cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
50% dextrose: antidote or toxin?

The empiric administration of 50% dextrose to all patients presenting to the ED with altered mental status is a standard of care predicated on the assumption that glucose administration is harmless to non-hypoglycemic patients. Considerable evidence now disputes this assumption. Glucose administration before complete cerebral ischemia in experimental animals worsens neurologic and histologic outcome. Administration of glucose during severe incomplete ischemia has a similar detrimental effect. The translation of these experimental findings into clinical practice has been slow, perhaps hindered by the frequent use of rodent models and large bolus doses of glucose. However, evidence is now provided by primate and human studies and by experimental designs using clinically relevant doses of glucose. These clinical and experimental findings in conjunction with the wide availability of a rapid bedside screen for hypoglycemia provide the rationale for an alteration in the standard of care. The empiric administration of glucose should be avoided in patients at risk for cerebral ischemia, such as those with acute stroke, impending cardiac arrest, or severe hypotension or receiving CPR. A bedside fingerstick blood glucose estimation should be performed immediately on all patients presenting with altered mental status. The administration of 50% dextrose should be reserved for those patients in whom hypoglycemia is demonstrated; this practice will uphold Hippocrates' most basic principle of clinical medicine, "The physician must ... do no harm."
Feasibility Evaluation of Nonconvex Systems Using Shape Reconstruction Techniques

Optimal and feasible operation of process plants demands accurate knowledge of the effect of parameter uncertainty on process design and operation. There has been considerable effort toward accurate representation of the feasible operation range, and different metrics have been proposed in the literature to quantify the operational flexibility. While these methods are largely successful in addressing convex problems, their applicability becomes restricted for general nonconvex problems. The feasibility analysis technique proposed in this paper considers the feasible region as an object and applies surface reconstruction ideas to capture and define the shape of the object. The procedure starts by first sampling the feasible region to have a representation of the feasible space and then constructing an α shape with the sampled points, thus generating a polygonal representation of the feasible parameter space. Finally, any point can be checked for its feasibility by applying the point-in-polygon algorithm. T...
Rigorous sufficient conditions for index-guided modes in microstructured dielectric waveguides

We derive a sufficient condition for the existence of indexguided modes in a very general class of dielectric waveguides, including photonic-crystal fibers (arbitrary periodic claddings, such as “holey fibers”), anisotropic materials, and waveguides with periodicity along the propagation direction. This condition provides a rigorous guarantee of cutoff-free index-guided modes in any such structure where the core is formed by increasing the index of refraction (e.g. removing a hole). It also provides a weaker guarantee of guidance in cases where the refractive index is increased “on average” (precisely defined). The proof is based on a simple variational method, inspired by analogous proofs of localization for two-dimensional attractive potentials in quantum mechanics.
Toward Automating the Discovery of Decreasing Measures

An often neglected part of proof automation is simply admitting recursive function definitions into a constructive logic. Since function termination in general is undecidable, current generation theorem provers are quick to involve the human. There is, however, a substantial subset of the class of recursive functions for which termination arguments can be provided automatically. In particular, when the ordinal measure used to justify termination is less than $$\omega^{\omega}$$ , we provide algorithms and proofs that guarantee optimum results, given the capability of existing proof libraries on the theorem-proving system.
911 IgE AND IgG ANTI-POLLEN ANTIBODIES IN DOGS AFTER VIRUS INFECTIONS

In infants born into allergic families,we reported a co-incidental association between viral infections and onset of allergy. Dogs are the only animals with frequent naturally occurring allergies. A colony of allergic dogs was established by screening 220 hunting dogs for high titers of IgE antibodies to grass and weed pollens. Six animals (4 females,2 males) that had 105+ IgE-PCA titer were bred and their offspring also inbred. At 4,8,12 weeks of age, puppies received their live attenuated distemper virus vaccine and 2 and 9 days later, 10 μg of 5% mixed grass and ragweed pollen extracts in alum were injected s.c. The vaccinated puppies made significantly more IgE antibodies to pollens than did their unvaccinated littermates. In May 1980, a parvovirus diarrhea epidemic struck the colony affecting all the dogs; 2 litters of young puppies died. During the diarrhea,all dogs were given 10 μg 5% pollen extracts in alum. IgE and IgG antibodies to pollens were measured by RAST using rabbit anti-canine e and γ-chain sera, respectively. In 6 litters (23 dogs),there was universally, a brisk 2 to 5-fold rise in IgE antibodies to one or both pollens within the next 6 weeks;in another 9 dogs the rise occurred in 3 months. In 8/32 dogs,IgG antibodies rose 2-fold. All infected dogs had a 4-fold+ rise in parvovirus antibodies. The high IgE anti-pollen antibodies have been maintained in 80%. Eczematous rashes developed in 10%. We suggest that certain virus infections cause “allergic breakthrough” by depressing TS-E cells for IgE antibody production.
Schwarz-Christoffel Digital Filters

Every simple self-conjugate polygonal path is the Nyquist plot of a causal stable filter. Therefore, filters exist with large frequency intervals of constant phase shift.
Theoretical effects of radioligand diffusional gradients and microscopic neuroreceptor distribution in in vivo kinetic studies.

A simplified one-dimensional model system was used to test the possibility that physically realistic parameters would lead to the prediction of microscopic heterogeneity of radioligand distribution in the brain and that microscopic heterogeneity of radioligand and neuroreceptor distribution could influence the macroscopically observedin vivo kinetics. The model was represented mathematically by a partial differential equation which is similar to the heat diffusion equation, but with special boundary conditions. The equation was solved analytically under the condition of negligible receptor occupancy by inversion of the Laplace transform and in the more general case of arbitrary receptor occupancy by cubic spline approximation. In simulations with physically reasonable values for rate constants and parameters, we find that significant radioligand gradients can occur. Thus, the level of radioligand in the immediate vicinity of the receptor may be substantially different from the average level in a macroscopically measured region of interest. In order to analyze the simulated data, we derived a rigorous steady-state solution, including both a statement of necessary and sufficient conditions for the validity of the steady-state approximation as well as a demonstration of the proper technique for assessing the consistency of the derived parameter with the requirements of the approximation. The radioligand heterogeneity leads to significant errors in the parameters estimated in the steady-state kinetic analysis. In particular, the pseudo first-order rate constant for radioligand-neuroreceptor association, which is often used as a measure of the total amount of neuroreceptor, is underestimated. The first-order rate constant for radioligand-neuroreceptor dissociation is also underestimated. These effects can partially account for the experimentally-observed discrepancy betweenin vivo andin vitro estimates of these kinetic parameters.
Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator and the Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein Mediate Cerebral Ischemia-Induced Nuclear Factor-κB Pathway Activation

Tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) is a serine proteinase found in the intravascular space and the central nervous system. The low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) is a member of the low-density lipoprotein receptor gene family found in neurons and astrocytes. Cerebral ischemia induces activation of the nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway. The present study investigated the role that the interaction between tPA and LRP plays on middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)-induced NF-κB-mediated inflammatory response. We found that MCAO increased LRP expression primarily in astrocytes and that this effect was significantly decreased in the absence of tPA. The onset of the ischemic insult induced activation of the NF-κB pathway in wild-type and plasminogen (Plg−/−)-deficient mice, and this effect was attenuated after inhibition of LRP or genetic deficiency of tPA. Moreover, administration of tPA to tPA−/− mice resulted in activation of the NF-κB pathway comparable with that observed in wild-type and Plg−/− mice. We also report that inhibition of either tPA activity or LRP or genetic deficiency of tPA resulted in a significant decrease in MCAO-induced nitric oxide production and inducible nitric-oxide synthase expression. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that after MCAO the interaction between tPA and LRP results in NF-κB activation in astrocytes and induction of inducible nitric-oxide synthase expression in the ischemic tissue, suggesting a cytokine-like plasminogen-independent role for tPA during cerebral ischemia.
Analysis of Fc gamma receptors on human peripheral blood leukocytes by flow microfluorometry. I. Receptor distributions on monocytes, T gamma cells and cells labeled with the 3Al anti-T cell monoclonal antibody.

A dual parameter flow microfluorometric technique for accurately measuring Fc gamma receptor (FcR) expression on defined subsets of cells within a heterogeneous cell sample was developed. The FcR distribution of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells consists of three distinct peaks. By analyzing cells fluorescently labeled with the 3Al, an anti-T cell hybridoma antibody (using a green-emitting fluorophore) and for FcR (with a red-emitting fluorophore), and by using cell isolation procedures, it was shown that the cells lying within the peak with intermediate FcR density are mainly monocytes, while cells lying within the peaks with highest and lowest (i.e. negative) FcR densities are predominantly T cells. The FcR+ T cells (T gamma cells) express higher levels of the 3Al antigen than other T cells, thus demonstrating the utility of the 3Al hybridoma antibody as a marker for T gamma cells.
Effect of acclimatization to low temperature and reduced light on the response of reef corals to elevated temperature

This study tested the effects of acclimatization on the response of corals to elevated temperature, using juvenile massive Porites spp. and branching P. irregularis from Moorea (W149°50′, S17°30′). During April and May 2006, corals were acclimatized for 15 days to cool (25.7°C) or ambient (27.7°C) temperature, under shaded (352 μmol photons m−2 s−1) or ambient (554 μmol photons m−2 s−1) natural light, and then incubated for 7 days at ambient or high temperature (31.1°C), under ambient light (659 μmol photons m−2 s−1). The response to acclimatization was assessed as biomass, maximum dark-adapted quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm), and growth, and the effect of the subsequent treatment was assessed as Fv/Fm and growth. Relative to the controls (i.e., ambient temperature/ambient light), massive Porites spp. responded to acclimatization through increases in biomass under ambient temperature/shade, and low temperature/ambient light, whereas P. irregularis responded through reduced growth under ambient temperature/shade, and low temperature/ambient light. Acclimatization affected the response to thermal stress for massive Porites spp. (but not P. irregularis), with an interaction between the acclimatization and subsequent treatments for growth. This interaction resulted from a lessening of the negative effects of high temperature after acclimatizing to ambient temperature/shade, but an accentuation of the effect after acclimatizing to low temperature/shade. It is possible that changes in biomass for massive Porites spp. are important in modulating the response to high temperature, with the taxonomic variation in this effect potentially resulting from differences in morphology. These results demonstrate that corals can acclimatize during short exposures to downward excursions in temperature and light, which subsequently affects their response to thermal stress. Moreover, even con-generic taxa differ in this capacity, which could affect coral community structure.
Magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosis of digital flexor tendon rupture after primary repair

Because the clinical diagnosis of rupture of a digital flexor tendon was uncertain 10 days after primary repair, magnetic resonance imaging was used for evaluation, correlating precisely with the surgical pathology. This non-invasive tool can be very helpful in the early post-operative period when active flexion is not possible to aid in the clinical diagnosis of tendon rupture.
Concept for facilitating analyst-mediated interpretation of qualitative chromatographic-mass spectral data: an alternative to manual examination of extracted ion chromatograms.

A chemometrics-based data analysis concept has been developed as a substitute for manual inspection of extracted ion chromatograms (XICs), which facilitates rapid, analyst-mediated interpretation of GC- and LC/MS(n) data sets from samples undergoing qualitative batchwise screening for prespecified sets of analytes. Automatic preparation of data into two-dimensional row space-derived scatter plots (row space plots) eliminates the need to manually interpret hundreds to thousands of XICs per batch of samples while keeping all interpretation of raw data directly in the hands of the analystsaving great quantities of human time without loss of integrity in the data analysis process. For a given analyte, two analyte-specific variables are automatically collected by a computer algorithm and placed into a data matrix (i.e., placed into row space): the first variable is the ion abundance corresponding to scan number x and analyte-specific m/z value y, and the second variable is the ion abundance corresponding to s...
Second-Site Suppressor Mutations of Inactivating Substitutions at Gly247 of the Tetracycline Efflux Protein, Tet(B)

An Asp or Asn substitution for Gly247 in transmembrane helix 8 (TM-8) of Tet(B), the tetracycline efflux protein, eliminated tetracycline resistance. Second site suppressor mutations which partially restored resistance were located in TM-5, -8, -10, or -11 or in cytoplasmic loop 8-9 or loop 10-11. These results indicate physical proximity or functional relationships between TM-8 and these other regions of Tet(B).
Combined DFT and Microkinetic Modeling Study of Hydrogen Oxidation at the Ni/YSZ Anode of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

The oxidation mechanism of H2 fuel at the three-phase boundary of Ni/YSZ has been investigated under experimental solid oxide fuel cell conditions by a combination of density functional theory and microkinetic modeling. It is shown that the O migration pathway is 2–4 orders of magnitude faster than the H spillover and OH migration pathways. Bulk oxygen diffusion in YSZ is rate-limiting at low temperatures, and H transfer from Ni to YSZ to form water becomes rate-limiting at high temperatures.
Nutrition and skin ulcers

Purpose of review Skin ulcerations cause significant morbidity and mortality, while driving up healthcare utilization and costs. Interventions to prevent ulcers and improve wound healing times are needed to reduce the burden on patients and healthcare systems. It has been well established that weight loss, protein-calorie malnutrition, and dehydration are risk factors for pressure ulcers. Many nutritional interventions have been studied, with studies being of variable quality and producing mixed results. This review aims to clarify the current evidence and highlights the recent advances in the area of nutrition for the prevention and management of skin ulceration. Recent findings Markers for assessing nutritional status will be reviewed first, followed by a discussion on the theoretical benefit of various nutritional interventions on wound healing. Recommendations for nutrient repletion are also included. Finally, the most recent or important literature will be highlighted and the risks and benefits of supplementation are debated. There is mixed evidence for most nutritional interventions, with most studies being of poor quality with variable study designs, lack of control groups, small sample sizes, and short study lengths. Summary Long-term randomized trials of individual nutrients and clinically relevant endpoints are needed to definitively show the benefit of additional nutritional supplementation over dietary interventions. Until those studies become available, best evidence suggests the importance of screening for malnutrition, calculating resting energy expenditure and caloric needs, and monitoring dietary intake of essential nutrients.
Nursing care of inpatients with borderline personality disorder.

TOPIC. This paper reviews the current literature on the nursing care of inpatients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Information is included about the background and various features of BPD, and recent conceptualizations and predicted outcomes for BPD patients are provided. The effect of caring for patients with BPD on the nursing staff is discussed. CONCLUSIONS. With proper education, support, and clinical supervision, the difficulties of caring for patients with BPD for the nursing staff can be reduced, and beneficial outcomes can be achieved for the staff and patients. NURSING IMPLICATIONS. Patients with BPD can impact the entire multidisciplinary team. Understanding the dynamics of patients with BPD helps the staff to develop strategies to avoid splitting, acting-out behaviors, and negative impact on other patients and staff.
Blood analysis by Raman spectroscopy.

Concentrations of multiple analytes were simultaneously measured in whole blood with clinical accuracy, without sample processing, using near-infrared Raman spectroscopy. Spectra were acquired with an instrument employing nonimaging optics, designed using Monte Carlo simulations of the influence of light-scattering–absorbing blood cells on the excitation and emission of Raman light in turbid medium. Raman spectra were collected from whole blood drawn from 31 individuals. Quantitative predictions of glucose, urea, total protein, albumin, triglycerides, hematocrit, and hemoglobin were made by means of partial least-squares (PLS) analysis with clinically relevant precision (r2 values >0.93). The similarity of the features of the PLS calibration spectra to those of the respective analyte spectra illustrates that the predictions are based on molecular information carried by the Raman light. This demonstrates the feasibility of using Raman spectroscopy for quantitative measurements of biomolecular contents in highly light-scattering and absorbing media.
Synthesis of Radioiodinated Naltrindole Analogues: Ligands for Studies of Delta Opioid Receptors

Abstract Analogues of naltrindole and N1′-methylnaltrindole having radioiodine in the 7′-position of the indole ring have been prepared for evaluation as delta opioid receptor ligands. The no-carrier-added radiosyntheses were conducted by Cu(I) assisted nucleophilic exchange of radioiodide for bromide under reducing conditions at 190 °C. A combination of HPLC and solid-phase extraction gave the 125 I- or 123 I-labeled products in satisfactory yields (47%) with high radiochemical purities (>98%) and high specific activities ( 125 I: 43–68 GBq/μmol, 1155–1833 mCi/μmol; 123 I: >92GBq/μmol, 2500mCi/μmol).
Gain and fluorescence characteristics of flowing CO 2 laser systems

Single-pass gain has been measured for flowing CO 2 , CO 2 -N 2 , CO 2 -He, CO 2 -N 2 -He, and CO 2 -N 2 -H 2 mixes. The gain for CO 2 -N 2 mixes varies as d-0.9, where d is the tube diameter. The diameter dependence of the gain is less pronounced for CO 2 - N 2 -He mixes; a peak gain of 4.7 dB/m was obtained in a 1/2 in diam tube. Fluorescence data indicate that the upper laser level population is saturated at 100 mA in all cases. The addition of He, H 2 , or O 2 depopulates the lower laser level; helium further increases the population of the upper laser level. The addition of CO increases the population of the upper laser level, probably by resonant transfer from the excited vibrational states of CO.
Statistical model for the formation of excited atoms in the sputtering process

The formation of excited neutral atoms in the sputtering process has not previously been satisfactorily explained. It is shown that a reasonable description can be developed by the consideration of the inelastic energy transfer in the final collision associated with the sputtering of a surface atom. For low enough kinetic energies this inelastic energy transfer is proportional to the kinetic energy given to the sputtered atom. The result is an expression which reproduces in detail experimental measurements of the relative yields of sputtered excited atoms, and gives reasonable agreement with experiment regarding their kinetic energies and absolute yields. The expression equates the yield of the ith state to 2g/sub i/UK..sigma../sup infinity//sub k/ = iG/sup -1//sub k/ (epsilon/sup -1//sub k/-epsilon/sup -1//sub k/+1), where g/sub i/ is the degeneracy, U is the surface binding energy, G/sub i/ is the cumulative degeneracy (namely, G/sub i/ = g/sub 0/+g/sub 1/+g/sub 2/+xxx+g/sub i/), and epsilon/sub i/ is the excitation energy.
Colchicine-induced modulation of collagenase in human skin fibroblast cultures. I. Stimulation of enzyme synthesis in normal cells.

Microtubule-active agents affect the secretion of a variety of proteins, including collagenase. To gain insight into the mechanisms involved in this process, we examined the effects of colchicine on the synthesis, secretion, and activity of human skin collagenase. When added to monolayer cultures of human skin fibroblasts, 10(-6) M colchicine produced a mean 3-fold increase in trypsin-activatable collagenase in the culture medium. Stimulation was not observed with lumicolchicine. The enhanced accumulation of collagenase was dose-dependent with 10(-9), 10(-8), 10(-7), and 10(-6) M colchicine giving collagenase activities/mg protein that were 100 +/- 6%, 165 +/- 20%, 186 +/- 34%, and 297 +/- 62% of control, respectively. Although the effect on collagenase was seen under conditions independent of cellular growth (i.e., in serum-free medium), maximum stimulation occurred in subconfluent cultures. The colchicine-induced increase in activity was paralleled by an increase in immunoreactive enzyme protein, suggesting stimulation of enzyme synthesis. The catalytic efficiency of the enzyme (activity per unit immunoreactive protein) was unchanged, however, indicating that a structurally normal enzyme was being synthesized. To examine the process in more detail, the biosynthesis of 3H-labeled collagenase was quantitated in these cultures by specific immunoprecipitation. Although 10(-6) M colchicine produced no increase in total protein synthesis, an increased rate of collagenase synthesis was seen after only 1.5 hr. These data suggest that colchicine has a specific effect on the synthesis of collagenase and may be a useful probe for studying its regulation.
A pilot study on the protein composition of induced nonpuerperal human milk.

Background:Our understanding of the components of human puerperal milk is extensive and increasing, yet the literature on nonpuerperal human milk has been limited to studies that measure the succes...
Creating and Sustaining a Campus Ethos Encouraging Student Engagement.

Ethos, the fundamental character of a culture that underlies its beliefs and customs, can create strong emotional attachments if it is thoughtfully conceived and carefully nurtured. Adrianna Kezar describes how several institutions tend this fundamental character, with positive results for student engagement.
Germ cell tumors complicated by pneumothorax

Spontaneous pneumothorax is an unusual consequence of pulmonary metastases. This complication occurs mainly in children and adolescents with primary osseous sarcomas and is extremely rare in patients with pulmonary metastases secondary to carcinomas. Germ cell tumors have a proclivity to metastasize to the lung, but few instances of pneumothorax have been recorded. The authors present 3 cases of pneumothorax secondary to pulmonary metastases from germ cell tumors, both gonadal and extragonadal in type.
Workshop: A maximum likelihood method for quasispecies spectrum assembly

RNA viruses depend on error-prone RNA polymerase for replication within an infected host. These errors lead to a high mutation rate which creates a highly diverse population of related variants [1]. This viral population is known as a quasispecies. As breakthroughs in next-generation sequencing have allowed for researchers to apply sequencing to new areas, studying genomes of viral quasispecies is now realizable. By understanding the quasispecies, more effective drugs and vaccines can be manufactured as well as cost-saving metrics for infected patients [2] implemented.
Regulation of APP Processing Potential for the Therapeutical Reduction of Brain Amyloid Burdena

The role of brain amyloid in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is discussed controversially, but combined genetic and biochemical evidence points to a central role of the gene encoding the amyloid precursor APP in at least some forms of AD. This article proposes that preventing brain amyloid formation is a rational concept for drug treatment of AD. We suggest that pharmacologically active ligands for specific cell surface receptor subtypes--normally stimulated by neurotransmitters, growth factors, and cytokines--constitute a class of chemicals that might be useful to accelerate processing of APP into non-amyloidogenic, and biologically active, derivatives. This class of agents includes muscarinic m1 and m3 agonists, serotoninergic 5-HT2a and 5-HT2c agonists, glutamatergic mGluR1 agonists, as well as agonists for bradykinin and vasopressin receptors.
Studies on the superprecipitation of actomyosin suspensions as measured by the change in turbidity II. The relationship to hydrolysis of adenosine and inosine triphosphate

Abstract Using a turbidity method, we have directly compared ATP- and ITP-induced superprecipitation with the hydrolysis of these nucleotides by actomyosin. Studies on the concentration dependence of the two processes indicate that superprecipitation requires the binding of nucleotide at two or more sites on the protein complex. The operation of ATP or ITP at the hydrolytic site may be one of these requirements, but it is not sufficient. The involvement of two different sites in superprecipitation was supported by the observation that ATP and ITP, together, can operate synergistically. When ITP modifies the protein, then ATP hydrolysis and ATP-induced superprecipitation appear to be stoichiometrically related.
Failure to obtain behavioral contrast when components change after reinforcement

The rate of pecking under the variable-interval component of a multiple variable-interval extinction schedule was investigated as a function of whether the components were changed after reinforcement or were changed on the basis of elapsed time. Behavioral contrast—an increase in the response rate during the unchanged variable-interval component—was observed when the components were changed on the basis of time, but not when the components were changed after reinforcement. These results support the hypothesis that behavioral contrast is primarily a result of selective reinforcement of short interresponse times.
A competence regulon in Streptococcus pneumoniae revealed by genomic analysis

Transformation in bacteria is the uptake and incorporation of exogenous DNA into a cell's genome. Several species transform naturally during a regulated state defined as competence. Genetic elements in Streptococcus pneumoniae induced during transformation were identified by combining a genetic screen with genomic analysis. Six loci were discovered that composed a competence-induced regulon. These loci shared a consensus promoter sequence and encoded proteins, some of which were similar to proteins involved in DNA processing during transformation in other bacteria. Each locus was induced during competence and essential for genetic transformation.
A toolbox model of evolution of metabolic pathways on networks of arbitrary topology.

In prokaryotic genomes the number of transcriptional regulators is known to be proportional to the square of the total number of protein-coding genes. A toolbox model of evolution was recently proposed to explain this empirical scaling for metabolic enzymes and their regulators. According to its rules, the metabolic network of an organism evolves by horizontal transfer of pathways from other species. These pathways are part of a larger “universal” network formed by the union of all species-specific networks. It remained to be understood, however, how the topological properties of this universal network influence the scaling law of functional content of genomes in the toolbox model. Here we answer this question by first analyzing the scaling properties of the toolbox model on arbitrary tree-like universal networks. We prove that critical branching topology, in which the average number of upstream neighbors of a node is equal to one, is both necessary and sufficient for quadratic scaling. We further generalize the rules of the model to incorporate reactions with multiple substrates/products as well as branched and cyclic metabolic pathways. To achieve its metabolic tasks, the new model employs evolutionary optimized pathways with minimal number of reactions. Numerical simulations of this realistic model on the universal network of all reactions in the KEGG database produced approximately quadratic scaling between the number of regulated pathways and the size of the metabolic network. To quantify the geometrical structure of individual pathways, we investigated the relationship between their number of reactions, byproducts, intermediate, and feedback metabolites. Our results validate and explain the ubiquitous appearance of the quadratic scaling for a broad spectrum of topologies of underlying universal metabolic networks. They also demonstrate why, in spite of “small-world” topology, real-life metabolic networks are characterized by a broad distribution of pathway lengths and sizes of metabolic regulons in regulatory networks.
Descriptive factors of abusive head trauma in young children--United States, 2000-2009.

OBJECTIVE: Abusive head trauma (AHT) is a leading cause of severe injury in maltreated children in the United States. There is little research from nationally representative datasets available to characterize young children who had AHT compared to non-abusive head trauma (NAHT). METHODS: Using the recent CDC AHT case definition, we performed a retrospective analysis of 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2009 hospitalization data using the Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Logistic regression was used to compare AHT to NAHT patients Language: en
Magnetic anisotropy of rare-earth—transition-metal compounds

The exchange coupling between rare-earth ($R$) and transition-metal ($T$) moments in ${R}_{x}{T}_{y}$ compounds is not so large as to hold the $R$ and $T$ moments rigidly parallel (for light rare-earth elements) or antiparallel (for heavy rare-earth elements); ionic magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy can be comparable to this intersublattice exchange. Anisotropy torques and/or an external field can induce canting between the sublattice moments. We show that this canting, even when small, can reduce the macroscopic effective anisotropy by a very large amount---more than an order of magnitude---from the intrinsic sublattice anisotropies. Consideration of the effects of canting reconcile hitherto conflicting reports, by spin-wave scattering and moment measurements, of the magnetic anisotropies of ${\mathrm{Ho}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Co}}_{17}$ and ${\mathrm{Ho}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Fe}}_{17}$. One conclusion of our analysis is that since a huge degeneration of macroscopic magnetic anisotropy, and hence of the coercivity, comes from sublattice flexing, it seems to follow that to increase coercivity one should be trying to increase $R\ensuremath{-}T$ exchange; the ionic magnetic anisotropy is already greater than its effective value.
A Preliminary Study of Music Therapy Programming for Severely Regressed Persons With Alzheimer's-Type Dementia:

Three male subjects with a primary diagnosis of Alzheimer's-type dementia participated in weekly, 30-minute music therapy sessions for 15 months. Subjects were selected randomly from among 29 residents of a nursing unit at Colmery-O'Neil Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Topeka, Kansas. All subjects were low functioning and required consistent supervision for behavioral management. Data were gathered in the last 11 weeks of the music therapy program for communicating, watching others, singing, interacting with an instrument, and sitting. Though the subjects deteriorated markedly in their cognitive, physical, and social capacities over the course of their disease in 15 months, data in the latter 11 weeks of the program indicated that they continued to participate in music activities in a structured group context. Data analyses showed that music participation was maintained over the course of the 11 weeks. Subjects consistently sat in chairs without physical restraints for the duration of each 30-minute se...
IMMUNOLOGICAL STUDIES OF ISOLATED PARTICULATES OF PARAMECIUM AURELIA : I. Antigenic Relationships Between Cytoplasmic Organelles and Evidence for Mitochondrial Variations as Demonstrated by Gel Diffusion

Mitochondria and other particulates—cilia, trichocysts, and "small granules"—have been isolated from several stocks of Paramecium aurelia, syngen 2. Antisera against these particles and against breis have been used to characterize the fractions by diffusion in gel. Evidence is presented for the relationship of particles, as demonstrated by immunologic cross-reactivity of the soluble antigens extracted from them. Although some antigens are unique for a fraction, cross-reacting antigens in two or more fractions, as determined by "spur" formation in agar, suggest a relationship between morphologically diverse particles. A procedure for studying cross-reactions in gels is described using the specific immobilization antigens as a model. The localization of these antigens within cilia, and perhaps trichocysts, has been confirmed. Other organelles, specifically mitochondria and "small granules," appear to alter their specificity spontaneously and reversibly during cell reproduction, a pattern reminiscent of the immobilization serotypes which can transform to one another during clonal growth.
Multisine excitation design to increase the efficiency of system identification analysis through undersampling and DFT optimization

Abstract Multisine excitations are commonly employed to measure the frequency response of a nonlinear system. A typical pseudo-logarithmically-spaced frequency distribution may be oversampled at a rate significantly greater than the Nyquist rate to ensure accurate signal reconstruction without aliasing. In this paper, two algorithms are presented for optimizing the frequency distribution of a multisine excitation signal such that the system output can be undersampled without corruption, resulting in compact DFT bin utilization. In addition, the optimized excitation signal is designed to approximate a user-defined frequency distribution and make allowances for harmonic frequencies generated by system nonlinearities. Results show that at least an eleven-fold improvement in DFT bin utilization is possible for an example two-decade logarithmically-spaced 25-tone excitation signal applied to a nonlinear system exhibiting both second and third order harmonics. The use of optimized excitation signals in power constrained applications, such as structural health monitoring, can help to increase adoption rates by reducing system complexity and power source requirements.
A Computational Complexity Analysis of an Algorithm for Reliability Optimization

Least-cost allocation of redundancy within subsystems of a series-parallel system to meet a requirement for system reliability may be modelled as a nonlinear integer program in which the number of variables is equal to the number of subsystems. The data are the system requirement, the reliabilities of the identical components within each subsystem and the costs of these components. The model has a linear cost function as its objective and a single non-linear constraint that enforces the requirement for system reliability. The continuous counterpart of the discrete problem can be solved by solving a polynomial equation. The main result of this paper is a bound on the effort required to obtain from the solution of the continuous relaxation the optimal numbers of redundant components for the subsystems.
Parallel generalized method of moments for analysis of transient scattering from PEC objects

The state of art of transient simulation using integral equation (TDIE) based methods has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few decades, both in terms of late time stability and computational complexity. This paper aims to address two additional functionalities: (i) development of a framework to enlarge the spatial approximation space using the generalized method of moments (GMM), and (ii) development of a robust parallel framework for accelerating plane wave time domain (PWTD) augmented GMM solvers. Preliminary results using GMM based TDIE solvers demonstrate the first of the desired attributes. Further results on parallelization and its integration with GMM based TDIE solvers will be presented at the conference.
Removal and utilization of ketone bodies by the brain of newborn puppies.

The removal of circulating ketone bodies by the brain was investigated in 0- to 8-day-old puppies under pentobarbital anaesthesia. Of the arterial acetoacetate (AcAc) and β-hydroxybutyrate (βOHB), 24 and 30 per cent, respectively, were removed by the brain. There was a direct correlation between the arterial concentrations of either AcAc or βOHB and the A-V difference of the respective ketone body across the brain. When a continuous infusion of Na-dl-3-hydroxybutyrate [3-14T] was administered for more than 2 h, labelling of both phospholipids and free cholesterol was consistently observed in all six areas of the brain that were sampled. We conclude that the removal and utilization of ketones is of physiological importance in the brain of newborn animals.
Cardiac myosin isoforms exhibit differential rates of MgADP release and MgATP binding detected by myocardial viscoelasticity

We measured myosin crossbridge detachment rate and the rates of MgADP release and MgATP binding in mouse and rat myocardial strips bearing one of the two cardiac myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms. Mice and rats were fed an iodine-deficient, propylthiouracil diet resulting in ~100% expression of β-MyHC in the ventricles. Ventricles of control animals expressed ~100% α-MyHC. Chemically-skinned myocardial strips prepared from papillary muscle were subjected to sinusoidal length perturbation analysis at maximum calcium activation pCa 4.8 and 17°C. Frequency characteristics of myocardial viscoelasticity were used to calculate crossbridge detachment rate over 0.01 to 5mM [MgATP]. The rate of MgADP release, equivalent to the asymptotic value of crossbridge detachment rate at high MgATP, was highest in mouse α-MyHC (111.4±6.2s(-1)) followed by rat α-MyHC (65.0±7.3s(-1)), mouse β-MyHC (24.3±1.8s(-1)) and rat β-MyHC (15.5±0.8s(-1)). The rate of MgATP binding was highest in mouse α-MyHC (325±32 mM(-1) s(-1)) then mouse β-MyHC (152±23 mM(-1) s(-1)), rat α-MyHC (108±10 mM(-1) s(-1)) and rat β-MyHC (55±6 mM(-1) s(-1)). Because the events of MgADP release and MgATP binding occur in a post power-stroke state of the myosin crossbridge, we infer that MgATP release and MgATP binding must be regulated by isoform- and species-specific structural differences located outside the nucleotide binding pocket, which is identical in sequence for these four myosins. We postulate that differences in the stiffness profile of the entire myosin molecule, including the thick filament and the myosin-actin interface, are primarily responsible for determining the strain on the nucleotide binding pocket and the subsequent differences in the rates of nucleotide release and binding observed among the four myosins examined here.
Issues Raised by Facilitated Communication for Theorizing and Research on Autism

There is considerable disagreement in the literature and among clinicians about the success of facilitated communication, a new method of augmentative communication being used with people diagnosed autistic. Some claim almost everyone exposed to it achieves success, basing their claims upon their observations and experiences of naturally occurring facilitated interactions. Others claim minimal or no success, basing their claims on their observations of facilitated interactions under controlled experimental conditions. I argue here that both claims can be valid and that FC users with autism are sometimes competent and other times incompetent, depending upon the conditions under which they are evaluated. I support my argument by offering a collaborative view of communication in place of the commonly held view that communication involves passing messages over an invisible conduit. Given the assumption that facilitated communication does allow for the expression of unexpected competence for many with autism, ...
An estimate of the global error frequency in translation.

Electrophoretic heterogeneity in a set of selected proteins is used to estimate the average error frequency during translation. Estimates based upon streptomycin-induced heterogeneity as well as mistranslation of an ochre codon yield an average error frequency of 4x10-4 for normally growing cells.
Electrophysiological studies of various graft lengths and lesion lengths in repair of nerve gaps in primates

✓ Electrophysiological studies were used to evaluate neurological recovery in 14 rhesus monkeys with different nerve lesion lengths and graft lengths. After exposure of both sciatic nerves in each animal, baseline evoked nerve action potentials, muscle action potentials, and muscle strength values were determined for the posterior tibial nerves. Each nerve was then crushed over a measured distance. Three weeks later, the crushed segments were resected and the defects repaired with sural nerve grafts. In seven animals, 20-mm resection sites were repaired by 4 × 20-mm grafts in one leg and by 4 × 40-mm grafts contralaterally. In the other seven animals, the lengths of resection sites were 10 mm in one leg and 30 mm contralaterally; both nerve defects in these animals were repaired by 4 × 30-mm grafts. Electrophysiological studies were repeated at one interval of either 4, 7, or 12 months after repair. Postoperative electrophysiological values were compared to baseline values and described by the mean values...
Somatization increases disability independent of comorbidity.

Background Somatoform disorders are an important factor in functional disability and role impairment, though their independent contribution to disability has been unclear because of prevalent medical and psychiatric comorbidity.
Review: Pharmacotherapy of obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with serious comorbid illnesses and diminished quality of life. At this time, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is the treatment of choice. However, only half of those individuals who accept CPAP are still using it at the end of one year. Furthermore, efficacy for improving self-reported sleepiness appears to be greater for patients with severe sleep apnea and severe sleepiness than other patient groups. Some patients, notwithstanding optimized therapy and therapeutic adherence continue experiencing excessive daytime somnolence. Consequently, other treatment modalities have developed, including oral appliances, surgery and pharmacotherapy. It is widely believed, albeit not empirically demonstrated, that an effective medication to treat OSA would elicit better acceptance and adherence than having to use a machine for many hours on a nightly basis. Nonetheless, paucity of data (i.e. lack of large-scale randomized controlled trials), variability of...
A prediction of helicopter rotor discrete frequency noise for three scale models using a new acoustics program

A new computer program which uses Farassat's most advanced subsonic time domain formulation has been written to predict helicopter rotor discrete frequency noise. A brief description of the program, WOPWOP, is followed by a comparison of predicted and experimentally measured acoustic pressure and spectra for a 1/4 scale UH-1 model rotor blade and a 1/7 scale OLS (AH-1G) model rotor blade. The C81 computer program was used to predict the spanwise loading on the rotor for aerodynamic input into the acoustic prediction. Comparisons are made for different flight conditions and microphone locations with good results. In general the acoustic pressure is underpredicted. The acoustic predictions for a tapered rotor blade and predictions for microphones well below the tip path plane show less underprediction. Finally, in-plane motion of the rotor blade is shown to significantly affect the peak-to-peak amplitude of the acoustic pressure for high advancing tip Mach numbers.
On coastal flow in the northeast gulf of Alaska near yakutat 1

Seasonal maps of geopotential topography and salinity at 10 m were prepared for a region in the northeast Gulf of Alaska near Yakutat. Coastal waters in this region receive considerable runoff in l...
Research lab funding debated

A bill aimed at rebuilding and modernizing scientific research facilities at colleges and universities has received mixed reviews in the academic community. While university administrators seem to agree that research buildings and laboratories desperately need revitalization, some officials differ with the funding mechanism set forth in the proposed legislation.
Implanon: a new implantable contraceptive.

In July 2006 six years after Norplant was removed from the U.S. market a new contraceptive implant Implanon was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Implanon is a single-rod progestin implant that is placed subdermally in the upper arm and is effective for up to three years. Its use has been studied in 17 countries including the United States. Organon USA the company marketing Implanon has reported extensive experience with the drug in more than 30 countries with approximately 2.5 million implants inserted since 1998. Implanon releases 68 mg of etonogesterel a third-generation progestin desogestrel metabolite with less androgenic activity than levonorgesterel. The single matchstick-size (4 cm x 2 mm) rod comes preloaded in a disposable sterile applicator. The system uses a carrier polymer ethylene vinyl acetate which provides controlled release over three years. (excerpt)