cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Von Willebrand Disease in Pregnancy

Von Willebrand disease is the most common bleeding disorder in women. There are three major types—type 1 with low levels of Von Willebrand factor (VWF), type 2 with abnormal VWF, and type 3 with no detectible WVF. Laboratory testing consists of checking factor VIII, VWF antigen, and VWF activity. Much controversy exists over diagnosis of VWD especially in patients with only moderately low levels. Treatment varies by disease type but ranges from desmopressin to use of VWF concentrates. An important feature of VWD in women is that estrogen administration can raise levels.
Utility and transmissions of therapeutically tinted contact lenses

Rigid contact lens cutoff filters can provide, enhanced visual comfort and, in some instances, enhanced visual efficiency for patients with specific vision disorders. The characteristics and transmission curves of commonly available contact lens cutoff filters are presented in this paper, as well as some of the disorders toward which they can be applied.
Mechanical response of human muscle at intermediate strain rates.

We experimentally determined the tensile stress-strain response of human muscle along fiber direction and compressive stress-strain response transverse to fiber direction at intermediate strain rates. A hydraulically driven materials testing system with a dynamic testing mode was used to perform the tensile and compressive experiments on human muscle tissue. Experiments at quasi-static strain rates were also conducted to investigate the strain-rate effects over a wider range. The specimens were loaded under stress equilibrium state for both the tensile and compressive experiments. The experimental results show that, at intermediate strain rates, both the human muscle's tensile and compressive stress-strain responses are non-linear and strain-rate sensitive. Human muscle also exhibits a stiffer and stronger tensile mechanical behavior along fiber direction than its compressive mechanical behavior along the direction transverse to fiber direction. An Ogden model with two material constants was adopted to describe the rate-dependent tensile and compressive behaviors of human muscle.
Neural reparameterization improves structural optimization

Structural optimization is a popular method for designing objects such as bridge trusses, airplane wings, and optical devices. Unfortunately, the quality of solutions depends heavily on how the problem is parameterized. In this paper, we propose using the implicit bias over functions induced by neural networks to improve the parameterization of structural optimization. Rather than directly optimizing densities on a grid, we instead optimize the parameters of a neural network which outputs those densities. This reparameterization leads to different and often better solutions. On a selection of 116 structural optimization tasks, our approach produces the best design 50% more often than the best baseline method.
G78(P) Nice guidance – auditing the hard to reach parts

Background and methods used in service improvement. NICE guidance contains a wealth of detail. However, there are aspects which do not translate into clear yes/no answers on audit across teams or services. We sought to see if these ‘unauditable’ elements could be captured. The team’s confidence in their knowledge of a NICE guideline was measured before enrolling them in a novel educational intervention, the ‘snippet programme’. The snippet programme involved 2 community/neurodisabilty Paediatric consultants identifying 14 hard to audit, yet essential, points within NICE NG62 Cerebral Palsy in 25’s – assessment and management. Participants were asked to rate their confidence in knowledge of these items. Responses were recorded on a 1–5 Likert scale (1=No idea to 5=Very confident.) Over a 3 week period, daily ‘do you know’ emails were circulated with ‘snippets’ of relevant information from the Guidance. The initial survey was repeated at 3 weeks. Results 21 participants returned pre-snippet surveys. 16 returned post-snippet surveys. Confidence pre-intervention: Mean response 2.86. Equates to ‘can give a good guess’ response (total 294 responses; range 1–5). Confidence post-intervention: Mean response was 4.08 equates to ‘fairly confident’ response (total 224 responses; range 2–5). Unsolicited feedback was positive, noting ease with which information can be broken into digestible snippets and be imparted across a whole team. Conclusions A team’s confidence of knowledge of ‘hard to audit’ items from the NICE NG62 can be increased with a simple ‘email snippets’ intervention. We acknowledge study limitations (fewer post-intervention surveys returned). However our results allowed completion of the NICE baseline audit tool with evidence of disseminated and retained knowledge across the team. This method of evidencing information dissemination and retention could be used across other teams and with other Guidance.
Black and White Children's Racial Identification and Preference.

Clark's and Clark's (1941) study on racial identification and preference in children was partially replicated and included a white group of children. Black and white children ranging in age from th...
Drugs Politics: Managing Disorder in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Maziyar Ghiabi's Drugs Politics is an important piece of literature that gives a historical, yet deeply personal account of the evolving politics surrounding drugs in contemporary Iran. His work is...
Pulmonary nodules in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome: Causes, clinico-radiologic features, and outcomes

Abstract Background Primary Sjogren's Syndrome (pSS) is characterized by an immune-mediated lymphoplasmacytic infiltration of the salivary and lacrimal glands. Pulmonary nodules are not uncommonly encountered in these patients. Methods We conducted a retrospective computer-assisted search for patients with pSS who were encountered at our institution between 1999 and 2018 and had histologically characterized pulmonary nodule(s)/mass (es) (PNs). Results Of 41 patients with pSS and PNs, median age was 67 years (IQR, 56–74), 94% were women, and 39% had a smoking history. The PNs proved to be non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in 16 patients (39%), lung carcinoma in 11 patients (27%), other malignancies in 2 patients (5%), and benign diseases in remaining 12 patients (29%), including 7 with amyloidomas. Patients with NHL were younger (p = 0.006) while smoking exposure was more prevalent in patients with lung carcinoma (p = 0.022). Patients with NHL had a higher number of PNs and more often manifested random distribution, cysts, ground-glass changes and consolidations. Upper and/or mid-lung location, spiculated borders, solitary nodule, increasing size, and higher SUVmean on FDG-PET scan were associated with lung carcinoma. At the end of follow-up (median 5.9 years), 8 patients (20%) had died and included 5 patients with lung carcinoma; no deaths were observed in the NHL group. Conclusions The majority of biopsied PNs in patients with pSS were malignant, most commonly lymphomas. Smoking exposure, solitary nodule, and high FDG avidity were more frequently associated with lung carcinoma. The clinical context, CT and 18FDG-PET are complementary in the evaluation and management of PNs in patients with pSS.
The effects of blue spaces on mental health and associated biomarkers

Green spaces have been shown to have many benefits for physical and mental health. Recently, blue spaces have been introduced as another field of research and have been suggested to have similar he...
Performance and reliability of β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diodes at high temperature

Beta-gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) is an ultrawide bandgap semiconductor that has potential for power electronic applications and devices operating at high temperatures. Particularly important for these applications are its 4.9 eV bandgap, facile electron doping, and the ability to grow β-Ga2O3 crystals from the melt. In this work, vertical β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diodes were fabricated using Pt Schottky and Ti-based Ohmic contacts and Au contact pads on unintentionally doped n-type, ( 2 ¯ 01)-oriented single crystal substrates. The diode’s temperature-dependent electrical properties up to 400 °C were investigated, and the Pt/Ga2O3 Schottky barrier height was determined to be close to 1.2 eV. The degradation of the contacts over multiple cycles up to 400 °C was observed, resulting in a significant increase in series resistance of the diodes by 1000× at ambient temperature after they were cycled. According to electron microscopy measurements, this degradation is likely due in part to the migration and oxidation of Ti at the top surface of the Au contact pads. This degradation highlights the need for further research and development to ensure stable Ohmic and Schottky contacts to Ga2O3 at temperatures above 400 °C.
Chromium indiffysed LiNbO3 waveguide amplifier

Chromium-doped crystals have attracted considerable attention as diode-pumped replacements for Ti:sapphire lasers. There are two primary reasons for this interest. First, chromium-doped crystals have a broad absorption band around 690 ran, where high-power laser diodes are available. Second, the fluorescence linewidth of the 4T2 to 4A2- lasing transition is extremely broad, covering more than 200 nm. This large linewidth results from vibrational broadening of the 4A2 lower lasing level.
Examination of the relationship between public health statute modernization and local public health system performance.

Objectives: Wide variation in performance of public health (PH) systems, coupled with national interest in improving PH system quality, makes it a priority to identify factors associated with performance. One factor may be congruence between a state’s PH enabling statutes and the obligations outlined in Public Health in America—the collaboratively developed framework that defines the mission and essential services (ESs) of PH. Subjects: This research examined the relationship between (1) the degree to which language in a state’s PH enabling statutes reflects PH’s mission and ESs and (2) the performance of local public health systems in delivering ESs, measured by National Public Health Performance Standards scores in 207 local jurisdictions. Methods: Binary logistic regression demonstrated that a high degree of congruence between statutory language and public health’s mission increased the odds of above-average system performance for 5 of 10 ESs. Results: High levels of congruence between statutory language and the ESs themselves increased odds of above-average system performance for 6 of 10 ESs. Results yielded modest odds ratios (<2.0). Conclusions: Limitations of the data make it impossible to draw firm conclusions; however, these modest results suggest that statutory language may account for little of the variation in local public health system performance.
Captopril inhibits Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 and extends survival as a temozolomide adjuvant in an intracranial gliosarcoma model.

Abstract Background Captopril is a well-characterized, FDA-approved drug that has demonstrated promise as a repurposed oncology therapeutic. Captopril’s known anti-cancer effects include inhibition of Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), an endopeptidase which selectively breaks down the extracellular matrix to promote cell migration. MMP-2 is a known therapeutic target in gliomas, tumors with significant clinical need. Using an aggressive gliosarcoma model, we assessed captopril’s effects on MMP-2 expression in vitro and in vivo as well as its efficacy as an adjuvant in combination therapy regimens in vivo. Methods Following captopril treatment, MMP-2 protein expression and migratory capabilities of 9 L gliosarcoma cells were assessed in vitro via western blots and scratch wound assays, respectively. Rats were intracranially implanted with 9 L gliosarcoma tumors, and survival was assessed in the following groups: control; captopril (30 mg/kg/day); temozolomide (TMZ) (50 mg/kg/day), and captopril+TMZ. In vivo experiments were accompanied by immunohistochemistry for MMP-2 from brain tissue. Results In vitro, captopril decreased MMP-2 protein expression and reduced migratory capacity in 9 L gliosarcoma cells. In a gliosarcoma animal model, captopril decreased MMP-2 protein expression and extended survival as a TMZ adjuvant relative to untreated controls, captopril monotherapy, and TMZ monotherapy groups (27.5 versus 14 (p Conclusions Captopril decreases gliosarcoma cell migration, which may be mediated by reduction in MMP-2 protein expression. Captopril provided a survival advantage as a TMZ adjuvant in a rat intracranial gliosarcoma model. Captopril may represent a promising potential adjuvant to TMZ therapy in gliosarcoma as a modulator of the MMP-2 pathway.
Prognosis for Poorly Differentiated, High-Grade Rectal Neuroendocrine Carcinomas

Rectal neuroendocrine carcinomas (rNECs) are poorly characterized and, given their aggressive nature, optimal management is not well-established. We therefore sought to describe clinicopathologic traits, treatment details, and survival patterns for patients with rNECs. Patients captured in the National Cancer Database (NCDB; 2004–2016) with rNECs managed with observation, chemotherapy, or proctectomy ± chemotherapy were considered for analysis. The inclusion criteria were met by 777 patients. Mean age was 62.4 years, 45% were male, 80% were Caucasian, 40% presented with lymph nodes metastases, and 49% presented with distant metastases. Chemotherapy and surgical resection were administered in 72 and 19% of cases, respectively. Median overall survival (OS) was 0.83 years (1 year, 41%; 3 years, 13%; 5 years, 10%). During the study interval, 659 (85%) patients died, with a median follow-up of 0.79 years. On multivariable analysis, age ≥60 years, male sex, and distant metastases were associated with worse survival; surgical resection and administration of chemotherapy were associated with a reduced risk of death. Among non-metastatic patients treated with surgical resection, administration of chemotherapy was protective, while a positive lymph node ratio (LNR) ≥42% (median value) was associated with an increased risk of death. There was no difference in the number of examined lymph nodes between LNR cohorts. Patients with rNECs experience dismal survival outcomes, including those with non-metastatic disease treated with curative-intent surgical resection. Neoadjuvant therapy can serve as a useful biologic test, and surgical resection should be judiciously employed.
The E2 transactivator of bovine papillomavirus type 1 is expressed from multiple promoters.

Abstract The E2 proteins of bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) are a family of site-specific DNA-binding proteins which regulate viral transcription by repression and activation. Repressors E2-TR and E8/E2 are expressed from promoters P5 (P3080) and P3 (P890), respectively. Previous reports have provided evidence that the transcript for the 48-kilodalton transactivator is initiated from a promoter proximal to the open reading frame encoding this protein (P2440 or P4). Our studies extend these findings and show that the E2 transactivation gene is expressed from multiple promoters. We have described the isolation of a cDNA (N15-2) which represents an RNA species expressed from the P3 promoter. The major exon of this species was produced by splicing to an acceptor located at nucleotide 2558 and contained the complete E2 open reading frame. The acceptor is probably utilized by yet another more abundant mRNA expressed from the P2 promoter (A. Stenlund, J. Zabielski, H. Ahola, J. Moreno-Lopez, and U. Pettersson, J. Mol. Biol. 182:541-554, 1985). Linked to a surrogate promoter, the N15-2 cDNA can transactivate an E2-responsive reporter gene. BPV-1 plasmids containing mutations either in the 2558 splice acceptor or in the P4 promoter showed significantly reduced transforming ability and reduced ability to transactivate an E2-responsive reporter, while a double mutant was inactive in both assays. The transformation defect was complemented by an E2 expression vector, and the BPV genome absolutely required the E2 protein to transactivate in the second assay. Thus, these genetic experiments show that alternate modes of E2 expression contribute to the E2 mRNA pool. Direct analysis of cytoplasmic RNA from transformed cultured cells proves that transcripts containing the 2558 acceptor exon are approximately as abundant as the P4 type E2 mRNAs. Furthermore, analysis of the E2 proteins present in various cell lines harboring specific BPV-1 mutants, including the 2558 acceptor mutant, proves that alternate modes of E2 expression exist. The ability of the E2 activator and repressors to each be independently expressed from multiple E2-responsive promoters probably adds to the resiliency of the latent virus as a plasmid and may be important for its homeostasis within the cell in different environmental or developmental situations.
Fundamentals of Heat Transfer and Thermal Physics

Thermal engineers and scientists are concerned with the transport of thermal energy or heat. The concept of heat is closely related to the thermodynamic internal energy of matter and depends on the orientation and motion (translation, rotation, and vibration) of molecules and atoms that comprise matter. Increases in temperature result in increases in the intensity and frequency of molecular and atomic motions and typically result in increased thermal or heat transport (Eckert and Drake, 1987). In the classical treatment of heat transfer, which utilizes macroscopic modeling, there exist three basic modes of transporting thermal energy: (i) conduction, (ii) convection, and (iii) radiation. This chapter will focus on the classical approach to heat transfer analysis for which a global body of engineering solutions and analyses has been developed. It is also worthwhile pointing out that there have been many recent advances in understanding thermal transport at the micro or atomic scale. Energy carriers at the microscale consist of phonons, electrons, fluid particles, and photons. For a comprehensive treatment of energy transport at the microscale, Kaviany (2008) provides an excellent treatise of the subject. Keywords: conduction; convection; radiation; thermal conductivity; heat transfer coefficient; blackbody
AN APPROACH TO DESIGNING CHECKING EXPERIMENTS BASED ON A DYNAMIC MODEL

Publisher Summary This chapter describes an approach to designing checking experiments based on a dynamic model. In the usual form of machine identification experiment, the experimenter is to determine the behavior of an unknown sequential machine by applying an input sequence and recording the output sequence. The problem of finding an input sequence, which allows the experimenter to characterize completely the behavior of the unknown machine, cannot be solved unless the machine is strongly connected and an upper bound on the number of its distinguishable states is known. It is always possible to devise an experiment that allows the prediction of all future behavior of the machine. To test a machine thoroughly, it is necessary to devise a machine identification experiment, which assures that the machine under test has a given state diagram, to the exclusion of all other state diagrams that can result from a fault. The checking experiment consists of a homing experiment, followed by a series of tests, which check the response to each state and transition by means of the distinguishing experiment. The gedanken-experiments on machines are usually classified as either preset or adaptive.
Absorption in multiparticle production and the inclusive transverse-momentum distribution based on the absorbed independent-emission model

We investigate absorption in multiparticle production and derive explicit expressions for absorbed inclusive momentum distributions. We demonstrate that the parameter-free predictions of the inclusive transverse-momentum distribution based on our earlier solution to the pp elastic scattering reproduce the gross feature of the data.
A digital signal processing solution for PA linearization and RF impairment correction for multi-standard wireless transceiver systems

This paper presents novel digital signal processing algorithms for linearizing PAs and correcting RF impairments in multi-standard, multi-mode, and multi-band wireless communication transceiver platforms. Traditional analog/RF radio architectures must often trade-off power efficiency (as in the case of power amplifiers) and/or board area, system cost and complexity to meet multi-standard performance requirements. Advances in digital signal processing capabilities and algorithms have now enabled digitally assisted RF radio systems to truly meet multi-standard performance requirements while providing unprecedented improvements in power efficiency and system cost as a whole. In this paper, we introduce an integrated transmit and receive digital signal processing solution which provides compensation for key RF system chain impairments such as linear/non-linear distortion, IQ imbalance, and DC offset/LO feedthrough. In addition, this chip provides a state of the art power amplifier linearization solution including crest factor reduction and digital pre-distortion for a variety of power amplifier topologies, including advanced Doherty and envelope tracking. This solution also includes digital up/down conversion, automatic gain control algorithms, solutions to support frequency hopping signals, and novel PA protection features, all in a compact 23×23mm BGA ASSP, with under 4W of power consumption.
Biomechanical evaluation of the influence of an intramedullary pin on the stability of a feline ilial fracture model stabilized with a bone plate.

Objective To compare the mechanical properties of feline ilial fractures stabilized with either a plate (P), or a plate and IM pin (P + P). Study Design Mechanical study. Sample Population Cadaveric cat pelvii (n = 10). Methods Feline ilial fractures (n = 20) stabilized with either P or P + P were subjected to 100 nondestructive load cycles, then loaded to failure. Deformation after cycling, yield load and displacement, stiffness and load at 2 mm of displacement were compared between groups. Results There were no significant differences between groups for any of the parameters. Variability of data was much larger for the P + P group. Conclusions No biomechanical advantage was demonstrated. The P + P constructs were not significantly stronger than plates alone in this acutely loaded cadaveric model.
Vibrio cholerae hemagglutinin/protease, colonial variation, virulence, and detachment.

The structural gene, hap, for the secreted hemagglutinin/protease (HA/protease), a putative virulence factor of Vibrio cholerae, has recently been cloned and sequenced (C. C. Hase and R. A. Finkelstein, J. Bacteriol. 173:3311-3317, 1991). The availability of the null mutant, HAP-1, and HAP-1 complemented with pCH2 (which expresses HA/protease), enabled an examination of the role of HA/protease in the virulence of V. cholerae in an animal model. However, the mutants exhibited reversible colonial variation similar but not identical to that which was previously associated with dramatic changes in virulence of parental strain 3083. Regardless of colonial morphology, the mutants were found to be fully virulent in infant rabbits. Thus, the HA/protease is not a primary virulence factor (for infant rabbits). Observations using cultured human intestinal cells indicated, instead, that the HA/protease is responsible for detachment of the vibrios from the cultured cells by digestion of several putative receptors for V. cholerae adhesins.
High power single lateral mode buried ridge laser incorporating a curved waveguide for spatial filtering

We have demonstrated that the use of a curved waveguide in an index guided laser can suppress the onset of higher order modes, while having minimal impact on the device performance. While the concept has been demonstrated here in a buried ridge laser fabricated by selective area epitaxy, it applies generally to all types of single lateral mode index guided lasers.
A concept for a broadband electromagnetic band gap (EBG) structure

This paper presents a concept of a broadband electromagnetic band gap (EBG) structure that can be used for antenna applications. The design is derived from cascading uniform EBG structures [4] and is validated by using it with a broadband sinuous antenna. The purpose of this paper is to show the potential of the broadband EBG (progressive EBG) structure with a broadband antenna. The performance of the antenna with the progressive EBG is compared with that of a uniform EBG.
Subsurface drip irrigation for corn production: a review of 10 years of research in Kansas

Kansas State University initiated studies in 1989 to develop the methodology for successful application of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) for corn production on the deep silt loam soils of the Central Great Plains, USA. Irrigation water use for corn can be reduced by 35–55% when using SDI compared with more traditional forms of irrigation in the region. Irrigation frequency has not been a critical issue when SDI is used for corn production on the deep silt loam soils of the region. A dripline spacing of 1.5 m has been found to be most economical for corn grown in 0.76 m spaced rows. Nitrogen fertigation was a very effective management tool with SDI, helping to maximize corn grain yield, while obtaining high efficiencies of nitrogen and water use. The research SDI systems have been utilized since 1989 without replacement or major degradation. SDI systems lasting 10–20 years are cost competitive for corn production with the more traditional forms of irrigation in the Great Plains for certain field sizes.
eID: a system for exploration of image databases

The goal of this paper is to describe an exploration system for large image databases in order to help the user understand the database as a whole, discover hidden relationships, and formulate insights with minimum effort. While the proposed system works with any type of low-level feature representation of images, we describe our system using color information. The system is built in three stages: the feature extraction stage in which images are represented in a way that allows efficient storage and retrieval results closer to the human perception; the second stage consists of building a hierarchy of clusters in which the cluster prototype, as the electronic identification ( e ID) of that cluster, is designed to summarize the cluster in a manner that is suited for quick human comprehension of its components. In a formal definition, an electronic IDentification ( e ID) is the most similar image to the other images from a corresponding cluster; that is, the image in the cluster that maximizes the sum of the squares of the similarity values to the other images of that cluster. Besides summarizing the image database to a certain level of detail, an e ID image will be a way to provide access either to another set of e ID images on a lower level of the hierarchy or to a group of perceptually similar images with itself. As a third stage, the multi-dimensional scaling technique is used to provide us with a tool for the visualization of the database at different levels of details. Moreover, it gives the capability for semi-automatic annotation in the sense that the image database is organized in such a way that perceptual similar images are grouped together to form perceptual contexts. As a result, instead of trying to give all possible meanings to an image, the user will interpret and annotate an image in the context in which that image appears, thus dramatically reducing the time taken to annotate large collection of images.
The hormonal herbicide, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, inhibits Xenopus oocyte maturation by targeting translational and post-translational mechanisms

The widely used hormonal herbicide, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, blocks meiotic maturation in vitro and is thus a potential environmental endocrine disruptor with early reproductive effects. To test whether maturation inhibition was dependent on protein kinase A, an endogenous maturation inhibitor, oocytes were microinjected with PKI, a specific PKA inhibitor, and exposed to 2,4-D. Oocytes failed to mature, suggesting that 2,4-D is not dependent on PKA activity and likely acts on a downstream target, such as Mos. De novo synthesis of Mos, which is triggered by mRNA poly(A) elongation, was examined. Oocytes were microinjected with radiolabelled in vitro transcripts of Mos RNA and exposed to progesterone and 2,4-D. RNA analysis showed progesterone-induced polyadenylation as expected but none with 2,4-D. 2,4-D-activated MAPK was determined to be cytoplasmic in localization studies but poorly induced Rsk2 phosphorylation and activation. In addition to inhibition of the G2/M transition, 2,4-D caused abrupt reduction of H1 kinase activity in MII phase oocytes. Attempts to rescue maturation in oocytes transiently exposed to 2,4-D failed, suggesting that 2,4-D induces irreversible dysfunction of the meiotic signaling mechanism.
A Role for Antiidiotypic Antibodies in Immunologically Mediated Nephritis

In summary, evidence exists that immunologically mediated renal diseases can be modulated by interfering with the mechanism of production of autoantibodies by specific antiidiotypic immunity. However, more studies are necessary to establish efficient and safe parameters from which to suggest such treatment in human immune nephritides. Although the evidence is still circumstantial, it is necessary to keep in mind that antiidiotypic antibodies may also add to glomerular immune deposits and potentially could contribute to the chronicity of some forms of immunologic nephritis. The fate of the majority of immunologic nephritides is a slow progression toward end-stage renal insufficiency. Although in most cases the etiology remains to be determined, it is generally felt that a better understanding of the initial immune dysregulation may lead to a greater possibility of control and cure. In this perspective, new directions of research, such as the one reviewed here, should be considered. Modulation of the damaging autoimmune responses in SLE or Goodpasture's Syndrome might be possible. For instance, the identification of a cross-reacting idiotype among anti-GBM antibodies would be the first step for a possible future use of natural or synthetic idiotypes for autovaccination purposes. Antiidiotype antibodies, particularly in the form of monoclonal chimaeric (mouse/human) hybridomas, could be utilized for passive immunosuppression, particularly in combination with plasmapheresis, with or without conventional immunosuppressive drugs. Clearly, this is part of a long-term process that may or may not be realized. The success of new forms of specific immunologic treatment for kidney diseases may ultimately depend upon ongoing efforts in the study of the new molecular aspects of regulation of potential nephritogenic immune responses.
THE ADRENALIN INDEX OF THE SUPRARENAL GLANDS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE

The adrenalin index as used in this paper means the amount of adrenalin in milligrams per gram of gland. As in our hands the chemical colorimetric method has proved more accurate, these values rather than the physiological values will be given in the final analysis. The two adrenal glands in the same individual as a rule contain about the same amount of adrenalin per gram, but variations of 10 to 20 per cent. are not unusual. Normal dogs show an index which may vary from 1.2 to 1.8 milligrams. The dogs were killed by short ether anesthesia and bleeding from the carotid. Normal human beings, dying from trauma, rupture of aneurysm, etc., show an index of 0.35 to 0.50 of a milligram, when autopsy takes place a few hours after death. Deterioration of uncut glands or of a gland hash kept on ice in the dark is not rapid and rarely exceeds 10 per cent. in twenty-four hours. Acute intoxication in dogs shows a low adrenalin index, especially the intoxication associated with intestinal obstruction and the closed intestinal loop. Intravenous injection of the poison found in closed duodenal loops sufficient to cause fatal shock causes a great drop in the adrenalin index, at times to one fourth normal or even lower. After recovery from a sublethal toxic dose the adrenalin index may rise rapidly to a point considerably above normal. The same may hold for recovery after chloroform poisoning. Anesthesia by chloroform or ether causes a drop in the adrenalin index depending upon the length of anesthesia and probably in part on the depth of anesthesia. Liver poisons (chloroform, phosphorus, hydrazine) cause a drop in the adrenal index to a low level, perhaps one half normal in acute cases. Pancreas extirpation with prolonged glycosuria and death produces a great drop in the adrenalin index (cat). There is evidence that this may hold in some cases of human diabetes. In man disease of one adrenal (tuberculosis) may be associated with an adrenalin index of double the normal value in the intact adrenal. Pernicious anemia is the only disease so far found to present an abnormally high adrenalin index, and the single case shows an index at least twice normal. This is of interest especially in relation to the views recently put forward to indicate that the spleen and adrenal may be concerned in the lipoid metabolism which is thought to be profoundly disturbed in this disease. Secondary anemia due to repeated hemorrhage or the intoxication of cancer or tuberculosis causes a fall in the adrenalin index. Cachexia due to neoplasm or tuberculosis may cause a marked fall in the adrenalin index, perhaps to less than one half of normal. Acute infections (typhoid fever), septicemia, peritonitis, and similar conditions may be associated with a normal adrenalin index or one somewhat below normal. Diseases of the kidneys, heart, or blood vessels associated with elevated blood pressure show no constant variation in the adrenalin index, which may be normal or slightly subnormal.
Biomechanical comparison of costotransverse process screw fixation and pedicle screw fixation of the upper thoracic spine.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the biomechanics of costotransverse process screw fixation with those of pedicle screw fixation in a cadaveric model of the upper thoracic spine. METHODS:Ten human thoracic spines were instrumented across theT3-T4 segment with costotransverse and pedicle screws. Nonconstraining pure moments (maximum, 6.0 Nm) were applied to induce flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. The range of motion, lax zone, and stiff zone were determined in each specimen in the normal state, after 3-column destabilization, and after instrumentation. After flexibility testing was completed, axial screw pull-out strength was assessed. RESULTS: In all directions of loading, both fixation techniques significantly decreased lax zone and range of motion at T3-T4 compared with the destabilized state (P <.001). During all loading modes except lateral bending, pedicle screw fixation allowed significantly less range of motion than costotransverse screw fixation. Pedicle screws provided 62% greater resistance to axial pull-out than costotransverse screws. CONCLUSION: The costotransverse screw technique seems to provide only moderately stiff fixation of the destabilized thoracic spine. Pedicle screw fixation seems to have more favorable biomechanical properties. These data suggest that the costotransverse process construct is better used as a salvage procedure rather than as a primary fixation strategy.
Library Explorer: A Voyage Toward Self-Directed Learning

Recent changes in education and in technology have prompted librarians involved in instruction to question old approaches and to try new methods and media in order to enhance their instructional services and products. Library Explorer is one example of a new approach to instruction undertaken at the University of Iowa Libraries. Library Explorer is a Web-based tutorial that teaches students how to select and use information finding tools in all formats in order to do their research. This article describes the development, implementation and evaluation of this tutorial within an environment of constant change.
Motor performance benefits of matched limb imitation in prosthesis users

Our previous work demonstrated that the action encoding parietofrontal network, which is crucial in planning and executing motor tasks, is less active in prosthesis users who imitate movements of intact actors (mismatched limb) versus prosthesis users (matched limb). Such activation could have behavioral consequences in prosthesis users rehabilitating with intact therapists. The goal was to identify behavioral effects of matched versus mismatched limb action imitation in naive users of prostheses. Intact subjects donned a specially adapted prosthetic device to simulate the wrist and forearm movement that transradial amputees experience. While electrogoniometry was recorded, non-amputated prosthesis users (NAPUs) observed and imitated demonstrations of a skillful motor task performed by either an intact actor or NAPU. We hypothesized that NAPUs would elicit less motion variability when performing matched versus mismatched imitation. Matched imitation resulted in a significant decrease in shoulder motion variability compared with mismatched imitation. The matched group also developed elbow motion patterns similar to the NAPU demonstrator, while the mismatched group attempted patterns similar to the intact demonstrator. This suggests a behavioral advantage to matched imitation when adapting to a prosthetic device, as it yielded more consistent movements and facilitated development of new motor patterns. Further, these results suggest that when prosthesis users are faced with the impossible task of imitating movements of an intact hand, they perform this action with greater variability and poorer technique. This work has implications on how prosthetic device operation is conveyed to persons with amputation as their clinical interactions often involve mismatched limb imitation.
Biliary atresia in Brazil: where we are and where we are going.

aring for children brings many joys to the day of a pediatrician: sound nutritional guidance to foster growth, immunization to prevent infectious disease, timely use of antibiotics for an acute illness. But the encounter with an infant with jaundice and pale stools breaks a smooth day and heightens the fear of danger: does the infant have biliary atresia? Often, these clinical signs develop in otherwise asymptomatic infants and during a time when parents are enjoying the new family member. Yet, they may represent the hallmarks of a disease of devastating consequences to the infant if untreated. And even when treated, the diagnosis of biliary atresia brings challenging times for the infant, for the family, and for the pediatrician.As the most common cause of pathologic jaundice in infants, biliary atresia is an inflammatory cholangiopathy that destroys the epithelial lining of bile ducts, disrupts bile flow, and promotes a fibrosing obstruction of extrahepatic bile ducts. The etiology of biliary atresia is yet to be defined, but the pathogenic mechanisms of the disease are tightly linked to a robust response of the immune system that targets the bile ducts.
Skills training in the long-term management of stress and occupational burnout

The current managed healthcare environment stresses brief and effective short-term therapy. However, often this short-term treatment does not lead to long-term behavioral changes and clients return to therapy many times for help with the same dysfunctional behavioral patterns. The main problem with these traditional forms of treatment is the assumption that clients have the basic skills to change their ineffective behaviors. Yet, many people lack the basic skills to manage our highly stressful society, and may take years to master new behavioral management skills. Examining the relationship between stress and coping, this study explored both short-and long-term approaches to behavioral change relative to occupational burnout, and focused upon the teaching of skills to manage stress. Subjects who participated in a 6-week stressmanagement program reported only temporary decreases in burnout, while those subjects who received 1-hour coping “refresher” sessions at 5 months, 11 months, and 17 months showed consistent decreases in burnout throughout a 2 1/2 year period. These results suggest that psychologists can be much more effective behavioral change agents through long-term approaches that emphasize teaching new skills to manage chronic behavioral problems. Given the changes in the health insurance industry and the way therapeutic services are provided, the field may need to rethink approaches that are grounded in personality theory and abnormal psychology to approaches that emphasize principles of learning theory.
A comparison of total maximum daily load (TMDL) calculations in urban streams using near real-time and periodic sampling data.

A network of in situ sensors and nutrient analyzers was deployed to measure nitrate, specific conductance (surrogate for chloride), and turbidity (surrogate for total suspended solids (TSS)) for 28 days in two urban streams near Minneapolis, MN. The primary objectives of the study were: (1) to determine the accuracy associated with quantifying pollutant loading using periodic discrete (i.e., grab) samples in comparison to in situ near real-time monitoring and (2) to identify pollutant sources. Within a highly impervious drainage area (>35%) the majority of pollutant load (>90% for nitrate, chloride, and TSS) was observed to be discharged in a small percentage of time (<20%). Consequently, periodic sampling is prone to underestimate pollutant loads. Additionally, when compared to loads based on near real-time sampling, average errors of 19–200% were associated with sampling 1–2 times a month. There are also limitations of periodic sampling with respect to pollutant source determination. Resulting implications with regard to total maximum daily load (TMDL) assessments are discussed.
The Influence of Salinity on the Uptake, Distribution, and Excretion of Metals by the Smooth Cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora (Loisel.), Grown in Sediment Contaminated by Multiple Metals

The effect of salinity on the concentration of metals in Spartina alterniflora tissues and excreted salts and the distribution of metals between these compartments was tested in a greenhouse experiment. S. alterniflora stems were planted in pots of dredge sediment that was amended with a suite of six metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn). The overlying water of individual pots was maintained at treatment salinities of 0, 15, or 30 practical salinity units. The proportion of total metal distributed to the tissues and excreted salt of S. alterniflora was not significantly influenced by salinity for any of the metals. The concentration of Pb in root and leaf tissues and in excreted salt was influenced by salinity, as was the concentration of Zn in root tissue and excreted salt. Contrary to expectations, the concentration of Pb and Zn in excreted salts decreased as salinity increased. Although the influence of salinity on the concentration of Pb and Zn in S. alterniflora tissue has not been previously reported, the influence of salinity on the tissue concentrations of Pb agrees with previous research on dicots.
Are preservice teachers prepared to teach struggling readers

Reading disabilities such as dyslexia, a specific learning disability that affects an individual’s ability to process written language, are estimated to affect 15–20% of the general population. Consequently, elementary school teachers encounter students who struggle with inaccurate or slow reading, poor spelling, poor writing, and other language processing difficulties. However, recent evidence may suggest that teacher preparation programs are not providing preservice teachers with information about basic language constructs and other components related to scientifically based reading instruction. As a consequence preservice teachers have not exhibited explicit knowledge of such concepts in previous studies. Few studies have sought to assess preservice teachers’ knowledge about dyslexia in conjunction with knowledge of basic language concepts. The purpose of the present study was to examine elementary school preservice teachers’ knowledge of basic language constructs and their perceptions and knowledge about dyslexia. Findings from the present study suggest that preservice teachers, on average, are able to display implicit skills related to certain basic language constructs (i.e., syllable counting), but fail to demonstrate explicit knowledge of others (i.e., phonics principles). Also, preservice teachers seem to hold the common misconception that dyslexia is a visual perception deficit rather than a problem with phonological processing. Implications for future research as well as teacher preparation are discussed.
A new chiral anthracene for the asymmetric Diels-Alder/retro-Diels-Alder sequence.

(−)-(R)-9-(1,2-Dimethoxyethyl)anthracene (8) is successfully employed as a chiral template in the Diels−Alder/retro-Diels−Alder sequence for the preparation of α,β-unsaturated lactams. The cycloadditions proceed with complete diastereoselectivity, and regioselectivity in subsequent transformations of the carbonyl groups is also excellent. Flash vacuum pyrolysis accomplishes the cycloreversion.
SUSY perspective and outlook

Abstract A general perspective on the standard model and its supersymmetric extension is given. Possible advances via High Precision, High Rate, and High Energy experimental initiatives are described. An outlook on the future is given.
Sarat's When the State Kills and the Transformation of Death Penalty Scholarship

A major thrust of sociolegal empirical scholarship on the American death penalty has been concerned with marshaling support for its abolition by documenting the gap between the ideals of constitutional and just punishment and the realities of its implementation. This body of work has examined how contemporary death penalty practices and procedures fall short on any number of considerations relevant to policy: how modem sentencing schemes fail to adequately guide juries to fair and proportionate outcomes, how the juror-screening process in capital cases biases juries, how various decision-making points are influenced by racial characteristics of the defendants and victims, and how society's "evolving standards of decency" may be offended by the punishment. Thus, much of the research on capital punishment conducted over the past several decades falls squarely into the realm of applied social research, where the hypotheses tested are as much derived from real world impetuses as from basic theoretical considerations. Indeed, the collaboration of academic scholars and lawyers in the challenges to the death penalty that culminated in the 1972 landmark case Furman v. Georgia (408 U.S. 238) stands as one of the most influential and notable of such collaborative efforts in recent history. In the years leading up to Furman, NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorneys worked side by side with social scientists to mount an empirical case against the constitutionality of capital punishment by documenting its long history of biased and
Autoradiographic studies of the human Y chromosome.

An autoradiographic analysis (using continuous labeling with tritiated thymidine) was made on 317 cells from four normal males. The labeling pattern of the Y chromosome was compared to the first and the last chromosomes to complete replication as well as to G21–22. The Y chromosome was never found to be the last chromosome in the cell to complete replication. Instead, it completed DNA synthesis relatively early (usually among the first 10 chromosomes) but had a distinctively heavy label during the earliest stages of late-S. In 51% of those cells with one labeled G+Y chromosome, a G21–22 was labeled and the Y was not.—It was concluded, therefore, that the human Y chromosome is not a “late-replicating” chromosome but terminates replication earlier than most of the autosomes. In addition, the Y chromosome cannot be distinguished from the G chromosomes on the basis of a consistent and differential labeling pattern.