cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sellar Metastasis of Cervical Adenocarcinoma.

Background. Pituitary metastasis of cervical adenocarcinoma is an exceedingly rare phenomenon. Case Description. The authors present a case of a 66-year-old female with cervical adenocarcinoma who was discovered to have a rapidly growing intrasellar mass in the work-up of adrenal insufficiency and hypothyroidism. The patient underwent subsequent endoscopic endonasal subtotal resection of the mass. Histopathological analysis of the resected lesion demonstrated features consistent with metastatic mucinous adenocarcinoma of the cervix. While initially neurologically asymptomatic following surgery, the patient developed an oculomotor nerve palsy several weeks following surgical debulking, at which time neuroimaging revealed marked regrowth and suprasellar extension of the metastatic lesion. Conclusions. While metastatic cervical adenocarcinoma to the sella is rare, it should be considered in the differential based on the history of the patient.
A randomized controlled trial of 24 weeks of varenicline for tobacco use among cancer patients: Efficacy, safety, and adherence.

Objective Continuing to smoke after a cancer diagnosis undermines prognosis. Yet few trials have tested Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved tobacco use medications in this population. Extended use varenicline may represent an effective treatment for cancer patients who smoke given barriers to cessation including a prolonged time line for relapse. Methods A placebo-controlled randomized trial tested 12 weeks of varenicline plus 12 weeks of placebo (standard [ST]) vs 24 weeks of varenicline (extended [ET]) with seven counseling sessions for treatment-seeking cancer patients who smoke (N = 207). Primary outcomes were 7-day biochemically confirmed abstinence at weeks 24 and 52. Treatment adherence and side effects, adverse and serious adverse events, and blood pressure were assessed. Results Point prevalence and continuous abstinence quit rates at weeks 24 and 52 were not significantly different across treatment arms (P's > 0.05). Adherence (43% of sample) significantly interacted with treatment arm for week 24 point prevalence (odds ratio [OR] = 2.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15-4.63; P = 0.02) and continuous (OR = 5.82; 95% CI, 2.66-12.71; P 0.05). Conclusions Compared with ST, ET varenicline does not increase patient risk and increases smoking cessation rates among patients who adhere to treatment. Studies are needed to identify effective methods to increase medication adherence to treat patient tobacco use effectively.
Martian Environmental Psychology: The Choice Architecture of a Mars Mission and Colony

The first voyagers who venture to Mars and seek to live on soil beyond our terrestrial home will face an environment mismatched with the one in which their genomes, epigenomes, and psyches evolved. Even if technical hurdles are circumvented to provide adequate resources for basic physiological needs, Homo sapiens will not survive on an alien land if a fracturing psychology prohibits the utilization of these resources. Environmental psychology can be employed to shape the choice architecture of a vessel to Mars and a colony upon it, in order to bias choices toward the fulfillment of fundamental existential, relationship, safety, and fitness needs. Aspects of surroundings that should be engineered to create psychological states optimal for survival and welfare include primes, defaults, private spaces, shared spaces, ceiling height, object shape, color, nature, pets, light, windows, noise, temperature, odors, contaminants, order, and diversions. No matter how far we soar into the stars, our psychologies will be ever tethered to the totality of our surroundings. By shaping our environments, we indirectly shape our psyches and prepare them for a mission of unprecedented alienation and duration which might be the last best hope to avert the end of our kind.
Siempre es domingo

Del domingo al vacio / Del domingo al vacio. Adolfo Zableh Duran / Fernando Araujo Velez (Presentacion [cara y sello] de Gabriel Pabon) Editorial Kimpres, Bogota, 1999, 93 y 135 pags.
Pausing: Lessons from the PICU

I exit the elevator and head down the hall to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). As I pull on protective gear, I pause as I register that the bed in the room has been replaced by a crib, and...
Microfluidics for Environmental Applications.

Microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip systems have become increasingly important tools across many research fields in recent years. As a result of their small size and precise flow control, as well as their ability to enable in situ process visualization, microfluidic systems are increasingly finding applications in environmental science and engineering. Broadly speaking, their main present applications within these fields include use as sensors for water contaminant analysis (e.g., heavy metals and organic pollutants), as tools for microorganism detection (e.g., virus and bacteria), and as platforms for the investigation of environment-related problems (e.g., bacteria electron transfer and biofilm formation). This chapter aims to review the applications of microfluidics in environmental science and engineering – with a particular focus on the foregoing topics. The advantages and limitations of microfluidics when compared to traditional methods are also surveyed, and several perspectives on the future of research and development into microfluidics for environmental applications are offered.
Initial Stroke Thrombectomy Experience in New York City during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

New York City has become the global epicenter of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Despite a massive shift in health care resources, cerebrovascular disease continues to be a substantial burden. We review the first 10 patients undergoing thrombectomy following a series of governmental and institutional policy changes diverting resources to the care of critically ill patients with COVID-19. Ten patients with emergent large-vessel occlusion underwent thrombectomy between March 23 and April 1, 2020. Five patients tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Successful reperfusion was achieved in 9 of 10 patients, at a median time of 37 minutes from vascular access. The postprocedural NIHSS score improved by an average of 7.7 points. Of the 5 patients positive for COVID-19, none have experienced a critical respiratory illness. We report the early incidence of COVID-19 positivity in patients with emergent large-vessel occlusion and demonstrate that thrombectomy continues to be an efficacious option, as well as safe for health care providers.
Feedback Linearization for Uncertain Systems via Reinforcement Learning

We present a novel approach to control design for nonlinear systems which leverages model-free policy optimization techniques to learn a linearizing controller for a physical plant with unknown dynamics. Feedback linearization is a technique from nonlinear control which renders the input-output dynamics of a nonlinear plant linear under application of an appropriate feedback controller. Once a linearizing controller has been constructed, desired output trajectories for the nonlinear plant can be tracked using a variety of linear control techniques. However, the calculation of a linearizing controller requires a precise dynamics model for the system. As a result, model-based approaches for learning exact linearizing controllers generally require a simple, highly structured model of the system with easily identifiable parameters. In contrast, the model-free approach presented in this paper is able to approximate the linearizing controller for the plant using general function approximation architectures. Specifically, we formulate a continuous-time optimization problem over the parameters of a learned linearizing controller whose optima are the set of parameters which best linearize the plant. We derive conditions under which the learning problem is (strongly) convex and provide guarantees which ensure the true linearizing controller for the plant is recovered. We then discuss how model-free policy optimization algorithms can be used to solve a discrete-time approximation to the problem using data collected from the real-world plant. The utility of the framework is demonstrated in simulation and on a real-world robotic platform.
Survey investigating cattle veterinarian and producer perceptions of pain experienced by beef and dairy cattle undergoing castration and dehorning

Despite the recognition that many livestock management practices cause pain in cattle, the routine use of pain management at the time of these procedures in dairy and beef cattle remains limited. The decision to use pain management requires identification and evaluation of the significance of the pain experienced by cattle during procedures, such as castration and dehorning. The objective of this study was to evaluate how cattle veterinarians and producers qualify the pain experienced by beef and dairy cattle and how this qualification relates to their use of pain mitigation.
Microsite requirements for successful regeneration in lowland northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) forests

Abstract Throughout much of its range, northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L., hereafter cedar) has experienced a bottleneck in recruitment: cedar seedlings are often abundant in these stands, particularly in lowland settings, yet cedar sapling densities are quite low, leading to concerns that cedar canopy trees are not being replaced. Several barriers to cedar recruitment have been suggested; however, findings from previous studies have been inconsistent with regard to limiting factors. Our objective was to characterize the microsite conditions associated with the establishment of cedar seedlings and saplings. We achieved this objective by mapping the location of seedlings, saplings, and overstory trees in 15 lowland cedar stands at five sites in Maine, USA, and examining the fine-scale site conditions (microtopographic features, canopy openness) in which cedar seedlings and saplings occurred. In particular, we recorded the occurrence of seedlings and saplings on microtopographic mounds, pits (small depressions), and flats (transitional features between mounds and pits). Substrate moisture content in these features decreased in the order pits > flats > mounds. Contingency-table results demonstrated that live cedar seedlings, and to a slightly lesser extent saplings, were found more often than expected by chance on mounds, and less often on flats and pits. Logistic regressions using status (live vs. dead) as the response variable generally supported these findings: dead seedlings were strongly associated with pits; however, the occurrence of live seedlings and saplings did not differ between flats and mounds. A companion planted-seedling experiment strongly supported these results, showing that after two growing seasons, survival was significantly lower in pits (12%) when compared to flats and mounds, which had similarly high levels of survival (62 and 80% respectively). Logistic regressions also showed live seedlings and saplings to be prevalent under more open canopy conditions (mean 19%, range 6 to 42% openness); though results from a planted-seedling experiment suggested that greater canopy openness (mean 32%, range 13 to 57%) was detrimental to survival. Regressions also showed that browsed seedlings were more likely to be found dead. These findings point to management prescriptions that maintain microtopographic diversity, create moderately open canopy conditions, and protect stands from browsing to promote viable cedar populations in these ecologically and economically important forests.
Making Interpersonal Comparisons of the Value of Income With a Hypothetical Auction

Economic policy decisions require comparisons of the gains and losses from policy choices to different people. If those gains can be valued in monetary terms, than all that is needed is a comparison of the value of income to different persons, which can be weights in cost-benefit analysis. An objective comparison of the value of income to different people has been long sought but never found. I propose that when money to be allocated is controlled by a group of people with equal control over that money, then a hypothetical auction for transfers of income between people can produce a collective judgment about the value of income that provides suitable weights, and is morally defensible in cases where the decision is made by the group collectively, e.g. when making government policy choices. I provide a method for calculating such weights from observed choices about distributing income, and discuss several desirable properties that they have.
Superior colliculus activates new perspectives on decision-making.

Understanding how the brain makes decisions is a major area of focus in both animal and human cognitive neuroscience. Much of this work, especially in primates, has explicated the role of various cortical areas in forming decisions. In new research, perturbations of the superior colliculus by Jun et al. reveal a large and causal role in accumulating evidence for this midbrain structure classically thought of as being involved in simpler functions related to eye movement control.
The ‘Impractical and Anomalous’ Consequences of Territorial Inequity

Located in the South Pacific Ocean, American Samoa is one of five populated “unincorporated territories” of the United States. It is unique, though, as those born there are not recognized as American citizens upon birth and instead are deemed “noncitizen U.S. nationals.” They enjoy some, but not all, constitutional protections. Two federal appellate courts – the D.C. Circuit (in 2015) and the Tenth Circuit (in 2021) – have ruled that this classification does not violate the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause. In fact, both courts have stated that it would be “impractical” and “anomalous” to extend birthright citizenship to the American Samoan community. Drawing upon a powerful dissent in the Tenth Circuit case, this study argues that what is actually impractical and anomalous is excluding American Samoans from this constitutional entitlement. But there is also a crucial administrative basis for supporting this claim, which to-date has received scant attention. For three decades, beginning in 1947, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) – the expert adjudicative agency for immigration matters – delivered a series of precedent-setting judgments that gradually expanded the rights of American Samoans. These decisions were issued namely as a way of curing what otherwise would have been impractical, anomalous, and unjust actions taken by the government. This finding is surprising because the BIA has generally been viewed as hostile to noncitizens overall. One theory for why the BIA sided with these “discrete and insular” claimants is that the agency’s expertise was not as vulnerable to external pressure then as it is today. Assuming that these cases were decided more squarely on the merits, this study suggests that it may well be worthwhile for the federal courts to consider what might be gleaned from these past judgments when reflecting on whether American Samoans are indeed birthright citizens.
Extracellular Electron Transfer Enables Cellular Control of Cu(I)-catalyzed Alkyne-Azide Cycloaddition

Extracellular electron transfer (EET) is an anaerobic respiration process that couples carbon oxidation to the reduction of metal species. In the presence of a suitable metal catalyst, EET allows for cellular metabolism to control a variety of synthetic transformations. Here, we report the use of EET from the model electroactive bacterium Shewanella oneidensis for metabolic and genetic control over Cu(I)-catalyzed Alkyne-Azide Cycloaddition (CuAAC). CuAAC conversion under anaerobic and aerobic conditions was dependent on live, actively respiring S. oneidensis cells. In addition, reaction progress and kinetics could be further manipulated by tailoring the central carbon metabolism of S. oneidensis. Similarly, CuAAC activity was dependent on specific EET pathways and could be manipulated using inducible genetic circuits controlling the expression of EET-relevant proteins including MtrC, MtrA, and CymA. EET-driven CuAAC also exhibited modularity and robustness in ligand tolerance and substrate scope. Furthermore, the living nature of this system could be exploited to perform multiple reaction cycles without requiring regeneration, something inaccessible to traditional chemical reductants. Finally, S. oneidensis enabled bioorthogonal CuAAC membrane labelling on live mammalian cells without affecting cell viability, suggesting that S. oneidensis can act as a dynamically tunable biocatalyst in complex environments. In summary, our results demonstrate how EET can expand the reaction scope available to living systems by enabling cellular control of CuAAC.
Entrepreneurship Theory and Ideation Techniques

This chapter considers the role of entrepreneurship theory in the development of ideation techniques for entrepreneurship education. It begins by considering how metatheories impact theory construction in entrepreneurship research and discusses the role of ontology, epistemology, axiology, as well as the role of assumptions about human nature and social change. The chapter presents four different paradigms of thought that apply different philosophies and illustrates how these different paradigms conceptualization entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial opportunity differently. The four paradigms include the equilibrium paradigm; the disequilibrium paradigm; the disruptive innovation paradigm and the social constructionism paradigm. Within each paradigm the nature of entrepreneurial opportunity is discussed, and the chapter shows how different ideation techniques can be generated from these different conceptualizations. Forms of ideation technique are presented and explained, as they relate to each paradigm, and the chapter concludes by explaining the value of these techniques for ideation, opportunity discovery and creation, in the entrepreneurial process.
Modeling Blood Flow Control in the Kidney

A mathematical model of renal hemodynamics is developed in this study to investigate autoregulation in the rat kidney under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. The model simulates the blood supply to a nephron via the afferent arteriole, the filtration of blood through the glomerulus, and the transport of water and ions in the thick ascending limb of the short loop of Henle. The afferent arteriole exhibits the myogenic response, which induces changes in vascular smooth muscle tone in response to hydrostatic pressure variations. Chloride transport is simulated along the thick ascending limb, and the concentration of chloride at the macula densa provides the signal for the constriction or dilation of the afferent arteriole via tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF). With this configuration, the model predicts a stable glomerular filtration rate within a physiological range of perfusion pressure (60–180 mmHg). The contribution of TGF to overall blood flow autoregulation in the kidney is significant only within a narrow band of perfusion pressure values. Simulations of renal autoregulation under conditions of diabetes mellitus yield a > 60% increase in glomerular filtration rate, due in large part to the impairment of the voltage-gated Ca2+ channels of the afferent arteriole smooth muscle cells.
The synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid exonucleases associated with the formation of temperate inducible bacteriophages.

Abstract The temperate inducible coliphages 434, 80, and 21 are able to direct the synthesis of a new deoxyribonucleic acid exonuclease after induction of the appropriate lysogen. The exonuclease produced by these phages has been partially purified and found, in each case, to be very similar to the λ exonuclease in its properties.
Site of pyruvate formation and processing of mammalian S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase proenzyme.

Abstract Mammalian S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase was expressed at a high level in an Escherichia coli mutant deficient in this enzyme. The proenzyme form of this enzyme was cleaved and processed to the mature decarboxylase which contains two pairs of nonidentical subunits, the larger of which contains a pyruvate prosthetic group. In order to determine the site of formation of the pyruvate, two approaches were used. First, the mammalian S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase produced in E. coli was purified to homogeneity and the pyruvate converted to alanine by a reductive amination. The large subunit was then isolated by reversed phase high pressure liquid chromatography and the amino-terminal sequence determined and compared with the sequence of the proenzyme derived from its cDNA. These results indicated that the bond between glutamic acid 67 and serine 68 was the site of cleavage. Second, each of the serine residues in portion of the proenzyme likely to contain the cleavage site were altered by site-directed mutagenesis and the RNA produced from plasmids containing these mutations was translated in a reticulocyte lysate. The translation products were tested for processing and for S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase activity. Altering the serine residues at positions 50, 66, and 69 to alanines had little effect but changing serine at position 68 to alanine completely prevented both processing and activity. These results indicate that the serine residue at position 68 of the proenzyme which is in the underlined position in the sequence -Leu-Ser-Glu-Ser-Ser-Met- is the residue which is converted to the pyruvate prosthetic group in human S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase.
Studies on the pathogenesis of clotting defects during salt-induced abortions.

Abstract Amniotic fluid was labeled with 51 Cr-tagged red cells and 125 I RISA before and after intraamniotic infusion of 20 per cent saline for the induction of abortion. The transfer of 125 I RISA into the maternal circulation was significantly accelerated by saline infusion (P = 51 Cr-tagged red cells. Whether the accelerated transfer of amniotic fluid combined with salt infusion is sufficient to trigger the mild DIC seen in these patients is not known.
Chapter 22 Postembedding Detection of Acidic Compartments

Publisher Summary Postembedding detection of acidic compartments (PEDAC) is a technique that has the potential for unraveling some of the mysteries surrounding the function of low-pH compartments in health and disease. When combined with cell fractionation, biochemical, and physiological techniques, PEDAC offers a method for understanding the dynamic function of low-pH compartments in living cells. The low-pH environment can activate the proteolytic enzymes of both lyosomes and trans-Golgi vesicles and control the proper sorting of molecules that travel either the endocytic or the exocytic pathway. The identification of acidic compartments in living cells has long depended on vital staining techniques. Vital dyes that accumulate in acidic compartments are weak bases. At neutral pH they are hydrophobic and readily cross membranes; however, in an acidic environment they acquire a charge and leave the compartment slowly. Although the acidic compartments of tissue culture cells can be easily identified with reagents such as acridine orange, PEDAC offers a broader range of experimental options because the cells have been fixed.
The influence of observation errors on analysis error and forecast skill investigated with an observing system simulation experiment

The Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) framework is used to explore the response of analysis error and forecast skill to observation quality. In an OSSE, synthetic observations may be created that have much smaller error than real observations, and precisely quantified error may be applied to these synthetic observations. Three experiments are performed in which synthetic observations with magnitudes of applied observation error that vary from zero to twice the estimated realistic error are ingested into the Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS-5) with Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) data assimilation for a one-month period representing July. The analysis increment and observation innovation are strongly impacted by observation error, with much larger variances for increased observation error. The analysis quality is degraded by increased observation error, but the change in root-mean-square error of the analysis state is small relative to the total analysis error. Surprisingly, in the 120 hour forecast increased observation error only yields a slight decline in forecast skill in the extratropics, and no discernable degradation of forecast skill in the tropics.
Analysis of the interface of hydrogenated amorphous carbon films on silicon by angle-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Thin amorphous hydrogenated carbon films were deposited from a methane rf plasma (13.56 MHz) at 68 mTorr on Si(100) substrates both on the powered (negatively self biased) and on the nonpowered (grounded) electrode. The interface was analyzed with angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. An approximately stoichiometric silicon carbide layer was found at the interface of a hard carbon film produced on the powered electrode. The thickness of the interfacial carbide as estimated from the angle resolved spectra was approximately 7 A, which is much thinner than previously reported by other workers. There was no interfacial silicon carbide formation evident for a soft polymer-like film produced on the grounded electrode. Instead, a submonolayer amount of oxide was detected at the interface of the soft carbon film which showed poor adhesion. Our results indicate that the high energy ions incident on the powered electrode in the rf plasma are responsible for the production of the interfacial silicon carbide and are also likely to be responsible for the good adhesion of the film to the silicon substrate.
A review of cometary sciences

This paper presents an elementary description of comets and their nature. It deals with the contribution from comets to the solid particles that produce the Zodiacal Light and discusses the possibility that some comets in short-period orbits may degenerate into asteroids. The evidence suggests that this may well have happened for the Trojan and other of the outer asteroids but that the near-Earth asteroids and the meteorites are largely not cometary in origin. The last section of the paper deals with the possible nature of comets and their origin such that some might become superficially indistinguishable from asteroids. Space missions are clearly needed, to answer some of these basic questions.
On normal torsion-free finite index subgroups of polyhedral groups

Abstract Suppose that P is a convex polyhedron of finite volume in the hyperbolic 3-space such that each dihedral angle is an integer (>1) submultiple of π. We show that the abelianization of any normal torsion-free finite index subgroup of the polyhedral group associated to P is not isomorphic to Z , the group of integers.
Glucagon-like peptide-2 acutely increases proximal small intestinal blood flow in TPN-fed neonatal piglets.

Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) is a gut hormone that is secreted in response to enteral feeding and stimulates small intestinal mucosal growth. We have previously shown that GLP-2 infusion acutely...
Long-term trends of electric efficiencies in electricity generation in developing countries

Abstract This analysis provides time-series data on electric efficiencies for 138 countries and regions, covering all fossil fuels for the period 1971–2005, with an emphasis on non-Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Fossil fuel consumption for electricity generation in non-OECD countries now exceeds that in the OECD. The historical performance of the top five non-OECD consumers of each fossil fuel for which reliable data are available is presented and discussed. For each fuel, the countries that lead the world in efficiency are used for benchmarks; bringing the rest of the world up to these standards would result in energy savings of 26 EJ (equivalent to 5% of global energy consumption) and CO 2 emissions reduction of 2.1 Pg (equivalent to 8% of global CO 2 emissions). Coal showed the largest potential margin of improvement for both energy and CO 2 , with possible savings equivalent to 3% of current global energy consumption and 5% of global CO 2 emissions. The gap in electric efficiency between OECD and non-OECD countries over the past 35 years has widened for coal-fired generation, stayed relatively constant for natural gas, but has shrunk for petroleum. The results show the very gradual nature of overall efficiency improvements and the significant differences among regions and countries.
Platelet Adhesion to Multimeric and Dimeric von Willebrand Factor and to Collagen Type III Preincubated With von Willebrand Factor

Abstract As part of a systematic study of platelet interaction with adhesive proteins under flow conditions, we studied platelet adhesion to multimeric and dimeric von Willebrand factor (vWF) coated to glass. vWF-dependent adhesion to collagen type III was studied for comparison. Adhesion to glass-coated vWF and vWF-mediated adhesion to collagen type III were in many respects similar. Both showed no decrease at increasing shear rates and a decline to 50% of maximum with a low-molecular-weight multimeric fraction. Adhesion to glass-coated vWF was partially inhibited by heparin and completely inhibited by prostaglandin I2 and anti–glycoprotein (GP) Ib and anti–GPIIb-IIIa antibodies. vWF-dependent adhesion to collagen was not inhibited by heparin, was partially inhibited by anti–GPIIb-IIIa, and was completely inhibited by prostaglandin I2 and anti-GPIb. Recombinant dimeric vWF was made by deletion of the propeptide and expression in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Adhesion was 50% of that with plasma vWF, and larger concentrations of dimeric vWF were required. Adhesion to dimeric vWF was optimal at 1500 s−1, with a gradual decrease at higher shear rates. We conclude that adhesion to collagen type III is strongly but not completely determined by the adhesive properties of vWF.
Antimicrobial Stewardship in Pediatrics: A Good Beginning But We Have a Long Way to Go

It has been 7 years since publication of Guidelines for Developing an Institutional Program to Enhance Antimicrobial Stewardship.1 Progress has been made in some areas but we continue to struggle in others.2 Acknowledgment of the seriousness of emergence of antimicrobial resistance by both the academic community and, finally, the government raises hopes that relief from the dearth of new effective antimicrobial agents will be forthcoming.3 The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Report on Combating Antimicrobial Resistance specifically supports establishment of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) in health care facilities.3 Public-private partnerships are emerging aimed at identifying new antimicrobial agents and new interest in development of new agents has appeared among some smaller pharmaceutical companies.2 Infection control practices in infection surveillance and interventions to prevent spread of multi-drug–resistant organisms have emerged and a greater awareness on the part of health care workers regarding effective sanitation, especially with regard to hand hygiene, is evident.2 However, … Address correspondence to Wilbert Mason, MD, MPH, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, 4650 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027. E-mail: wmason{at}chla.usc.edu
Vibrissae representation in subcortical trigeminal centers of the neonatal rat.

In the neonatal rat differential activity levels of the metabolic enzyme succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) reveal intricately detailed segmentation in the neuropil of the spinal and principal trigeminal nuclei of the brainstem and in the ventrobasal complex of the thalamus. The segmentation occurs in the portions of these nuclei that electrophysiological evidence has indicated to be related to the mystacial vibrissae and sinus hairs on the face of the rat. Indeed, the pattern of segmentation in each nucleus replicates the topographic distribution of the vibrissae and sinus hairs. Further, within the spinal trigeminal nucleus, there appear to be two distinct representations of the vibrissae, one in the subnucleus caudalis and a second in the subnucleus interpolaris. Examination of these patterns of segmentation indicates that the large mystacial vibrissae and sinus hairs on the face of the young rat are somatotopically represented three times within the trigeminal complex, as straight cylinders of neuropil, and once in the ventrobasal complex, as curved cylinders of neuropil. Neonatal vibrissae damage leads to an aberrant organization of the segmentation in the spinal trigeminal nucleus and the ventrobasal complex. In the spinal trigeminal nucleus, the SDH activity in areas associated with damaged vibrissae is of a lower than normal density, and patterns are indistinct. However, rows of clusters associated with the adjacent normal vibrissae are apparent and appear to be enlarged. In the ventrobasal complex, vibrissae damage results in bands of normal density SDH activity where rows of segmented clusters would normally be present. Comparison of these data to the cortical data in the previous paper (Killackey and Belford, '79) indicates that cortical and nuclear structures can have aspects of their development controlled by similar mechanisms.
Murine immune memory to a TI-2 antigen, DNP-Ficoll: carrier-specificity, genetic enhancement and phenotypic dominant inheritance.

SUMMARY C3H/HeN x NZB/BIN F1 mice were primed and challenged with DNP-Ficoll, a thymic independent (TI-2) antigen. They developed strong IgM and IgG carrier-specific memory responses: DNP-pneumococcal polysaccharide or DNP-haemocyanin challenge did not elicit memory responses. The IgG response component appeared to be inherited dominantly from the C3H/HeN parent. The IgM component resulted from genetic enhancement.
Motor Costs and the Coordination of the Two Arms

We have two arms, many muscles in each arm, and numerous neurons that contribute to their control. How does the brain assign responsibility to each of these potential actors? We considered a bimanual task in which people chose how much force to produce with each arm so that the sum would equal a target. We found that the dominant arm made a greater contribution, but only for specific directions. This was not because the dominant arm was stronger. Rather, it was less noisy. A cost that included unimanual noise and strength accounted for both direction- and handedness-dependent choices that young people made. To test whether there was a causal relationship between unimanual noise and bimanual control, we considered elderly people, whose unimanual noise is comparable in the two arms. We found that, in bimanual control, the elderly showed no preference for their dominant arm. We noninvasively stimulated the motor cortex to produce a change in unimanual strength and noise, and found a corresponding change in bimanual control. Using the noise measurements, we built a neuronal model. The model explained the anisotropic distribution of preferred directions of neurons in the monkey motor cortex and predicted that, in humans, there are changes in the number of these cortical neurons with handedness and aging. Therefore, we found that coordination can be explained by the noise and strength of each effector, where noise may be a reflection of the number of task-related neurons available for control of that effector in the motor cortex.
Spinal gabapentin is antinociceptive in the rat formalin test

Gabapentin is a novel anticonvulsant that may be of value for the relief of clinical pain. To determine whether gabapentin is antinociceptive after spinal administration, the drug was given via an intrathecal catheter in doses from 6 to 200 micrograms/rat 10 min prior to intraplantar formalin. Five percent formalin injected subcutaneously in the right hind paw produced a biphasic reaction consisting of flinching and licking behaviors (phase 1, 0-10 min; phase 2, 10-60 min). Gabapentin dose-dependently reduced the numbers of flinches and the duration of licking during phase 2 of the formalin test. The highest dose of gabapentin (200 micrograms/rat) did not affect the tail-flick response. These results demonstrate that spinal gabapentin is antinociceptive in the formalin test.
A phoenix of clinical toxinology: white-tailed spider (Lampona spp.) bites. A case report and review of medical significance.

Abstract The Australian white-tailed spiders (“WTS”; Lamponidae: notably Lampona cylindrata & Lampona murina) have a continuing reputation on Internet sites as a cause of skin ulceration, labelled “necrotic arachnidism”, despite an increasing number of peer-reviewed publications debunking this reputation, with >135 confirmed cases now reported without any evidence of necrosis. We present here a case of confirmed WTS bite in a 42-year old male, followed for over a month, with photos of bite site signs and no development of skin ulceration/necrosis. The patient was initially alarmed by information on the Internet suggesting local necrosis would result from the bite. We discuss the evolution of knowledge about bites by the WTS, and the persistence of misconceptions about their factually mild medical significance.
Church institution and digital world: new opportunities to profess the word of God

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between church institution and new technology in the field of communication and management of the religious tourism experience. A critical study of the institutional church use of new technology applications for the communication, management and promotion of ecclesiastic heritage is developed; an empirical phase is implemented by conducting research and analysis of technology applied to ecclesiastic heritage, and all of this in while developing a case study of the Catholic Church institution of Naples. This paper shows the high degree of technology utilisation by church institutions in order to communicate and educate people to evangelisation. The results of this study will be useful to understand the adaptability of these technologies to the needs of users, recipients and territories; their degree of enhancement and promotion; and the measures that can be implemented for an efficient and effective governance of heritage and territory.
Structural integrity of gonadotropins after enzymatic iodination

Summary The structural integrity of human follicle stimulating hormone, chorionic gonadotropin and luteinizing hormone after iodination by the lactoperoxidase (1) and the Chloramine T (2) methods was examined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to detect gross changes in molecular conformation and net charge (3). The enzymatic iodination procedure is superior in maintaining the structural integrity of the three protein hormones. This is in agreement with the previous finding (1) that only enzymatic iodination preserved the biologic activity of FSH.
MOSFET Assessment of Radiation Dose Delivered to Mice Using the Small Animal Radiation Research Platform (SARRP)

The Small Animal Radiation Research Platform (SARRP) is a novel isocentric irradiation system that enables state-of-the-art image-guided radiotherapy research to be performed with animal models. This paper reports the results obtained from investigations assessing the radiation dose delivered by the SARRP to different anatomical target volumes in mice. Surgically implanted metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFET) dosimeters were employed for the dose assessment. The results reveal differences between the calculated and measured dose of −3.5 to 0.5%, −5.2 to −0.7%, −3.9 to 0.5%, −5.9 to 2.5%, −5.5 to 0.5%, and −4.3 to 0% for the left kidney, liver, pancreas, prostate, left lung, and brain, respectively. Overall, the findings show less than 6% difference between the delivered and calculated dose, without tissue heterogeneity corrections. These results provide a useful assessment of the need for tissue heterogeneity corrections in SARRP dose calculations for clinically relevant tumor model...
An Engineering Aerodynamic Heating Method For Hypersonic Flow

A capability to calculate surface heating rates has been incorporated in an approximate three-dimensional inviscid technique. Surface streamlines are calculated from the inviscid solution, and the axisymmetric analog is then used along with a set of approximate convective-heating equations to compute the surface heat transfer. The method is applied to blunted axisymmetric and three-dimensional ellipsoidal cones at angle of attack for the laminar flow of a perfect gas. The method is also applicable to turbulent and equilibrium-air conditions. The present technique predicts surface heating rates that compare favorably with experimental (ground-test and flight) data and numerical solutions of the Navier-Stokes (NS) and viscous shock-layer (VSL) equations. The new technique represents a significant improvement over current engineering aerothermal methods with only a modest increase in computational effort.
Pretense, Putdowns, and Missing Identities in Activists’ Class Talk:

Americans are noted for not talking about social class. Does the same hold true for progressive group members? A study of 25 U.S. social movement organizations found that two class categories of pr...
Adolescents and the contraceptive pill: The impact of beliefs on intentions and use

Objectives: To determine which beliefs about the contraceptive pill predict adolescent females' intentions to use the pill and their actual pill use, and to examine how intentions toward other birth control methods influence adolescents' intentions to use the pill and their eventual pill use. Methods: Three hundred forty-five adolescents were interviewed about their beliefs regarding the consequences of using the pill and about their intentions to use the pill and other contraceptive methods. Follow-up interviews were conducted 1 year later, during which subjects reported their sexual activity and oral contraceptive use over the course of the year. Results: Concerns about health and physical appearance differentiated subjects who intended to use the pill from those who did not, those who reported actually using the pill at all from those who did not, and those who did or did not use the pill consistently. The impact of beliefs differed between sexually active subjects and those who first had sex after the initial interview. Intentions to use withdrawal were negatively related to subjects' use of the pill (β = −0.19, P Conclusions: Female adolescents' beliefs about the contraceptive pill predicted their initial intentions to use the pill and their actual pill use over the course of a year. Adolescents may view withdrawal—although apparently not condoms—as an alternative to pill use. Abortion appears to be a backup to pill use rather than a substitute.
Vibrational effects on SrTiO3 Ti 1s absorption spectra studied using first-principles methods

We analyze the vibrational effects on the Ti 1s excited states in cubic SrTiO3 and related pre-edge x-ray absorption fine structure using first-principles methods. Ground-state, total-energy and electron–core hole Bethe–Salpeter calculations are performed for different atomic configurations related to eg-symmetry distortions of SrTiO3. From these, we can obtain normal-mode gradients of the electronic excited-state energy, i.e., of the excited-state Born–Oppenheimer surface. This yields the corresponding electron–phonon coupling coefficients that allow us to predict the spectral broadening induced by those vibrational modes.
Quench media effects on iron partitioning and ordering in a lunar glass

Abstract Mossbauer spectroscopy was used to study the microstructures in a synthetic analogue of an Apollo 15 green glass. Different quench rates are found to yield glass structures that are markedly different with respect to iron atom site occupation and charge. Faster quenching rates yield a less dense structure that can accommodate more iron in four-fold sites. In the denser glasses (more slowly cooled) the iron tends to favor higher coordination. The short distances between six- and four-fold sites in the structure (on the order angstroms) provide that the iron will come to its “equilibrium” partitioning value in the structure that is formed on quenching. This structure is representative of the melt at the specific glass transition temperature for the quenching rate experienced. Samples quenched into air exhibit metastable valence state changes. This ionization process occurs during the longer cooling time and may be driven by the structural densification within the melt as cooling takes place. Such structural changes are correlated with the structure of lunar green glass sample # 15426, and possible genetic interpretations are considered.
Evolution of acid phosphatase-1 in the genus drosophila as estimated by subunit hybridization. Interspecific tests

The dimeric enzyme, acid phosphatase-1, was partially purified from eleven species of the genus Drosophila. Dissociated subunits were mixed and allowed to reassociate in forty-one interspecific combinations. In each so-called “quantitative subunit hybridization test”, the relative activities of the heterospecific and the two homospecific enzymes were determined by densitometry. In 34 of the 41 tests significant differences between observed and expected homospecific: heterospecific enzyme activity ratios were detected. The differences ranged from a four-fold excess of the heterospecific enzyme to over a six-fold excess of the homospecific enzymes. In order to measure the enzyme activities on a protein basis, fifteen heterospecific enzymes were purified and used as antigens in CRM tests. The antisera were diluted such that only the homologous subunit in the heterospecific enzyme complexed the acid phosphatase antibodies. The results from each CRM test show that the heterospecific enzymes is only one-half as antigenic as the homologous homospecific enzyme, when the two are adjusted to equal catalytic activities. Thus, the differences between observed and expected levels of acid phosphatase activity measured by the quantative subunit hybridization technique apparently reflect differences in the relative amounts of protein which form during subunit reassociation. The technique, then, appears to detect differences in acid phosphatase subunit affinities. The data either taken directly from the 41 interspecific tests or in terms of the average difference between each two species in third species tests were used to construct phenograms. The species relationships depicted in both phenograms were very different from their actual phylogenetic relationships. This method, then, is not useful as an evolutionary metric. The differences between observed and expected heterospecific:homospecific enzyme ratios may be due to a relatively large number of amino acid substitutions if acid phosphatase subunits pair isologously.
Bulk magnetoelectricity in the hexagonal manganites and ferrites

Numerous unusual effects like topological defects and coupling of different ferroic orders go hand in hand with improper ferroelectricity. Using various theoretical methods, the authors show that improper ferroelectricity also induces a bulk magnetization and a bulk magnetoelectric effect.
Bias was built into research from the beginning

Plenty of reaction to the Commentary from transgendered scientist Ben A. Barres in Nature of 13 July. He debunked the claim that differences in innate aptitude, rather than discrimination, were behind the failure of many women to advance in scientific careers. There's more reaction in Correspondence this week. Add your views to the news blog on http://tinyurl.com/kacrg .