cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Complete Resolution of Severe Diarrhoea after Conversion from Mycophenolate Mofetil to Enteric-coated Mycophenolate Sodium (myfortic®) in a Patient at High Immunological Risk

The patient, a 49-year-old man, was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure as a result of chronic glomerulonephritis in 1986. After 5.5 years of haemodialysis, the patient received a first renal allograft in January1992. Sixmonths later, however, the patient experienced a dextrocerebral haemorrhage with sinistral hemiparesis, and rapid chronic transplant vasculopathy was diagnosed. Haemodialysiswas restarted and continued until a second renal transplant was undertaken in February 2002. Concomitant illnesses at the time of transplantation included renal anaemia, hypertension and secondary hyperparathyroidism, which necessitated a parathyroidectomy before transplantation. The second renal transplant proceeded without complications and postoperative dialysis was not necessary. Details of the transplantation are shown in table I. The patient’s hospital stay was uneventful, with no infections or episodes of acute rejection, and he was discharged with stable creatinine values of 150mmol/l, and details of the serum creatinine levels are shown in figure 1. The initial immunosuppressive regimen comprised cyclosporine microemulsion (CsA-ME; 150mg twice a day, trough level 130–150 ng/ ml), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF; 1000mg twice a day) and corticosteroids (day 0, 500mg intravenously; day 1, 250mg intravenously; day 2, 125mg intravenously, then 100mg/day by mouth) with antithymocyte globulin for 7 days (ATGFresenius; 5mg/kg per day). After 3 months, the CsA-MEmaintenance dose was reduced to 100mg twice a day (trough level 80–100 ng/ml). The steroid dose was tapered over the first 3 months post-transplant to a maintenance dose of 5mg/day. The patient experienced occasional bouts of diarrhoea that did not initially require any treatment. Cytomegalovirus seroconversion (pp65 positive) occurred several times and was successfully treated, initially with ganciclovir and subsequently with valganciclovir. In October 2003, cytomegalovirus-associated colitis was diagnosed by coloscopy and histological analysis. This was treated with intravenous ganciclovir and also required a reduction of the MMF dose from 1000mg twice a day to 500mg twice a day. The CsA-ME dose was increased (trough level 150 ng/ml) to ensure adequate immunosuppressant coverage. Serum creatinine was in the range 141–159mmol/l. Three months later, the patient complained of a substantial increase in the number of bouts of diarrhoea. Episodes started approximately 2 h after each dose of MMF, and were becoming more frequent over time, reaching 10–15 episodes a day, with approximately 3 kg weight loss in one week. CASE REPORT Drugs 2006; 66 Suppl. 2: 25–27 0012-6667/06/0002-0025/$44.95/0
Carbon monoxide and hydrogen adsorption on a calcium-covered polycrystalline platinum foil

Abstract The effect of Ca on the adsorption of CO and H 2 is investigated. Ca influences the desorption of both species.
Approximation of rolling-ball blends for free-form parametric surfaces

Abstract We present numerical methods for prescribed-precision approximation of constant-radius blends between intersecting parametric surfaces by G1 sequences of rational tensor-product patches. The construction is based on tracing the intersection of the offsets to the given surfaces, and corresponding normal projection curves on those surfaces, by a pseudo-arc-length predictor-corrector scheme. The resulting discrete point/ tangent data on these ‘spine’ and ‘trim’ curves are then used to formulate the constant-radius blend as a piecewise-rational surface with (approximately) circular isoparametric loci. Several measures of the accuracy of the blend-surface approximation are employed to govern the magnitude of the arc-length steps along the spine curve, and hence to guarantee the satisfaction of specified tolerances.
Convergence to equilibria for fluid models of head-of-the-line proportional processor sharing queueing networks

Fluid models have recently become an important tool for the study of open multiclass queueing networks. We are interested in a family of such models, which we refer to as head-of-the-line proportional processor sharing (HLPPS) fluid models. Here, the fraction of time spent serving a class present at a station is proportional to the quantity of the class there, with all of the service going into the “first customer” of each class. To study such models, we employ an entropy function associated with the state of the system. The corresponding estimates show that if the traffic intensity function is at most 1, then such fluid models converge exponentially fast to equilibria. When the traffic intensity function is strictly less than 1, the limit is always the empty state and occurs after a finite time. A consequence is that generalized HLPPS networks with traffic intensity strictly less than 1 are positive Harris recurrent. Related results for FIFO fluid models of Kelly type were obtained in Bramson [4].
Undergraduate Competencies Which Faculty Value.

Concern about the quality of higher education in the United States has led to vigorous debate about desired outcomes and assessment methods. Identifying desired outcomes in behavioural terms is one way to proceed to evaluation. What general competencies should undergraduates attain? The purpose of this research was to identify the commonalities in what faculty value as desired characteristic behaviours for undergraduate students. Performance evaluation provides a specific method for Identifying explicit behaviours which are associated with successful performance of a given role. Faculty at Drake University in Des Molnes, Iowa, were asked to rate the Importance of 111 selected behaviours. Factor analysis was used to analyse the data. The first seven factors were Personal Development, Research Activities, Conscientiousness, Self‐Confidence, Student Activities and Community Service, Oral Communication Skills, and Questioning. Comparison of these research results with desired outcomes Identified by four other...
Strategy construction using homomorphisms between games

One reason for changing the representation of a game is to make it similar to a previously solved game. As a definition of similarity, people have proposed homomorphism-like structures. Two such structures are discussed in this paper and it is proven that they "preserve" winning strategies. They are incomparable in their strength and areas of applicability; i.e., neither of them is a special case of the other. The games to which these homomorphisms have been applied are positional games and decomposable games. The reason for concentrating on these two classes of games is that powerful methods for playing these games are known. For motivation, these methods are briefly described in the paper. The two homomorphisms discussed in this paper effectively extend the methods for playing positional and decomposable games to a much larger class of games. For several specific games which are neither positional nor decomposable, it is shown how they can be played as though they were positional or decomposable by using the homomorphisms.
Are women more influenced than men by top-down semantic information when listening to disrupted speech?

Perception is a product of the interaction between bottom-up sensory processing and top-down higher order cognitive activity. For example, when the initial phoneme of a word is obliterated and replaced with noise, listeners hear it as intact provided there is semantic context. We modified this phonemic restoration paradigm by masking (not obliterating) the initial phoneme of a target word and presenting it within a carrier phrase which was informative (I), uninformative (U), or misinformative (M). Bias in favor of top-down context was measured as the extent to which M trials mislead listeners into reporting a target word other than that which was presented (relative to U trials that have irrelevant top-down semantic context). Forty-one participants (20 men) completed 600 test trials (300 delayed report of the phrase, 300 forced choice). Relative to the U condition, women were more affected by both the I and M cues than men, at certain levels of audibility during the forced choice condition. Moreover, the ...
Assessment of Local Bone Quality of the Distal Radius Using a Novel Hard Tissue Diagnostic Instrument

Senile osteoporosis has been defined as a skeletal disorder characterized by a deterioration of bone matrix with an increase in susceptibility to fracture with increasing age (1). Studies have shown that over 25 million Americans are currently afflicted with osteoporosis and/or osteopoenia, with this number doubling by 2020. (2) (3) With the propensity for fracture being large in older osteoporotic patients, quantification of bone mineral density (BMD) is essential for proper implant selection in the event of a fracture. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is the clinical gold standard for BMD assessment; however, the hardware associated with this technique is neither portable nor appropriate for intraoperative use, and both of these qualities are occasionally necessary clinically.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
The Uneasy Relationship between Social Contract Theory and Religious Toleration

This essay examines two ideas central to the liberal tradition and commonly associated in American political thought: social contract theory and religious toleration. Through the examination of four important cases-the religious establishments in early Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, and the thought of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke-I suggest that historically and conceptually these two ideas have little to do with each other and may be fundamentally at odds. By comparing debates over toleration in these four contexts, I seek to illuminate the tension and promise of building legitimate political authority while addressing religious diversity In doing so, I highlight this uneasy historical relationship between contractarianism and toleration.
Characterization of protein contributions to cobalt-carbon bond cleavage catalysis in adenosylcobalamin-dependent ethanolamine ammonia-lyase by using photolysis in the ternary complex.

Protein contributions to the substrate-triggered cleavage of the cobalt−carbon (Co−C) bond and formation of the cob(II)alamin-5′-deoxyadenosyl radical pair in the adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl)-dependent ethanolamine ammonia-lyase (EAL) from Salmonella typhimurium have been studied by using pulsed-laser photolysis of AdoCbl in the EAL-AdoCbl-substrate ternary complex, and time-resolved probing of the photoproduct dynamics by using ultraviolet−visible absorption spectroscopy on the 10−7−10−1 s time scale. Experiments were performed in a fluid dimethylsulfoxide/water cryosolvent system at 240 K, under conditions of kinetic competence for thermal cleavage of the Co−C bond in the ternary complex. The static ultraviolet−visible absorption spectra of holo-EAL and ternary complex are comparable, indicating that the binding of substrate does not labilize the cofactor cobalt−carbon (Co−C) bond by significantly distorting the equilibrium AdoCbl structure. Photolysis of AdoCbl in EAL at 240 K leads to cob(II)alamin-5′-d...
The effect of actin disrupting agents on contact guidance of human embryonic stem cells

Mammalian cells respond to their substrates by complex changes in gene expression profiles, morphology, proliferation and migration. We report that substrate nanotopography alters morpohology and proliferation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Fibronectin-coated poly(di-methyl siloxane) substrates with line-grating (600nm ridges with 600nm spacing and 600+/-150nm feature height) induced hESC alignment and elongation, mediated the organization of cytoskeletal components including actin, vimentin, and alpha-tubulin, and reduced proliferation. Spatial polarization of gamma-tubulin complexes was also observed in response to nanotopography. Furthermore, the addition of actin disrupting agents attenuated the alignment and proliferative effects of nanotopography. These findings further demonstrate the importance of interplay between cytoskeleton and substrate interactions as a key modulator of morphological and proliferative cellular response in hESCs on nanotopography.
Patient Education Materials Nurses Use in Community Health

This study examined the reading level of patient education materials commonly used by nurses in a local health department, a community health center, and a home health care agency, and it also examined the cultural and ethnically related information included in the content of the selected educational materials. Results showed that a ninth-grade reading level was required for these patient education materials. A commercially developed booklet on parenting skills for teenage parents required the lowest reading level (fifth grade). In contrast, graduate reading level was required for materials dealing with the patient's bill of rights. Culturally sensitive information was found in only 4 of the 47 materials. In the clinical settings in which these materials were used, more than 90 ethnic and cultural groups were served. The materials used to educate these groups failed to recognize cultural beliefs, values, languages, perceptions, and attitudes held by patients and families.
The allograft reaction as an index of genetic diversity in inbred chickens.

The main purpose of the study was to use the skin allograft reaction as a possible biological tool to estimate genetic diversity (inbreeding) in a population and to determine the relative influence on the B locus blood group locus on variation in graft rejection. In chickens, the B locus is the major histocompatibility system. One outbred and five inbred lines were used in 12 skin grafting experiments. Graft exchange also were made between certain line crosses. The study was based on 2172 allografts performed on 712 chickens.
Somatomotor related hippocampal rhythmic slow activity in the monkey (Macaca mulatta)

Abstract Hippocampal rhythmic slow activity (RSA) and its relation to somatomotor activity and heart rate (HR) were assessed in 128 sec observation periods in 2 monkeys under three behavioral conditions, i.e., look (at experimenter); reach (for food); struggle (against restraint); and one control condition (no monkey-experimenter interaction) which was interspersed between each behavioral condition. Two measures of hippocampal activity (in addition to HR) were taken: (1) percent RSA/128 sec (from filtered, 4–8 Hz, integrated signal); (2) Spectral analysis of unfiltered activity from first 10 sec of each observation period. Spectral analyses were done over 1–3, 4–8, 9–12, 13–20 Hz bands. Results showed that the greatest increases in RSA and HR were present during intense somatomotor activity (struggle condition) for both animals. RSA was variable during the reach and look conditions. RSA and HR were highly correlated under all conditions. Spectral analyses showed that reliable changes in energy were limited to the 4–8 Hz band. Results are discussed in terms of RSA-HR-somatomotor relationships in primates and infraprimates.
Retention of isoflavones and saponins during the processing of soy protein isolates

The mass balance of saponins during processing of soy protein isolates (SPI) was established, and the effects of precipitating and washing (P/W) temperatures (0, 10, 25, 40, and 50°C) on the retention of isoflavones and saponins were investigated in this study. About 41% of total saponins in soy flour (SF) were found to remain in SPI during processing, whereas 42% remained unextracted in the solid waste. None was detected in the whey or wash water. The study also revealed that only about 27% of total isoflavones from SF remained in the final SPI when P/W was performed at 50°C. As much as 40% of the total isoflavones could be retained in SPI when P/W was conducted at 25, 10, or 0°C. When the P/W temperature was 50°C, the percentages of total isoflavones lost during extraction, precipitation, and washing were 28, 22, and 6%, respectively. When the temperature was changed to 0°C, the percentages of isoflavones lost during extraction, precipitation, and washing were 28, 11, and 5%, respectively. The P/W temperatures did not affect the distribution of saponins in different streams during the processing of SPI. Lowering the P/W temperature did not significantly lower the protein content in SPI unless the temperature was reduced to 0°C.
Microstructural changes in HSLA-100 steel thermally cycled to simulate the heat-affected zone during welding

The microstructural changes that occur in a commercial HSLA-100 steel thermally cycled to simulate weld heat affected zone (HAZ) behavior were systematically investigated primarily by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Eight different weld thermal cycles, with peak temperatures representative of four HAZ regions (the tempered region, the intercritical region, the fine-grained austenitized region, and the coarse-grained austenitized region) and cooling rates characteristic of high heat input (cooling rate (CR) = 5 °C/s) and low heat input (CR = 60 °C/s) welding were simulated in a heating/quenching dilatometer. The as-received base plate consisted of heavily tempered lath martensite, acicular ferrite, and retained austenite matrix phases with precipitates of copper, niobiumcarbonitride, and cementite. The microstructural changes in both the matrix and precipitate phases due to thermal cycling were examined by TEM and correlated with the results of (1) conventional optical microscopy, (2) prior austenite grain size measurements, (3) microhardness testing, and (4) dilatometric analysis. Many of the thermal cycles resulted in dramatic changes in both the microstructures and the properties due to the synergistic interaction between the simulated position in the HAZ and the heat input. Some of these microstructures deviate substantially from those predicted from published continuous cooling transformation (CCT) curves. The final microstructure was predominantly dependent upon peak temperature(i.e., position within the HAZ), although the cooling rate(i.e., heat input) strongly affected the microstructures of the simulated intercritical and finegrained austenitized regions.
Effect of metal ions on the formation and function of osteoclastic cells in vitro

To determine if metal ions play a contributing role in loosening of orthopedic implants, the present work investigated whether sublethal concentrations of ions affect the formation and function of osteoclasts in vitro. Rat bone marrow cells were cultured on slices of devitalized bone and in the presence of ions associated with Co-Cr-Mo and Ti-6Al-4V alloys for up to four weeks. Cultures were assayed for total intracellular protein, used as measure of cell growth, and resorption activity of osteoclastic cells derived from hematopoietic stem cells was quantified using image analysis. Although Co2+ caused delayed toxicity not previously observed during short-term experiments, none of the other ions affected cell proliferation, indicating that the chosen concentrations were sublethal. In general, exposure of bone marrow cultures to ions caused either a decrease or no change in the total area of bone resorption. A decrease in the number of resorption pits formed by osteoclastic cells was primarily responsible for the decrease in total amount of resorption. Therefore, even though cells continued to grow over the entire culture period, less osteoclastic activity was observed. Findings indicate that if metal ions play a role in periprosthetic pathology, they may contribute to implant failure by impairing bone repair while allowing fibrous tissue formation following debris-induced osteolysis. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Stuttering and disfluency as two reliable and unambiguous response classes.

This experiment tested the utility of agreement as a method to separate stutterings and disfluencies into two reliable and unambiguous response classes. Reliability was determined by measures of in...
Sex and ovarian hormones influence vulnerability and motivation for nicotine during adolescence in rats.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine sex differences in sensitivity to nicotine's reinforcing effects during adolescence, a hormone transition phase characterized by rapid and marked changes in levels of gonadal hormones. Male and female rats were trained to self-administer nicotine (5 or 10 µg/kg/infusion) under a fixed-ratio 1 schedule beginning on postnatal day 30. Following acquisition, responding was assessed under a progressive-ratio schedule until postnatal day 45 with blood sampling occurring prior to the first 5 sessions in order to determine the relationship between gonadal hormones (i.e., estradiol and progesterone in females and testosterone in males) and responding for nicotine. Under low dose conditions, a greater percentage of females than males acquired nicotine self-administration. Under progressive-ratio testing conditions, although adolescent females and males initially responded at similar levels, by the end of the adolescent testing period, females responded at higher levels than males to obtain nicotine infusions. Levels of responding under the progressive-ratio schedule were negatively associated with progesterone and positively associated with the ratio of estradiol to progesterone. These findings demonstrate an enhanced sensitivity in adolescent females as compared to adolescent males to nicotine's reinforcing effects with evidence implicating circulating hormone levels as modulating this sensitivity.
Perceptual organization and White's illusion.

The apparent lightness of a surface can be strongly modulated by the spatial context in which it is embedded. Early theories of such context dependence emphasized the role of low-level mechanisms that sense border contrast, whereas a number of recent authors have emphasized the role of perceptual organization in determining perceived lightness. One of the simplest and most theoretically challenging lightness illusions was described by White. This illusion has been explained with a variety of different models, ranging from low-level filter outputs to computations underlying the extraction of mid-level representations of surfaces. Here, I present a new method for determining the organizational forces that shape this illusion. I show that the spatial context of White's pattern not only transforms the apparent lightness of homogeneous target patches, but can also induce dramatic inversions of figure–ground relationships of textured target regions. These phenomena provide new evidence for the role of scission ...
Episodic secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) in adolescent patients with the syndrome of gonadal dysgenesis.

In studies on plasma gonadotropins in patients with the syndrome of gonadal dysgenesis, we observed significant variations in the concentrations of plasma LH in serial samples. To examine this observation further, plasma gonadotropins were determined every 15 min for 2–5 hr in 7 patients with gonadal dysgenesis (10–20 yr old). All subjects were sexually immature and were studied before treatment with estrogens. Six of 7 had increased plasma FSH values and 5/7 had increased LH values. Plasma LH (LER 960) and FSH (LER 869) concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay. Significant episodic increases in plasma LH were found in all subjects with increased baseline values. Fourteen LH peaks occurred during a total of 20 hours of monitoring. The changes in plasma FSH usually paralleled the changes in LH, but the FSH peaks were broader and were statistically significant in only one patient. We conclude that LH is secreted episodically in adolescent patients with primary hypogonadism.
Synthetic Molecular Evolution of Pore-Forming Peptides by Iterative Combinatorial Library Screening

We previously reported the de novo design of a combinatorial peptide library that was subjected to high-throughput screening to identify membrane-permeabilizing antimicrobial peptides that have β-sheet-like secondary structure. Those peptides do not form discrete pores in membranes but instead partition into membrane interfaces and cause transient permeabilization by membrane disruption, but only when present at high concentration. In this work, we used a consensus sequence from that initial screen as a template to design an iterative, second generation library. In the 24–26-residue, 16,200-member second generation library we varied six residues. Two diad repeat motifs of alternating polar and nonpolar amino acids were preserved to maintain a propensity for non-helical secondary structure. We used a new high-throughput assay to identify members that self-assemble into equilibrium pores in synthetic lipid bilayers. This screen was done at a very stringent peptide to lipid ratio of 1:1000 where most known m...
Initial Evidence for the Reliability and Validity of the Student Risk Screening Scale with Elementary Age English Learners.

We report findings of a validation study exploring the Student Risk Screening Scale (SRSS; Drummond, 1994) for use with English learners (ELs) attending a large suburban elementary school. First, we explored the reliability of the SRSS by examining internal consistency, with results indicating adequate internal consistency (.83). Second, we examined and established a convergent validity of the SRSS scores with the social skills improvement system–performance screening guide (SSiS-PSG; Gresham & Elliott, 2007) and the systematic screening for behavior disorders (SSBD; Walker & Severson, 1992). Results indicated that SRSS scores were negatively correlated with SSiS-PSG scores, thereby suggesting that an increased behavioral risk is associated with decreases in teacher-reported reading performance, math performance, motivation to learn, and prosocial behaviors. In addition, the results yielded additional evidence of convergent validity with SSBD and SRSS scores. SRSS scores improved the chance estimates of p...
Relation between gender, etiology and survival in patients with symptomatic heart failure.

Objectives This study investigated the relation between gender, etiology and survival in patients with symptomatic heart failure. Background Previous work provides conflicting results concerning the relation between gender, clinical characteristics and survival in patients with heart failure. Methods We examined the relation of these factors in 557 patients (380 men, 177 women) who had symptomatic heart failure, predominantly nonischemic in origin (68%) and typically associated with severe left ventricular dysfunction. Results Follow-up data were available in 99% of patients (mean follow-up period 2.4 years, range 1 day to 10 years) after study entry, and 201 patients reached the primary study end point of all-cause mortality. By life-table analysis, women were significantly less likely to reach this primary end point than men (p Conclusions Women with heart failure due to nonischemic causes had significantly better survival than men with or without coronary disease as their primary cause of heart failure.
The Potential Impact of Disability Studies on Political Science (as well as vice‐versa)

The conjunction of two seemingly disparate fields of research such as disability studies and political science creates the potential of yielding results that are either familiar or unexpected. On the one hand, it is probable that the merger of these subjects might contribute insights that could expand the scope of investigations about disability and add one more important element to policy analysis. On the other hand, it is also possible that the reciprocal impact of these areas of research could expose significant anomalies in the dominant paradigms of either or both fields that might have a lasting effect. The first portion of this paper examines the impact of political science on disability studies; the second part assesses the potential effect of disability studies on political science; and the final segment explores the prospects for a new paradigm in political science that would permit an increased analysis of social movements and political identity, theories of social change, the phenomenon of paternalism, and the implications of differences in physical appearance.
Clinical Validation of the Bedbugg™ in Detection of Obstructive Sleep Apnea:

OBJECTIVE: To validate the accuracy of the Bedbugg™, a new home monitoring device for diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea.STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Simultaneous sleep monitoring was performed by f...
β-Endorphin: Characteristics of binding sites in the mouse brain

Abstract Binding of human β-endorphin to mouse brain membrane preparations has been characterized using the tritiated hormone as primary ligand. The binding was shown to be time and temperature dependent. The dissociation constant of the saturable binding was determined to be 0.5 nM. Both [Met 5 ]enkephalin and naloxone were found to complete with tritiated β-endorphin for the binding with a potency of 6.3 and 6.5% of the unlabeled hormone, respectively. Phospholipase A 2 isolated from Formosan cobra venom was shown to be a potent inhibitor of the binding with a 50% inhibition concentration of 26 nM. Although Na + , K + , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ were found individually to exert a profound inhibition on the binding, the combined salt solution (Tyrode) did not abolish the specific binding of tritiated β-endorphin to the mouse brain membrane preparations.
Constraints on aspherical core structure from PKiKP-PcP differential travel times

[1] We have assembled a data set of 302 differential PKiKP-PcP travel times that were recorded by seismic array stations of the International Monitoring System. This is an order of magnitude more data than all previous PKiKP-PcP observations combined. The differential times were measured using a beam-forming and cross-correlation algorithm that has a precision of 1–2 sampling intervals (<0.1 s). The use of differential times mitigates the effects of hypocentral errors and heterogeneities in the crust and upper mantle, leaving the data sensitive to deep Earth structure. The PKiKP-PcP times are especially sensitive to variations in the thickness of the liquid outer core. The data are well fit by PREM, with residuals having a mean of −0.29 s and a standard deviation of 0.44 s, and rule out lateral variations in outer core thickness of more than 4 km. Most of the geographically coherent residuals can be explained by lower mantle heterogeneities and ellipticity corrections however there remain at least three regions that seem to require aspherical core structure. The anomalous data are best explained by long-wavelength topography on the core-mantle boundary (CMB) with peak-to-peak amplitude of 3.5 km. The CMB topography is most likely maintained by isostatic compensation of thickness variations in a distinct layer at the base of the mantle.
GABA receptors in clonal cell lines: a model for study of benzodiazepine action at molecular level.

A "recptor unit" for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which includes brainlike receptor binding sites for tritium-labeled GABA and benzodiazepines (diazepam, clonazepam, and flunitrazepam) and a thermostable endogenous protein (GABA modulin) that inhibits both GABA and benzodiazepine binding, has been demonstrated in membranes prepared from NB2a neuroblastoma and C6 glioma clonal cell lines. In these cells, as in brain, diazepam (1 micromolar) prevents the effect of GABA modulin, and in turn GABA (0.oma and, to a lesser extent, the glioma cells represent a suitable model to study the interactions and the sequence of membrane and intracellular events triggered by the stimulation of benzodiazepine and GABA receptors.
Gene expression analysis distinguishes tissue-specific and gender-related functions among adult Ascaris suum tissues

Over a billion people are infected by Ascaris spp. intestinal parasites. To clarify functional differences among tissues of adult A. suum, we compared gene expression by various tissues of these worms by expression microarray methods. The A. suum genome was sequenced and assembled to allow generation of microarray elements. Expression of over 40,000 60-mer elements was investigated in a variety of tissues from both male and female adult worms. Nearly 50 percent of the elements for which signal was detected exhibited differential expression among different tissues. The unique profile of transcripts identified for each tissue clarified functional distinctions among tissues, such as chitin binding in the ovary and peptidase activity in the intestines. Interestingly, hundreds of gender-specific elements were characterized in multiple non-reproductive tissues of female or male worms, with most prominence of gender differences in intestinal tissue. A. suum genes from the same family were frequently expressed differently among tissues. Transcript abundance for genes specific to A. suum, by comparison to Caenorhabditis elegans, varied to a greater extent among tissues than for genes conserved between A. suum and C. elegans. Analysis using C. elegans protein interaction data identified functional modules conserved between these two nematodes, resulting in identification of functional predictions of essential subnetworks of protein interactions and how these networks may vary among nematode tissues. A notable finding was very high module similarity between adult reproductive tissues and intestine. Our results provide the most comprehensive assessment of gene expression among tissues of a parasitic nematode to date.
Secondary-side resonance for high-frequency power conversion

A systematic approach is proposed that enables the use of the leakage inductance of the power transformer and a secondaryside capacitor to form a resonant tank for very high frequency power conversion. Several new quasi-resonant converter topologies based on this technique are derived.
Chiral asymmetry in a vectorlike weak SU(3)

The mechanism of spontaneous chiral-symmetry breaking with pseudoscalars in a vectorlike unified weak and electromagnetic interaction is examined in detail with the unified group SU(3). The model illustrates a natural way to take into account the small CP violation since only in the Higgs sector can CP invariance be broken spontaneously. A one-loop correction to the zeroth-order symmetry breaking is presented.
Frequency domain alignment of discrete-time signals

Alignment of discrete-time signals using time shifts obtained through cross correlation techniques in the time domain without interpolation can only be done to within an integer multiple of the sampling period. In this paper, we discuss an alignment procedure for discrete-time signals which overcomes this difficulty by determining the time shifts through a parameter optimization problem in the discrete frequency domain. This approach essentially avoids fitting parabolae to the cross correlation peaks and does not require unwrapping the phase spectra of the signals to be aligned.
Editor's Introduction : Interdisciplinary and Teaching Perspectives on Multiculturalism and Diversity

Demographic changes in the United States, increased student interest, and creative research and scholarship have led many colleges and universities to introduce multiculturalism and diversity into curricular requirements and course content. The significance and complexity of such issues require that research, scholarship, and teaching be interdisciplinary. Teaching multiculturalism and diversity courses requires consideration of five factors: course content and readings, the students and what they believe and value, the strengths and weaknesses of the faculty, the intellectual tools that will enable students to grasp issues at a sophisticated level, and the classroom dynamics within which these factors are woven together in the creation of an effective course.
An Analog VLSI Chip for Finding Edges from Zero-crossings

We have designed and tested a one-dimensional 64 pixel, analog CMOS VLSI chip which localizes intensity edges in real-time. This device exploits on-chip photoreceptors and the natural filtering properties of resistive networks to implement a scheme similar to and motivated by the Difference of Gaussians (DOG) operator proposed by Marr and Hildreth (1980). Our chip computes the zero-crossings associated with the difference of two exponential weighting functions. If the derivative across this zero-crossing is above a threshold, an edge is reported. Simulations indicate that this technique will extend well to two dimensions.
Correlation of Quarterly Profile Examination and National Board of Medical Examiner Scores

The concurrent validity of a computer-assisted test construction system designed to measure information in the medical sciences was assessed. Scores on the Quarterly Profile Examination were correl...
The Brief Cognitive-Behavioral COPE Intervention for Depressed Adolescents: Outcomes and Feasibility of Delivery in 30-Minute Outpatient Visits:

BACKGROUND: Despite a U.S. prevalence of 9%, less than 25% of depressed adolescents receive treatment because of time constraints in clinical practice and lack of mental health providers available to deliver it. OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility and effects of a brief manualized seven-session cognitive—behavioral skills building intervention entitled COPE (Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment) delivered to 15 depressed adolescents in routine 30-minute mental health medication management outpatient visits. STUDY DESIGN: A preexperimental one group pre- and posttest design was used. RESULTS: Adolescents reported significant decreases in depression, anxiety, anger, and destructive behavior as well as increases in self-concept and personal beliefs about managing negative emotions. Evaluations indicated that COPE was a positive experience for teens and parents. CONCLUSION: COPE is a promising brief cognitive—behavior therapy—based intervention that can be delivered within 30-minute individual out...
Ovarian Cancer Risk and Use of Phenolphthalein-Containing Laxatives

Purpose Experimental studies in rodents demonstrated the carcinogenic potential of phenolphthalein, the active ingredient in some laxatives, administered at doses similar to the dose that could be used by humans. Ovarian cancer was one of the cancers observed in these studies. We examined the association between epithelial ovarian cancer and use of phenolphthalein-containing laxatives in a population-based case-control study. Methods The study includes 356 epithelial ovarian cancer cases (256 invasive, 100 borderline) and 424 controls. Cases were identified through a population-based registry in Los Angeles County in 1992–1998, and controls were matched to cases by age, race/ethnicity and neighborhood. Data on laxative use (specific brands, frequency of use, usual dose) were obtained by structured in-person interview. Results Compared to women who never used a laxative, ever use of a phenolphthalein-containing laxative was not associated with an increased risk of invasive ovarian cancer (odds ratio (OR) 1.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.75, 1.5) or of borderline ovarian cancer (OR 0.75, 95%CI 0.37, 1.5). Total days used, mean number of pills per day and cumulative dose were also unrelated to risk. Conclusions This study provides some assurance that phenolphthalein-containing laxatives do not increase the risk of ovarian cancer in humans. These findings are of particular importance to those countries in which phenolphthalein is still used in over-the-counter medications. Published in 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Changing the Meaning of Help: Clinical Approaches to Reducing Stigma among Suicidal Young Adults:

Reducing stigma associated with mental health concerns is a key objective of suicide prevention policies. Although the primary aim of these efforts is to promote help-seeking, the problem of stigma...
Commentary on the Special Issue: Religion in the Psychology of Personality

The author comments on the special issue on religion in the psychology of personality. She focuses her discussion on the following topics: the historical tripartite theory of cognition-affection-conation; ways that family psychology and theories of language clarify the “problem” of adherence to “false realities”; the multidimensionality of personality and religion and their cultural embeddedness as illuminated in clinical assessment by way of contextual family theory (Boszormenyi-Nagy & Krasner, 1986) and the Kantor and Lehr (1975) systems theory; the role of the investigator’s personality in theory and research about personality and religion; the one-sided emphasis on the empirical tradition in the psychology of religion; and the omission of the personalist tradition.
Tissue-Expressed B7x Affects the Immune Response to and Outcome of Lethal Pulmonary Infection

B7x (B7-H4 or B7S1), a member of the B7 family, inhibits in vitro T cell proliferation and cytokine production by binding to an unidentifiedreceptoronactivated T cells, butitsinvivo function remains largely unclear.We show that B7xproteinwas expressed in epithelial cells of the lung, but not in lymphoid tissues. To investigate the role of B7x in the lung, we determined the susceptibility of B7x-deficient (B7x 2/2 ) mice to a lethal pulmonary infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae. B7x 2/2 , but not B7-H3–deficient, mice were significantly more resistant to S. pneumoniae pulmonary infection than their wild-type (Wt) counterparts. B7x 2/2 mice had significantly lower bacterial burdens and levels of inflammatory cytokines in lungs as early as 12 h postinfection. They also had milder immunopathology that was localized in alveolar spaces, whereas Wt mice had severe inflammation that was perivascular. Control of infection in B7x 2/2 mice was associated with a marked increase in activated CD4 and CD8 T cells and fewer neutrophils in lungs, whereas the susceptible Wt mice had the opposite cellular profile. In B7x 2/2 Rag1 2/2 mice that lack T cells, reduction in bacterial burden was no longer observed. Control of S. pneumoniae and the increased survival observed was specific to the lung, because systemically infected B7x 2/2 mice were not resistant to infection. These data indicate that lungexpressed B7x negatively regulates T cells, and that in its absence, in B7x 2/2 mice, an enhanced T cell response contributed to reduced lethality in a pulmonary infection model with S. pneumoniae. The Journal of Immunology, 2012, 189: 3054–3063.
Moving human embryonic stem cells from legislature to lab: remaining legal and ethical questions.

Research with human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) has been controversial, but in the seven years since their isolation by James Thomson [1], governments have largely answered, at least for now, the first-level questions about this research. We now know in most jurisdictions whether derivation of hESC lines will not be permitted from any embryos or whether it will be permitted from all embryos, only from embryos created as part of in vitro fertilization clinical services (IVF), or only from embryos not created by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). We also have learned where the various kinds of cell lines, if derived elsewhere, may be used, and whether public funding for the derivation or use of some or all of the lines will be possible. A set of second-level questions, revolving around the donors of cells and embryos used in this research, is also rapidly being answered.
Rotation sets and Morse decompositions in twist maps

Positive tilt maps of the annulus are studied, and a correspondence is developed between the rotation set of the map and certain of its Morse decompositions. The main tool used is a characterization of fixed point free lifts of positive tilt maps. As an application, some alternative hypotheses under which the conclusions of the Aubry-Mather theorem hold are given, and it is also shown that the rotation band of a chain transitive set is always in the rotation set of the map.
An Impact Damage Model of Concrete

Dynamic fracture of two impact loaded, plain concrete, three-point bend specimens was simulated using a dynamic finite element model. A three-segment fracture process zone, which was established in a previous static analysis, together with a tensile overload fracture criterion were used to propagate the crack from the tension side of the unnotched beams. Reasonable agreement between the measured and computed velocities at two points on one beam and estimated and computed average crack velocities was obtained.
The role of computer science education in certification of computer professionals

Certification of computer professionals has been in the limelight over the past year or so, particularly with respect to activities leading to the creation of the Institute for Certification of Computer Professionals (ICCP) [1]. Most of the effort of those involved to date has been on organizational matters, but our attention is now turned to planning for improvements in existing testing programs and to the establishment of new programs. If these are to be effective, computer science education must have a major role. In keeping with the interests of SIGCSE, I wish to comment on that role from the perspective of one involved with the Institute. First I will set the context for my remarks by discussing the professional status of computing personnel and then certification and critically related activities will be described.
The floristic composition and structure of foredune plant communities of cape hatteras national seashore

Plant communities on the front, top, and back of the foredunes were examined at 22 randomly chosen sites. One or more species of grass (Uniola paniculata, Ammophila breviligulata, Panicum amarum) dominate most of the communities, except a few on the top and back of the foredune at Ocracoke Island which are dominated byHydrocotyle bonariensis. Principal component factor analyses and cluster analyses revealed that different community types have developed on the front, top, and back of the dune system. On the average, communities on the front and top of the foredune are significantly different structurally from communities on the back in the number of species per stand (10.2, 11.4, and 19.0 respectively) and in their Shannon-Wiener diversities (1.18, 1.25, and 1.44), but are not significantly different in their Simpson dominance indices (0.41, 0.41 and 0.37). An analysis of the communities which have developed on a series of experimental dune sections on Ocracoke Island revealed that the method used to build a dune has a lasting influence on the type of plant community which is subsequently formed. This appears to be the result of differences in the amount of cover and distribution of the dominant grasses which determine the pattern of accumulation and shifting of sand. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A00BY058 00004
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS OF MORMOLYCA (ORCHIDACEAE: MAXILLARIINAE) BASED ON COMBINED MOLECULAR DATA SETS

The Neotropical orchid genus Mormolyca Fenzl, as currently circumscribed, encompasses a diverse group of ca. 27species. Many of these were included traditionally in Maxillaria sect. Rufescens , when similarity of floral morphology was considered foremost in their classification rather than the evolutionary history of the taxa. In order to begin revising species delimitation and clarifying the evolution and biology of the genus, we present a phylogenetic hypothesis using sequence data from five plastid loci ( rpoC1, matK gene and flanking trnK intron, atpB-rbcL intergenic spacer, and the 3’ portion of ycf1 ) and the nuclear ribosomal internal and external transcribed spacers (ITS, ETS). Resulting trees using both Bayesian and parsimony inference are congruent with each other, and generally well resolved. Based on current level of sampling across Maxillariinae , these molecular data support the monophyly of Mormolyca and shed light on the interspecific phylogenetic patterns within the genus. These include an early divergent paraphyletic grade of Mormolyca species successively sister to a clade with at least two definable subclades within. The latter are characterized by two different flower morphologies that are likely related to their pollination systems. Although not all relationships within the genus are fully resolved or supported, these results offer a first glimpse into the phylogeny of a small group of epiphytic orchids characterized by an unusually high level of variable vegetative characters, floral fragrance profiles, and pollination systems.