cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Quantitative Postmortem MRI Design Sensitive to White Matter Hyperintensity Differences and Their Relationship With Underlying Pathology

White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) associate with both cognitive slowing and motor dysfunction in the neurologically normal elderly. A full understanding of the pathology underlying this clinicoradiologic finding is currently lacking in autopsy-confirmed normal brains. To determine the histopathologic basis of WMH seen on magnetic resonance imaging, we studied the relationship between postmortem fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) intensity and neuropathologic markers of WM lesions (WMLs) that correspond to WMH in cognitively normal aging brains. Samples of periventricular (n = 24), subcortical (n = 26), and normal-appearing WM (NAWM, n = 31) from 4clinically and pathologically confirmed normal cases were examined. The FLAIR intensity, vacuolation, and myelin basic protein immunoreactivity loss were significantly higher in periventricular WML versus subcortical WML; both were higher than in NAWM. The subcortical WML and NAWM had significantly less axonal loss, astrocytic burden, microglial density, and oligodendrocyte loss than those of the periventricular WML. Thus, vacuolation, myelin density, and small vessel density contribute to the rarefaction of WM, whereas axonal density, oligodendrocyte density, astroglial burden, and microglial density did not. These data suggest that the age-related loss of myelin basic protein and the decrease in small vessel density may contribute to vacuolation of WM. Vacuolation enables interstitial fluid to accumulate, which contributes to the prolonged T2 relaxation and elevated FLAIR intensity in the WM.
Second harmonic generation microscopy: principles and applications to disease diagnosis

In this review, the authors discuss the underlying principles of SHG and specific factors that affect the generation properties and describe the essential components of a SHG instrument. In addition, results on the recent progress and impact SHG microscopy has made in different areas of biology and medicine are presented. In particular, the authors focus on disease diagnosis and basic research associated with connected tissues, musculo-skeletal disorders, and epithelial cancers. The presentation is concluded by offering a perspective on the future technical development of SHG microscopy and additional forefronts to be addressed.
Photoionization of vibrationally excited molecular hydrogen

Cross sections for the photoionization of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}(X^{1}\ensuremath{\Sigma}_{g}^{+}, {v}_{i})$ in vibrational levels ${v}_{i}=0\ensuremath{-}14$ are determined for a range of photon energies by a two-center treatment in which the derived electronic matrix elements are averaged over the initial and final vibrational states of the molecule and the molecular ion. Very good agreement with available measurements for ${v}_{i}=0$ is obtained. Cross sections for the full Franck-Condon array of accessible transitions ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}({v}_{i})\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{+}({v}_{f})$ are also presented. In the energy range considered, when the $2p{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{u}$ dissociative state of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{+}$ is inaccessible, substantial contributions (up to 50% for ${v}_{i}=6\ensuremath{-}10$) to the photoionization originate from ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ atomic ions which are formed via transitions to the vibrational continuum associated with the $1s{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{g}$ state of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{+}$. Single-center and fixed-nuclei approximations which permit great simplification to the present treatment are also fully investigated.
Diazoxide restores β3-adrenergic receptor function in diet-induced obesity and diabetes.

We previously demonstrated that the expression and function of the adipocyte-specific β3-adrenergic receptor (β3AR) are significantly depressed in single gene and diet-induced rodent models of obesity. Furthermore, these models are relatively unresponsive to the antiobesity effects ofβ 3AR agonists. Because all of these models are hyperinsulinemic, we hypothesized that hyperinsulinemia could be responsible for this abnormality in β3AR function. The goal of this study was to determine whether lowering insulin with the K-ATP channel agonist, diazoxide (Dz) would reverse the depressed expression and function of the β3AR found in a model of diet-induced diabetes and obesity in C57BL/6J (B6) mice. B6 male mice were placed on either high fat (HF) or low fat experimental diets. After 4 weeks, HF-fed mice were assigned to a group: HF or HF containing disodium (R,R)-5-[2-([2-(3-chlorophenyl)-2-hydroxyethyl]-amino]propyl-1,3-benzodioxole-2,2-dicarboxylate (CL; 0.001%, wt/wt), Dz (0.32%, wt/wt), or their combination...
Requirement of the light-harvesting pigment · protein complex for magnesium ion regulation of excitation energy distribution in chloroplasts

Cation regulation of excitation energy distribution was examined in chloroplasts isolated from (a) pea seedlings, grown in intermittent illumination, which contain no light-harvesting complex, (b) a barley mutant which is deficient in the major polypeptide component of the light-harvesting complex, and (c) a soybean mutant which contains a reduced amount of light-harvesting complex. It was found that: 1. (1) Mg2+-induced increase in Photosystem II fluorescence at room temperature is small in the chloroplasts of the soybean mutant, smaller in the barley mutant, and almost absent in the light-harvesting complex-less chloroplasts of pea as compared to their respective controls. 2. (2) Mg2+-induced increase in the F685F730 emission peak ratio at 77 K is not detected in the isolated chloroplasts of the intermittent light-grown pea and the barley mutant. 3. (3) Pre-illumination induced State 1-State 2 adaptation in vivo is absent in the barley mutant and is less pronounced in the soybean mutant as compared to their respective controls. 4. (4) Increase of slow fluorescence decay upon addition of Mg2+ observed in control chloroplasts was not detected in chloroplasts of intermittent-light grown peas. These results confirm earlier conclusions (Armond, P.A., Arntzen, C.J., Briantais, J.-M. and Vernotte, C. (1976) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 175, 54–63; Davis, D.J., Armond, P.A., Gross, E.L. and Arntzen, C.J. (1976) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 175, 64–70) that light-harvesting complex is required for the Mg2+-induced regulation of the excitation energy distribution between Photosystems I and II. The characteristic P-S decay and I-D dip of the in vivo fluorescence inductions (Kautsky effect) were not significantly altered in the light-harvesting complex-less and the light-harvesting complex-deficient chloroplasts as compared to their respective controls. These results indicate that light-harvesting complex is not obligatorily required to observe the P-S decay or the I-D dip.
PMR‐15/carbon fiber composites produced from powder‐coated towpreg

An addition-type thermosetting polyimide, PMR-15, has a relatively high glass-transition temperature, T g , of approximately 340°C and attractive high-temperature composite mechanical properties after postcuring. PMR-15 prepreg is typically produced by pulling carbon fibers through a methanol solution that contains the PMR-15 monomers. One of the monomers, methylene dianiline, is highly toxic, thereby making the solution-coating technique undesirable. To alleviate the toxicity problem in the prepregging step, preimidized PMR-15 is now available in powder form, and this material can be used to produce towpreg using a powder-coating method. The powder-coating method that has been used in this work involves the use of an aqueous foam as a carrier medium to continuously deposit the PMR-15 powder onto carbon fibers. The powder is slurried in a surfactant solution into which nitrogen is dispersed using a foam-generating device. A predetermined amount of this foam is then applied to a moving carbon fiber low. The foam is collapsed and the powder fused to the fiber in a set of tubular ovens. The powder appeared to be particularly sensitive to the heat treatment, but towpreg was produced and composites were consolidated successfully. The mechanical properties of the composites formed from powder-coated towpreg compare favorably with the properties of composites fabricated from prepreg that was drum wound from a methanol solution.
Locomotion of lizards on inclines and perches: hindlimb kinematics of an arboreal specialist and a terrestrial generalist

SUMMARY Arboreal animals, especially lizards, often traverse three-dimensional networks of narrow perches with variable and steep inclines, but the effects of both incline and narrow surfaces on the locomotor movement and function of limbs are poorly understood. Thus, we quantified the three-dimensional hindlimb kinematics of a specialized arboreal lizard, Chamaeleo calyptratus , moving horizontally, and up and down a 30° incline on a narrow (2.4 cm) perch and a flat surface. We compared the flat-surface data of C. calyptratus with those of an anatomically generalized terrestrial lizard, Dipsosaurus dorsalis . Inclines had significant main effects for relatively few kinematic variables of C. calyptratus (11%) compared to D. dorsalis (73%). For C. calyptratus , the main effects of locomotor surface were nearly three times more widespread than those of incline. The foot of C. calyptratus was markedly anterior to the hip at footfall, primarily as a result of an unusually extended knee for a lizard. A large amount of knee flexion during early stance may be used by C. calyptratus to actively pull the body forward in a manner not found in D. dorsalis . Unexpectedly, the pelvic rotation of C. calyptratus greatly exceeded that of D. dorsalis and, unlike D. dorsalis , was not affected by incline. The more medial location of the foot of C. calyptratus on the narrow perch during stance was primarily a result of knee flexion rather than femur depression. Unlike previous qualitative descriptions of chameleons, our data for the hindlimb posture of C. calyptratus during stance indicate that the limb was not particularly erect.
Some considerations in the preparation of raioiodoinsulin for radioimmunoassay and receptor assay.

125 I-insulins, prepared by iodination with chloramine T in marked excess or by stepwise, stoichiometric addition of the oxidizing agent, were compared with respect both to their molecular distribution of iodine and to their suitability for use in a cultured lymphocyte receptor assay. Iodination of insulin in aqueous solution results in the same distribution of iodine atoms, independent of experimental method and dependent only on the average iodine number. This distribution can be calculated on the basis of a Monte Carlo simulation, For insulin iodinated at an average of 0.8 I atoms per molecule, approximately 50 per cent of the radioactivity is in other than monoiodoninsulin. Purification methods that separate on the basis of charge, such as starch-gel electrophoresis, are then required, to obtain monoiodoinsulin. More highly iodinated insulin do bind to the lymphocyte receptor, although, as in radioimmunoassay, the overiodinated species are less satisfactory for use as tracers. The shelf life of iodinated insulin appears to be related better to the average iodine content than to any other factor, presumably because of decay catastrophe. There is no evidence to suggest that exposure to chloramine T in marked excess for a few seconds is deleterious to insulin.
Crystal structure of the CCAAT box/enhancer-binding protein beta activating transcription factor-4 basic leucine zipper heterodimer in the absence of DNA.

Abstract The crystal structure of the heterodimer formed by the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) domains of activating transcription factor-4 (ATF4) and CCAAT box/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ), from two different bZIP transcription factor families, has been determined and refined to 2.6 A. The structure shows that the heterodimer forms an asymmetric coiled-coil. Even in the absence of DNA, the basic region of ATF4 forms a continuous α-helix, but the basic region of C/EBPβ is disordered. Proteolysis, electrophoretic mobility shift assay, circular dichroism, and NMR analyses indicated that (i) the bZIP domain of ATF4 is a disordered monomer and forms a homodimer upon binding to the DNA target; (ii) the bZIP domain of ATF4 forms a heterodimer with the bZIP domain of C/EBPβ that binds the cAMP response element, but not CCAAT box DNA, with high affinity; and (iii) the basic region of ATF4 has a higher α-helical propensity than that of C/EBPβ. These results suggest that the degree of ordering of the basic region and the fork and the dimerization properties of the leucine zipper combine to distinguish the structurally similar bZIP domains of ATF4 and C/EBPβ with respect to DNA target sequence. This study provides insight into the mechanism by which dimeric bZIP transcription factors discriminate between closely related but distinct DNA targets.
Structure-activity studies with car☐y- and amino-terminal fragments of neurotensin on hypothalamic neurons in vitro

The purpose of this study was to determine the structural requirements for the activity of neurotensin (NT1–13) on preoptic/anterior hypothalamic (POAH) neurons in vitro. Standard explant culture electrophysiological techniques were employed. NT was administered to POAH cultures through the superfusion fluid, or, to the vicinity of individual neurons by pressure ejection (0.5–10 psi) from micropipettes. Computer-generated, peri-event histograms were used to quantitate neuronal responses. Pressure ejection of NT1–13 (50 pM to 1 μM) consistently produced an excitatory effect on 30 of 42 neurons. The reamaining cells were either inhibited or unaffected. Application of the C-terminal hexapeptide, NT8–13, but not the N-terminal octapeptide, NT1–8 (</1 mM), produced an excitatory response in 21 of 30 neurons, but was less potent than NT1–13. Application of an N-acetylated NT8–13 fragment (NTAC8–13) produced a response that was similar to that produced by NT8–13. The excitatory effects of NT1–13 were maintained in medium which effectively blocked synaptic transmission (0 mM Ca2+/12 mM Mg2+ 1 mM EGTA). These data indicate that the C-terminal hexapeptide, but not the N-terminal octapeptide, produces a dose-related, excitatory effect on single neurons in the POAH in vitro. The persistence of these effects in Ca2+-free medium supports a postsynaptic site of action for these peptides.
SQUARE PATTERNS AND QUASIPATTERNS IN WEAKLY DAMPED FARADAY WAVES

Pattern formation in parametric surface waves is studied in the limit of weak viscous dissipation. A set of quasipotential equations (QPEs) is introduced that admits a closed representation in terms of surface variables alone. A multiscale expansion of the QPEs reveals the importance of triad resonant interactions, and the saturating effect of the driving force leading to a gradient amplitude equation. Minimization of the associated Lyapunov function yields standing wave patterns of square symmetry for capillary waves, and hexagonal patterns and a sequence of quasipatterns for mixed capillary-gravity waves. Numerical integration of the QPEs reveals a quasipattern of eightfold symmetry in the range of parameters predicted by the multiscale expansion. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
How well do Ambulatory Care Groups predict expenditures on mental health and substance abuse patients

This paper evaluates the ability of Ambulatory Care Groups (ACGs) to prospectively predict mental health and substance abuse expenditures and total health care expenditures of persons enrolled in the New Hampshire Medicaid Program during fiscal years 1993 and 1994. A series of multi-part models is estimated separately for adults and children and a synthetic R-squared and the mean absolute predictive error are calculated. The results show that with the exception of predicting total expenditures for children, ACGs do not perform as well as simple models containing various demographic and prior mental health/substance abuse utilization measures.
The Effect of Topical Vasodilating Agents on Microvascular Vessel Diameter in the Rat Model

Topical vasodilating agents maximize blood flow and prevent vasospasm in microvascular tissue-transfer procedures. Two commonly used agents are papaverine and lidocaine. Although these drugs have vasodilating properties, no studies have directly compared their vasodilating abilities in a controlled, in vivo model. We used videomicroscopy and direct microscopic measurements to compare the vasodilating capacity of papaverine, 1% lidocaine, and saline solution in the femoral artery of Sprague-Dawley rats. Degree of maximum dilation, ability to sustain dilation, average dilation over a 10-minute period, and time to achieve maximum dilation were considered. Both papaverine and lidocaine were found to be superior to saline solution as vasodilating agents. Papaverine was found to sustain vasodilation longer than lidocaine, suggesting that it is a superior vasodilating agent in microvascular anastomoses.
A measure of photon penetration into tissue in diffusion models

In application of laser-based techniques to estimate optical parameters of tissue it is necessary to know the parts of the tissue that have been sampled by the photons. Towards this end it is desirable to define an average depth of a photon trajectory. This has been done earlier for lattice random walk models of photon trajectories where one simply counts the number of visits to a given set of sites. Here we calculate the equivalent quantity in the diffusion picture by equating the average depth of penetration to the local time of a diffusion process. We show that for a semi-infinite medium bounded by a plane the average depth probed by a photon trajectory in a continuous-wave (cw) experiment has the same functional form as that calculated from a random walk model. The local time, or average depth is shown to take a very simple form in the case of a time-gated experiment. We extend our results to the cw transillumination experiment.
On the Divergence of Lagrange Interpolation to

It is a classical result of Bernstein that the sequence of Lagrange interpolation polynomials to |x| at equally spaced nodes in ?1, 1 diverges everywhere, except at zero and the end-points. In the present paper we show that the case of equally spaced nodes is not an exceptional one in this sense. Namely, we prove that the divergence everywhere in 0 < |x| < 1 of the Lagrange interpolation to |x| takes place for a broad family of nodes, including in particular the Newman nodes, which are known to be very efficient for rational interpolation.
Neonatal aerosol exposure to Bermuda grass allergen prevents subsequent induction of experimental allergic feline asthma: evidence for establishing early immunologic tolerance.

Allergic asthma is increasing in industrialized countries, especially in children. Rodent and human studies suggest an opportunity to “prevent” asthma in the perinatal period. The aims of this study were to create a more “natural” model of feline asthma by exposing offspring of asthmatic queens to Bermuda grass allergen (BGA) by inhalation only, and to investigate maternal–fetal–infant interactions in the development of asthma. Kittens from asthmatic queens were divided into four groups: maternal exposure to aerosolized BGA during the third trimester, neonatal exposure to aerosolized BGA in the first three months of life, both maternal and neonatal exposure, or saline control. Kittens failing to achieve an asthmatic phenotype based on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) analysis by 6 months underwent traditional sensitization: adjuvanted allergen injection, intranasal allergen, and aerosol challenges. BALF was collected at 3, 4 and 6 months, and after sensitization at 8 months, and analyzed for eosinophil counts and BGA-specific IgG and IgA. Intradermal testing (IDT) was performed at 6 and 7 months. At six months none of the kittens had airway eosinophilia, BGA-specific IgG or IgA, and were non-responsive to IDT. After sensitization, kittens receiving neonatal aerosolization failed to develop airway eosinophilia as seen in the controls. Kittens exposed to BGA aerosols, either in-utero or neonatally, continued to lack IDT response. Chronic exposure to BGA aerosols failed to induce asthma in kittens, and instead tolerized the kittens to BGA. This is the first evidence that neonatal intervention could potentially “prevent” allergic asthma in cats.
Magnetic rotatory power of liquid polymers

The Verdet constants of nine polyethylene glycols, three polypropylene glycols, and nine silicone polymers have been measured at 25°C. It was found that the Verdet constant increases with increase in molecular weight in each of the series, and approaches a constant value. A similar increase in the molecular magnetic rotation was noted. The results are in contrast with those on polystyrene, and the effect of end groups on the measurements is discussed in explanation.
Nitrous oxide in gas-phase ion-molecule chemistry: a versatile reagent for the determination of carbanion structure

Nitrous oxide has been found to undergo a wide variety of reactions with anions in the gas phase. The products of these reactions are highly characteristic of the ion's structure and, therefore, this reagent (N/sub 2/O) is especially useful in distinguishing between different types of ions. In general, primary carbanions react to produce diazo anions as the major products, secondary carbanions dehydrogenate, and tertiary carbanions afford adducts, oxygen atom transfer, and cleavage products. However, novel reaction channels can be brought about by modifying the reactant ion's structures. For example, deprotonation of methylene cyclopropane produces a strained allylic anion which reacts with N/sub 2/O to afford cyanide and the 2-nitrosoallyl anion, while removal of a proton from furan, which has a good ..cap alpha..-leaving group, generates the nitrogen atom transfer product, 3-cyanoacrolein radical anion, upon reaction with N/sub 2/O. It was observed that proton abstraction from cyclopentene, cyclohexene, and internal olefins without allylic methyl groups does not afford M - 1 ions in the flowing afterglow.
Problems in the study of the nervous system

This paper is a survey of the main experimental and theoretical difficulties encountered in the study of the nervous system. These difficulties are illustrated by examples of the uncertainties still existing in knowledge of the behavior of neurons, both individually and in groups, and in the interpretation of experimental observations. Concepts of the reduction of data from electrophysiological experiments are discussed and compared with those in physical experiments.
Relapsing Legionella pneumophila cellulitis: a case report and review of the literature

Legionella spp. rarely cause soft tissue infections, with only a few cases reported and usually in the setting of immunocompromise. We report a case of L. pneumophila cellulitis, without pneumonia, in a 65-year-old immunocompromised woman. The patient had a history of interstitial lung disease and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, for which she was receiving high-dose corticosteroids, and had recently experienced an episode of L. pneumophila cellulitis of the lower extremity, which responded to an extended course of levofloxacin. She was initially transferred to this institution for definitive workup of presumed B cell lymphoma and, during her hospital course, suffered a relapse of L. pneumophila-associated cellulitis that responded promptly to azithromycin. More unusual organisms such as Legionella spp. should be considered in the etiology of cellulitis, particularly in the setting of immunocompromise, in cases that are refractory to conventional antibiotics routinely administered for skin and soft tissue infections.
Does the effectiveness of bicalutamide in reducing the risk of prostate cancer progression vary with lymph node status

Does the effectiveness of bicalutamide in reducing the risk of prostate cancer progression vary with lymph node status?
Studies on the formation of carnosine and anserine in pectoral muscle of the developing chick

Abstract Changes in the concentrations of carnosine and anserine and the development of the β-alanyl peptide-synthesizing enzymes in pectoral muscle of the posthatched chick have been investigated. The concentration of the β-alanyl peptides in pectoral muscle of the developing chick increases markedly during 21 days after hatching. Carnosine increases from 0.25 μmole/gm fresh muscle at 24 hours to 9.7 μmoles at 21 days. Anserine, with a concentration of 0.4 μmole/gm fresh muscle at 24 hours, reaches a level of 17 μmoles at 21 days. l -Histidine-2-(ring)- 14 C was utilized for the in vivo formation of carnosine and anserine in the chick. The rate of incorporation of 14 C into the carnosine in pectoral muscle of 2-, 6-, and 15-day-old chicks is indicative of a synthesis of peptide from precursor histidine which is influenced by the stage of development of the pectoral muscle. The activities of carnosine- N -methyltransferase and carnosine synthetase were investigated in the developing chick, and their activity patterns were found to differ. Carnosine N -methyltransferase reaches a maximum specific activity at 6 days and declines to about 55% of maximum activity at 15 days. At 21 days, activity is 36% of peak levels. Carnosine synthetase shows a 50-fold increase in activity between 2 and 15 days, with some evidence for a decline in activity subsequent to 21 days. The development of carnosine N -methyltransferase is inhibited by puromycin and actinomycin D, consistent with a de novo synthesis of the enzyme.
The role of intermittence in PTS.

Exposure of chinchillas to noise that is continuous results in auditory damage that is a function of the total energy of the exposure, provided that a critical exposure is not exceeded. Breaking a continuous exposure into 45 exposure periods given once a day Monday through Friday for 9 weeks (an interrupted exposure) is shown to result in a slight reduction in damage, but breaking each of the 45 daily exposures into short noise bursts presented at regular intervals (interrupted and intermittent exposures) reduces the damage more significantly. The shorter the noise bursts, the greater will be the reduction in damage. Too few data are available to establish a principle that will predict correctly the amount of reduction afforded by a particular temporal pattern; while the ‘‘equal energy’’ principle predicts no reduction at all, the ‘‘mean level’’ principle derived from studies of temporary threshold shifts (e.g., a noise at 80 dB half the time and at 100 dB half the time has a mean level of 90 dB and will have the same effect as a continuous 90‐dB noise) predicts too much reduction.
Thermoelectric power due to electronic hopping motion

A theory of the thermoelectric power associated with electronic phonon-assisted tunneling (hopping) motion between inequivalent sites has been developed. The general results have been applied to some prototype situations characteristic of hopping in disordered solids. (auth)
A compiler framework for optimization of affine loop nests for gpgpus

GPUs are a class of specialized parallel architectures with tremendous computational power. The new Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) programming model from NVIDIA facilitates programming of general purpose applications on their GPUs. However, manual development of high-performance parallel code for GPUs is still very challenging. In this paper, a number of issues are addressed towards the goal of developing a compiler framework for automatic parallelization and performance optimization of affine loop nests on GPGPUs: 1) approach to program transformation for efficient data access from GPU global memory, using a polyhedral compiler model of data dependence abstraction and program transformation; 2) determination of optimal padding factors for conflict-minimal data access from GPU shared memory; and 3) model-driven empirical search to determine optimal parameters for unrolling and tiling. Experimental results on a number of kernels demonstrate the effectiveness of the compiler optimization approaches developed.
Patient–Physician Communication in the Primary Care Visits of African Americans and Whites with Depression

Background Little research investigates the role of patient–physician communication in understanding racial disparities in depression treatment.
522 NEONATAL AUTOPSY; AN INVESTMENT WITH A HIGH RATE OF RETURN

The value of the autopsy in clinical medicine continues to be debated. While autopsy studies in adults have documented rates of 10-20% for missed or erroneous diagnoses, similar studies in neonates are lacking. In order to understand how frequently the neonatal autopsy provides useful information a study of all deaths in a level III NICU over a three-year period was carried out. Tabulation of confirmed diagnoses and clinically acttve problems at the time of death was done retrospectively for the ftrst two years and prospectively for the third year. These diagnoses were compared with the final anatomic diagnoses obtained from the autopsy report. Over the three-year period there were 112 deaths with autopsies performed in 73 cases (65%), A total of 38 significant findings, defined as conditions which were suspected, but unconfirmed (16) unsuspected (18) or erroneous diagnoses, (4) were noted in a total of 29 patients (29/73, 40%). These Included; congenital anomalies (13), infections (11), iatrogenic complications (5), and others (9). These findings were not confined to any particular birth weight group nor did age at death ( 28 days) influence the likelihood of significant findings. This high rate of return more than justifies a continued high rate of neonatal autopsy.
Nonoperative Management Outcomes of Isolated Urinary Extravasation Following Renal Lacerations Due to External Trauma

Purpose: Urinary extravasation is a common finding in grade 4 and 5 renal injuries. To date there has been little written about the natural course of urinary extravasation following renal trauma. We reviewed data on the outcomes of urinary extravasation in the traumatized kidney when managed nonoperatively.Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of the prospectively entered urological trauma database from San Francisco General Hospital was performed from 1979 to 2005. All patients with urinary extravasation after sustaining traumatic injury to the kidney as seen on computerized tomography were included in analysis.Results: A total of 61 patients with urinary extravasation were identified. Of these patients 27 (44%) were treated operatively (26 of 27 underwent immediate and 1 of 27 underwent delayed open surgery). All (100%) operatively treated patients underwent renal exploration and repair at primary surgical management of associated abdominal and/or vascular injuries. Open surgical exploration res...
Trophic actions of transforming growth factor α on mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons developing in culture

Abstract Transforming growth factor α messenger RNA and protein levels are highest in the striatum, the target area of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra, suggesting a role as a target-derived neurotrophic factor for these cells. To test this hypothesis, we characterized the actions of transforming growth factor α on fetal rat dopaminergic neurons in culture. Transforming growth factor α promoted dopamine uptake in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Administration of transforming growth factor α at the time of plating for 2 h produced a significant increase in dopamine uptake after five days of growth in vitro . As cultures aged they became less responsive to transforming growth factor α, such that longer times of exposure were required to elicit a similar, but weaker, response. Dopaminergic cell survival was selectively promoted by transforming growth factor α, since there was an increase in the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunostained cells without a parallel increase in the total number of neuron-specific enolase-immunopositive cells. Neurite length, branch number and soma area of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunopositive cells also were enhanced by transforming growth factor α treatment. Increases in each of the dopaminergic parameters due to transforming growth factor α were accompanied by a rise in glial cell number, making it possible that these effects were mediated by this cell population. The neurotrophin antagonist, K252b, failed to inhibit the transforming growth factor α-induced increase in dopamine uptake, indicating that transforming growth factor α's effects were not mediated by neurotrophin mechanisms. The actions of transforming growth factor α on the differentiation of dopaminergic neurons only partially overlapped with those of epidermal growth factor. Thus, while transforming growth factor α and epidermal growth factor are believed to share the same receptor they differentially affect dopaminergic cell development in vitro . These results indicate that transforming growth factor α is a trophic factor for mesencephalic cells in culture and suggests that transforming growth factor α plays a physiological role in the development of these cells in vivo .
Gated electron transfer as a probe of the configurational dynamics of peptide-protein complexes

Gated electron-transfer measurements are used to probe the configurational dynamics of complexes formed between small metallopeptides and cytochrome c. The results show that that an apparently subtle chemical alteration of the metallopeptide produces significant changes to the dynamics of the peptide-protein complex.
Identification of the Linker-SH2 Domain of STAT as the Origin of the SH2 Domain Using Two-dimensional Structural Alignment

The availability of large volumes of genomic sequences presents an unprecedented proteomic challenge to characterize the structure and function of various protein motifs. Primary structural alignment is often unable to accurately identify a given motif due to sequence divergence; however, with the aid of secondary structural prediction for analysis, it becomes feasible to explore protein motifs on a proteome-wide scale. Here we report the use of secondary structural alignment to characterize the Src homology 2 (SH2) domains of both conventional and divergent sequences and divide them into two groups, Src-type and STAT-type. In addition to the basic "alphabetabetabetaalpha" structure (betaBeta), the Src-type SH2 domain contains an extra beta-strand (betaE or betaE-betaF motif). Alternatively, the linker domain-conjugated SH2 domain in STAT contains the alphaB' motif. Combining BLAST data from betaBeta core motif sequences with predicted secondary structural alignment, we have screened for SH2 domains in various eukaryotic model systems including Arabidopsis, Dictyostelium, and Saccharomyces. Two novel genes carrying the linker-SH2 domain of STAT were discovered and subsequently cloned from Arabidopsis. These genes, designated as STAT-type linker-SH2 domain factors (STATL), are found in a wide array of vascular and nonvascular plants, suggesting that the linker-SH2 domain evolved prior to the divergence of plants and animals. Using this approach, we expanded the number of putative SH2 domain-bearing genes in Dictyostelium and comparatively studied the secondary structural profiles of both typical and atypical SH2 domains. Our results indicate that the linker-SH2 domain of the transcription factor STAT is one of the most ancient and fully developed functional domains, serving as a template for the continuing evolution of the SH2 domain essential for phosphotyrosine signal transduction.
SQsim: a simulator for imprecise ODE models

Abstract This article describes a method for representing and simulating ordinary differential equation (ODE) systems which are imprecise — that is, where the ODE model contains both parametric and functional uncertainty. Such models, while useful in engineering tasks such as design and hazard analysis, are not used in practice because they require either special structures which limit the describable uncertainty or produce predictions which are extremely weak. This article describes SQ sim (for SemiQuantitative SIMulator), a system which provides a general language for representing and reasoning about many common forms of engineering uncertainty. By defining the model both qualitatively and quantitatively and by using a simulation method that combines inferences across the qualitative-to-quantitative spectrum, SQ sim produces predictions that maintain a precision consistent with the model imprecision.
In Vitro Activities of Investigational Triazoles against Fusarium Species: Effects of Inoculum Size and Incubation Time on Broth Microdilution Susceptibility Test Results

We studied the effects of inoculum size and incubation time on the susceptibility testing results for various antifungal agents against 22 Fusarium isolates by the NCCLS microdilution method. Increased inoculum size and extended incubation time resulted in elevated MICs. Posaconazole and voriconazole exhibited promising antifungal activities.
The Relation between Abuse and Violent Delinquency: The Conversion of Shame to Blame in Juvenile Offenders.

OBJECTIVE: While the relationship between abusive parenting and violent delinquency has been well established, the cognitive and emotional processes by which this occurs remain relatively unidentified. The objective of this work is to apply a conceptual model linking abusive parenting to the conversion of shame into blaming others and therefore to violent delinquency. METHODS: A retrospective study of 112 adolescents (90 male; 22 female; ages 12-19 years; M=15.6; SD=1.4) who were incarcerated in a juvenile detention facility pending criminal charges, completed measures of exposure to abusive and nonabusive discipline, expressed and converted shame, and violent delinquency. RESULTS: Findings tend to confirm the conceptual model. Subjects who converted shame (i.e., low expressed shame, high blaming others) tended to have more exposure to abusive parenting and showed more violent delinquent behavior than their peers who showed expressed shame. Subjects who showed expressed shame (i.e., high expressed shame, low blaming others) showed less violent delinquency than those who showed converted shame. CONCLUSIONS: Abusive parenting impacts delinquency directly and indirectly through the effects of shame that is converted. Abusive parenting leads to the conversion of shame to blaming others, which in turn leads to violent delinquent behavior. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: For juvenile offenders, the conversion of shame into blaming others appears to contribute to pathological outcomes in relation to trauma. Translation of this work into clinical practice is recommended. Language: en
Tenofovir alafenamide: an effective option for HIV treatment with reduced risk

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate has rapidly become an integral part of HIV antiretroviral regimens throughout the world. The advancement of increasingly effective therapeutics has led to a new frontier in HIV treatment, notably the search for options that retain high potency but improved tolerability and long-term safety profiles. Tenofovir alafenamide is a new investigational prodrug developed by Gilead Sciences, Inc. Tenofovir alafenamide has enhanced tissue distribution, specifically into lymphoid tissue, providing increased delivery of active drug to the target site of viral replication. This property may enhance drug activity and allow for a lower required oral administered dose, lower plasma drug levels and reduced adverse effects on the kidney and bone.
An evaluation of the Xilinx Virtex-4 FPGA for on-board processing in an advanced imaging system

The multi-angle spectro-polarimetric imager (MSPI) is an advanced camera system currently under development at JPL for possible future consideration on a satellite based Aerosol-Cloud-Environment (ACE) interaction study as outlined in the National Academies 2007 decadal survey. In an attempt to achieve necessary accuracy of the degree of linear polarization of better than 0.5%, the light in the optical system is subjected to a complex modulation designed to make the overall system robust against many instrumental artifacts that have plagued such measurements in the past. This scheme involves two photoelastic modulators that are beating in a carefully selected pattern against each other [1]. In order to properly sample this modulation pattern, each of the proposed nine cameras in the system needs to read out its imager array about 1000 times per second, resulting in two orders of magnitude more data than can typically be downlinked from the satellite. The onboard processing required to compress this data involves least-squares fits of Bessel functions to data from every pixel, effectively in real-time, thus requiring an on-board computing system with advanced data processing capabilities in excess of those commonly available for space flight
Dynamic circuit restructuring for hierarchical waveform relaxation

A dynamic restructuring method for hierarchical-waveform-relaxation-based circuit analysis is presented. The proposed algorithm is used to dynamically repartition and relevelize the circuit structure during the simulation run in order to achieve faster convergence of the nodal voltage waveforms. Results obtained from analysis of strongly coupled circuits show a factor of 5-10 times speed improvement over flat waveform relaxation (WR)-based circuit simulation and a factor of 2-4 improvement over the static hierarchical WR technique. >
Shrinkage of the Heart in Anesthetized, Thoracotomized Dogs

Changes in heart size have been studied by means of intraventricular gages, serial roentgenography and cinefluorographic angiocardiography. Evidence is presented that the area of the cardiac silhouette and the area and diameter of the left ventricle all diminish in response to thoracotomy and during recovery return toward the pre-operative dimensions. Since fundamental concepts of cardiac function and control are based largely on investigation of exposed hearts, these concepts must be re-examined in intact, unanesthetized animals and man.
Rethinking the Relationship Between Social/Nonprofit Marketing and Commercial Marketing

Abstract Despite the long history and increasing interest in nonprofit and social marketing, the managerial and pedagogical issues that arise in these noncommercial contexts are treated as unique cases in an intellectual environment dominated by commercial issues and applications. Its literature and basic textbooks allot only a few paragraphs or pages to nonprofit and social marketing. This essay posits the radical idea that this implicit taxonomy has the relationship upside down. The author argues that nonprofit and social marketing represent the most complex and difficult contexts in which marketing activities are carried out and that the appropriate classification of commercial applications is (only) one simplified variety of this complexity, principally the sales of products and services.
Autonomous control of human-robot spacing: a socially situated approach

To enable socially situated human-robot interaction, a robot must both understand and control proxemics, the social use of space, to employ communication mechanisms analogous to those used by humans. In this work, we investigate speech and gesture production and recognition as a function of social agent spacing during both human-human and human-robot interactions. These models were used to implement an autonomous proxemic robot controller. The controller utilizes a sampling-based method, wherein each sample represents inter-agent pose, as well as agent speech and gesture production and recognition estimates; a particle filter uses these estimates to maximize the performance of both the robot and the human during the interaction. This functional approach yields pose, speech, and gesture estimates consistent with related literature. This work contributes to the understanding of the underlying pre-cultural processes that govern proxemic behavior, and has implications for robust proxemic controllers for robots in complex interactions and environments.
A cross-layer optimized error recovery mechanism for real-time video in ad-hoc networks

The increase in the bandwidth of wireless channels and the computing power of mobile devices increase the interest in video communications over ad-hoc wireless networks. However, the high error rate and the rapidly changing quality of the radio channels can be devastating for the transport of compressed video. In addition, the bounded playout delay for interactive video limits the effectiveness of retransmission-based error control. In this paper, we propose an error recovery mechanism for real-time video that combines forward error correction (FEC), and multi-path retransmission. Based on the sender to receiver route obtained from lower layers, as well as the video data content, the mechanism determines the allocation of error correction code, as well as the retransmission criteria. We evaluated the effectiveness of the mechanism under different network conditions. Simulation results show that the proposed hybrid error recovery mechanism maintains the video quality under different loss rates and mobility speeds, with less overhead compared to error recovery methods that depend only on fixed FEC allocation.
Influence of Human Sera on the In Vitro Activity of the Echinocandin Caspofungin (MK-0991) against Aspergillus fumigatus

There have been several reports that the activity of echinocandin antifungal agents is not affected or decreased in the presence of human sera. It is known that these drugs are bound >80% in animal and human sera. The activity of the echinocandin caspofungin (MK-0991), a 1,3-beta-D-glucan synthase inhibitor, against Aspergillus fumigatus with and without human sera was studied. Conidia of A. fumigatus in microtest plate wells formed germlings after overnight culture in RPMI 1640. Caspofungin was then added with or without serum, and the germlings were incubated at 37 degrees C for 24 h. Human serum (5%) in RPMI 1640 alone did not significantly inhibit the growth of A. fumigatus in vitro. Caspofungin in RPMI 1640 exhibited dose-dependent inhibition, with concentrations of 0.1 and 0.05 microg/ml inhibiting 24.9% +/- 10.4% and 11.7% +/- 3.6%, respectively (n = 10; P < 0.01). The addition of 5% human serum to caspofungin at 0.1 or 0.05 microg/ml increased the inhibition to 78.6% +/- 5.8% or 58.3% +/- 19.2%, respectively (n = 10; P < 0.01 versus controls and versus the drug without serum). Lower concentrations of serum also potentiated drug activity. The effect of human sera was further seen when using caspofungin that had lost activity (e.g., by storage) against A. fumigatus at 0.1 microg/ml. Inactive caspofungin alone demonstrated no significant inhibition of hyphal growth, whereas the addition of 5% human serum to the inactive drug showed 83% +/- 16.5% inhibition (n = 5; P < 0. 01). The restoration of activity of caspofungin was seen at concentrations as low as 0.05% human serum. In contrast to prior reports, this study suggests that human serum acts synergistically with caspofungin to enhance its inhibitory activity in vitro against A. fumigatus.