cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electrophysiology in Congestive Heart Failure Animal Models

As the physiologic end-stage of a variety of cardiac pathologies, heart failure has increased in incidence over the last decade in part because of earlier recognition of the provoking pathology and improved hospital and intensive care treatment. In spite of multiple interventional studies directed to the correction of hemodynamic abnormalities and the improvement of functional capacity, patients with heart failure continue to have a high annual mortality rate. In a recent prospective study of patients with severe chronic heart failure, Wilson and Horowitz et al. demonstrated an average mortality rate of 20% per year (1). In these patients, cardiac mortality was divided equally between sudden death and pump failure. While the only clinical or hemodynamic variable that correlated with survival was a functional class, the extremely high incidence of complex ventricular arrhythmias in these patients may be a consequence of the overall severity of circulatory dysfunction. While sudden death may be the consequence of lethal ventricular arrhythmias, pump failure may be the consequence of the deleterious hemodynamic consequences of non-lethal arrhythmias.
System-Level Issues

Chapters 2 through 5 have concentrated on the physical-layer problem of point-to-point communication using non-directed infrared radiation. Although the results presented there stand alone, the purpose of this chapter is to address some of the issues that arise when one tries to use non-directed infrared links as building blocks for a wireless LAN. Because a complete design of a wireless LAN is beyond the scope of this book, the discussion presented here will not be in depth; nevertheless, it should convince the reader that there are no fatal obstacles to an infrared LAN lurking in the higher network layers.
Potentiators and Correctors in Paediatric Cystic Fibrosis Patients: A Narrative Review

Cystic fibrosis is the most common inherited condition in the Caucasian population and is associated with significantly reduced life expectancy. Recent advances in treatment have focussed on addressing the underlying cause of the condition, the defective production, expression and function of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. Several drugs with different modes of action have produced promising results in clinical trials, and some have been incorporated into routine clinical care for specific patients in many countries worldwide. Further trials continue to explore the safety and efficacy of these drugs in the youngest age groups and to search for more effective therapies to treat the most common disease-causing gene mutations in an ever-expanding drug pipeline. As evidence mounts for the early onset of disease in young patients, the prospect of introducing disease-modifying therapy in early life becomes more pertinent, although the cost implications of these expensive drugs are significant. In this review, we summarise these new therapy advances and review those currently being explored in clinical trials.
Imaging utilization affects negative appendectomy rates in appendicitis: An ACS-NSQIP study.

Abstract Background Negative appendectomy rates (NAR) historically ranged from 15 to 25%, but have decreased recently. Methods Using the 2016 ACS-NSQIP database, we identified patients who underwent appendectomies for appendicitis. Patients with and without appendicitis on pathology were compared. Multivariate analysis was used to identify predictors of negative appendectomies. Results 11,841 patients underwent appendectomies, with a NAR of 4.5%. Utilization rates of US, CT and MRI were 14.9%, 86.1%, and 1.1%. NAR's of US, CT, and MRI were 9.7%, 2.5%, and 7.1%, and 19.2% for patients without imaging. An ultrasound consistent with appendicitis has a NAR of 4.8%; adding a CT decreases it to 0.6%. Predictors of NA include females, smoking, no imaging, and ultrasounds. Factors with lower odds of NA include leukocytosis, sepsis, and CTs. Conclusions The NAR in the 2016 ACS-NSQIP population is 4.5%. CTs are the most frequently used imaging modality and have the lowest NAR. Obtaining a CT in addition to an ultrasound is associated with lower NAR. This should be further explored with a cost-benefit analysis between multiple imaging studies versus negative appendectomies.
Parallel Solution of ODEs

This talk examines the factors that will limit the application of parallel methods to ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Two primary classes of methods have been discussed in the literature: parallelism across time, also called parallelism across the method, in which different processors are used to handle different points in time (or different parts of the method); and parallelism across space, also called equation segmentation or parallelism across the system, in which different groups of equations are integrated on different processors. The latter class of methods is suitable and often proposed for real time applications, while both are suitable for non-real time applications. However, in both classes, the factor that limits the speed of the method is the inherent communication in the problem that must be represented in the method. In parallelism across time, the natural flow of information in the increasing time of an initial value problem is a limiting factor. It will be shown that it does not appear possible to achieve a speed of better than logarithmic in the number of time points, and reasons will be given why even that may be extremely difficult. In parallelism across space, the natural flow of information from one part of space to another in the simulated system maps into flow of information between processors. We examine the amount of information that must be transmitted. In a real time application, the time required for the information to flow across several processors may be the limiting factor.
Resident perceptions of a resilience curriculum in a postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residency program.

Abstract Background and purpose Burnout is a growing concern among healthcare professions. Efforts to prevent burnout and promote wellbeing and resilience have been a focus of some medical training programs. Some interventions have been able to show a reduction in stress and burnout among residents. However, none have looked at specific factors that are considered most valuable to residents. This study addressed the gap in literature by evaluating the promotion of resilience in pharmacy residents and identifying valuable components of an implemented resilience curriculum. Educational activity and setting Twenty-eight post-graduate year 1 pharmacy residents participated in a resilience curriculum including nine sessions throughout the residency year. Residents were surveyed at four points throughout the year on perceived value of the curriculum, most valuable components, factors to improve value and key takeaways from the sessions. Findings On the final survey, 90% of residents rated the resilience curriculum as highly or extremely valuable. Residents most frequently commented that a sense of community and taking time for reflection were the most valuable components of the curriculum. To improve the value of the curriculum, residents most frequently stated that increasing the opportunity to share thoughts and ideas, and more time dedicated to sessions would be beneficial. The most noted key takeaways from residents included self-care, balance, and knowing they were not alone as they moved throughout their residency year. Summary Pharmacy residents reported value in the resiliency curriculum. Further information on the benefit of specific topics and long-term influence of the program would be beneficial.
Pubertal Development Measurement in Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Comparison Between Physical Exam, Parent- and Self-Report

Adolescence is a time of remarkable biopsychosocial change, which may be particularly challenging for youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), necessitating enhanced understanding and accurate assessment of pubertal maturation. The study compared physical examination to parent- and self-report measures in 200 participants (134 males and 66 females) ages 10.0–13.5 years. Both participants with typical development (TD, n = 78) and ASD (n = 122) were included. Concordance ranged from slight-to-fair for self-assessments (κ = .17–.32) and slight-to-moderate for parent-report (κ = .21–.44). Concordance of physical exam with self- and parent-report of the ASD group was somewhat lower than for the TD group. Findings indicate pubertal assessments by parent or child are not reliable indices of precise pubertal staging.
Abstract 137: Impact of Leptin Deficiency Compared to Neuronal Specific Leptin Receptor Deletion on Cardiometabolic Regulation

The main goal of this study was to compare the impact of whole-body leptin deficiency with neuronal specific leptin receptor (LR) deletion on metabolic and cardiovascular regulation. Liver fat, dia...
Tobacco manufacturer lobbying to undercut minimum price laws: an analysis of internal industry documents

Background Increasing the price of tobacco products has the potential to reduce tobacco consumption. As other forms of promotion have been increasingly restricted over time, tobacco manufacturers have relied more on trade discounts. Minimum price laws that prevented the use of manufacturer promotions were once common; however in most US jurisdictions these discounts are now legally protected. Methods We collected tobacco industry documents, state legislation and court cases between 1987 and 2016 to review tobacco manufacturer strategies to change minimum price laws in the USA. Results Beginning in 2000, tobacco manufacturers lobbied to amend minimum price legislation after state regulators indicated that manufacturer promotions were illegal under existing laws. Companies viewed changing these laws as critical to maintaining tobacco sales, and after the initiation of an industry lobbying campaign, at least 20 states changed the way they calculated tobacco prices. Conclusions Modifying existing minimum price laws so that manufacturer discounts are no longer protected, and implementing new minimum price policies with comparable scope, would likely increase prices and reduce tobacco use.
The Short- and Long-Term Impacts of Hurricane Irma on Florida Agricultural Leaders as Early Emergency Responders: The Importance of Workplace Stability

The impacts of hurricane-related disasters in agricultural communities include extensive losses of fields, orchards, and livestock, the recovery of which could span many years. Agricultural Extension Agents (EAs) try to manage and mitigate these losses, while simultaneously overseeing emergency shelter operations. These non-professional emergency responders face numerous potential stressors, the outcomes of which are minimally known. This study examined the short- and long-term medical and behavioral outcome of 36 University of Florida Agricultural Extension Agents within two months and one year after Hurricane Irma, Florida, USA, taking into consideration personal/home and work-related hurricane impacts. Regression analyses indicated that combined home and work hurricane impacts were associated with greater anxiety, depression, and medical symptoms controlling for age and number of prior hurricane experiences within two months of landfall. One year later, depression symptoms increased as well as the use of negative disengagement coping strategies for which stability of the work environment was protective. The findings suggest that advanced training in emergency response, organization and time management skills, time off and temporary replacement for personally impacted EAs, and workplace stability, including enhanced continuity of operations plans, represent critical elements of health prevention and early intervention for this occupational group.
Wong–Zakai approximation and support theorem for semilinear stochastic partial differential equations with finite dimensional noise in the whole space

In this paper we consider the following stochastic partial differential equation (SPDE) in the whole space: $$ du (t, x) = [a^{i j} (t, x) D_{i j} u(t, x) + f(u, t, x)]\, dt + \sum _{k = 1}^m g^k (u(t, x)) dw^k (t). $$ We prove the convergence of a Wong–Zakai type approximation scheme of the above equation in the space $$ C^{\theta } ([0, T], H^{\gamma }_p ({\mathbb {R}}^d)) $$ in probability, for some $$ \theta \in (0,1/2), \gamma \in (1, 2)$$ , and $$p > 2$$ . We also prove a Stroock–Varadhan’s type support theorem. To prove the results we combine V. Mackevicius’s ideas from his papers on Wong–Zakai theorem and the support theorem for diffusion processes with N. V. Krylov’s $$L_p$$ -theory of SPDEs.
YAP Enhances Tumor Cell Dissemination by Promoting Intravascular Motility and Reentry into Systemic Circulation

The oncogene YAP has been shown previously to promote tumor growth and metastasis. However, how YAP influences the behavior of tumor cells traveling within the circulatory system has not been as well explored. Given that rate-limiting steps of metastasis are known to occur while tumor cells enter, travel through, or exit circulation, we sought to study how YAP influences tumor cell behavior within the circulatory system. Intravital imaging in live zebrafish embryos revealed that YAP influenced the distribution of tumor cells within the animal following intravenous injection. Control cells became lodged in the first capillary bed encountered in the tail, whereas cells over-expressing constitutively active YAP were able to travel through this capillary plexus, re-enter systemic circulation, and seed in the brain. YAP controlled transit through these capillaries by promoting active migration within the vasculature. These results were recapitulated in a mouse model following intravenous injection, where active YAP increased the number of circulating tumor cells over time. Our results suggest a possible mechanism where tumor cells can spread to organs beyond the first capillary bed downstream from the primary tumor. These results also show that a specific gene can affect the distribution of tumor cells within an animal, thereby influencing the global pattern of metastasis in that animal.
The Formant Bandwidth as a Measure of Vowel Intelligibility in Dysphonic Speech.

Summary Objective The current paper examined the impact of dysphonia on the bandwidth of the first two formants of vowels, and the relationship between the formant bandwidth and vowel intelligibility. Methods Speaker participants of the study were 10 adult females with healthy voice and 10 adult females with dysphonic voice. Eleven vowels in American English were recorded in /h/-vowel-/d/ format. The vowels were presented to 10 native speakers of American English with normal hearing, who were asked to select a vowel they heard from a list of /h/-vowel-/d/ words. The vowels were acoustically analyzed to measure the bandwidth of the first and second formants (B1 and B2). Separate Wilcoxon rank sum tests were conducted for each vowel for normal and dysphonic speech because the differences in B1 and B2 were found to not be normally distributed. Spearman correlation tests were conducted to evaluate the association between the difference in formant bandwidths and vowel intelligibility between the healthy and dysphonic speakers. Results B1 was significantly greater in dysphonic vowels for seven of the eleven vowels, and lesser for only one of the vowels. There was no statistically significant difference in B2 between the normal and dysphonic vowels, except for the vowel /i/. The difference in B1 between normal and dysphonic vowels strongly predicted the intelligibility difference. Conclusion Dysphonia significantly affects B1, and the difference in B1 may serve as an acoustic marker for the intelligibility reduction in dysphonic vowels. This acoustic-perceptual relationship should be confirmed by a larger-scale study in the future.
Myocardial Protection: Role of Anesthetic Drugs

Summary and Conclusion Most anesthetic techniques can conceivably have favorable effects on myocardial ischemia in certain circumstances by reducing the hemodynamic and neurohumoral stress response to pain, anxiety, and surgical trauma.12,14 There is no one ideal anesthetic drug or technique for all situations and there are many complicating factors that may influence whether or not a specific drug has the potential to protect against ischemia. These include interactions with other drugs,88 the magnitude of the stress response to surgery, the degree of myocardial damage, the presence of coronary spasm, and the degree of collateral coronary circulation. Of the inhalation anesthetics, halothane and enflurane demonstrate protective effects on the nonfailing ischemic heart in animals when excessive hypotension is avoided. In patients with coronary artery disease they are associated with a low incidence of myocardial ischemia when sensitive methods of detection are used. Isoflurane may not be the drug of choice for patients with ischemic heart disease because of its potential for causing the adverse redistribution of coronary flow. Because they either decrease or have minimal effects on myocardial oxygen consumption, fentanyl, sufentanil, diazepam, midazolam, and etomidate are the intravenous agents most likely to favorably influence myocardial ischemia. None are complete anesthetics by themselves and thus have the potential to inadequately blunt the stress response to surgery or laryngoscopy. They are probably more effectively used in combinations with each other or with an inhalation anesthetic during periods of stimulation. We currently have a great deal of knowledge about how the anesthetic agents affect hemodynamic determinants of myocardial oxygen consumption and supply. It is well recognized that the use of anesthetic drugs to limit myocardial oxygen consumption while avoiding excessive decrements in supply has the potential to reduce the incidence of and improve tolerance to myocardial ischemia. Further work needs to be done to determine how anesthetic agents affect the occurrence of coronary vasospasm, how they influence intracellular metabolism during myocardial ischemia, and whether they have any effect on coronary thrombosis.
Design and effect of performance-based pharmacy payment models

BACKGROUND: Community pharmacy participation in performance-based payment models has increased in recent years. Despite this, there has been neither much research done to evaluate the effect of the...
Spatial Equity Analysis of Nighttime Pedestrian Safety: Role of Land Use and Alcohol Establishments in Albuquerque, NM:

The United States experienced a 53% increase in pedestrian fatalities between 2009 and 2018, with 2018 having a 3.4% increase from 2017. Of the 2018 pedestrian fatalities with known lighting condit...
Exchange bias and Verwey transition in Fe5C2/Fe3O4 core/shell nanoparticles.

This report presents new findings of exchange bias and related structural and magnetic properties in iron carbide/magnetite (Fe5C2/Fe3O4) core/shell nanoparticles. The exchange bias emerges from an energetic landscape, namely a first-order phase transition–the Verwey transition at 125 K, during which the Fe3O4 shell changes from the cubic to monoclinic structure. The phase transition leads to the exchange bias because it results in abrupt changes in magnetocrystalline anisotropy and exchange coupling. Another unique phenomenon identified in this composite system is enhanced magnetic coercivity due to the uniaxial anisotropy of the monoclinic phase. An analysis of the correlations between the observed phenomena is given based on the temperature dependence of the coercivity, the exchange bias field values, and the Verwey transition temperature.
Measuring absolute and relative poverty: The sensitivity of estimated household consumption to survey design

This paper illustrates that questionnaire design significantly affects estimates of household consumption and absolute poverty. In a between-groups designed experiment in El Salvador, longer, more detailed questions on consumption result in an estimate of mean, household consumption that is 31 percent greater than the estimate derived from a condensed version of the questionnaire. The distribution of household consumption from the long questionnaire first-order stochastically dominates the distribution from the short questionnaire over 96 percent of the range of the distribution. This difference in estimated consumption results in a measure of absolute, severe poverty from the short questionnaire that is 46 percent greater than the estimate derived from the long questionnaire. In contrast, the level of relative poverty is unaffected by the changes in questionnaire design. An implication of this paper is that modifications over time to questionnaires will result in spurious estimates of change in consumption and absolute poverty levels.
Law, Beauty, and Human Stability: A Rose is a Rose is a Rose

Modem land use law seeks to reconcile private claims on property with society's interest in having land used for the public good. Indeed, many scholars see the conflict between private property and the public interest as the central issue underlying not only land use law but many other areas of property law as well. On the one hand, it is impossible-at least in today's world-to protect property absolutely in the sense long ago espoused by Blackstone.' On the other hand, lawmakers are not free to ignore property owners' rights even when enacting measures designed to advance the public interest.2 Nowhere is this tension between private property and public controls more acutely apparent than in the domain of aesthetic regulation. When, if ever, can the state exercise its police power by imposing restrictions on private property for aesthetic purposes? Since the turn of the century, hundreds of courts have struggled with this problem in cases addressing such wide-ranging concerns as unsightly billboards,3 urban renewal,4 and historic preservation.5 Despite this barrage of judicial
Gabapentin to control seizures in children undergoing cancer treatment.

Hepatic clearance of chemotherapy drugs is increased by many antiepilepsy drugs. At our institution, new-onset seizures in children on chemotherapy are treated with gabapentin, a nonhepatic enzyme inducer. The charts of all children given gabapentin for seizures were reviewed. At a median follow-up of 34 months, seizures were controlled in 74% of 50 children given gabapentin monotherapy as initial treatment: 91% of the leukemia group, 57% of the brain tumor group, and 75% of the other tumor group. Seizures were controlled in 49% of 59 children in whom gabapentin was added to other antiepilepsy drugs: 43% of the leukemia group, 53% of the brain tumor group, and 50% of the other tumor group. More than one seizure at presentation, focal neurologic deficits, high-dose methotrexate, brain irradiation, and T2-weighted signal abnormality around the brain tumor cavity predicted uncontrolled seizures. Only 8 children (7%) reported adverse effects, and the drug was discontinued in two. Gabapentin effectively contro...
The Law: What's Disability Studies Got to Do with It or An Introduction to Disability Legal Studies

In this article, the author invites legal scholars to consider how the field of Disability Studies relates to law, by creating a new field of Disability Legal Studies. While Disability Studies applies social, cultural, historical, philosophical, and humanities to the place of disability in society, Disability Legal Studies extends these perspectives to the particular role of disability within the legal system and legal studies. Although disability is central to many issues in law, it is generally absent from legal scholarship and classroom discussions. The author suggest ways in which law faculty may incorporate not only disability law-related cases, but also a Disability Legal Studies perspective into their scholarship and courses.
Abstract 15951: Palmitate, Not Oleate, is the Preferred Fatty Acid for Cardiac Triacylglycerol Synthesis

Introduction: Previous studies using cell culture models identified cyto-toxic effects of palmitate and that supplementation with oleate was protective by redirecting palmitate into triacylglycerol (TAG) stores. However, other cull culture studies reported that diacylglycerol transferase 1 (DGAT1), the last enzyme in TAG synthesis, demonstrated a preference for oleate. At present, it is not clear whether the supply of exogenous fatty acids (FA) to the heart is differentially allocated into the endogenous TAG pool. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to examine the influence of palmitate and/or oleate on cardiac TAG incorporation. METHODS/RESULTS: Hearts were isolated from DGAT1-transgenic (DGAT) and control littermates (CON) and perfused in Langendorff mode with a mixed substrate buffer consisting of glucose, lactate, insulin, and FAs. The FA supply was varied with 0.2mM of both labeled (13C) and unlabeled (12C) FAs in 4 different experiments: 1) 13C/12C palmitate; 2) 13C/12C oleate; 3) 13C palmitate/12C oleate; 4) 13C oleate/12C palmitate. The incorporation of 13C palmitate or 13C oleate into the TAG pool was monitored by 13C NMR spectroscopy. In CON hearts (n=3), the incorporation of palmitate was ~65% higher than oleate when the perfusate contained a homogenous supply of FA. This was also observed in DGAT hearts (n=4) although the incorporation of both palmitate and oleate was ~75% higher compared to CON (P CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that when palmitate and oleate are provided in equal concentrations, palmitate is more readily utilized in the synthesis of endogenous TAG stores in the heart. Furthermore, although overexpression of DGAT increases both oleate and palmitate incorporation, the DGAT1 enzyme demonstrates a preference for palmitate. These findings provide insight into the relationship between exogenous FA supply and endogenous TAG dynamics in the contracting heart.
Equilibrium and Stability of Prominence Flux Ropes

Realistic models of solar prominence flux ropes are numerically constructed. The models are in 2.5 dimensions, including the effects of non-isothermal temperature, density and gravity, and pressure. Stability of the equilibria to pressure- and gravity-driven instabilities is numerically investigated, using the ballooning formalism of fusion plasma theory. The equilibrium models can become unstable to pressure- and gravity-driven modes at plasma parameters characteristic of prominences.
Connection coefficients, orthogonal polynomials and the WZ-algorithms

In this paper we explore the relationship between the coefficients in the expansion of a function f(x) in orthogonal polynomials and the coefficients for the expansion of (1-x) m f(x), with particular attention to the case of Jacobi polynomials. Such problems arise frequently in computational chemistry. The analysis of the situation is substantially assisted by the use of two of the so-called Wilf-Zeilberger algorithms: the algorithm zeil and the algorithm hyper. We explain these algorithms and give several examples.
Mídia, terrorismo e (des)informação

Entrevista com Noam Chomsky realizada por Federico Casalegno e traduzida por Adriana Amaral, doutoranda do Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Comunicacao da Ponticifia Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul
Regulating for Financial System Development, Financial Institutions Stability, and Financial Innovation

The issues in today’s crisis – and indeed most important crises, historically – can best be understood as a manifestation of asymmetric information in an environment of rapid financial innovation. The present paper reviews the asymmetric information and financial innovation frameworks and applies those to major twentieth century U.S. financial crises. The paper posits that financial innovations inexorably create conditions of asymmetric information that can lead to financial crises and panics. Those events are crucial to the development of plain vanilla financial instruments, providing incentive to forgo margins in favor of liquidity. Hence, regulatory attempts to stabilize markets by manipulating bank failures may ultimately result in substantial setbacks to market development.
A multi-frequency microstrip-fed shorted square ring slot line antenna

A single-feed three-frequency shorted square ring slot antenna is described. The feed is an open-circuited microstrip line and is electromagnetically coupled to the ring slot antenna at two locations. The radiation pattern of all resonant frequencies is broadside and bidirectional. Impedance bandwidths of 3 to 9 percent and antenna gains on the order of 5 dB are achieved.
Responding to Deviance: Target Exclusion and Differential Devaluation

Two studies explored responses to ingroup deviance. Group-defining opinions of prowar Republicans (Study 1) and prolife Christians (Study 2) were challenged by either an ingroup or outgroup deviate. Participants evaluated the deviate and structured the boundaries of their ingroup in counterbalanced order. Of importance, boundary structuring allowed participants to exclude deviates from the ingroup. Consistent with previous research, ingroup deviates were devalued relative to out-group deviates, but only when target evaluation was participants’ first response option. Participants excluded deviates from the boundaries of their ingroup irrespective of measure order, and doing so eliminated differential devaluation when exclusion was participants’ first response option. Exclusion decreased liking for outgroup deviates in Study 1 and increased liking for ingroup deviates in Study 2. The findings suggest that devaluation is an attempt to exclude deviates from the ingroup and that doing so reduces the threat oth...
Hotel Managers Identify Ethical Problems: A Survey of their Concerns

This study identified and examined the concerns of hotel general managers regarding ethics in the hospitality industry. Thirty-five managers were interviewed during and immediately following the economic recession to determine which ethical issues in the hotel industry and at their own properties concerned them the most. Results showed that more people and organizations attempted to renegotiate hotel rates, which actions, in turn, led to some lapses in ethical behavior. Managers said that because of the economic downturn, they felt pressure from both private owners and corporate headquarters. They also said a lack of work ethic, low motivation, and low pay caused many workers to underperform in ways that raised ethical issues. Managers also mentioned diversity issues and theft by both guests and employees as ethical issues of concern, and shared stories about their experiences.
Predicting aggregation kinetics of DU 145 prostate cancer cells in liquid-overlay culture.

The predictive capacity of a novel population-balance model to simulate aggregation kinetics of attachment-dependent cells at the resolution of one-cell increments has been evaluated. Using spheroid assembly of DU 145 human prostate cancer cells as a representative system, the mathematical model proved to be robust in simulating aggregation over a 5-fold range of surface densities from 5×103 to 2.5×104 cells/cm2 with a single matrix of rate constants. For cultures at 1×105 cells/cm2, more than 75% of simulated aggregate concentrations are within the standard deviation of measured concentrations. For the two extreme densities, at least two-thirds of model predictions are within 35% of the mean for experimental data. Error in model predictions is attributed to uncertainty in measurements and intrinsic changes in aggregation. The model has application to the rational design of spheroids in tissue engineering and bioseparation processes in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
The over-scheduling hypothesis revisited: intensity of organized activity participation during adolescence and young adult outcomes

Concern exists that youth who spend a lot of time participating in organized out-of-school activities (e.g., sports) are at-risk for poor developmental outcomes. This concern - called the over-scheduling hypothesis - has primarily been assessed in terms of adolescent adjustment. This longitudinal study of a nationally representative sample of 1,115 youth (ages 12-18) assessed long-term relations between intensity of participation during adolescence and adjustment at young adulthood (ages 18-24). Time diaries measured intensity as hours per week of participation. Results showed that, controlling for demographic factors and baseline adjustment, intensity was a significant predictor of positive outcomes (e.g., psychological flourishing, civic engagement, educational attainment) and unrelated to indicators of problematic adjustment (e.g., psychological distress, substance use, antisocial behavior) at young adulthood. Language: en
Pion-Nucleon Scattering Calculations in the Tamm-Dancoff Theory

For the $S$, $P$, and $D$ states (except those with $j=T=\frac{1}{2}$), phase shifts and wave functions have been calculated numerically for pion energies up to about 1 Bev, on the basis of the simplest Tamm-Dancoff integral equation for pseudoscalar pion theory both (a) including and (b) omitting the pair transitions. In the numerical treatment, special attention was paid to the various singularities of these integral equations. For the (3,3) state, a very sharp resonance is obtained for case (a) with $\frac{{G}^{2}}{4\ensuremath{\pi}}=15.5$ and a good fit to the (3,3) phase shift for energies up to 300 Mev, above which the phase shift lies below the experimental value. For case (b), a coupling constant $\frac{{G}^{2}}{4\ensuremath{\pi}}=30$ was needed for a fit to the low energy (3,3) phase shifts and ${\ensuremath{\delta}}_{33}$ then reaches resonance only at very high energies, if at all. Other phase shifts for case (a) are in general accord with those of Dyson et al.
Early management of atrial fibrillation in general surgical in-patients.

Abstract Background It has been suggested that new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) in non-cardiac surgical patients should trigger a thorough search for other morbidity. We reviewed our unit's management of new-onset AF to determine whether this target is achieved. Methods Patients under the care of a general surgeon who developed new-onset AF during their inpatient stay were identified from a prospectively maintained database of surgical in-patients. Their case-notes were reviewed to determine whether a precipitating cause for the AF was sought or identified. Results Thirty-one patients developed new-onset AF. Almost half had positive findings on cardiovascular or respiratory system examination and assessment. However, 35% of patients had no respiratory examination, 58% had no cardiovascular examination and 55% had no abdominal examination performed. Eighty-one percent had another underlying complication diagnosed within 24h of the AF. Twenty-six percent had an intra-abdominal collection. Of those with an underlying complication, 52% were not diagnosed at the time of initial assessment for AF. Twenty percent of patients died within 30 days of the AF. Conclusions New-onset AF in general surgical patients is associated with considerable morbidity. A thorough clinical evaluation and early involvement of senior surgical staff are recommended.
Ordered Suspensions of Charged Liposomes

Accurate determination of liposome and colloidal-vesicle charge remains an unsolved problem. Electrophoretic measurements are subject to slip-plane and surface-structure uncertainties. We propose a charge measurement that avoids hydrodynamics in the vicinity of the shear layer so is independent of the slip plane, eliminates diffuse-layer electroosmosis by avoiding applied electric fields, and is insensitive to surface structure. We form ordered electrostatic gels of monodisperse unilamellar PG/PC liposomes by high-pressure extrusion through polycarbonate membranes in deionized water. The gel consists of a strongly-coupled suspension of liposomes, stabilized by mutual long-range electrostatic repulsions in a confined volume. The gel structure is that of an ordered liquid, as seen by angle-dependent static light scattering, freeze-fracture electron microscopy, and optical Bragg scattering. The liposome charge Z is screened by dissociated H+ counterions. Z thus determines both the strength and range of the interactions, hence determines the elastic properties of the gel. Measurements of shear modulus by a mechanical resonance technique and of osmotic compressibility by dynamic light scattering yield an effective particle charge Z∗. The relation of Z∗ to Z may be calculated by numerical iteration of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation for any Z∗ and particle concentration. The technique is most accurate in the Debye-Huckel regime where Z ∼ Z∗. Addition of H+ and salt permits measurement of protonation and counterion binding to the surface. This method of determining liposome charge by measuring the bulk elastic properties of a strongly-coupled suspension differs markedly from that of measuring the mobilities of individual liposomes in an uncoupled suspension.
ORPHAN DRUGS: THE UNITED STATES EXPERIENCE

This paper provides an overview of orphan drug legislation in the United States. Since passage of the Orphan Drug Act in 1983, 182 designated orphan products have received Food and Drug Administration approval for rare disease treatment or diagnosis. Incentives provided in the act—seven years of marketing exclusivity, protocol assistance, tax credits, the orphan products grant program which authorizes grant moneys to support pivotal clinical trials, and user fee waiver—are discussed. Issues, challenges, and successes are outlined. Important international initiatives in orphan drug legislation triggered by the United States Orphan Drug Act are highlighted.
Rectilinear block placement using sequence-pair

With the recent advent of deep sub-micron technology and new packaging schemes such as Multi-Chip Modules(MCMs), integrated circuit components are often not rectangular. Most existing block placement approaches, however, only deal with rectangular blocks, resulting in inefficient area utilization. New approaches which can handle arbitrarily shaped blocks are essential to achieve high performance design. In this paper, we present an approach extending the sequence-pair approach for rectangular block placement to arbitrarily sized and shaped rectilinear blocks. Experimental results show that our algorithm achieves results with excellent area utilization.
Rates of recombination and the acceleration of evolution

In a finite, diploid population initially segregating at its directionally selectedB locus, the effects of rates of recombination on the probability of fixation of a new, single-copy favorable allele at itsA locus have been investigated by simulation. All permutations of two initial gametic configurations, two population sizes, three initialB1 allele frequencies, 82 fitness matrices and three rates of recombination (free,r = 0’5; intermediate,r = 0.l; restricted,r = 0.01) were subjected to 1000 trials to estimate the probability of and time to fixation of the globally favored genotype. Of the initial conditions studied, 40% had statistically significant differences in number of fixations among the differentr values. Free recombination was favored twice as often as restricted, and intermediate recombination had significantly more fixations than both free and restricted in 3% of the cases. The average probabilities of fixation, about 6% forN = 1000, varied little among rates of recombination, but the intermediate rate of recombination,r = 0.1, consistently had a slightly greater probability of fixation and slightly lower time to fixation than both extreme rates. In this stochastic, two-locus model intermediate rates of recombination are most effective in accelerating evolution.
Androgen receptor immunoreactivity and mating-induced Fos expression in forebrain and midbrain structures in the male rat

The distribution of androgen receptor immunoreactive-neurons, mapped with the PG21 anti-androgen receptor antibody, was compared in male rat brains with the distribution of Fos-immunoreactive neurons induced by mating. In gonadally intact, but not in castrated male rats, substantial numbers of androgen receptor-containing neurons were present in a variety of forebrain and midbrain regions. The PG21 antibody apparently had a higher affinity for occupied than for non-occupied androgen receptors. Androgen receptor-immunoreactive regions included the medial preoptic area and other forebrain areas previously identified as containing androgen receptors, the dorsal and ventral periaqueductal gray, and a midbrain region that included the lateral part of the central tegmental field, part of the caudal zona incerta, the subparafascicular nucleus of the thalamus and the peripeduncular nucleus. Fos-expressive neurons were essentially absent in non-mated males but were present in the brains of rats which mated to ejaculation. All brain regions in which androgen receptor-immunoreactive neurons were counted also expressed Fos immunoreactivity after mating, and there was considerable overlap between the distributions of androgen receptor- and Fos-immunoreactive neurons. In a second experiment, we used immunofluorescent techniques to document the intraneuronal co-localization of Fos with androgen receptor immunoreactivity in the medial preoptic area, medial amygdala, and central tegmental field. In these regions mating-induced Fos immunofluorescence was exclusively localized in androgen receptor-immunofluorescent neurons. However, not all androgen receptor neurons were Fos expressive, suggesting that only some androgen-sensitive neurons were activated during mating. These results are consonant with the view that hormone actions on forebrain and midbrain structures influence the neuronal activity correlated with mating.
Solution structure of YggX: a prokaryotic protein involved in Fe(II) trafficking.

We report the three-dimensional structure of YggX from Salmonella enterica, determined by solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy from protein labeled with carbon-13 and nitrogen-15 produced by Escherichia coli cells. The protein has a β1β2α1α2α3 fold that is unique to YggX and one of its homologs, a protein from Pseudomonas aeruginosa with 45% sequence identity whose X-ray structure [Protein Data Bank (PDB) 1T07] was determined by a structural genomics center. The NMR structure, which revealed that the C-terminal region of YggX is dynamically disordered, explains why electron density from the corresponding region was missing in the X-ray structure of the Pseudomonas protein. Because it has been hypothesized that YggX has a role in iron trafficking, we investigated the influence of Fe(II) on the 1H-15N NMR fingerprint region of nitrogen-15-labeled YggX. Several signals shifted or broadened upon the addition of excess Fe(II) under anoxic conditions, with His81 showing the largest effect. These results indicate that Fe(II) binds weakly to this protein at a region of the sequence conserved only in the subset of the YggX proteins from organisms similar to Salmonella. The finding that iron binds only weakly to YggX, and not to a highly conserved region of the structure, suggests that the role of this protein in iron homeostasis is more complex than previously thought. Proteins 2006. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Late-onset ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency: An under recognized cause of metabolic encephalopathy.

Introduction:Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency is the most common inherited disorder of the urea cycle, has a variable phenotype, and is caused by mutations in the OTC gene. We report three cas...
The nature of the electroretinogram of a tropical butterfly

Abstract The nature of the electroretinogram of Heliconius erato is discussed. Evidence is presented for the existence of large efferen nervous components which dominate the ERG. It is suggested that the two basic receptors consist of (1) a fast, blue-green sensitive one and (2) a slow, red-sensitive one. The basic visual neuronal pathways are diagrammed. The mechanism responsible for the diurnal shift in ERG waveforms is discussed, as is the possible relationship of this mechanism to behaviour patterns.
Nitrogen concentration and δ15N of altered oceanic crust obtained on ODP Legs 129 and 185: Insights into alteration-related nitrogen enrichment and the nitrogen subduction budget

Abstract Knowledge of the subduction input flux of nitrogen (N) in altered oceanic crust (AOC) is critical in any attempt to mass-balance N across arc-trench systems on a global or individual-margin basis. We have employed sealed-tube, carrier-gas-based methods to examine the N concentrations and isotopic compositions of AOC. Analyses of 53 AOC samples recovered on DSDP/ODP legs from the North and South Pacific, the North Atlantic, and the Antarctic oceans (with larger numbers of samples from Site 801 outboard of the Mariana trench and Site 1149 outboard of the Izu trench), and 14 composites for the AOC sections at Site 801, give N concentrations of 1.3 to 18.2 ppm and δ15NAir of −11.6‰ to +8.3‰, indicating significant N enrichment probably during the early stages of hydrothermal alteration of the oceanic basalts. The N–δ15N modeling for samples from Sites 801 and 1149 (n = 39) shows that the secondary N may come from (1) the sedimentary N in the intercalated sediments and possibly overlying sediments via fluid-sediment/rock interaction, and (2) degassed mantle N2 in seawater via alteration-related abiotic reduction processes. For all Site 801 samples, weak correlation of N and K2O contents indicates that the siting of N in potassic alteration phases strongly depends on N availability and is possibly influenced by highly heterogeneous temperature and redox conditions during hydrothermal alteration. The upper 470-m AOC recovered by ODP Legs 129 and 185 delivers approximately 8 × 105 g/km N annually into the Mariana margin. If the remaining less-altered oceanic crust (assuming 6.5 km, mostly dikes and gabbros) has MORB-like N of 1.5 ppm, the entire oceanic crust transfers 5.1 × 106 g/km N annually into that trench. This N input flux is twice as large as the annual N input of 2.5 × 106 g/km in seafloor sediments subducting into the same margin, demonstrating that the N input in oceanic crust, and its isotopic consequences, must be considered in any assessment of convergent margin N flux.
Vacancy management for a large parking lot to allow autonomous selection of a parking space based on inter-vehicle topology and group presence

As commercial facilities become ever larger in recent years, parking lots, which are built alongside these facilities, are also growing in size. If the parking lot is congested, drivers often spend a long time looking for vacant parking spaces because they cannot see the entire lot, resulting in an ineffective stay of vehicles in the lot. This paper proposes a distributed vacancy management method using inter-vehicle communication. Specifically, the area of a parking lot is divided into sections and all the vehicles within a section form a group consisting of one parent vehicle and child vehicles. Vacancy is managed using this parent-child relations and group presence information. A model for evaluating staying time of vehicles in the lot has been defined, and the effectiveness of the proposed method has been evaluated using simulation.
Molecular cloning and chromosomal localization of the human α7-nicotinic receptor subunit gene (CHRNA7)

Abstract We have isolated cDNA and genomic clones coding for the human α7 neuronal nicotinic receptor subunit, the major component of brain nicotinic receptors that are blocked by α-bungarotoxin. The human α7 neuronal nicotinic cDNA encodes a mature protein of 479 amino acids that is highly homologous to the rat α7 neuronal nicotinic subunit (90%). We have mapped the human α7-nicotinic receptor subunit gene to chromosome 15, band q14, a region frequently rearranged in patients carrying a bisatellite 15 chromosome, large inv dup (15), whose clinical features include mental retardation and seizures.