cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phenylalanine hydroxylase in dilute lethal mice

Abstract The steady-state specific activity of hepatic phenylalanine hydroxylase in the 19–20-day-old dilute lethal mouse d 1 / d 1 is 2-fold higher than in its wild-type control D / D . The apparent K m values for phenylalanine and tetrahyfropteridine are identical for mutant and control enzymes. Acrylamide gel electrophoresis results in three peaks for each of the genotypes D / D , D / d 1 and d 1 / d 1 . The ratios of these peaks vary for each genotype. The slowest migrating peak is most abundant in d 1 / d 1 , however, it is also unstable.
Treatment of neuroendocrine carcinomas with combined etoposide and cisplatin. Evidence of major therapeutic activity in the anaplastic variants of these neoplasms

Forty-five patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors were treated with a regimen of etoposide 130 mg/m2/d for 3 days plus cisplatin 45 mg/m2/d on days 2 and 3. Both drugs were given by continuous intravenous infusion. Among 27 patients with well-differentiated carcinoid tumors or islet cell carcinomas, only two partial objective tumor regressions were observed (7%). Among 18 patients prospectively classified as having anaplastic neuroendocrine carcinomas, however, there were nine partial regressions and three complete regressions, an overall regression rate of 67%. For anaplastic disease, the median duration of regression was 8 months (range to 21 months). Tumor response was unrelated to primary site, endocrine hyperfunction, or prior therapy experience. The median survival of all patients with anaplastic tumors was 19 months; this seemed favorable when considering the small experiences with these rare tumors reported in the literature. Toxicity, which was severe for most patients, consisted primarily of vomiting, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia, alopecia, and neuropathy. The anaplastic neuroendocrine tumor is strongly responsive to therapy with combined etoposide and cisplatin. Patients with undifferentiated carcinomas, originating in typical neuroendocrine tumor sites (small and large bowel, pancreas, and stomach) or of unknown origin, who have consistent histologic findings by light microscopy should be evaluated for this possibility with appropriate immune staining or electron microscopy.
On a proposed postulate of state-reduction

Abstract A recent theory of the collapse of the wave-function due to Ghirardi, Rimini and Weber is described, and is applied to the case of a Stern-Gerlach-type spin-measurement, and is shown to run into some interesting difficulties there.
EFFECT OF SENSORY MODALITY FOR PRESENTATION AND WORD IMAGERY ON PAIRED-ASSOCIATE LEARNING

Recall performance on a paired-associated learning task was investigated as a function of word imagery modality (visual or auditory), presentation mode (visual or auditory), and sex. Analysis showed greater recall of visual imagery words, and the results are consistent with Paivio's (1971) conceptual-peg hypothesis. Visual presentation of word lists produced greater recall than auditory presentation, and females exhibited greater recall performance than did males. A predicted interaction between modality for presentation and for word imagery did not reach statistical significance. The implications for future research with sensory imagery in learning is discussed.
Are Topological Charge Fluctuations in QCD Instanton Dominated

We consider a recent proposal by Horvath et al. to address the question whether topological charge fluctuations in QCD are instanton dominated via the response of fermions using lattice fermions with exact chiral symmetry, the overlap fermions. Considering several volumes and lattice spacings we find strong evidence for chirality of a finite density of low-lying eigenvectors of the overlap-Dirac operator in the regions where these modes are peaked. This result suggests instanton dominance of topological charge fluctuations in quenched QCD.
Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin method in multidimensional tunneling

The WKB method is commonly used in semiclassical approximations to the wave function in both the classically allowed and the forbidden regions of a one-dimensional potential. In a multidimensional space, the method can be adapted to construct wave functions in an ``allowed'' region from classical trajectories or wave normals. However, in the ``forbidden'' region the WKB wave function is in general specified by two sets of wave fronts, the equiphase and the equiamplitude surfaces or equivalently by two sets of paths defined to be normal to these surfaces, respectively. We present a Huygens-type construction for obtaining these wave fronts and paths, which reveals that for non-normal incidence the paths are coupled to each other. The analysis enables us to answer some of the basic questions concerning tunneling in multidimensional nonseparable potentials. A special and important case occurs when the incident wave is normal to the turning surface. We show that for normal incidence the path equations are decoupled and are equivalent to Newton's equations of motion for the inverted potential and energy.
Divided government and U.S. trade policy: theory and evidence

If different parties control the U.S. Congress and White House, the United States may maintain higher import protection than otherwise. This proposition follows from a distributive politics model in which Congress can choose to delegate trade policymaking to the President. When the congressional majority party faces a President of the other party, the former has an incentive to delegate to but to constrain the President by requiring congressional approval of trade proposals by up-or-down vote. This constraint forces the President to provide higher protection in order to assemble a congressional majority. Evidence confirms that (1) the institutional constraints placed on the President's trade policymaking authority are strengthened in times of divided government and loosened under unified government and (2) U.S. trade policy was significantly more protectionist under divided than under unified government during the period 1949–90.
What Do Women Want?: Issues of Choice, Control, and Class in Pregnancy and Childbirth

This article presents a report on research into the type of childbirth experience US women want and actually have. The choices women have and the amount of control they can exert over the experience are dictated by advanced technology medical institutions medical ideology and social class. A comparison was made among middle-income women who are not health professionals middle-income women who are health professionals and poor women. It was found that the middle-income women who are not health professionals held a wide range of views about the role of technology in childbirth. These women were primarily concerned with making choices which would allow them to have some control over the course of their pregnancies and subsequent childbirth. Their strategy in facilitating control was to choose a physician who would serve as their advocate within the medical system. Middle-income health professionals depended on their knowledge of the system to achieve control over their experience. Poor women had no expectations of being able to control their health care and were mostly concerned with receiving continuity of care. The implications of these findings and more emphatically of the increasing permeation of technology in the labor and delivery room are discussed in terms of the services provided by hospitals and the role and training of those who provide the services the obstetricians. It is noted that many obstetricians are dissatisfied with their practice with key decisions being dictated by hospital administrators and insurance companies. Whereas it has been suggested that patients may be better served if obstetrics and gynecology adopt a preventive or even a primary health care focus training programs are moving in the other direction by emphasizing the development of subspecialties. Finally if the impending economic transformation of the health care system occurs following the single payer approach used in Western Europe and Canada it will be possible to eliminate the current 2-tiered system which results in separate and unequal care for the poor.
Sensitivity analysis of an optimization-based trajectory planner for autonomous vehicles in urban environments

The local path planner implemented on Cornell's 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge entry vehicle Skynet utilizes a novel mixture of discrete and continuous path planning steps to facilitate a safe, smooth, and human-like driving behavior. The planner first solves for a feasible path through the local obstacle map using a grid based search algorithm. The resulting path is then refined using a cost-based nonlinear optimization routine with both hard and soft constraints. The behavior of this optimization is influenced by tunable weighting parameters which govern the relative cost contributions assigned to different path characteristics. This paper studies the sensitivity of the vehicle's performance to these path planner weighting parameters using a data driven simulation based on logged data from the National Qualifying Event. The performance of the path planner in both the National Qualifying Event and in the Urban Challenge is also presented and analyzed.
Low-emittance uniform-density Cs + sources for heavy ion fusion accelerator studies

A report is presented on the performance of a 5 mA scraped beam source (which eliminates the outermost beam rays in the diode) and on the design of an improved 10 mA source. The new source is based on EGUN calculations which indicated that a beam with good emittance and uniform current density could be obtained by modifying the cathode Pierce electrodes and using a spherical emitting surface. The measurements of the beam current density profile on a test stand were found to be in agreement with the numerical simulations. >
New framework for modulated perfect reconstruction filter banks

A new formulation for the analysis and design of modulated filter banks is introduced. The formulation provides a broad range of design flexibility within a compact framework and allows for the design of a variety of computationally efficient modulated filter banks with different numbers of bands and virtually arbitrary lengths. A unique feature of the formulation is that it provides explicit control of the input-to-output system delay in conjunction with perfect reconstruction. Design examples are given to illustrate the methodology.
Structural basis of anthrax edema factor neutralization by a neutralizing antibody.

Fine epitope mapping of EF13D, ahighly potent neutralizing monoclonal antibody specific for the anthrax edema factor (EF), was accomplished through random mutagenesis and yeast surface display. A yeast-displayed library of single point mutants of an EF domain III (DIII), comprising amino acids624-800, was constructed by random mutagenesis and screened for reduced binding to EF13D. With this method, residues Leu 667, Ser 668, Arg 671, and Arg 672 were identified as key residues important for EF13D binding. They form a contiguous patch on a solvent-exposed surface at one end of the four-helixbundle of DIII. Computational protein-protein docking experiments between an EF13D model and a crystal structure of EF indicate that the EF13D heavy chain complementarity-determining region 3 (HCDR3) is deeply buried within a hydrophobic cleft between two helices of DIII and interacts directly with residues Leu 667, Ser 668, Arg 671 and Arg 672, providing an explanation for the high binding affinity. In addition, they show that the HCDR3 binding site overlaps with the binding site of the N-terminal lobe of calmodulin (CaM), an EF enzymatic activator, consistent with a previous finding showing direct competition with CaM that results in neutralization of EF. Identifying the neutralization epitope of EF13D on EF improves our understanding of the neutralization mechanism and has implications for vaccine development.
Reversible catastrophic fat embolism: a case report.

A case of near-cardiac arrest preceded by acute pulmonary hypertension during cementing of the femoral component of total hip replacement is presented. Treatment consisted of both epinephrine and nitroglycerin with normalization of hemodynamics within 1 h of the event. This is an unusual case where very rapid reversal of near-fatal profound pulmonary hypertension is seen without sequelae postoperatively. We are unaware of such cases in the literature. Given the setting in which it occurred and its relationship to cementing of the prosthesis, we believe this was most likely due to fat embolism syndrome.
Two composite texts from Archbishop Wulfstan's ‘commonplace book’: the De ecclesiastica consuetudine and the Institutio beati Amalarii de ecclesiasticis officiis

The great monument of tenth-century Anglo-Saxon monastic liturgy, the Regularis concordia, has been particularly fortunate in its twentieth-century devotees. The most prominent was Dom Thomas Symons, who published numerous learned articles on the text and, in 1953, an edition and translation that are still immensely valuable. More recently, Lucia Kornexl has re-edited the Concordia with its continuous Old English gloss from London, British Library, Cotton Tiberius A. iii, and provided an exhaustive collation against the second Latin copy in London, British Library, Cotton Faustina B. iii. Building on this detailed editorial work, Kornexl's introductory chapters also suggest new and helpful ways of regarding the transmission of this text and the authority of its two extant manuscripts.
Study Guides to the Rescue.

As general education classrooms become more diverse, teachers continue to explore ways to support students’ learning. Study guides support students in learning their material, focus their attention...
Dissemination of diabetes care guidelines: lessons learned from community health centers.

PURPOSE This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of a provider problem-based learning (PBL) intervention on screening for complications of diabetes in community health centers. METHODS A successive sampling design was used to compare selected standards of diabetes care delivered preintervention with the care delivered postintervention at 2 community health centers and 1 comparison centers. Two randomly assigned intervention sites received a PBL intervention focused on care guidelines for prevention of diabetes complications, with telephone follow-up over 12 months. Effects of the intervention were determined from an audit of 200 charts from each site. RESULTS The odds of having a glycosylated hemoglobin test more than doubled from preintervention to postintervention, and the odds of having a foot examination more than tripled across centers. Measurement of creatinine and glycosylated hemoglobin were associated; the odds of having one test tripled when the other had been measured. Rates for documentation of patient education were significantly lower at the intervention site where free patient education booklets were distributed. CONCLUSIONS Improvements in diabetes care were not consistent among community health centers. Interventions involving system and policy changes may be more effective in implementing and sustaining improvements than just provider education.
Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin for pancreatic cancer: from the laboratory to the clinic.

Abstract Purpose : We have reported that gemcitabine and concurrent radiation is a promising therapy for patients with pancreatic cancer. We investigated whether the addition of cisplatin, which may increase the systemic efficacy of gemcitabine, would be synergistic with gemcitabine and/or radiation in human pancreatic cancer cell lines. Methods and Materials : BxPc3 and Panc-1 human pancreatic cancer cells were treated with three different schedules before radiation: (A) a sequential incubation of gemcitabine for 2 h followed by cisplatin for 2 h, (B) gemcitabine for 2 h, followed by washout of drug, replenishment of media for a 24-h incubation, followed by cisplatin for 2 h, and (C) gemcitabine for 24 h with a concurrent incubation of cisplatin for the last 2 h. Cells were assessed for clonogenic survival using a standard assay. Synergism was evaluated by the median effect analysis. Results : The schedule shown to be maximally synergistic for both cell lines was the consecutive 2-h gemcitabine, 2-h cisplatin exposure, particularly at surviving fractions of Conclusion : Cisplatin produces synergistic cytotoxicity with gemcitabine without compromising gemcitabine-mediated radiosensitization. On the basis of these laboratory and previous clinical observations, we have initiated a Phase I trial of cisplatin plus gemcitabine and radiotherapy in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer.
Subsidence of Aseismic Ridges: Evidence from Sediments on Rio Grande Rise (Southwest Atlantic Ocean)

Rio Grande Rise is a large aseismic ridge in the southwest Atlantic Ocean. Though the nature of its basement only can be inferred from geophysical evidence, shallow-water sediments recovered from various locations along its flanks show that it was a large island towering 2 km above sea level during Santonian-Campanian times (75 to 85 m.y. ago) and that it slowly submerged since that time. Lithic fragments of basaltic material present with shallow-water sediments suggest that this "island" has a volcanic base of Santonian/pre-Santonian age. From the locations of shallow-water sediment components, subsidence rates of former shorelines were reconstructed. Application of the sedimentation rates from DSDP drill sites allowed estimation of the subsidence of the volcanic basemen and backtracking of the paleodepth of deposition of the pelagic-sediment facies recovered from the flanks of the rise. These facies can be correlated to similar sediments on the adjacent Brazilian continental margin (Sao Paulo Plateau) and on the southwest African continental margin.
Stretch Factor of Curveball Routing in Wireless Network: Cost of Load Balancing

Routing in wireless networks has been heavily studied in the last decade and numerous routing protocols were proposed in literature. Most of the existing routing protocols are based on shortest path routing. Shortest path routing enjoys minimizing the total delay, but may lead uneven distribution of traffic load in a network. For example, wireless nodes in the center of a network usually have heavier traffic load since most of the shortest routes go through the center. To solve this problem, Popa et al. (2007) recently proposed a novel routing method, called curveball routing (CBR), which can balance the traffic load and vanish the crowded center effect. In CBR, nodes are mapped on a sphere and packets are routed on those virtual coordinates on the sphere. While CBR achieves better load balancing for the network, it also uses longer routes than the shortest paths. This can be treated as the cost of load balancing. In this paper, we focus on studying this cost of load balancing for curveball routing. Specifically, we theoretically prove that for any network, the distance traveled by the packets using CBR is no more than a small constant factor of the minimum (the distance of the shortest path). The constant factor, we called stretch factor, is only depended on the ratio between the size of the network and the radius of the sphere used in CBR. We then conduct extensive simulations to evaluate the stretch factor and load distribution of CBR and compare them with the shortest path routing in both grid and random networks. We also study the trade-off between stretch factor and load balancing.
Enhanced antioxidant activity after chlorination of quercetin by hypochlorous acid.

Background: Several epidemiological studies indicate that moderate consumption of red wine decreases both the incidence and mortality associated with cardiovascular disease. Quercetin and rutin (quercetin3-rutinoside) are polyphenols present in relatively large concentrations in red wine and may play a role in this cardioprotective phenomenon. The precise mechanisms of cardioprotection remain unclear but may involve the action of these polyphenols as antioxidants, which attenuate the tissue injury that results from the production of proinflammatory oxidants such as hypochlorous acid (HOCl). Methods: To study the interaction of these polyphenols with proinflammatory oxidants, we mixed quercetin or rutin with HOCl (0 ‐150 mM) and analyzed the reaction products by high-performance liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Results: Stable mono- and dichlorinated derivates were detected for both quercetin and the glycoside derivative, rutin, which suggests that both the conjugated and unconjugated forms of quercetin reacted with HOCl similarly. Chlorination of quercetin occurred only at two sites, and the derivates (6-chloroquercetin, 6,8-dichloroquercetin) were more potent antioxidants toward oxidative modification of low-density lipoproteins and ABTS radical formation than the unmodified form. Conclusions: These data suggest that under certain pathological conditions in vivo (e.g., inflammation), flavonols may be converted to chlorinated derivates, which exhibit an enhanced antioxidant potential and thereby play a role in cardioprotection.
3D nanomanipulation using atomic force microscopy

The use of atomic force microscope (AFM) as a nanomanipulator has been evolving for various kinds of nanomanipulation tasks. Due to the bow effect of the piezo scanner of the AFM, the AFM space is different from the Cartesian space. In this paper, different 3-D nanomanipulation tasks using AFM such as nanolithography, pushing and cutting are discussed. 3-D path planning are performed directly in the AFM space and the 3-D paths are generated based on the 3-D topography information of the surface represented in the AFM space. This approach can avoid the mappings between the AFM space and Cartesian space in planning. By following the generated motion paths, the tip can either follow the topography of the surface or move across the surface by avoiding collision with bumps. Nanomanipulation using this method can be considered as the "true" 3-D operations since the cantilever tip can be controlled to follow any desired 3-D trajectory within the range of AFM space. The experimental study shows the effectiveness of the planning and control scheme.
Ingenol mebutate (ingenol 3-angelate, PEP005): focus on its uses in the treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancer

It is estimated that there are 2 million new cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in the USA annually. Current treatment modalities pose significant morbidity, which can consequently lead to unfavorable cosmetic outcomes. This in turn leads to the direct and indirect management costs of treating NMSC approaching billions of dollars annually. There have been anecdotal reports of Euphorbia peplus sap use as a successful home remedy for skin malignancies, which suggest it may be an effective topical treatment for NMSC. Further investigations have isolated one among the many active ingredients found in E. peplus sap, ingenol mebutate (PEP005). Research studies have revealed that ingenol mebutate has both a direct cytotoxic effect and a local moderate acute inflammatory response in mediating its anticancer effects. In addition to its high efficacy in the treatment of NMSC, clinical studies have reported ingenol mebutate to have minor application site side effects that resolved shortly after stopping treatme...
Recovery of second-order optical nonlinearity in annealed proton-exchanged LiNbO/sub x/

The second-order nonlinear coefficients measured in proton-exchanged LiNbO/sub 3/ as a function of annealing time are discussed. Measurements of reflected second-harmonic power indicate that the second-order nonlinear coefficient d/sub 33/ is reduced to 60% of the bulk value as a result of proton exchange in pure benzoic acid. It is also shown that annealing restores the d-coefficients to almost the original value of the virgin crystal. For example, recovery to approximately 90% of the bulk value was obtained for a sample with a 0.3- mu m-bulk proton-exchanged layer, annealed for 10 h at 350 degrees C. >
Cortical representation of information about visual attributes: one network or many?

Information about various visual attributes, such as orientation or color, is represented in the primate striate cortex (VI) before reaching extrastriate cortices. Previous studies, using single-or multi-unit recordings, have reached conflicting conclusions regarding the question of whether these different attributes are represented by separate populations of neurons in VI. We addressed this question with imaging of intrinsic optical signals from macaque VI. The animals viewed either full field (uniform) color stimuli or drifting black and white gratings of various orientations. We used the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm to determine the relative amount of information about a given attribute at each cortical location. We found that each single-trial image contained significant amounts of information about color or orientation. The information about either attribute was distributed unevenly across VI. Color information was concentrated in small regions of high information density, surrounded by large regions of low information density, while orientation information showed the opposite pattern. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that color and orientation are represented in different compartments in VI.
Focused attention, open monitoring and automatic self-transcending: Categories to organize meditations from Vedic, Buddhist and Chinese traditions.

This paper proposes a third meditation-category—automatic self-transcending— to extend the dichotomy of focused attention and open monitoring proposed by Lutz. Automatic selftranscending includes techniques designed to transcend their own activity. This contrasts with focused attention, which keeps attention focused on an object; and open monitoring, which keeps attention involved in the monitoring process. Each category was assigned EEG bands, based on reported brain patterns during mental tasks, and meditations were categorized based on their reported EEG. Focused attention, characterized by beta/gamma activity, included meditations from Tibetan Buddhist, Buddhist, and Chinese traditions. Open monitoring, characterized by theta activity, included meditations from Buddhist, Chinese, and Vedic traditions. Automatic self-transcending, characterized by alpha1 activity, included meditations from Vedic and Chinese traditions. Between categories, the included meditations differed in focus, subject/object relation, and procedures. These findings shed light on the common mistake of averaging meditations together to determine mechanisms or clinical effects.
Are health-related quality-of-life and self-rated health associated with mortality? Insights from Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD)

Aims To determine if health-related quality-of-life and self-rated health are associated with mortality in persons with diabetes.
Multi-dimensional phase/frequency coded modulation with nonuniform signal constellations

Multi-dimensional trellis coded frequency-shift key/phase-shift keyed (FSK/PSK) uniformly-spaced phase frequency modulation formats defined over an expanded set of signals varying both in phase and frequency have been shown to improve error performance over uncoded modulation. Nonuniformly spaced (or asymmetric) M-PSK (M-APSK) can have advantages over traditional uniformly spaced M-PSK. The author shows that by combining FSK with nonuniformly-spaced M-PSK modulation (2-FSK, 4-FSK)/M-APSK are using trellis coding and Viterbi decoding, one can, in some instances, obtain a performance gain over coded (2-FSK, 4-FSK)/M-PSK. The asymptotic performance gains due to coding, frequency-shift, and nonuniformity are evaluated in terms of the minimum free Euclidean distance d/sub free/ of the trellis. A few example are given to show the performance gain. >
Litterfall as a niche construction process in a northern hardwood forest

Northern hardwood forests can exhibit considerable temporal stability in their species composition, which litterfall may help to maintain by modifying the soil environment to create an ecological inheritance. We evaluated the evidence for this niche-construction perspective by carrying out a spatially explicit analysis of redistribution of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K) via leaf litterfall of the six dominant tree species in a temperate forest in northwest Connecticut, USA. We combined stem maps with litterfall measurements to fit models of leaf litterfall for individual species, and we chemically analyzed leaves, surface soil extractions, and unweathered soil particles. Analysis of elemental oxides in unweathered soil particles suggested that species did not differ in ability to gain access to rock-bound nutrients. Nevertheless, species had a significant effect on quantity of Ca cycled in litter—the two calcicoles (species with affinity for calcium-rich soils) occurred most commonly on t...
Isomers on the Si2CH4+ Potential Energy Surface

The Si2CH4+ potential energy surface has been studied theoretically using ab initio unrestricted Hartree−Fock, restricted open shell Hartree−Fock, and fourth-order perturbation theories. In additio...
Carcinoembryonic Antigen Levels in Malignant Pleural Fluids Obtained from Patients with Mammary Cancer

The clinical usefulness of the carcinoembryonic antigen test for defining the malignant origin of pleural fluids obtained from patients who have mammary cancer was evaluated. Of 57 malignant pleural fluids obtained from 51 patients who had mammary cancer, 31 (54.4%) demonstrated a significantly elevated carcinoembryonic antigen content: the ratio of pleural fluid to serum carcinoembryonic antigen values ranged from .24 to 3.55; whereas for 14 of 23 patients who had normal levels of both serum and pleural fluid carcinoembryonic antigen, the ratio ranged from 0.25 to 2.30. This study indicates that the pleural fluid carcinoembryonic antigen value may be significantly elevated in only 50–60% of mammary cancer patients having documented malignant pleural fluids, and that the pleural fluid to serum carcinoembryonic antigen ratio is of no value in defining the malignant origin of pleural fluids obtained from these patients.
Abstract PR-2: Investigation of mismatch repair deficiency in ovarian cancers

PR-2 Background Defects in the mismatch repair (MMR) pathway are believed to be etiologically important in a reasonable proportion of epithelial ovarian cancers. Various laboratory methods can be used to identify MMR-deficient ovarian cancers, including microsatellite instability (MSI) analysis and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Specifically, in colorectal cancers (CRC), tumor characteristics previously shown to be useful in identifying MMR-deficient tumors include MSI-high (MSI-H) phenotype and loss of MMR protein expression on IHC analyses. Similar findings have been demonstrated in ovarian cancer, however the sample sizes of those studies have been limited. Objectives/Methods We sought to investigate tumor characteristics including: (1) MSI-high status, (2) Expression of 3 MMR proteins (MLH1, MSH2, and MSH6) through IHC studies, and (3) The concordance between MSI and IHC results. The tumors analyzed came from women between the ages of 18 and 80 years with newly-diagnosed epithelial ovarian cancer ascertained between December 13, 2000 and September 30, 2003in a population-based study covering a 2-county region of west central Florida. MSI-H was defined by instability in 2 or more of the 5 NCI-standardized microsatellite markers (ie: BAT25, BAT26, D2S123, D17D250, D5S346). Tissue microarrays were created to evaluate the loss of MMR protein expression on IHC based on a scoring system of 0-9 to evaluate both stain and intensity, and take the product of these 2 numbers; loss of expression of protein expression was defined as Results Of the 232 who agreed to participation, tumor samples were collected on 219 (94%). The distribution of by race and ethnicity of study participants was similar to the distribution of cancer cases in the catchment area, with ~90% of participants being non-Hispanic Whites. The distribution of histologic subtypes, stage and median age at diagnosis was also similar to that seen in the general population. Of the 219 cases, all had IHC analysis and 201 had MSI analysis. The frequency of MSI-H was 29%. The frequency of loss of expression on IHC was 17%. The numbers of tumors which were concordant for MSI and IHC results was 141 (including 16 cases with MSI-H and loss of MMR protein expression and 125 cases with no MSI-H and presence of MMR protein expression). Conversely, there were 60 discordant cases (including 42 cases which were MSI-H, but MMR protein expression was present; and 18 cases which were not MSI-H, with loss of MMR protein expression). Conclusions In contrast to previous studies of CRC, our results indicate limited concordance between MSI-H status and loss of MMR protein expression. Thus, MSI analysis and IHC studies for MMR protein expression may be of limited utility in the identification of ovarian tumors with MMR deficiency. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2008;1(7 Suppl):PR-2.
Phallography: Technique and Results of Nocturnal Tumescence Monitoring

AbstractPhallography, or nocturnal tumescence monitoring, is a relatively new technique to measure and record nocturnal erections. The technique is most useful in differentiating between organic male erectile disability and psychogenic impotence. It is a relatively simple procedure and the equipment is available commercially. Of 40 recordings done on 17 patients 35 were adequate for interpretation. Six patients had total erectile failure, 9 had various erectile disabilities and 2 were normal. The 2 patients with normal erections represented psychogenic erectile disability. The technique is reliable and can be recommended for general use to separate organic from psychogenic impotence and to define different types of erectile disability.
Diagnostic Wrist Arthroscopy for Nonspecific Wrist Pain.

Background: This study addresses the prevalence of discrete pathophysiology accounting for patients’ symptoms during diagnostic wrist arthroscopy in individuals with wrist pain without a specific p...
Patient Abuse and Trauma: A Policy Analysis of the Regulation of Seclusion and Restraint in Mental Health Care

ABSTRACTHistorically, justifications for the seclusion and physical restraint of hospital patients have stereotyped individuals with mental illness as “dangerous” to themselves and others (Huckshor...
Non-cirrhotic portal hypertension in adults: An imaging overview

Abhijit Sunnapwar is dual board certified radiologist (in India and USA). He is working as Assistant Professor of Radiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio for last four years. He has nine publications in Pubmed indexed journals. He is also a reviewer of three radiology journals. His expertise includes imaging of GI and GU and image guided interventions with special interest in MRI. He is Chief of body MRI at University hospital, San Antonio. He has presented in National and International medical conferences with over 40 educational exhibits and workshops. Non-cirrhotic portal hypertension in adults: An imaging overview
Loss of O-GlcNAc glycosylation in forebrain excitatory neurons induces neurodegeneration.

O-GlcNAc glycosylation (or O-GlcNAcylation) is a dynamic, inducible posttranslational modification found on proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as α-synuclein, amyloid precursor protein, and tau. Deletion of the O-GlcNAc transferase (ogt) gene responsible for the modification causes early postnatal lethality in mice, complicating efforts to study O-GlcNAcylation in mature neurons and to understand its roles in disease. Here, we report that forebrain-specific loss of OGT in adult mice leads to progressive neurodegeneration, including widespread neuronal cell death, neuroinflammation, increased production of hyperphosphorylated tau and amyloidogenic Aβ-peptides, and memory deficits. Furthermore, we show that human cortical brain tissue from Alzheimer’s disease patients has significantly reduced levels of OGT protein expression compared with cortical tissue from control individuals. Together, these studies indicate that O-GlcNAcylation regulates pathways critical for the maintenance of neuronal health and suggest that dysfunctional O-GlcNAc signaling may be an important contributor to neurodegenerative diseases.
Direct metal writing: Controlling the rheology through microstructure

Most metal additive manufacturing approaches are based on powder-bed melting techniques such as laser selective melting or electron beam melting, which often yield uncontrolled microstructures with defects (e.g., pores or microcracks) and residual stresses. Here, we introduce a proof-of-concept prototype of a 3D metal freeform fabrication process by direct writing of metallic alloys in the semi-solid regime. This process is achieved through controlling the particular microstructure and the rheological behavior of semi-solid alloy slurries, which demonstrate a well suited viscosity and a shear thinning property to retain the shape upon printing. The ability to control the microstructure through this method yields a flexible manufacturing route to fabricating 3D metal parts with full density and complex geometries.
Spiritual despots: modern Hinduism and the genealogies of self-rule, by J. Barton Scott, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2016, 280 pp., US$45.00 (hardback), ISBN 978 0 226 36867 2

In Spiritual Despots, J. Barton Scott has produced a compelling account of the ways in which anticlerical writings in both Britain and India in the 19th century reimagined subjectivity. Mining the ...
Radical Social Work

AbstractSocial workers often concentrate efforts in alleviating individual-level problems but neglect systematic factors that contribute to those problems. This article encourages professionals in the field to actively analyze the implementation of policies and its impact in populations by engaging in what the author calls radical vision. This article further discusses the contribution of localism and de facto segregation to the perpetuation of poverty and inequality.
Persistent DNA methylation changes associated with prenatal mercury exposure and cognitive performance during childhood.

Prenatal exposure to mercury, a known neurotoxic metal, is associated with lower cognitive performance during childhood. Disruption of fetal epigenetic programming could explain mercury’s neurodevelopmental effects. We screened for epigenome-wide methylation differences associated with maternal prenatal blood mercury levels in 321 cord blood DNA samples and examined the persistence of these alterations during early (n = 75; 2.9–4.9 years) and mid-childhood (n = 291; 6.7–10.5 years). Among males, prenatal mercury levels were associated with lower regional cord blood DNA methylation at the Paraoxonase 1 gene (PON1) that persisted in early childhood and was attenuated in mid-childhood blood. Cord blood methylation at the PON1 locus predicted lower cognitive test scores measured during early childhood. Methylation at the PON1 locus was associated with PON1 expression in an independent set of cord blood samples. The observed persistent epigenetic disruption of the PON1 gene may modulate mercury toxicity in humans and might serve as a biomarker of exposure and disease susceptibility.
Surface characterization, shear strength, and bioactivity of anodized titanium prepared in mixed-acid electrolytes

Abstract The present study focused on evaluation of anodized oxides prepared in four mixed acid electrolytes with and without phosphoric acid as a function of forming voltage. Specifically the oxide surface characteristics, the mechanical integrity, and the bioactive performance were evaluated for a range of forming voltages in each electrolyte. Surface analyses showed phosphorus incorporation into the oxide layer started at localized areas after a threshold forming voltage, but became more uniform at higher voltages. Oxide crystallinity and thickness were retarded by the phosphoric acid levels present in the anodization electrolytes. Surface roughness was shown to be electrolyte dependent as a function of forming voltage, and in general was shown to increase with increasing voltage. Samples anodized up to a forming voltage of 144 V did not show any oxide failure through shear strength testing with only epoxy delamination for three of the electrolytes. At 180 V, the oxide layers showed failure or partial failure at approximately 30–35 MPa, which is stronger than many values previously reported for anodized coatings in the literature. Additionally, oxide films prepared in phosphoric acid containing electrolytes showed greater bioactivity through enhanced apatite formation. These anodized coatings exhibiting enhanced bioactivity show promise for promoting faster osseointegration while providing better implant stability due to the superior coating adhesion strengths.
Isolation of nuclei and preparation of chromatin from plant tissues.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses techniques for the isolation of nuclei and preparation of chromatin from plant tissues. The preparation of the chromosomal components from plant tissues requires the isolation of relatively undamaged nuclei free of other subcellular organelles and debris followed by the preparation of chromatin from those nuclei. The procedures reported in the chapter are selected as suitable for histone isolation from maize ( Zea mays ) tissues. The methods for obtaining nuclear preparations are judged by three criteria: purity, condition, and yield. Direct isolation of chromatin from maize tissues results in low yields and severely degraded histones. The methods selected for the isolation of plant nuclei and chromatin must be suited to the plant tissue used. The nuclear isolation methods outlined in the chapter are suitable for the isolation of nuclei from maize. The method employed for chromatin extraction from maize efficiently produces a satisfactory product that can be used for the isolation of histones; however, it may not be suited for all plant nuclei or for the unsheared chromatin.
The Strategic Management of Corporate Myths

In a new approach, which departs from traditional modes of management, highly effective leaders can use the powerful tool of organizational myths as managerial interventions to inspire, indeed control, behavior and attitudes. The authors suggest a way to analyze or ‘map’ myths, evaluate their potency, determine if the myths conflict with strategic organizational goals and, where necessary, take action to build positive and supportive myths. The myths that have been used by effective organizations are presented in support of the concepts that are advanced by the authors.
Balanitis Caused by Group B Streptococcus

The Lancefield group B streptococcus is a cause of serious genitourinary tract infections in peripartum women. However, it rarely has been implicated as a pathogen in genital infections of male subjects. We report severe recurrent balanitis owing to group B streptococcus in a sexually active young man. Group B streptococcus was cultured from the vagina of his asymptomatic consort on 1 occasion. It is postulated that penile cellulitis developed by invasion of group B streptococcus through a traumatic abrasion acquired during sexual intercourse. The preferred antibiotic treatment for balanitis caused by group B streptococcus is penicillin or erythromycin. Prevention of additional episodes may be difficult, since therapy of the female carrier state with antibiotics has not provided long-term eradication of group B streptococcus.
Modeling the damage and recovery of interdependent civil infrastructure network using Dynamic Integrated Network model

In a modern society, civil infrastructure facilities in different systems depend upon each other for product input and/or information sharing. Thus, understanding such dependencies and properly mod...
The Role of Sulfur Dioxide in Wine

While the use of sulfur dioxide in winemaking dates back to Egyptian and Roman times (Bioletti 1912), the full extent of its role in wines is often not understood because of the multiple activities and reactions in which it is involved. It had been estimated in the early part of this century that the free forms possessed approximately 50 times the antiseptic activity of the bound forms (Bioletti 1912). While most of the sulfur dioxide found in wine is deliberately added to the must, juice, or wine, significant amounts are normally produced by yeast during fermentation (Weeks 1969; Bidan and Collon 1985).
Multiple myeloma in childhood: report of a case with breast tumors as a presenting manifestation.

A case of multiple myeloma of the IgA monoclonal gammopathy type in a 13-year-old Caucasian girl is reported. Unusual features of this case are the young age of the patient, initial clinical manifestation of tumor nodules in the breasts and subcutaneous tissue, extensive extramedullary involvement, particularly of the ovaries, and biologically false-positive heterophil reactions in high titers.
C-15: Selection of functional human sperm with higher DNA integrity and fewer reactive oxygen species

Fertilization and reproduction are central to the survival and propagation of a species. Couples who cannot reproduce naturally have to undergo in vitro clinical procedures. An integral part of these clinical procedures includes isolation of healthy sperm from raw semen. Existing sperm sorting methods are not efficient and isolate sperm having high DNA fragmentation and reactive oxygen species, and suffer from multiple manual steps and variations between embryologists. Inspired by in vivo natural sperm sorting mechanisms where vaginal mucus becomes less viscous to form microchannels to guide sperm towards the egg, we present a chip that efficiently sorts healthy, motile and morphologically normal sperm without centrifugation. A higher percentage of sorted sperm show significantly lesser reactive oxygen species and DNA fragmentation than the conventional swim-up method. The presented chip is an easy-to-use high throughput sperm sorter that provides standardized sperm sorting assay with less reliance on the embryologist’s skills, facilitating reliable operational steps.
The Economic Principles of My Cancer Treatment: How to Use Medical Experiences to Teach Economics

This paper uses specific examples from my cancer treatment to illuminate multiple concepts that are typically covered in principles of economics classes. Economics is a method of thinking that reveals itself in all aspects of life and a good economics instructor should be able to see and adapt these economic concepts in even his or her most severe life experiences. The real events of my treatment serve to illustrate and further clarify basic economic concepts such as inelasticity, cost-benefit analysis, product bundling, how people respond to incentives, and marginal decision making. The more advanced concepts of a second-best world and the logic of the rational voter model are also explained using situations that arose during the treatment. These real-life incidences further clarify these ideas and provide effective examples that can be used in the classroom to bolster students’ confidence in the economic way of thinking.
Comparing physician and speech–language pathologist perceptions of client understanding about post-stroke aphasia and recovery

Background: Experts on aphasia rehabilitation concur that recovery from a stroke and resulting aphasia continues to occur, over a longer period of time post-stroke than previously believed. Many ne...