cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Total Neoadjuvant Therapy With FOLFIRINOX in Combination With Losartan Followed by Chemoradiotherapy for Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: A Phase 2 Clinical Trial.

Importance Patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer have historically poor outcomes. Evaluation of a total neoadjuvant approach is warranted. Objective To evaluate the margin-negative (R0) resection rate of neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX (fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan) and losartan followed by chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants A single-arm phase 2 clinical trial was conducted at a large academic hospital from August 22, 2013, to May 22, 2018, among 49 patients with previously untreated locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer as determined by multidisciplinary review. Patients had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 or 1 and adequate hematologic, renal, and hepatic function. Median follow-up for the analysis was 17.1 months (range, 5.0-53.7) among 27 patients still alive at study completion. Interventions Patients received FOLFIRINOX and losartan for 8 cycles. Patients with radiographically resectable tumor after chemotherapy received short-course chemoradiotherapy (5 GyE × 5 with protons) with capecitabine. Patients with persistent vascular involvement received long-course chemoradiotherapy (50.4 Gy with a vascular boost to 58.8 Gy) with fluorouracil or capecitabine. Main Outcomes and Measures R0 resection rate. Results Of the 49 patients (26 women and 23 men; median age 63 years [range, 42-78 years]), 39 completed 8 cycles of FOLFIRINOX and losartan; 10 patients had fewer than 8 cycles due to progression (5 patients), losartan intolerance (3 patients), and toxicity (2 patients). Seven patients (16%) had short-course chemoradiotherapy while 38 (84%) had long-course chemoradiotherapy. Forty-two (86%) patients underwent attempted surgery, with R0 resection achieved in 34 of 49 patients (69%; 95% CI, 55%-82%). Overall median progression-free survival was 17.5 months (95% CI: 13.9-22.7) and median overall survival was 31.4 months (95% CI, 18.1-38.5). Among patients who underwent resection, median progression-free survival was 21.3 months (95% CI, 16.6-28.2), and median overall survival was 33.0 months (95% CI, 31.4 to not reached). Conclusions and Relevance Total neoadjuvant therapy with FOLFIRINOX, losartan, and chemoradiotherapy provides downstaging of locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and is associated with an R0 resection rate of 61%. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier:NCT01821729
Refractory Renal Cell Cancer with Gastro-renal Fistula: A Rare Complication.

Metastatic renal cell cancer is treated with systemic therapy, and cytoreductive nephrectomy can be offered in selected patients. The systemic therapy treatment options for kidney cancer have now expanded to include tyrosine kinase inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, immunotherapy, and combinations thereof. Cytoreductive nephrectomy is considered a safe surgery in most patients. Patients with advanced kidney cancer are known to develop several paraneoplastic syndromes and malignant cachexia. We present the case of a patient with renal cell cancer who was treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors and despite treatment her disease progressed with subsequent increase in the renal cancer, which led to the development of a fistula between the renal mass and the stomach.
Humans and Technology: Forms of Conjoined Agency in Organizations

Organizations are increasingly deploying technologies that have the ability to parse through large amounts of data, acquire skills and knowledge, and operate autonomously. These technologies diverg...
Adaptive risk minimization for control and decision under uncertainty

In this paper develop a novel, quantitative, rigorous and efficient method for risk minimization for control and decision under uncertainty. The crucial components of our approach include a rigorous, efficient risk evaluation method and a stochastic optimization technique. The risk evaluation method is an adaptive Monte Carlo estimation method which is derived from the concept of relative entropy and truncated inverse binomial sampling. The stochastic optimization technique is built upon evolutionary computing methods such as genetic algorithms, where the fitness function is constructed from the adaptive Monte Carlo estimation method. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by its applications to the design of PID controllers for uncertain systems, where the probability of performance violation is minimized.
Multidimensional Scenario Selection for Power Systems With Stochastic Failures

Stochastic optimization can be used to model predictable but uncertain element failures, in an attempt to enhance system reliability in power system operation and planning. In practical applications, such as preventive operation during severe weather, the uncertainty set is often very large. This will lead to two challenges: (i) every possible scenario cannot be practically identified; and (ii) the computational demands of stochastic optimization with a large scenario set cannot be met. To address these challenges, this paper develops a multidimensional scenario selection method, which creates a rather small but representative set of scenarios. The developed method makes use of failure features as well as network features of the elements that may fail, to achieve a superior performance. The simulations studies on a synthetic large-scale Texas system, show the dominant performance of the method compared to existing algorithms in the literature, as well as common industry practices. Due to its effectiveness, the method presented in this paper enables computationally efficient implementation of stochastic power system operation and planning software tools. Such stochastic tools will improve system reliability and efficiency through enhanced use of the existing resources, without requiring any expensive system upgrade.
Detection of 13C isotopomers of the molecule HC7N

The 13C substitutions of the molecule HC7N were observed in TMC-1 using the J = 12-11, J = 13-12 rotational transitions in the frequency range 12.4-13.6 GHz. We present the first detection of the 13C isotopic species of HC7N in the interstellar medium, based on the average of a number of weak rotational transitions. This paper describes the calibration and data-averaging process that is also used in a search for large cyanopolyyne molecules in TMC-1 using the 100 m Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT). The capabilities of the GBT 11-15 GHz observing system are described, along with a discussion of numerical methods for averaging observations of a number of weak spectral lines to detect new interstellar molecules.
Bilateral temporal dacryops in a cat

A 1-year-old Maine Coon female spayed cat was presented for a 7-week history of bilateral pinkish masses located over the dorsotemporal conjunctival quadrants. Ophthalmic examination revealed the presence of bilateral temporal, slightly hyperemic, subconjunctival masses, fluctuant, and nonpainful. The remainder of the ocular examination was unremarkable. Ultrasound biomicroscopy and B-scan ultrasonography confirmed the presence of a bilateral cavitated and tubular structure, extending within the temporal orbit, with anechoic fluid-like content. Surgical removal was performed. Histopathology described the lesions as lacrimal gland tissue, markedly infiltrated by inflammatory cells, associated with cavitated structures filled with proteinaceous debris, and lined by flattened bilayered cuboidal epithelial cells. Bilateral adenitis of unknown origin and dacryops of the temporal lacrimal glands were diagnosed. Both surgical sites healed uneventfully, and no recurrence was reported on either eye during a 12-month follow-up period.
Cellular Mechanisms Underlying Differences in Acute Ethanol Sensitivity

In this chapter, we will review studies of electrophysiological actions of ethanol on central neurons which may be correlated with the acute soporific effects of this drug. Since there have been several excellent reviews surveying the actions of ethanol on neuronal excitability at many levels of the neuraxis (Berry and Pentreath, 1980; Deitrich and Spuhler, 1984; Himwich and Callison, 1972; Klemm, 1979; Seiger et al., 1983; Siggins and Bloom, 1980), we should like to focus this review on those aspects of neuronal sensitivity to the effects of ethanol that may arise primarily as a result of genetic selection for acute sensitivity to ethanol-induced ataxia.
What Does Rigged Mean? Partisan and Widely Shared Perceptions of Threats to Elections:

This article is a piece of a larger line of research supported by the Democracy Fund studying how to communicate about threats to elections in ways that do not dampen people’s desire to vote or mak...
Hemoptysis associated with percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy: Development of critical events checklist and procedure outcomes.

Abstract Background A percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) is performed to obtain tissue for a pathologic diagnosis. A PTNB is necessary before the initiation of many cancer treatments. There is a risk of hemoptysis, the expectoration of blood, with the possibility for adverse, life-threatening outcomes. A critical event checklist is a cognitive aid used in an emergency to ensure critical steps are followed. To date, there are no known checklists published for management of PTNB-related, life-threatening hemoptysis. The purpose of this report is to describe the development and implementation of a critical event checklist and the adoption of the checklist into hemoptysis management. Methods In March 2017, a process improvement team convened to evaluate the hemoptysis response using the Plan-Do-Study-Act methodology. The checklist was evaluated and updated through September 2019. The team educated interventional radiology (IR) clinicians on the new checklist and conducted simulations on its use. A retrospective chart review was performed on hemoptysis events between the 10-year period of October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2018 to evaluate the adoption of the checklist into practice. Results There were 231 hemoptysis events occurring in 229 patients (2 with repeat biopsies). Before implementing the protocol and checklist, there were 166 (71.9%) hemoptysis events. After implementation, there were 65 (28.1%) events. The median amount of documented blood expectorated with hemoptysis was 100 mL (IQR 20.0-300.0). Twenty-six patients were admitted after PTNB for reasons related to the hemoptysis event (11.3%). During the procedure, four (1.7%) patients with hemoptysis suffered a cardiac arrest. Before implementation of the protocol and critical events checklist, nurses positioned patients in the lateral decubitus (LD) position in 40 of 162 (24.7%) cases. After implementation of the critical events checklist, nurses positioned patients in the LD position 42 of 65 cases (64.6%) (OR = 5.57(95% CI 2.99-10.367), p Discussion IR nurses successfully adopted the checklist into management of hemoptysis events. The reported incidence of hemoptysis suggests a need for IR teams to prepare for and simulate hemoptysis events. Future research is needed to evaluate the change in patient outcomes before and after critical events checklist implementation.
Critical iron deficiency anemia with record low hemoglobin: a case report.

Background Anemia is a serious global health problem that affects individuals of all ages but particularly women of reproductive age. Iron deficiency anemia is one of the most common causes of anemia seen in women, with menstruation being one of the leading causes. Excessive, prolonged, and irregular uterine bleeding, also known as menometrorrhagia, can lead to severe anemia. In this case report, we present a case of a premenopausal woman with menometrorrhagia leading to severe iron deficiency anemia with record low hemoglobin. Case presentation A 42-year-old Hispanic woman with no known past medical history presented with a chief complaint of increasing fatigue and dizziness for 2 weeks. Initial vitals revealed temperature of 36.1 °C, blood pressure 107/47 mmHg, heart rate 87 beats/minute, respiratory rate 17 breaths/minute, and oxygen saturation 100% on room air. She was fully alert and oriented without any neurological deficits. Physical examination was otherwise notable for findings typical of anemia, including: marked pallor with pale mucous membranes and conjunctiva, a systolic flow murmur, and koilonychia of her fingernails. Her initial laboratory results showed a critically low hemoglobin of 1.4 g/dL and severe iron deficiency. After further diagnostic workup, her profound anemia was likely attributed to a long history of menometrorrhagia, and her remarkably stable presentation was due to impressive, years-long compensation. Over the course of her hospital stay, she received blood transfusions and intravenous iron repletion. Her symptoms of fatigue and dizziness resolved by the end of her hospital course, and she returned to her baseline ambulatory and activity level upon discharge. Conclusions Critically low hemoglobin levels are typically associated with significant symptoms, physical examination findings, and hemodynamic instability. To our knowledge, this is the lowest recorded hemoglobin in a hemodynamically stable patient not requiring cardiac or supplemental oxygen support.
Glucose availability limits microglial nitric oxide production.

Metabolic intermediates influence inflammation not only through signaling effects, but also by fueling the production of pro-inflammatory molecules. Microglial production of nitric oxide (NO) requires the consumption of NADPH. NADPH consumed in this process is regenerated from NADP+ primarily through the hexose monophosphate shunt, which can utilize only glucose as a substrate. These factors predict that glucose availability can be rate-limiting for glial NO production. To test this prediction, cultured astrocytes and microglia were incubated with lipopolysaccharide and interferon-γ to promote expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, and the rate of NO production was assessed at defined glucose concentrations. Increased NO production was detected only in cultures containing microglia. The NO production was markedly slowed at glucose concentrations below 0.5 mM, and comparably reduced by inhibition of the hexose monophosphate shunt with 6-aminonicotinamide. Reduced NO production caused by glucose deprivation was partly reversed by malate, which fuels NADPH production by malate dehydrogenase, and by NADPH itself. These findings highlight the role of the hexose monophosphate shunt in fueling NO synthesis and suggest that microglial NO production in the brain may be limited at sites of low glucose availability, such as abscesses or other compartmentalized infections.
Accelerated Almost-Sure Convergence Rates for Nonconvex Stochastic Gradient Descent using Stochastic Learning Rates.

Large-scale optimization problems require algorithms both effective and efficient. One such popular and proven algorithm is Stochastic Gradient Descent which uses first-order gradient information to solve these problems. This paper studies almost-sure convergence rates of the Stochastic Gradient Descent method when instead of deterministic, its learning rate becomes stochastic. In particular, its learning rate is equipped with a multiplicative stochasticity, producing a stochastic learning rate scheme. Theoretical results show accelerated almost-sure convergence rates of Stochastic Gradient Descent in a nonconvex setting when using an appropriate stochastic learning rate, compared to a deterministic-learning-rate scheme. The theoretical results are verified empirically.
SU-E-T-584: Optical Tracking Guided Patient-Specific VMAT QA with ArcCHECK

Purpose: To investigate the novel use of an in-house optical tracking system (OTS) to improve the efficacy of VMAT QA with a cylindrical dosimeter (ArcCHECK™). Methods: The translational and rotational setup errors of ArcCHECK are convoluted which makes it challenging to position the device efficiently and accurately. We first aligned the ArcCHECK to the machine cross-hair at three cardinal angles (0°, 90°, and 270°) to establish a reference position. Four infrared reflective markers were attached to the back of the device. An OTS with 0.2mm/0.2° accuracy was used to control its setup uncertainty. Translational uncertainties of 1 mm and 2 mm in three directions (in, right, and up) were applied on the device. Four open beams of various field sizes and six clinical VMAT arcs were delivered and measured for all simulated setup errors. The measurements were compared with Pinnacle™ calculations using Gamma analysis to evaluate the impact of setup uncertainty. This study also evaluated the improvement in setup reproducibility and efficiency with the aid of the OTS. Results: For open beams, with 3%/3mm, the mean passing rates dropped by less than 5% for all shifts; with 2%/2mm, two significant drops(>5%) were observed: 15.38±6.75% for 2 mm lateral shift and 9.35±4.88% for 2 mm longitudinal shift. For VMAT arcs, the mean passing rates using 2%/2mm dropped by 10.47±7.46% and 22.02±11.39% for 1 and 2 mm shift, respectively. With 3%/3mm, significant drop only occurred with 2 mm longitudinal shift (13.73±8.30%). Setup time could be reduced by >15 min with the aid of the OTS. Conclusion: OTS is an effective tool for separating translational and rotational uncertainties. The current VMAT QA solution was not strongly sensitive to translation errors of 2mm with widely accepted criterion (3%/3mm). This finding raises concerns regarding the efficacy of such QA system in detecting errors in the dynamic VMAT delivery.
Fordism/Post‐Fordism

This entry describes the central features of Fordism and post-Fordism with special focus on consumerism. It summarizes how the organizational and political–legal arrangements during post-Fordism made credit readily available, encouraged home ownership, and created opportunities for risk taking. The entry concludes by pointing out that the meltdown of financial markets in 2008 and the subsequent Great Recession raise important questions about the capacity of post-Fordist consumer capitalism to sustain capitalist growth and development in the long term. Keywords: capitalism; consumption; culture; ideology; political economy
Comment on “Deoxyuridine Triphosphate Incorporation during Somatic Hypermutation of Mouse VkOx Genes after Immunization with Phenyloxazolone”

Recently, Roche et al. ([1][1]) reported locations of uracils in the L chain genes of mice undergoing hypermutations. To accomplish this, the authors used the USER kit from New England Biolabs (Ipswich, MA) to remove the uridine nucleoside, dephosphorylate the 3′ end of DNA, and ligate an anchor
Multiple infections of Ixodes scapularis ticks by Borrelia burgdorferi as revealed by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis.

The genetic heterogeneity of the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi within single adult black-legged ticks from Shelter Island, N.Y., was determined by cold, single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. The central region of the ospA gene of B. burgdorferi from infected ticks was amplified by nested PCR. Amplified product of the correct size was obtained from 20 to 45 ticks (44%). This is the fraction of ticks that is expected to be infected with B. burgdorferi. Four variant classes were determined by SSCP analysis. Eight ticks were infected with a single variant, nine ticks were infected with two variants, two ticks were infected with three variants, and one tick was infected with all four variants. DNA from each variant was sequenced. Five different sequences were found. The sequence of each variant was different from that of another variant by a single base. SSCP analysis could distinguish three of the four single-base changes found in the region.
AN ULTRASONIC PROXIMITY SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILE COLLISION AVOIDANCE

This paper describes an ultrasonic collusion avoidance system that is useful in situations where the driver is backing up. This system provides a warning to the driver that objects are in the path and displays the distance to the object.
Evaluation of proposed SeaWiFS algorithms for the retrieval of phytoplankton pigments and suspended sediment in coastal water types

A preliminary analysis of algorithm performance has been performed for application to SeaWiFS radiometer reflectance data for the retrieval of constituents including phytoplankton pigments, suspended sediment, and dissolved organic carbon (yellow substance) in coastal, case 2, waters. Ocean waters are classified as case 1 where parameters correlate with phytoplankton pigments. In case 2 waters such parameters do not correlate requiring the development of a multiple component algorithm. The coastal waters must be characterized by local relationships which are subjected to extensive spatial and temporal variability. The spectral reflectance of the coastal water column just below the surface has been modelled using existing optical cross sections for absorption and backscatter. This model has been used to numerically simulate the reflectance variability in SeaWiFS bands over a range of coastal water types. Illustrative multiband SeaWiFS algorithms for retrieval of chlorophyll are compared to the performance obtained using maximum likelihood estimators. Substantial improvement in retrieval algorithm performance is expected when a patch of data rather than a single pixel is used to make the estimate.
Metabolomics reveals consistency of the shoot system in Medicago truncatula by HPLC‐UV‐ESI‐MS/MS

Summary Flavonoids not only play crucial roles in plant development and resistance, but also provide one of the major natural sources in human nutrition. To investigate the distribution of flavonoids in the shoot system of Medicago truncatula, a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometer (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method was established and then applied to determine the quantitation of flavonoids in different parts of the plant. There were twenty-two, fifteen and eleven different kinds of flavonoids identified from the flower, leaf and stem of M. truncatula, respectively. The identified constituents were either aglycone or glycosides of the typical flavonoid backbones, such as myricetin, quercetin, luteolin, kaempferol, tricin, apigenin and laricitrin. It was found that the shoot system of M. truncatula can be differentiated by flavonoids in terms of structures and contents. Our results provide instruction to utilise the shoot system of legume crops as fodder and herb medicine in the future.
On invariance of degree for certain computations

We prove that a sequential or parallel machine in the Blum-Shub-Smale model, which recognizes the roots of an irreducible polynomialf(x,y) of degree n, in globally bounded time T, must actually compute a polynomial of degree n. This generalizes results of Cucker, and holds for polynomials and machines over an infinite ordered topological field and in certain cases over Z as well. It follows that in the Blum-Shub-Smale model with unit height, P≠NC for machines over Z.
Stage‐specific and opposing roles of BDNF, NT‐3 and bFGF in differentiation of purified callosal projection neurons toward cellular repair of complex circuitry

Cellular repair of neuronal circuitry affected by neurodegenerative disease or injury may be approached in the adult neocortex via transplantation of neural precursors ("neural stem cells") or via molecular manipulation and recruitment of new neurons from endogenous precursors in situ. A major challenge for potential future approaches to neuronal replacement will be to specifically direct and control progressive differentiation, axonal projection and connectivity of neural precursors along a specific neuronal lineage. This goal will require a progressively more detailed understanding of the molecular controls over morphologic differentiation of specific neuronal lineages, including neurite outgrowth and elongation, in order to accurately permit and direct proper neuronal integration and connectivity. Here, we investigate controls over the morphologic differentiation of a specific prototypical lineage of cortical neurons: callosal projection neurons (CPN). We highly enriched CPN to an essentially pure population, and cultured them at three distinct stages of development from embryonic and postnatal mouse cortex by retrograde fluorescence labelling, followed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. We find that specific peptide growth factors exert direct stage-specific positive and negative effects over the morphologic differentiation and process outgrowth of CPN. These effects are distinct from the effects of these growth factors on CPN survival [Catapano et al. (2001) J. Neurosci., 21, 8863-8872]. These data may be critical for the future goal of directing lineage-specific neuronal differentiation of transplanted or endogenous precursors/"stem cells" toward cellular repair of complex cortical circuitry.
Partial characterization of chicken spleen cell culture supernatants stimulated with Staphylococcusaureus

The role of accessory cells in the proliferative response of chicken spleen cells to Staphylococcusaureus Cowan I (SAC) was examined. It was found that chicken spleen cells cultured with SAC produced a soluble molecule capable of causing proliferation when culture supernatants were added to spleen cells. The molecules responsible for this activity were stable in terms of exposure to extremes of heat and pH. Gel filtration of culture supernatants revealed biological activity, over a broad range of molecular weights, as measured by spleen cell proliferation. Similar findings were obtained when SAC was sonicated and evaluated following gel filtration. Exposure of culture supernatants to trypsin abrogated biological activity. The pivotal role of adherent cells in the generation of biologically active molecules is suggested by the ability of peritoneal exudate cells incubated with SAC to produce biologically active supernatants. In addition, the proliferative response of spleen cells to SAC was sensitive to chloroquine.
Public universities and the neoliberal common sense: seven iconoclastic theses

Neoliberalism has utterly failed as a viable model of economic development, yet the politics of culture associated with neoliberalism is still in force, becoming the new common sense shaping the role of government and education. This ‘common sense’ has become an ideology playing a major role in constructing hegemony as moral and intellectual leadership in contemporary societies. Neoliberal globalisation, predicated on the dominance of the market over the state and on deregulatory models of governance, has deeply affected the university in the context of ‘academic capitalism’. The resulting reforms, rationalised as advancing international competitiveness, have affected public universities in four primary areas: efficiency and accountability, accreditation and universalisation, international competitiveness and privatisation. There is also growing resistance to globalisation as top-down-imposed reforms reflected in the public debates about schooling reform, curriculum and instruction, teacher training and s...
A Method of Calculating Fluctuations

A general method for the solution of fluctuation problems is described. A generating function for the differential equations that are satisfied by the probabilities in question is defined and the problem is reduced to the determination of the generating function. The general method for its determination is given and the results are applied to fluctuation problems in pair-production and radioactive disintegration. The method of finding the mean, mean square, and standard deviation from the generating function without reference to the form of the distribution itself is applied to the examples. The problem of fluctuations in chain and branch radioactive disintegrations is solved without restrictions on the size of the disintegration constants involved.
Diaspirin Crosslinked Hemoglobin (DCLHbTM) does not Affect the Anesthetic Potency of Isoflurane in Rats

Hemoglobin solutions are being developed as oxygen carrying fluids for multiple clinical indications. Despite an early report of accentuation of ether anesthesia, the effect of hemoglobin on anesthetic potency has not been assessed. We assessed the effect of α-α diaspirin crosslinked hemoglobin (DCLHb) on the anesthetic requirement of isoflurane necessary to keep rats unresponsive to noxious stimuli (1.0 MAC [minimum alveolar concentration]). During isoflurane administration, each rat received one of the following fluid regimens: 44Hct/N-normal hematocrit and volume; 44Hct/H-8.0 ml of donor blood given as a hypervolemic bolus; 30Hct/H-5.0 ml of DCLHb given as an exchange transfusion and 8.0 ml as a hypervolemic bolus; or 16Hct/H-15.0 ml of DCLHb given as an exchange transfusion and 8.0 ml as a hypervolemic bolus. MAC was determined using a standard tail clamp technique. The isoflurane requirement to achieve 1.0 MAC was not different between the four groups. These results are consistent with a hypothesis t...
Physical Activity, Sustained Sedentary Behavior and Pain Modulation in Women with Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) has been conceptualized as a disorder of the central nervous system, characterized by augmented sensory processing and an inability to effectively modulate pain. We previously reported that physical activity (PA) is related to brain processing of pain, providing evidence for a potential mechanism of pain management. The purpose of this study was to extend our work by manipulating pain modulation and determining relationships to both PA and sustained sedentary behavior. Eleven women with FM completed accelerometer measures of PA and underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging of painful heat, administered alone and during distracting cognitive tasks. Results showed that PA was significantly (P<0.005) and positively related to brain responses during distraction from pain in regions implicated in pain modulation including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the dorsal posterior cingulate and the periaqueducatal grey. A significant negative relationship occurred in the left anterior insula. For sedentary time, significant negative relationships were observed in areas involved in both pain modulation and the sensory-discriminative aspects of pain including the DLPFC, thalamus and superior frontal and pre and postcentral gyri. These results suggest that physical activity and sedentary behaviors are related to central nervous system regulation of pain in FM.
Testosterone sensitive dihydropyridine binding in the harderian gland of the male hamster

It is well known that in different tissues, dihydropyridines bind at nanomolar concentrations to a receptor and block voltage-operated Ca2+ channels. In studies reported here, Harderian gland tissue homogenates from intact male hamsters exhibited significant dihydropyridine binding (Bmax = 1700 fmoles/mg protein) of high affinity (Kd = 1.1 nM). Tissue homogenates from female animals exhibited a similar Kd value (1.35 nM) but receptor density per mg protein was significantly reduced (Bmax = 270 fmoles). Dihydropyridine binding of Harderian gland tissue homogenates from castrated males was reduced greater than 80% (Bmax = 225 fmoles/mg protein). Treatment of castrated males with subcutaneous testosterone pellets resulted in significant restoration of dihydropyridine binding activity (approximately 80%, Bmax = 1630 fmoles/mg protein) with a comparable binding constant (Kd = 1.50 nM) as observed for noncastrated, control animals. Addition of testosterone (ex vivo) to homogenates from castrated hamsters did not restore dihydropyridine binding to control levels. These data indicate: (a) the Harderian gland from male hamsters exhibits significant dihydropyridine binding; (b) ligand binding is abolished following castration; and (c) significant restoration of dihydropyridine binding occurs following in vivo testosterone treatment. The dependence of dihydropyridine binding restoration upon in vivo steroid hormone administration suggests probable involvement of the steroid at the transcriptional level although non-genomic mechanisms such as the binding of testosterone to a receptor resident in the plasma membrane and subsequent activation of Ca2+ channels can not be ruled out.
Achieving sleep state during EEG in children; sequence of activation procedures

Abstract Objective Interictal epileptiform discharges are often enhanced with attainment of sleep during an EEG. Hyperventilation (HV) during an EEG is often followed by drowsiness. However, the effect of intermittent photic stimulation (IPS) on awake/sleep state is unclear. The current study was conducted to determine if the sequence of activation procedures has an impact on acquisition of sleep during a routine, non-sleep deprived EEG. Methods Children, scheduled between 9 and 11 a.m., who were not sleep deprived and able to hyperventilate, were included in a 3-month prospective study undertaken at the Neurophysiology Laboratory of a tertiary children's hospital. In the first 48 children evaluated, IPS was started 5min into the EEG recording and HV was elicited at the end of the session (group I). In the next 48 children, HV was started 5min into the EEG recording and IPS was presented at the end of the EEG (group II). A third group served as a control group and received both activating procedures at the end of the recording (group III). All 3 groups were assessed for the presence or absence of sleep during their EEG recording. Results Only 3 of the 48 (6.2%) children in group I versus 17/48 (35.5%) in group II ( P P P =0.02). The children who were hyperventilated at the beginning of the session had an 8-fold increased chance of attaining sleep in comparison with children who received IPS at the beginning of the recording followed by HV at the end. Conclusions We recommend that when performing routine non-sleep deprived EEGs in children, HV be performed first with IPS at the end of the EEG in order to maximize the yield of attaining sleep recording during the study.
Commentary on ‘‘Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A vision and a Strategy’’: Stem Cells and Cell-Cell Communication as Fundamental Targets in Assessing the Potential Toxicity of Chemicals

Faced with the reality of our current methods of drug discovery and toxicity assessment of all chemicals is less than perfect, the Report, ''Toxicity Testing in the 21( st) Century: A Vision and a Strategy'', posed a reality check on all scientific efforts to find new conceptual and technical approaches for being better predictors of potential human health effects. This Commentary is a challenge to both the current paradigms and techniques to test chemicals for their potential toxicities. While, clearly, our scientific understanding of the mechanisms of chemical-induced toxicity and of the pathogeneses of all human diseases are not complete, the state of scientific understanding seems not only sufficient to know what we are now doing is not sufficient, but that it is adequate enough to make a new paradigm and technological change. Basically, the challenge includes the opinion that human exposure to chemicals, that are associated with one or more health endpoints (birth defects, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, reproductive and neurological dysfunctions), is the result of epigenetic , not mutagenic or genotoxic, mechanisms. In addition, it is postulated that the adult human stem cell should be considered the ''target'' cell for the important chemical-induced health effects. To test this hypothesis that altering the quantity and quality of adult stem cells by chemical exposures during in utero, neonatal, adolescent, adult and geriatric phases of life can lead to health consequences, it is recommended that 3-D in vitro cultures be used on male and female human adult stem cells from a few major organs (e.g., heart, brain, liver, lung, kidney, breast, prostate ). Altered stem cell biology (e.g., increase or decrease in the stem cell numbers in specific organs; altered apoptotic and differentiation frequencies), as well as measured cell-cell communication, should be seriously considered as toxicity endpoints.
The changing landscape of graphic arts

Graphic arts is all about communicating effectively with words, images, illustrations, animation and video. It's about packaging messages to communicate an idea, evoke an emotion or grab attention. Graphic arts designers are increasingly working across all media and pioneering new media expressions in the increasingly interactive world. Even though the past 15 years have seen a major change in the graphic arts, the future will see an even more dramatic and rapid shift to a new communication paradigm. This change is being driven by the evolving shift in the economics of communication, by the increasing flexibility and expressive power of the medium, and by the proliferation of electronic communication. With all of these forces currently driving the graphic arts community, one thing is certain: the graphics advances going forward are totally dependent on technological advances. Embracing rapid technological change is a requirement for survival and success. Graphic design, with the help of advancing technology, will continue to explore and invent the ultimate in man-machine interfaces. The style of communication will evolve and change, just as fashion evolves and changes. There is no right answer, but instead, a constantly changing flow of creativity and fresh ideas.
Quaternion-Based Solutions for the Single Photo Resection Problem

Abstract This paper introduces three quaternion-based approaches to solve the SPR problem. The first two are based on projective transformation and DLT coefficients through which the position of the perspective center is derived first using four or more planar and six or more non-planar object points, respectively. The rotation matrix is then directlyestimated using quaternions. The third one (quaternionbased general approach) can handle three or more points in either planar or non-planar configuration. In this approach, the rotation angles are iteratively estimated first using quaternions without the need for user-defined approximations. Then, the position of the perspective center is directly derived. Experimental results show the feasibility of the proposed approaches and the high accuracy of the quaternion-based general approach, which is superior to thestate-of-the-art non-iterative method and does not deviate more than 1 percent from the traditional non-linear SPR, i.e., the de-facto standard for the most accurate SPR solution.
Pion-deuteron scattering and the range of the pion-nucleon amplitude

We have studied the dependence of the pion-deuteron total cross section on the range of the off-shell pion-nucleon amplitude, using a relativistic three-body theory which has as input the six S- and P-wave pion-nucleon channels and the two S-wave nucleon-nucleon channels, but which does not include the effect of pion absorption. We found that in order to fit the total cross section data in the region of the 3,3 resonance, we need a form factor with a range in momentum space of about 1 GeV/c.
FERMENTATION OF PEANUT MILK WITH

Several extraction procedures were examined for their suitability to yield desirable peanut milks for fermentation by four strains of lactic acid bacteria. Studies revealed that a procedure in which peanuts were soaked in 1.0% sodium bicarbonate for 16-18 hr, drained, washed with tap water, ground, steeped for 4-5 hr in tap water, and filtered resulted in milk most desirable for fermentation. The addition of lactose (2%) to pasteurized peanut milk before fermenting with Lactobacillus bulgaricus NRRL B-1909 and L. acidophilus NRRL B-1910 for 3 days at 37°C resulted in a custard-like product having 0.38-0.53% titratable acidity at pH 4.76-4.43, respectively. Sensory panel evaluations of blended, fermented peanut milks containing added sucrose (2%) and fruit flavorings showed that the products were acceptable and competed favorably with flavored buttermilk. Fermented peanut milk substituted for buttermilk in a corn muffin recipe resulted in products with organoleptic characteristics not significantly (P < 0.05) different from those of the control. Further investigations are required to determine the optimum conditions for preparing fermented peanut milk products.
Persistent, nonfundamental exchange rate fluctuations

Abstract A trading-post model of money is used to show how exchange rates can be affected by extrinsic uncertainty. With no uncertainty in fundamentals, we demonstrate that there exist equilibria where exchange rates as well as consumption allocations follow a stationary random process. The fluctuations are permanent, and they affect economic welfare. These findings also apply when the currency supplies grow at different rates. Then, the only stationary equilibria in which both monies are valued are those with fluctuations: the real value of the currencies follow a stationary process, and the average return on the fast-growing currency is lower than that of the slow-growing currency.
Preliminary ranking procedures for multilocus ordering

N linked loci can be arranged in N!/2 possible orders. We describe two criteria for providing a preliminary ranking of the possible orders based on the N(N-1)/2 pairwise lod score curves for the loci. For a given order the first criterion is the sum of the N-1 maximal lod scores corresponding to the adjacent pairs of loci in the order. The second criterion is the minimum of a least-squares problem due to J.M. Lalouel (1977, Heredity 38(1): 61-77). This least-squares problem requires the maximum likelihood recombination fraction estimates and their standard errors. For N small it is feasible to evaluate these measures for every possible order. For N large we use a simulated annealing algorithm. This gives a fairly complete listing of the best-candidate orders without sampling every possible order. These ranking methods are applied to data from linkage groups on chromosomes 1, 6, 11, and 13.
Putting the brakes on the magnetosphere's bursty bulk flows

In Earth's magnetosphere, fast bursts of plasma have been observed with speeds varying between 200 and 1500 kilometers per second at distances between 20 Earth radii and 6 Earth radii from Earth. These bursty flows have been observed for decades, but it has not been clear what makes the flows come to a stop.
Composition of dietary fat affects blood pressure and insulin responses to dietary obesity in the dog

Cardiovascular and metabolic parameters were evaluated in 15 female spayed dogs before and after they became obese on either a saturated fat (LD, lard, n=8) or unsaturated fat (CO, corn oil, n=7) diet. Body weight and body fat increased significantly in both groups, although no differences occurred between diet groups. Dogs receiving the LD diet exhibited a greater increase in mean arterial pressure than those receiving the CO diet (p<0.01; 15.9 +/- 2.1 vs. 9.8 +/- 3.3 mm Hg increase). The CO diet stimulated a greater increase in heart rate than the LD diet (p<0.05; 32.8 +/- 7.8 vs. 14.1 +/- 5.8 bpm increase). Ganglionic blockade with chlorisondamine caused an increase in HR in both lean groups and in the obese CO group, but not the obese LD group, consistent with a decrease in parasympathetic tone to the heart in the dogs overfed saturated fat. Obesity enhanced the heart rate response to beta-adrenergic stimulation by isoproterenol in the LD, but not CO group. The LD diet increased circulating insulin and decreased insulin sensitivity, whereas the CO diet had no effect on either parameter. These findings suggest that the composition of dietary fat can modulate the autonomic and metabolic adaptations induced by dietary obesity.
Boundary-value problems on the dynamics of the theory of elastic mixtures for a disk

We consider the first and second dynamic boundary-value problems in the theory of elastic mixtures. These problems are reduced to the corresponding problems for systems of equations for pseudooscillation by Laplace transformation relative to time. The solutions are represented in terms of four metaharmonic functions. It is proved that the problem of pseudooscillation has a unique solution. Conditions are given for existence of inverse transformations that provide solutions for the initial problem.
Guest Editor's Introduction: The Embedded Systems Landscape

What makes high-performance embedded computing so difficult is not just the performance levels but achieving that performance in the face of two major requirements: real time and low power.
Space-based sensing of atmospheric conditions over data-void regions

Multispectral satellite data from frequencies in the visible, infrared, and microwave regions have been applied to the analysis of atmospheric conditions where no in situ data were available on the earth's surface or aloft. Atmospheric quantities diagnosed were surface temperature, surface and upper air wind, visibility, solar insolation and precipitation, and cloud cover descriptors such as percent coverage, cloud-free locations, and cloud base height. Available in situ data adjacent to the data void area were used to calibrate the satellite-derived analysis. The success of the technique was verified by application to cases where a data void was created by withholding in situ data over part of an area, and then comparing the satellite analysis with that based on the withheld data.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
An improved technique for the 2H/1H analysis of urines from diabetic volunteers

The H2-H2O ambient-temperature equilibration technique for the determination of 2H/1H ratios in urinary waters from diabetic subjects provides improved accuracy over the conventional Zn reduction technique. The standard deviation, approximately 1-2%, is at least a factor of three better than that of the Zn reduction technique on urinary waters from diabetic volunteers. Experiments with pure water and solutions containing glucose, urea and albumen indicate that there is no measurable bias in the hydrogen equilibration technique.
Covariation among glucocorticoid regulatory elements varies seasonally in house sparrows

Glucocorticoids (GCs) help individuals cope with changes throughout life; one such change is the seasonal transition through life-history stages. Previous research shows that many animals exhibit seasonal variation in baseline GCs and GC responses to stressors, but the effects of season on other aspects of GC regulation have been less studied. Moreover, whether elements of GC regulation covary within individuals and whether covariation changes seasonally has been not been investigated. Evolutionarily, strong linkages among GC regulatory elements is predicted to enhance system efficiency and regulation, however may reduce the plasticity necessary to ensure appropriate responses under varying conditions. Here, we measured corticosterone (CORT), the major avian GC, at baseline, after exposure to a restraint stressor, and in response to dexamethasone (to assess negative feedback capacity) in wild house sparrows (Passer domesticus) during the breeding and molting seasons. We also measured hippocampal mRNA expression of the two receptors primarily responsible for CORT regulation: the mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors (MR and GR, respectively). Consistent with previous studies, restraint-induced CORT was lower during molt than breeding, but negative-feedback was not influenced by season. Receptor gene expression was affected by season, however, as during breeding, the ratio of MR to GR expression was significantly lower than during molt. Furthermore, MR expression was negatively correlated with CORT released in response to a stressor, but only during molt. We found that individuals that most strongly up-regulated CORT in response to restraint were also most effective at reducing CORT via negative feedback; although these relationships were independent of season, they were stronger during molt.