cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stretchable, Implantable Nanomembrane Biosensor for Wireless, Real-Time Monitoring of Hemodynamics

Unruptured cerebral aneurysms exist in as many as 6% of the population in the world, introducing risk of serious damage if not properly treated. Current gold standard of care involves invasive treatment via clipping or embolization in the targeted aneurysm sacs. Although post-treatment monitoring of blood flow is recommended, the existing practice using angiography is costly and invasive. Recently developed flow diverters, inserted in the region of a blood vessel and neck of a sac, offers lower procedural risks, while improving effectiveness. Even though some devices show a possible method of sensor integration for active monitoring of hemodynamics, they still require cumbersome tethering with an external data acquisition system. Here, we introduce a wireless, implantable, stretchable biosensor system, comprised of a miniaturized capacitive sensor and inductive coil, for integration into a batteryless functional device. Quantitative analysis of transient sensor signals allows accurate identification of a resonant frequency. The capacitive sensor is fabricated via aerosol jet printing of silver nanoparticles and polyimide. Analytical and experimental study optimizes the inductive coupling mechanism to achieve the maximum readout distance over 5.5 cm in air with a fabricated biosensor. The optimized wireless system and low-profile form demonstrates a 2.4 ratio of readout distance to cross-sectional area and possesses the most applicable performance among reported implantable, inductive coupling sensors. In vitro experiments include real-time, wireless monitoring of flow rates in a cerebral aneurysm model. Overall, the wireless system and stretchable biosensor provide a method to offer real-time monitoring of hemodynamics of blood flow in cerebral aneurysms with an abnormal focal dilation.
Quantifying the accuracy of deformable image registration for cone-beam computed tomography with a physical phantom

PURPOSE Kilo-voltage cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is widely used for patient alignment, contour propagation, and adaptive treatment planning in radiation therapy. In this study, we evaluated the accuracy of deformable image registration (DIR) for CBCT under various imaging protocols with different noise and patient dose levels. METHODS A physical phantom previously developed to facilitate end-to-end testing of the DIR accuracy was used with Varian Velocity v4.0 software to evaluate the performance of image registration from CT to CT, CBCT to CT, and CBCT to CBCT. The phantom is acrylic and includes several inserts that simulate different tissue shapes and properties. Deformations and anatomic changes were simulated by changing the rotations of both the phantom and the inserts. CT images (from a head and neck protocol) and CBCT images (from pelvis, head and "Image Gently" protocols) were obtained with different image noise and dose levels. Large inserts were filled with Mobil DTE oil to simulate soft tissue, and small inserts were filled with bone materials. All inserts were contoured before the DIR process to provide a ground truth contour size and shape for comparison. After the DIR process, all deformed contours were compared with the originals using Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and mean distance to agreement (MDA). Both large and small volume of interests (VOIs) for DIR volume selection were tested by simulating a DIR process that included whole patient image volume and clinical target volumes (CTV) only (for CTVs propagation). RESULTS For cross-modality DIR registration (CT to CBCT), the DSC were >0.8 and the MDA were 0.8 and MDA <2 mm for all modalities. CONCLUSIONS The accuracy of DIR depends on the quality of the CBCT image at different dose and noise levels.
Overview of Logical Foundations of Cyber-Physical Systems

Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) are important whenever computer technology interfaces with the physical world as it does in self-driving cars or aircraft control support systems. Due to their many subtleties, controllers for cyber-physical systems deserve to be held to the highest correctness standards. Their correct functioning is crucial, which explains the broad interest in safety analysis technology for their mathematical models, which are called hybrid systems because they combine discrete dynamics with continuous dynamics. Differential dynamic logic (dL) provides logical specification and rigorous reasoning techniques for hybrid systems. The logic dL is implemented in the theorem prover KeYmaera X, which has been instrumental in verifying ground robot controllers, railway systems, and the next-generation airborne collision avoidance system ACAS X. This chapter provides an informal overview of this logical approach to CPS safety that is detailed in a recent textbook on Logical Foundations of Cyber-Physical Systems. It also explains how safety guarantees obtained in the land of verified models reach the level of CPS execution unharmed.
Abstract TP169: Migraine Phenotypic Spectrum in a CADASIL Cohort: Mayo Clinic Florida

Objective: To characterize migraine in patients with cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL). Background: CADASIL serves as a key model ...
Decent Knowledge for Future Directions in the Landscape Management

Need in knowledge was and is still immense for the Lake Tumba Landscape. Collecting data to document the biodiversity of and the role of humans in shaping the Lake Tumba Landscape was essential before embarking on any conservation activity. Beyond these primary questions and gross-resolution preliminary studies, however, ecological functions and conditions of the habitats in the landscape were to be studied in a multi-resolution assessment of amphibians, birds, fishes, insects mammals (large and small), and plants. Despite the fact that acquiring fine-tuned data may appear idealistic, the long-term acquisition of the knowledge on these biological and social components is important in setting conservation goals and monitoring targets. The chapter proposes some methods on how to go about these studies and comprehensively addresses gaps in knowledge and provides epistemological reasons why such data should be collected, where and when.
IMPACT OF FRAILTY ON OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT: A REPORT FROM NATIONAL INPATIENT SAMPLE

Frailty is a known predictor of periprocedural complications and recovery after cardiovascular interventions. Its impact on in-hospital outcomes in patients undergoing TAVR is not well studied. We conducted a study using National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database to assess the effect of frailty on in-
Functional connectivity of white matter as a biomarker of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease

Abstract Objective In vivo functional changes in white matter during the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have not been previously reported. Our objectives are to measure changes in white matter functional connectivity (FC) in an aging population undergoing cognitive decline as AD develops, to establish their relationship to neuropsychological scores of cognitive abilities, and to assess their performance as predictors of AD. Methods Analyses were conducted using resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) and neuropsychological data from 383 ADNI participants, including 136 cognitive normal (CN) controls, 46 with significant memory concern, 83 with early mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 37 with MCI, 46 with late MCI, and 35 with AD dementia. We used novel analyses of whole brain rsfMRI data to derive FC metrics between white matter tracts and discrete cortical volumes, as well as FC metrics between different white matter tracts, and their relationship to 6 cognitive measures. We then implemented supervised machine learning on white matter FCs to classify the participants and evaluated the performance. Results Significant decreases were found in white matter FCs with prominent, specific, regional deficits appearing in late MCI and AD dementia patients relative to CN. These changes significantly correlated with behavioral measurements of impairments in cognition and memory. The sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing AD dementia and CN using white matter FCs were 0.83 and 0.81 respectively. Conclusions and Relevance The white matter FC decreased in late MCI and AD dementia patients compared to CN participants, and the white matter FC correlates with cognitive measures. White matter FC based classification shows promise for differentiating AD patients from CN. It is suggested that white matter FC may be a novel imaging biomarker of AD progression.
Effects of Three Common Choral Performance Movement Conditions on Acoustic and Perceptual Measures of Choral Sound

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of three commonly observed choral singer performance conditions (no movement, slight swaying, full-body swaying) on acoustic and percept...
Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is associated with increased risk of lymphoma, melanoma, lung cancer, and bladder cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) are at a higher risk of developing second malignancies. However, rates of incidence vary significantly across studies. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis of articles published between 1950 and 2019 was performed to evaluate the risk of second malignancies in patients with CTCL. Results We identified 10 eligible studies, including 12 patient cohorts, with 5.9% to 16.8% of patients developing second malignancies. All studies showed a male predominance for patients developing second malignancies. The mean age across the studies ranged from 44.6 to 68.0 years. The time between the diagnosis of CTCL and second malignancy ranged from 2.1 to 5.4 years (mean, 3.29 y; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.69-5.15). Meta-analysis showed a standardized incidence ratio of 2.18 (95% CI, 1.43-2.93) for all malignancies. The standardized incidence ratios were 15.25 (95% CI, 7.70-22.79) for Hodgkin lymphoma, 4.96 (95% CI, 3.58-6.33) for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 1.69 (95% CI, 1.18-2.21) for lung cancer, 1.72 (95% CI, 1.18-2.21) for bladder cancer, and 3.09 (95% CI, 1.77-6.43) for melanoma. Conclusions We find that patients with CTCL are at increased risk of second malignancies, especially Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, lung cancer, bladder cancer, and melanoma. These findings provide evidence of a population at increased risk of malignancy. Early detection may decrease the morbidity burden of second malignancies, thus providing a strong rationale for prospective screening studies.
Abstract 14592: Pregnancy Loss and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Early Adulthood: Preliminary Findings From Add Health

Introduction: Pregnancy loss, including miscarriage and stillbirth, affect 15-20% of pregnancies in the United States annually. Accumulating evidence suggests that pregnancy loss is associated with...
Word Association Tests for Political Science

The standard practice to measuring political attitudes is to ask survey respondents to map their feelings onto a quantitative scale determined by the researcher. This approach, while widespread, suffers from a number of well-known problems. Such questions can be cognitively demanding, scales are different across cultures and even individuals of the same culture, and complex attitudes are reduced to a single number. In this paper, we advance the use of Word Association Tests (WATs), where respondents are presented a series of cue words and asked to provide other words that come to mind as quickly as possible. This approach more directly maps to how attitudes actually operate in the human mind, and it provides a richer set of data than a standard survey question. The paper develops and demonstrates the utility of WATs through an analysis of Chinese citizens’ attitudes towards the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Near-to-Far Field Transformation in FDTD: A Comparative Study of Different Interpolation Approaches

Equivalence theorems in electromagnetic field theory stipulate that farfield radiation pattern/scattering profile of a source/scatterer can be evaluated from fictitious electric and magnetic surface currents on an equivalent imaginary surface enclosing the source/scatterer. These surface currents are in turn calculated from tangential (to the equivalent surface) magnetic and electric fields, respectively. However, due to the staggered-in-space placement of electric and magnetic fields in FDTD Yee cell, selection of a single equivalent surface harboring both tangential electric and magnetic fields is not feasible. The work-around is to select a closed surface with tangential electric (or magnetic) fields and interpolate the neighboring magnetic (or electric) fields to bring approximate magnetic (or electric) fields onto the same surface. Interpolation schemes available in the literature include averaging, geometric mean and the mixed-surface approach. In this work, we compare FDTD farfield scattering profiles of a dielectric cube calculated from surface currents that are obtained using various interpolation techniques. The results are benchmarked with those obtained from integral equation solvers available in the commercial packages FEKO and HFSS.
Eligibility, Utilization, and Effectiveness of 17-Alpha Hydroxyprogesterone Caproate (17OHPC) in a Statewide Population-Based Cohort of Medicaid Enrollees.

Objectives The primary objective was to estimate the initiation and adherence rates of 17 α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17OHPC) among eligible mothers in a statewide population-based cohort of Medicaid enrollees. The secondary objectives were to (1) determine the association of maternal sociodemographic and clinical characteristics with 17OHPC utilization and (2) assess the real-world effectiveness of 17OHPC on recurrent preterm birth prevention and admission to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Study Design This is a retrospective cohort study using a linked, longitudinal administrative dataset of birth certificates and medical assistance claims. Medicaid-enrolled mothers in Pennsylvania were included in this study if they had at least one singleton live birth from 2014 to 2016 following at least one spontaneous preterm birth. Maternal Medicaid claims were used to ascertain the use of 17OHPC from various manufacturers, including compounded formulations. Propensity score matching was used to create a covariate balance between 17OHPC treatment and comparison groups. Results We identified 4,781 Medicaid-covered 17OHPC-eligible pregnancies from 2014 to 2016 in Pennsylvania, 3.4% of all Medicaid-covered singleton live births. The population-based initiation rate was 28.5% among eligible pregnancies. Among initiators, 50% received ≥16 doses as recommended, while 10% received a single dose only. The severity of previous spontaneous preterm birth was the strongest predictor for the initiation and adherence of 17OHPC. In the matched treatment (n = 1,210) and comparison groups (n = 1,210), we found no evidence of 17OHPC effectiveness. The risks of recurrent preterm birth (relative risk [RR] 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.97–1.24) and births admitted to NICU (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.84–1.18) were similar in treated and comparison mothers. Conclusion The 17OHPC-eligible population represented 3.4% of singleton live births. Less than one-third of eligible mothers initiated treatment. Among initiators, 50% were treatment adherent. We found no difference in the risk of recurrent preterm birth or admission to NICU between treatment and comparison groups. Key Points
Further Results in Measure and Integration Theory

This chapter presents a variety of applications of the basic integration theory. The most important result is the Radon–Nikodym theorem, which is fundamental in modern probability theory and other parts of analysis. The first step in the development of the general Radon–Nikodym theorem is the Jordan–Hahn decomposition, which represents a countably additive set function as the difference of two measures. According to Lebesgue, the conjecture for some nonnegative Borel measurable f is false unless the hypothesis is strengthened. Not only it must be assumed that λ assigns measure 0 to singletons but also it must be assumed that λ is absolutely continuous with respect to Lebesgue measure μ , that is, if μ ( B ) = 0 , then λ ( B ) = 0 .
n -Identical Particle States

For the two-particle system, it was easy to make two-particle wavefunctions either symmetric or antisymmetric under exchange of particle indices. Moreover, it was easy to write the full two-particle wave functions as products of two-particle orbital and two-particle spin functions. For n-particle systems, however, it is in principle straightforward to make a totally symmetric or a totally antisymmetric wave function by acting on a product of n single-particle functions, with a symmetrizer or an antisymmetrizer operator, provided the single-particle functions include allvariables, orbital and spin variables (and perhaps other internal variables, if they exist), appropriate for the n-particle system. We will denote the symmetrizer by S and the antisymmetrizer by A.
Opportunities of Wireless Sensors and Controls for Building Operation

ABSTRACT The rapid maturity of everyday wireless technologies—now widely used for mobile phones, wireless internet access, and even the replacement of barcodes—has had a significant impact on our ability to collect information from the physical world. There are tremendous opportunities in using wireless technologies in sensors and controls for building operation. To date, the market adoption rate of wireless systems in building automation has been limited by two factors. First, the cost of the wireless technology is still high because of the small production numbers. Second, there is still skepticism about the reliability of wireless systems as permanent controls solutions in buildings. The key promise of wireless technology in building operation is to reduce the cost of installing data acquisition and control systems (typically 20–80 percent of the cost of controls technology in a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system). Reducing or eliminating this cost component has a dramatic effect ...
Apoptosis in Hormone-Responsive Malignancies

Publisher Summary The breast and prostate cancer belong to the spectrum of hormone-related malignancies. So, this chapter seeks to review current knowledge about the role of programmed cell death in the normal development and function of the mammary and prostate glands, the carcinogenic process, and the prevention and therapy of breast and prostate cancers. Its suitability as a target for new therapies for both cancers is also explored. Although the focus of the chapter is on breast and prostate cancers, it seems likely that lessons learned from these two neoplasms is also of relevant to a variety of other epithelial malignancies. Breast and prostate represent two excellent model tissues in which to study the balance between cell proliferation and cell death in the normal setting. Research suggests that steroid hormones are key factors that promote proliferation and block death in both tissues. In addition, the pivotal role of programmed cell death in the normal lactational cycle of the breast has been identified. Furthermore, hormone-responsive breast and prostate cancers retain a similar programmed cell death pathway(s) that can be triggered by hormone withdrawal. Similar or identical pathways also exist in endocrine-unresponsive prostate and breast cancer cells even though hormonal manipulation is no longer capable of triggering these pathways. As the components of these pathways, their activators, and their inhibitors are delineated, these programmed cell death pathways provide opportunities for the development of new therapeutic approaches.
Maximum likelihood estimation and diagnostics for stable distributions

A program for maximum likelihood estimation of general stable parameters is described. The Fisher information matrix is computed, making large sample estimation of stable parameters a practical tool. In addition, diagnostics are developed for assessing the stability of a data set. Applications to simulated data, stock price data, foreign exchange rate data, radar data, and ocean wave energy are presented.
Complete Instantiation for Quantified Formulas in Satisfiabiliby Modulo Theories

Quantifier reasoning in Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) is a long-standing challenge. The practical method employed in modern SMT solvers is to instantiate quantified formulas based on heuristics, which is not refutationally complete even for pure first-order logic. We present several decidable fragments of first order logic modulo theories. We show how to construct models for satisfiable formulas in these fragments. For richer undecidable fragments, we discuss conditions under which our procedure is refutationally complete. We also describe useful heuristics based on model checking for prioritizing or avoiding instantiations.
Hepatic Vitamin a Depletion after Chronic Ethanol Consumption in Baboons and Rats

To evaluate possible effects of alcohol consumption on vitamin A and retinol-binding protein (RBP) status, baboons were pair-fed a nutritionally adequate liquid diet containing 50% of total calories either as ethanol or isocaloric carbohydrate. Fatty liver developed after 4 months of ethanol feeding with a 59% decrease (P less than 0.001) in hepatic vitamin A levels, and fibrosis or cirrhosis developed after 24-84 months with a 95% decrease (P less than 0.001). Similarly, hepatic vitamin A levels of rats fed ethanol (36% of total calories) were decreased after 3 weeks (42%, P less than 0.01) and continued to decrease up to 9 weeks. In contrast, vitamin A contents in the kidney and testis were increase 2-3 fold in ethanol-fed rats after 9 weeks. Serum vitamin A and RBP levels were not significantly changed in rats. When dietary vitamin A was increased 5-fold, hepatic vitamin A was again decreased in ethanol-fed rats. When dietary vitamin A was virtually eliminated, the depletion rate of vitamin A from endogenous hepatic storage was 2.5 times faster in ethanol-fed rats than in controls. It is concluded that chronic ethanol consumption decreases hepatic vitamin A, and that some mechanisms other than malnutrition and malabsorption may be involved in this process.
Methods and Difficulties in Laboratory Studies of Cosmic Dust Analogues

The effort to understand the nature of cosmic dust, such as circumstellar, interstellar, and interplanetary dust, relies on the comparison of optical measurements such as scattering, extinction and emission with models ultimately derived from some sort of laboratory data. In this long-standing effort, there are two distinctly different approaches which I would like to outline in the beginning by reference to figure 1. First there is the approach in which the basic optical properties of matter, as summarized by wavelength-dependent optical constants, are used in small-particle calculations relating to the observations. This approach is diagrammed on the left side of figure 1. Although the starting point of this process is often the middle of the left column labeled n(λ), k(λ), which sometimes may be found in the published literature, someone had to do a lot of hard work preceding this point to furnish those optical constants. In such determinations, bulk samples of solids (or liquids) have to be prepared in slabs with polished surfaces, for example, and optical measurements such as trasmission and/or reflectance as functions of wavelength performed. From these measurements, an appropriate theory must be used such as Fresnel’s equations for reflectance from a slab. Out of this process comes the wavelength dependent “measured” optical constants. At this point it is possible to transform these bulk optical properties into small-particle optical effects by using the optical constants in an appropriate and doable small-particle theory such as Mie theory. The resulting extinction, absorption, and scattering parameters can the be compared with observed properties of cosmic dust, and parameters such as the size distribution and possibly the shape can be varied.
Fidelities to Form

Like countless other writers (some now well known but most of us residing, like the present writer, in some comfortable neighborhood of oblivion), I was fortunate to have Donald Justice as a teacher. This was at the University of Florida, in the last regular-semester writing workshop he would teach before his retirement. Reassuring, clear-eyed, somewhat detached (like a doctor at tending to a nervous patient), he conducted our workshop sessions with the kind manners and critical acumen he is deservedly known for. I suspect that his sagacity and manners transfigured our dread into something more like hope or confidence, if not in ourselves then in our decision to be there; we were in the right hands. Justice assured us of what we should do. He would give us no assignments because, since we had come to the writing program, he assumed that we would be reading and writing all the time. We should read poetry in English from all centuries available. We should read poetry in other languages (in the original if possible, if not then in translation) from at least the last two centuries. He gave us a long handout demonstrating an array of verse forms. Throughout the semester he would drop words of advice into our discussions, words of deceptive simplicity. To this day much of what he said is still unfolding itself to me. Such is the voice that we encounter in Justice's Oblivion: On Writers and Writing. Here is a true expert in the tools, techniques, and forms of his craft or art. The word "form" in this context calls for some explanation. Were I simply to assert that Justice, in his critical writing as in his poetic practice, is a master of meter and rhyme, I would only be stating what virtually every reader of contemporary poetry must already know. I should like to focus on Justice's treatment of "form" in the multiple senses in which he uses the term, which touch on, besides the most specific, technical details of a work, its style, tone, and vision?the many characteristics that go to make up its life. As Justice points out in his essay "Benign Obscurity," the particular kinds of difficult writing he focuses on?the twisting of Hopkins's "Spelt from Sybil's
Role of Anesthesia for Endovascular Treatment of Ischemic Stroke Do We Need Neurophysiological Monitoring

The use of acute endovascular stroke intervention was called into question after the results of 2 negative stroke endovascular trials (Interventional Management of Stroke 3 [IMS-3] and Systemic Thrombolysis for Acute Ischemic Stroke per the Stroke Center registry [SYNTHESIS]).1,2 However, the Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands (MR CLEAN) trial3 compared patients with acute stroke with proximal anterior circulation artery occlusions with usual stroke care, including intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA). The study demonstrated a favorable shift in outcomes in the interventional group by modified Rankin Scale (mRS) by 90 days (odds ratio [OR], 1.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21–2.30). Improvement in mRS was noted for all categories except for death. General anesthesia (GA) was used in 38% of the patients in the interventional group of MR CLEAN. In contrast, 9% of the patients in the Endovascular Treatment for Small Core and Proximal Occlusion Ischemic Stroke (ESCAPE)4 trial received GA. The rate of functional independence (mRS, 0–2 by 90 days) was higher in the intervention group (53.0% versus 29.3%; P <0.01). Furthermore, lower mortality rate was seen in intervention group (10.4 versus 19.0; P =0.04). A recent meta-analysis by Fargen5,6 included MR CLEAN and the prior endovascular stroke trials and suggested a favorable shift outcome (mRS, 0–2; good outcome by 90 days; OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.29–1.16; P =0.0001) for patients with large-vessel occlusions who receive interventional therapy. In a post hoc analysis of MR CLEAN for use of GA, Berkhemer reported at the International Stroke Conference in Nashville, TN, a favorable effect when non-GA was used instead of GA (mRS, 0–2 at 90 days 38% versus 23%; P =0.013).7 Also, GA was associated with delayed initiation of interventional therapy in comparison with …
john dewey on children, childhood, and education

It is difficult to find just one place to look for children and childhood in the American philosopher John Dewey’s work. This is not because he uses the terms so often, but because the concept of childhood pervades his opus in and through another set of terms—development, growth, experience, plasticity, habit, impulse, and education. In Dewey’s language, none of these terms mean quite what they mean in other thinkers’ language, and especially not in the language of the human development theorists of the early twentieth century and after, who based their thinking on a monological, unidirectional developmental trajectory that could be applied at all levels of the evolutionary continuum. Dewey is an interactionist through and through, and thus all his terms should be understood as dialectical. He does not invoke the concept “child” without invoking the concept “adult,” nor does he describe anything that does not have a normative dimension, which by definition belies “pure” description. His is a language of possibility, and the limits of human possibility are incalculable. This is why the concept of childhood is so important in his work. In this text we present selections from two works, the first emerging at the sickening epicenter of the Great War, in 1916—a war in which youth was sacrificed to what he calls adult “infantilisms” on a historically unprecedented scale, and a war that, arguably, effectively suppressed the educational possibilities his work represents for the rest of the century. Democracy and Education (New York: Macmillan) is his magnum opus on education, and characteristically both garrulous and brilliantly pointed, maddeningly oblique and trenchantly critical, painfully dull and fitfully enthralling, explicitly conservative and implicitly radical. The next selections are from Human Nature and Conduct (Carbondale IL: Southern Illinois University Press), published in 1922, when the orgiastic death-feast of the tyrants, the politicians, and their hosts of blind acolytes was (temporarily) over.
Effect of Common Excipients on the Oral Drug Absorption of Biopharmaceutics Classification System Class 3 Drugs Cimetidine and Acyclovir

The objective was to assess the impact of larger than conventional amounts of 14 commonly used excipients on Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) class 3 drug absorption in humans. Cimetidine and acyclovir were used as model class 3 drugs across three separate four-way crossover bioequivalence (BE) studies (n = 24 each) in healthy human volunteers, denoted as study 1A, 1B, and 2. In study 1A and 1B, three capsule formulations of each drug were manufactured, collectively involving 14 common excipients. Capsule formulations that incorporated hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) or magnesium stearate exhibited lower absorption. The cimetidine commercial solution contained sorbitol and also resulted in lower absorption. Hence, in study 2, two capsule formulations with lower amounts of HPMC and magnesium stearate, the sorbitol-containing commercial solution, and a sorbitol-free solution were assessed for BE. Overall, 12 common excipients were found in large amounts to not impact BCS class 3 drug absorption in humans, such that these excipients need not be qualitatively the same nor quantitatively very similar to reference, but rather simply be not more than the quantities studied here. Meanwhile, for each HPMC and microcrystalline cellulose, BCS class 3 biowaivers require these two excipients to be qualitatively the same and quantitatively very similar to the reference.
Discriminative acoustic model using eigenspace mapping for rapid speaker adaptation

It is widely believed that strong correlations exist across an utterance as a consequence of time-invariant characteristics of speaker and acoustic environments. It is verified in this paper that the first primary eigendirections of the utterance covariance matrix are speaker dependent. Based on this observation, a fast speaker adaptation algorithm entitled Eigenspace Mapping (EigMap) is proposed and described. EigMap rapidly adapts the speaker independent models by constructing discriminative acoustic models in the test speaker's eigenspace. Unsupervised adaptation experiments show that EigMap is effective in improving baseline models using very limited amounts of adaptation data with superior performance to conventional adaptation technique such as block diagonal MLLR. A relative improvement of 18.4% over baseline recognizer is achieved using EigMap with only about 4.5 seconds of adaptation data. It is also demonstrated that EigMap is additive to MLLR by encompassing the speaker dependent discrimination information. A significant relative improvement of 24.6% over baseline is observed by combining MLLR and EigMap techniques.
Composition of plasma triglyceride fatty acids and free fatty acids in hypothalamic obese mice.

SummaryChanges in the composition of plasma triglyceride fatty acids and free fatty acids have been investigated in normal and gold thioglucose hypothalamic obese mice of the CBA and Swiss ICR strain. Significant elevations in palmitoleate were seen in plasma triglyceride fatty acids of CBA hypophysectomized gold thioglucose treated mice and in CBA gold thioglucose treated controls. Decreases in the levels of linoleate were also found in these two groups. Hypophysectomy alone did not result in changes in triglyceride fatty acid composition. An increase in palmitate and a decrease in linoleate were also seen in the plasma triglycerides of gold thioglucose treated mice of the Swiss ICR strain. The free fatty acid linoleate values were reduced by 50% in these mice. There was no significant increase in palmitoleate as seen in gold thioglucose treated CBA mice. The linoleate/palmitate ratio has been found to be a convenient index to follow changes in plasma fat composition.We are grateful to Dr. E. B. Hershber...
Complementary or Alternative? Stronger vs Weaker Integration Policies

Scientific research is particularly important as a guide to health care policy regarding the "integration" of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) into conventional medical practices. A spectrum of possibilities has emerged around the question of balancing integration toward complementary vs alternative usages. Although scientific research can guide policies and practices, it has become subject to greater scrutiny and linked to differences on policy issues. Using CAM cancer therapies as a case study, this commentary explores relationships between methodology and policy regarding the integration of CAM therapies.
Fluorescent staining of elastic tissue with Rhodamine B and related xanthene dyes.

Frozen sections, cut at 8 μ from various fresh tissues, were dried for 5 minutes over sulfuric acid, and then stained for 4 minutes in a 0.1% aqueous solution of Rhodamine B (Chroma) at pH 8.O. After soaking twice in butanol for 2 minutes each, the sections were kept on a warmer at 60° C for 2 minutes and then mounted in oil of cedar. Under ultraviolet microscopy, elastic fibers selectively stained yellow-orange against a pale blue background. No autofluorescence of elastic fibers was observed in guinea pig, rat, hamster or rabbit tissue in contrast to the autofluorescence of elastic fibers typically seen in human tissue. Similar fluorescent staining of the elastic tissue could be achieved by using a number of related xanthene dyes including pyronine, eosin B, acridine orange, pholoxin, phloxin B. More distantly related auranine O and thiazol yellow G were likewise used with success as fluorochromes for elastic fibers.
Percent body fat is a risk factor for relapse in anorexia nervosa: a replication study.

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a serious psychiatric illness with high rates of recidivism. Reported relapse rates range from 30% to 50%,1 with the greatest risk of relapse occurring in the first year following hospitalization.2,3 Identifying factors associated with relapse would greatly aid the development of effective treatments. Some studies have suggested that longer duration of illness1,4 and older age of onset1 are associated with worse outcome. Other studies suggest greater concern with shape and weight3,5,6 or excessive exercise5 is associated with relapse. More recently, Schebendach and colleagues7 described an association between diet and risk of relapse in a cohort of recently weight-restored inpatients with AN. Patients consuming an overall diet of lower energy density or of a limited variety of foods were more likely to relapse in the year following hospital discharge compared to those individuals with more varied diets and a higher overall energy density. Studies exploring risk factors such as body mass index (BMI) indicate that a higher BMI at presentation for treatment may be associated with better outcomes.1,8,9 Additionally, in a multi-site relapse prevention trial10 in which all patients had achieved a minimally normal body weight before entry, the only factors associated with relapse were BMI at the end of acute treatment and the rate of weight loss in the first four weeks following hospitalization.11 Leptin levels are generally positively correlated with BMI and body fat,12 thus these findings suggest that higher leptin levels would be associated with improved outcome. Somewhat paradoxically, Holtkamp and colleagues13 reported that higher leptin levels at discharge in inpatients with AN predicted greater weight loss in the 2 months after hospitalization and worse outcome in the year following hospitalization; in this study, patients remained significantly underweight at hospital discharge. Mayer and colleagues14 reported that percent body fat was significantly associated with clinical outcome. Specifically, lower percent body fat among women with AN restored to at least 90% of ideal body weight predicted worse outcome in the year following inpatient treatment. The aims of the current study were to replicate, in a new sample, our previous finding of an association between body composition and dichotomous clinical outcome according to the Morgan-Russell scale (“full, good or fair” versus “poor”).15
Molecular signaling involved in regulating feeding and other mitivated behaviors

The metabolic and nutritional status of an organism influences multiple behaviors in addition to food intake. When an organism is hungry, it employs behaviors that help it locate and ingest food while suppressing behaviors that are not associated with this goal. Alternatively, when an organism is satiated, food-seeking behaviors are repressed so that the animal can direct itself to other goal-oriented tasks such as reproductive behaviors. Studies in both vertebrate and invertebrate model systems have revealed that food-deprived and -satiated behaviors are differentially executed and integrated via common molecular signaling mechanisms. This article discusses cellular and molecular mechanisms for how insulin, neuropeptide Y (NPY), and serotonin utilize common signaling pathways to integrate feeding and metabolic state with other motivated behaviors. Insulin, NPY, and serotonin are three of the most well-studied molecules implicated in regulating such behaviors. Overall, insulin signaling allows an organism to coordinate proper behavioral output with changes in metabolism, NPY activates behaviors required for locating and ingesting food, and serotonin modulates behaviors performed when an organism is satiated. These three molecules work to ensure that the proper behaviors are executed in response to the feeding state of an organism.
Glasnost in the Arctic

The question of establishing an international body to coordinate research activities in the Arctic is an old one. Proposals have been formulated on several occasions during the last 3 decades, but they have never been implemented. At present, a few adhoc or semiprivate bodies are engaged in cooperative ventures of arctic research, and there are several bilateral programs between Arctic countries. Yet there is no northern equivalent to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) o f the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). The politically and strategically sensitive nature of the Arctic regions has been a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. Recently, however, an international initiative spearheaded by the U.S. Arctic Research Commission led to promising developments regarding international scientific cooperation in the Arctic.
Selective estrogen receptor modulators inhibit hepatitis C virus infection at multiple steps of the virus life cycle

Abstract We screened for hepatitis C virus (HCV) inhibitors using the JFH-1 viral culture system and found that selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), such as tamoxifen, clomifene, raloxifene, and other estrogen receptor α (ERα) antagonists, inhibited HCV infection. Treatment with SERMs for the first 2 h and treatment 2–24 h after viral inoculation reduced the production of HCV RNA. Treating persistently JFH-1 infected cells with SERMs resulted in a preferential inhibition of extracellular HCV RNA compared to intracellular HCV RNA. When we treated two subgenomic replicon cells, which harbor HCV genome genotype 2a (JFH-1) or genotype 1b, SERMs reduced HCV genome copies and viral protein NS5A. SERMs inhibited the entry of HCV pseudo-particle (HCVpp) genotypes 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b and 4 but did not inhibit vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) entry. Further experiment using HCVpp indicated that tamoxifen affected both viral binding to cell and post-binding events including endocytosis. Taken together, SERMs seemed to target multiple steps of HCV viral life cycle: attachment, entry, replication, and post replication events. SERMs may be potential candidates for the treatment of HCV infection.
Electron transfer in chromaffin-vesicle ghosts containing peroxidase.

Abstract In chromaffin vesicles, the enzyme dopamine β-monooxygenase converts dopamine to norepinephrine. It is believed that reducing equivalents for this reaction are supplied by intravesicular ascorbic acid and that the ascorbate is regenerated by importing electrons from the cytosol with cytochrome b -561 functioning as the transmembrane electron carrier. If this is true, then the ascorbate-regenerating system should be capable of providing reducing equivalents to any ascorbate-requiring enzyme, not just dopamine β-monooxygenase. This may be tested using chromaffin-vesicle ghosts in which an exogenous enzyme, horseradish peroxidase, has been trapped. If ascorbate and peroxidase are trapped together within chromaffin-vesicle ghosts, cytochrome b -561 in the vesicle membrane is found in the reduced form. Subsequent addition of H 2 O 2 causes the cytochrome to become partially oxidized. H 2 O 2 does not cause this oxidation if either peroxidase or ascorbate are absent. This argues that the cytochrome is oxidized by semidehydroascorbate, the oxidation product of ascorbate, rather than by H 2 O 2 or peroxidase directly. The semidehydroascorbate must be internal because the ascorbate from which it is formed is sequestered and inaccessible to external ascorbate oxidase. This shows that cytochrome b -561 can transfer electrons to semidehydroascorbate within the vesicles and that the semidehydroascorbate may be generated by any enzyme, not just dopamine β-monooxygenase.
Development of a transformation system in the swainsonine producing, slow growing endophytic fungus, Undifilum oxytropis

Undifilum oxytropis (Phylum: Ascomycota; Family: Pleosporaceae) is a slow growing endophytic fungus that produces a toxic alkaloid, swainsonine. This endophyte resides in locoweeds, which are perennial flowering legumes. Consumption of this fungus by grazing animals induces a neurological disorder called locoism. The alkaloid swainsonine, an α-mannosidase inhibitor, is responsible for the field toxicity related to locoism. Little is known about the biosynthetic pathway of swainsonine in endophytic fungi. Genetic manipulation of endophytic fungi is important to better understand biochemical pathways involved in alkaloid synthesis, but no transformation system has been available for studying such enzymes in Undifilum. In this study we report the development of protoplast and transformation system for U. oxytropis. Fungal mycelia required for generating protoplasts were grown in liquid culture, then harvested and processed with various enzymes. Protoplasts were transformed with a fungal specific vector driving the expression of Enhanced Green Florescent Protein (EGFP). The quality of transformed protoplasts and transformation efficiency were monitored during the process. In all cases, resistance to antibiotic hygromycin B was maintained. Such manipulation will open avenues for future research to decipher fungal metabolic pathways.
CORPORATE CULTURE: THE LAST FRONTIER OF CONTROL?

The purpose of this paper is to examine the present U.S. use of the concept of ‘corporate culture’ using the sociology of Emile Durkheim as a conceptual framework. Durkheim was concerned with understanding where potential sources of morality might reside in a rapidly changing, increasingly differentiated society. Proponents of corporate culture do not rely specifically on Durkheim's work but essentially answer his question by suggesting that the corporation is the appropriate site for moral order. In this paper it is argued that the attempted manipulation of a corporation's culture is simply an addition to other forms of control which companies have tried to implement. More than other forms of control, however, corporate culture elicits sentiment and emotion, and contains possibilities to ensnare workers in a hegemonic system. On the other hand, strengthening corporate cultures in the U.S.A may also lead to increased worker homogenization and activism.
Rayleigh and Raman scattering by hydrogen and caesium

An inhomogeneous differential equation method is used to calculate the Rayleigh and Raman scattering cross sections for atomic hydrogen and atomic caesium as functions of wavelengths below and above the ionization limits. The profile of the scattering cross section near the 6s-6p resonance of atomic caesium is determined by including an energy-independent radiative width in the scattering formula. The effect of replacing the electric dipole operation by a modified form that takes account of the polarization of the core by the valence electron is explored.
On the formation and spectroscopy of ΛΛ hypernuclei

Abstract We use the distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) to estimate formation cross sections in the (K-, K+) reaction for discrete states of doubly strange ΛΛ hypernuclei. Forward (K-,K+) cross sections of a few nanobarn/sr are predicted for the high spin states of ΛΛ16C and ΛΛ40Ar.