cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Detoxification Enhanced Lifestyle Intervention Targeting Endotoxemia (DELITE) in the Setting of Obesity and Pain: Results of a Pilot Group Intervention.

Background Obesity is a complex multifactorial disorder affecting a growing proportion of the population. While therapeutic lifestyle change (TLC) is foundational, results of interventional programs are often inconsistent. Factors related to systemic inflammation, toxin load and endotoxemia have been postulated to play a contributory role. This pilot study sought to evaluate the role of TLC with enhanced laboratory evaluation and interventions to address these emerging therapeutic targets. Methods Twelve participants with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 (or 27 with metabolic co-morbidities) were recruited from an outpatient clinic for participation with a primary outcome of pre/post changes in body composition. Participants completed a 12-week program involving weekly group and individualized dietary, exercise, and behavioral support, supplemented with a commercial, 30-day dietary detoxification intervention and ongoing nutritional counseling. All participants completed baseline and post-intervention evaluation including metabolic, toxin load, endotoxin, body composition and functional fitness profiles. Results After 12-weeks, participants as a group significantly improved body composition parameters including BMI, body fat, fat mass, and waist and hip circumference (P < .01). Significant improvement in several secondary outcomes including levels of lipopolysaccharide, zonulin and leptin were noted. Additionally, results demonstrate substantial improvements in pain, pain interference and functional fitness. Upon completion, all participants rated the program favorably with a high likelihood of continuing or recommending participation to others. Conclusions Obesity remains a challenging and often refractory clinical scenario with emerging evidence indicating the potential role of systemic inflammation, toxin load and endotoxemia. A group therapeutic lifestyle change program enhanced with a detoxification component is feasible and may provide a promising intervention for achieving weight loss while also addressing functional and pain related co-morbidities. Future randomized trials evaluating the components of such a program are needed to better delineate the role of specific interventions in the complex setting of obesity.
Reading Intervention for Students with ASD in the Middle Grades: An Alternating Treatment Study of Embedded Interests Reading and Expository Text Conditions

Aim: We conducted two separate but related multiple baseline with alternating treatment single-case design studies to investigate the effect of the same reading intervention for students with autism spectrum disorder being implemented under different conditions. Method: We conducted a researcher-implemented study in a public school (Study 1) and a teacher-implemented study in a specialized private charter school for children with ASD (Study 2). In each study, we compared a typical intervention approach with interest-based text intervention that included reading on each child's interest area. The treatment included systematic vocabulary instruction and main-summarization strategy instruction. Results: Findings from Study One showed consistent increases in comprehension and vocabulary outcomes compared to baseline. In Study Two the baselines phases were unstable with small differences in mean scores detected for vocabulary during the intervention phase favoring the interest-based treatment for three of four participants.Conclusion: The results across studies were mixed indicating the importance of taking into account contextual factors including student characteristics and learning environment.
A rare fatal case of adenovirus serotype 4 associated acute disseminated encephalomyelitis in an adult: A case report

Abstract Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is an autoimmune demyelinating disease directed against the myelin sheath of the central nervous system that typically presents 1–4 weeks after an infection or vaccination, most commonly in children. We describe a case of a young female who presented with rapidly progressive mental deterioration and died secondary to ADEM following an adenovirus upper respiratory tract infection.
Data-Driven Tuning for Chance-Constrained Optimization: Two Steps Towards Probabilistic Performance Guarantees

Parameters involved in the formulation of optimization problems are often partially unknown or random. A popular way to mitigate the effect of uncertainty is using joint chance constraints, which guarantee constraint satisfaction with high probability but are challenging to solve. In this letter, we analyze an approach for joint chance constrained problems that involves iteratively tuning problem parameters. We first show that existing naive approaches to tuning can lead to solutions without feasibility guarantees. We then introduce a two-step approach, where a tuning-based solution generation step is followed by an a posteriori solution verification step. A main challenge of the two-step approach is to guarantee that the solution generated in the first step has a high probability of being verified as feasible in the second step. We therefore analyze how the relationship between the feasibility criteria used in each step impacts the probability of obtaining a feasible solution. We demonstrate our results in a numerical case study of the optimal power flow problem.
Biosimilar Bias: A Barrier to Addressing American Drug Costs

Forty percent of spiraling US drug costs are based on a mere two percent of all drugs –biologic drugs (biologics) made from living cells that are administered by injection or infusion. These costs will continue to balloon as new biologics are approved; the recently approved Alzheimer’s drug is expected to result in a 50% increase in Medicare spending and cost individuals 40% of their annual income. These drugs are expensive because they cannot be mass-produced, and their cost places important treatments for conditions such as arthritis (Humira) and cancer (Herceptin) out of reach for many Americans. Fortunately, just as there are generic versions of brand name pills, there are lower cost biosimilars of original biologics allowed by an expedited regulatory approval process that lowers the costs of obtaining regulatory approval. However, US adoption of biosimilars is minimal, in stark contrast to widespread use of generic drugs, and despite a decade of safe biosimilar use in other countries. This Article provides the first comprehensive explanation of how US laws, industry actions, and cognitive biases work together to impede US biosimilar use. This Article argues that doctors and patients currently have unfounded misperceptions concerning the safety and efficacy of biosimilars based on misinformation propagated by companies that builds upon an existing cognitive bias against cheaper drugs. Not only does this keep drug costs high, but it also creates worse health outcomes for patients since studies show unfounded misperceptions have negative physical manifestations. Although there is a similar misperception against generic drugs, structural differences in terms of regulatory laws and insurance coverage exacerbate biases against biosimilars. For example, US regulatory laws have created an additional regulatory designation for biosimilars to be substituted without doctor intervention; this is contrary to the process for generics where there is no additional federal designation required for substitution. After revealing the existence and extent of bias against biosimilars, this Article proposes solutions to effectively promote biosimilar use. It suggests a multi-pronged approach to encourage biosimilar use that includes legal changes to support biosimilar substitution, education to specifically tackle biases, and financial incentives to encourage biosimilar use. These proposals are especially timely since the FDA just approved the first biosimilar that can be substituted for the comparable brand at pharmacies, more than a decade after the biosimilar pathway was created, suggesting that the time is ripe to address systemic issues. Moreover, addressing these barriers to biosimilar use would not only expand access to treatment, but also save the US an estimated $50 billion in the next decade.
Our Perspectives on Hybrid Language Teaching

Hybrid teaching does not benefit from a unified approach or universal best practices, nor should it. As foreign and second language teachers, we all come to this instructional delivery method with our own ideas about what to teach in a first year language course and how. We also come to the course with varying levels of expertise and experience with instructional technology. There is no one-size-fits-all universal pedagogy that works in all hybrid courses. However, there are many well-developed fields of study that contribute to our understanding of how to design effective instruction.
Proteolytic dissection of Sindbis virus core protein.

Abstract Mild trypsin treatment of the Sindbis virus nucleocapsid protein yields a fragment with a molecular mass of approximately 18.5 kilodaltons with its N terminus at residue 105. The fragment, which is stable to further digestion, appears by gel exclusion chromatography to be monomeric. These data are consistent with a model for the alphavirus core proteins, consisting of an extended and flexible N-terminal arm (residues 1 to 103) and a compactly folded C-terminal domain (residues 104 to 274), as previously suggested on the basis of sequence characteristics.
Left-handed Z-DNA: structure and function

Z-DNA is a high energy conformer of B-DNA that forms in vivo during transcription as a result of torsional strain generated by a moving polymerase. An understanding of the biological role of Z-DNA has advanced with the discovery that the RNA editing enzyme double-stranded RNA adenosine deaminase type I (ADAR1) has motifs specific for the Z-DNA conformation. Editing by ADAR1 requires a double-stranded RNA substrate. In the cases known, the substrate is formed by folding an intron back onto the exon that is targeted for modification. The use of introns to direct processing of exons requires that editing occurs before splicing. Recognition of Z-DNA by ADAR1 may allow editing of nascent transcripts to be initiated immediately after transcription, ensuring that editing and splicing are performed in the correct sequence. Structural characterization of the Z-DNA binding domain indicates that it belongs to the winged helix-turn-helix class of proteins and is similar to the globular domain of histone-H5.
Behavior of interfacial micro-defects in aluminum and its oxide film

High-purity aluminum foils were investigated using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), after dissolution for various times in 1 M NaOH at room temperature and anodic oxidation for different voltages in borate buffer solution. The characteristics of circular voids presented in TEM images are found to be similar to those of cavities revealed by oxide stripping and viewed with AFM. It is concluded that c avities are voids. Voids in anodized films with NaOH treatment are very different from those in anodized films of as-received foils. It indicates that pre-conditions of subsurface voids in the metal determine the behavior of void formation during oxidation. The vertical profiles of voids in the oxide film are obtained and voids are hardly found in the outer 40% part of the oxide films. Void concentrations show small variation in the inner 60% part. This result demonstrated that voids are apparently formed at the metal-film interface during anodic oxide growth, likely as a result of the oxidation of metal atoms. Void concentration was also found to change with NaOH pretreatment time. The behavior was the same as that for cavities on the metal prior to anodization. All the above results strongly suggested a mechanism of void regeneration at the interface between metal and oxide.
A framework for statistical data mining with summary tables

Presents a framework for statistical data mining using summary tables. A set of operators is proposed for common data mining tasks, such as summarization, association, classification and clustering, as well as for basic statistical analysis, such as hypothesis testing, estimation and regression, which can help explore knowledge. The operators enable users to explore a variety of knowledge effectively and yet require users to have little statistical knowledge. Summary tables, which store basic information about groups of tuples of the underlying relations, are constructed to speed up the data mining process. The summary tables are incrementally updatable and are able to support a variety of data mining and statistical analysis tasks. The operators, together with the uses of the summary tables, can make interactive data mining flexible, effective, and perhaps instantaneous.
Beery VMI performance in autism spectrum disorder

Few studies have examined the visuomotor integration (VMI) abilities of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An all-male sample consisting of 56 ASD participants (ages 3-23 years) and 36 typically developing (TD) participants (ages 4-26 years) completed the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (Beery VMI) as part of a larger neuropsychological battery. Participants were also administered standardized measures of intellectual functioning and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), which assesses autism and autism-like traits. The ASD group performed significantly lower on the Beery VMI and on all IQ measures compared to the TD group. VMI performance was significantly correlated with full scale IQ (FSIQ), performance IQ (PIQ), and verbal IQ (VIQ) in the TD group only. However, when FSIQ was taken into account, no significant Beery VMI differences between groups were observed. Only one TD participant scored 1.5 standard deviations (SDs) below the Beery VMI normative sample mean, in comparison to 21% of the ASD sample. As expected, the ASD group was rated as having significantly higher levels of social impairment on the SRS compared to the TD group across all major domains. However, level of functioning on the SRS was not associated with Berry VMI performance. These findings demonstrate that a substantial number of individuals with ASD experience difficulties compared to TD in performing VMI-related tasks, and that VMI is likely affected by general cognitive ability. The fact that lowered Beery VMI performance occurred only within a subset of individuals with ASD and did not correlate with SRS would indicate that visuomotor deficits are not a core feature of ASD, even though they present at a higher rate of impairment than observed in TD participants.
A higher category of cobordisms and topological quantum field theory

The goal of this work is to describe a categorical formalism for (Extended) Topological Quantum Field Theories (TQFTs) and present them as functors from a suitable category of cobordisms with corners to a linear category, generalizing 2d open-closed TQFTs to higher dimensions. The approach is based on the notion of an n-fold category by C. Ehresmann, weakened in the spirit of monoidal categories (associators, interchangers, Mac Lane's pentagons and hexagons), in contrast with the simplicial (weak Kan and complete Segal) approach of Jacob Lurie. We show how different Topological Quantum Field Theories, such as gauge, Chern-Simons, Yang-Mills, WZW, Seiberg-Witten, Rozansky-Witten, and AKSZ theories, as well as sigma model, may be described as functors from the pseudo n-fold category of cobordisms to a pseudo n-fold category of sets.
Missionaries, Apologists, and Anthropologists

Darrell L. Whiteman, ed. Missionaries, Anthropologists, and Culture Change (Part I.). Studies in Third World Societies, no. 25. Williamsburg, VA: College of William and Mary, 1985. xii plus 424 pp. no price listed (paper). Frank A. Salamone, ed. Anthropologists and Missionaries (Part II). Studies in Third World Societies, no. 26. Williamsburg, VA: College of William and Mary, 1986. vii plus 306 pp. no price listed (paper).
Spacecraft Attitude Stabilization Using Nonlinear Delayed Multiactuator Control and Inverse Dynamics

The dynamics of a rigid spacecraft with nonlinear delayed multiactuator feedback control are studied in this paper. It is assumed that the time delay occurs in one of the actuators, whereas the other actuator has a negligible time delay. Therefore, a nonlinear feedback controller using both delayed and nondelayed states is sought for the controlled system to have the desired linear delayed closed-loop dynamics using an inverse dynamics approach. The closed-loop stability is shown to be approximated by a second-order linear delay differential equation for the modified Rodriguez parameter attitude coordinates for which the Hsu–Bhatt–Vyshnegradskii stability chart can be used to choose the control gains that result in a stable closed-loop response. An analytical derivation of the boundaries of this chart for the case of no derivative feedback control is shown, whereas a numerical method is used to obtain the stability chart for the general case. Then, to achieve a specified performance, the criteria for a cr...
Lambdoid stenosis (posterior plagiocephaly) and craniofacial asymmetry: long-term outcomes

We recently reviewed our series of craniofacial cases involving lambdoid stenosis (posterior plagiocephaly) and positional deformation. We now have 22 cases (who underwent surgery) with greater than 1 year follow up (range 1–7 years). We were impressed by the potential severity of the craniofacial deformity that can occur in what is often considered a positional deformation caused either by intrauterine conditions or by postnatal positioning. To decide which children were candidates for craniofacial reconstruction, we reviewed our cases and determined what we considered were appropriate criteria for craniofacial surgery. Among the 22 patients selected for surgery, 16 patients had changes in facial characteristics secondary to skull base and petrous ridge deformation, which often led to mandibular malalignment. In addition, 11 children were found to have developed scolosis of the face, similar to that seen in anterior plagiocephaly. The long-term severity of these selected craniofacial deformities may be markedly reduced if these children are operated on early with craniofacial reconstruction techniques. The removal of the lambdoid sutures, which appear to apply a twisting or torque effect on the facial structures and skull base, assisted in the children's further normal cranial development. In the children that were operated on before 1 year of age, most of the facial asymmetry was corrected. In addition, we observed that several of the children showed correction of the malignment of the ears, a common finding in these cases. Three-dimensional reconstructions have been extremely helpful in documenting the abnormalities of the skull base and sutural patterns and in planning the surgical approaches. All the patients had either a Marchac transposition or a bandeau/forehead type reconstruction. There were no long-term complications, and the esthetic results were considered good to excellent.
A 252Cf based nondestructive assay system for fissile material

Abstract A modulated 252 Cf source assay system “Shuffler” based on fast-or-thermal-neutron interrogation combined with delayed-neutron counting has been developed for the assay of fissile material. The 252 Cf neutron source is repetitively transferred from the interrogation position to a shielded position while the delayed neutrons are counted in a high efficiency 3 He neutron well-counter. For samples containing plutonium, this well-counter is also used in the passive coincidence mode to assay the effective 240 Pu content. The design of an optimized neutron tailoring assembly for fast-neutron interrogation using a Monte Carlo Neutron Computer Code is described. The Shuffler system has been applied to the assay of fuel pellets, inventory samples, irradiated fuel and plutonium mixed-oxide fuel. The system can assay samples with fissile contents from a few milligrams up to several kilograms using thermal-neutron interrogation for the low mass samples and fast-neutron interrogation for the high mass samples. Samples containing 235 U− 238 U, or 233 U−Th, or UO 2 −PuO 2 fuel mixtures have been assayed with the Shuffler system.
Wave CISK and mesoscale convective systems.

An examination is conducted of the basic assumptions of conventional wave-CISK theory, against observational data on mesoscale-organized convective systems. In response to the inadequacy of the quasi-equilibrium assumption, a nonequilibrium model of clouds actively responding to mesoscale low level mass fluxes in a preexisting and conditionally unstable atmosphere is formulated. The structures obtained for the propagating and growing waves are noted to be comparable with observations of midlatitude mesoscale convective systems. An examination is made of the energetics of this modified wave-CISK model, in order to deepen understanding of its instability and scale selection.
Correction of Coagulopathy in the Setting of Acute Liver Failure

The depletion of vital coagulation factors and proteins in the setting of acute liver failure (ALF) is common and multifactorial. The management of critically ill patients with ALF is difficult and requires a multidisciplinary approach to effective treatment. Critical care nurses are essential in identifying potential sources of bleeding, monitoring for transfusion reactions, and staying vigilant for medication-related adverse reactions. Prevention and treatment of bleeding disorders is a priority because ineffective therapy can lead to hazardous consequences. Correction of coagulopathy for treatment of bleeding and reversal for invasive procedures should include a multifactorial therapeutic plan emphasizing the correction of all coagulation factors. The limitations of current knowledge in effective correction should serve as a stimulus for future research.
Reliability analysis of piles in spatially varying soils considering multiple failure modes

Abstract In most limit state design codes, the serviceability limit checks for drilled shafts still use deterministic approaches. Moreover, different limit states are usually considered separately. This paper develops a probabilistic framework to assess the serviceability performance with the consideration of soil spatial variability in reliability analysis. Specifically, the performance of a drilled shaft is defined in terms of the vertical settlement, lateral deflection, and angular distortion at the top of the shaft, corresponding to three limit states in the reliability analysis. Failure is defined as the event that the displacements exceed the corresponding tolerable displacements. The spatial variability of soil properties is considered using random field modeling. To illustrate the proposed framework, this study assesses the reliability of each limit state and the system reliability of a numerical example of a drilled shaft. The results show the system reliability should be considered for the serviceability performance. The importance measures of the random variables indicate that the external loads, the performance criteria, the model errors of load transfer curves and soil strength parameter are the most important factors in reliability analysis. Moreover, it is shown that the correlation length and coefficient of variation of soil strength can exert significant impacts on the calculated failure probability.
N′-isopropylnornicotine: Its formation from nicotine in aged leaves of Nicotiana tabacum

Abstract An aqueous solution of nicotine-[2′- 14 C] was painted on the leaves of 4-month-old tobacco plants ( Nicotiana tabacum ) which were harvested 3 weeks later. This tracer was similarly applied to excised tobacco leaves which were allowed to dry in air for 4 weeks. The alkaloids, were extracted with the addition of N ′-isopropylnornicotine, a compound which has been previously isolated from air-cured tobacco. Radioactive nicotine and nornicotine were isolated from the intact plants with only minute activity in the N ′-isopropylnornicotine. All three of these alkaloids were radioactive from the air-cured leaves, and degradation of the labelled N'-isopropylnornicotine indicated that all the activity was located at the C-2′ position. A higher level of activity was found in N ′-isopropylnornicotine which was obtained from excised leaves which were fed the nicotine- [2′- 14 C] in aqueous acetone, and were treated on subsequent days with aqueous acetone. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that N ′-isopropylnornicotine is produced in the curing of tobacco leaves by reaction of nornicotine (formed by the demethylation of nicotine) with acetoacetate, followed by decarboxylation and reduction. The 13 C NMR chemical shifts of the methyl groups of N ′-isopropylnornicotine and related 1-isopropylpyrrolidines which have chirality at the α-position of the pyrrolidine ring, are significantly different (up to 7.5 ppm).
A system for human identification from X-ray dental radiographs

Forensic odontology is the branch of forensics that deals with human identification based on dental features. In this paper, we present a system for automating that process by identifying people from dental X-ray images. Given a dental image of a postmortem (PM), the proposed system retrieves the best matches from an antemortem (AM) database. The system automatically segments dental X-ray images into individual teeth and extracts the contour of each tooth. Features are extracted from each tooth and are used for retrieval. We developed a new method for teeth separation based on integral projection. We also developed a new method for representing and matching teeth contours using signature vectors obtained at salient points on the contours of the teeth. During retrieval, the AM radiographs that have signatures closer to the PM are found and presented to the user. Matching scores are generated based on the distance between the signature vectors of AM and PM teeth. Experimental results on a small database of dental radiographs are encouraging.
Early detection of Verticillium wilt resistance in a potato breeding program

Nine potato clones/cultivars selected for varying degrees of Verticillium wilt (VW) resistance based on degree of vascular colonization, were intercrossed and outcrossed to 13 uncharacterized clones. Based on growth characteristics of 3,535 seedling transplants and an assay quantifyingV. dahliae in potato vascular tissue, 404 clones were selected for further tests. The average number ofVerticillium dahliae colony forming units (CFU) expressed as Log10(CFU + l)/0.1 ml of plant sap for the 404 clones was 2.3, and 1.3 and 3.7 for resistant Reddale and susceptible Kennebec checks, respectively. Thirty-five clones (8.66%) had CFU values equal to or less than Reddale suggesting that VW resistance is a readily transmitted trait.
Comparison of Ion-Selective and Carbon Fiber Mercury Film Microelectrodes for Cadmium Measurement

Cadmium ion-selective microelectrodes and carbon fiber mercury film microelectrodes were fabricated and compared in this research. In order to determine whether either microelectrode could be used in biofilm microenvironmental profile studies, their performances were evaluated under different pH, buffer concentration, and ionic strength conditions. Both microelectrodes showed good linearity during calibration. pH did not have a significant impact on the ion-selective microelectrode, but significantly changed the performance of the carbon fiber mercury film microelectrode. Tris buffer was evaluated for pH control and found to increase readings of both microelectrodes. Ionic strength had a similar impact on both microelectrodes. Both microelectrodes had high selectivity for Cd 2+ , but potential interferences should be considered when real samples are to be measured.
Suppression of Prostaglandin Synthesis with NS-398 Has Different Effects on Endocortical and Periosteal Bone Formation Induced by Mechanical Loading

Prostaglandins mediate adaptive bone formation induced by mechanical loading. Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) with NS-398 effectively blocks loading-induced osteogenesis on the endocortical bone surface of the tibia. In this study, we compared the effects of selective inhibition of COX-2 with NS-398 on mechanically induced osteogenesis at the endocortical surface (tibia) with that on the periosteal surface (ulna). We further tested the effect of NS-398 administered at different times before (3 hrs or 30 min) or after (30 min) mechanical loading. Mechanical loading induced lamellar bone formation on the endocortical surface of the tibia and the periosteal surface of the ulna. Oral administration of either indomethacin or NS-398 3 hrs before loading significantly decreased loading-induced bone formation rate (BFR) and mineralizing surface (MS/BS). but not mineral apposition rate (MAR), at the endocortical surface of the tibia and the periosteal surface of the ulna. NS-398 reduced loading-induced MS/ BS by 96% on the endocortical surface of the tibia, but only by 37% on the periosteal surface of the ulna (significantly different from endocortical, P < 0.05). Indomethacin reduced MS/BS and BFR to a lesser extent than NS-398 and did not have different effects on the periosteal and endocortical surfaces. These data suggest that the endocortical bone adaptive response to mechanical loading is more dependent upon COX-2 activity than is the periosteal bone response. Intraperitoneal injection of NS-398 3 hrs before loading suppressed load-induced bone formation rate at the endocortical surface of the tibia significantly more (27%) than when administered 30 min before loading. When NS-398 was given 30 min after loading, bone formation was not significantly suppressed. These data suggest that a primary cellular mechanism of bone formation following brief bouts of mechanical loading involves release of prostaglandins from cells at the time mechanical loading is applied, rather than new prostaglandin synthesis associated with a mechanically induced COX-2 expression.
Pentobarbital-morphine anesthetic interactions in terms of intensity of noxious stimulation required for arousal.

BACKGROUND Previous reports suggest that the outcome (synergism, antagonism, summation) of opioid-barbiturate interactions may depend on the depth of anesthesia. One aim of the present study was to determine whether pentobarbital, alone and in combination with morphine, blocks awakening caused by noxious stimulation in a dose-related manner: the more intense the noxious stimulation, the more pentobarbital is required to suppress the response. A second aim of the study was to determine whether the pentobarbital-morphine anesthetic interaction depends on the depth of anesthesia measured in terms of intensity of noxious stimulation required for behavioral arousal (recovery of the righting reflex). METHODS Experiments were performed on rats, with the measure of anesthetic effect being suppression of the righting reflex. The noxious stimulus was pressure on the tail at four levels of intensity: 0.0, 0.25, 2.5, and 3.3 kg, generated with an Analgesy-Meter. Pentobarbital and morphine were injected intravenously via chronically implanted catheters. Dose-response curves for pentobarbital given alone and in combination with morphine were determined (by probit analysis) separately for each of the pressure levels. RESULTS Pentobarbital, alone and in combination with morphine, blocked awakening caused by noxious stimulation of different intensities in a dose-related fashion so that more anesthetic was required to block awakening with more intense stimulation. The pentobarbital ED50 values were: 12.0, 19.5, 22.7, and 24.3 mg/kg for 0.0, 0.25, 2.5, and 3.3 kg pressure, respectively. The addition of morphine (1 mg/kg) reduced the pentobarbital ED50 values for 0.0, 0.25, and 2.5 kg pressure by 34% (P < 0.0001), 39% (P < 0.0001), and 21% (P < 0.005), respectively. No change was seen in the pentobarbital ED50 value at the maximal (3.3 kg) pressure level. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that the depth of anesthesia can be measured in terms of intensity of noxious stimulation required for arousal and that the outcome of barbiturate-opioid anesthetic interaction depends on the depth of anesthesia.
Host intraspatial selection of infectious bronchitis virus populations.

Abstract Arkansas (Ark)-type infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) subpopulations with an S gene sequence distinct from the vaccine predominant consensus were previously found in the upper respiratory tract of chickens within 3 days after inoculation. This finding indicated that a distinct virus subpopulation was rapidly positively selected by the chicken upper respiratory tract. We hypothesized that during host invasion, the replicating IBV population further changes as it confronts the distinct environments of different tissues, leading to selection of the most fit population. We inoculated 15-day-old chickens with 104 50% embryo infective doses of an Ark-type IBV commercial vaccine via the ocular and nasal routes and characterized the sequences of the S1 gene of IBV contained in tear fluid, trachea, and reproductive tract of individual chickens at different times postinoculation. The predominant IBV phenotype contained in the vaccine (before inoculation) became a minor or nondetectable population at all ti...
Clinical acid–base pathophysiology: disorders of plasma anion gap

The plasma anion gap is a frequently used parameter in the clinical diagnosis of a variety of conditions. The commonest application of the anion gap is to classify cases of metabolic acidosis into those that do and those that do not leave unmeasured anions in the plasma. While this algorithm is useful in streamlining the diagnostic process, it should not be used solely in this fashion. The anion gap measures the difference between the unmeasured anions and unmeasured cations and thus conveys much more information to the clinician than just quantifying anions of strong acids. In this chapter, the significance of the anion gap is emphasized and several examples are given to illustrate a more analytic approach to using the clinical anion gap; these include disorders of low anion gap, respiratory alkalosis and pyroglutamic acidosis.
In search of the elusive lossless metal

We show that when one looks beyond the Drude model of metal conductivity, the metals that may be extremely lossy for low frequency electromagnetic waves can become perfectly lossless in the mid-IR region or higher, while retaining the essential metallic characteristic of negative permittivity even at those frequencies. We identify that the transition to the lossless regime occurs when the interatomic distances in the lattice exceed certain values, typically a factor of two larger than those occurring in nature. We believe that advances in nanoassembly may render lossless metals feasible with revolutionary implications for the fields of plasmonics and metamaterials.
Parallel states of pathological Wnt signaling in neonatal brain injury and colon cancer

In colon cancer, mutation of the Wnt repressor APC (encoding adenomatous polyposis coli) leads to a state of aberrant and unrestricted high-activity signaling. However, the relevance of high Wnt tone in non-genetic human disease is unknown. Here we demonstrate that distinct functional states of Wnt activity determine oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) differentiation and myelination. Mouse OPCs with genetic Wnt dysregulation (high tone) express multiple genes in common with colon cancer, including Lef1, Sp5, Ets2, Rnf43 and Dusp4. Surprisingly, we found that OPCs in lesions of hypoxic human neonatal white matter injury upregulated markers of high Wnt activity and lacked expression of APC. We also found that lack of Wnt repressor tone promoted permanent white matter injury after mild hypoxic insult. These findings suggest a state of pathological high-activity Wnt signaling in human disease tissues that lack predisposing genetic mutation.
Recursion relations in topological gravity with minimal matter

Abstract A complete set of recursion relations is obtained for correlation functions in two-dimensional topological gravity coupled with the ADE series of topological minimal models, by demanding the consistency of the contact algebra of physical operators. When formulated as linear constraints on the partition function, they coincide with the Virasoro constraints and the W-constraints that have been conjectured and partially verified in the multi-matrix models of two-dimensional quantum gravity. These recursion relations give a complete solution of the theory.
PHASE TRANSITIONS IN NONLINEAR OSCILLATOR CHAINS

It is shown numerically that a one-dimensional system of coupled disparate nonlinear oscillators undergoes a phase transition from a synchronized to a desynchronized state as the range of interactions is decreased. Using a coupling that decreases with distance as ${r}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\alpha}}$, the functional dependence of the critical coupling exponent on the coupling constant ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{c}(K)$ is mapped out and the nature of the transition is discussed. Previously studied models and results are recovered in the appropriate limits of the coupling exponent.
Tightly regulated, developmentally specific expression of the first open reading frame from LINE-1 during mouse embryogenesis.

Abstract LINE-1 (L1) has achieved its status as a middle repetitive DNA family in mammalian genomes by duplicative transposition. Although transposition may occur in any cell type, expression and transposition of a full-length functional element in the germ line are necessary for evolutionarily significant propagation of L1. An immunohistochemical analysis of adult mouse ovaries and mouse postimplantation embryos revealed expression of L1 open reading frame 1 in the germ line as well as in steroidogenic tissues. These results demonstrate that L1 expression is controlled by a tightly regulated temporal and spatial program of events during development and imply that multiple loci of L1 in the mouse genome are active for expression.
Mechanisms of electrochemically-induced retro-cyclopropanation reactions of fullerene derivatives using digital simulations

Three C60 derivatives, 1, 2 and 3, have been studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) under high vacuum in anhydrous tetrahydrofuran (THF). The CV behavior was essentially similar to that already observed for other cyclopropanated fullerene derivatives. After the second reduction processes all compounds undergo a chemical reaction that generates another electroactive species. This “new” chemical species is likely to be the compound with the cyclopropane ring open. Differences in CV behavior were observed for the different addends. Electrochemical data obtained at different scan rates for a given potential window, were fit with the BAS digital simulation program, DigiSim. The purpose of this study was to probe the proposed mechanisms and to obtain reliable estimations of the kinetic constants for the homogeneous chemical reactions taking place during the CV experiments. Calculations at the PM3 level lend additional support to the conclusions derived from digital simulations. The proposed mechanism is similar for all the compounds and involves two main chemical reactions in a reversible square scheme.
Effects of Testicular Irradiation on Stem Cell Survival, Hormonal Environment and Spermatogenic Cells in Wistar Rats

Adult male Wistar rats were exposed to 3.0 Gy local testicular irradiation. Testes of irradiated and non-irradiated rats were examined histologically and flow cytometrically, at several intervals up to 78 days after irradiation. Concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and testosterone determined at these intervals were not different from those of controls. The survival of stem cells were measured 11 weeks after irradiation (with doses varying from 1.0 Gy to 6.0 Gy at 0.6 Gy/min) by means of the repopulation index and by the number of haploid cells (spermatids). Correlation between both methods and relation to stem cell survival were discussed. The dose response curves yielded D0 values of stem cell survival of 2.33±0.06 Gy (repopulation index) and 2.08±0.08 Gy (number of haploid cells). The D0 value of the rat was not much different from that found in mice. It was concluded that the used parameters can offer insight when studying hormonal substances during irradiation.
Self-perceptions of stalking victimization and impacts on victim reporting

Stalking as a behavior is not new; however, less than two decades have passed since the behavior was criminalized. First recognized in the USA in 1990 as a criminal behavior, the study of stalking and its impact on victims is also relatively new. The current study examined the various stalking-related behaviors and whether exposure to these behaviors was related to respondents’ self-perception of being a stalking victim. This is important as stalking continues to be a crime in which victims are less likely to report their victimization. The results of the current study revealed that being followed, spied upon, having property vandalized, and receiving unwanted emails were significant predictors of a respondent self-identifying themselves as a stalking victim. However, only a small percentage of respondents in the current study actually reported their victimization (10%), with feeling threatened and purchasing personal protection devices being the only significant predictors of whether a victim would repor...
Regulatory T-Cell (Treg) hybridoma as a novel tool to study Foxp3 regulation and Treg fate

Abstract The CD25 + Foxp3 + regulatory T-cells (Treg) that had lost CD25 and Foxp3 in vivo (ex-Treg) exist but are difficult to study. We generated antigen (Ag)-specific Treg hybridomas from iTreg clones (iTreg-hyb) using iTreg of DO11.10.Foxp3-GFP mice and presented evidence that they behave like ex-Treg. The iTreg-hyb displayed little CD25 and Foxp3-GFP but strong expression could be induced with OVA 323–339 in the presence of Ag-presenting cells, rIL-2 and rTGF-β1. They displayed all of the iTreg-associated markers examined except CTLA-4, the latter was also absent in the ex-Treg. They lacked the Helios transcription factor, suggesting they were derived from iTreg. Similar to ex-Treg, the iTreg-hyb produced high level of IL-2 and Foxp3 under specific activation conditions. Two unusual properties were observed. First, the ability to induce Foxp3-GFP upon activation is progressively lost in culture over a period of 2–4 weeks. Second, Rag2 −/− spleen cells alone selectively induced Foxp3-GFP expression albeit 30 times less efficient than Ag-specific activation. We identified cell-free supernatant, IL-6, IL-9, and IL-27 as Foxp3-inducing factors. Our study has significant implications to the stability, plasticity and fate of Treg. The usefulness and limitation of iTreg-hyb as a novel tool to study Foxp3 regulation and the fate of specific Treg subsets are discussed.
Psychoanalytic peregrinations IV: what is phenomenology?

Abstract This article proposes to clarify the use of phenomenology as a complementary approach to the psychoanalytic process. Because phenomenology is defined and used differently by many different authors, it is here specifically juxtaposed to the DSMIV approach for purposes of comparison and elucidation. Phenomenology attempts to complement the objectivation and mathematization of reality by the sciences with allowing things to speak for themselves. This requires an attitude of acceptance of whatever appears from the patient in the consulting room without filtering it through judgements or presuppositions that we are all taught in our training. So, for example, such concepts as “empathic linkage,” the “infectiousness” of anxiety, the “feel” of the schizophrenic ambiance as described by various authors come across more directly in an encounter based on the phenomenologicapproach. This can be used in addition to DSMIV and other approaches to gain new informtion. A brief review of how phenomenology arose a...
Microcontroller software design using Petri Tables

Abstract A new methodology for high-level, microcontroller software design is presented utilizing the concept of a Colored Petri Net as implemented in a Petri Table. This approach is implementation independent and more general than earlier finite state machine approaches in that interrupts are handled more naturally as token-originating places rather than exceptions to the normal program flow. Commercial software packages are available for simulating Petri Nets allowing for the testing and evaluating of the software design before it is implemented. The tabular form of the Petri Table also makes it easier to document the software using normal word-processing packages, and there is a direct transformation possible from transitions in the Petri Table to modules of code. Since the high-level design is already in text-file form, it can easily be incorporated in the source code and selectively printed along with it using conditional compiles yielding printouts which contain only the source code, only the comments, or the two merged together.
Using incremental Web log mining to create adaptive web servers

Personalization of content returned from a Web site is an important problem in general and affects e-commerce and e-services in particular. Targeting appropriate information or products to the end user can significantly change (for the better) the user experience on a Web site. One possible approach to Web personalization is to mine typical user profiles from the vast amount of historical data stored in access logs. We present a system that mines the logs to obtain profiles and uses them to automatically generate a Web page containing URLs the user might be interested in. Profiles generated are only based on the prior traversal patterns of the user on the Web site and do not involve providing any declarative information or require the user to log in. Profiles are dynamic in nature. With time, a user's traversal pattern changes. To reflect changes to the personalized page generated for the user, the profiles have to be regenerated, taking into account the existing profile. Instead of creating a new profile, we incrementally add and/or remove information from a user profile, aiming to save time as well as physical memory requirements.
Teacher characteristics and knowledge of asthma.

Objectives: We explored the characteristics of teachers and their knowledge of asthma and its management in elementary and middle-school classrooms. Design: Teachers completed the Georgia Public School Teachers' Asthma Knowledge and Perception Survey. Sample: The study sample consisted of 593 elementary (n=291) and middle-school teachers (n=302) from Georgia. Methods: Participants were asked to complete a survey on asthma knowledge. Data were analyzed to examine differences among elementary- and middle-school teachers, teachers' level of educational attainment, teachers' chronic medical condition, and teachers' asthma status. Results: Middle-school teachers were more knowledgeable about asthma than elementary teachers. No differences were found among teachers based on their level of educational attainment. Most teachers strongly agreed that asthma could not be cured, but managed. Teachers with chronic illnesses were more knowledgeable than those without a chronic illness and teachers who had asthma were the most knowledgeable about asthma and its management. Conclusions: Teacher knowledge of asthma and its management was low among all teachers regardless of educational attainment, health status, or whether teachers taught at elementary or middle-school levels.