cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Approach to “Ablate and Pace”:AV Junction Ablation and Pacemaker Implantation Performed Concurrently from the Same Venous Access Site

Background: Atrioventricular junction (AVJ) ablation combined with permanent pacemaker implantation (the “ablate and pace” approach) remains an acceptable alternative treatment strategy for symptomatic, drug-refractory atrial fibrillation (AF) with rapid ventricular response. This case series describes the feasibility and safety of catheter ablation of the AVJ via a superior vena caval approach performed during concurrent dual-chamber pacemaker implantation. Methods: A total of 17 consecutive patients with symptomatic, drug-refractory, paroxysmal AF underwent combined AVJ ablation and dual-chamber pacemaker implantation procedure using a left axillary venous approach. Two separate introducer sheaths were placed into the axillary vein. The first sheath was used for implantation of the pacemaker ventricular lead, which was then connected to the pulse generator. Subsequently, a standard ablation catheter was introduced through the second axillary venous sheath and used for radiofrequency (RF) ablation of the AVJ. After successful ablation, the catheter was withdrawn and the pacemaker atrial lead was advanced through that same sheath and implanted in the right atrium. Results: Catheter ablation of the AVJ was successfully achieved in all patients. The median number of RF applications required to achieve complete AV block was three (range 1–10). In one patient, AV conduction recovered within the first hour after completion of the procedure, and AVJ ablation was then performed using the conventional femoral venous approach. There were no procedural complications. Conclusion: Catheter ablation of the AVJ can be performed successfully and safely via a superior vena caval approach in patients undergoing concurrent dual-chamber pacemaker implantation.
Signaling cross-talk between TGF-β1 and ECM signals in chondrocytic cells

The objective of this investigation was to clarify how the integrin pathway modulates downstream effectors of the TGF-beta1 pathway in chondrocytic cell signaling. The levels of Smad2 and Smad3 phosphorylation upon TGF-beta1 or alpha2beta1 integrin (Type II collagen) stimulation were analyzed by Western blotting techniques. Cellular response was determined by quantitation of procollagen gene expression. Stimulation of cells with TGF-beta1 and Type II collagen led to rapid phosphorylation of Smad2 and 3 with phosphorylation peaking between 15 min and 1 h. Combined stimulation led to a synergistic increase in the phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3. Type II collagen gene expression paralleled Smad phosphorylation. Type II collagen modulates the TGF signaling cascade involving Smad2 and Smad3 leading to an increase in Type II collagen transcription. Therefore, we conclude that TGF-beta1 and integrin stimuli interact prior to Smad2 and 3 phosphorylation in the cytoplasm of chondrocytic cells and regulates the expression of ECM components in chondrocytes.
Modeling of UO2 Aqueous Dissolution Over a Wide Range of Conditions

Previously it was not possible to predict reliably the rate at which spent fuel would react with groundwater because of conflicting data in the literature. The dissolution of the UO{sub 2} spent fuel matrix is a necessary step for aqueous release of radioactive fission products. Statistical experimental design was used to plan a set of UO{sub 2} dissolution experiments to examine systematically the effects of temperature (25--75C), dissolved oxygen (0.002--0.2 atm overpressure), pH (8--10) and carbonate (2-200{times}10{sup {minus}4} molar) concentrations on UO{sub 2} dissolution. The average uranium dissolution rate was 4.3 mg/m{sub 2}/day. The regression fit of the data indicate an Arrhenius type activation energy of 8750 cal/mol and a half-power dependence on dissolved oxygen in the simulated groundwater.
Synergistic mechanisms by which sirolimus and cyclosporin inhibit rat heart and kidney allograft rejection

The studies presented herein examined the mechanism(s) whereby sirolimus (SRL) and cyclosporin (CsA) act synergistically to block allograft rejection. Combination index (CI=1 reflects additive, CI<1 antagonistic, and CI<1 synergistic, effects) analysis documented potent synergism between SRL and CsA to block allograft rejection. Combinations of the two drugs produced synergistic prolongation of heart (CI=0.001–0.2) or kidney (CI=0.03–0.5) allograft survival at SRL/CsA ratios ranging from 1:12.5 to 1:200. Pharmacokinetic analysis of the individual drugs showed that CsA does not affect the blood levels of SRL, and SRL mildly increases the levels of CsA in SRL/CsA-treated rats. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to document that both subtherapeutic (1.0 mg/kg) and therapeutic (2.0 or 4.0 mg/kg) CsA doses inhibited the expression of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) (P<0.03) and IL-2 (P<0.003) mRNA produced by T helper (Th) 1 cells, as well as IL-10 (P<0.001), but not IL-4 (NS) mRNA produced by Th2 cells. Contrariwise, all tested SRL doses (0.02, 0.04 or 0.08 mg/kg) did not affect cytokine mRNA expression. However, heart allografts from rat recipients treated with synergistic SRL/CsA doses displayed reduced levels of IFN-γ (P<0.01), IL-2 (P<0.001) and IL-10 (P<0.001) mRNA. Thus, because subtherapeutic doses of CsA reduce Th1/Th2 activity, thereby facilitating the inhibition of signal transduction by low does of SRL, the two agents act synergistically to inhibit allograft rejection.
Situating Time in the Leibnizian Hierarchy of Beings

Leibniz's widely influential account of time provides a significant puzzle for those seeking to locate this account within his hierarchical ontology. Leibniz follows his scholastic predecessors in supposing that there are different grades of being, with substances being the most real and all other things possessing their reality via their relationships to substance. Following this picture, Leibniz suggests that phenomenal bodies only possess the being that they derive from the substances (i.e., monads) that ground them. Some would argue that time likewise only possesses its being based on the bodies that it relates. Contrary to this suggestion (i.e., that time is twice removed from substances), I will argue that time is derived directly from rational souls. Thus, I will argue that time is on an ontological par with the phenomenal world of bodies.
A "Research Experience for Undergraduates" in Coding and Communications

Programs for Research Experience for Undergraduates are now offered in a variety of topics. At Utah State University, a unique program was offered in the summer of 2008 with the topic area of Coding and Communications. Eight students from around the country were selected to participate. The program began with three weeks of intensive introduction to a variety of technical topics. This background set the stage for presentation of a large number of technical problems from which the student could choose, spending the remainder of the ten weeks engaged in focused research. To keep the energy level up, a variety of social activities were also introduced, including daily "tea" and weekly outdoor outings. As a result of this experience, several conference papers were produced, laying foundations for ongoing research.
Exact evaluation of an ultrasonic scattering formula for a rigid immovable sphere.

Abstract It has been discovered that three theoretically derived plots of acoustic scattering for rigid immovable spheres appearing in two standard reference works are only qualitatively correct and therefore could be misleading. The reason for the inaccuracy is shown to be premature truncation of the infinite series resulting from the theory. Quantitative plots resulting from exact computations and those corresponding to premature truncations are displayed. The main purpose of this note is to alert others, who may wish to check their programming of theoretical expressions for scattering of ultrasonic waves from spheres, to the error of using the plots in the standard reference works and to suggest that they use the exact results presented here.
Embolism of cerebral tissue to lungs: report of two cases and review of the literature.

Two patients with head injury and pulmonary emboli of brain tissue are described. Both patients developed persistent bleeding with elevations of prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, and decreased platelet counts. Postmortem examination identified multiple skull fractures, subdural and subarachnoid blood, cortical tears, and intraparenchymal hemorrhages. Lacerations of dural venous sinuses were documented in each case. Multiple pulmonary arteries contained plugs of cerebral tissue, including fragments of cerebral and cerebellar cortex, and white matter. The literature concerning brain tissue emboli is reviewed. In neonates, three patients who survived longer than 1 hour were found to have evidence of persistent hemorrhage. Among both children and adults, our two cases are the only ones reported with associated clotting abnormalities. Brain tissue embolism in neonates occurs after difficult vaginal deliveries, often in conjunction with the use of forceps. Tears of the tentorium cerebelli or falx cerebri have been documented at postmortem examination in the majority of these cases. By contrast, brain tissue embolism in children and adults occurs in association with severe closed or penetrating head injury. In several cases, as in the two reported here, postmortem examination has demonstrated a large cerebral venous defect as the probable site of entry of brain tissue into the systemic circulation. Language: en
An experiment in integrated multimedia conferencing

This paper deals with the integration of multimedia conferencing facilities into an existing software environment. We assume that the "semantics" of the conferencing facilities have already been defined and address only the issue of how to implement those semantics in such a way as to minimize the impact on existing software. In particular, users should be able to invoke any application from within the framework of a conference, and programmers should be able to develop new applications without having to deal explicitly with conferencing issues. We present the basic architectural approachs to this problem and discuss an early experiment with one of them.
Intestinal absorption of copper: Effect of amino acids†

Abstract We investigated the effect of L-histidine (His) and other amino acids on rat duodenal-jejunal absorption of copper (Cu) by an in vivo perfusion technique. His reduced absorption of the metal, without altering water influx (Control= 136.1±7.2 pmol/min x cm; His:Cu 2:1= 106.2±8.6, P
Protective Role of Vitamin D Signaling in Skin Cancer Formation

Vitamin D sufficiency is associated with protection against malignancy in a number of tissues clinically, and a strong body of evidence from animal and cell culture studies supports this protective role. Cancers in the skin differ, however, in that higher serum levels of 25OHD are associated with increased basal cell carcinomas (BCC), the most common form of epidermal malignancy. This result may be interpreted as indicating the role of UVR (spectrum 280-320) in producing vitamin D in the skin as well as causing those DNA mutations and proliferative changes that lead to epidermal malignancies. Recent animal studies have shown that mice lacking the vitamin D receptor (VDR) are predisposed to developing skin tumors either from chemical carcinogens such as 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA) or chronic UVR exposure. Such studies suggest that vitamin D production and subsequent signaling through the VDR in the skin may have evolved in part as a protective mechanism against UVR induced epidermal cancer formation. In this manuscript we provide evidence indicating that vitamin D signaling protects the skin from cancer formation by controlling keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation, facilitating DNA repair, and suppressing activation of the hedgehog (Hh) pathway following UVR exposure. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Vitamin D Workshop'.
Parsons’s second project: The social system. Sources, development and limitations

L'A. presente ce qu'il nomme le «second projet de Parsons». Cette nouvelle perspective constitue le fruit des recherches menees par Parsons sur l'organisation des systemes sociaux. Il s'efforce de mettre en lumiere les sources, les types de developpement et les limites de ce projet. Il souligne l'influence de la philosophie d'Alfred North Whitehead, des theories economiques de Vilfredo Pareto et de Joseph Schumpeter et de la sociologie de Weber et de Durkheim dans ce cadre. Il montre qu'apres la publication de «The Structure of Social Action» en 1937, Parsons s'est interesse a la situation de l'acteur social au sein des systemes sociaux. Il regrette certaines confusions d'ordre conceptuel notamment certaines ambiguites autour de la signification de la notion de «systeme social» dans les deux ouvrages inspires par ce second projet de recherche : «The Social System» et «Toward a General Theory of Action». Il estime que l'approche des systemes sociaux concrets elaboree alors par Parsons est par trop abstraite pour servir la recherche empirique.
The Ultraviolet Light Theory of Aurorae and Magnetic Storms. Continued

The ultraviolet light theory of aurorae and magnetic storms, Phys. Rev. 33, 412 (1929), 34, 344 (1929), did not agree with all the facts. Making use of the further development of the theory of the outer atmosphere, Phys. Rev. 34, 1167 (1929), 35, 240 (1930), the discrepancies in the ultraviolet theory are removed with no change in the original assumptions. The first phase of the average world-wide magnetic storm is attributed to the sudden increase in the eastward ion drift current which gridles the earth caused by an increase in the long free path ions produced by a solar ultraviolet flare. The second phase of the storm comes about from the heating of the high atmosphere by the flare. The atmosphere expands and the outward movement of the ionized regions across the earth's magnetic field gives rise to a westward current in the high atmosphere flowing around the earth. The movement also decreases the long free path ions and increases the short free path ions; this prolongs the westward current.Assuming that the earth has no excess charge the high flying ions distilled from low latitudes fall into the top of the atmosphere of the auroral latitudes in maximum numbers at about 1 P.M. It takes them until about 6 P.M. to fall by diffusion and electrical drifts down to the short free path levels at 100 km. They set up a system of electrical currents in the high atmosphere wheeling in a rather distorted course around a focus at about 6 P.M. in latitude 60\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to 70\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, one system in the arctic and one in the antarctic. The current systems give rise to the diurnal variations of the average world-wide magnetic storm. If the earth has a resultant charge in excess of about 50 coulombs the present theory would probably be untenable, or would require extensive modification.The lower limits of the long and short free path ion banks of the polar atmosphere agree, respectively, with the observed lower boundaries of the streamers and the structureless luminosity of the aurora.
The externally derived portion of the hyperosmotic shock-activated cytosolic calcium pulse mediates adaptation to ionic stress in suspension-cultured tobacco cells.

Summary The influx of Ca 2+ into the cytosol has long been suggested to serve as a signaling intermediate in the acquisition of tolerance to hyperosmotic and/or salinity stresses. Here we use aequorin-transformed suspension-cultured tobacco cells to directly assess the role of cytosolic calcium (Ca 2+ cyt ) signaling in salinity tolerance acquisition. Aequorin luminescence recordings and 45 Ca influx measurements using inhibitors of Ca 2+ influx (Gd 3+ and the Ca 2+ -selective chelator EGTA), and modulators of organellar Ca 2+ release (phospholipase C inhibitors U73122 or neomycin) demonstrate that hyperosmolarity, whether imposed by NaCl or by a non-ionic molecule sorbitol, induces a rapid (returning to baseline levels of Ca 2+ within 10 min) and complex Ca 2+ cyt pulse in tobacco cells, deriving both from Gd 3+ -sensitive externally derived Ca 2+ influx and from U73122- and neomycin-sensitive Ca 2+ release from an organelle. To determine whether each of the two components of this brief Ca 2+ signal regulate adaptation to hyperosmotic shock, the Ca 2+ pulse was modified by the addition of Gd 3+ , U73122, neomycin, or excess Ca 2+ , and then cells were treated with salt or sorbitol. After 10 min the cell culture medias were diluted with additional hyperosmotic media to reduce the toxic affects of the modulators, and the growth of cells was measured after 1 week. Gd 3+ treatment reduced growth in salt relative to control cells but not in sorbitol, and exposure to excess Ca 2+ increased growth in salt but not in sorbitol. In contrast, exposure to inhibitors of IP 3 formation had no effect on growth in salt or sorbitol. Therefore, although hyperosmotic treatment stimulates both Ca 2+ influx and Ca 2+ release from an internal Ca 2+ depot, only Ca 2+ influx has a measurable impact on ionic stress tolerance acquisition in tobacco cell suspensions. In contrast, osmoadaptation in these cells appears to occur independent of Ca 2+ signaling.
GLAMM: Genome-Linked Application for Metabolic Maps

The Genome-Linked Application for Metabolic Maps (GLAMM) is a unified web interface for visualizing metabolic networks, reconstructing metabolic networks from annotated genome data, visualizing experimental data in the context of metabolic networks and investigating the construction of novel, transgenic pathways. This simple, user-friendly interface is tightly integrated with the comparative genomics tools of MicrobesOnline [Dehal et al. (2010) Nucleic Acids Research, 38, D396-D400]. GLAMM is available for free to the scientific community at glamm.lbl.gov.
Simultaneous electron transfer from free and intercalated 4-benzoylpyridinium cations in cucurbit[7]uril.

N-Substituted 4-benzoylpyridinium monocations form stable host-guest complexes with cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) in DMSO (Keq ≈ 0.6-1.9 × 10 3 M -1 ). Observation of simultaneous reversible and quasi-reversible e-transfer processes from the free and intercalated quests, respectively, is attributed to the pre-e-transfer host-guest equilibrium. The standard rate constant for Me-BP@CB[7] (ks ) 1.0 × 10 -4 cm·s -1 ) reflects e-transfer across 5.7 A, corresponding to the distance of the intercalated guest from the outmost perimeter of CB[7] (5.3 A).
Perceptions of Workplace Affirmative Action Plans: A Psychological Perspective

Affirmative action in the workplace continues to be a controversial issue, particularly for persons soon to enter the workforce. This study examines psychological constructs and demographic variables as precursors to perceptions of the self-interest implications of affirmative action programs. The constructs of symbolic prejudice and self-esteem were found to predict perceptions toward affirmative action in the workplace. Weak effects were found for race and gender.
Kynurenine metabolism in the rat brain in vivo. Effect of acute excitotoxic insults.

The neuroactive kynurenine pathway metabolites quinolinic acid (QUIN) and kynurenic acid (KYNA) have been speculatively linked to the pathogenesis of several neuro-psychiatric diseases (Schwarcz, 1992;Heyes, 1993;Reinhard et al., 1994). The idea that QUIN or KYNA may be causally involved in brain disorders derived originally from the discovery that intracerebral application of QUIN results in excitotoxic neurodegeneration which resembles the lesions seen in Huntington’s disease, temporal lobe epilepsy and cerebral ischemia, that KYNA can serve as a potent neuroprotectant against excitotoxic injury, and that both compounds are normal constituents of the mammalian brain. Subsequently, individual enzymes of the kynurenine pathway were shown to be present in the brain, and abnormal enzyme activities and metabolite levels were found in brain tissue in a number of human brain diseases (Schwarcz and Du, 1991; Stone, 1993).
Pattern generator card, emulation, and debug

Details a pattern generator card used in a high speed VLSI test system, a software emulation of that card, and card debug procedure. The Advanced Test System built at IBM East Fishkill contains primarily pin electronics cards, pattern generator cards, and power and clock distribution cards. The software emulator, called PGEM, for pattern generator emulation, serves two major purposes: it facilitates off-line debug of pattern generator cards; and, when used with a waveform tool, it permits verification of test programs without wasting system time. The simplification of off-line debug is important in terms of time savings and reduction of expensive incorrect diagnoses. >
Partial Retraction: yadBC of Yersinia pestis, a new virulence determinant for bubonic plague.

Volume 76, no. 2, p. [578–587][1], 2008. Page 578, Abstract, lines 7 and 8: We retract the last sentence of the Abstract. Page 578, column 2, lines 13 to 18: We retract the last sentence of the Introduction. Pages 585, Results, column 1, lines 1 to 8 from the bottom: We retract the last three
Mathematical Analysis of Particle Deposition in Human Lungs: An Improved Single Path Transport Model

A dynamic single-path mathematical model was developed that is capable of analyzing detailed deposition patterns of inhaled particles in human lungs. Weibel's symmetric lung morphology was adopted as the basic lung structure, and detailed transport processes were evaluated numerically using the fully implicit procedure. Deposition efficiencies by specific mechanisms were individually examined for accuracy and new empirical formulas were incorporated whenever appropriate. Deposition in the alveolar region was divided into deposition fractions in the alveolar duct and alveoli, considering active transport processes between the two regions. The deposition fractions were obtained for each airway generation, serial lung volumetric compartments, and conventional three-compartment anatomic lung regions. In addition, the surface dose and cumulative deposition with time were analyzed. The results showed excellent agreement with available experimental data. The present model provides an improvement from the previously reported models and can be used as a tool in assessing internal dose of inhaled particles under various inhalation conditions.
Minimization Using Matrix Notation

After a brief review of matrix algebra and the development of matrix calculus, the conditions to be satisfied by a minimum of a function of n independent variables and a function of n constrained variables are derived in matrix notation.
The sticking of atomic hydrogen on amorphous water ice

Using classical molecular dynamics, we have simulated the sticking and scattering process of a hydrogen atom on an amorphous ice film to predict the sticking probability of hydrogen on ice surfaces. A wide range of initial kinetic energies of the incident hydrogen atom (10 K-600 K) and two different ice temperatures (10 K and 70 K) were used to investigate this fundamental process in interstellar chemistry. We report here the sticking probability of atomic hydrogen as a function of incident kinetic energy, gas temperature, and substrate temperature, which can be used in astrophysical models. The current results are compared to previous theoretical and experimental studies that have reported a wide range in the sticking coefficient.
A multi-process library for multi-agent and spatial simulation

Integrating sensor networks in cloud computing gives new opportunities of using as many cloud-compute nodes as necessary to analyze real-time sensor data on the fly. However, most cloud services for parallelization such as OpenMP, MPI, and MapReduce are not always fitted to on-the-fly sensor-data analyses that are implemented as model-based entity-based, and multi-agent simulations. To address this semantic gap between analyzing algorithms and their actual implementations, we are developing MASS: a library for multi-agent spatial simulation that composes a user application of distributed array elements and multi-agents, each representing an individual simulation place or an active entity. All computation is enclosed in each of elements and agents that are automatically distributed over different computing nodes. Their communication is then scheduled as periodical data exchanges among those entities using their logical indices. We are currently implementing a multi-process and a multi-threaded version of the MASS library, both to be combined in a single version in the near future. This paper focuses on an implementation and preliminary performance of the multi-process version.
An alternative to impedance boundary conditions for dielectric-coated PEC surfaces

In this paper, we provide an alternative to the IBC for dielectric-coated metallic surfaces by combining the thin dielectric sheet approximation of [3] with explicit boundary conditions as in [2], removing the need to solve for the dielectric field altogether. While both the IBC and the formulation of this paper require the dielectric layer to be thin, this formulation does not have the other physical restrictions of the IBC because it is based on a rigorous integral formulation.
Accountability in Broadcasting.

A survey of legal structures, media councils, access movements, and research mechanisms designed to enhance broadcaster responsiveness.
Minimal Experiments for Input-Independent Machines

If, in a sequential machine, the output upon application of an input character depends only upon the current state of the machine and not upon the input character, the machine is called input-independent. Two states, p and q, of an input-independent machine are compatible if and only if the output strings from the machine starting in initial state, p, are the same as the output strings from the machine with initial state, q, for all input strings to the machine in both states.The minimal length of tape which tests compatibility of states in an input-independent sequential machine with n states is (n2 - 2n)/4 + 1 if n is even, and (n2 - 2n + 1)/4 if n is odd. There are machines with incompatible states such that no tapes of length less than the given bounds will detect the incompatibility.
Immunogenicity of a p210BCR-ABL Fusion Domain Candidate DNA Vaccine Targeted to Dendritic Cells by a Recombinant Adeno-associated Virus Vector in Vitro

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is characterized by a t(9;22) translocation, which results in the expression of chimeric BCR-ABL fusion oncoproteins that are necessary for oncogenesis, unique to the leukemic clones, and represent enticing targets for immunotherapy. As a strategy for the immunotherapy of CML, we constructed a recombinant adeno-associated virus vector encoding the p210(BCR-ABL) b3a2 variant fusion region with flanking sequences (CWRBA) and used it to express the BCR-ABL fusion region within primary human dendritic cells (DCs), the most potent antigen-presenting cells currently known. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors were primed and restimulated in vitro with autologous DCs transduced with purified CWRBA, CWRAP (negative control), or pulsed with a peptide corresponding to the fusion domain (positive control). No specific responses were generated using DCs transduced with CWRAP. In contrast, CWRBA-transduced DCs primed autologous T cells in an antigen-specific, MHC-restricted fashion to levels comparable with the positive control. CWRBA-transduced DCs elicited both cytotoxic CD4+/Th1 and CD8+ responses, although the former were more readily detected in this system. Cytotoxicity against a tumor cell line endogenously expressing the p210(BCR-ABL) b3a2 variant fusion region was also demonstrable. In addition, HLA-DRB5(*)0101+DRA (DR2a) was identified as a new restriction element capable of presenting the b3a2 BCR-ABL fusion region epitope. Thus, the construct developed herein may serve as a candidate vaccine for gene-based antigen-specific immunotherapy of CML and may serve as a paradigm for the use of DCs transduced with recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors encoding multiepitope immunogens for vaccine development.
Analysis of microstrip lines coupled through an arbitrarily shaped aperture in a thick common ground plane

A flexible spectral domain analysis for characterizing aperture-coupled microstrip lines with a common ground plane of finite conductor thickness is presented. In this approach, the coupling aperture is allowed to have any size, shape, and thickness. The effects of surface wave and radiation are taken into account via the exact Green's function formulation in the spectral domain. Numerical results on the S-parameters generated using this method are presented for different aperture thicknesses and validated against published data for the zero thickness case. >
Maturation of the angiotensin II cardiovascular response in the embryonic White Leghorn chicken (Gallus gallus)

Angiotensin II (Ang II) is an important regulator of cardiovascular function in adult vertebrates. Although its role in regulating the adult system has been extensively investigated, the cardiovascular response to Ang II in embryonic vertebrates is relatively unknown. We investigated the potential of Ang II as a regulator of cardiovascular function in embryonic chickens, which lack central nervous system control of cardiovascular function throughout the majority of incubation. The cardiovascular response to Ang II in embryonic chickens was investigated over the final 50% of their development. Ang II produced a dose-dependent increase in arterial pressure on each day of development studied, and the response increased in intensity as development progressed. The Ang II type-1 receptor nonspecific competitive peptide antagonist [Sar1 ile8] Ang II blocked the cardiovascular response to subsequent injections of Ang II on day 21 only. The embryonic pressure response to Ang II (hypertension only) differed from that of adult chickens, in which initial hypotension is followed by hypertension. The constant level of gene expression for the Ang II receptor, in conjunction with an increasing pressure response to the peptide, suggests that two Ang II receptor subtypes are present during chicken development. Collectively, the data indicate that Ang II plays an important role in the cardiovascular development of chickens; however, its role in maintaining basal function requires further study.
Temporal changes in leachate chemistry of a municipal solid waste landfill cell in Florida, USA

Evaluation of 12 years of landfill leachate chemical data from a lined cell of municipal waste in south Florida, USA shows an overall declining trend in major ion chemistry. The leachate is dominantly Cl, Na, HCO3 and organic solutes. There are significant short-term variations in concentration that appear to be related to rainfall, rather than fundamental changes to leachate composition. Inorganic parameters related to pH, such as alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium appear to be chemically buffered. Chromium, cobalt, vanadium, zinc, and the metalloid boron display significant short-term co-variance with a decreasing trend. Iron and manganese concentrations increased significantly after capping. Based on the predominance of ammonia, historic methane generation, and increasing trends for iron and manganese after closure, the landfill cell has an anaerobic (reducing) interior environment. The reducing conditions were enhanced by capping and caused the most redox sensitive metals (manganese and iron) to become more mobile.
Solid-State Digital Micro-Mirror Array Spectrometer for Hadamard Transform Measurements of Glucose and Lactate in Aqueous Solutions

A novel solid-state near-infrared spectrometer is presented based on a digital micro-mirror array device (DMD) that is well designed for Hadamard transform spectroscopy. This spectrometer is designed for the collection of transmission spectra over the C–H first overtone region of the near-infrared spectrum (6500–5500 cm−1). A spectral resolution of 2.2 nm (∼11 cm−1) is realized by using a 25 μm diameter linear tungsten filament as the source. Such a thin filament reduces imaging aberrations into the micro-mirror array, thereby enhancing spectral resolution. After passing through the sample, the transmitted radiation is dispersed with a grating before being imaged onto the surface of the DMD. Hadamard transform masks are implemented through the DMD and the reflected light is monitored by a single-element photodiode detector. The analytical utility of this approach is demonstrated through the multivariate quantification of glucose and lactate in binary mixtures composed in an aqueous buffer solution. A signal-to-noise ratio of 35 000 is achieved through these aqueous samples, and the resulting quantitative measurements provide a standard error of prediction of 1.4 and 0.9 mM for glucose and lactate, respectively. The selectivity of the resulting calibration models is established by using both a pure component selectivity analysis as well as analysis of the net analyte signal for each component. These quantitative results from the DMD Hadamard transform spectrometer compare favorably to similar measurements performed with a commercial Fourier transform spectrometer.
NMDA-induced seizures in developing rats cause long-term learning impairment and increased seizure susceptibility.

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors play a prominent role in the pathogenesis of epilepsy, yet few studies have used NMDA as a convulsant in whole animals. In developing rats, systemic NMDA induces seizures with a unique seizure phenotype ("emprosthotonic" or hyperflexion seizures) and electrographic pattern (electrodecrement). These features are not seen in kainic acid-induced seizures, suggesting that seizures activated by NMDA might cause different long-term consequences. Therefore, we investigated the effects of NMDA seizures during development on cognitive function and susceptibility to seizures in adulthood. Rat pups (P12-20) were injected with saline (n=36) or NMDA (n=64) at convulsant doses (15-30mg/kg, i.p.). After NMDA injection, a characteristic sequence of seizure activity was seen: initial behavioral arrest, followed by hyperactivity, agitation, and then emprosthotonus and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Seizures were terminated 30min later by ketamine (50mg/kg, i.p.). On P85, rats underwent behavioral testing in the water maze. Rats that had experienced NMDA seizures as pups took significantly longer to learn the platform location over 5 days of testing, compared to controls. On P90, rats were injected with pentylenetetrazol (PTZ, 50mg/kg, i.p.) to assess their susceptibility to generalized seizures. NMDA-treated rats had decreased latency and increased duration of class V PTZ seizures. Cresyl violet-stained sections of cortex and hippocampus had no obvious cell loss or gliosis. In summary, NMDA causes a unique seizure phenotype in the developing brain, with subsequent deficits in spatial learning and an increased susceptibility to PTZ seizures in adulthood. This study provides additional evidence for long-term alterations of neuronal excitability and cognitive capacity associated with seizures during development.
The German Reformed Church and the Home Missionary Movement before 1863: A Study in Cultural and Religious Isolation

Shortly before the opening of the nineteenth century there began what American historians have chosen to call the Home Missionary Movement. This phenomenon in American social and religious history must not be confused with "church extension," for its purpose was not to extend religious denominations as such. but rather to "save souls." This missionary enterprise was carried out chiefly by various missionary "societies"-both denominational and interdenominational. Some of these groups were all-inclusive in their missionary interests, but others were limited to specific phases of the work, such as the distributional enterprises. While these organizations flourished along the Atlantic seaboard, their chief concern was the spiritual welfare of the inhabitants of the frontier where the easterners believed that shameful lawlessness and immorality prevailed. Although the Home Missionary Movement had gathered considerable momentum in almost all of the English-speaking denominations during the early years of the nineteenth century, the German Reformed Church was comparatively slow in entering into the activities which characterized the movement. The reason for this early inactivity may be found, not in any lack of interest in the extension of Protestant Christianity, but in certain limitations and inclinations peculiar to this communion. For many years the German Reformed Church remained a small provincial body. By the year 1820, when most other evangelical denominations had extended their lines hundreds of miles inland, the German Reformed Church could boast of slightly more than 20,000 active communicant members' concentrated chiefly in southeastern Pennsylvania, and in widely-scattered denominational outposts in western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. The sixty-eight active pastors of that time were necessarily more concerned with the preservation of the denomination's mere existence than with stimulating popular interest in the Home Missionary cause. Indeed, since the German language was almost universally used in the German Reformed Church until well into the nineteenth century, contacts with sister-churches were not so common as among Englishspeaking denominations, and this use of the German language also may have tended to prevent a feeling of kinship with other bodies. As indicative of this it may be said that the Second Great Revival almost passed unnoticed by the German Reformed Church, not only because
Last Words Volume 18:1

Marchand opines on the need to collect materials for libraries widely and without regard to current tastes.
Systems Analysis of Adaptive Responses to MAP Kinase Pathway Blockade in BRAF Mutant Melanoma

Fifty percent of cutaneous melanomas are driven by activated BRAFV600E, but tumors treated with RAF inhibitors, even when they respond dramatically, rapidly adapt and develop resistance. Thus, there is a pressing need to identify the major mechanisms of intrinsic and adaptive resistance and develop drug combinations that target these resistance mechanisms. In a combinatorial drug screen on a panel of 12 treatment-naive BRAFV600E mutant melanoma cell lines of varying levels of resistance to mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway inhibition, we identified the combination of PLX4720, a targeted inhibitor of mutated BRaf, and lapatinib, an inhibitor of the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases, as synergistically cytotoxic in the subset of cell lines that displayed the most resistance to PLX4720. To identify potential mechanisms of resistance to PLX4720 treatment and synergy with lapatinib treatment, we performed a multi-platform functional genomics analysis to profile the genome as well as the transcriptional and proteomic responses of these cell lines to treatment with PLX4720. We found modest levels of resistance correlated with the zygosity of the BRAF V600E allele and receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) mutational status. Layered over base-line resistance was substantial upregulation of many ErbB pathway genes in response to BRaf inhibition, thus generating the vulnerability to combination with lapatinib. The transcriptional responses of ErbB pathway genes are associated with a number of transcription factors, including ETS2 and its associated cofactors that represent a convergent regulatory mechanism conferring synergistic drug susceptibility in the context of diverse mutational landscapes.
An Introduction to Arbitration

This is a short essay introducing the reader to arbitration. Designed for general practitioners and non-lawyers, the essay includes sections on:  The advantages of arbitration over litigation: speed, cost, and informality.  Concerns about arbitration, especially arbitration agreements drafted by a party with overwhelming bargaining power and imposed upon a much weaker party (such as an employee or consumer).  The controlling law (Federal Arbitration Act and state arbitration acts).  The process of choosing an arbitrator, including rules requiring prospective arbitrators to disclose certain information.  Tips for the advocate, such as preparing the case for a professional arbitrator rather than a lay jury, the function of evidentiary objections, and arbitrator determinations of credibility.
A Quadruped Robot Powered With Pneumatic Actuators

This paper presents the design and control of a quadruped robot, which uses pneumatic actuators to power the eight joints in the robot. Leveraging the high performance of pneumatic actuators, the quadruped is able to provide the desired torque and power output while keeping the robot compact and lightweight. The ultimate purpose for the quadruped is to assist and accompany its human user in the daily life. As such, the overall design of the quadruped takes inspiration from human lower limbs, i.e., the quadruped can be imagined as the combination of two pairs of human lower limbs in opposite directions. The design details of the robot are presented, including the hip and knee joints and their actuation mechanisms. The control scheme is also presented, in which the robotic joints follow similar trajectories of their human biological counterparts. In the preliminary testing, the quadruped robot was able to walk continuously at a stable gait, demonstrating the effectiveness of the robot design and control approaches.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Electroconvulsive Therapy’s Mechanism of Action: Neuroendocrine Hypotheses

Despite a range of etiological theories since the introduction of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) more than 75 years ago, its mechanism of action remains poorly understood. The neuroendocrine hypothesis is based on the seizure-related release of hypothalamic hormones into the blood and cerebrospinal fluid and evidence of endocrine dysfunction in many patients with severe mood disorder. The specific effect of ECT was hypothesized to result from the transverse passage of current through the brain with direct stimulation of axial structures including the diencephalon. The prompt release of adrenocorticotropic hormone, cortisol, and prolactin into blood followed ECT with a return to pretreatment baseline levels in several hours. The elevated levels of hormones were absorbed by the cerebrospinal fluid, providing contact with brain cells and central nervous system structures. An apparently specific pattern of ECT-induced hormone changes, limited to prolactin and cortisol, suggested that ECT released a substance with dopaminergic antagonist and antipsychotic properties. As hypothalamic dysfunction is a key finding in endogenomorphic depression and the abnormal endocrine and physiological functions usually normalize with recovery, this led to a search for biological markers that would supplement clinical assessment of diagnosis and treatment response. One of these, the overnight dexamethasone suppression test found that 40% to 50% of melancholic depressed patients had abnormal results, whereas 90% of control patients suppressed normally. This was followed by a period of uncritical overenthusiasm followed by wholesale rejection of the clinical neuroendocrine strategies. Several key methodological issues received inadequate attention, and there have been calls to revisit this topic.
Chemical and Microbiological Characteristics of Poultry Processing By-Products, Waste, and Poultry Carcasses During Lactic Acid Fermentation

Abstract Chemical and microbiological characteristics of broiler processing offal, dissolved air flotation (DAF) wastewater sludge, and poultry carcasses were monitored during lactic acid fermentation. Laboratory experiments showed that poultry offal and carcasses ensiled with 15% brewer's solubles (BS) at 30°C for twenty-eight days had a proximate composition of 63-67% moisture, 11-14% protein, 13-14% fat, and 2-3% ash, which were not significantly different from those before fermentation. The silages fermented for two days and longer contained about 4-5% lactic acid, 0.2% acetic acid, 0.2% ethanol, and 0.2-0.3% ammonia-nitrogen. Indigenous lactic acid bacteria in broiler carcasses and off increased from 106 to 108 CFU/g wet weight during fermentation. Fermentation eliminated resident Salmonella spp., Campylobacter jejuni, fecal coliforms, and fecal streptococci; fermentation also reduced heterotrophic bacteria and fungi in broiler carcasses and offal. Offal and carcass fermentation under field conditions yielded similar results.
Consumer Packaging of Fruits and Vegetables in California

T HE extension of control by processors distributing consumer-packaged, branded and advertised goods has greatly changed marketing of staple food products.2 Most striking has been the change in methods of handling commodities and in the structure of competition. Large-scale operations have become general. Concentration of control has gone with it. Processors have extended control over price backward to the original producers by a variety of devices. Control has been extended to the consumer mainly by advertising. The status of the retailer and of the independent wholesaler has been drastically altered. These changes have not occurred in the marketing of fresh fruits and vegetables. Produce grown in areas like California for sale in distant markets is almost all shipped in large containers which are broken down into consumersize units at the retail store. The persistence of these handling methods has been due mainly to technological problems associated with perishability. Thus, the changes in the marketing of staple foods
Toxicity of Sulfanilamide. A Study of the Pathological Lesions in White Mice.

Since the introduction of sulfanilamide and related substances as chemotherapeutic agents, there have appeared in the literature several reports on their toxicity for experimental animals. Domagk1 ...
1758 Neonatal Outcomes of very Premature Infants born after in vitro Fertilization

Advances in assisted reproductive technology such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) is known to be associated with a high rate of multiple pregnancy and prematurity. However reliable data on neonatal outcomes of infants born preterm after IVF are lacking. A cohort study was conducted to compare neonatal outcomes of 90 very premature infants born after IVF at University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital between 2005 and 2011, with a control group born after natural conception, matched by gestational age. The IRB approved the study. Mothers of infants born after IVF were older (34 vs 28 yrs p 2 were found. There were no differences in the incidence of major morbidities, IVH, BPD, NEC, sepsis, and PDA ligation. Mortality and LOS were similar in both groups. These results demonstrate that when compared with infants of similar gestational age outcomes of IVF premature infants are not different from naturally conceived infants. The reported higher risk for poor outcomes in IVF infants is most likely related with the higher risk of multiple gestation and prematurity.