cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inverse limits with irreducible set-valued functions.

Abstract In this paper, we develop a definition for a class of set-valued functions which will be called irreducible functions. We show that these functions can be used to obtain an indecomposable continuum as an inverse limit, and we give sufficient conditions for two such inverse limits to be homeomorphic. This class of irreducible functions includes all open maps on [ 0 , 1 ] which are not homeomorphisms. The inverse limits of piecewise linear open maps on [ 0 , 1 ] were classified by William Watkins in 1982, and the results of this paper build on those results and expand the class of functions to which they apply.
The severe G480C cystic fibrosis mutation, when replicated in the mouse, demonstrates mistrafficking, normal survival and organ-specific bioelectrics

The majority of cystic fibrosis patients produce a mutant form of CFTR (DeltaF508) which has been shown to be mislocalized in both humans and mice. G480C, another clinically 'severe' mutation, has also been demonstrated to be defective in its intracellular processing, but when allowed to traffic in Xenopus oocytes showed similar channel characteristics to that of wild-type CFTR. We have replicated the G480C mutation in the murine Cftr gene using the 'hit and run' double recombination procedure. As expected, the G480C cystic fibrosis mouse model expresses the G480C mutant transcript at a level comparable to that of wild-type CFTR: The homozygous mutant mice were fertile, had normal survival, weight, tooth colour and no evidence of caecal blockage, despite mild goblet cell hypertrophy in the intestine. Analysis of the mutant protein revealed that the majority of G480C CFTR was abnormally processed and no G480C CFTR-specific immunostaining in the apical membranes of intestinal cells was detected. The bioelectric phenotype of these mice revealed organ-specific electrophysiological effects. In contrast to DeltaF508 'hit and run' homozygotes, the classic defect of forskolin-induced chloride ion transport is not replicated in the caecum, but the response to low chloride in the nose is clearly defective in the G480C mutant animals. The mild phenotype of these G480C mutant animals combined with the defective chloride transport in the nose uniquely provides a valuable resource to test novel pharmacological agents aimed at improving trafficking and correcting the electrophysiological defect in the respiratory tract.
Managing intracranial incidental findings suggestive of low-grade glioma: learning from experience.

NTRODUCTION Learning from experiencemay be one of themost important and pragmatic tools physicians possess today despite the uncertain nature of science. In today’s scientific world, hysicians constantly address the following question: How does ne deal with something he or she has not experienced or did not xpect? Will the physician be prone to failure regardless as Shaw uggests? Although these questions have confounded health care eams for years, they do have certain weight and relevance when onsidering current ethical and practical dilemmas of physicians anaging “unexpected” or incidental lesions. It is likely that very physician will encounter incidental lesions at some point in is or her career. As the overall number of incidental findings ncreases with the increasing frequency of radiographic scans, hese questions will soon begin to hold more importance and ravity. Specifically in the realm of neuroimaging, our experience with he “unexpected” has been insufficient. Today, there has yet to be consensus on the management of incidental findings found on agnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and different authors have eported various methods of managing these lesions (5). Some authors have suggested a uniform policy for handling incidental findings for all neuroimaging research, although research studies may not be the primary mode of discovery (1). Although most incidental findings on brain MRI are nonurgent (requiring no referral), approximately 1%–2% of these findings require routine or urgent referral to specialists (4). Of the referred patients, patients who present with MRI findings suggestive of low-grade gliomas (LGG) are even rarer with a reported incidence of 0.05% of the healthy population (6). Suspected incidental low-grade
Donepezil, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, attenuates nicotine self-administration and reinstatement of nicotine seeking in rats.

Nicotine craving and cognitive impairments represent core symptoms of nicotine withdrawal and predict relapse in abstinent smokers. Current smoking cessation pharmacotherapies have limited efficacy in preventing relapse and maintaining abstinence during withdrawal. Donepezil is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor that has been shown previously to improve cognition in healthy non–treatment-seeking smokers. However, there are no studies examining the effects of donepezil on nicotine self-administration and/or the reinstatement of nicotine-seeking behavior in rodents. The present experiments were designed to determine the effects of acute donepezil administration on nicotine taking and the reinstatement of nicotine-seeking behavior, an animal model of relapse in abstinent human smokers. Moreover, the effects of acute donepezil administration on sucrose self-administration and sucrose seeking were also investigated in order to determine whether donepezil's effects generalized to other reinforced behaviors. Acute donepezil administration (1.0 or 3.0 mg/kg, i.p.) attenuated nicotine, but not sucrose self-administration maintained on a fixed-ratio 5 schedule of reinforcement. Donepezil administration also dose-dependently attenuated the reinstatement of both nicotine- and sucrose-seeking behaviors. Commonly reported adverse effects of donepezil treatment in humans are nausea and vomiting. However, at doses required to attenuate nicotine self-administration in rodents, no effects of donepezil on nausea/malaise as measured by pica were observed. Collectively, these results indicate that increased extracellular acetylcholine levels are sufficient to attenuate nicotine taking and seeking in rats and that these effects are not due to adverse malaise symptoms such as nausea.
Changes in estradiol predict within-women shifts in attraction to facial cues of men's testosterone

Many studies have demonstrated that women express stronger attraction to androgen-related traits when tested near ovulation than when tested at other times in the cycle. Much less research, however, has directly addressed which hormonal or other physiological signals may regulate these temporal shifts in women's attractiveness judgments. In the present study, we measured women's preferences for facial cues of men's testosterone concentrations on two occasions spaced two weeks apart, while also measuring women's salivary estradiol and testosterone concentrations at each testing session. Changes in women's estradiol concentrations across sessions positively predicted changes in their preferences for facial cues of high testosterone; there was no such effect for changes in women's testosterone concentrations. For the subset of women who had a testing session fall within the estimated fertile window, preferences for high testosterone faces were stronger in the fertile window session, and change in estradiol from outside to inside the fertile window positively predicted the magnitude of the ovulatory preference shift. These patterns were not replicated when testing preferences for faces that were rated as high in masculinity, suggesting that facial cues of high testosterone can be distinguished from the cues used to subjectively judge facial masculinity. Our findings suggest that women's estradiol promotes attraction to androgen-dependent cues in men (similar to its effects in females of various nonhuman species), and support a role for this hormone as a physiological regulator of cycle phase shifts in mating psychology.
PyMine: a PyMOL plugin to integrate and visualize data for drug discovery

Tremendous amount of chemical and biological data are being generated by various high-throughput biotechnologies that could facilitate modern drug discovery. However, lack of integration makes it very challenging for individual scientists to access and understand all the data related to a specific protein of interest. To overcome this challenge, we developed PyMine, a PyMOL plugin that retrieves chemical, structural, pathway and other related biological data of a receptor and small molecules from a variety of high-quality databases and presents them in a graphic and uniformed way. Developed as an interactive and user-friendly tool, PyMine can be used as a central data-hub for users to access and visualize multiple types of data and to generate new ideas intuitively for structure-based molecule design.
Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of the Digestive Wall in Capsule Endoscopy Videos Using Elastic Video Interpolation

Wireless capsule endoscopy is a revolutionary technology that allows physicians to examine the digestive tract of a human body in the minimum invasive way. Physicians can detect diseases such as blood-based abnormalities, polyps, ulcers, and Crohn's disease. Although this technology is really a marvel of our modern times, currently it suffers from two serious drawbacks: 1) frame rate is low (3 frames/s) and 2) no 3-D representation of the objects is captured from the camera of the capsule. In this paper we offer solutions (methodologies) that deal with each of the above issues improving the current technology without forcing hardware upgrades. These methodologies work synergistically to create smooth and visually friendly interpolated images from consecutive frames, while preserving the structure of the observed objects. They also extract and represent the texture of the surface of the digestive tract in 3-D. Thus the purpose of our methodology is not to reduce the time that the gastroenterologists need to spend to examine the video. On the contrary, the purpose is to enhance the video and therefore improve the viewing of the digestive tract leading to a more qualitative and efficient examination. The proposed work introduces 3-D capsule endoscopy textured results that have been welcomed by Digestive Specialists, Inc., Dayton, OH. Finally, illustrative results are given at the end of the paper.
A comparison study of dimension estimation algorithms

The inherent dimension of hyperspectral data is commonly estimated for the purpose of dimension reduction. However, the dimension estimate itself may be a useful measure for extracting information about hyperspectral data, including scene content, complexity, and clutter. There are many ways to estimate the inherent dimension of data, each measuring the data in a different way. This paper compares a group of dimension estimation metrics on a variety of data, both full scene and individual material regions, to determine the relationship between the different estimates and what features each method is measuring when applied to complex data.
Rapid ventricular assessment using real-time interactive multislice MRI.

A multislice real-time imaging technique is described which can provide continuous visualization of the entire left ventricle under resting and stress conditions. Three dynamically adjustable slices containing apical, mid, and base short axis views are imaged 16 times/sec (48 images/sec), with each image providing 3.12 mm resolution over a 20 cm field of view. Initial studies indicate that this technique is useful for the assessment of LV function by providing simultaneous real-time visualization of all 16 wall segments. This technique may also be used for stress LV function and, when used in conjunction with contrast agents, myocardial perfusion imaging. Magn Reson Med 45: 371‐375, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. The detection of myocardial perfusion deficits and contractile dysfunction is the most frequent clinical assessment made in ischemic heart disease. Annually, more than 3 million stress nuclear and echocardiography studies are performed in the United States alone (1). Magnetic resonance determination of stress-induced wall motion changes and perfusion have been demonstrated (2‐ 4). However, there exist significant limitations related to total scan time, scan plane prescription, arrhythmia, and image registration. Recent studies suggest that, for wall motion assessment, imaging time may be as long as 1 hr using current techniques (2), with good quality images obtained in only 80% of patients (3). Furthermore, up to 35% of patients develop significant ventricular (.5/min) or atrial extrasystoles during pharmacologic stress (5). This clinically tolerable rate of arrhythmia significantly complicates sequences that require gating.
Lethal Effects on Biological Systems Caused by Solar Ultraviolet Light: Molecular Considerations

The most closely examined organisms for the measurement of lethal effects of ultraviolet light are the bacteria, and the information we have regarding molecular events leading to cell death is almost entirely derived from work using these microbial systems. Speculations as to ultraviolet light effects upon higher, eukaryotic cells and multicellular organisms are largely extrapolations. A further limitation in our knowledge of ultraviolet effects is that most work has concentrated upon the actions of the most biologically efficient wavelengths below 300 nm (far ultraviolet light, FUV) which are not present in solar-UV reaching the surface of the earth. Further, ready availability has made 254 nm the most widely explored wavelength. Comparatively little emphasis has been placed upon the biologically inefficient, but ecologically important longer wavelengths above 300 nm (near ultraviolet light, NUV). These wavelengths are present in the solar ultraviolet reaching the surface of the earth and penetrating its waters. The following briefly summarizes some of the recent findings relating to the effects of NUV, especially upon bacterial cells and also transforming DNA, and compares these effects with the effects of FUV.
Attracting AID to targets of somatic hypermutation

The process of somatic hypermutation (SHM) of immunoglobulin (Ig) genes requires activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). Although mistargeting of AID is detrimental to genome integrity, the mechanism and the cis-elements responsible for targeting of AID are largely unknown. We show that three CAGGTG cis-elements in the context of Ig enhancers are sufficient to target SHM to a nearby transcribed gene. The CAGGTG motif binds E47 in nuclear extracts of the mutating cells. Replacing CAGGTG with AAGGTG in the construct without any other E47 binding site eliminates SHM. The CA versus AA effect requires AID. CAGGTG does not enhance transcription, chromatin acetylation, or overall target gene activity. The other cis-elements of Ig enhancers alone cannot attract the SHM machinery. Collectively with other recent findings, we postulate that AID targets all genes expressed in mutating B cells that are associated with CAGGTG motifs in the appropriate context. Ig genes are the most highly mutated genes, presumably because of multiple CAGGTG motifs within the Ig genes, high transcription activity, and the presence of other cooperating elements in Ig enhancers.
Room to Roar: Eliciting the Perspectives of Adolescent Oncology Patients

This reflection focuses on a patient with both nonresponsive lymphoma and verbal nonresponsiveness. The lessons learned through this patient interaction have the potential to inform purposeful inclusion of the adolescent patient’s voice.
Preparation of monolithic superparamagnetic nanoparticle–polymer composites using a polymerizable acetylacetonate and magnetite nanoparticles

The formation of nanoparticle-polymer composites that can be processed by injection molding from superparamagnetic magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (MNPs) and the polymerizable molecule styryl acetylacetonate (stacac) is described. The best composites were created by first synthesizing MNPs in the presence of a surfactant followed by replacement with an excess of stacac monomer in a surfactant exchange reaction. Polymerization of the stacac–MNP mixture produced a dense packing of nanoparticles within a polymer matrix, resulting in a magnetic, monolithic material that was characterized with a combination of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The material exhibited superparamagnetic properties similar to pure MNP samples, albeit with a lower total magnetic saturation. An advantage of this polymer-based composite material is its ability to be processed with methods such as mold-casting or microfluidics into a variety of 3-dimensional structures (e.g., toroids) for different electronics applications.
Enemies of herbivores can shape plant traits: Selection in a facultative ant-plant mutualism

Predators and parasitoids of herbivores can play important roles in plant defense. Plant traits that attract the enemies of herbivores are presumed to have co-evolved with these enemies in obligate relationships such as ant-Acacia mutualisms. In facultative interactions, selection via herbivores' enemies also may shape plant traits, although no study has yet demonstrated all of the necessary criteria to document selection in a single tri-trophic system. Using manipulative experiments during a two-year study, I showed that predatory ants can act as agents of selection on extrafloral nectary (EFN) traits. Wild cotton (Gossypium thurberi) EFNs attract a number of generalist ant species that consume and disturb herbivores. Sire-offspring regression analyses demonstrated that both the proportion of leaves with EFNs and EFN size exhibit heritable variation in G. thurberi. A two-year insecticide experiment revealed that herbivory reduced plant growth and seed production in the field, independently of the effects of ants. Both ant abundance and EFN availability were manipulated in the field using a 2 3 2 factorial design. When ant visitation was reduced, plants supported more herbivores, experienced greater leaf damage, and produced fewer flowers and seeds. Furthermore, fewer ants visited plants with experimentally reduced EFNs; leaf damage was higher and seed number was lower compared to plants with ambient levels of EFN, indicating that EFNs mediate the benefits of ants. In addition, natural variation in EFN frequency correlated positively with seed production. This study provides the strongest support yet that casual ant associates can influence the evolution of extrafloral nectary traits and suggests that plant evolution in facultative mutualisms depends on com- munity-level dynamics.
The Benefit of Forgetting in Thinking and Remembering

Forgetting is a surprising and unintended consequence of remembering. Research on retrieval-induced forgetting has shown that retrieval of one item in memory can cause the forgetting of other items in memory. This forgetting is argued to be the consequence of an inhibitory process that underlies the ability to overcome interference during retrieval. The research reviewed here suggests that individuals who exhibit more retrieval-induced forgetting are more capable of overcoming interference in other contexts as well (e.g., creative problem solving). Ironically, it appears that thinking and remembering rely at least in part on a process that underlies forgetting.
The Clinical Use of Self-Hypnosis in Hypnotherapy: Tapping the Functions of Imagery and Adaptive Regression

Abstract The authors present a new method of interweaving hetero-hypnotic psychotherapy and self-hypnosis. In the hetero-hypnotic sessions, the hypnotherapist acts as a dependable parent figure who is supporting and available when that is desirable, but who also encourages and fosters the patient's efforts to develop his/her inner resources and ability to function autonomously. Self-hypnosis is utilized for its rich idiosyncratic imagery. The hypnotherapist uses and elaborates on this rich, affect-loaded imagery. At other times the therapist takes a guiding role in producing therapeutic metaphors of positive valence. The patient uses and enlarges on these during self-hypnosis between the weekly therapeutic hours. In addition, the hypnotist may counteract any negative strong self-hypnotic images during hetero-hypnosis. Self-directed self-hypnosis allows patients to experience openness and receptivity to internal and unconscious processes against which they may defend themselves in the dyadic relationship w...
SIMPLE TWO-STAGE INFERENCE FOR A CLASS OF PARTIALLY IDENTIFIED MODELS

This paper proposes a new two-stage estimation and inference procedure for a class of partially identified models. The procedure can be considered an extension of classical minimum distance estimation procedures to accommodate inequality constraints and partial identification. It involves no tuning parameter, is nonconservative, and is conceptually and computationally simple. The class of models includes models of interest to applied researchers, including the static entry game, a voting game with communication, and a discrete mixture model. Besides, a technical contribution is an implicit correspondence lemma which generalizes the implicit function theorem to multivalued implicit maps.
Epstein-Barr virus: transformation of lymphocytes separated by size or exposed to bromodeoxyuridine and light.

Abstract Experiments designed to assess the physiological state of cells susceptible to transformation by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) indicated that transformation does not require cellular DNA synthesis at the time of virus exposure and that a resting lymphocyte can be the target cell. The following results support this conclusion: Lymphocyte preparations from different human umbilical cords vary in extent of spontaneous DNA synthesis, but EBV-induced transformation is independent of this variation. Increases in spontaneous DNA synthesis which occur after several days in culture are not accompanied by increased cell sensitivity to transformation. Transformation occurs in highest frequency in partially purified cell subpopulations with low levels of DNA synthesis. Conversely, lymphocyte subpopulations with high rates of spontaneous DNA synthesis are relatively refractory to transformation. The fraction of cells transformed by EBV (which we estimate to be about 10% after correction for plating efficiency) exceeds the fraction in DNA synthesis at the time of virus exposure (less than 1%). Treatment of cells with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) followed by light before virus exposure does not impair the ability of EBV to stimulate DNA synthesis in human leukocytes or to transform marmoset leukocytes. However BrdU-light treatment is inhibitory to transformation if treatment is delivered about 24 hr after virus exposure or thereafter.
RAAM for infinite context-free languages

With its ability to represent variable sized trees in fixed width patterns, recursive auto-associative memory (RAAM) is a bridge between connectionist and symbolic systems. In the past, due to limitations in our understanding, its development plateaued. By examining RAAM from a dynamical systems perspective we overcome most of the problems that previously plagued it. In fact, using a dynamical systems analysis we can now prove that not only is RAAM capable of generating parts of a context free language (a/sup n/b/sup n/) but is capable of expressing the whole language.
Counseling the patient with HPV disease

This article reviews common clinical scenarios involving human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. The diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of HPV disease can provoke anxiety and distress, and have a negative psychosocial impact on patients' lives. The article provides a platform on which the clinician can build counseling strategies. It is paramount to relay accurate, timely, and clear information in a reassuring manner. Emphasis is placed on encouraging patients to adopt healthy and protective measures, such as lifestyle changes, testing for other sexually transmitted diseases, compliance with surveillance and screening visits, and vaccination against HPV in age-appropriate individuals.
Differentiation of glomerular and non-glomerular hematuria in children by measurement of mean corpuscular volume of urinary red cells using a semi-automated cell counter.

Urine samples from 110 children and adolescents with micro- or macrohematuria were compared using phase-contrast microscopy and a semi-automated cell counter to differentiate glomerular from non-glomerular hematuria. Glomerular hematuria, defined by clinical criteria from biopsy and standard chemical evaluation, was observed in 73 patients (group 1): non-glomerular hematuria was found in 37 patients (group 2). The latter group underwent urological operation and had normal urine before operation. Mean corpuscular erythrocyte volume (MCVU) and percent of dysmorphic erythrocytes were determinated. To exclude the influence of mean erythrocyte volume of blood erythrocytes (MCVB), MCVB was determined and additionally the quotient of MCVU/MCVB was calculated (MCVUB). The percentage of dysmorphic erythrocytes differed significantly between the two groups ((75 ± 13% in group 1 versus 38 ± 27% in group 2 (mean ± SD); p < 0.01), MCVU (34.0 ± 11.1 fl in group 1 versus 55.5 ± 16.3 fl in group 2; p < 0.01) and MCVUB (0.41 ± 0.14 in group 1 versus 0.67 ± 0.20 in group 2; p < 0.01). When glomerular hematuria was defined on the basis of more than 80% dysmorphic erythrocytes, the sensitivity of phase-contrast microscopy was 0.52, specificity versus 0.96 and efficiency 0.64. When glomerular hematuria was defined asn <50fl MCVU, sensitivity was 0.92, specificity 0.57 and efficiency 0.80 and as <0.06 MCVUB, sensitivity was 0.89, specificity 0.62 and efficiency 0.80. The correlation coefficient between MCVU and dysmorphic erythrocytes was -0.71 (p < 0.01). The differentiation of glomerular and non-glomerular hematuria in children by determination of MCVU appears to be equivalent to and easier to perform than phase-contrast microscopy.
Copyright in a networked world: digital distance education

Internet‐based distance education has become big business for both universities and the commercial world. The new TEACH Act was intended to make US copyright law friendlier toward Internet‐based distance education. In fact it hedges the privileges it grants with a host of exclusions and restrictions. The Act’s promotion of technological protections could have international consequences that further restrict access to digital works.
Variability in the implementation of voicing in American English obstruents

Abstract Previous research has shown that in languages like English, the implementation of voicing in voiced obstruents is affected by linguistic factors such as utterance position, stress, and the adjacent sound. The goal of the current study is to extend previous findings in two ways: (1) investigate the production of voicing in connected read speech instead of in isolation/carrier sentences, and (2) understand the implementation of partial voicing by examining where in the constriction voicing appears or dies out. The current study examines the voicing of stops and fricatives in the connected read speech of 37 speakers. Results confirm that phrase position, word position, lexical stress, and the manner and voicing of the adjacent sound condition the prevalence of voicing, but they have different effects on stops and fricatives. The analysis of where voicing is realized in the constriction interval shows that bleed from a preceding sonorant is common, but voicing beginning partway through the constriction interval (i.e., negative voice onset time) is much rarer. The acoustic, articulatory, and aerodynamic sources of the patterns of phonation found in connected speech are discussed.
REVIEW: Potential Effects of Vitamins A and D on Marbling Deposition in Beef Cattle

Abstract Seasonal variation in cattle grading Choice exists with percentages of carcasses grading higher in the spring and gradually declining throughout the summer with a low in October. Various nutritional or pharmacological agents have been shown to affect adipose conversion in vitro and in vivo. High (5 to 50 μM) levels of dietary fat-soluble vitamins, especially retinoic acid (RA) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 (D 3 ), inhibit adipocyte development, specifically bovine marbling, while lesser (≤10 nM) levels actively stimulate this deposition. This review was conducted to highlight the regulatory effects of vitamins A and D on adipocyte differentiation and offer a potential explanation for seasonal fluctuation in beef quality grades. Serum retinol concentration was negatively correlated with beef marbling index. Steers consuming diets containing low vitamin A concentration exhibited less serum retinol and produced greater marbling scores compared with steers consuming high vitamin A diets. Seasonal variation in quality grade may be explained by previous intake of vitamin A from lush forages and/or vitamin D synthesis from long day sun exposure. Cattle placed in the feedlots in spring or early summer are commonly grazed on lush forages, fed during the long day-length months and marketed in the fall, coinciding with seasonal lows for quality grade. Excessive circulating levels of vitamins A and D diminished adipocyte hyperplasia, lessened marbling score, and may partially explain seasonal depressions in carcasses grading Choice. Further research is necessary to elucidate the timing and dietary level of vitamins A and D during the finishing period and their relationship to high quality beef production.
Paradigms of Counseling and Psychotherapy, Revisited: Is Social Constructivism a Paradigm?

This article revisits the criteria outlined for definition of "paradigms" of counseling and psychotherapy. It defines the emergence of social constructivism as a philosophy with implications for counseling and psychotherapy. It delimits social constructivism by proposing several social constructivist tenets. Social constructivism is assessed against paradigm criteria, and an opinion is offered as to whether social constructivism represents a paradigm of counseling and psychotherapy. Implications of the paradigm analysis for the practice of mental health counseling are outlined.
Dronabinol increases pain threshold in patients with functional chest pain: a pilot double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

Summary Noncardiac chest pain is associated with poor quality of life and high care expenditure. The majority of noncardiac chest pain is either gastresophageal reflux disease related or due to esophageal motility disorders, and the rest are considered functional chest pain (FCP) due to central and peripheral hypersensitivity. Current treatment of FCP improves 40–50% of patients. Cannabinoid receptors 1 (CB1) and 2 (CB2) modulate release of neurotransmitters; CB1 is located in the esophageal epithelium and reduces excitatory enteric transmission and potentially could reduce esophageal hypersensitivity. We performed a prospective study to evaluate its effects on pain threshold, frequency, and intensity in FCP. Subjects with FCP received dronabinol (5 mg, twice daily; n = 7; average age, 44 years; mean body mass index, 26.7) or placebo (n = 6; average age, 42 years; mean body mass index, 25.9) for 28 days (4 weeks). Chest pain, general health, and anxiety/depression questionnaires were assessed at baseline and at 4 weeks. Subjects underwent an esophageal balloon distention test prior to treatment and on last day of the study. Dronabinol increased pain thresholds significantly (3.0 vs. 1.0; P = 0.03) and reduced pain intensity and odynophagia compared to placebo (0.18 vs. 0.01 and 0.12 vs. 0.01, respectively, P = 0.04). Depression and anxiety scores did not differ between the groups at baseline or after treatment. No significant adverse effects were observed. In this novel study, dronabinol increased pain threshold and reduced frequency and intensity of pain in FCP. Further, large scale studies are needed to substantiate these findings.
Entropy in the Circuits: McTeague’s Apocalyptic Posthumanism

Erik Larsen, “Entropy in the Circuits: McTeague ’s Apocalyptic Posthumanism” (pp. 509–538) This essay reinterprets Frank Norris’s novel McTeague: A Story of San Francisco (1899) as a depiction of the annihilating effects of entropy on human and material systems. Focusing on McTeague ’s lengthy and underanalyzed conclusion, in which McTeague flees into the heart of Death Valley, I argue that Norris’s descriptions of the desert identify an irresistible and destructive force guiding the disintegration of individuals, relationships, and ultimately the Earth itself. Drawing on the record of cultural anxieties surrounding the laws of thermodynamics in the nineteenth century, the essay demonstrates how McTeague exemplifies an “apocalyptic posthumanism” with implications far more disruptive to human exceptionalism than those of traditional biological determinism. The essay also interprets social, biological, and material systems in the novel as attempting, unsuccessfully, to resist entropic decline by channeling and diversifying forces through systems resembling electrical circuits. In this context, gold is read as the “current” or “currency” subtending California’s economic and social worlds, but also that which drives them to greater and greater states of entropic disorder and eventual collapse.
Attitude Tracking of Crew Exploration Vehicles (CEVs) Driven By Nonlinear On -Off Actuators

This work investigates the attitude control problem of Crew Exploration Vehicles (CEVs) driven by on-off actuators. A smooth Variable Structure Control (VSC) method is proposed to control the firing sequence of the Reaction Control System (RCS) so that CEV’s attitude is adjusted automatically. Due to the nonlinear relationship between the RCS command and the firing sequences, it is impractical to directly use the well-known inverse function method for control design. In this work we design the control rate (instead of the control action itself) directly so that the real control command is obtained by a simple integration. As a result, there is no need to search for inverse function, thus the design procedure is simplified and the computation burden is reduced. Furthermore, the integration smoothens the control action and removes the chattering problem in traditional VSC. It is shown that this method is computationally inexpensive and is able to ensure high precision CEV attitude tracking in the presence of system parameter uncertainties and varying operation conditions, as confirmed by both theoretical proof and computer simulations.
A constant-temperature mosquito-rearing apparatus.

A very satisfactory constant-temperature mosquitorearing apparatus has been in use at this laboratory for 3 years. With minor modifications, it should be adaptable to other aquatic organisms. The 2 basic principles incorporated into the design are (1) immersion of the pans in a circulating body of temperature-controlled water sufficiently large to minimize temperature fluctuations, and (2) use of heat lamps under the water bath for a thermostat response with the least possible time lag. Although immersed pans are used in the model here described, the entire water bath could itself be converted into a large rearing pan by removing the lid. This apparatus could be useful in mass rearing of mosquitoes or other organisms.
A Comparison of Sweepnet, Absolute, and Insectavac Sampling Methods in Cotton Ecosystems

Regressions of insectavac (IV) and sweepnet samples on absolute samples were run on 24 groups of insects in 12 genera, 1 family, and 5 superfamilies. The IV sampled more insects on a per unit basis and gave a more accurate estimate of population density and variation than did the sweepnet samples. The IV produced samples with greater predictive value in return for less human effort than the sweepnet; however, the insectavac is more expensive to operate than is the sweepnet.
Irregularly timed sequential mode alternation and pattern dynamics in a bidirectional ring resonator with a photorefractive medium

Odd and irregular patterns are well known m photorefractive systems but careful studies have revealed evidence of deterministic chaos in the temporal evolution1 and complex, but ordered, spatio-temporal dynamics such as chaotic itinerancy (irregularly- timed deterministically driven, sequential mode alternation)2,3 and pattern evolution that is efficiently described by defect dynamics.3,4 These prior studies have been focused mainly on unidirectional ring resonators using two-beam coupling3 or phase- conjugate resonators in which the medium is used as one mirror.4
Counterfeit money, starring Patty Hearst

This essay explores non-monetary uses of money in the Pacific world circa 1800: the ways in which coins were used not as tokens of exchange, but as raw materials for artistic elaboration. Historically, to counterfeit did not necessarily have the negative forgery-falsification connotations that it has today. Counterfeiting could just mean copying; etymologically, counterfeit means ‘to make in opposition or contrast.’ Connecting Mexico to Manila to Canton to Jingdezhen to Alaska to California to Peru, this project considers economically dominated histories of relations between China and the Americas (in which the Americas are a passive source of raw materials for a dominant core power), as well as how cross-cultural appropriations of physical goods allow us to see material culture with greater precision: in particular, the relations of money and ornament.
Preparation of Cilia from Human Airway Epithelial Cells

Publisher Summary This chapter describes procedures for preparing cilia from human airway epithelial cells. In the last several years, the techniques used for culturing airway epithelial cells from both animal and human tissue have improved significantly. When cultured at an air–liquid interface on a collagen matrix and provided with suitable media, these cells have been shown to undergo ciliogenesis in vitro . The use of a nonionic detergent in the presence of calcium causes the cilia to be removed from the cell at a point just above the apical membrane, leaving the basal bodies intact. Gently wash the mucus from the apical surface of the culture with at least two rinses of 2 ml of chilled phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Add the PBS to the surface of the culture, swirl gently, and aspirate. If the cultures are producing large amounts of mucus, perform additional washes until the visible mucus is removed.
Does the Second Amendment Protect the Gun Rights of Persons With Mental Illness

Under federal law, persons who have been involuntarily hospitalized for psychiatric reasons are permanently barred from gun possession. That policy was challenged in 2012 by a Michigan man who had been committed 25 years earlier and who was blocked in 2011 from buying a gun. Considering his claim, the Sixth Circuit held that people with mental illness are not categorically excluded from Second Amendment protection and that an irreversible lifetime ban was unconstitutional. Although many mental health organizations and practitioners favor gun restrictions, they oppose discriminatory treatment of persons with mental illness, creating ambivalence about the decision, which presages greater involvement of mental health professionals in decisions regarding gun rights restoration.
At Federally Funded Health Centers, Medicaid Expansion Was Associated With Improved Quality Of Care

In 2014 many uninsured, low-income nonelderly adults gained access to health insurance in states that expanded Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act. Federally funded community health centers were likely to be particularly affected by this expansion because many of their patients were uninsured and low income. We used a difference-in-differences approach to compare changes among 1,057 such centers in expansion versus nonexpansion states from 2011 to 2014, in terms of their patients’ insurance coverage, the number of patients they served, and the quality of care they provided. Medicaid expansion was associated with large increases (12 percentage points) in Medicaid coverage and corresponding declines (11 percentage points) in uninsurance rates. The numbers of patients served increased in both expansion and nonexpansion states, and the magnitude of increase did not differ significantly between the groups of states. Medicaid expansion was associated with improved quality on four of eight measure...
Using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale: A Cautionary Tale.

The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is the most widely used deficit rating scale in modern neurology: over 500 000 healthcare professionals have been certified to administer it using a web-based platform. Every clinical trial in vascular neurology—prevention, acute treatment, recovery—requires a severity assessment, and the NIHSS became the gold standard for stroke severity rating after the first successful trial in acute stroke therapy, the NINDS r-tPA (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator) for Acute Stroke Trial (the Trial).1 As part of the Trial, detailed and rigorous training/certification procedures were created for the NIHSS that facilitate wider use of the scale outside of research.2 Today, payers and regulators demand reportable data on patient outcomes, and such outcomes must be adjusted for baseline severity: the NIHSS has become the de facto metric for regulatory compliance. The Joint Commission, as part of its certification program for Primary Stroke Centers, now requires an NIHSS score within 12 hours of admission for all stroke patients; this assessment is to be done by a certified examiner.3,4 Federal agencies also require outcomes adjusted for baseline stroke severity—using the NIHSS.5 Despite widening regulatory requirements, considerable problems may arise in using the NIHSS in clinical practice because the scale was designed for research purposes.6 Given that the scale was not designed for such widespread—and determinative—application, anyone using (or mandating use of) the NIHSS must understand its development history, clinimetric properties, and its proper bedside administration. During the late 1980s, several stroke-deficit rating scales were in use.7–10 For use in a National Institutes of Health–sponsored trial of naloxone for acute stroke, investigators combined scales that had been developed at the University of Cincinnati, Canadian neurological scale, the Edinburgh-2 coma scale, and the Oxbury …
Wavelength scale terahertz spectrometer based on extraordinary transmission

Subwavelength-slotted parallel plate waveguides exhibit a localized electromagnetic resonance bound to the slits at a frequency slightly below the transverse electric cutoff [R. Merlin, Phys. Rev. X 2, 031015 (2012)]. The resonance is long-lived and, as opposed to the vanishingly small transmission shown by a single sub-wavelength aperture, it gives perfect transmission for perfectly conducting plates. We show that the aperture-supported resonances of a pair of slotted copper plates have long lifetimes at Terahertz (THz) frequencies. Finite element method calculations show that these bound resonances can have quality factors greater than 100. The effects of the plate dimensions and imperfect parallel alignment are also discussed. Using THz time domain spectroscopy, we measured the transmission of a broadband pulse through a test structure for several plate separations and demonstrated, as a proof-of-principle, the function of the slotted waveguide as a highly compact THz spectrometer.
Opiate dependence induces cell type-specific plasticity of intrinsic membrane properties in the rat juxtacapsular bed nucleus of stria terminalis (jcBNST)

Drugs of abuse can alter circuit dynamics by modifying synaptic efficacy and/or the intrinsic membrane properties of neurons. The juxtacapsular subdivision of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (jcBNST) has unique connectivity that positions it to integrate cortical and amygdala inputs and provide feed-forward inhibition to the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), among other regions. In this study, we investigated changes in the synaptic and intrinsic properties of neurons in the rat jcBNST during protracted withdrawal from morphine dependence using a combination of conventional electrophysiological methods and the dynamic clamp technique. A history of opiate dependence induced a form of cell type-specific plasticity characterized by reduced inward rectification associated with more depolarized resting membrane potentials and increased membrane resistance. This cell type also showed a lower rheobase when stimulated with direct current (DC) pulses as well as a decreased firing threshold under simulated synaptic bombardment with the dynamic clamp. Morphine dependence also decreased excitatory postsynaptic potential amplification, suggesting the downregulation of the persistent Na+ current (I NaP). These findings show that a history of morphine dependence leads to persistent cell type-specific plasticity of the passive membrane properties of a jcBNST neuronal population, leading to an overall increased excitability of such neurons. By altering the activity of extended amygdala circuits where they are embedded, changes in the integration properties of jcBNST neurons may contribute to emotional dysregulation associated with drug dependence and withdrawal.
Racial disparity and survival outcomes between African-American and Caucasian American men with penile cancer.

Objective To determine whether there is a survival difference for African-American men (AAM) versus Caucasian American men (CM) with penile squamous cell carcinoma (pSCC), particularly in locally advanced and metastatic cases where disease mortality is highest. Patients and methods Using the Florida Cancer Data System, we identified men with pSCC from 2005 to 2013. We compared age, follow-up, stage, race, and treatment type between AAM and CM. We performed Kaplan-Meier analysis for overall survival (OS) between AAM and CM for all stages, and for those with locally advanced and metastatic disease. A multivariable model was developed to determine significant predictors of OS. Results In all, 653 men (94 AAM and 559 CM) had pSCC and 198 (30%) had locally advanced and/or metastatic disease. A higher proportion of AAM had locally advanced and/or metastatic disease compared to CM (38 [40%] vs 160 [29%], P = 0.03). The median (interquartile range) follow-up for the entire cohort was 12.6 (5.4-32.0) months. For all stages, AAM had a significantly lower median OS compared to CM (26 vs 36 months, P = 0.03). For locally advanced and metastatic disease, there was a consistent trend toward disparity in median OS between AAM and CM (17 vs 22 months, P = 0.06). After adjusting for age, stage, grade, and treatment type, AAM with pSCC had a greater likelihood of death compared to CM (hazard ratio 1.64, P = 0.014). Conclusions AAM have worse OS compared to CM with pSCC and this may partly be due to advanced stage at presentation. Treatment disparity may also contribute to lessened survival in AAM, but we were unable to demonstrate a significant difference in treatment utilisation between the groups.
A Rare Case of Pediatric Vaginal Yolk Sac Tumor.

A 14-month-old girl was evaluated for intermittent vaginal bleeding. Vaginoscopy revealed a friable tumor, and biopsy results confirmed a yolk sac tumor. Alpha-fetoprotein was elevated (1386 ng/mL) at diagnosis but quickly normalized with chemotherapy. The patient remained tumor-free 12 months after diagnosis without the need for radical surgery. Although rare, malignant tumors of the vagina must be included in the differential diagnosis of prepubertal girls who present with vaginal bleeding. Primary yolk sac tumor of the vagina is seen in girls less than 3 years of age and is treated with chemotherapy with or without surgical excision. Prognosis is good with appropriate treatment.
Seven Layers of Strength in a Model Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Program.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to propose a framework for the types of practices and ideologies that the most successful clinical-based, early childhood teacher education programs use to...