cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical Characteristics of Acquired Chronic Autoimmune Polyneuropathies Associated with Nodal/Paranodal Autoantibodies at UCSD Neuromuscular Center (2784)

Objective: To describe the clinical and electrophysiologic characteristics of patients with chronic autoimmune polyneuropathy associated with anti-nodal/paranodal autoantibodies and gather evidence for their potential role as biomarkers of clinical phenotype and response to treatment. Background: Recent studies have demonstrated a potential link between chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and autoantibodies against the nodal/paranodal proteins targeting neurofascin 155, neurofascin 140/186, contactin 1. These antibodies could be responsible for differences in temporal evolution and severity of motor or sensory symptoms. Certain subgroups of CIDP harboring these antibodies may not respond well to immunomodulatory therapy. Further research is needed to evaluate specific correlations with regards to clinical, electrophysiological features as well as preferred treatment method in these individuals. Design/Methods: A review of patients with chronic autoimmune (demyelinating and axonal type) polyneuropathy at UCSD neuromuscular clinic from October 2019 until March 2020 were evaluated for presence of antibodies with testing at Washington University Neuromuscular Laboratory. Demographic, clinical, electrodiagnostic information, and treatment response of this group were analyzed Results: Five of twenty-one patients tested positive for the antibodies. Three of these had predominantly distal motor > sensory involvement while the other two had length dependent large fiber sensory deficits with neuropathic pain. Primary demyelinating features was present in three and axonal pathology in two of them. Four patients failed to respond to IVIG. One of these patients had a mild response to high dose steroids with IVIG. Two patients experienced objective clinical improvement with Rituximab infusions Conclusions: Although the clinical significance and pathogenicity of these autoantibodies remain uncertain, they could be objective markers of autoimmune neuropathies and guide treatment. Research involving independent large studies are needed to address these questions. Disclosure: Dr. Peters has nothing to disclose. Dr. Qayoumi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gundogdu has nothing to disclose.
Micromagnetic Studies of Spin Torque Oscillator Reader Phase Noise and SNR

In 1996, Berger and Slonczewski [1] , [2] predicted that a spin-polarized current incident on a ferromagnetic thin film can exert a torque on the magnetization in the film. The basic physics is that the spin-polarized electrons carry a current of angular momentum, and as the electrons enter the ferromagnetic thin film, they align their magnetic moment with that of the ferromagnet, which exerts a torque on the ferromagnet. The physical realization of this spin transfer torque (STT) is exploited in spin torque random access memories [3] , in which current pulses flips the magnetic storage layer in one memory element without causing long-range magnetic stray fields that disturb adjacent memory elements.
Transient Truths: An Essay in the Metaphysics of Propositions

Acknowledgment Introduction 1. Characterizing Temporalism 1.1. Times in Propositions vs. Time Neutrality 1.2. Truth Conditions 1.3. Temporal Propositions are Truth-Evaluable 1.4. Signpost 2. Reporting Belief 2.1. The Classical Objections 2.2. Recent Debate 2.3. Temporalism and Belief Reports 2.4. Temporalism and Belief Retention 2.5. Belief De Se 2.6. The Argument from Belief Retention 2.7. The Accident 2.8. Signpost 3: Disagreeing Across Time 3.1. Passing on Information across Time 3.2. Arguments from Disagreement against Temporalism 3.3. Signpost 4. Representing Time 4.1. The Time Analysis and Temporalism 4.2. The Event Analysis 4.3. The Empirical Evidence against Traditional Tense Logic 4.4. Time Adverbials 4.5. Composite Tense Operators 4.6. Span operators 4.7. The Ellipsis Theory 4.8. The Temporal Anaphora Hypothesis 4.9. The Counter Evidence Explained 4.10. Signpost 5. Reviving Priorian Tense Logic 5.1. The SOT Rule 5.2. Later-Than-Matrix Interpretations and Kamp/Vlach Sentences 5.3. The PTQ Fragment 5.4. Partee Sentences 5.5. Pragmatic Rules for Noun Denotation 5.6. Double Access Sentences 5.7. Location Operators 5.8. Signpost 6. Embedding under Tense Operators 6.1. Kaplan's Argument 6.2. Objections to Kaplan's Argument 6.3. The Redundancy of the Present Tense 6.4. An Argument against Quantifier Analyses 6.5. Signpost 7. Representing Eternally 7.1. Two Kinds of Content 7.2. Past- and Future-Tensed Sentences 7.3. Conjoined Propositions 7.4. Two Kinds of Propositions 7.5. Eternal Propositions and Metaphysical Eternalism 7.6. Signpost 8. Representing the World Egocentrically 8.1. C & H's Main Argument against Relativism 8.2. The Argument from Perception 8.3. Non-Indexical Contextualism 8.4. Temporalism Defended 8.5. Signpost Closing Remarks Bibliography
Selection of the Brain-Dead Potential Organ Donor

Over the past decade, the utilization of organs from older and other donors with compromised physiology has become commonplace. This has been achieved with satisfactory results. There has been significant progress in the assessment and resuscitation of expanded criteria organs. This chapter discusses the selection of donors for both thoracic and abdominal organ transplantation.
The Tracer Method

To tell how a vessel will behave as a heat exchanger, absorber, reactor, or other process unit, we need to know how the materials flow through the vessel. To do this exactly we have to measure the fluctuating velocity of flowing material at all points in the vessel and then analyze the results. This is an impractically complex procedure (Fig. 1.1).
Observations of Riparian Tree Geometry and Bank Characteristics along a Bank Stability Gradient at the South River, VA

In this study, we evaluate the use of riparian tree-geometry and bank-characteristic data in developing riverbank stability forecasts at four study sites along a mercury-contaminated reach of the South River, Virginia. Our forecast data set includes measurements of tree diameter, lean angle and percent root-plate undercut, coupled with bank characteristics included in the Pfankuch Index. Stepwise comparisons and statistical analyses of our tree-geometry data reveal that lean angle and percent root-plate undercut are effective measures for discriminating between riparian tree populations at eroding and stable banks, with the strongest discriminant power from the percent root-plate undercut. Our stability forecasts, using both tree and bank characteristics, agree with long-term observations, underscoring the value of rarely used tree-geometry data in such evaluations. The application of these results is important in long study reaches where forecasts of erosion potential from contaminated banks are required to develop mitigation strategies, but direct measurements of bank stability are not feasible. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Aeration of Hydro Releases at Ft. Patrick Henry Dam

A method has been developed for increasing dissolved oxygen concentrations in the turbine releases from hydroelectric power plants. A systematic procedure was used for evaluating promising solutions to low DO concentrations. The method selected for development at Fort Patrick Henry Dam was oxygen injection by use of small pore diffusers located upstream from the turbine intakes. Laboratory tests were conducted on commercially available, fine-pore diffusers to select those diffusers worthy of field testing. Laboratory tests included determination of bubble sizes and oxygen transfer efficiency. Field tests for oxygen transfer efficiency were performed for two different diffusers. Additional tests were performed to assess the effect of spacing between diffusers on oxygen transfer efficiency.
Arteriography for Lower Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage: Role of Preceding Abdominal Computed Tomographic Angiogram in Diagnosis and Localization.

Importance Optimizing the nature and sequence of diagnostic imaging when managing lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage may reduce subsequent morbidity and mortality. Objectives To determine if preceding visceral arteriography with computed tomographic angiography (CTA) in acute lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage increases hemorrhage identification and localization and to determine if CTA was superior to nuclear scintigraphy when used as a pre-angiogram test. Design, Setting, and Participants Analysis was conducted of prospectively acquired data from an interventional radiology database and of individual electronic medical records from an academic tertiary medical center. On January 1, 2009, a new, evidence-based, institutional protocol that formally incorporated CTA to manage acute lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage was launched after multidisciplinary consultation. All records of patients who underwent visceral angiography (VA) for acute lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2012, were evaluated. Exposures Imaging, procedural, and operative details were abstracted from the medical records of all patients who underwent VA for lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Main Outcomes and Measures Visceral angiography results and efficacy were compared in patients before and after protocol implementation and compared based on which imaging method was used prior to angiography. Results A total of 161 angiographic procedures were performed during the study period (78 before and 83 after protocol implementation). Use of CTA increased from 3.8% to 56.6%, and use of nuclear scintigraphy decreased from 83.3% to 50.6% following protocol implementation ( P P = .18) and fluoroscopy time (mean [SD], 26.3 [16.8] vs 32.2 [34.9] minutes; P = .34). Although nuclear scintigraphy and CTA had similar sensitivity and specificity, localization of hemorrhage site by CTA was more precise and consistent with angiography findings. As a pre-angiography test, compared with nuclear scintigraphy, CTA reduced overall the number of imaging studies required (mean [SD] number per patient admission, 2.1 [0.3] vs 2.5 [0.8]; P = .005) and resulted in administration of more overall contrast (mean [SD], 220 [80] vs 130 [70] mL; P Conclusions and Relevance Preceding VA with a diagnostic study improves positive localization of the site of lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage compared with VA alone. Increasing the use of CTA for pre-angiography imaging may reduce overall imaging studies while appearing to increase positive yield at VA. Computed tomographic angiography can be used as part of a lower intestinal hemorrhage management algorithm and does not appear to worsen renal function despite the additional contrast load.
Penetration of Projectile into Terrestrial Target

A model is developed for describing the phenomena of vertical penetration of a projectile into terrestrial targets. The penetration depth, the dynamic pressure exerted on the penetrator as well as the disturbed material zone predicted by this model compare favorably with the field observation. An exact analysis of the penetration problem with the theory of plasticity would be extremely difficult since the deformation of the target material is large; and the inertia effort of both the soil and the penetrator must be taken into consideration. Furthermore, since the deformation is large and localized, numerical analysis of this problem with a finite difference code (2D) or a finite element code requires repeated rezoning; it is an expensive computational process.
Sea Tracks and Trails: Indian Ocean Worlds as Method

Cluster Abstract Though historians have long imagined it as a world both unto itself and integral to histories of global capital, nation-building, imperial rivalry, and sustainability in many dimensions, the Indian Ocean and environs have become a preoccupation for scholars from a wide variety of locations, disciplinary, and institutional, in the last two decades. The essays in this cluster offer a thematic introduction to recent work in Indian Ocean World history and studies chiefly by focusing on the question of method. Drawing on research that takes transregional, comparative, and subaltern approaches to the field, contributors map the dynamic relationships between the “regional integration” that characterizes the IOW's histories of connection, interdependence, and flow and the striated, fractious history of imperial forces always in sight, in play, and in motion in these waters.
Watch the Birdie: Image-making and Wildlife Conservation

Photography and the modern wildlife conservation movement became entwined soon after their shared emergence in the middle of the 19th century. This article analyzes how photography, film, video, and digital imaging have shaped the movement and continue to exert influence. Images often dictate our knowledge of animal species in the wild, but they can be deceptive, and they have hindered as well as helped conservation efforts. The profusion of wildlife conservation imagery and continued politicized debates over appropriate strategies make it important to investigate the conflicted alliance between mechanical reproduction and the conservation movement.
Metabolic signals, hormones and neuropeptides involved in control of energy balance and reproductive success in hamsters*

In the 'postgenome era', most research on the neuroendocrine control of energy homeostasis has focused on hormonal and neuropeptide control of food intake (i.e. the amount of food eaten) in rats and mice. The amount of food consumed is influenced by both the motivation to procure food and the consummatory act of ingestion. In some species, the rate of food intake remains relatively constant, while survival is maintained via changes in food procurement, external storage and internal expenditure. For example, in hamsters, metabolic signals, peripheral hormones and central neuropeptides influence hunger motivation, food hoarding and changes in energy expenditure without necessarily influencing the amount of food ingested. A similar suite of metabolic signals, hormones and neuropeptides is involved in optimizing reproductive success under fluctuating energetic conditions. Reproductive processes are inhibited or delayed when energy expenditure outstrips energy intake and mobilization from storage. Estrous cyclicity in Syrian hamsters is sensitive to the availability of oxidizable glucose, but the presence of central glucose alone is not sufficient for normal estrous cycles. Food deprivation-induced anestrus does not depend upon food deprivation-induced increases in concentrations of adrenal hormones such as glucocorticoids. If hormones such as insulin and leptin play a role, they might do so by modulating the availability of glucose detected at extra-hypothalamic sites, instead of or in addition to direct effects on the mechanisms that control gonadotropin releasing hormone secretion. Despite our ability to measure and manipulate gene transcription, understanding of fuel homeostasis requires examination of indirect effects of hormones and neuropeptides on peripheral metabolism, attention to the motivational as well as consummatory aspects of ingestion, and the study of behaviour in a natural or seminatural context.
Beyond-the-horizon point-to-point UHF radio systems

Propagation measurements made in recent years have indicated that the attenuation of UHF signals transmitted over beyond-the-horizon distances is substantially less than that predicted by diffraction theory. The observed signal levels are generally attributed to scattering or partial reflection from non-uniformities in the troposphere or lower atmosphere, Average losses in excess of free space of the order of 70 db are observed at distances of 200 miles beyond the horizon. Due to changes in the troposphere, the median received signals undergo variations about the average value of as great as \pm 20 db. In addition, severe rapid fading is usually present. Apparently modulation bandwidths of as great as one megacycle can be transmitted using antenna beamwidths of a few degrees. In order to overcome the large propagation losses, high gain antennas, high power transmitters, and sensitive receivers are used. Parabolic reflector antennas as large as 60 feet in diameter are employed together with high power klystron transmitters of up to 10 kw power output. Frequency modulation techniques similar to those employed in line-of-sight systems are common. The receivers use low noise-figure pre-amplifiers and wide-band fast acting limiter-discriminator circuits for operation with the weak received signals. To reduce the effects of the rapid fading, space diversity reception with either switching or combining of the receiver output signals is usually employed. Using these techniques, multichannel UHF communication systems have been designed for operation with as many as 60 voice channels over distances as great as 200 miles beyond the horizon with long-term reliabilities of 99.9% or more. The research reported in this paper was supported jointly by the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force under Air Force Contract No. AF 19
Constricted Discharges in Krypton

Constricted discharges have been produced in krypton using both pulsed and dc excitation over a total pressure range of 8–120 torr. Light-flux, voltage, and current waveforms were obtained for the pulsed discharge and interpreted in terms of electron excitation and electron–ion recombination processes. Streak-camera photography was used to observe possible changes of the degree of constriction during the pulse and afterglow periods. Detailed profile analysis of spectral lines yielded a value of 380±50 K for the discharge temperature and evidence was found of Stark effects. A new model for the discharge mechanism is proposed, in which diffusion of electrons and ions from the central glowing core is balanced by recombination in the peripheral regions of lower charge density and lower excitation.
Familial ataxia of the rabbit Sawin-Anders type. Ultrastructural analysis of degeneration of the cochlear nuclei.

This hereditary animal ataxia is selective in its sites of involvement within the nervous system, which include principally the central cerebellar, vestibular and cochlear nuclei. Ultrastructural detail has been described for central cerebellar and vestibular nuclei. Herein the cochlear complex of 18 rabbits with this ataxic condition (ax/ax from the strain AX of the Jackson Laboratory) have been examined. The gene is a lethal one, but the animals were used before they became moribund and between 7 and 57 days after the onset of symptoms. By light microscopy nine cell types (Osen, 1969a, b; 1970) have been identified in the cochlear nuclei of the cat. That distribution can also be identified in electron micrographs of rabbit cochlear nuclei, providing there is a singular opportunity to compare cellular vulnerabilities within the ataxic condition, and establish the principal features of associated neuropil alterations. The cochlear nuclei, cerebellar cortex and central nuclei, and the vestibular nuclei, arise from the ependyma of the rhombic lip of the fourth ventricle, making them close allies in their genetic origins. Pathological alterations were evident in scattered neurons from all nuclear sources by 7–15 days following symptom onset. At 15 days the number of altered neurons evident in electronmicrographs had increased markedly, cells becoming involved at a more rapid pace than those already affected could be removed. Much glycogen is evident from 7 days onwards in both neuropil and neurons. It occurs in considerable amounts in astrocytic processes and less abundantly in endbulbs and somata. By 20 to 25 days spongioform changes in neuropil are prominent, and thereafter the extracellular spaces coalesce to produce a lacunar appearance showing little glycogen. It would appear, therefore, that all neuron types, the endbulbs, and the astrocytic processes are markedly involved simultaneously in the spongioform transformation which features this type of ataxia. Involvement of cochlear nuclei only differs in pathological detail from that found at the other involved sites, and the differences seen relate principally to the architectonics of the nuclei, including size and density of the packing of contained elements.
Protein synthesis inhibitors prevent both spontaneous and hormone‐dependent maturation of isolated mouse oocytes

The present study was carried out to examine the role of protein synthesis in mouse oocyte maturation in vitro. In the first part of this study, the effects of cycloheximide (CX) were tested on spontaneous meiotic maturation when oocytes were cultured in inhibitor-free medium. CX reversibly suppressed maturation of oocytes as long as maturation was either initially prevented by the phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 3-isobutyl-1-methyl-xanthine (IBMX), or delayed by follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). In the second part of this study, the actions of protein synthesis inhibitors were tested on hormone-induced maturation. CEO were maintained in meiotic arrest for 21–22 h with hypoxanthine, and germinal vesicle breakdown (GVB) was induced with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Three different protein synthesis inhibitors [CX, emetine (EM), and puromycin (PUR)] each prevented the stimulatory action of FSH on GVB in a dose-dependent fashion. This was accompanied by a dose-dependent suppression of 3H-leucine incorporation by oocyte-cumulus cell complexes. The action of these inhibitors on FSH- and epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced GVB was next compared. All three drugs lowered the frequency of GVB in the FSH-treated groups, below even that of the control (drug + hypoxanthine); the drugs maintained meiotic arrest at the control frequencies in the EGF-treated groups. Puromycin aminonucleoside, an analog of PUR with no inhibitory action on protein synthesis, had no effect. The three inhibitors also suppressed the stimulatory action of FSH on oocyte maturation when meiotic arrest was maintained with the cAMP analog, dbcAMP. In a time course experiment, it was determined that CX could prevent FSH-induced maturation if added as late as 3 h after the onset of culture, but the drug was less effective in EGF-treated cultures. It is concluded that a protein with a rapid turnover rate is involved in the spontaneous maturation of mouse oocytes and that de novo protein synthesis is a requirement for hormone induction of GVB in vitro.
Assessment of the accuracy the experimental energies of the 1Po 1s22s6p and 1s22s7p states of 9Be based on variational calculations with explicitly correlated Gaussians

Benchmark variational calculations are performed for the six lowest states of the 1Po 1s22snp state series of the 9Be atom. The wave functions of the states are expanded in terms of all-particle, explicitly correlated Gaussian basis functions and the effect of the finite nuclear mass is directly included in the calculations. The exponential parameters of the Gaussians are variationally optimized using the analytical energy gradient determined with respect to those parameters. Besides providing reference non-relativistic energies for the considered states, the calculations also allow to assess the accuracy of the experimental energies of the 1Po 1s22s6p and 1s22s7p states and suggest their refinement.
THE SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND X-RAY STRUCTURE OF ANTI-W2(GEPH3)2(NME2)4

Abstract The reaction between LiGePh3 and W2Cl2(NMe2)4 in toluene-THF produces W2(GePh3)2(NMe2)4 in high yield (69%). The product is air-stable, decomposes at 209°C and is soluble in aromatic hydrocarbon solvents. The 1H NMR spectrum reveals only an anti-isomer with Tc = 115°C, ΔG† = 74 kJ mol−1 for amide rotation. The X-ray structure is consistent with the 1H NMR spectrum and reveals a central anti-ethane-like W2N4Ge2 core with bond lengths and angles: WW = 2.2970(9) A, WGe = 2.625(1) A, WN = 1.95(av) A, WWGe = 95.89(3)°. The compound crystallized in the P21/n space group with the cell parameters a = 19.770(6), b = 11.685(2), c = 9.326(2) A, β = 99.74(1)°, Z = 2, V = 2123.3 A3, dc = 1.802 g cm−3 at −172°C.
Detection techniques for validating Doppler estimates in heterodyne lidar.

We investigate the ability of detection techniques based on the likelihood ratio to discriminate between heterodyne lidar Doppler estimates at low signal levels using examples generated by simulation. The distinction between estimates that are regarded as acceptable and as spurious is based on the Cramer–Rao lower bound. The conditional false alarm probability, which ordinarily describes recording detection of a signal when none is present, is then found to be an approximate upper bound on the probability of selection of a spurious estimate. The method is superior theoretically to similar techniques based on detection functions other than the likelihood ratio. The likelihood ratio also provides a basis for reprocessing rejected data in the light of contextual information provided by those estimates that are accepted.
The capacity to build organizational capacity in schools

Purpose – Reformers, policymakers, and researchers have given considerable attention to organizational capacity in schools, especially in those schools that perpetuate or exacerbate achievement gaps among diverse student groups and reproduce social inequalities. There is an emerging consensus about key dimensions of school capacity and how they can help promote both equity and excellence in student learning. However, it is still not very clear how capacity building itself can be enhanced. This paper aims to address these issues.Design/methodology/approach – This paper addresses this critical disjuncture in the school reform literature through two main purposes: summarizing the key dimensions of school organizational capacity, and synthesizing the recent conceptual and empirical work on the important mechanisms of policies and programs to influence and support a school's organizational development. The authors' recent research and practice related to one such intervention, leadership coaching for school im...
WE-C-BRA-04: Evaluation of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy for Cranial Radiosurgery

Purpose: To evaluate Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) plans for cranial radiosurgery. As well as evaluate the combined accuracy of the resulting Eclipse (AAA8.6.15) VMAT dose calculations and VMAT delivery (Varian NovalisTx, HD120 MLC, 1000MU/min 6MV beam). Methods and Materials: Twelve patients with cranial lesions of variable size (0.1–29cc) were treated using VMAT (4–6 arcs). Additional comparison Dynamic Conformai Arc (DCA, 4–6 arcs) and IMRT (9 field) plans were designed for each patient. All plans were evaluated with three criteria; i) modified Paddick Conformity Index (CI) for the 99% coverage isodose (maximum dose=100%), ii) peripheral dose value (D(5cc) for the brain minus lesion+2cm margin) and iii) maximum dose gradient at abutting critical structures. A 2D dose distribution was measured for all the VMAT treatment plans using calibrated film (Kodak EDR2) placed in phantom. Results: In all instances the CI (0–1) was best for the VMAT plans (ave. 0.86) and worst for the DCA plans (ave. 0.68). However, lower conformity is less significant for smaller lesions ( 1cc), the highest gradients observed for the IMRT, VMAT and DCA were 17%/mm, 15%/mm and 10%/mm, respectively. The average difference in measured and calculated i)CAX dose, ii)profile widths and iii)profile shifts for all the VMAT plans were: 4%(±2.5%), 0.38mm(±0.34mm) and 0.24mm(±0.28mm), respectively. As previously observed, CAX dose QA is best for lesions with an equivalent sphere diameter greater than 8mm. The VMAT average MUs were double the DCA ones and similar to the IMRT ones. Conclusions: For the aforementioned planning and delivery system and cranial lesions greater than 8mm in diameter, VMAT consistently provides accurate and superior doses distributions with the low peripheral dose of DCA, and the conformity/high dose gradients of IMRT.
The early immune response to Mycobacterium lepraemurium in inbred mice and rats.

Abstract Killed Mycobacterium lepraemurium suspended in mineral oil, when injected into mice and rats produced early delayed sensitization of similar intensity to that obtained with tubercle bacilli under the same conditions, as well as a strong antibody response. The cytoplasmic extract of M. lepraemurium used for testing crossreacted both in skin tests and serologically with Old Tuberculin. Active or passive introduction of humoral antibody prior to challenge inhibited delayed sensitization, and passive antibody reduced the active antibody response. The two organisms were equally effective adjuvants in delayed sensitization to ovalbumin and bovine γ-globulin. Rat strains varied slightly in their responses to M. lepraemurium. However, C57BL 6 mice gave strong delayed sensitization and CBA mice virtually none.
Breastfeeding During Infancy May Protect Against Bed-wetting During Childhood

OBJECTIVE. Our goal was to test the hypothesis that children who exhibit bed-wetting during childhood were less likely to be breastfed during infancy compared with normal controls. METHODS. A case-control study was conducted in a pediatric continence center and a general pediatric practice. Cases (n = 55) were recruited from the continence center and defined as children 5 to 13 years of age who experienced lifetime involuntary voiding of urine during nighttime sleep at least 2 times a week in the absence of defects of the central nervous system or urinary tract. Age- and gender-matched controls (n = 117) who did not exhibit bed-wetting were enrolled from a general pediatric practice. Infant feeding practices were measured as breastfeeding (yes/no) and, for those who were breastfeed, by the duration of breastfeeding and the time of formula supplementation. RESULTS. Among the case subjects, 45.5% were breastfed, whereas among the controls 81.2% were breastfed. The controls reported higher household incomes than the case subjects, and their mean family size (number of children) was slightly lower. After adjusting for race, income, and family size, the odds ratio was 0.283, indicating that case subjects were significantly less likely than controls to be breastfeed. Among all the study subjects who were breastfed, controls were breastfed for a significantly longer period than case subjects (an average of 3 months longer). Although breastfed controls were less likely to be supplemented with formula than breastfed case subjects, this difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS. Breastfeeding longer than 3 months may protect against bed-wetting during childhood. Breast milk supplemented with formula did not make a difference in the rate of enuresis.
Inhibition of Ca2+-activated tension and myosin light chain phosphorylation in skinned smooth muscle strips by the phenothiazines.

The antipsychotic phenothiazine drugs trifluoperazine, chlorpromazine, and promethazine inhibited Ca2+-activated tension in functionally skinned rabbit ileum and rabbit pulmonary artery strips. Exogenous calmodulin rapidly reversed the inhibition of tension. Inhibition of the endogenous myosin light chain kinase by these drugs resulted with ATP or its analog, ATPγS, as a substrate. The evidence presented suggests the inhibition of Ca2+ activation of tension in skinned smooth muscle preparations by phenothiazines is due to the inhibition of Ca2+-activated phosphorylation of the 20,000 dalton myosin light chain by the endogenous myosin light chain kinase.
A generalized diffusion–dissolution model for drug release from rigid polymer membrane matrices

A generalized diffusion–dissolution model for the release kinetics of non-swelling and nondegradable rigid polymer matrices has been proposed by constructing finite dissolution rates for both the dissolved amorphous drug and the dispersed drug particles, respectively. The dissolved amorphous drug in the matrices was visualized as a step-function-type dissolution source releasing drug into the surrounding liquid phase according to the Noyes–Whitney equation. Source layers were applied to describe the dissolution rate for dispersed drug particles, and the focus was played on spherical drug particles with a delta-type dissolution rate based on the Noyes–Whitney equation. Asymptotic cases to the earlier published models have been developed and numerically evaluated to demonstrate the validity and generality of the proposed model. A technique with the Green's function was applied to transform the coupled partial differential equations (PDEs) into implicit integral solutions facilitating the numerical calculations to handle arbitrarily specified model parameters of the PDEs. Further, the integral form solutions provided a better insight into the effects of the meaningful variables on the release behavior than the direct numerical solutions to the PDEs. The effects of the Peclet numbers PeB (the external mass transfer resistance), Peds (the amorphous drug dissolution rate) and Pedp (the dispersed drug particle dissolution rate), have been investigated as well as the effects of the drug solubility in the release medium, the number of source layers, the membrane thickness and/or the particle sizes. It was found that Peds and Pedp have more profound effects on the release behavior, and the significance of other parameters are determined by the conditions of specified Peclet numbers.
Adaptation of GEANT4 to Monte Carlo dose calculations based on CT data

The GEANT4 Monte Carlo code provides many powerful functions for conducting particle transport simulations with great reliability and flexibility. However, as a general purpose Monte Carlo code, not all the functions were specifically designed and fully optimized for applications in radiation therapy. One of the primary issues is the computational efficiency, which is especially critical when patient CT data have to be imported into the simulation model. In this paper we summarize the relevant aspects of the GEANT4 tracking and geometry algorithms and introduce our work on using the code to conduct dose calculations based on CT data. The emphasis is focused on modifications of the GEANT4 source code to meet the requirements for fast dose calculations. The major features include a quick voxel search algorithm, fast volume optimization, and the dynamic assignment of material density. These features are ready to be used for tracking the primary types of particles employed in radiation therapy such as photons, electrons, and heavy charged particles. Recalculation of a proton therapy treatment plan generated by a commercial treatment planning program for a paranasal sinus case is presented as an example.
Ethnic succession and the new American restaurant cuisine

Even a casual observer of the American food scene will notice that there are certain niches—such as diners and Chinese take-outs—where particular ethnicities dominate. If the observer has some familiarity with restaurant history, he would also know that there is a pattern of ethnic succession over time. Food-work that used to be done by German and Irish immigrants in the mid-19th century, was performed by Italians and eastern Europeans at the end of the century, who in turn were replaced by Greeks, and then by Asians and Latinos at the end of the 20th century. Tastes have changed too. French cuisine has given way to Italian cuisine, which was accented by Asian and Latino ingredients by the end of the 20th century. There is a two-fold ethnic succession here: one in the ethnicity of the labor force; and the other in the sphere of food served. The two are shaped by each other in counter-intuitive ways. Data from Zagat restaurant surveys, the Operations Report of the National Restaurant Association and the curriculum of the Culinary Institute of America illuminate the process of ethnic succession in American fine-dining restaurants and the changing hierarchies of taste.
Resonant-tunnelling diode oscillator using a slot-coupled quasioptical open resonator

A resonant-tunneling diode has oscillated at X-band frequencies in a microwave circuit consisting of a slot antenna coupled to a semiconfocal open resonator. Coupling between the open resonator and the slot oscillator improves the noise-to-carrier ratio by about 36 dB relative to that of the slot oscillator alone in the 100-200 kHz range. A circuit operating near 10 GHz has been designed as a scale model for millimeter- and submillimeter-wave applications.
Acute and chronic phencyclidine administration: Effects on the conversion of3H-tryptophan to3H-serotonin in rat forebrain

Acute administration of phencyclidine hydrochloride (PCP) resulted in a dose-responsive decrease in the conversion of3H-tryptophan to3H-serotonin (3H-5-HT) in rat forebrain. Subsequent experiments measured the effect of a subthreshold dose of PCP (4 mg/kg) daily for one, seven, or fourteen days on this index of 5-HT turnover. Although single administration again had no effect at this dose, repeated administration for seven days resulted in a 37% decrease in 5-HT turnover. However, after fourteen days of administration this index was not significantly different from saline controls. The possible significance of these findings are discussed in relation to reported alterations in PCP-induced behaviors observed with chronic administration.
Serendipitous discovery of a bright narrow line X-ray galaxy

Abstract I report on the discovery of a bright (∼0.15 counts s−1, ROSAT band) serendipitous X-ray source in the ROSAT PSPC field of the cataclysmic variable EP Dra. The apparent optical counterpart shows the required optical characteristics of a Narrow Line X-ray Galaxy (NLXG) with a redshift of ∼0.107. The X-ray luminosity can not be explained by starbursts. The Hβ luminosity is ∼1041 erg s−1.
Blast-Related Brain Injury: Imaging for Clinical and Research Applications: Report of the 2008 St. Louis Workshop

Blast-related traumatic brain injury (bTBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been of particular relevance to the military and civilian health care sectors since the onset of the Global War on Terror, and TBI has been called the "signature injury" of this war. Currently there are many questions about the fundamental nature, diagnosis, and long-term consequences of bTBI and its relationship to PTSD. This workshop was organized to consider these questions and focus on how brain imaging techniques may be used to enhance current diagnosis, research, and treatment of bTBI. The general conclusion was that although the study of blast physics in non-biological systems is mature, few data are presently available on key topics such as blast exposure in combat scenarios, the pathological characteristics of human bTBI, and imaging signatures of bTBI. Addressing these gaps is critical to the success of bTBI research. Foremost among our recommendations is that human autopsy and pathoanatomical data from bTBI patients need to be obtained and disseminated to the military and civilian research communities, and advanced neuroimaging used in studies of acute, subacute, and chronic cases, to determine whether there is a distinct pathoanatomical signature that correlates with long-term functional impairment, including PTSD. These data are also critical for the development of animal models to illuminate fundamental mechanisms of bTBI and provide leads for new treatment approaches. Brain imaging will need to play an increasingly important role as gaps in the scientific knowledge of bTBI and PTSD are addressed through increased coordination, cooperation, and data sharing among the academic and military biomedical research communities.
Searching for a foveolate pollen exine

Abstract Ninety-five scanning electron micrographs of pollen exines with perforations, lumina, pits, or depressions were photocopied from the palynological literature, examined by computerized image analysis, and categorized using existing numerical definitions for reticulate, microreticulate, scrobiculate, punctate and foveolate. For comparison, we also recorded descriptive terms used for these pollen surfaces in the original literature source. Most exines examine were reticulate or scrobiculate. Only two were punctate, an anomally we atrributed to sampling bias. No exines were foveolate. We concluded that pollen exines with foveolate surfaces are very rare or non-existent. We also demonstrated that many overlapping sculpture terms are used to describe very similar exines, a situation that may adversely affect the usefulness of palymological information in larger systematic data sets.
Retention of lipophilic compounds on laboratory tubing.

Abstract 14 C-Labeled pesticidal carbamates were retained in polyvinyl chloride and latex components of intestinal perfusion apparatus approximately proportionate to their rate of disappearance from the perfusate during absorption experiments. Simulated control perfusions, equilibration of the perfusion system with the perfusate and analysis of the recovered substrate established that such a problem had been encountered. Precautions should be taken when-ever compounds with a high lipid partition coefficient are exposed to polymeric materials in an aqueous medium at very low concentrations.
Structure and function of the amphibian follicular epithelium during ovulation

Low concentrations of cytochalasin B (CCB) are known to inhibit ovulation in the frog, Hyla regilla. Examination of amphibian thecal cell ultrastructure reveals filaments (average diameter 71 A) arranged in bundles parallel to the surface of the oocyte. These filaments are often associated with hemidesmosome-like plaques on the basal plasmalemma. While individual filaments appear unaltered morphologically by CCB (1–5 μg/ml), their organization into bundles, apparent relationship to the hemidesmosomes, and the highly contorted configuration of the thecal cells after oocyte expulsion, suggest that a nonmuscular contractile system residing within the follicle plays a fundamental role in ovulation. Our data suggest that the flattened epithelioid thecal cells shorten all axes that run parallel to the oocyte surface via filament bundle contractions, while they remain tightly bound together by macular attachment plaques. These cells thus increase in height to become cuboidal-low columnar in shape; the area covered by the base of each is greatly reduced. As this “thecal sac” decreases in size, the compression generated by the contractile mechanism forces the oocyte through the enzymatically weakened apex of the follicle and ovulation results.
Predaceous Feeding by Limnocalanus Macrurus upon Diaptomus Ashlandi

Abstract Previous research indicated Limnocalanus macrurus to be a herbivorous filter feeder. Our experiments and visual observations show that adult Limnocalanus will prey upon adult Diaptomus ashlandi , both taken from Lake Michigan. Most prey had their metasomal tissues eaten out. An omnivorous feeding behavior is indicated.
Insulin and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Receptors Differentially Mediate Insulin-Stimulated Adhesion Molecule Production by Endothelial Cells

Patients with type 2 diabetes are hyperinsulinemic and insulin resistant and develop premature atherosclerosis. High concentrations of insulin stimulate the production of adhesion molecules by endothelial cells (ECs). ECs express abundant IGF-I receptors as well as insulin receptors. Whether IGF-I receptors contribute to insulin-induced endothelial production of adhesion molecules is unknown. Bovine aortic ECs (BAECs) were incubated with insulin (100 nm) for 24 h. The cellular content of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was measured, and monocyte adhesion to ECs was quantified. Insulin increased both VCAM-1 (P < 0.001) and ICAM-1 (P < 0.0002) content, which was accompanied by an increased number of monocytes adherent to BAECs (P = 0.0001). Inhibition of either MAPK kinase-1 or p38 MAPK but not phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase abolished insulin-mediated production of adhesion molecules. Insulin receptor small interfering RNA knockdown abolished insulin-stimulated increases of ICAM-1 but not VCAM-1. Conversely, IGF-I receptor blockade with either a neutralizing antibody or specific small interfering RNA eliminated insulin-induced VCAM-1 but not ICAM-1 production. Blockade of signaling via either the insulin or IGF-I receptors decreased monocyte adherence to BAECs (P < 0.01 for each). We conclude that insulin and IGF-I receptors differentially mediate the production of adhesion molecules by ECs and monocyte adhesion onto the vascular endothelium in response to the hyperinsulinemic state. Dual-receptor activation may most effectively contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic disease in diabetes.
National hospice study analysis plan.

Abstract Since the founding of the first hospice in the United States in 1974, the number of health care organizations providing hospice services has grown rapidly. In 1978, the U.S. General Accounting Office identified 59 operational hospices [1]. A survey undertaken by the National Hospice Organization (NHO) in 1980 found 235 operational programs and many more actively planning to deliver services. By the summer of 1981, the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAH), in studying the feasibility of a voluntary hospice accreditation program, had 650 responses to a national survey [2]. Finally, the 1981 NHO directory identifies 464 operational “provider programs” as well as 33 functioning state-level hospice organizations with an additional 353 programs in various stages of establishing hospice programs of care [3]. The growth of the movement and the public recognition it has received have catalyzed advocacy of Federal support for hospice services. In 1979, the Congress responded by mandating a study to delineate the implications of inclusion of hospice services in the Medicare program. The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) then selected 26 hospices (from an applicant pool of 233) to participate in a two-year experimental program. These demonstration sites receive reimbursement for services provided Medicare beneficiaries not otherwise available under current regulations. The special reimbursement provisions went into effect on October 1, 1980. (See Appendix A: Description of the Hospice Reimbursement Program.) In the spring of 1980, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the John A. Hartford Foundation joined with the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) to solicit proposals for a national evaluation of hospice care as a basis for future Federal fiscal policy and legislation. Brown University was selected as the evaluation center by competitive process and the grant was awarded on September 30, 1980. The evaluation employs a quasi-experimental design in which the impact of hospice care (with and without reimbursement) on quality of life and costs are compared to non-hospice (conventional) terminal care. Eight hundred patients and families in 24 comparison sites located in three regional areas (Southern New England, Northern Midwest and Southern California) are expected to participate. Primary data collection began on August 1, 1981. Analyses of differential outcome are performed using standard linear multiple regression and logistic multiple regression with separate models for each comparison group. Effects are tested by separately estimating the specific response variable for the prototype (average) hospice patient for each model.