cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Detaining ISIS: Habeas and the Phantom Menace

The United States detained “John Doe,” an American citizen, in Iraq without charges for over a year. He was released in October of 2018. Challenging this detention, Doe filed a habeas petition. He argued that the detention was illegal because statutory authority is needed to detain citizens, and military detention depends upon Congress formally authorizing the anti-ISIS conflict. Doe contended that these conditions did not exist. The United States argued that the detention was legal because Doe was an enemy combatant that supported ISIS in Syria. This case, Doe v. Mattis, raised significant constitutional questions about citizens, executive detention, and deference in national-security and foreign-relations matters. But much more remains at stake in terms of overseas power and military force. This Article argues that Doe’s prolonged detention is the expected result of legal ambiguities of American authority overseas. Extraterritoriality questions force courts to determine what law applies outside domestic borders. Doe v. Mattis continued inquiries from Guantanamo detentions. A decade ago, the focus was on Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and alien detainees in territory under American control. Doe v. Mattis posed subsequent issues regarding executive power, citizen detention, overseas habeas rights, and whether Congress authorized the ISIS conflict. This Article uses post-colonial and TWAIL (Third World Approaches to International Law) perspectives to examine military detention. These perspectives identify how prior legal reasoning shapes overseas authority. With Doe v. Mattis’s rulings on executive power, military detention can adapt for new conflicts with changing enemies and no envisioned end.
Enhanced light trapping in carrier selective solar cells using photonic nanostructures

Passivated, carrier-selective contacts have enabled a recent surge in the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells by reducing the Shockley-Read-Hall recombination at the electrical contacts for the cell. They operate by allowing the extraction of only the majority carriers from the absorber, i.e., the c-Si wafer. The molybdenum oxide and nickel stack is known to form an effective hole-selective contact. However, the parasitic optical losses they introduced limit the quantum efficiency and therefore efficiency of solar cells featuring these materials. In this work, we introduce photonic nanostructures with reduced parasitic losses in the contacts and enhancement of light trapping in the active area of the cell. The optimized structure shows its potential for increasing photogenerated current density and efficiency as a result.
Brachial Plexus Birth Injury: Epidemiology and Birth Weight Impact on Risk Factors.

BACKGROUND Brachial plexus birth injury (BPBI) is a condition in which the brachial plexus is thought to be damaged during the birth process. Studies have cited a varying incidence rate ranging from 0.5 to 4.0 per 1000 live births. The purpose of this study is to evaluate birth claims data over a 15-year period to identify risk and protective factors for BPBI in the state of Colorado. METHODS A data request was made to the state hospital association for birth claims data. We requested all birth claims from the years 2000 to 2014. ICD9 codes for variables of interest included: BPBI, shoulder dystocia, heavy-for-dates, macrosomia, breech delivery, instrumented birth, birth hypoxia, and gestational diabetes. A multivariable logistic regression model quantified both risk and protective factors for the development of BPBI as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS There were 966,447 birth records received from State Hospital Association. The BPBI incidence was 0.63/1000 live births. The mean (SD) birth weight was 3187 (572) g for the total population and 3808 (643) g for the BPBI births. Later admission year indicated a decrease in BPBI births (OR, 0.94; 95% CI: 0.92, 0.96/y). Asian, black, and Hispanic infants were more likely to have a BPBI than white infants. Shoulder dystocia (OR, 60.37; 95% CI: 47.90, 76.13) was the highest risk factor for BPBI followed by instrumented forceps birth (OR, 21.04; 95% CI: 12.22, 36.21), breech delivery (OR, 15.38; 95% CI: 5.60, 42.25), and gestational diabetes (OR, 4.46; 95% CI: 3.29, 6.57). Cesarean single births had the lowest risk for BPBI (0.27; 95% CI: 0.20, 0.37), whereas cesarean multiple births (2.33; 95% CI: 1.10, 4.94) and natural multiple births (3.20; 95% CI: 1.36, 7.55) were at higher risk when compared with natural single births and all were statistically significant at P<0.027. Colorado births had a decreased risk of BPBI compared with the United States each year from 2000 (0.82/1000 births vs. 1.6/1000 live births, P<0.001) to 2012 (0.56/1000 live births vs. 0.9/1000 live births, P=0.003). CONCLUSIONS BPBI has decreased from 2000 to 2014. Historically Colorado has had a lower BPBI incidence than the United States. Shoulder dystocia, instrumented forceps birth, gestational diabetes, and breech delivery are the biggest predictors for BPBI. Increased awareness of shoulder dystocia and instrumented birth are hypothesized to have reduced these incidences. Nonwhites and Medicaid patients seem to be at higher risk for BPBI. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level II-Prognostic.
Animal Ethics, Liberal Democracies, and a Modest Proposal (Review of Animals, Equality and Democracy)

In Animals, Equality and Democracy, Siobhan O’Sullivan dismisses as ineffective what she sees as the traditional approach to animal ethics, which targets the inconsistent treatment of nonhuman animals in relation to human animals. O’Sullivan targets instead the inconsistent treatment of nonhuman animals in relation to each other — a problem she terms “the internal inconsistency” (as opposed to “the external inconsistency). She maintains that the internal inconsistency defies liberal democratic principles, and that it is therefore unacceptable within the context of Western democracies. This review offers an overview of O’Sullivan’s argument, followed by a critique of her politics, which unfortunately seem more concerned with protecting liberal humanism than with improving the lives of nonhuman animals.
Predicting donor heart function in a heartbeat

Machine learning methods can assess contractility of donor hearts maintained via ex vivo perfusion to predict posttransplant cardiac function.
Audience Management Practices of Live Streamers on Twitch

Live streaming is a unique medium that merges different layers of communication by facilitating individual, group, and mass communication simultaneously. Streamers who broadcast themselves on live streaming platforms such as Twitch are their own media entity and have the challenge of having to manage interactions with many different types of online audiences beyond the translucent platform interfaces. Through qualitative interviews with 25 Twitch streamers, in this paper we share streamers’ practices of discovering audience composition, categorizing audience groups, and developing appropriate mechanisms to interact with them despite geographical, technological, and temporal limitations. We discuss streamers’ appropriation of real-time signals provided by these platforms as sources of information, and their dependence on both technology and voluntary human labor to scale their media entity. We conclude with design recommendations for streaming platforms to provide streamer-centric tools for audience management, especially for knowledge discovery and growth management. .
Clinicopathological study of blue nevi of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract: first case series

Aim Blue nevus (BN) is a benign melanocytic proliferation that is typically cutaneous. Extracutaneous BN is infrequent and is reported in the mucosa of various organs. Gastrointestinal (GI) tract BN is rare. Here, we describe the clinicopathological findings of the largest series of GI tract BNs. Methods A search of our Pathology Data System (1984–2019) identified six GI tract blue nevi. Clinical information, pathology reports and available H&E-stained section slides were reviewed. Results Lesions predominated in the middle-aged adults (mean 54, range 27–80) with a slight female predominance (66%). Most cases arose in the rectum and colon (83%), with one gastric lesion (17%). Four cases were identified during endoscopic examination performed either for screening or for unrelated symptoms (66%). Two patients presented with rectal bleeding (33%) unassociated with the BN. Endoscopically, most lesions appeared as superficial hyperpigmented areas (83%). One case was described as abnormal mucosa (17%). Microscopically, the mucosa was involved in all of the cases (100%). One case showed submucosal extension in addition to the mucosal component (17%). Lesions showed a proliferation of bland spindle cells with abundant granular pigment. No nuclear atypia or mitoses were identified. Immunostains showed immunoreactivity for melanocytic markers. Follow-up information available for five patients showed no recurrences to date (mean follow-up 1 year). Conclusions BN is a benign melanocytic proliferation. It is important to be aware of the occurrence of such lesions outside of the skin and consider the possibility of BN when pigmented lesions are encountered in the GI tract.
Art of prevention: Allergic sensitization through damaged skin: Atopic, occupational, and stasis dermatitis

The prevention of allergic contact dermatitis hinges on maintaining the integrity of the skin barrier and responding appropriately when it is disturbed. Although intact skin is subject to sensitization via highly irritating allergens, such as poison ivy, acutely inflamed and chronically inflamed skin is subject to sensitization to allergens without inherent irritant potential. In the chronically inflamed state of atopic dermatitis, sensitization to proteins, such as food, also carries a risk for systemic contact dermatitis via ingestion of the allergen. Minimizing the development of irritant dermatitis is key to preventing sensitization. However, in patients with already chronically inflamed skin, reducing the use of products to the involved areas, recommending hypoallergenic products with caution, and taking measures to prevent biofilm formation are also integral to preventing sensitization to chemicals and proteins, such as food and commensal organisms.
Experimental Analysis of Hormone Actions on the Hypothalamus, Anterior Pituitary, and Ovary

The history of efforts to understand the factors that regulate cyclic gonadal function actually starts with research on a somewhat different problem. In the early 1900s, investigators such as Steinach (reviewed in Moore and Price, 1932) were interested in the problem of organ transplantation. Steinach attempted to transplant testes into intact female rats and ovaries into intact male rats. These transplants invariably failed to become functional or “take.” However, when the host animal was gonadectomized, transplantation of the heterologous gonad was said to be more successful. Somewhat later, Lipschutz (1925) transplanted ovaries into intact male guinea pigs. He stated that the time required to stimulate male mammary growth was much greater than when the graft was made in castrated males. Furthermore, ovarian grafts that failed to “take” (in terms of stimulating mammary gland growth) did so almost immediately when the male’s testes were removed. Lipschutz derived the idea that removal of the testes led to an “unbolting” of ovarian function.
Electro-Osmotic Pulse Technology: A Novel Solution to Severe Water Intrusion Problems in Earth Covered Magazines

Abstract : The earth covered magazines (ECMs) at many Army installations have severe moisture intrusion problems. This water intrusion causes deterioration and corrosion of ammunition and equipment within the ECMs, making many types of ordinance unusable, including sensitive munitions with sophisticated electronic fusing and missiles. The Engineer Research and Development Center Construction Engineering Laboratory (ERDC-CERL) was contacted by the Ft. A.P. Hill DPW to assist in solving the severe water intrusion problem in steel arch ECMs at that location. To address the problem ERDC-CERL recommended installing Electro- Osmotic Pulse (EOP). Prior to installing the EOP system in an ECM, several safety concerns needed to be addressed, such as the interaction of the EOP system with the ECM lightning protection system, the potential for hydrogen gas generation by the EOP system, and the effects on munitions. To evaluate those concerns, ERDC-CERL performed laboratory testing of a model steel arch ECM with an EOP system installed in it. Scale model results were positive and testing in a full scale ECM at Fort A.P. Hill is proceeding.
Studies on metal carboxylates: XI. Reactions of rhenium carbonyl with picolinic acid and of the tungsten(I) complex [W(CO)3(pic)]n with monodentate tertiary phosphines

Abstract The reactions of the tungsten(I) complex of picolinic acid [W(CO)3(pic)]n with certain monodentate tertiary phosphines affords a convenient route to complexes of the types W(CO)3(PR3)3 and HW(CO)2(PR3)2(pic). The latter hydrido complexes of tungsten(II) have been characterized by infrared and NMR spectroscopy. The reactions of Re2(CO)10 with picolinic acid have also been investigated and the new series of rhenium(I) derivatives of the types Re(CO)3(L)(pic), where L = py, 4-Ph-py, PPh3 or dppe, and Re(CO)2(L')2(pic), where L' = PPh3 or 1 2 dppe, have been isolated and characterized.
An Empirical Study of the Effect of Liquidity and Consumption Commitment Constraints on Intertemporal Labor Supply

This article presents empirical evidence with respect to two constraints on workers' intertemporal labor supply: the liquidity constraint which prevents workers from borrowing against future consumption to accommodate wage changes; and consumption commitments which, due to transaction costs, cannot be changed in the short-run to accommodate wage changes. The author reports evidence of a modest impediment to intertemporal labor supply due to the liquidity constraint. The author also estimates the intertemporal substitution elasticity for workers with different levels of consumption commitments and determines that such commitments substantially reduce a worker's intertemporal substitution elasticity.
Overestimation of epicentral distances for earthquakes in the middle-America region from Ann Arbor, Michigan, seismograms

A re-examination of Ann Arbor, Michigan (AAM), seismograms for 18 earthquakes occurring in the middle-America region (between latitudes 5° and 20°N and longitudes 80° and 105°W) during 1967 and 1968 reveals that, on the long-period seismograms, more than one distinct arrival is recorded within 30 sec of the Jeffreys-Bullen (J-B) S arrival time. The earliest of these arrivals, at the J-B S time, has the smallest amplitude. For earthquakes of magnitude ( mb ) smaller than about 5.5, the amplitude of the arrival at the J-B S time on the AAM long-period seismograms (magnification 1,500) is so small that it is frequently overlooked during routine interpretation of seismograms. In such cases, one of the subsequent arrivals is interpreted as the S phase, and the epicentral distances are overestimated by 3° to 5° using J-B P and S tables. Examination of seismograms published in the literature suggests that epicentral distances of small magnitude earthquakes occurring in the middle-America region may be overestimated at other North American stations during routine interpretation of seismograms using J-B P and S tables.
Downsizing and Worker Separations: Modelling the Regional Economic Impacts of Alternative Department of Energy Workforce Adjustment Policies

Lewis D., Frisch M. and Greenberg M. (2004) Downsizing and worker separations: modelling the regional economic impacts of alternative Department of Energy workforce adjustment policies, Reg. Studies 38, 67–83. Fifty years of huge investments by the US Department of Energy (DOE) in some regions has resulted in the DOE being the de facto steward of their regional economic health. With the end of the cold war, job reductions of DOE contractor workforce have severely impacted these regions. DOE worker separation policies may cushion or intensify these impacts. Using an economic simulation model, we examined the impacts of three different worker separation policies: the ‘painful response’ (no severance packages), the ‘current response’ (the current average of DOE separation packages), and the ‘supportive response’ (more lucrative severance and continued medical coverage). The analysis is split on two regional axes: (1) more rural DOE regions, as in the area surrounding the Savannah River Site (SRS) near August...
Ruthenium Sputter Deposition on Organosilicate Glass and on Paralyne: an XPS Study of Interfacial Chemistry, Nucleation and Growth

The interactions of sputter-deposited ruthenium with organosilicate glass (OSG) at 300 K have been studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for Ru coverages from ~ 0.1 monolayer to several monolayers, using in-situ sample transfer between the deposition and analysis chambers. The results indicate Stranski-Krastanov (SK) type growth, with the completion of the first layer of Ru at an average thickness corresponding to 1 monolayer average coverage. Ru(0) is the only electronic state present. XPS core level spectra indicate weak chemical interactions between Ru and the substrate. A less pronounced tendency towards SK growth was observed for Ru deposition on parylene. Deposition of Ru on OSG followed by electroless deposition of Cu resulted in the formation of a shiny copper film that failed the Scotch Tape test. Results indicate failure mainly at the Ru/OSG interface.
An approach to structure/control simultaneous optimization for large flexible spacecraft

This paper presents an approach to the simultaneous optimal design of a structure and control system for large flexible spacecrafts based on realistic objective function and constraints. The weight or total cost of structure and control system is minimized subject to constraints on the magnitude of response to a given disturbance involving both rigid-body and elastic modes. A nested optimization technique is developed to solve the combined problem. As an example, simple beam-like spacecraft under a steady-state white-noise disturbance force is investigated and some results of optimization are presented. In the numerical examples, the stiffness distribution, location of controller, and control gains are optimized. Direct feedback control and linear quadratic optimal controls laws are used with both inertial and noninertial disturbing force. It is shown that the total cost is sensitive to the overall structural stiffness, so that simultaneous optimization of the structure and control system is indeed useful.
Engineering of a Manganese-Binding Site in Lignin Peroxidase Isozyme H8 from Phanerochaete chrysosporium

A Mn(2+)-binding site was created in the recombinant lignin peroxidase isozyme H8 from Phanerochaete chrysosporium. In fungal Mn peroxidase, the Mn-binding site is composed of Glu35, Glu39, and Asp179. We generated a similar site in lignin peroxidase by generating an anionic binding site. We generated three mutations: Asn182Asp, Asp183Lys, and Ala36Glu. Its activity, veratryl alcohol, and Mn(2+) oxidation were compared to those of native recombinant enzyme and to fungal Mn peroxidase isozyme H4, respectively. The mutated enzyme was able to oxidize Mn(2+) and still retain its ability to oxidize veratryl alcohol. Steady-state results indicate that the enzyme's ability to oxidize veratryl alcohol was lowered slightly. The K(m) for Mn(2+) was determined to be 1.57 mM and the k(cat) = 5.45 s(-1). These results indicate that the mutated lignin peroxidase is less effective in Mn(2+) oxidation that the wild type fungal enzyme. The pH optima of veratryl alcohol and Mn oxidation were altered by the mutation. They are one unit of pH value higher than those of recombinant H8 and wild type fungal Mn peroxidase isozyme H4.
Ontogeny of Single Glomerular Perfusion Rate in Fetal and Newborn Lambs

Summary: The developmental pattern of regional glomerular density and glomerular perfusion rate (GPR) was studied in 20 chronically catheterized fetal lambs between 106 and 140 days of gestation (term, 145 days) and in six newborn lambs between 3 and 19 days of age. The present study demonstrates for the first time in lambs that the nephrogenic zone disappears around 130 days of gestation and that the total glomerular counts per kidney in fetuses over 130 days (468296 ± 41173 glomeruli per kidney) is not significantly different than in newborn lambs (433704 ± 21553). Glomerular density, determined in four cortical zones (zone I being the outermost portion of the cortex) did not show any significant changes during fetal life; however, significant decreases in glomerular density were observed in each cortical zone after birth. The relative distribution of glomeruli during fetal life decreased in the outer portion (zones I and II) and increased in the inner portion (zones III and IV) of the cortex as fetuses matured and approached term. After birth, this difference became even more prominent; the outer cortical fraction (zone I) decreased from 49.6 ± 2.9% in fetuses of less than 120 days to 37.8 ± 1.5% (P 130 days gestation. During the same period, filtration fraction (FF) did not increase significantly whereas a significant (P 130 days gestation to 16.12 ± 1.66% in newborn lambs. Renal vascular resistance decreased from 1.03 ± 0.08 mm Hgml-1 min-1 in fetuses >130 days to 0.51 ± 0.05 mm Hgml-1min-1 (P 130 days to 206.9 ± 16.8 and 161.3 ± 20.7 nl/min in newborn lambs, respectively), doubled in zone III (from 55.6 ± 10 nl/min in fetuses >130 days to 119.5 ± 8.9 nl/min in newborn lambs) and remained unchanged in zone IV when compared to fetal GPR values. After birth, the increase in GFR correlated closely with the GPR increase in zone I (r = 0.87) and zone II (r = 0.87), suggesting that the developmental pattern of GFR after birth may depend on the increase in GPR in the outer zones of the renal cortex. Speculation: The addition of new nephron units may be an important determinant of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in fetuses of less than 130 days of gestation. In fetuses over 130 days of gestation, the addition of new nephron units is no longer a factor to explain the increase in fetal GFR but other factors such as increases in surface area for filtration, effective filtration pressure and capillar filtration coefficient may then play an important role. After birth, one can speculate that a decrease in glomerular vascular resistance is a major determinant in the postnatal increase in glomerular perfusion rate and GFR.
Reversed-phase ion-pair liquid chromatography of the angiotensins

Abstract The isocratic reversed-phase liquid chromatography of the angiotensins and a number of their synthetic analogues is described. Complete separation of 10 out of 12 peptides was achieved through a solvent optimization strategy with a total analysis time of about 20 min. The retention behavior of the angiotensins studied was described in terms of the hydrophobic contribution of their amino acid residues; there was good correlation between predicted and experimental retention for those peptides that were retained by a common mechanism. However, because ion-pair chromatography was required for good peak symmetry, retention was substantially modulated by the presence of acidic and basic residues. The limit of detection of these peptides was 3–5 pmol by UV absorbance at 214 nm. For those peptides containing a primary amino group the detection limit was improved by two orders of magnitude by fluorogenic derivatization with naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde/cyanide to the corresponding N-substituted 1-cyanobenz[ f ]isoindole (CBI) derivatives. The contribution of the CBI ring system to retention was also investigated.
Derivatives pricing and liquidity dominance in alternative trading venues

This study examines the quality of derivatives pricing in the market in which liquidity is dominated by an alternative market. We use US interest rate futures from the side-by-side open outcry and electronic markets, in which electronic markets dominate liquidity. We find that the bid-ask spreads in illiquid open outcry markets have increased substantially since electronic markets became a major part of the market liquidity. Accordingly, the implicit trading costs in open outcry markets have significantly increased. We also show that the volatility of bid-ask spreads in illiquid open outcry markets has increased, which is consistent with a decrease in the depth of the market. In addition, we find that the fast rate of price discovery in electronic markets instabilizes the bid-ask spread in open outcry market. Our results are particularly important for practitioners in that the performance of their portfolio and risk managements critically depends on which market dominates liquidity.
Effect of chronic electrical stimulation and β-GPA diet on GLUT4 protein concentration in rat skeletal muscle

The present study investigated whether alterations in the muscle high energy phosphate state initiates the contraction-induced increase in skeletal muscle GLUT4 protein concentration. Sprague-Dawley rats were provided either a normal or a 2% β-guanidinoproprionic acid (β-GPA) diet for 8 weeks and then the gastrocnemius of one hind limb was subjected to 0, 14 or 28 days of chronic (24 h day -1 ) low-frequency electrical stimulation (10 Hz). The β-GPA diet, in the absence of electrical stimulation, significantly reduced ATP, creatine phosphate, creatine and inorganic phosphate and elevated GLUT4 protein concentration by 60% without altering adenylate cyclase activity or cAMP concentration. Following 14 days of electrical stimulation, GLUT4 protein concentration was elevated above non-stimulated muscle in both groups but was significantly more elevated in the β-GPA group. Concurrent with this greater rise in GLUT4 protein concentration was a greater decline in the high energy phosphates and a greater rise in cAMP. After 28 days of electrical stimulation, GLUT4 protein concentration and cAMP stabilized and was not different between diet treatments. However, the high energy phosphates were significantly higher in the normal diet rats as opposed to the β-GPA rats. These findings therefore suggest that a reduction in cellular energy supply initiates the contraction-induced increase in muscle GLUT4 protein concentration, but that a rise in cAMP may potentiate this effect.
Variational principles for operator equations and initial value problems

On decrit et on etudie des principes variationnels pour certaines classes d'equations operateur et de problemes aux valeurs initiales
Physical and mental impact of psoriasis severity as measured by the compact Short Form-12 Health Survey (SF-12) quality of life tool.

The Short Form-12 Health Survey (SF-12) is used to assess the patient's quality of life (QoL) using the physical component score (PCS) and the mental component score (MCS). The purpose of this study was to determine whether the SF-12 PCS and MCS are associated with psoriasis severity and to compare QoL between Murdough Family Center for Psoriasis (MFCP) patients and patients with other major chronic diseases included in the National Survey of Functional Health Status data. We used data from 429 adult patients enrolled in MFCP. Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) was used to assess psoriasis severity at the time of completion of the SF-12 questionnaire. Other variables included age, sex, body mass index, psoriatic arthritis, psychiatric disorders, and comorbidities. Linear regression models were used to estimate effect sizes ±95% confidence intervals. For every 10-point increase in PASI, there was a 1.1±1.3 unit decrease in MCS ( P =0.100) and a 2.4±1.3 unit decrease in PCS ( P
hgf/c-met expression and functional analysis during zebrafish embryogenesis

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its receptor tyrosine kinase Met are linked to several processes underlying vertebrate development and cancer progression. Here, we characterized the expression of zebrafish c-met, hgf1, and hgf2 from cleavage stages through organogenesis and initiated an analysis of Met signaling. We identified c-met as a marker of endoderm and demonstrated that its expression can be activated downstream of Nodal. Injection of c-met mRNA drives expression of the endodermal gene sox17. During gastrulation, hgf1 transcripts are visible in mesendodermal cells along the midline. Later, c-met is expressed in kidney, islet2-positive neurons, and liver. We show that hgf1 is transcribed during gastrulation while hgf1 and hgf2 are detectable in pharyngeal arches and swim bladder. Similar to mouse, knockdown of zebrafish Met reduces liver size. Our results suggest a role for Met during endoderm specification and indicate that mechanisms of liver development are conserved between mammals and bony fish. Developmental Dynamics 237:3904–3915, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Antibody to bovine choline acetyltransferase and immunofluorescent localisation of the enzyme in neurones.

THE neurones of the central nervous system that contain catecholamines, or serotonin, can be visualised histochemically by the highly fluorescent products that they form in the presence of formaldehyde vapour1. No such elegant method exists for demonstrating the cholinergic neurones. Published methods for the histochemical localisation of cholinergic terminals and choline acetyltransferase (ChAc)2–5, which is considered to be exclusive to them6, are indirect and non-specific. Recently, ChAc has been purified and partially characterised from bovine caudate nuclei7. We report here (1) the production of specific precipitating antibody against bovine ChAc in the guinea pig; (2) characterisation of the antibody by immunodiffusion, by immunoelectrophoresis, by electrophoresis of the specific immunoprecipitates and by enzyme analyses, and (3) the visualisation of the cholinergic neurones in the central nervous system by the immunofluorescent method using specific antibody against purified ChAc. The specific antibody to ChAc can now be used in conjunction with the recently improved immunohistological technique8 to map the cholinergic pathway in the nervous system and to establish the localisation of the enzyme within the cholinergic neurone and its processes at the cellular level. Using the horse radish peroxidase technique8 and specific antibody to the glial fibrillary acidic protein, this astrocyte specific protein has been localised only within fibrous astrocytes and their processes at the light and electron microscopic levels9.
Immunohistochemical staining for CD45R isoforms in paraffin sections to diagnose mycosis fungoides–type cutaneous T-cell lymphoma

The definitive diagnosis of mycosis fungoides (MF)–type cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) is difficult because a cumulative set of information is typically required: clinical features, histopathology, and special diagnostic tests (typically immunophenotyping and T-cell receptor gamma [TCRγ] gene rearrangement). Fresh tissue is not always available for the special tests. We report a simple and readily available procedure evaluating the staining pattern on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded skin that can help with the diagnosis of patch/plaque stage MF. We reviewed 92 cases of MF or probable MF that had clinical information, immunophenotyping and TCRγ gene rearrangement studies and that had been evaluated in our multidisciplinary lymphoma conference. We used antibodies to the isoforms of CD45, CD45RO for mature T cells and CD45RB for subsets of T cells. When atypical CD45RB-positive/CD45RO-negative cells were seen in nonspongiotic epidermis, the individuals had a high cumulative clinical and histologic score for MF. In contrast, 15 cases of known contact dermatitis showed a reactive pattern of both CD45RB- and CD45RO-positive cells in spongiotic epidermis. We compared the epidermal CD45RB-positive/CD45RO-negative staining pattern with CD7 deficiency by immunophenotyping and TCRγ gene rearrangement, two commonly used methods in the diagnosis of MF. The epidermal CD45RB-positive/CD45RO-negative staining pattern is comparable and may be better in equivocal cases of possible MF. Therefore immunostaining for CD45RB and CD45RO on paraffin sections is a simple, reliable, and convenient modality in the diagnosis of MF.
P15.11: The effect of glyburide on amniotic fluid index in pregnancies complicated by diabetes

Objective: Gestational diabetes can affect the maternal-placentalfetal unit circulation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the maternal-placental, fetal-placental and fetal central nervous system circulation in well-controlled maternal diabetes using two of the blood velocity wave form Indices. Methods: We performed Doppler studies on 19 women and fetuses, 10 well-controlled diabetic mothers (G1) and 9 normal mothers (G2). All pregnancies were dated by early ultrasound examination. All comprehensive obstetrical ultrasound and Doppler evaluations were performed between 28 and 38 weeks’ gestation. Major fetal or placental anomalies and polyhydramnios were ruled out. The following variables were studied: both uterine arteries, umbilical cord and fetal middle cerebral artery. Maternal clinical variables, fetal heart rate, R.I. and P.I. Doppler indices and perinatal outcome variables were recorded and analyzed using chi-square or T-test. Results: Mean (SD) maternal age, gestational age at evaluation, newborn weight, gestational age at delivery, and 5 minute Apgar scores for G1 and G2 were: 24 (4) vs. 23 (6) years, 3413 (375) vs. 3088 (367) grams, 38.2 (1.5) vs. 39.2 (1.6) weeks, and 8.3 (1) vs. 9 (0.4).
Production of highly potent recombinant siRNAs in Escherichia coli

We recently invented a method to produce highly potent siRNAs in Escherichia coli, based on the serendipitous discovery that ectopic expression of p19, a plant viral siRNA-binding protein, stabilizes otherwise unstable bacterial siRNAs, which we named pro-siRNAs for prokaryotic siRNAs. We present a detailed protocol describing how to produce pro-siRNAs for efficiently knocking down any gene, beginning with the design of a pro-siRNA expression plasmid and ending with siRNA purification. This protocol uses one plasmid to co-express a recombinant His-tagged p19 protein and a long hairpin RNA containing sense and antisense sequences of the target gene. pro-siRNAs are isolated and purified using nickel beads and HPLC, using methods used to produce recombinant proteins. Once a pro-siRNA plasmid is obtained, production of purified pro-siRNAs takes a few days. The pro-siRNA technique provides a reliable and renewable source of siRNAs, and it can be implemented in any laboratory whose members are skilled in routine molecular biology techniques.
Integral transforms related to heat conduction

Relations between such transcendental differential operators asexp tD x andexp xD t are obtained. A new characterization of temperature functions represented by the classicalPoisson integral is obtained, as well as one for positive temperature functions.
Radiative and Nonradiative Decay of Electronically Excited HNF and DNF

Decay lifetimes for a range of HNF and DNF levels in their excited A 2A' electronic states, in specific K' stacks and in some cases in individual N' rotational levels, are reported. Above a threshold energy, these lifetimes are found to drop, in a K'- and N'-dependent way, below the extrapolated purely radiative lifetimes. This reduction in lifetime is ascribed to the onset of nonradiative, predissociative decay. Lifetimes for individual N' rotational levels in the HNF(A2A') (0,4,0) and DNF(A2A') (0,6,0) vibrational manifolds are also reported. These are found to fluctuate in a seemingly random manner vs. N', reflecting the variation of the coupling to the dissociation continuum. The implications of these results and, from other experiments, the direct observation of NH(X3Σ−) and ND(X3Σ−) photofragments for the dynamics of the nonradiative decay of electronically excited HNF and DNF are discussed.
Radial Artery Use in Bypass Grafting Does Not Change Digital Blood Flow or Hand Function

Abstract Background . Patient selection criteria have not been clearly established for use of the radial artery as a bypass conduit. To help establish such criteria, we measured changes in digital blood flow and hand function after radial artery removal. Methods . Ninety-eight patients of the first 122 consecutive patients considered for radial artery harvest met predetermined criteria by vascular noninvasive studies to undergo removal of the radial artery. In 42 of these 98 patients, the radial artery was actually used as a bypass conduit; 28 of these 42 patients returned for noninvasive vascular studies, a critical review of hand function, and a hand symptom questionnaire. Results . There were no significant differences between the operated and nonoperated hands for digital–brachial indices, cold response, grip or pinch strength, digital two-point discrimination, or nine-hole peg tests. The patients had an increased incidence of a small amount of forearm numbness and tingling, but no increase of pain or cold intolerance. Conclusions . For properly selected patients, there are minimal changes in hand function after radial artery removal.
Simultaneous soft sensing of tissue contact angle and force for millimeter-scale medical robots

A novel robotic sensor is proposed to measure both the contact angle and the force acting between the tip of a surgical robot and soft tissue. The sensor is manufactured using a planar lithography process that generates microchannels that are subsequently filled with a conductive liquid. The planar geometry is then molded onto a hemispherical plastic scaffolding in a geometric configuration enabling estimation of the contact angle (angle between robot tip tangent and tissue surface normal) by the rotation of the sensor around its roll axis. Contact force can also be estimated by monitoring the changes in resistance in each microchannel. Bench top experimental results indicate that, on average, the sensor can estimate the angle of contact to within ±2° and the contact force to within ±5.3 g.
Race and life satisfaction in the middle class

This article examines Black‐White differences in life satisfaction among members of the middle class. Using national survey data for the period 1984 to 1994, its analysis shows that although the sources of satisfaction do not differ appreciably by race, middle‐class Blacks express lower absolute levels of satisfaction with several facets of their lives than middle‐class Whites. Controls for sociodemographic and social participation variables do not alter these findings. It is concluded that, even among the ranks of the materially successful middle class, race continues to exert a significant impact on subjective well‐being.
Evaluation of a Prototype Microclimate Cooling System

A prototype microclimate cooling system (MCCS) has been developed. Its effectiveness in reducing heat stress has been evaluated by testing four subjects working in an environmental chamber maintained at a hot, humid condition (Tdb=40°C, RH=75%, WBGT=37°C). The effectiveness of the MCCS was found to be highly significant and was demonstrated by significant reduction in physiological strains, measured as heart rate, rectal temperature, and sweat rate. All four subjects completed all of the scheduled 95-min experimental sessions while performing at the moderate (300 W) and heavy (400 W) work loads when using the prototype MCCS. Some of the four subjects were not able to complete all of the 95-min experimental sessions while performing either the moderate or the heavy work loads when not using the prototype MCCS.
A BAYESIAN ANALYSIS FOR INTER-RATER AGREEMENT

An analysis of inter-rater agreement is presented. We study the problem with several raters using a Bayesian model based on the Dirichlet distribution. Inter-rater agreement, including global and partial agreement, is studied by determining the joint posterior distribution of the raters. Posterior distributions are computed with a direct resampling technique. Our method is illustrated with an example involving four residents, who are diagnosing 12 psychiatric patients suspected of having a thought disorder. Initially employing analytical and resampling methods, total agreement between the four is examined with a Bayesian testing technique. Later, partial agreement is examined by determining the posterior probability of certain orderings among the rater means. The power of resampling is revealed by its ability to compute complex multiple integrals that represent various posterior probabilities of agreement and disagreement between several raters.
Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization–Based Karyotyping of Soybean Translocation Lines

Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) is a major crop species and, therefore, a major target of genomic and genetic research. However, in contrast to other plant species, relatively few chromosomal aberrations have been identified and characterized in soybean. This is due in part to the difficulty of cytogenetic analysis of its small, morphologically homogeneous chromosomes. The recent development of a fluorescence in situ hybridization -based karyotyping system for soybean has enabled our characterization of most of the chromosomal translocation lines identified to date. Utilizing genetic data from existing translocation studies in soybean, we identified the chromosomes and approximate breakpoints involved in five translocation lines.
Extracellular Mg2+ regulates intracellular Mg2+ and its subcellular compartmentation in fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Effects of extracellular magnesium ions ([Mg2+]o ) on intracellular free Mg2+ ([Mg2+]i ) and its subcellular distribution in single fission yeast cells, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, were studied with digital-imaging microscopy and an Mg2+ fluorescent probe (mag-fura-2). Using 0.44 mM [Mg2+]o , [Mg2+]i in yeast cells was 0.91±0.08 mM. Elevation of [Mg2+]o to 1.97 mM induced rapid (within 5 min) increments in [Mg2+]i (2.18±0.11 mM). Lowering [Mg2+]o to 0.06 mM, however, exerted no significant effects on [Mg2+]i (0.93±0.14 mM), at least for periods of up to 30 min. Irrespective of the [Mg2+]o used, the subcellular distribution of [Mg2+]i remained hetero geneous, i.e. where the sub-plasma membrane region >cytoplasm >nucleus. [Mg2+] in all three subcellular compartments increased significantly, two- to threefold, concomitant with [Mg2+]i when placed in 1.97 mM [Mg2+]o . We conclude that [Mg2+]i in fission yeast is maintained at a physiologic level when [Mg2+]o is low, but intracellular free Mg2+ rapidly rises when [Mg2+]o is elevated. Like most eukaryotic cells, yeast may have a Mg2+ transport system(s) which functions to maintain gradients of Mg2+ from the outside to inside the cell and among its subcellular compartments.
High-pressure study of picosecond exciton dynamics in solid C60.

We have studied the singlet exciton decay by picosecond photoinduced absorption in films of C[sub 60], under pressures up to 62 kbar. The picosecond decay of excitons excited in the absorption tail continues to be dominated by broad distributions of lifetimes at high pressure. These results suggest that the distributions of lifetimes do not arise from variations in tunneling or hopping rates between C[sub 60] molecules as was originally suggested, but arise from distributions of recombination rates at different sites in the sample.
Noninvasive electrocardiogram imaging of substrate and intramural ventricular tachycardia in infarcted hearts.

OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to experimentally evaluate a novel noninvasive electrocardiographic imaging modality during intramural reentrant ventricular tachycardia (VT). BACKGROUND Myocardial infarction and subsequent remodeling produce abnormal electrophysiologic substrates capable of initiating and maintaining reentrant arrhythmias. Existing noninvasive electrocardiographic methods cannot characterize abnormal electrophysiologic substrates in the heart or the details of associated arrhythmias. A noninvasive method with such capabilities is needed to identify patients at risk of arrhythmias and to guide and evaluate therapy. METHODS A dog heart with a four-day-old infarction was suspended in a human shaped torso-tank. Measured body surface potentials were used to noninvasively compute epicardial potentials, electrograms and isochrones. Accuracy of reconstruction was evaluated by direct comparison to measured data. Reconstructions were performed during right atrial pacing and nine cycles of VT. RESULTS Noninvasively reconstructed potential maps, electrograms and isochrones identified: 1) the location of electrophysiologically abnormal infarct substrate; 2) the epicardial activation sequences during the VTs; 3) the locations of epicardial breakthrough sites; and 4) electrophysiologic evidence for activation of the Purkinje system and septum during the reentrant beats. CONCLUSIONS Electrocardiographic imaging can noninvasively reconstruct electrophysiologic information on the epicardium during VT with intramural reentry, provide information about the location of the intramural components of reentry and image abnormal electrophysiologic substrates associated with infarction.
Comparison of Effects of Surgical and Chemical Sympathectomy on β Adrenergic and Muscarinic Receptors of Parotid Gland of Young and Adult Rats

Surgical (removal of a superior cervical ganglion) or chemical [(administration of a single dose of 6 hydroxydopamine (6 OHDA) (50 mg/kg dose body wt)] sympathectomy of rats at 2 or 8 days of age resulted in an increase in [3H]DHA binding of membranes of parotid gland of young rats (age range 21 days to 48 days). The increase progressed with postnatal age; at 21 days of age (surgical sympathectomy), it was 13%; at 32 days of age with 6 OHDA, it was as much as 34%, but only 26% at 42 days of age with surgical sympathectomy. No change in [3H]QNB binding was observed at any postnatal ages following neonatal sympathectomy. Conversely, surgical sympathectomy of the parotid of adult rat resulted in little or no change in [3H]DHA binding at 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks postdenervation, but [3H]QNB binding was reduced at all periods, with the reduction from control values at 2 weeks being 34%, and at the subsequent intervals, 24-26%. The increase in number of beta adrenoceptors of the parotid gland was not related to the kind of sympathectomy (chemical or surgical) or neonatal age at which it was done; however, duration of the denervation for 2-3 weeks was necessary for the receptor increase to occur. In the adult, however, the duration of the denervation was of no importance since change in number of beta adrenoceptors did not occur at 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks after surgical denervation but did occur after only 1 week after of reserpine-induced denervation. QNB binding was decreased with surgical sympathectomy as well as reserpine-induced sympathectomy of adult parotid gland; norepinephrine concentration was decreased to levels of a few percent of innervated glands. The relation between development of glandular supersensitivity and increase in beta adrenoceptors is discussed.