cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Systemic treatment with murine recombinant interleukin-1 beta inhibits the growth and progression of malignant glioma in the rat.

We investigated the effects of daily subcutaneous (SC) injections of 100, 200, or 400 μg/kg murine recombinant interleukin-1β (rIL-1β) or its excipient on normal Fischer 344 rats and ones harboring a malignant RT-2 glioma. The tumor model has a predictable course with animals dying on days 14–17 following an intracerebral inoculation of 104 RT-2 glioma cells. Treatments with (rIL-1β) or excipient began on day seven post-tumor inoculation and continued for 7 days. We observed no significant effect on core body temperatures although there was a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in body weight in all (rIL-1β) treated animals. When tumor-bearing animals became moribund, they received an intraperitoneal injection of bromodeoxyuridine (BUdr) and were sacrificed two hours later. Blood samples were obtained prior to their sacrifice by transcardiac perfusion with a buffered aldehyde solution. Recombinant IL-4s affected blood differentials; causing neutrophilia, lymphopenia, and slight thrombocythemia. The BUdr labeling index of glioma cells did not significantly differ between treatment groups, although tumors differed histologically at the time of necropsy. Tumors of rIL-1β treated animals had more extensive necrosis and a greater degree of leukocyte infiltration. Survival studies were conducted in which rats were given continuous daily SC injections of (rIL-1β) until day of death. Overall survival between the two groups differed significantly in studies using 100 μg/kg/d (p < 0.05); (rIL-1s) treated rats had a mean survival time of 22 (± 3.0) days while excipient controls had a mean survival time of 17 (± 0.5) days. Similarly, at a dose of 200 μg rIL-1(3/kg/d), mean survival was significantly (p < 0.05) increased as compared to excipient controls (18.75 ± 1.5 vs. 15.25 ± 1.7 days, respectively). Daily injections of 400 μg/kg did not significantly increase the survival of glioma bearing animals, possibly as a consequence of fIL-1s toxicity at this dose.
Mesoscale sea floor roughness

Abstract Data relating to ocean floor roughness on scales from hundreds of meters to hundreds of kilometers are analyzed and applied to the synthesis of a statistical rooghness model for use in studies of mesoscale ocean dynamics. Essential features of the roughness model are a mean suqar elevation that increases linearly with scale, a 5:1 anisotropy at scales in excess of several hundred meters, and a component of inhomogeneity that correlates with regional variations in geological setting.
Ligand selectivity of soluble guanylyl cyclase: effect of the hydrogen-bonding tyrosine in the distal heme pocket on binding of oxygen, nitric oxide, and carbon monoxide.

Although soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) functions in an environment in which O2, NO, and CO are potential ligands for its heme moiety, the enzyme displays a high affinity for only its physiological ligand, NO, but has a limited affinity for CO and no affinity for O2. Recent studies of a truncated version of the sGC β1-subunit containing the heme-binding domain (Boon, E. M., Huang, S H., and Marletta, M. A. (2005) Nat. Chem. Biol., 1, 53–59) showed that introduction of the hydrogen-bonding tyrosine into the distal heme pocket changes the ligand specificity of the heme moiety and results in an oxygen-binding sGC. The hypothesis that the absence of hydrogen-bonding residues in the distal heme pocket is sufficient to provide oxygen discrimination by sGC was put forward. We tested this hypothesis in a context of a complete sGC heterodimer containing both the intact α1- and β1-subunits. We found that the I145Y substitution in the full-length β-subunit of the sGC heterodimer did not produce an oxygen-binding enzyme. However, this substitution impeded the association of NO and destabilized the NO·heme complex. The tyrosine in the distal heme pocket also impeded both the binding and dissociation of the CO ligand. We propose that the mechanism of oxygen exclusion by sGC not only involves the lack of hydrogen bonding in the distal heme pocket, but also depends on structural elements from other domains of sGC.
Minimally conscious state vs. persistent vegetative state: the case of Terry (Wallis) vs. the case of Terri (Schiavo).

© 2006 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Miraculous awakening from prolonged coma is in the news again. This time it is the story of Terry Wallis. Newspapers and the blogosphere are covering it extensively, using eye-catching titles: “Miracle in Arkansas”; “Comatose man’s brain rewired itself, doctors say. While fibers were severed, nerve cells stayed intact allowing later recovery”; “As man lay in coma-like state, his brain was busy rebuilding.” In this editorial, I place these claims into perspective and review recent knowledge about recovery from prolonged comatose states. It is useful to briefly revisit the categories of outcome in a patient comatose from a structural injury. To produce prolonged coma, insult and injury to the brain or brainstem must be devastating and widespread. Generally speaking, coma due to a structural cause (eg, anoxia-ischemia, traumatic head injury, hemorrhagic stroke, or meningoencephalitis) is associated with a poor outcome, particularly if patients show no improvement in consciousness within the first weeks. Outcome is worse with any episodes of further neurological deterioration (after early clinical presentation) and possibly better with early therapeutic intervention (eg, antimicrobial drugs, placement of ventriculostomy, or control of increased intracranial pressure) in response to identifiable causes of that deterioration. Patients may never regain consciousness and may die if further brain swelling and herniation or systemic complications occur. Advanced directives or prior voiced wishes of the patient to the family to not provide critical care may lead to withdrawal of support. Patients who survive acute brain injury may never regain consciousness but open their eyes, fail to focus or track objects, and typically develop sleep-and-wake cycles, all clinical telltale signs of an emerging persistent vegetative state (PVS). Patients who awake often have a disability, and many display little effective communication and a major physical and cognitive handicap. New in this nosology is the category of minimally conscious state (MCS), the most severe form of neurological disability in a conscious patient. These major categories of outcome are summarized in Figure 1. Other factors that determine outcome from coma are age and multiorgan involvement. For example, traumatic injury Minimally Conscious State vs Persistent Vegetative State: The Case of Terry (Wallis) vs the Case of Terri (Schiavo)
Evaluation of Coefficients for the Weighted Sum of Gray Gases Model

The weighted sum of gray gases model postulates that total emissivity and absorptivity may be represented by the sum of a gray gas emissivity weighted with a temperature dependent factor. The gray gas emissivity is expressed in terms of a temperature-independent absorption coefficient, absorbing gas partial pressure, and path length. The weighting factors are given by polynomials in gas temperature with associated polynomial coefficients. For absorptivity, a second polynomial for the irradiation temperature is introduced. A regression scheme is employed to fit the model to total emissivity and absorptivity values obtained from the exponential wide-band model. Absorption and polynomial coefficients are reported for carbon dioxide, water vapor, and mixtures of these gases. The model with these coefficients more accurately represents the total properties over a wider range of temperatures and partial pressure-path length products than previously available coefficients.
Hepatitis C virus core protein modulates the interferon-induced transacting factors of Jak/Stat signaling pathway but does not affect the activation of downstream IRF-1 or 561 gene.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has a propensity to cause chronic infection, with a low proportion of patients exhibiting a sustained response to interferon-alpha (IFNalpha) therapy. An earlier report suggested that HCV inhibits IFNalpha-induced signal transduction through the Jak/Stat pathway by preventing the formation of the transacting factor ISGF3 complex, although the effect on downstream pathway and the specific viral protein responsible for inhibition of IFNalpha-mediated signal transduction were not elucidated. HCV core protein displays a number of intriguing functional properties and has been implicated in virus-mediated pathogenesis. In this study, we have analyzed the effect of core protein upon IFNalpha- or IFNgamma-induced regulation of the Jak/Stat signaling pathway. HCV core protein expression exhibited a reduced Stat1 expression in IFN-treated mammalian cells. A gel retardation assay suggested a reduced level of formation of the transacting factors, GAF and ISGF3, in IFN-treated cells. Further studies from protein expression and RNase protection assay revealed that the reduced level of GAF or ISGF3 formation could be attributed to modulation of Stat1 protein expression, an important player for innate immunity in host defense mechanism. However, these modulatory effects did not interfere with the activation of the downstream effector genes, IRF-1 and 561, in IFN-treated cells. Stable transfectants of cells after introduction of a plasmid DNA encoding both the structural and the nonstructural proteins of HCV also exhibited a similar effect. Taken together, these results suggest that although expression of the core protein alone or with other HCV proteins modulate transacting factors of Jak/Stat signaling pathway, expression of the downstream effector genes IRF-1 and 561 remains unaffected upon IFN treatment and may contribute to host defense mechanism.
Pre-steady state kinetic analysis of cyclobutyl derivatives of 2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-triphosphate as inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.

Abstract Pre-steady state kinetic analysis was utilized for biochemical evaluation of a series of cyclobutyl adenosine nucleotide analogs with HIV-1 RT WT . The phosphonyl-diphosphate form of the cyclobutyl nucleotide, 5 , was the most efficiently incorporated of the series. Nucleotide 5 was fourfold more efficiently incorporated than the FDA approved TFV-DP by RT WT . The kinetics of incorporation for 5 using the drug resistant mutant enzyme K65R was also determined. Compound 5 was threefold more efficiently incorporated compared to TFV-DP with RT K65R . These results demonstrate cyclobutyl adenosine analogs can act as substrates for incorporation by HIV-1 RT and be a potential scaffold for HIV inhibitors.
Clinician-Assigned and Parent-Report Questionnaire-Derived Child Psychiatric Diagnoses: Correlates and Consequences of Disagreement

The objectives of this study were to determine (a) if child characteristics relate to disagreement between clinician-assigned diagnoses and diagnoses derived from parent-report questionnaire, which were available to clinicians, and (b) if disagreement predicts subsequent number of clinic visits attended. This study evaluated the odds of agreement versus disagreement for internalizing and externalizing problems as a function of child age, gender, race, public-aid status, symptom severity, and impairment among 900 children (3-19 years) in a large, urban, child psychiatry clinic. A mixed-effects regression approach was used to evaluate the relationship between disagreement and visit attendance. Internalizing problem disagreement was more likely for children who were males, older, less symptomatic, and receiving Medicaid. Externalizing problem disagreement was more likely for children who were female, older, less impaired, and less symptomatic. Internalizing disagreement predicted significantly fewer visits; externalizing disagreement did not. Clinician-parent disagreement about the nature of child problems may have clinical consequences, especially for internalizing disorders. Attention to child characteristics that predict agreement may diminish discrepancies and reduce attrition from treatment.
Venous thrombosis related to peripherally inserted central catheters.

PURPOSE To determine factors that may lead to venous thrombosis in patients with peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC). MATERIALS AND METHODS The medical records of 678 patients with 813 PICCs during 1997 were cross-referenced with all patients receiving venous duplex examinations (1,631) during the same time period. Multiple factors were examined in the patients with catheter-related thrombosis, including diagnosis, solution infused, catheter tip position, vein accessed, and catheter diameter. RESULTS Nurses placed 269 PICCs with 12 venous thromboses, for a rate of 4.5%. Radiologists placed 544 PICCs with 20 venous thromboses, for a rate of 3.7%. There was no significant difference in these rates. The overall thrombosis rate was 3.9%. After multivariate analysis, only catheter diameter remained significant. There were no thromboses in catheters3For smaller. The thrombosis rate was 1% for 4-F catheters, 6.6% for 5-F catheters, and 9.8% for 6-F catheters. CONCLUSION Thrombosis rate associated with PICCs was low (3.9%). The smallest acceptable catheter diameter should be used to decrease the incidence of venous thrombosis.
Teaching Advocacy to Public Health Students: The New Jersey Experience

Increasingly, the profession of health education expects its practitioners to effectively advocate for both health education and the promotion of healthy practices, programs, and policies. This raises the question, “Are we preparing health educators for this responsibility?” This article briefly looks at the role of advocacy in health education practice; summarizes an assessment of how, if at all, health programs in New Jersey are teaching advocacy skills to their students; and reviews two public health advocacy courses as examples of how advocacy is taught in practice.
Importance of Completion Design Considerations for Complex, Hostile, and HPHT Wells in Frontier Areas

As upstream oil and gas exploration and production companies search for new opportunities, much deeper wells are being drilled and completed. In addition to greater depths, an increasing number of wells are being drilled and completed in much more hostile downhole environments. These very complex wells are frequently drilled in frontier areas around the world, including the Western and Northern Canadian foothills and coastal areas. Where pressures exceed 10,000 psi (69 MPa) and temperatures surpass 300°F (149°C), wells are generally termed High-Pressure/High-Temperature (HPHT) completions. The stresses resulting from the combination of high axial loads and pressure differentials begin encroaching on materials limitations of standard subsurface equipment. This paper provides an overview of an engineering design methodology that can be used during the planning of deep, difficult, or complex wells. The importance of numerous design considerations and realistic, clearly defined load cases will be emphasized. High temperatures cause the well to operate with either significant pipe movement, or high compressional loads at the packer, particularly when these high temperatures are combined with higher operating pressures. The increased well depths, usually with accompanying deviations from vertical, also increase mechanical and fluid friction. These situations require a rigorous engineering analysis with the aid of modern thermal and stress analysis software. Traditional uniaxial and biaxial working stress designs are convenient and usually adequate for shallower, lower temperature/pressure wells. However, the severe conditions considered within this paper require state-of-the-art triaxial design software. Examples within the paper will demonstrate how the results of these simulations can be used for hostile environment tubular selection, including discussion of the importance to properly select and test the tubular connections. Many failures have resulted from brittle fracture or fatigue rather than yield, because the tendency for the designer is to choose higher yield strength materials that are inherently less ductile and more prone to hydrogen embrittlement. To avoid this, it is better to push the limits of lower strength, ductile materials, which in turn challenges the typical design safety factors. This challenge has lead some major oil companies to develop and use risk based tubular design processes.
A Nano-Scale Multi-Asperity Model for Contact and Friction

As surfaces become smoother and loading forces decrease in applications such as MEMS and NEMS devices, the asperity contacts which comprise the real contact area will continue to decrease into the nano scale regime. Thus it becomes important to understand how the material and topographical properties of surfaces contribute to measured friction forces at this nano scale. We have incorporated the single asperity nano contact model of Hurtado and Kim into a multi-asperity model for contact and friction which includes the effect of asperity adhesion forces using the Maugis-Dugdale model. Our model spans the range from nano-scale to micro-scale to macro-scale contacts. We have identified three key dimensionless parameters representing combinations of surface roughness measures, Burgers vector length, surface energy, and elastic modulus. Results are given for the normal and friction forces vs. separation, and for the friction coefficient vs. normal force for various values of these key parameters.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Inter-firm cooperation with imperfectly appropriable research

Abstract Inter-firm collaboration in pre-competitive research is not always beneficial. Rather, its effectiveness in raising social benefits relative to a non-cooperative setup depends on both the nature of the agreement and the technological and market conditions of the industry in question. Joint ventures that simply allow members to coordinate their actions in pre-competitive research can restore firm incentives for both pre-competitive research and development in the presence of high knowledge spillovers and poor opportunities for innovation. Joint ventures which additionally improve the dissemination of information among member firms raise social benefits whenever the opportunities for innovation are not exceptionally good, even in the presence of relatively insignificant spillovers.
Visualization of geometric influences on proximity effects in heterogeneous superconductor thin films

The proximity effect enables the injection of Cooper pairs from a superconductor into a normal metal, but they usually do not travel far into the metal. A study of the propagation of Cooper pairs from irregularly shaped superconducting islands on a metal film finds that they can travel further than expected for certain island geometries.
Restructuring of Membrane Bilayers due to Osmotic Pressure: Deuterium Solid-State NMR Study

Lipid membrane composition and biophysical properties have substantial influences on cellular functions. Studies of environmental effects on membrane bilayers are a prerequisite for understanding membrane protein functions. Experimental measures of structural parameters like cross-sectional area/lipid of membrane bilayers are vital for molecular dynamics simulations [1,2]. We used solid-state 2H NMR spectroscopy which gives site-specific orientational order parameters of the lipid segments to study structural fluctuations and deformations of phospholipid bilayers due to osmotic stress [1]. Model lipid membrane systems (DMPC and POPC) were subjected to osmotic pressure and temperature to establish their sensitivity to environmental changes in the liquid-crystalline state. Osmotic stress was applied by addition of osmolytes (polyethylene glycol) as well as by gravimetric dehydration. We observed very large changes in segmental order parameters with the application of osmotic pressures in the biological range. The NMR order parameters represent the area/lipid and show large changes in mean-square fluctuations of the lipid structure [3,4]. Stresses from these pressures are thermodynamically equivalent because changing chemical potential when transferring water from the interlamellar space to the bulk water phase corresponds to an induced pressure, as verified experimentally [1]. By employing mean-torque analysis of the NMR observables [3] we calculated the mean area per lipid and the volumetric bilayer thickness, which change up to 20% upon introduction of osmotic stress. These 2H NMR studies [4] show striking bilayer deformation due to the application of osmotic pressure. They distinguish molecular-level force regimes associated with lipids that can play a significant role in biological processes.[1] K.J. Mallikarjunaiah et al. (2011) BJ 100, 98-107. [2] A. Leftin et al. (2011) BBA1808, 818-839. [3] H.I. Petrache et al. (2000) BJ79, 3172-3192. [4] K.J. Mallikarjunaiah et al. (2012) to be submitted to PCCP.
COMPARISON OF SELENOMETHIONINE AND SELENITE CYCLING IN FRESHWATER EXPERIMENTAL PONDS

A comparison of the cycling and fate of 75Se in an aquatic ecosystem was investigated when selenite or selenomethionine was introduced as an acute release into two experimental ponds. Biotic and abiotic compartments were periodically sampled to measure 75Se concentrations throughout the 318-d experiment. The biotic compartments were periphyton, rooted pondweed (Elodea canadensis), snails (Helisoma sp.), and mosquitofish (Gambusia afflnis). Results show that the uptake rates in the biotic compartments for 75Se-selenomethionine were at least an order of magnitude greater than for 75Se-selenite. However, elimination rates for respective biotic compartments were similar. Seasonal sediment 75Se concentrations in both ponds decreased simultaneously with increases in 75Se concentrations within biotic compartments. This suggests that sediment is a secondary source of 75Se rather than a sink in some shallow freshwater systems.
Solution of the kinematic-wave equations for border irrigation

Abstract A method is developed to obtain solutions to the kinematic-wave equations for border irrigation. The accuracy of this method is assessed by comparing the results with the kinematic-wave train (KWT) method previously reported to be accurate. Experimental data on freely draining borders were utilized for comparison and evaluation of these methods. The prediction error for advance time resulting from the two methods was comparable: it was below 25% for three sets of data but as high as 50% for one set of data. The prediction error for recession time was also comparable: below 6% for the same three sets of data but 14.0% for one set.
Olanzapine pamoate: a stick in time? A review of the efficacy and safety profile of a new depot formulation of a second-generation antipsychotic.

Summary Olanzapine pamoate, a long-acting depot preparation of olanzapine, is being evaluated by regulatory agencies for the treatment of schizophrenia. Clinical trial information was accessed by on-line query of http://www.pubmed.gov, http://www.clinicaltrials.gov and http://www.fda.gov, along with an examination of poster presentations at scientific meetings held in 2008. Two double-blind randomised clinical trials of olanzapine pamoate were conducted and demonstrate efficacy for both the acute treatment of schizophrenia and for the maintenance of antipsychotic response. Long-term open-label studies provide additional information on safety. The overall tolerability profile for olanzapine pamoate is similar to that for the oral formulation; however, with the depot there is a risk of a postinjection delirium sedation syndrome which resembles an overdose of oral olanzapine and which occurs in 0.07% of injections, requiring patients to be observed for 3 h after injection. At present, there are no studies available that directly compare olanzapine pamoate with other antipsychotics other than oral olanzapine.
New methods for studying the spatiotemporal variation of snow cover based on combination products of MODIS Terra and Aqua

Summary Based on multi-day combination of Terra and Aqua MODIS snow cover products (cloud cover less than 10%), this study developed new snow cover index (SCI), snow-covered duration/days (SCD) map, snow cover onset dates (SCOD) map and snow cover melting dates (SCMD) map, one each per hydrological year, to further examine the spatiotemporal variations of snow cover. Daily in situ snow depth observations in northern Xinjiang, China from 2001 to 2005 were used to validate the new maps. Our results indicate that the SCD maps had an overall agreement of 90% with in situ observations of snow cover days at 20 stations in the study area, and the SCOD and SCMD maps also had good agreements with the in situ measurements, with a mean value of 1 week forward shift and 1 week backward shift, respectively, due to transient snowfall events in early fall and in late spring. The snow cover index (SCI) (km 2 day), first proposed here, contains both snow cover duration and extent for 1 hydrological year and indicates that the 2001–2002 hydrologic year had the most snow cover while the 2005–2006 had the least. While the SCD map provides the snow cover duration/days of each pixel in a hydrologic year, the SCOD and SCMD maps give specific dates when the snow cover begins and when it melts away at the pixel. Together, SCD, SCI, SCOD and SCMD can provide crucial information on spatiotemporal variation of snow cover conditions for any region of interest. This could potentially be critical information for local water agencies for planning water use and for mitigating snow-caused disaster. Long term availability of MODIS type of snow cover data for producing such datasets is key to study the connection between snow cover change and global climate change.
An Analysis of the DS-CDMA Cellular Uplink for Arbitrary and Constrained Topologies

A new analysis is presented for the direct-sequence code-division multiple access (DS-CDMA) cellular uplink. For a given network topology, closed-form expressions are found for the outage probability and rate of each uplink in the presence of path-dependent Nakagami fading and shadowing. The topology may be arbitrary or modeled by a random spatial distribution with a fixed number of base stations and mobiles placed over a finite area. The analysis is more detailed and accurate than existing ones and facilitates the resolution of network design issues including the influence of the minimum base-station separation, the role of the spreading factor, and the impact of various power-control and rate-control policies. It is shown that once power control is established, the rate can be allocated according to a fixed-rate or variable-rate policy with the objective of either meeting an outage constraint or maximizing throughput. An advantage of variable-rate power control is that it allows an outage constraint to be enforced on every uplink, which is impossible when a fixed rate is used throughout the network.
Functionalizing Fullerenes Through Cycloaddition Reactions

We have explored several cycloaddition reactions as a general approach for preparing fullerene derivatives. In view of their electron-deficient nature, they are expected to participate as dienophiles rather than dienes in cycloadditions. This behavior is exemplified in their reactions with sulfur trioxide, diphenylisobenzofuran, and the nitrone from cyclohexanone and N-methyl-hydroxylamine. Fullerenes also formed adducts with maleic anhydride, although in this case the nature of the adduct is not clear. While changes in physical properties such as solubility or IR spectra clearly indicated formation of adducts, mass spectral analysis of diese and many other fullerene derivatives often showed ions due to fullerenes; thus confirmatory evidence for the derivatives was not available from mass spectrometry.
Protocols for In Vitro Cultures and Secondary Metabolite Analysis of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants, by S. Mohan Jain and Praveen K. Saxena

As number 547 in the Methods in Molecular Biology series, this book, Protocols for In Vitro Cultures and Secondary Metabolite Analysis of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants, provides step-by-step instru...
Deep Vein Thrombosis in Stroke The Use of Plasma d-Dimer Level as a Screening Test in the Rehabilitation Setting

Background and Purpose Venous thromboembolism is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality during the acute recovery period after stroke. This study investigated the utility of plasma d-dimer level as a diagnostic test for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients hospitalized for stroke rehabilitation. Method Plasma samples were drawn from 105 nonambulatory rehabilitation patients with recent ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke and assayed for d-dimer with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent method. Samples were drawn within 24 hours of venous duplex ultrasound (VDU) screening for DVT. Optimal discriminant analysis was used to determine whether plasma d-dimer level, age, sex, days after stroke onset, stroke etiology, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, and ambulatory status could correctly classify patients' DVT status. Results Fourteen of 105 patients had DVT identified by VDU scan. Of all attributes, only d-dimer level had significant ability to discriminate between patients with or without DVT (P<.0...
EFFECT OF A NORMAL MALE URINE EXTRACT ON IMMATURE FEMALE CATS

IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED that an extract of normal male urine contains a gonadotropic substance comparable to the anterior pituitarylike follicle stimulating hormone in menopause urine (1–4). Follicle stimulation and uterine weight increase in immature rats and mice has been produced with this extract (5, 6, 7). In these cases, the action of this material was comparable to the action of menopause or castrate urine extract. Normal male urine extract has been shown to be capable of inducing all the manifestations of estrus in the dog as the result of pronounced follicle stimulation (8). Wells and Overholser (9) demonstrated that this hormone could stimulate sperm formation in hypophysectomiz;ed mature and immature ground squirrels. Other investigators have reported only slight gonadotropic activity with normal male urine (10, 11). In this investigation, the manner and capability of the immature cat ovary to respond to an extract of normal male urine was tested and the results compared to those previously obtai...
Mapping Molecular Orientation with Phase Sensitive Vibrationally Resonant Sum-Frequency Generation Microscopy

We demonstrate a phase sensitive, vibrationally resonant sum-frequency generation (PSVR-SFG) microscope that combines high resolution, fast image acquisition speed, chemical selectivity, and phase sensitivity. Using the PSVR-SFG microscope, we generate amplitude and phase images of the second-order susceptibility of collagen I fibers in rat tail tendon tissue on resonance with the methylene vibrations of the protein. We find that the phase of the second-order susceptibility shows dependence on the effective polarity of the fibril bundles, revealing fibrous collagen domains of opposite orientations within the tissue. The presence of collagen microdomains in tendon tissue may have implications for the interpretation of the mechanical properties of the tissue.
Racial taxonomy in genomics

This article examines the reflexive, biosocial nature of genomic meaning making around race, drawing on discourse analysis of 732 articles on genomics and race published from the years 1986-2010, in-depth interviews with 36 of the world's most elite genomics researchers, interviews with 15 critics, policymakers, and trainees involved in debates over race, and participant observation at a core genotyping facility that specializes in ancestry estimation. I reveal how biomedical researchers identify with, value, and make sense of the taxonomies they construct. My analysis goes beyond a consideration of instrumental rationales to analyze the experiential and political motivations that shape how researchers get involved in racial ethical dilemmas. I theorize taxonomic practice as a reflexive form of biosociality, a conscious shaping of social notions about biology and race to produce a future that researchers themselves want to live in. I demonstrate how reflexive biosociality paradoxically leads researchers to advance social explanations for race while investing in genomics as a solution to racial quandaries.
Results of 68Gallium-DOTATATE PET/CT Scanning in Patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1

Background Screening for neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is recommended to detect primary and metastatic tumors, which can result in significant morbidity and mortality. The utility of somatostatin receptor imaging 68 Gallium-DOTATATE PET/CT in patients with MEN1 is not known. The aim of this study was to prospectively determine the accuracy of 68 Gallium-DOTATATE PET/CT vs 111 In- pentetreotide single-photon emission CT (SPECT)/CT and anatomic imaging in patients with MEN1. Study Design We performed a prospective study comparing 68 Gallium-DOTATATE PET/CT, 111 In-pentetreotide SPECT/CT, and triphasic CT scan to clinical, biochemical, and pathologic data in 26 patients with MEN1. Results 68 Gallium-DOTATATE PET/CT detected 107 lesions; 111 In-pentetreotide SPECT/CT detected 33 lesions; and CT scan detected 48 lesions. Lesions detected on 68 Gallium-DOTATATE PET/CT had high standard uptake value (SUV) max (median SUV max = 72.8 [range 19 to 191]). In 7 of the 26 patients (27%), 68 Gallium-DOTATATE PET/CT was positive, with a negative 111 In-pentetreotide SPECT/CT, and in 10 patients (38.5%), additional metastases were detected (range 0.3 cm to 1.5 cm). In 8 of the 26 patients (31%), there was a change in management recommendations as a result of the findings on 68 Gallium-DOTATATE PET/CT that were not seen on 111 In-pentetreotide SPECT/CT and CT scan. Conclusions 68 Gallium-DOTATATE PET/CT is more sensitive for detecting NETs than 111 In-pentetreotide SPECT/CT and CT scan in patients with MEN1. This imaging technique should be integrated into radiologic screening and surveillance of patients with MEN1 because it can significantly alter management recommendations.
Initiation of Genome Instability and Preneoplastic Processes through Loss of Fhit Expression

Genomic instability drives tumorigenesis, but how it is initiated in sporadic neoplasias is unknown. In early preneoplasias, alterations at chromosome fragile sites arise due to DNA replication stress. A frequent, perhaps earliest, genetic alteration in preneoplasias is deletion within the fragile FRA3B/FHIT locus, leading to loss of Fhit protein expression. Because common chromosome fragile sites are exquisitely sensitive to replication stress, it has been proposed that their clonal alterations in cancer cells are due to stress sensitivity rather than to a selective advantage imparted by loss of expression of fragile gene products. Here, we show in normal, transformed, and cancer-derived cell lines that Fhit-depletion causes replication stressinduced DNA double-strand breaks. Using DNA combing, we observed a defect in replication fork progression in Fhitdeficient cells that stemmed primarily from fork stalling and collapse. The likely mechanism for the role of Fhit in replication fork progression is through regulation of Thymidine kinase 1 expression and thymidine triphosphate pool levels; notably, restoration of nucleotide balance rescued DNA replication defects and suppressed DNA breakage in Fhit-deficient cells. Depletion of Fhit did not activate the DNA damage response nor cause cell cycle arrest, allowing continued cell proliferation and ongoing chromosomal instability. This finding was in accord with in vivo studies, as Fhit knockout mouse tissue showed no evidence of cell cycle arrest or senescence yet exhibited numerous somatic DNA copy number aberrations at replication stress-sensitive loci. Furthermore, cells established from Fhit knockout tissue showed rapid immortalization and selection of DNA deletions and amplifications, including amplification of the Mdm2 gene, suggesting that Fhit loss-induced genome instability facilitates transformation. We propose that loss of Fhit expression in precancerous lesions is the first step in the initiation of genomic instability, linking alterations at common fragile sites to the origin of genome instability.
Methodological issues in the estimation of the tuberculosis problem from tuberculin surveys.

Abstract Setting: National tuberculin skin test surveys. Objectives: To review the operating characteristics of the tuberculin skin test, to ascertain the validity of estimating prevalence and risk of infection from tuberculin skin test surveys under various conditions, and to review constraints in the estimation of the magnitude of the tuberculosis problem in the community from such surveys. Methods: This report utilizes hypothetical and selected real data obtained in regional and national surveys at various points in time to exemplify methodological issues. Results: Risk of infection, the essence to be abstracted from tuberculin skin test surveys, theoretically allows for a comparison of the extent of transmission of tubercle bacilli in various populations. However, the conduct of tuberculin skin test surveys and the analysis and interpretation of their results are not free from important technical problems. Accurate estimation of infection prevalence is particularly vulnerable to the great variability of the test's specificity under various circumstances. Furthermore, the annual risk of infection has averaging characteristics that preclude a rapid assessment of changes in transmission patterns. Finally, estimates of infection risk do not necessarily provide a standardized parameter to derive incidence of infectious cases, because of variations in the quality of intervention and varying risks of progression from latent infection to overt tuberculosis. Conclusions: While tuberculin skin test surveys provide the currently most widely used means of assessing tuberculosis transmission patterns over prolonged periods of time in a community, results from such surveys must be interpreted with caution when accurate estimates of the tuberculosis problem are sought.
Early Integration in Groups: “A Group to Join, and a Group to Create”:

This article accounts for the early stages of group integration by drawing parallels between this and the early psychological integration of the infant as outlined by Winnicot and Mahler. An intensive study of the first two hours of a laboratory learning group is presented in order to explore the concepts detailed in the early section of the paper.
The Globalization of Pharmaceutical Regulation

Drugs have long been among the most extensively regulated of all consumer products. Not only do all governments closely supervise virtually every aspect of their development, testing, production and marketing, but many also regulate their pricing and distribution. The pharmaceutical industry is highly globalized, with over half the sales of the fifty largest drug companies made outside their home country (Tarabusi and Vivkery 1993). However, until recently, drug regulation was virtually synonymous with national sovereignty. Firms were required to conduct separate tests, submit separate applications, and meet distinctive criteria to enter each national market. Because drugs are so extensively regulated and have such significant health and safety impacts, drug policy coordination has proven extremely difficult. Nonetheless over the last decade, national regulatory agencies have begun to cooperate more closely with one another. The European Union has established a centralized drug approval system, the United States Food and Drug Administration has become more willing to cooperate with its foreign counterparts, and the United States, the EU and Japan have made substantial progress in harmonizing drug approval requirements under the auspices of a new international body, the International Conference on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for the Registration of Pharmaceutical Products (ICH). This article describes and assesses the implications of the increase in international coordination of national drug approval policies. It argues that the undermining of national regulatory sovereignty has improved both the effectiveness and efficiency of government regulation.
Copy number variation is a fundamental aspect of the placental genome.

Discovery of lineage-specific somatic copy number variation (CNV) in mammals has led to debate over whether CNVs are mutations that propagate disease or whether they are a normal, and even essential, aspect of cell biology. We show that 1,000N polyploid trophoblast giant cells (TGCs) of the mouse placenta contain 47 regions, totaling 138 Megabases, where genomic copies are underrepresented (UR). UR domains originate from a subset of late-replicating heterochromatic regions containing gene deserts and genes involved in cell adhesion and neurogenesis. While lineage-specific CNVs have been identified in mammalian cells, classically in the immune system where V(D)J recombination occurs, we demonstrate that CNVs form during gestation in the placenta by an underreplication mechanism, not by recombination nor deletion. Our results reveal that large scale CNVs are a normal feature of the mammalian placental genome, which are regulated systematically during embryogenesis and are propagated by a mechanism of underreplication.
On some relations among numerical conformal mapping methods

Abstract Gaier and Gutknecht have shown that many numerical methods for producing the conformal map from the unit disk to a simply connected region share a common theoretical basis as solutions of nonlinear integral equations arising from the Hilbert transform of a function of the boundary correspondence. We give a brief presentation of this classification and extend it somewhat to include some equations for the inverse correspondence, such as those of Menikoff and Zemach, Noble, and Schwarz-Christoffel. The use of explicit maps and the method of Bisshopp are also brought into this framework. An example illustrating the use of explicit maps is given.
Corrosion protection of metallic waste packages using thermal sprayed ceramic coatings

Ceramic coated carbon steel coupons were corrosion tested in water with dissolved salts to simulate exposure to evaporation concentrated groundwater in an underground nuclear repository. Metallography revealed no corrosion at the ceramic metal interface of dense coatings, even though electrical measurements demonstrated that the coatings were slightly porous. Experimental results and a model to predict corrosion rates influenced by a porous ceramic coating and coating lifetimes are presented.
Cross-species comparison of Drosophila male accessory gland protein genes

Drosophila melanogaster males transfer seminal fluid proteins along with sperm during mating. Among these proteins, ACPs ( Ac cessory gland p roteins) from the male9s accessory gland induce behavioral, physiological, and life span reduction in mated females and mediate sperm storage and utilization. A previous evolutionary EST screen in D. simulans identified partial cDNAs for 57 new candidate ACPs. Here we report the annotation and confirmation of the corresponding Acp genes in D. melanogaster . Of 57 new candidate Acp genes previously reported in D. melanogaster , 34 conform to our more stringent criteria for encoding putative male accessory gland extracellular proteins, thus bringing the total number of ACPs identified to 52 (34 plus 18 previously identified). This comprehensive set of Acp genes allows us to dissect the patterns of evolutionary change in a suite of proteins from a single male-specific reproductive tissue. We used sequence-based analysis to examine codon bias, gene duplications, and levels of divergence (via d N / d S values and ortholog detection) of the 52 D. melanogaster ACPs in D. simulans , D. yakuba , and D. pseudoobscura . We show that 58% of the 52 D. melanogaster Acp genes are detectable in D. pseudoobscura . Sequence comparisons of ACPs shared and not shared between D. melanogaster and D. pseudoobscura show that there are separate classes undergoing distinctly dissimilar evolutionary dynamics.
Abigail and John Adams: The Americanization of Sensibility – By G. J. Barker‐Benfield

The author of this book revisits the familiar Adams correspondence with a fresh purpose: to analyze the language of sensibility. In eighteenth‐century America, educated men and women were steeped i...
Lakdinu Electronics Company: a teaching case on relevant costs in an outsourcing decision

Purpose – To increase students' knowledge of differential analysis and its application in an outsourcing decision.Design/methodology/approach – A teaching case with practical implications was designed. Teaching notes are also included.Findings – It is important to emphasize the importance of reporting for internal management purposes and the limitations of rule‐based financial reporting in managerial decision making. Understanding of the need for different information for different purposes is essential for business decision making. Any outsourcing decision should encompass both quantitative and qualitative factors.Practical implications – Improves decision‐making process through an analysis of relevant costs in an outsourcing decision.Originality/value – The article creates a practical approach for instructors to explain the use of differential analysis in outsourcing decisions.
Management of headaches in children and adolescents

Deciding whether a child's headache is functional or organic is difficult for even the experienced physician. This review examines the diagnosis and management of headache syndromes in children and adolescents. A systematic history and examination together with selected laboratory data will enable the practitioner to establish the correct diagnosis.
Prenatal Sonographic Renal Findings Associated with Trisomy 13

Prenatal ultrasonographic renal findings are described in three cases of trisomy 13. The association of renal anomalies, including hyperlobulation, dysplasia and presence of cortical cysts, with trisomy 13 has been reported previously. This series, however, points out the importance of considering trisomy 13 as a possible diagnosis and recommends prenatal diagnosis when renal abnormalities are found on ultrasound examination.
Practical experiences in enabling and ensuring quality sensing in emergency response applications

Situational awareness in emergency response is critical. Knowing the status of the hazards, the rescue workers, and the building occupants, etc., can greatly help the incident commander make the right decisions in responding emergencies, and as a result, save lives. Such situational awareness can be achieved by using existing sensing and communication infrastructures and/or having rescue practitioners dynamically deploy their own. Nevertheless, current sensing and communications techniques are, not fault-free. In this paper, we study, through both lab experiments and real emergency response drills, the nature of different wireless networks (sensor networks and Wi-Fi networks) in transmitting various types of data. Based on our findings, we propose a series of practical techniques that potentially enhances the reliability of data delivery over heterogeneous wireless networks, by exploiting the availability of multiple networks, the rescue workers' mobility, and the possibility of having rescue teams carry redundant sensors.