activation energies (8.5-10 kcal/mole) were slightly lower than anticipated. In contrast, the TOFs for methanation were substantially decreased, and the apparent activation energies varied over a wide range (5-30 kcal/mole). Under an oxidizing environment, these Pd/C catalysts had TOFs for CO oxidation similar to or higher than those for Pd/Al 2 O 3 catalysts, and similar activation energies near 24 kcal/mole were obtained, thus indicating that the Pd surfaces present were alike.
Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk in Adult Patients with Hemophilia: What We Can Do to Reduce Risk of Cardiovascular Events? Implementation of 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol in Patients with Hemophilia

Abstract Introduction Hemophilia A and B are genetic disorders characterized by deficiency of clotting factors resulting in delayed bleeding. Despite hypocoagulable state, patients with hemophilia are prone to developing coronary artery disease or its equivalents. It is known that proper treatment of dyslipidemia has relevant impact of atherosclerotic cardiovascular events reduction. The goal of our study was to determine implementation of newest 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol in our patients with hemophilia and assess how many more patients currently may require lipid-lowering therapy. Methods We performed retrospective chart review of patients followed at single hemophilia treatment center in United States. We included 30 patients with factor VIII or IX deficiency, age 30 and older, followed in clinic between 2005 and 2014 with available lipid profile results. Patients with acquired hemophilia were excluded from study. We used stepwise approach proposed by above guidelines and divided patients into four groups. Results 4 patients among 30 were already on lipid lowering therapy. 1 (3.3%) additional patient [95% CI 0.001-0.17] required lipid lowering therapy due to presence of clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (group 1), 0 patients had LDL-C at least 190 mg/dl (group 2), 2 (6.7%) additional patients [95% CI 0.008-0.21] required therapy due to presence of diabetes mellitus and 40 to 75 year of age and LDL-C levels of 70 to 189 mg/dl (group 3); 9 (30%) additional patients [95% CI 0.17-0.51] should receive therapy due to age 40 to 75 and estimated 10-year ASCVD risk above 7.5%. We had total 12 (40%) additional patients among 30 with known lipid profile who were not on lipid lowering therapy but who require such therapy based on the latest 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol. Conclusion Aggressive cardiovascular risk factor modifications play a significant role in prevention of coronary artery disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. This may be even more relevant in patients with hemophilia who have an increased baseline risk of bleeding and may therefore be at greater risk of complications from anti-thrombotic therapies used for treating cardiovascular disease. Above results suggest that according to actual 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol, a significant number of patients with hemophilia may require lipid lowering therapy. It is important for hemophilia treatment centers to screen their patients with regard to this since many of them may either not have primary care physicians or may not be perceived as having high risk for cardiovascular disease due to their bleeding disorder. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Dare We Speak for the Land Where Wild Horses Roam

A bout 55 years ago some students in my classes helped nance their education by catching wild horses. For some, it was a sport. Others did it for the money. The break between winter and spring quarters was prime time for capturing feral horses—a few days without classes, weather tolerable, wild horses weak and easier to catch near end of winter. DOI: 10.2458/azu_rangelands_v36i5_box
Efficacy of UV light for the reduction of Listeria monocytogenes in goat's milk

Certain types of goat's cheeses are produced using unpasteurized milk, which increases the food safety concerns for these types of products. Popularity and consumption of goat's milk products have increased, and the niche market includes gourmet goat's cheeses. The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations and the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance both address the possibility for processing alternatives to heat treatment, and the use of UV light treatment may be a viable alternative that still ensures the safety of the product. Fresh goat's milk was inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes (L-2289) at 107 CFU/ml and exposed to UV light using the CiderSure 3500 apparatus (FPE Inc., Macedon, NY). Inoculated milk was exposed to a UV dose range between 0 and 20 mJ/cm2 to determine the optimal UV dose. A greater than 5-log reduction was achieved (P < 0.0001) when the milk received a cumulative UV dose of 15.8 ± 1.6 mJ/cm2. The results of this study indicate that UV irradiation could be used for the reduction of L. monocytogenes...
Organocatalytic Phosphonylation of in Situ Formed o-Quinone Methides

A new class of Bronsted acid catalysts based on N-heterocyclic phosphorodiamidic acids (NHPAs) has been developed. The NHPA catalyst promotes phospha-Michael addition reaction of trialkylphosphites to in situ generated ortho-quinone methides (o-QMs) for the construction of diaryl phosphonates in moderate to excellent yields with 1.5 mol % catalyst. Diastereoselective synthesis of P-chiral phosphinate esters is achieved with the use of dialkyl phenylphosphonites.
Neurophysiological aspects of the trigeminal sensory system: an update

The trigeminal system is one of the most complex cranial nerve systems of the human body. Research on it has vastly grown in recent years and concentrated more and more on molecular mechanisms and pathophysiology, but thorough reviews on this topic are lacking, certainly on the normal physiology of the trigeminal sensory system. Here we review the current literature on neurophysiology of the trigeminal nerve from peripheral receptors up to its central projections toward the somatosensory cortex. We focus on the most recent scientific discoveries and describe historical relevant research to substantiate further. One chapter on new insights of the pathophysiology of pain at the level of the trigeminal system is added. A database search of Medline, Embase and Cochrane was conducted with the search terms 'animal study', 'neurophysiology', 'trigeminal', 'oral' and 'sensory'. Articles were manually selected after reading the abstract and where needed the article. Reference lists also served to include relevant research articles. Fifty-six articles were included after critical appraisal. Physiological aspects on mechanoreceptors, trigeminal afferents, trigeminal ganglion and central projections are reviewed in light of reference works. Embryologic and anatomic insights are cited where needed. A brief description of pathophysiology of pain pathways in the trigeminal area and recent advances in dental stem cell research are also discussed. Neurophysiology at the level of the central nervous system is not reviewed. The current body of knowledge is mainly based on animal and cadaveric studies, but recent advancements in functional imaging and molecular neuroscience are elucidating the pathways and functioning of this mixed nerve system. Extrapolation of animal studies or functioning of peripheral nerves should be warranted.
Candida nivariensis Urinary Tract Infection in an Extremely Low-Birth-Weight Neonate

We report on the diagnosis and treatment of a Candida nivariensis urinary tract infection in an extremely low-birth-weight neonate. The isolate was identified by MALDI-TOF technology and is the first known report of C. nivariensis in the neonatal or pediatric population. Treatment was initiated with amphotericin B deoxycholate and later completed with intravenous fluconazole following susceptibility results.
Public history and the food movement: adding the missing ingredient

From the beginning, historic houses, living history farms, historical societies and museums have interpreted food production and processing. Demonstrations most often convey the content to visitors...
Yttrium-90-Ibritumomab Tiuxetan (Zevalin®) Radioimmunotherapy after Cytoreduction with ESHAP Chemotherapy in Patients with Relapsed Follicular Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Final Results of a Phase II Study.

Background: Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is effective in treating relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma (FL), with durable remissions in first-line consolidation. We hypothesized that RIT with ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin®) would result in durable remissions by eliminating minimal residual disease after cytoreduction. Methods: Patients with FL received 2 cycles of ESHAP (etoposide, methylprednisolone, cytarabine, cisplatin) every 28 days, followed by Zevalin 4–6 weeks later if there was no disease progression and bone marrow biopsy showed < 25% involvement. Results: Twenty-eight patients were treated, with a median age of 61 years, median of 3 prior therapies, 49% high-risk disease (Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index, FLIPI), and 39% progressive disease. Three patients did not receive Zevalin due to residual bone marrow involvement. The main toxicities were cytopenias, with 11% febrile neutropenia. The overall response rate (ORR) was 72%, with 45% achieving complete response. With a median follow-up of 73 months, 1-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 38%, and median PFS was 10 months, but median overall survival (OS) was not reached. Conclusion: The study did not reach its primary endpoint of a 1-year PFS of 67.3%. Reasons for this could include low accrual, high-risk disease, and inadequate debulking provided by 2 cycles of ESHAP. However, this protocol was associated with tolerable toxicity, high ORR, and high OS. Further studies would optimize debulking and focus on high-risk FL patients.
Eigenvalue/Eigenfunction Problems

This chapter focuses on eigenvalue/eigenfunction problems applicable to Sturm–Liouville equations. A numerical method for determining the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of a regular Sturm–Liouville problem is obtained. The Sturm–Liouville operator can be well approximated numerically by a simple discretization. This leads to a set of simultaneous equations, which can be represented as a matrix eigenvalue problem. The eigenvalues and eigenvectors of this matrix will approximate the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the Sturm–Liouville problem. The eigenvalues and eigenvectors can be computed by standard numerical techniques. Many other techniques have been used to approximate the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of differential systems. These methods include finite elements, Galerkin methods, invariant embedding, Prufer substitution, shooting and variational methods.
Cytological Characterization of Human Tumor Cells from Monolayer Cultures

Classically, when using the technique of monolayer tissue culture, an investigator describes the cytology of the tumor cells he is studying by referring either to a fixed and stained slide, to a coverslip preparation of the adherent cells or to the phase contrast appearance of these cells while living and attached to either a glass or plastic surface (see the listing of published human tumor cell lines, Chapter 5). The observer is then able to assign certain cytological characteristics to the cells such as epithelioid, spindle cell, fibroblastic, or pleomorphic. Because these cells are attached to glass and have been actively growing, a considerable amount of information can be gathered in terms of growth pattern, such as the degree of contact inhibition, piling up, colony formation, cohesiveness, and focus formation, all of which may be useful in distinguishing neoplastic from benign cells.
INACTIVATION OF HUMAN ALDEHYDE DEHYDROGENASE BY ISOSORBIDE DINITRATE

Isosorbide dinitrate inactivated E1 and E2 isozymes of human aldehyde dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.3), abolishing both dehydrogenase and esterase activities. NAD promoted, whereas chloral and NAD protected the enzyme from inactivation. The inactivation was irreversible upon dialysis and occurred without incorporation of the 14C-labeled isosorbide dinitrate. Inactivation was associated with formation of products, isosorbide-2-mononitrate and isosorbide-5-mononitrate. At 25 degrees C there were two pathways of product formation: a fast pathway, sensitive to aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitors, and a slower pathway insensitive to inhibitors. The fast product formation and inactivation occurred simultaneously, and both were inhibited by chloral and by the irreversible active site-directed inhibitor bromoacetophenone. At 0 degree C the slow product formation was abolished, allowing study of the enzyme catalyzed reaction. The inactivation of the E1 isozyme at 0 degree C occurred in a single turnover that accounted for 80% of catalytic activity loss with isosorbide-2-mononitrate being the major product. No nitrate was ever detected; at 25 degrees C, nitrite was detected but in less than stoichiometric amounts. The mononitrates were also substrates and inactivators of aldehyde dehydrogenase. Isosorbide-2-mononitrate had the lowest K(i) and k3 values for the E1 isozyme when compared with that of the other two nitrate esters of isosorbide. Reversibility of inactivation by 2-mercaptoethanol suggested involvement of enzyme sulfhydryls. The inactivation appears to be mechanism-based and involves the esterase function of aldehyde dehydrogenase.
Stock Trend Extraction via Matrix Factorization

A diversified stock portfolio can reduce investment losses in the stock market. Matrix factorization is applied to extract underlying trends and group stocks into families based on their association with these trends. A variant of nonnegative matrix factorization SSMF is derived after incorporating sum-to-one and smoothness constraints. Two numeric measures are introduced for an evaluation of the trend extraction. Experimental analysis of historical prices of US blue chip stocks shows that SSMF generates more disjointed trends than agglomerative clustering and the sum-to-one constraint influences trend deviation more significantly than the smoothness constraint. The knowledge gained from the factorization can contribute to our understanding of stock properties as well as asset allocations in portfolio construction.