cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A TECHNIQUE OF TRANSRECTAL ULTRASOUND GUIDED TRANSPERINEAL RANDOM PROSTATE BIOPSY IN PATIENTS WITH ULCERATIVE COLITIS AND AN ILEAL POUCH

Purpose: Prostate biopsy in patients with rectal disease may present a difficult urological problem. We describe a useful technique for the accurate guidance of transperineal random prostate biopsy in patients with colorectal disease. Materials and Methods: Biopsy was required in a patient with ulcerative colitis and an ileal pouch who had chronic pouchitis. Biopsy through the pouch was avoided by performing random transperineal prostate biopsies using the ultrasound grid and stabilizing platform used for prostate brachytherapy. Results: Accurate random sampling of the prostate was accomplished. Multiple cores of prostatic tissue were successfully obtained. Conclusions: Random transperineal biopsy of the prostate was accurately performed under transrectal ultrasound guidance. With the increasing availability of brachytherapy equipment we believe that this method may be used for prostate biopsy in patients with rectal disease.
Validation and improvement of a proposed scoring system to detect retained common bile duct stones in gallstone pancreatitis

Background In 2009, a study from our institution used retrospective data and multivariate analysis to identify 5 quantitative variables and their cutoffs that have a positive predictive value (PPV) for common bile duct (CBD) stones in gallstone pancreatitis. They also proposed a management protocol based on the scoring system. This prospective study sought to validate that scoring system. Methods From October 2009 to August 2013, patients with gallstone pancreatitis were enrolled in the study. Scores of 0–5 were determined at admission, with 1 point for each criterion met: CBD ≥ 9 mm, gamma glutamyltransferase ≥ 350 U/L, alkaline phosphatase ≥ 250 U/L, total bilirubin ≥ 3 mg/dL, and direct bilirubin ≥ 2 mg/dL. All CBDs were assessed using intraoperative cholangiogram, MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Results Of 84 patients, 16 had CBD stones. A score of 0 had negative predictive value (NPV) of 100% for CBD stones ( P P = .002). A score of 5 had PPV of 100% ( P Conclusion The scoring system is accurate in prediction of CBD stones in patients with gallstone pancreatitis. We propose that patients with 0 points undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy, 1 and 2 points undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy with intraoperative cholangiogram, 3 and 4 points undergo MRCP, and 5 points undergo ERCP as the first step in management for gallstone pancreatitis. The proposed protocol eliminated negative ERCPs.
Trypanocidal activity of a nitrovinylfuran derivative (SQ 18,506) in mice.

Abstract The curative action of trans -5-amino-3[2-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-vinyl]-1,2,4-oxadiazole (SQ 18,506), administered orally to mice infected with Trypanosoma (Trypanozoon) brucei rhodesiense (Wellcome CT strain), was dose- and time-related. The optimal regimen was 200 mg/kg at 12-hr intervals for 3 days, beginning shortly after the mice were inoculated. The earliest manifestation of the action of SQ 18,506 in vivo occurred 36 hr after treatment was begun, exemplified by suppression of trypanosomal reproduction. Trypanocidal effects became evident only after two full days of drug administration. The effectiveness of a relatively coarse formulation of SQ 18,506 (16 μm median particle size) was significantly lower than that of other preparations in which the median particle size was approximately 4 μm. A single intramuscular injection of SQ 18,506 (1 g/kg) given prior to a trypanosomal infection which, if untreated, would kill all the mice within 3.5 days, had a relatively slow onset of prophylactic action, reaching a peak when the interval between treatment and exposure was about 3 days. Prophylactic action essentially disappeared when the interval between treatment and exposure was longer than one week. Biochemical studies in vitro of trypanosomes previously exposed in vivo to SQ 18,506 for increasing periods of time indicated that this compound can inhibit various pathways of trypanosomal nuclec acid and carbohydrate metabolism, the former apparently more sensitive to the effects of the drug than the latter. These suggested modes of action can account for the profile of parasitemia in infected mice to which SQ 18,506 was repeatedly administered, which first showed evidence of suppression of trypanosomal reproduction followed by a precipitous drop in the population.
Aeromechanics of Membrane Wings with Implications for Animal Flight

Bats and other flying mammals are distinguished by thin, compliant membrane wings. In an effort to understand the dependence of aerodynamic performance on membrane compliancy, wind-tunnel tests of low-aspect-ratio, compliant wings were conducted for Reynolds numbers in the range of 0.7-2.0 x 10 5 . The lift and drag coefficients were measured for wings of varying aspect ratio, compliancy, and prestrain values. In addition, the static and dynamic deformations of compliant membrane wings were measured using stereo photogrammetry. A theoretical model for membrane camber due to aerodynamic loading is presented, indicating that the appropriate nondimensional parameter describing the problem is a Weber number that compares the aerodynamic load to the membrane elasticity. Excellent agreement between the theory and experiments is found. Measurements of aerodynamic performance show that, in comparison with rigid wings, compliant wings have a higher lift slope, maximum lift coefficients, and a delayed stall to higher angles of attack. In addition, they exhibit a strong hysteresis both around a zero angle of attack as well as around the stall angle. Unsteady membrane motions were also measured, and it is observed that the membrane vibrates with a spatial structure that is closely related to the free eigenmodes of the membrane under tension and that the Strouhal number at which the membrane vibrates rises with the freestream velocity, coinciding with increasing multiples of the natural frequency of the membrane.
Natural bond orbital analysis of near‐Hartree–Fock water dimer

We have carried out a natural bond orbital analysis of hydrogen bonding in the water dimer for the near‐Hartree–Fock wave function of Popkie, Kistenmacher, and Clementi, extending previous studies based on smaller basis sets and less realistic geometry. We find that interactions which may properly be described as ‘‘charge transfer’’ (particularly the n‐σ*OH interaction along the H‐bond axis) play a critical role in the formation of the hydrogen bond, and without these interactions the water dimer would be 3–5 kcal/mol repulsive at the observed equilibrium distance. We discuss this result in relationship to Klemperer’s general picture of the bonding in van der Waals molecules, and to previous theoretical analyses of hydrogen bonding by the method of Kitaura and Morokuma.
The Brønsted Acid-Catalyzed Direct Aza-Darzens Synthesis of N-Alkyl cis-Aziridines

A mild protocol for the synthesis of cis-aziridines is described that employs a catalytic amount of Bronsted acid. Despite the potential for diazo compound decomposition via alkylation or homocoupling upon exposure to a proton source, these pathways are slow relative to [2 + 1] annulation in the presence of a Schiff base, leading to aziridine product. The process uses no metals or reagents that must be removed chromatographically, exhibits rapid turnover rates, and produces only atomic nitrogen as a coproduct. High levels of relative stereocontrol are also possible when forming the Schiff base from a chiral nonracemic aldehyde.
Study and Optimization of Database on Android Platform

Due to the poor database performance situation on Android operating system, put forward a methods of database access performance optimization. The paper first analyze the Android database access principle, architecture of SQLite and Berkeley DB, and methods of Berkeley DB in concurrent access, then put forward a method of porting Berkeley DB to Android to replace SQLite to enhance the database access performance. Finally a series of practical benchmark results shows that the porting brings performance improvement effect.
A GENERALIZED PROCEDURE FOR COMPARING MODELS OF SPATIAL CHOICE

A major concern of geographers has been the explanation and prediction of spatial choice behavior. Several discrete choice models have been developed which attempt to account for the use of different transport routes, modes, shopping centers, and so on. One of the fundamental issues associated with these models is the problem of model specification; furthermore, each type of model can potentially give disparate results for the same spatial choice situation. In this paper the models and their characteristics are summarized, and a generalized method for comparing the results yielded by alternative model specifications, or results obtained from different model formulations, are presented. The procedure is an application of recent developments in heuristic methods for comparing related matrices. (Author/TRRL)
Interface Properties of InSb MIS Structure

Metal-insulator-lnSb structures with excellent interface properties, as measured at 77 K, have been developed. A simple MIS structure has been fabricated and used to characterize the surface physics of the InSb MIS interface, The C-V characteristics of these structures follow the simple ideal MIS capacitive model. A completely inverted low-frequency type CoV response occurs at about 10 Hz, indicating that the minority carrier thermal relaxation rate is small in these devices. Conductance measurements were made to investigate the interface properties of the MIS structure. These give a detailed description of the interface. Surface state densities in the 1012cm-2eV-1range were found. The experimental results also show that the interface of these structures can be characterized as a Shockley-Read-Hall type. The minority carrier thermal generation in the structure has been further analyzed, via conductance measurements, in the strong inversion region. The current density of the spacecharge generation was determined to be about 3.2 X 10-6A/ cm2. The effect of a photon flux on the generation current for the MIS device is briefly discussed.
Optical Fiber Sensors For Smart Structures

"Smart" materials incorporating mechanisms for sensing, signal processing and actuation have been suggested for aerospace, hydrospace, civil structures, biomedical and other uses. Optical fiber sensors offer a very good alternative to most conventional means for the measurement of the mechanical, optical, chemical and other properties within and external to such materials. This paper briefly reviews current research in the use of optical fiber sensors and systems for such applications.
Drug-induced valvulopathy: an update.

Drug-induced valvulopathy is a serious liability for certain compound classes in development and for some marketed drugs intended for human use. Reports of valvulopathy led to the withdrawal of fenfluramines (anorexigens) and pergolide (antiparkinson drug) from the United States market in 1997 and 2007, respectively. The mechanism responsible for the pathogenesis of valvulopathy by these drugs is likely a result of an “off-target” effect via activation of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) 2B receptor (5-HT2BR) expressed on heart valve leaflets. Microscopically, the affected valve leaflets showed plaques of proliferative myofibroblasts in an abundant extracellular matrix, composed primarily of glycosaminoglycans. However, the valvular effects caused by fenfluramines and pergolide were not initially predicted from routine preclinical toxicity studies, and to date there are no specific validated animal models or preclinical/toxicologic screens to accurately predict drug-induced valvulopathy. This review covers the ...
Effects of compensatory movement stimulation on the sleep-wake behaviors of preterm infants.

The sleep-wake behaviors and the motility of 12 preterm infants were compared on and off a waterbed which oscillated in the pattern of a maternal biological rhythm. There was a pervasive increase in the day-to-day consistency of behaviors on the waterbed compared to the control condition. Whereas most of the behaviors tested were not significantly increased or decreased by waterbed flotation, two significant differences between the experimental and control conditions were found. While on the waterbed, the infants had significantly more sustained quiet sleep, and fussiness and crying were significantly reduced.
The clinical management of drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Purpose of review Drug-resistant tuberculosis is a growing problem, with almost half a million cases worldwide. In spite of the difficulty in its management, drug-resistant tuberculosis can be successfully treated, even in poor settings. Recent findings This article will review key findings in the areas of epidemiology, diagnosis and management of drug-resistant tuberculosis, including new antituberculous drugs. The issue of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis will also be reviewed and discussed. Finally, novel approaches to the management of drug-resistant tuberculosis in populations with HIV, as well as in pediatric populations, among pregnant women, and among patients requiring surgical therapy, will be reviewed. Summary New advances in the diagnosis and management of drug-resistant tuberculosis allow for excellent clinical outcomes to be achieved, even in difficult-to-treat populations. This is possible with timely diagnosis of disease and rapid initiation of appropriate therapy in supported settings.
Septate uterus with cervical duplication: a full-term delivery after resection of a vaginal septum

We report a full-term delivery after resection of a longitudinal vaginal septum in a patient with a septate uterus and cervical duplication.
VISIPLAN: a hierarchical planning framework for composing biomedical image analysis processes

This paper presents a new knowledge-based approach to the composition of biomedical image analysis processes. A prototype system has been developed that provides the imaging domain expert with the tools needed to formulate, specify and experiment with the design of analysis strategies. The system has been tested in the area of MR image analysis with promising results. >
Conditional Type I Error Rate for Superiority Test Conditioned on Establishment of Noninferiority in Clinical Trials

In clinical trials, it is often desirable to test for superiority conditioned on establishment of noninferiority based on the same primary end-point. According to a guidance document issued by the European regulatory agency Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products in 2001, no type I error rate adjustment is necessary for switching between superiority and non-inferiority because the family-wise type I error rate is controlled at the same nominal level. However, Ng raised the issues of switching between superiority and noninferiority even though there is no inflation of the family-wise type I error rate and showed that the fake discovery rate could be increased.
The process of financial development : a statistical view from the FSAP program

This paper uses a simple statistical approach to exploit some of the wealth of information contained in FSAP reports. The authors classify and count FSAP recommendations along a logical grid that reflects the fabric of financial activity and the ways in which states organize their policies in support of financial development. With some caveats reflecting the inherent limitations of the exercise, this analysis provides a simple monitoring tool to help understand the nature and evolution of the FSAP program. At the same time, it throws light on the nuts and bolts of the process of financial development and its inter-linkages with economic development. While many of the findings conform well to what one would expect, others are more surprising and also potentially more useful for understanding the inner workings of financial development.
Intimal hyperplasia, vascular modeling, and the restenosis problem.

Abstract.9. KuntzRE, Baim DS. Defining coronary restenosis: newerclinical and angiographic paradigms. Circulation. 1993;88:1310-1323. 10. Glagov S, Weisenberg E, ZarinsCK,Stankunavicius R, Kolettis G.Compensatory enlargement of human atherosclerotic coronaryarteries. N Engl J Med. 1987;316:1371-1375. 11. ZarinsCK, Weisenberg E, KolettisG,Stankunavicius R, Glagov S. Differential enlargement of artery segments in response to enlarging atherosclerotic plaques. JVasc Surg. 1988;7:386-394. 12. Glagov S, Zarins CK, MasawaN, XuCP, Bassiouny HS,Giddens DP. Mechanical functional role of non-atherosclerotic intimal thickening. Front MedBiol Eng. 1993;5:37-43. 13. KamiyaA, TogawaT. Adaptive regulation ofwall shear stress toflow change in the canine carotid artery.AmJ PhysioL 1990;239: H14-H21. 14. Zarins CK, Zatina MA, Giddens DP, Ku DN, Glagov S. Shearstress regulation ofarterylumendiameterin experimental athero- genesis. JVasc Surg. 1987;5:413-420. 15. Dobrin PB, Litooy FN, Endean ED. Mechanical
Virtualization on the Tartan Reconfigurable Architecture

Spatial computing (SC) offers the potential for large improvements in performance and energy efficiency. Many proposed architectures have harnessed these benefits for small kernels. The Tartan architecture attempts to harness these advantages for entire general-purpose applications executing spatially. Previous work on Tartan had a configure-once model of execution, which required prohibitively large amounts of hardware resources to execute most programs. In this paper, we explore a virtualization model for Tartan. With virtualization, Tartan can execute large programs with a realistic amount of hardware, and with performance comparable to the configure-once model. We focus on three aspects of virtualization: runtime placement of code-blocks, location resolution methods for inter-block communication, and the impact of prefetching on reducing configuration delays. Our results show that the Tartan fabric can be virtualized with no loss in performance compared to a configure-once fabric of unlimited size.
Solution of the propeller conjecture in R3

It is shown that every measurable partition {A1,..., Ak} of R3 satisfies: ∑i=1k|intAi xe-1/2|x|22dx|22≤ 9π2. Let P1,P2,P3 be the partition of R2 into 120o sectors centered at the origin. The bound (1) is sharp, with equality holding if Ai=Pi x R for i∈ {1,2,3} and Ai=∅ for i∈ {4,...,k}. This settles positively the 3-dimensional Propeller Conjecture of Khot and Naor (FOCS 2008). The proof of (1) reduces the problem to a finite set of numerical inequalities which are then verified with full rigor in a computer-assisted fashion. The main consequence (and motivation) of (1) is complexity-theoretic: the Unique Games hardness threshold of the Kernel Clustering problem with 4 x 4 centered and spherical hypothesis matrix equals 2π/3.
The 1993 newspaper science reporter: Contributing, creative, and responsible

Abstract This 1993 national survey describes the attitudes of our Fourth Estate's science reporters writing for 103 newspapers with circulations in excess of 100,000. Following a journalism literature review of the past 30 years, the investigator classified the scholarship areas into three typologies: accuracy, scientific attribution and creative writing . Seventeen attitudinal statements were developed to reflect those three scholarship typologies. A principal factor analysis of the 17 attitudinal variables reduced the data into three dimensions the investigator named ‘Beat Pressure,’ ‘Creative Talent’ and ‘Reporter Responsibility.’ Science reporters persist in science writing because it offers a rare brand of news that can be shared with readers about new discoveries and the meaning of it all.
Putting the “Evidence” in Evidence-Based Practice: Meeting Research Challenges in Community Psychiatric Settings

Every psychiatric client deserves access to treatments that have evidence of efficacy, but in psychiatric nursing, this evidence remains sparse. To address this deficit, researchers must commit to conducting high quality, community-based psychiatric nursing intervention investigations. In service of this goal, the authors draw upon their research experiences in community psychiatric settings to suggest options for overcoming system-, clinician-, and client-related research barriers in community psychiatric settings.
Mapping the Future of Engineering Communication: Report on a Research Study of Engineering Faculty and Their Teaching of Writing as a Function of the ABET/EAC Criteria

The ABET/Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs is the set of basic requirements that every engineering program must meet in order to ensure its continued accredited status. According to ABET, Inc., the organization charged with maintaining the criteria, the criteria are "intended to assure quality and to foster the systematic pursuit of improvement in the quality of engineering education that satisfies the needs of constituencies in a dynamic and competitive environment" (http://www.abet.org/). The criteria cover all aspects of an engineering program's operation, from faculty qualifications to laboratory space; they also cover Program Outcomes and Assessment, the statements that "describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation".
Localization-Based Super-Resolution Light Microscopy

Fluorescence microscopy is an essential and flexible tool for the study of biology, chemistry, and physics. It can provide information on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. However, since the inception of light microscopy, diffraction has limited the size of the smallest details that could be imaged in any sample using light. Because much of biology occurs on molecular length scales, interest in circumventing the diffraction limit has been high for many years. Recently, several techniques have been introduced that can bend or break the diffraction limit. Localization-based methods introduced in 2006 have reached this goal and are now rapidly growing in popularity.
High‐Throughput Screening for Inhibitors of Sialyl‐ and Fucosyltransferases

Sweet Screens: The promiscuity of sialyl- and fucosyltransferases has been exploited to develop a high-throughput screening (HTS) platform wherein transfer of a fluorescent analog of the natural donor substrate to a glycoprotein acceptor results in a robust fluorescence polarization readout. The use of this method to screen 16,000 compounds against 5 different glycosyltransferases has identified a panel of interesting inhibitors.
Activists and Partisan Realignment in the United States

In this paper, we contend that party realignments occur due to the interaction of candidates and activists. We examine independent party candidates who are motivated primarily to win elections but who use activist contributions to increase vote shares. In a two-dimensional policy space, such candidates will on occasion engage in “flanking” moves so as to enlist coalitions of disaffected voters, at the risk of alienating some of their traditional activist supporters. We argue that a result of such “flanking” moves, in the early part of the century, has been a shift in emphasis from an underlying social dimension to the economic dimension. In recent decades, electoral salience has shifted back to the social dimension. The net result is that the party cleavage line is much as it was a century ago—but the parties have switched sides.
Teaching Beginning Counselors How To Align Couples' Relationships.

Couples’dilemmas revolve around vantage points in their relationships. Besides personal needs and wants, there are personally competing internally and externally defined forces that mire establishm...
Positivism and Ecstasy

The false alternative which my headings posit is an extrapolation from, and a contrast to, Nietzsche’s generative antithesis between the serenities of the Apollonian dream-experience and the ecstasies of the world of Dionysan peak-experiences.
Exercise training effects on collateral and microvascular resistances in rat model of arterial insufficiency

Experiments were performed to determine if exercise training reduces collateral or microvascular resistances in the hindlimb of rats with arterial insufficiency. After right femoral arterial ligati...
In vivo evidence for hepatic autoregulation during FFA-stimulated gluconeogenesis in normal humans.

To examine the effect of increased gluconeogenesis [by increasing free fatty acids (FFA)] on hepatic glucose output (HGO) and on the first substrate (glucose) cycle, a primed continuous infusion of...
The Public Interest in Consumer and Mortgage Credit Markets

This paper examines mortgage credit markets and the need for government intervention to protect and advance the public interest. We identify as rationales for the public interest: positive and negative externalities, the promotion of equal access, and information asymmetry and principal agent problems. We point to the role of market conduct and structure, as well as information asymmetry and principal agent problems, as prominent sources for the US mortgage debacle. While it is beyond the scope of this paper to outline a reform program, this paper points, in the aftermath of the crisis, to a need for a framework to address information and principal agent issues in the conduct and structure of mortgage markets. As a new framework for mortgage markets is developed, attention needs to be placed on the role that information on loan quality and pricing plays for borrowers’ and investors’ appropriate pricing and allocation of capital.
Social hierarchy in local Spanish-language print media: The discursive representation of Latino social actors in the United States

This study critically examines the discursive construction of social hierarchy in local Spanish-language print media with the goal of determining the extent to which these representations challenge...
Abstract 837: Copper efflux transporter-mediated resistance to cisplatin

The copper (Cu) efflux transporters ATP7A and ATP7B individually mediate resistance to the Pt-containing chemotherapeutic agents and have been identified as a primary pathway for the sequestration and/or export of these drugs. While the structure and transport function of ATP7A and ATP7B have been well studied, the mechanism by which they mediate resistance to the Pt drugs remains unknown. The experimental system consisted of the human fibroblast cell line Me32a, which does not express either ATP7A or ATP7B, and sublines previously produced by transfection that express either ATP7A (MeMNK) or ATP7B (MeWND). The MeMNK sub-line was 2.2-fold resistant to cisplatin whereas the MeWND cells had a 1.8-fold increase in IC 50 . The MeMNK and MeWND cell lines also contained a small population of cells that survived lethal dosages of DDP (10 - 20%). The MeMNK and MeWND cells were also 1.6- and 1.9-fold, respectively, resistant to the specific vacuolar proton pump (V-ATPase) inhibitor bafilomycin (Baf). Further investigation revealed that cells expressing ATP7A or ATP7B also had increased expression of V-ATPase subunits A, D and H at the mRNA level that corresponded to 8.6 - 14-fold increases at the protein level indicating that ATP7A and ATP7B perturb the proton transport system that accounts for progressive acidification of vesicles in the secretory pathway. MeMNK and MeWND cells were found to be 34- and 22-fold resistant to brefeldin A (BFA) which reversibly disrupts transport of proteins in the vesicle secretory pathway and specifically targets the ADP-ribosylation factor-1 (Arf1). This led us to investigate the Arf family of proteins and we found that the levels of Arf1, Arf3 and Arf4 were markedly reduced in cells expressing ATP7A and ATP7B at the RNA level; the reduction in Arf1 appears to account for the resistance to BFA and indicates the that function of Arf1 has been taken over by some other protein. Furthermore, we found large perturbations in the level of proteins that constitute the regulatory machinery of the vesicle secretory pathway including guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and coat protein complexes in the MeMNK and MeWND cells. These findings indicate that ATP7A and ATP7B both produce quite large perturbations in the expression of proteins whose function is essential to the formation and trafficking of vesicles in the secretory pathway. As ATP7A and ATP7B have previously been shown to be capable of sequestering cisplatin into the microvesicular fraction of the MeMNK and MeWND cells, we conclude that these changes are linked to the ability of these Cu transporters to mediate cisplatin resistance. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 837. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-837
Hormonal regulation of MAP kinase in cultured rat inner medullary collecting tubule cells

Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase is a widely expressed protein serine/threonine kinase that serves as a convergence point for many signaling pathways including receptor tyrosine kinases, G protein-coupled receptors, and protein kinase C (PKC). The hormonal regulation of MAP kinase was studied in cultured established rat inner medullary collecting tubule (RIMCT) cells. Neither vasopressin nor beta-adrenergic agonists stimulated MAP kinase, despite clear stimulation of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase. In contrast, carbachol, ATP, and epidermal growth factor (EGF), which are known to antagonize vasopressin action in the RIMCT, stimulated the MAP kinase pathway. This stimulation was mimicked by the phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, which directly activates PKC. The potency with which EGF and carbachol activated MAP kinase was similar to the potency with which they inhibited vasopressin-stimulated cAMP accumulation. To assess the role of Gi proteins in these stimulatory events, RIMCT cells were pretreated with pertussis toxin to inhibit Gi-mediated signaling. Pertussis toxin did not influence ATP- or EGF-stimulated MAP kinase, but completely inhibited carbachol stimulation, suggesting that Gi proteins mediate muscarinic stimulation. Prolonged exposure of RIMCT cells to high phorbol ester concentrations to downregulate PKC ablated carbachol- and ATP-stimulated MAP kinase, but not EGF-stimulated MAP kinase, suggesting that PKC is a component of the network involved in MAP kinase activation by purinergic and muscarinic agonists. Investigation of the sidedness of the hormonal stimulations indicated that EGF-stimulated MAP kinase was highly polarized, occurring exclusively from the basolateral surface, whereas carbachol stimulated MAP kinase similarly from either cell surfaces.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Interaction of Vibrio vulnificus and the Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica.

The estuarine bacterium, Vibrio vulnificus , is a human pathogen associated with the consumption of raw oysters. To date, no effective means exists for the elimination of this health hazard in oysters meant for raw consumption. The purpose of this study was to investigate the interaction between V. vulnificus and the eastern oyster. These studies were facilitated through the use of a strain of V. vulnificus containing a TnphoA transposon that allowed specific identification of the bacterium on a selective and differential medium. In studies employing ultra-violet assisted (UV-assisted) depuration, no differences were found in the oysters of the encapsulated (virulent) and nonencapsulated (avirulent) morphotypes of V. vulnificus . Both types were readily depurated from the oysters, while a naturally obtained microflora was shown not to depurate. Virulence of V. vulnificus and conversion rates between the virulent and avirulent morphotypes of this bacterium were found to be unchanged by oyster passage.
Lessons Learned over Four Benchmark Exercises from the Community Structure–Activity Resource

Preparing datasets and analyzing the results is difficult and time-consuming, and I hope the points raised here will help other scientists avoid some of the thorny issues we wrestled with.
Role of Paracrine Mechanisms

Many studies have demonstrated that the exogenous delivery of stem cells into injured myocardium results in functional improvements. It was originally thought that the regenerative properties of these stem cells arose from engraftment into the myocardium and subsequent differentiation into cardiac cells. However, this process was found to occur very rarely; far too low to account for the functional benefits observed. In the past decade, a new paradigm has emerged, namely that stem cells exert their reparative and regenerative effects predominantly through the release of biologically active molecules acting in a paracrine fashion on resident cells.
Automated Functional and Behavioral Health Assessment of Older Adults with Dementia

Dementia is a clinical syndrome of cognitive deficits that involves both memory and functional impairments. While disruptions in cognition is a striking feature of dementia, it is also closely coupled with changes in functional and behavioral health of older adults. In this paper, we investigate the challenges of improving the automatic assessment of dementia, by better exploiting the emerging physiological sensors in conjunction with ambient sensors in a real field environment with IRB approval. We hypothesize that the cognitive health of older individuals can be estimated by tracking their daily activities and mental arousal states. We employ signal processing on wearable sensor data streams (e.g., Electrodermal Activity (EDA), Photoplethysmogram (PPG), accelerometer (ACC)) and machine learning algorithms to assess cognitive impairments and its correlation with functional health decline. To validate our approach, we quantify the score of machine learning, survey and observation based Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and signal processing based mental arousal state, respectively for functional and behavioral health measures among 17 older adults living in a continuing care retirement community in Baltimore. We compare clinically observed scores with technology guided automated scores using both machine learning and statistical techniques.
Transcallosal Mechanism of Mirror Movements

The mechanism of mirror movements in 11 normal adults and 39 children (aged 4-11 years) was studied in the Department of Physiology, University College London, UK.
Wrongful Benefit & Arctic Drilling

The law contains a diverse range of doctrines — “slayer rules” that prevent murderers from inheriting, restrictions on trade in “conflict diamonds,” the Fourth Amendment’s exclusion of evidence obtained through unconstitutional search, and many more — that seem to instantiate a general principle that it can be wrong to profit from past harms or misconduct. This Article explores the contours of this general normative principle, which we call the wrongful benefit principle. As we illustrate, the wrongful benefit principle places constraints both on whether anyone should be permitted to exploit ethically tainted goods, and who may be permitted to profit or otherwise benefit from past wrongful or harmful conduct. We test the boundaries of the principle by examining its application to the pressing and complex case of Arctic drilling. The burning of fossil fuels and the resulting melting of Arctic ice have, ironically, opened access to oil fields in the Arctic that were previously inaccessible. In our view, the historical cause of this opportunity is normatively significant to questions about what oil extraction should be permitted in the Arctic in the future. We conclude by suggesting the kind of legal responses — both domestic and global — that can incorporate the wrongful benefit principle.
At-issueness ≠ anaphoric availability

The at-issue status of a proposition and its availability for anaphora have been tightly linked in the literature (e.g., Tonhauser 2012; Syrett & Koev 2014). In particular, a frequently used diagnostic for at-issueness crucially relies on propositional anaphora. I argue that two different QUD-based diagnostics from Tonhauser 2012 — which do not rely on anaphora — more reliably identify at-issueness. I use these diagnostics to show that neither at-issueness nor availability for anaphora reliably determine one another.
Bio-Inspired Microdevices that Mimic the Human Vasculature

Blood vessels may be found throughout the entire body and their importance to human life is undeniable. This is evident in the fact that a malfunctioning blood vessel can result in mild symptoms such as shortness of breath or chest pain to more severe symptoms such as a heart attack or stroke, to even death in the severest of cases. Furthermore, there are a host of pathologies that have been linked to the human vasculature. As a result many researchers have attempted to unlock the mysteries of the vasculature by performing studies that duplicate the physiological structural, chemical, and mechanical properties known to exist. While the ideal study would consist of utilizing living, blood vessels derived from human tissue, such studies are not always possible since intact human blood vessels are not readily accessible and there are immense technical difficulties associated with such studies. These limitations have opened the door for the development of microdevices modeled after the human vasculature as it is believed by many researchers in the field that such devices can one day replace tissue models. In this review we present an overview of microdevices developed to mimic various types of vasculature found throughout the human body. Although the human body contains a diverse array of vascular systems for this review we limit our discussion to the cardiovascular system and cerebrovascular system and discuss such systems that have been fabricated in both 2D and 3D configurations.
The LISP 2 Project

John McCarthy designed the LISP programming language for the symbolic computation typical of artificial intelligence at the time, and LISP was strongly associated with AI at least through the 1990s. By 1963, a number of ideas had been proposed for how LISP 1.5 could be improved and extended. This lead to the LISP 2 project, which was carried out at System Development Corporation by personnel from SDC and Information International, Inc., using the military AN/FSQ-32 computer. LISP 2 extended LISP 1.5 with ALGOL-like syntax, static type checking, efficient support for arithmetic and arrays, pattern-matching, and more, but the LISP 2 language failed to displace LISP 1.5. Despite this, LISP 2 foreshadowed later languages, such as ECL, Common Lisp, and Java. An online archive of LISP 2 documents and source code exists at the Computer History Museum, providing a snapshot of mid-1960s ARPA-funded research and development.
Why the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation against Screening for Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Disease Should be Reconsidered

When screening seniors with a quick carotid scan (QCS) with ultrasound, one can discover the silent carotid artery disease (CAD) that is the leading cause of strokes and Medicare expenditures and a...
The Independent File Review

An independent file review is an independent medical evaluation that does not involve an interaction with the examinee or claimant. It consists of a review of the presented medical and sometimes nonmedical records that surround a claim only. File reviews are usually narrower in scope that independent medical examinations where only one or two questions are in dispute.
The Problem of Chemical Inhomogeneities in Electronic Materials

Chemical inhomogeneities are present in semiconductors (and generally in all solids) solidified under destabilizing thermal gradients. Their origin is associated with temperature fluctuations at the growth interface (leading to flucutations in the microscopic rate of growth) and/or with fluctuations of the boundary layer thickness. The formation of such inhomogeneities in semiconductors, such as InSb, Ge and Si, is discussed in the light of results obtained with the aid of “rate striations” which allow the determination of the microscopic growth rate and of the morphological characteristics of the growth interface. The quantitative relationship between impurity dopant concentration and the microscopic growth rate is presented.
Communication Studies, Overview

Aggression and conflict are communicated across and within societies in numerous and complex ways. This article examines the ways in which violence and conflict have been studied in two of the major areas of communication research: interpersonal and mass media. In particular, the article will review how everyday conflicts are managed and the ways in which more serious verbal abuses can cause relational stress and ultimately lead to violence. Next, the effects of violence in the media will be examined as well as the reasons for such outcomes. Finally, we highlight issues that should inform future research agendas.
Single detector imaging lidar by digital micromirror device for large field-of-view and mid-range mapping applications

An imaging lidar system is presented which combines the high speed of a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) and the higher range of a 1D collimated scanning output. The system employing 1D line object illumination along with DMD placed at focal plane enables flexible optimization of system metrics, such as field of view, angular resolution, maximum range distance and frame rate.
Teaching Polymer Theory through the Living Polymerization and Characterization of Poly(methyl methacrylate) and Poly(butyl methacrylate) Homo- and Copolymers

This work describes a semester-long learning module designed to equip students with the analytical and practical skills necessary to be successful in an interdisciplinary polymer research environme...
Do individual surgeon volumes affect outcomes in thoracic surgery

OBJECTIVES Minimum volume standards for thoracic surgical procedures have been advocated to improve outcomes. However, such standards are controversial within the thoracic surgery literature, and the methodology to determine cut points between high- and low-volume hospitals has been criticized. Furthermore, while multiple studies have examined hospital volume and its relationship with outcomes, there have been very few attempts to study this issue from the perspective of the individual thoracic surgeon. The aim of this study was to determine if surgeon volume is associated with differences in outcomes using a large state-wide database. METHODS The study utilized the New York State Department of Health Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative (SPARCS) data for analysis. Patients who underwent major lung resections including sublobar resection, lobectomy and pneumonectomy from 1995 to 2014 were included and were categorized into 3 subgroups based on the extent of resection. Patient characteristics included age, gender, race, insurance and comorbidities. Surgeon information was obtained by using a unique identifier. Average annual surgical volumes of sublobar resection, lobectomy and pneumonectomy were calculated separately and grouped into 3 categories based on the tertiles. Demographic data and comorbidities were compared between the various volume groups to analyse the resulting complications. Primary outcomes were in-hospital mortality and 30-day readmission. RESULTS There were a total of 99 576 major lung resections performed between 1995 and 2014 in the SPARCS database. Among these, the majority were wedge or segmental resections (n = 54 953, 55.2%) followed by lobectomy (n = 40 421, 40.6%) and pneumonectomy (n = 4202, 4.2%). In-hospital mortality was significantly greater for low-volume surgeons compared to high-volume surgeons for all resection groups. Additionally, low-volume surgeons had higher 30-day readmission rates for patients undergoing lobectomy and pneumonectomy. However, low-volume surgeons as a group were more likely to operate on black patients and patients with Medicaid, and black race was an independent predictor of mortality across all resection groups. The vast majority of surgeons performing lobectomy (89.5%) were in the low-volume group. CONCLUSIONS Low-volume surgeons had higher rates of in-hospital mortality compared to their high-volume counterparts. However, the vast majority of surgeons performing lobectomy (89.5%) were in the low-volume group, and low-volume surgeons operated on higher percentages of black patients. These findings suggest that minimal volume standards would significantly impact the current delivery of thoracic surgery in the US.
The Effect of Neutral Recombination Variation on Genome Scans for Selection.

Recently, there has been an increasing interest in identifying the role that regions of low recombination or inversion play in adaptation of species to local environments. Many examples of groups of adapted genes located within inversions are arising in the literature, in part inspired by theory that predicts the evolution of these so-called “supergenes.” We still, however, have a poor understanding of how genomic heterogeneity, such as varying rates of recombination, may confound signals of selection. Here, I evaluate the effect of neutral inversions and recombination variation on genome scans for selection, including tests for selective sweeps, differentiation outlier tests, and association tests. There is considerable variation among methods in their performance, with some methods being unaffected and some showing elevated false positive signals within a neutral inversion or region of low recombination. In some cases the false positive signal can be dampened or removed, if it is possible to use a quasi-independent set of SNPs to parameterize the model before performing the test. These results will be helpful to those seeking to understand the importance of regions of low recombination in adaptation.
Colonial Perceptions of Women in India and the Nationalist Response

In 1813, a contentious and highly publicized debate took place in Britain over the renewal of the East India Company’s Charter. It centered on the question of whether India ought to be opened up to missionaries and free traders, but during the debate, company directors also inquired into the operation of the Governor-General Cornwallis’s administrative system and sought to examine his racial ban on Indian’s being employed as judges and revenue officials and broached the question of what should be the role of Indian’s in their own government. During the debate questions were raised about the morality of colonial rule, Britons paternalistic attitudes toward their Indian subjects and the maintenance of British Colonial prestige. Even a cursory examination of the papers of that debate will reveal that there was no great shift in general British attitudes away from the common belief that Indians’ were morally depraved. Any reference to Britons near obsession from the 1880s onwards regarding Indian Widow Burning (Sati) or the ritual strangling of travellers, supposedly committed by Thugs (Thuggi) will readily attest to the fact that if anything, these attitudes hardened during this period and into the British Raj. British colonial officials, and many colonial track authors, during the second quarter of the nineteenth century, generally regarded Indians’ as “misguided children in morals”, as Bengal legal official Sir Archibald Galloway put it in 1932.
Finite solution of pure trade markets with Cobb-Douglas utilities

Necessary and sufficient conditions for existence of equilibria for a pure trade market with Cobb-Douglas utilities are reviewed. For a market with m goods and n agents a finite and comprehensive procedure of order m 3/3+m 2 n is described for computing all equilibria.