cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pregnancy outcomes in women with chronic endometritis and recurrent pregnancy loss.

Objective To evaluate the prevalence of chronic endometritis (CE) in women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and compare pregnancy outcomes in women with and without CE. Design Case-control observational study. Setting Academic fertility practice. Patient(s) Women with two or more pregnancy losses. Intervention(s) Hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) staining was performed on all endometrial biopsies and plasma cells were identified by morphology. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for CD138 was later applied to all tissue samples. Charts were reviewed to evaluate the outcome of the next clinical intrauterine pregnancy. Main Outcome Measure(s) Miscarriage rate and live birth rate. Result(s) A total of 107 women met inclusion criteria. The use of CD138 IHC staining resulted in a significantly higher prevalence of CE compared with the use of H & E staining and morphological assessment alone (56% [60/107] vs. 13% [14/107]). The 51 women with untreated CE were compared with the 45 women without CE by CD138 staining. Among those women with a subsequent pregnancy, the live birth rate in the next clinical intrauterine pregnancy after endometrial evaluation was 67.6% (23/34) in women with untreated CE and 87.1% (27/31) in women without CE. Age, body mass index (BMI), results of RPL evaluation, and number of prior losses were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion(s) CD138 IHC staining of endometrial biopsies in women with RPL provides increased sensitivity when screening for CE compared with H & E staining and morphological assessment alone. Untreated CE may contribute to poor pregnancy outcomes and deserves further investigation in a larger cohort.
Mutants of Escherichia coli with a Growth Requirement for Either Lysine or Pyridoxine

Two distinct phenotypic classes of lysine requiring auxotrophs of Escherichia coli are described. Mutants of the LysA class produce little or no active diaminopimelic acid (DAP) decarboxylase and specifically require lysine for growth. Mutants of the LysB class produce a cryptic DAP decarboxylase which can be activated both in vivo and in vitro by higher than normal levels of its cofactor, pyridoxal 5′-phosphate. The LysB mutants have an alternate requirement for lysine or pyridoxine. Both LysA and LysB mutations map at 55 min, close to the thyA locus of E. coli. The association between pyridoxal phosphate and DAP decarboxylase appears to be much weaker in LysB mutants than in wild-type bacteria, and the mutant enzyme also sediments more slowly than wild-type enzyme in sucrose density gradients. The results suggest that the LysB mutations alter a specific region (or subunit) of the enzyme molecule which is needed to stabilize the binding of pyridoxal phosphate. These studies help to resolve certain contradictory observations on DAP decarboxylase reported earlier and may have relevance to pyridoxal phosphate enzymes in general. Prototrophic revertants of LysB mutants arise by second site mutations that result in increased availability of intracellular pyridoxal phosphate. These revertants appear to be derepressed for pyridoxine biosynthesis.
Anatomical and pharmacological characterization of catecholamine transients in the medial prefrontal cortex evoked by ventral tegmental area stimulation.

Voltammetric measurements of catecholamines in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are infrequent because of lack of chemical selectivity between dopamine and norepinephrine and their overlapping anatomical inputs. Here, we examined the contribution of norepinephrine to the catecholamine release in the mPFC evoked by electrical stimulation of the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Initially, electrical stimulation was delivered in the midbrain at incremental depths of −5 to −9.4 mm from bregma while catecholamine release was monitored in the mPFC. Although catecholamine release was observed at dorsal stimulation sites that may correspond to the dorsal noradrenergic bundle (DNB, containing noradrenergic axonal projections to the mPFC), maximal release was evoked by stimulation of the VTA (the source of dopaminergic input to the mPFC). Next, VTA-evoked catecholamine release was monitored in the mPFC before and after knife incision of the DNB, and no significant changes in the evoked catecholamine signals were found. These data indicated that DNB fibers did not contribute to the VTA-evoked catecholamine release observed in the mPFC. Finally, while the D2-receptor antagonist raclopride significantly altered VTA-evoked catecholamine release, the α2-adrenergic receptor antagonist idazoxan did not. Specifically, raclopride reduced catecholamine release in the mPFC, opposite to that observed in the striatum, indicating differential autoreceptor regulation of mesocortical and mesostriatal neurons. Together, these findings suggest that the catecholamine release in the mPFC arising from VTA stimulation was predominately dopaminergic rather than noradrenergic. Synapse 68:131–143, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Beak condition and cage density determine abundance and spatial distribution of northern fowl mites, Ornithonyssus sylviarum, and chicken body lice, Menacanthus stramineus, on caged laying hens

Abstract Adult White Leghorn hens (Hy-Line strain W-36) were inoculated with either northern fowl mites or chicken body lice, and the ectoparasite populations were monitored over periods of 9 to 16 wk. Two beak conditions (beak trimmed or beak intact) and 2 housing densities (1 or 2 hens per 25 × 31 cm suspended wire cage) were tested. Populations of both ectoparasites were at least 10 times lower on beak-intact hens compared with populations on beak-trimmed hens. Cage density did not influence mite numbers, but higher numbers of lice (2 to 3 times) developed on hens held at the higher cage density. Louse distribution on the body and louse population age structure were also influenced by host beak condition. Beak-intact hens had a higher proportion of lice under the wings, whereas beak-trimmed hens had the majority of lice on the lower abdomen. Louse populations on beak-trimmed hens also comprised relatively more immature stages than populations found on beak-intact hens. The effects are likely related to decreased grooming efficiency by beak-trimmed hens and, in the case of lice, the higher host density. The high mite and louse populations on most commercial caged laying hens are probably a direct result of beak trimming. However, selection of more docile breeds that can be held without trimming may allow the hens themselves to reduce ectoparasites below economically damaging levels. This could benefit producers, animal welfare advocates, and human health by reducing 1) costs of beak trimming, 2) pesticide treatment costs (including human and bird chemical exposure concerns), and 3) objections to beak trimming from the animal welfare community.
Fermi-Luttinger liquid: Spectral function of interacting one-dimensional fermions

We evaluate the spectral function of interacting fermions in one dimension. Contrary to the Tomonaga-Luttinger model, our treatment accounts for the nonlinearity of the free fermion spectrum. In a striking departure from the Luttinger liquid theory, the spectrum nonlinearity restores the main feature of the Fermi liquid: a Lorentzian peak in the spectral function on the particle mass shell. At the same time, the spectral function displays a power-law singularity on the hole mass shell, similar to that in the Luttinger liquid.
Selection of a mirror technology for the 1.8-m Terrestrial Planet Finder demonstrator mission

Detection of extrasolar planets should be possible with a telescope that has the required resolution and a coronagraph to block the starlight. The resolution that is needed suggests that the diameter of the primary mirror be at least 6 m. For use in space, the mirror would need to be moderately lightweighted, with an areal density of roughly 50 kg/m 2 or lower. Most important is the surface quality of the mirror over the spatial frequency range of roughly 10 cm to 4 m. A ripple in the surface of the mirror, with a spatial scale in this range, would cause starlight to diffract onto the region where a planet may be located. In terms of an rms surface error the mirror would need to be better than 5 nm rms in this range. The Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) project realized that to demonstrate that a coronagraphic telescope concept could be used for terrestrial planet detection there needs to be a demonstration that a mirror of the required technology could be built. There are several concepts that could be used for designing and fabricating such a mirror but in order to select the most promising technology a survey of the best mirror concepts from the best large mirror builders was needed. This paper describes what was learned from this study and the rational for the mirror concept that was selected.
The UN and space — 1989 review

Abstract In 1989, the two sub-committees of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) - the Scientific and Technical Sub-Committee and the Legal Sub-Committee - held their 26th and 28th sessions, respectively, at UN Headquarters in New York. They subsequently produced reports which were discussed at the 33rd session of COPUOS in New York from 5 to 15 June 1989. N. Jasentuliyana, Director of the Outer Space Affairs Division at the UN, discusses their work.
Differences in cholesterol management among states in relation to health insurance and race/ethnicity across the United States.

Background Across the United States, hyperlipidemia remains inadequately controlled and may vary across states according to differences in health insurance coverage and/or race/ethnicity. Objective To examine relationships between states' health insurance and race/ethnicity characteristics with measures of hyperlipidemia management across the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Methods Cross-validated, multiple linear regression modeling was used to analyze associations between states' health insurance patterns or proportions of racial minorities (from the 2010 U.S. Census data) and states' aggregate frequency of checking cholesterol within the previous 5 years or prescriptions written for lipid-lowering medications (from national survey and population-adjusted retail prescription data, respectively), with adjustments for age, sex, body mass index, race/ethnicity, and poverty. Results In states with proportionately more uninsured, cholesterol levels are checked less often, but in states with proportionately more private, Medicare, or Medicaid coverage, providers are not necessarily more likely to check cholesterol or to write more prescriptions. In states with proportionately more African-Americans and/or Hispanics, cholesterol is more likely to be checked, but in states with more African-Americans, more prescriptions were written, whereas in states with more Hispanics, fewer statin prescriptions were written. Conclusion Variations across states in insurance and racial/ethnicity mix are associated with variations in hyperlipidemia management; less-insured states may be less effective whereas states with more private, Medicare, or Medicaid coverage may not be more effective. In states with proportionately more African-Americans vs. Hispanics, lipid medications may be prescribed differently. Our findings warrant further investigations.
A Hypothesis Testing Approach for Fluorescent Blob Identification

Template matching is a common approach for identifying fluorescent objects within a biological image. But how to decide a threshold value for the purpose of justifying the goodness of matching score is a rather difficult task. In this paper, we propose a framework that dynamically chooses appropriate threshold values for correct object identification at a non-arbitrary statistical power based on the local measure of signal and noise. We validate the feasibility of our proposed framework by presenting simulation experiments conducted with both synthetic and live-cell data sets. The experimental results suggest that our auto-thresholding algorithm and local signal to noise ratio estimation can provide solid means for effective spot identity in place of an ad hoc threshold fitting value or minimization method.
Neuropsychological profile of children and adolescents with the 22q11.2 microdeletion

Purpose: Patients with one of the 22q11.2 deletion syndromes provide a unique opportunity to research the interface between genetics and brain-behavior relationships. This study investigates the neuropsychological characteristics and behavioral phenotype of children with this deletion syndrome. Methods: We report updated findings from descriptive and nonparametric analyses of neuropsychological data from 80 children with the 22q11.2 deletion. Results: The subjects showed higher verbal than nonverbal IQ scores, assets in verbal memory, and deficits in the areas of attention, story memory, visuospatial memory, arithmetic performance relative to other areas of achievement, and psychosocial functioning. Conclusion: Children with 22q11.2 deletion syndromes exhibit a behavioral phenotype reflective of nonverbal learning disabilities, concomitant language deficits, and social-emotional concerns.
Simultaneous determination of free tissue-type and free urokinase-type plasminogen activators in biological fluids by a solid-phase immunoassay.

Abstract Tissue-type and urokinase-type plasminogen activators (t-PA and u-PA) coexist in numerous biological fluids, where their fibrinolytic activities are determined by the concentration of the free, uncomplexed species. A simple, sensitive method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of free t-PA and u-PA concentrations in biological fluids using a solid-phase immunoassay. Microtiter plates were coated with polyclonal goat antibodies and incubated with PA standards or unknown samples. The absorbed PAs were then assayed by incubation with a mixture of plasminogen, poly-L-lysine, and the chromogenic substrate H -D-norleucylhexahydrotyrosyllysine- p -nitroanilide. Free t-PA and free u-PA were detectable in human plasma and urine, and in conditioned media from different endothelial cell cultures. The method is sensitive, with lower limits of quantitation being 0.76 mU/ml (1.25 pg/ml) for free t-PA and 0.16 mU/ml (2.0 pg/ml) for free u-PA. There was no cross-reaction between the two PA species and the recovery in plasma was greater than 95% for both. The intra- and interassay coefficients of variation for t-PA and u-PA were 3.5-12.2 and 3.2-11.3%, and 2.4-11.8 and 1.6-10.4%, respectively. The presence of PA-inhibitor complexes and PA inhibitors in biological fluids did not interfere with the assay. Application of the assay has demonstrated that free u-PA levels are several fold higher than free t-PA levels in human plasma and in conditioned media of human vascular endothelial cells. Free t-PA and free u-PA in human plasma obtained from five resting, healthy male volunteers ranged from 18 to 72 mU/ml (0.03 to 0.12 ng/ml) and from 54 to 100 mU/ml (0.68 to 1.25 ng/ml), respectively. The results of the present investigation indicate that free t-PA and free u-PA can be quantitated in a straightforward manner without acidification of plasma and preparation of euglobulin fractions during sample processing.
Interventional management of head and neck emergencies: carotid blowout.

Involvement of the carotid artery by malignant processes of the head and neck with compromise of vessel integrity and rupture—“carotid blowout syndrome” (CBS)—is one of the most devastating complications of malignancy. Most often, it is associated with squamous cell cancer and almost always in patients who have undergone prior radiation therapy. CBS is classified as threatened, impending, or acute. Bleeding into the oral cavity or from areas of skin breakdown is a frightening experience for patients and their families and often a terminal event. Prognosis is poor with up to 50% mortality and morbidity, and surgical options are limited and risky. Endovascular management with vessel sacrifice or stent placement has become the principle treatment option in this patient population, though still associated with procedural complications, often neurologic, that can occur acutely or in a delayed fashion. This article reviews techniques and outcomes associated with endovascular treatment of CBS.
On the Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for a Long-Term Irrigated Agriculture

. Salinization and water logging have been the nemesis of irrigated agriculture societies since Babylonian times. Low quality water substitutes for high quality water for irrigation at an increasing rate up to the limits of the soil's ability to transmit the additional water and remove excess salts from the root zone. Soil transmissibility can be increased by additional investment in drainage ditches and underground tile. Low valued-high salt tolerant crops can be substituted for higher valued-salt sensitive crops to maintain production in areas served by irrigation water sources of deteriorating quality. Thus physical factors specify the necessary conditions for survival of an irrigated agriculture. The sufficient conditions for survival must be in terms of a positive net income in each subplanning period discounted to its present value.
Hairy and Emc negatively regulate morphogenetic furrow progression in the drosophila eye

Abstract The initial steps of pattern formation in the developing Drosophila eye involve the coordination of cell cycles, changes in cell shape, and the specification of the R8 photoreceptor cell. These events begin several cell rows ahead of the morphogenetic furrow and are positively regulated by secreted signaling proteins and the proneural HLH transcription factor atonal (ato). Two HLH regulatory proteins that function to suppress neuronal development in other tissues, extra macrochaetae (emc) and hairy (h), are expressed ahead of the morphogenetic furrow. While neither h nor emc is required for photoreceptor cell determination, in emc − h − clones the morphogenetic furrow and differentiated eye field advance up to eight ommatidial rows ahead of adjacent wild-type tissue. This indicates that morphogenetic furrow progression and neuronal differentiation are negatively regulated by a combination of anteriorly expressed HLH regulatory proteins.
The diagnostic enigma of extra-Pulmonary tuberculosis

Abstract The failure to diagnose tuberculosis during life is largely due to the decline in the index of clinical suspicion which has accompanied the reduction in prevalence of tuberculosis and to failure to appreciate changes in the epidemiological pattern of the disease. Ten patients with extra-pulmonary tuberculosis seen in one hospital during a 4-yr period illustrate contemporary diagnostic problems. In each, a diagnosis of tuberculosis was not considered initially because of lack of suspicion and consequent failure to utilize proven and accepted laboratory methods. Along with high index of clinical suspicion, some simple laboratory and diagnostic studies are of immense value. If tuberculin tests are negative in the initial phase, and become positive during the course of an illness with non-specific symptoms, this may indicate a tuberculous etiology. Equally significant is the unexplained rise in alkaline phosphatase resulting from granulomatous involvement of the liver. With modern chemotherapeutic drugs available, tuberculosis is now usually a curable disease. Physicians, therefore, must be aware of the problem of undiagnosed tuberculosis, particularly in elderly patients and must pursue proper investigations so that chemotherapy can be initiated early in the course of the illness.
The role of wholesalers in developing countries

Abstract This article posits that the role of wholesalers in underdeveloped economies has been a neglected topic. The authors note the importance of wholesalers as an institution in the distribution sector of emerging economies. It is maintained that wholesalers in these countries are a necessary ingredient for achieving distribution effectiveness and perhaps efficiency. Two research propositions are presented to develop this neglected but extremely critical topic.
Internal Reasons and the Conditional Fallacy

Internalists about normative reasons hold that they are necessarily connected to motives. This view is most plausible when it is construed in a conditional form - that there is a reason for one to perform a certain action guarantees that, at least if one were not rationally defective, one would be motivated to perform it. However, the conditional form that renders internalism plausible also renders it vulnerable to the ‘conditional fallacy’. For instance, this conditional form implies that one could have no reason to improve one’s rationality, for if one were already fully rational, one would not be motivated to do so. Most internalists have reformulated internalism to solve this problem. However, I argue that these reformulations fail to maintain the theoretical virtue of the internalist doctrine, namely, the virtue it has of showing how reasons can both explain and justify actions.
Absorption Measurements Using Frequency Modulation Heterodyne Spectroscopy

Direct absorption. measurements using Frequency. Modulation. Spectroscopy (FMS) have been made. Simple calibration is possible and DC absorptions as small as 1.4x10-4 may be detected. By modulating the absorption photochemically, the sensitivity may be extended to a lower limit of 1.5x10-7. The radicals HCO1 and ND4 have been studied using this method.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
129. Blockade of L-type voltage dependent calcium channels or ryanodine receptors during chronic neuroinflammation improves spatial memory and reduces expression of inflammatory markers

Chronic neuroinflammation is a key component of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative processes. Prolonged neuroinflammation produces elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines as well as memory deficits. We have previously shown that neuroinflammation constitutively increases calcium-dependent immediate early gene expression which may underlie neuroinflammation-induced memory deficits. Enhancement of L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel (L-VDCC) and/or ryanodine receptor (RyR) activity may be related to neuroinflammation and lead to dysregulated increases of intracellular calcium and contribute to cognitive deficits. In order to examine the contribution of these two calcium channels to neuroinflammation-induced memory deficits, we pharmacologically targeted the L- VDCCs with nimodipine or the RyRs with dantrolene. To induce neuroinflammation, rats were treated with intraventricular infusion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 28 days. We found that LPS-infused rats had significant memory deficits in the Morris water maze; this deficit was ameliorated by treatment with either nimodipine or dantrolene. We found significant increases in several inflammatory genes and microglia activation in the hippocampus of LPS-infused rats, both of which were reduced by treatment with either nimodipine or dantrolene, suggesting an anti-inflammatory effect of our pharmacological manipulations. Immediate early gene expression was also reduced to control levels in LPS-infused rats treated with dantrolene or nimodipine, indicating normalized synaptic function. Overall, these data suggest that calcium dysregulation via L-VDCCs and RyRs plays a crucial role in neuroinflammation-induced memory deficits.
Theory of ordering dynamics for Cu3Au.

A coarse-grained model for a ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$Au system undergoing an order-disorder transition is constructed. The model is characterized by a Ginzburg-Landau Hamiltonian with a three-component order parameter and the symmetry of the ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$Au system. The ordering dynamics of this model subjected to a temperature quench are then studied by use of Langevin dynamics. The model is analyzed with a generalization of the recently developed first-principles theory of unstable thermodynamic systems. The theoretical results are in agreement with the observed features in recent growth-kinetic experiments on ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$Au.
Anelastic behavior of copper thin films on silicon substrates: Damping associated with dislocations

Abstract A dynamic measurement system has been developed to investigate damping in thin metal films. This system includes a vacuum chamber, in which a free-standing bi-layer cantilever sample is vibrated using an electrostatic force, and a laser interferometer to measure the displacement and velocity of the sample. With this equipment, internal friction as low as 10 −5 in micrometer thick metal films in the temperature range 300–800 K can be measured. Using this system, the internal friction of Cu thin films was measured and an activation energy of 1.47 ± 0.05 eV was obtained from the internal friction peaks. Based on the dependence of the internal friction on the temperature, the frequency and the thickness of the film, we suggest that this activation energy points to a dragging mechanism of jogs accompanied by vacancy diffusion along the dislocation core. The proposed mechanism is modeled and compared with experimental results.
Correlates of Change in Perceptions of Nursing Facilities Among Volunteers

The image of nursing facilities by the public is largely negative. Change in perceptions of nursing facilities is not often studied. The author investigated whether individuals would change their views of nursing facilities in response to volunteer activities in an ombudsman program and identified factors associated with transitions in perceptions as well as qualitative types of change. More than 60% of 778 men and women attributed their altered views of nursing facilities to volunteering. Factors associated with changes in perceptions were markedly different for men and women. Identification of correlates of change may assist administrators of volunteer programs in addressing experiences that may encourage more positive perceptions of settings in which volunteers work.
Impact of Science-Technology Learning Environment Characteristics on Learning Outcomes: Pupils' Perceptions and Gender Differences

Science and technology are connected to each other and are mutually inspiring. The science-technology curriculum for junior-high school in Israel suggests that teachers integrate these subjects. In addition, this curriculum calls for infusing thinking competencies into the learning subjects and for implementing alternatives in assessment methods in the classes. The current research included three stages: field research, pilot research and expanded research. In the field research, an intervention program was planned and implemented. The intervention program included a three-year inservice training workshop consisting of 224 hours each year. Quantitative and qualitative tools were used to assess teachers’ implementation of the intervention program. The findings revealed the characteristics of the science-technology learning environment and various learning outcomes. The pilot research enabled the development and validation of a questionnaire called the Science-Technology Learning Environment Questionnaire (STLEQ). The STLEQ was aimed at assessing teachers’ and pupils’ perceptions of learning environment. The conclusions from the pilot research showed differences between teachers’ and pupils’ perceptions towards the impact of learning environment characteristics on learning outcomes.
A new species of Stenocercus (Squamata, Iguania) from central-western Brazil with a key to Brazilian Stenocercus

A new species of Stenocercus (Squamata, Iguania) from central-western Brazil with a key to Brazilian Stenocercus. A new species of Stenocercus from central- western Brazil differs from other Stenocercus by the following combination of characters: head and body scales strongly keeled, posthumeral and postfemoral mite pockets absent, nostrils laterally oriented, supraciliary scales not enlarged or projected, and caudal fracture planes absent. Morphologically, the new species more closely resembles S. prionotus and S. caducus. The latter species has been reported in Brazil based on misidentified specimens from Mato Grosso that correspond to the new species described herein. However, it is very likely that S. caducus occurs in Brazil because it has been reported from geographically close areas. Therefore, I recognize seven species of Stenocercus from Brazil and provide a dichotomous key to assist in the identification of specimens.
Effect of ultraviolet radiation on growth and percent settlement of larval Lytechinus variegatus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)

Lytechinus variegatus larvae were used to examine the effects of ecologically relevant short-term exposures of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on larval morphology and settlement. A laboratory experiment tested the blastula, gastrula, and early pluteus stages of larval development for susceptibility to damage from exposure to UVR produced by an artificial light source. Larval post-oral arm length and percent settlement were measured to assess UVR effects. Larvae exposed at the blastula and gastrula stages had a reduction in larval post-oral arm length compared with non-exposure controls, while larvae exposed at the early pluteus stage were similar to controls. Larvae exposed in the gastrula stage had a significant reduction in percent settlement compared with controls. Negative consequences from ecologically relevant levels of UVR were differentially dependent on the larval stage at time of exposure suggesting time point in larval development at exposure will be important in interpreting effects on higher lev...
Amino Acid Digestibility of Corn, Pearl Millet, and Sorghum for White Pekin Ducks, Anas Platyrinchos Domesticus

The objective of the present experiment was to determine the digestibility of amino acids and nitrogen-corrected apparent (AMEn) and true (TMEn) metabolizable energy contents of corn, pearl millet, and sorghum for White Pekin ducks. Fasting losses of nitrogen, amino acids, and energy were obtained from six drakes ; and six drakes were assigned to each of corn, pearl millet, and sorghum. Each experiment lasted 102h with an initial 48-h period and a 54-h excreta collection period. During the first 48-h period, all birds were tube-fed dextrose (30g/100mL of water) at 8 and 32h after feed was withdrawn. Each feedstuff was tube-fed (30g/100mL of water ; or 30g dextrose for birds from which fasting losses were obtained) at 48 and 54h after feed withdrawal. Excreta were collected during the last 54h into bags screwed onto lids sutured around the vent of each bird. Fasting nitrogen and energy losses per bird were 668mg and 38kcal, respectively. Fasting losses of amino acids ranged from 22mg for leucine to 128mg for glutamate. The TMEn values for corn, pearl millet, and sorghum were 3.751, 3.777, and 3.620kcal/g, respectively. Because of the differences in nitrogen retention between ducks fed pearl millet and corn, TMEn contents of pearl millet were greater (P<0.05) than those of sorghum. Of the amino acids considered, only leucine showed ingredient-related differences in true digestibility with corn (92.4%) and pearl millet (91.66%) being greater (P<0.05) than sorghum (89.97%). The true digestibility of lysine (79.75, 78.85, or 79.5%), methionine (89.01, 88.42, or 89.15%), and tryptophan (97.46, 96.4, or 94.9%) were not different among corn, pearl millet, or sorghum, respectively. The data provide new information on amino acid digestibility values as well as AMEn and TMEn contents of corn, pearl millet, and sorghum for ducks.
Photosensitization in Lambs Grazing Switchgrass

Hepatogenous photosensitization has been recorded in herbivores grazing a number of Panicum species in different areas of the world. This condition was observed in weaned and suckling lambs (Ovis sp.) grazing switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L. cv. Cave-in-Rock) in Morgantown, WV, during the abnormally hot, dry summer of 1991. The first cases occurred in June, 35 d after initiation of grazing. Further cases occurred with a new group of lambs 12 d after their introduction to switchgrass pastures in late July. Of a total of 104 lambs, 17 showed photosensitization and eight died []
Iatrogenic diaphragmatic hernia in infants: Potentially catastrophic when overlooked

Acquired diaphragmatic hernias are a rare occurrence. They can result from blunt, penetrating or inadvertent iatrogenic injury. When overlooked they can potentially be catastrophic. We report a case of iatrogenic diaphragmatic hernia in a six-month old infant presenting with acute respiratory distress as a result of strangulated bowel herniating into the left hemithorax caused from a traumatic chest tube insertion in the neonatal period.
Cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase—Evidence for a distinct hepatic microsomal enzyme system

Abstract The interrelationship of microsomal 7α-hydroxylation and drug oxidation reactions was studied in liver microsomes obtained from the male Wistar rat. When several compounds were administered to rats, a variety of changes ensued concerning the rate of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylation, ethylmorphine N -demethylase activity, and alterations in electron transport components. Cholestyramine and d -thyroxine administration resulted in significant increases in cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase activity. Both phenobarbital (PB) and spironolactone pretreatment did not produce an elevation of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylation, but significant increases in ethylmorphine N -demethylation over controls were realized. There was a lack of congruence with the rate of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylation and the content or activity of electron transport components whereas there was a demonstrable dependency of ethylmorphine N -demethylation on the monitored electron transport components for PB- and spironolactone-treated rats. Along with an elevation of cytochrome P448 content, 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) pretreatment reduced cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase activity and the rate of ethylmorphine N -demethylation. Concomitant treatment with 3-MC and cholestyramine caused no alteration of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase activity. The inhibitory action of 3-MC on cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase activity was not due to competition for reducing equivalents in liver microsomes. The inhibitory phenomenon caused by NADH on microsomal cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase activity was reproducible and was dose-dependent at both subsaturating and saturating levels of NADPH. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that the cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase enzyme system is distinctly different from that which catalyzes drug oxidations.
Physical fitness and orthopaedic health: clues that your intuition is right: Commentary on an article by Young Jae Cho, MD, et al.: "Evaluation of physical performance level as a fall risk factor in women with a distal radial fracture".

Fractures of the wrist and hip in elderly patients are so common and so costly that these fractures rank high on the list of national public health concerns in the United States. Prevention is perhaps the most effective way to attack this problem, and a prevention strategy relies in part upon identifying the risk factors that predispose elderly patients to these injuries. With this perspective, the article “Evaluation of Physical Performance Level as a Fall Risk Factor in Women with a Distal Radial Fracture,” by Dr. Young Jae Cho et al., is particularly relevant to contemporary orthopaedic care and public health. The authors attempted to identify aspects of physical performance and muscle strength as variables that might predispose women over the age of fifty years to distal radial fracture. Cho et al. compared forty postmenopausal women who broke their wrists with forty age-matched controls. Physical performance was measured by assessing walking speed, chair stand ability, standing balance, grip strength, and time spent walking during the day. The authors were also able to collate data about other health information, such as body mass index; the use of certain medications (including sedatives and antihypertensive drugs); and the presence of osteoarthritis, arrhythmias, vertigo, hypotension, and depression. Interestingly enough, the only variables that showed any …
Recent Economic Evaluations of Interventions to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease by Reducing Sodium Intake

Excess intake of sodium, a common problem worldwide, is associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD), and hypertension is a major risk factor for CVD. Population-wide efforts to reduce sodium intake have been identified as a promising strategy for preventing hypertension and CVD, and such initiatives are currently recommended by a variety of scientific and public health organizations. By reviewing the literature published from January 2011 to March 2013, we summarized recent economic analyses of interventions to reduce sodium intake. The evidence, derived from estimates of resultant blood pressure decreases and thus decreases in the incidence of CVD events, supports population-wide interventions for reducing sodium intake. Both lowering the salt content in manufactured foods and conducting mass media campaigns at the national level are estimated to be cost-effective in preventing CVD. Although better data on the cost of interventions are needed for rigorous economic evaluations, population-wide sodium intake reduction can be a promising approach for containing the growing health and economic burden associated with hypertension and its sequelae.
Selective neurophysiologic responses to music in instrumentalists with different listening biographies

To appropriately adapt to constant sensory stimulation, neurons in the auditory system are tuned to various acoustic characteristics, such as center frequencies, frequency modulations, and their combinations, particularly those combinations that carry species-specific communicative functions. The present study asks whether such tunings extend beyond acoustic and communicative functions to auditory self-relevance and expertise. More specifically, we examined the role of the listening biography—an individual's long term experience with a particular type of auditory input—on perceptual-neural plasticity. Two groups of expert instrumentalists (violinists and flutists) listened to matched musical excerpts played on the two instruments (J.S. Bach Partitas for solo violin and flute) while their cerebral hemodynamic responses were measured using fMRI. Our experimental design allowed for a comprehensive investigation of the neurophysiology (cerebral hemodynamic responses as measured by fMRI) of auditory expertise (i.e., when violinists listened to violin music and when flutists listened to flute music) and nonexpertise (i.e., when subjects listened to music played on the other instrument). We found an extensive cerebral network of expertise, which implicates increased sensitivity to musical syntax (BA 44), timbre (auditory association cortex), and sound–motor interactions (precentral gyrus) when listening to music played on the instrument of expertise (the instrument for which subjects had a unique listening biography). These findings highlight auditory self-relevance and expertise as a mechanism of perceptual-neural plasticity, and implicate neural tuning that includes and extends beyond acoustic and communication-relevant structures. Hum Brain Mapp 2009. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Adaptation of photosynthetic processes to stress.

I have focused on examples of plant adaptations to environmental conditions that range from adjustments in the allocation of metabolic resources and modification of structural components to entirely separate mechanisms. The result of these modifications is more efficient performance under the stresses typically encountered in the plants9 native habitats. Such adaptations, for reasons which are not entirely clear, often lead to poorer performance in other environmental conditions. This situation may be a fundamental basis for the tendency toward specialization among plants native to specific niches or habitats. The evolutionary mechanisms that have resulted in these specializations are very large-scale processes. It seems reasonable to suppose that the plants native to particular habitats are relatively efficient in terms of the limitations imposed by those habitats, and that the adaptive mechanisms these plants possess are, compared to those which have evolved in competing organisms, the most succesful biological means of coping with the environmental stresses encountered. I believe that we can learn from nature and utilize the adaptive mechanisms of these plants in agriculture to replace in part our present reliance on resources and energy to modify the environment for plant growth. By analogy with natural systems, improved resource utilization will require specialization and greater knowledge of the limitations of a particular environment and plant genotype. For example, the cultural conditions, plant architecture, and physiological responses necessary to achieve high water use efficiency from our crop species with C4 photosynthesis probably differ from those required to achieve maximum total growth. Also, efforts to control water application to eliminate waste carry with them the risk that the crop could be injured by inadequate water. Thus, greater demands would be placed on the crop physiologist, the plant breeder, and the farmer. Planting and appropriate management of adapted crop genotypes could enable cultivation of many areas presently considered unusable because of environmental extremes or shortage of resources, and may lead to more efficient resource utilization on land already under cultivation. The costs or benefits of this cannot yet be estimated. However, I suspect that the greatest potential for application of such techniques will be in the developing rather than the developed regions of the world. The genetic and functional diversity of plants is a tremendous biological resource. The capacity of plants to adjust in the future to changing environmental conditions depends on this diversity and on evolutionary processes of nature. Wild plants may provide a source of genetic material to improve crop plants. Also, as advocated by McKell (22), wild plants can be utilized to a greater extent directly by man. Long-term research efforts and commitment to preserve natural habitats and their populations of wild plants will be required to maintain and more effectively utilize this resource.
Using SMT solvers to automate design tasks for encryption and signature schemes

Cryptographic design tasks are primarily performed by hand today. Shifting more of this burden to computers could make the design process faster, more accurate and less expensive. In this work, we investigate tools for programmatically altering existing cryptographic constructions to reflect particular design goals. Our techniques enhance both security and efficiency with the assistance of advanced tools including Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) solvers.Specifically, we propose two complementary tools, AutoGroup and AutoStrong. AutoGroup converts a pairing-based encryption or signature scheme written in (simple) symmetric group notation into a specific instantiation in the more efficient, asymmetric setting. Some existing symmetric schemes have hundreds of possible asymmetric translations, and this tool allows the user to optimize the construction according to a variety of metrics, such as ciphertext size, key size or computation time. The AutoStrong tool focuses on the security of digital signature schemes by automatically converting an existentially unforgeable signature scheme into a strongly unforgeable one. The main technical challenge here is to automate the "partitioned" check, which allows a highly-efficient transformation.These tools integrate with and complement the AutoBatch tool (ACM CCS 2012), but also push forward on the complexity of the automation tasks by harnessing the power of SMT solvers. Our experiments demonstrate that the two design tasks studied can be performed automatically in a matter of seconds.
Haze growth on reticles: What's the RigHT thing to do?

The authors are reporting on the comparison of various industry methods of managing, controlling and limiting haze growth on 193nm reticles. This comparison includes reporting on the results from the Reticle Haze Treatment (RigHT) process developed at Micron / Photronics Mask Technology Center and transferred to Photronics, Inc. This process provides 193nm PSM reticles that have shown no haze growth after excessive wafer exposures and are usable for the life of the reticle.
Cigarette Smoke Components and Alveolar Macrophage Protein Synthesis

Abstract A comparison was made of the effects of acrolein and aqueous cigarette smoke extracts on amino acid incorporation into protein by rabbit pulmonary alveolar macrophages. Studies were on cells maintained in vitro as adherent monolayers. Freshly prepared acrolein inhibited amino acid incorporation by significant aounts after approximately 30 min and aqueous smoke extracts after approximately 15 min of incubation. Fifty percent inhibition by acrolein occurred with a dose of 5.5 μg acrolein/ml, an amount four times that in the amount of aqueous smoke extract required for 50% inhibition according to previously reported findings. Analysis by a dual-isotope technique and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed the inhibitory effect of acrolein to be nonspecific, as had previously been found for aqueous smoke extracts. The presence of the sulfhydryl reagent cysteine, reduced the inhibitory effect of acrolein by 57.5%, but reduced inhibition induced by aqueous smoke extracts by ...
Changing perspectives in Australian prehistory: a reply to Beaton

As I understand it, the reason for publishing a comment (Beaton 1983) along with my own article was to highlight the growing differentiation in ideological approach to Australian prehistory, and to stimulate discussion along these lines. While I welcome the opportunity for this debate, I am disappointed that Beaton's comments appear to represent little more than a superficial reading of my paper. Indeed, Beaton's critique presents no deep analysis of the paper's detailed evidence and explanatory models and makes only a passing reference to its theoretical basis. In essence, however, Beaton appears to agree with the first model I have presented which describes the archaeological data of the mid to late Holocene in terms of expanding variables. It is the second model, which offers an explanation of the archaeological phenomena, that he objects to quite vehemently. A closer examination would indicate that the source of Beaton's dis-
Teaching the Geoweb: Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research in Wireless Sensor Networks, Web Mapping, and Geospatial Data Management

This article addresses an effort to incorporate wireless sensor networks and the emerging tools of the Geoweb into undergraduate teaching and research at a small liberal arts college. The primary goal of the research was to identify the hardware, software, and skill sets needed to deploy a local sensor network, collect data, and transmit that data over the Internet in a format that could be viewed and analyzed by an end user. A second goal of the project was to identify new skills and technologies that could be incorporated into existing GIS and computer science courses in order to better prepare students for the changing landscape of the Geoweb.
Similar Effects of X-Irradiation and Piperonyl Butoxide on Toxicity of Malathion and Malaoxon to House Flies

Application of piperonyl butoxide to adults and X-irradiation of Musca domestica L. pupae with 10,000 R caused similar and additive effects when flies were treated topically with malathion or malaoxon. Malathion toxicity was inhibited by piperonyl butoxide or X-irradiation of pupae, while malaoxon was synergized, The implication is that pupal X-irradiation and piperonyl butoxide have similar modes of action in combination with malathion or malaoxon.
Mobility fluctuation1/f noise in silicon p+-n-p transistors

Abstract A study of the current dependence of base 1/ f noise and of collector 1/ f noise in p + -n-p transistors shows that the former is most likely of the mobility fluctuation 1/ f noise type and that the latter is most probably not of that type. The current dependence of 1/ f noise in transistors is a powerful tool in the interpretation of the noise.