cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recovery of network-driven glutamatergic activity in rat hippocampal neurons during chronic glutamate receptor blockade.

Previous studies indicated that a long-term decrease in the activity of ionotropic glutamate receptors induces cholinergic activity in rat and mouse hypothalamic neuronal cultures. Here we studied whether a prolonged inactivation of ionotropic glutamate receptors also induces cholinergic activity in hippocampal neurons. Receptor activity was chronically suppressed in rat hippocampal primary neuronal cultures with two proportionally increasing sets of concentrations of NMDA plus non-NMDA receptor antagonists: 100 μM/10 μM AP5/CNQX (1X cultures) and 200 μM/20 μM AP5/CNQX (2X cultures). Using calcium imaging we demonstrate that cholinergic activity does not develop in these cultures. Instead, network-driven glutamate-dependent activity, that normally is detected in hyper-excitable conditions, reappears in each culture group in the presence of these antagonists and can be reversibly suppressed by higher concentrations of AP5/CNQX. This activity is mediated by non-NMDA receptors and is modulated by NMDA receptors. Further, non-NMDA receptors, the general level of glutamate receptor activity and CaMK-dependent signaling are critical for development of this network-driven glutamatergic activity in the presence of receptor antagonists. Using electrophysiology, western blotting and calcium imaging we show that some neuronal parameters are either reduced or not affected by chronic glutamate receptor blockade. However, other parameters (including neuronal excitability, mEPSC frequency, and expression of GluR1, NR1 and βCaMKII) become up-regulated and, in some cases, proportionally between the non-treated, 1X and 2X cultures. Our data suggest recovery of the network-driven glutamatergic activity after chronic glutamate receptor blockade. This recovery may represent a form of neuronal plasticity that compensates for the prolonged suppression of the activity of glutamate receptors.
The invention of radical reactions. Part XXXVII. A convenient radical synthesis of dialkyl diselenides from carboxylic acids

Abstract A new and convenient synthesis of dialkyl diselenides from carboxylic acids by Barton PTOC ester based radical chemistry is described. This method was especially successful when O -cholestan-3 β -yl-2,2,2-trichloroselenoacetate and O - neo pentyl selenobenzoate were used as radical traps.
Use of the abikoff classroom observation coding system on a children's inpatient psychiatric unit

The Abikoff systematic observation coding system (Abikoff, Gittelman-Klein, & Klein, 1977) has received considerable attention in the literature for assessing disruptive and off-task classroom behavior. However, its use has been restricted to regular classrooms with clinic outpatients. The present study investigated the reliability and validity of this code when used in a classroom setting with children hospitalized on an inpatient psychiatric unit. Results demonstrated excellent reliability and acceptable concurrent and discriminant validity of the code when used in an inpatient setting, although data were equivocal regarding the ability of the code to discriminate medication status within subjects.
Diurnal and seasonal effects in E region low‐latitude nitric oxide

Measurements of nitric oxide in the lower E region made by the ultraviolet nitric oxide experiment on Atmosphere Explorer C during 1974 are used to demonstrate diurnal and seasonal effects at low latitudes. At the equator, NO increases by about a factor of 2 between sunrise and the early afternoon: this is followed by a small decline toward sunset. Seasonally, NO shows an asymmetry about the equator with more NO on the summer side than on the winter side; at equinox the asymmetry vanishes. These effects are in qualitative accord with the current theoretical understanding of thermospheric nitric oxide.
A discussion of material rotation and stress rate

Characterization of material behavior can be divided into two parts, the analysis of deformation and the underlying physics, though these are intimately related. A significant advance in the analysis of deformation was made when the polar decomposition theorem was introduced, making it possible to separate large deformations into a stretch and a rotation. Consequences of the theorem affect the way rate processes should be characterized. In particular, rate of material rotation is different from vorticity, and the stress rate for finite strains is different from the usual stress rate of Zaremba, Jaumann, and Noll. It is convenient to define a strain rate that is different from the stretching that is the symmetric part of the velocity gradient. These concepts are described in detail in a 1979 paper. Various criticisms of that paper have appeared in the Journal of Applied Mechanics, which are discussed herein. To illustrate the distinction it is shown that the rate of rotation in a classical vortex does not vanish, though the vorticity is zero. It is also shown that the rate of material rotation recently computed by Nemat-Nasser, which involves an eigenvalue expansion, is equivalent to the one given in the 1979 paper, which makes use of matrix inversion, and it is asseverated that the matrix inversion approach is computationally more efficient.
Observation on phenomena associated with a slowly varying surface barrier at niobium oxide and aluminum interface

Abstract The V - I characteristics of a diode, which consists of a silver contaminated niobium oxide sandwiched between niobium and aluminum, has been studied. It is observed that the diode can be either rectifying or non-rectifying depending upon the duration and repetition rate of the pulse excitation. This behavior is attributed to the drift of the silver ions that slowly changes the surface barrier at the interface of the niobium oxide-aluminum. The V - I characteristics of the diode are linear in a log V vs. log I plot. This linearity can be explained as due to space charge limited current flow.
A functionalist view of brain death.

In “Whither Brain Death?” James L. Bernat (2014) presents a thoughtful and interesting overview of the status and importance of the concept of brain death. He rightly argues for the need to establi...
Mechanism of hydrogen production in [Fe–Fe]-hydrogenases: A quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics study

Abstract [Fe–Fe]-hydrogenases are a class of metalloenzymes that catalyze the production of H2 from two protons and two electrons. Crystal structures for [Fe–Fe]-hydrogenases found in two species – Clostridium pasteurianum (CpI) and Desulfovibrio desulfuricans (DdH) – show very similar active sites. However, the catalytic mechanism has not as yet been fully clarified. We employed density functional theory (DFT) within a QM/MM method to investigate proposed mechanisms of hydrogen production by DdH and CpI hydrogenases and their dependence on the protein environment of the active sites. For each mechanism investigated, we found only minor differences between the CpI and DdH hydrogenases in terms of the intermediate active site structures, although one mechanism follows a lower energy path for DdH hydrogenase, while the other mechanism follows a lower energy path for the CpI hydrogenase. We note, however, that the high activation energy we calculated for a step unique to one of the mechanisms might preclude it, making the energy-path comparison for the two mechanisms unnecessary.
Publication rate of abstracts presented at the annual meeting of the orthopaedic research society

Although the timely conveyance of information at national meetings like those of the Orthopaedic Research Society is critical to the dissemination of new scientific research, the ultimate goal of most researchers is to publish work in peer-reviewed journals referenced in Medline. All of the abstracts that were presented at the podium at the 1991. 1992. and 1993 annual meetings of the Orthopaedic Research Society and printed in the appropriate yearly transactions were included in this study (n = 888, 296 per year). A detailed computerized Medline search of each author on the abstract and the appropriate keywords from the title was performed until a publication was found; otherwise, the abstract was excluded. The database was searched through June 30. 1997. A total of 463 (52%) of the abstracts were published by July 1, 1997. The percentages for each individual year were similar: 148 (50%) were published in 1991,162 (55%) in 1992, and 153 (52%) in 1993. Publication of the majority of these papers (93.1%, 431 of 463) occurred within 4 years of the respective meeting. The Journal of Orthopaedic Research published the majority of these papers (17.5%), followed by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American), the Journal of Biomechanics, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, and Spine (each 5.2%). No significant differences in the rate of publication were observed between papers of 10 broad subject categories (p = 0.103). These results are similar to those from other basic science meetings and to the recently reported results for the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
11β-HYDROXY DEHYDROGENASE SYSTEM ACTIVITY IN THYMI OF MICE FOLLOWING PROLONGED CORTISOL TREATMENT

The purpose of these studies was to compare the amount of transformation of cortisol to cortisone produced by lymphocytes of untreated animals and those of animals treated with large doses of cortisol for a period of several days. The lymphatic organs (spleens, lymph nodes and thymi) of 50 mice of the CBA strain which were given cortisol acetate (1 mg.) daily for 9 days were compared to untreated CBA mice of the same age and sex for the capacities of these cells to transform cortisol to cortisone. The amounts of differences of 11β-hydroxydehydrogenase system activity present in the two groups of animals were estimated by incubating equivalent amounts of tissue (300 mg.) from each of the two groups with cortisol–4C14 (11.5 mµM). In untreated animals the abilities of the tissues to make the transformation were highest in lymph nodes, second highest in spleen and very low in the thymus.
The robustness of bootstrap estimator of variance

The bootstrap estimation for variance and its robustness in linear regression is considered. It is shown that the bootstrap approximation to the distribution of the estimator of the error variance, based on the least squared estimator, is robust over the Mallows neighborhood.
Fracture Planes in an Ice-Bilayer Model Membrane System

Experiments with transferred stearate layers were performed to determine the location of fracture planes in frozen ice-lipid systems. Bilayers and multilayers of carbon-14-labeled stearate were frozen in contact with an aqueous phase and then fractured. The distribution of radioactivity on both sides of the fracture showed that the stearate layers were cleaved apart predominantly in the plane of their hydrocarbon tails. Because bilayers split in this manner, it was possible to measure time-dependent exchange of label between the layers. Exchange occurred with a half-time of 50 minutes in the presence of calcium and 25 minutes in the absence of calcium. Since stearate bilayers and multilayers are models of hydrophobically stabilized structures, the strong influence of their hydrophobic region on the fracture plane provides an explanation of how the freeze-etch technique of electron microscopy can expose inner, hydrophobic faces of cell membranes.
Discrimination of innocuous and noxious thermal stimuli applied to the face in human and monkey.

Four humans and one monkey performed two-choice discriminations between simultaneous 3-sec heat stimuli applied to the face. All subjects produced more accurate disciminations in the noxious thermal range (∼ 47° C) than in the innocuous thermal range (∼ 39° C). The difference threshold, defined as the smallest temperature difference detected on 75% of the trials, was smaller for every subject at 47° C than at 39° C. The monkey's discriminative performance was comparable to that of humans in the noxious range, but inferior to that of humans in the innocuous range. Subjects superior discrimination at noxious temperatures cannot be easily accounted for by differences in primary afferent activity of warm fibers and heat-nociceptive fibers. However, differences in central processing or attentional modulation could contribute to superior discrimination in the noxious range. These findings indicate that heat-sensitive nociceptors are capable of transmitting precise information about noxious thermal input to the ...
Flow visualization and wall shear stress of a flapping model hummingbird wing

The unsteady low Reynolds number aerodynamics of flapping flight was investigated experimentally through flow visualization by suspended particle imagery and wall shear stress measurement from micro-array hot-film anemometry. In conjunction, a mechanism was developed to create a flapping motion with three degrees of freedom and adjustable flapping frequency. The flapping kinematics and wing shape were selected for dynamic similarity to a hummingbird during hovering flight. Flow visualization was used to validate the anemometry observations of leading edge vortex (LEV) characteristics and to investigate the necessity of spanwise flow in LEV stability. The shear sensors determined LEV characteristics throughout the translation section of the stroke period for various wing speeds. It was observed that a minimum frequency between 2 and 3.5 Hz is required for the formation and stabilization of a LEV. The vortex strength peaked around 30% of the flapping cycle (corresponding to just past the translation midpoint), which agrees with results from previous studies conducted by others. The shear sensors also indicated a mild growth in LEV size during translation sections of the wing’s motion. This growth magnitude was nearly constant through a range of operating frequencies.
A Systematic Model for the Analysis of Contact, Side Slip and Traction of Toroidal Drives

This paper presents a systematic model for the design and analysis of toroidal traction drive continuously variable transmissions (CVT). The contacts between the input disk, the roller and the output disk of the traction drive are formulated using the classical Hertzian contact theory. The traction force and side slip force occurring in CVT operation are modelled based on the elasto-hydrodynammic theory and are correlated to the traction drive geometric and kinematic parameters. The model allows for the quantitative analysis of traction drive operation under various torque inputs and over the desired ratio range.
Asymptotic approach to reliability evaluation of large multi-state systems with application to piping transportation

Abstract The essentials of multi-state system reliability analysis and an asymptotic approach to system reliability evaluation are introduced. The classes of limit reliability functions for multi-state series, parallel, series–parallel and parallel–series systems composed of different components are fixed. Moreover, auxiliary theorems useful in reliability evaluation of real technical large systems are presented. These are applied to reliability evaluation of an oil transportation system. Approximate mean values and standard deviations of this system lifetimes in the state subsets and in particular states are determined. This system risk function and the moment when the risk exceeds an admissible level are evaluated as well. The accuracy of the approximation is illustrated numerically and graphically.
Filtering and error analysis via the UDU^{T} covariance factorization

Kalman filter algorithms based on the UDUTcovariance factorization are discussed, with special attention given to algorithm implementation efficiency. A U-D factored covariance error analysis algorithm is formulated, and its efficiency and numerical stability are demonstrated in a representative orbit determination problem. The numerical results are compared with those obtained using covariance error analysis formulae, and the comparison highlights the numerical superiority of our algorithm A by-product of the U-D analysis is a new, highly efficient algorithm mechanization of the arbitrary gain covariance update formula.
Investigation of the role of Ce atoms in the CeFe2 system

Abstract CeFe2 is a ferromagnet (FM) with cubic Laves phase structure and bears some anomalous magnetic properties such as much lower Curie temperature (Tc = 227 K) and lower magnetic moment per Fe atom (1.15 μB) as compared to the other compounds in the RFe2 series (R = Y and rare earths). The role of Ce in CeFe2 has been a controversial one. The view ranges from Ce in CeFe2 being in the tetravalent state to its having a non-integral magnetic moment with an antiferromagnetic (AFM) coupling between the iron and cerium sites. It is found that a substitution of Fe sites by Co atoms in CeFe2 destabilizes the FM order at lower temperatures with a FM to AFM transition at TN = 78 K for Ce(Fe0.8Co0.2)2. To explore the role of Ce, we substituted Ce with Y in Ce(Fe0.8Co0.2)2. It was observed that with the substitution of Y for Ce, the AFM is suppressed and FM is gradually stabilized. In Ce1−x Yx(Fe0.8Co0.2)2, complete restoration of ferromagnetism is achieved down to the lowest temperature measured for 10% of Ce substitution by Y (x=0.1).
The role of surface currents in the magnetization of hysteretic superconductors

Abstract Magnetization measurements were made on solid and hollow cylinders of a hysteretic low ϰ type II superconductor. The behavior was found to be qualitatively similar indicating a surface current contributes significantly to hysteresis. The symmetry observed in the limit of very thin walls is different from that previously reported.
Assisted mechanical ventilation using resistive and elastic unloading

During assisted mechanical ventilation with respiratory unloading, the applied airway pressure follows quasi-instantaneously the infant's pattern of spontaneous breathing. This allows the infant to fully control the amplitude and timing of each breath. The ventilator receives the flow signal of spontaneous breathing as input and quasi-instantaneously provides an airway pressure output in proportion to the volume signal and/or the airflow signal of spontaneous breathing. With elastic unloading, the airway pressure increases during inspiration in proportion to the volume signal to oppose lung elastic recoil pressure. During resistive unloading, the airway pressure increases above baseline (PEEP) in proportion to inspiratory airflow. This decreases resistive work of breathing. The clinician adjusts the gain of the assist (the ratios of airway pressure per unit of volume and/or airflow) to tailor the pressure waveforms to the type (restrictive and/or obstructive) and degree of lung disease.
A note on the ‘food paradox’: some contradictory evidence

A sample of 200 households in one New York City neighborhood in 1904 shows constant per capita food consumption as households grow in size, holding constant per capita expenditure. Logan (Econ Inq 49(4):1008–1028, 2011) presents US historical evidence that per capita food consumption declines as households grow, replicating contemporary cross-national evidence reported by Deaton and Paxson (J Political Econ 106(5):897–930, 1998), which they describe as a ‘paradox’. Possible reasons for the contradictory evidence include minimal price variation within a city, greater homogeneity of household units, more being spend on rent leading to greater benefits of sharing living space, and application of the unitary household model to a more appropriate setting. Time series estimates of US price and income elasticity of food demand show constant or increasing per capita consumption, which also contradicts the received literature.
Choice for All? Charter Schools and Students with Special Needs

In this article, 3 concerns voiced by legal analysts and advocates for students with disabilities regarding charter schools are reviewed, the extent of special education services in charter schools in Texas is reported, and the validity of those concerns is examined. Data submitted to the Texas Public Education Information Management System were reviewed, and interviews with charter school administrators were conducted. The author examined 5 principles of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act—zero reject; individualized education program; appropriate assessment; free appropriate public education; and least restrictive environment—as well as levels of expertise in federal disability law, fiscal barriers, disability categories, and regional variations.
Feasibility of utilising an all-volunteer workforce as a disruptive innovation for the US obesity epidemic.

Summary Objectives As the prevalence of obesity in US adults continues to increase, addressing weight control will require an effective, lower-cost intervention. A model for delivering free peer-to-peer counselling has the potential to create a paradigm shift in the way weight and other chronic illnesses are addressed in the US. The objective of this study is to understand the potential for utilising successful peer volunteers as counsellors in weight control programmes and as a possible intervention strategy to address the global obesity epidemic in a cost-effective manner. Study design This cross-sectional study surveyed a nationwide panel of US adults ( n =806) in 2010. Methods We created survey items to identify participant interest in three specific types of weight control programmes: a free programme led by successful peers, a paid programme led by successful peers and a programme led by trained paid professionals. Statistical analysis was conducted in 2011. Logistic regression was used to adjust for the effect of potential confounders on participant interest in different weight control programmes and willingness to volunteer. Results More than three times as many subjects (27.4% vs. 8.3%) were interested in the free peer-led programme versus the expert-led paid option. Of participants who had ever had successful weight loss, 15% were interested in volunteering to help others lose weight. Conclusions Individuals appear to be willing to both attend and conduct peer volunteer-led weight control groups. Further research is necessary to develop and test interventions to assess the effectiveness of such interventions.
ORGANOGENESIS IN THE CARPELLATE FLOWER OF DRIMYS LANCEOLATA

form in acropetal succession. In symmetry the flower and its apical meristem are bilateral rather than radial, as in the flower of Drimys winteri. The floral apex of D. lanceolata is zonate while that of D. winteri is organized as a mantle and core. Preceding carpel initiation the floral apex of D. lanceolata is narrowly wedge-shaped, while that of D. winteri is low-convex. The entire apex is utilized in carpel initiation in D. lanceolata, involving many subsurface cell divisions over the entire summit. No apical residuum remains, and the carpel is terminal. In this feature the contrast with D. winteri is particularly marked, since in the latter, carpels are initiated laterally around the floral apex, which c an be recognized as an apical residuum after all appendages have formed. THE PRESENT STUDY compares the floral ontogeny and the initiation of the carpel in particular of representatives of the two sections in the genus Drimys. A second paper (Tucker- and Gifford, in press ) will be concerned with ensuing development of the carpel. Carpellate flowers of D. lanceolata (Poir.) Baill. of various ages were available and suitable for such a comparative study. The basic work on D. winteri v. chilensis was published previously (Tucker, 1959). A recent work (Tucker and Gifford, 1964) described the vascular pattern in the developing carpel of D. lanceolata.
Osteoporosis: pathophysiology and non-pharmacological management.

Osteoporosis is the disease of progressive bone loss that is most often associated with ageing and the post-menopausal state in women. All people, men and women, lose bone mass with advancing age, but in some the loss is so great that the skeleton is unable to maintain optimal structural integrity and the result is susceptibility to fractures, particularly of the hip and spine. The condition is increasing dramatically in prevalence as the numbers of elderly in the population increase. In this chapter, the epidemiology, clinical features and current modes of non-pharmacological management of osteoporosis are reviewed, with discussion of the potential of nutraceuticals and functional foods to influence the course of the disease.
DNAs of the two mating-type alleles of Neurospora crassa are highly dissimilar

The mating-type alleles A and a of Neurospora crassa control mating in the sexual cycle and function in establishing heterokaryon incompatibility in the vegetative cycle. The A and a alleles were cloned, and they were shown to encode both the sexual functions and vegetative incompatibility. The mating-type clones contain nonhomologous DNA segments that are flanked by common DNA sequences. Neurospora crassa and all heterothallic and pseudohomothallic Neurospora species contain a single copy of one mating-type sequence or the other within each haploid genome. The six known self-fertile homothallic isolates contain an A homolog, but only one species also contains a homologous sequences. Homothallism in these species is not due to mating-type switching, as it is in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Effect of endogenous digoxin-like substances on the interpretation of high concentrations of digoxin in children.

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of endogenous digoxin-like substances on the interpretation of excessive concentrations of digoxin in children. After the development of a high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for digoxin in our laboratories, we analyzed sera of children in whom the fluorescence polarization immunoassay identified potentially toxic concentrations of the glycoside (greater than 3 nmol/L; 2.3 ng/ml). Sixteen of them were receiving long-term digoxin therapy, and one had an accidental overdose. The immunoassay yielded significantly higher concentrations (4.1±1.2 nmol/L; 3.2±0.9 ng/ml) than the HPLC method (3.3±1.6 nmol/L; 2.6±1.2 ng/ml; p
A Distributed Critical-Path Timing Monitor for a 65nm High-Performance Microprocessor

A distributed critical-path timing monitor (CPM) is designed as part of the POWER6trade microprocessor in 65nm SOI. The CPM is capable of monitoring timing margin, process variation, localized noise and VDD droop, or clock stability. It tracks critical-path delay to within 3 FO2 delays at extreme operating voltages with a standard deviation less than frac12 an FO2 delay. The CPM detects DC VDD droops greater than 10mV and tracks timing changes greater than 1 FO2 delay.
Are bulb syringe irrigators a potential source of bacterial contamination in chronic rhinosinusitis

Background The purpose of this study was to determine if bulb syringe irrigators are a potential source for bacterial contamination in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Methods Standard 3-oz bulb syringe irrigators (n = 24) were each flushed with the following solutions twice daily: A (n = 8), sterile isotonic saline; B (n = 8), prepared hypertonic saline (3 tsp table salt/L of sterile water); and C (n = 8), prepared baking soda/saline (1 tsp table salt + 1 tsp baking soda/L of commercial sterile water). Syringes were stored on a residential bathroom counter, and two from each group were harvested for culture weekly for 4 weeks. Results There was no growth from syringes irrigated with any of the three solutions after the first 7 days of irrigation. After the entire 4-week study period, potential pathogens were recovered from 6/8 (75%) bulbs from group A, 0/8 bulbs from group B, and 1/8 bulbs (12.5%) from group C. All positive cultures revealed growth by 1-2 days postinoculation (p = 0.002). The organism recovered from syringes in group A was Pseudomonas fluorescens in all six specimens. The one positive culture in group C represented a single colony of Gram-positive cocci. Conclusion Under realistic conditions, bulb syringes are susceptible to contamination with potential bacterial pathogens, particularly when using unbuffered isotonic saline.
Teachers as simulation programmers: minimalist learning and reuse

Five public school teachers were observed during two self-study sessions where they learned to use Visual AgenTalk (VAT). The first session emphasized the basic visual programming skills, while the second introduced ways to reuse existing simulations. Two versions of the reuse tutorial were developed, one offering a concrete example world for reuse, and the second an abstract world. During their learning and reuse sessions, the teachers thought out loud as they worked, enabling a detailed analysis of their goals, reactions, problems, and successes. After each session, the teachers also completed user reaction questionnaires. Although all teachers succeeded in learning the basics of VAT, they varied considerably in their reuse of the example simulations. It appears that the simplified components of the abstract world supported reuse to a greater degree than those of the concrete example world.
Longevity: a critical factor in evaluating the effectiveness of periodontal therapy

Abstract A 47-year-old male patient with an advanced form of adult periodontitis presented for evaluation and treatment in 1963. There were several angular bony lesions and 3 molar teeth had an extremely questionable prognosis. The patient was treated by scaling, root planing and gingivectomy, with no attempt to alter the existing morphology of the effected alveolar bone. 23 years following periodontal therapy, there were marked changes of the contour of the marginal bone crest throughout, minimal pocket depth and acceptable gingival form. The patient was seen at regular 5–6 months intervals for maintenance therapy and his home care regimen was exemplary. Advanced cases of periodontitis can be treated successfully by simplistic methods if the “repair potential” of the patient is good and if regular maintenance visits and meticulous plaque control are carried out.
The impact of conventional plus high dose chemotherapy with autologous bone marrow transplantation on hematologic toxicity during subsequent local‐regional radiotherapy for breast cancer

Background. Forty patients with Stage 11-111 breast cancer with 10 or more positive axillary nodes were treated with mastectomy followed by four cycles of standard dose CAF (cytoxan, Adriamycin, 5-FU), followed by high dose cytoxan, cisplatin, carmustine (HDCT) with autologous bone marrow transplant support (ABMT), and local-regional radiotherapy (LR XRT). During LR XRT, the hematologic toxicity experienced by these patients appeared more severe than that usually seen in patients not heavily pretreated with chemotherapy. Radiation therapy was interrupted in four patients (10%) because of thrombocytopenia and leukopenia. This observation prompted a comparison of the hematologic changes seen in this group with those seen in patients not treated previously with chemotherapy. Methods. A detailed analysis of changes in hematologic parameters during LR XRT was performed in 33 evaluable patients who received CAF-HDCT/ABMT and compared with a “control” group of 17 women who did not receive prior chemotherapy. Results. The mean pretreatment leukocyte, platelet, and hematocrit counts were lower in the CAF-HDCT/ ABMT group than in the control group, with the differences indicating statistical significance for the latter two (P = 0.17, P < 0.001, and P = 0.001, respectively). None of the control patients required a treatment interruption because of hematologic toxicity, whereas four of the CAFHDCT/ABMT patients did. Among the CAF-HDCT/ ABMT patients, a leukocyte count nadir of less than 2.0, a platelet nadir of less than 50,000, and a hematocrit nadir of less than 25 occurred in 12%, 19%, and 9%, respectively. The corresponding rates of control patients were 6%, 0%, and 0’70, respectively. Relative to their pretreatment levels, however, both groups experienced similar declines in platelet and leukocyte counts. Conclusion. The higher rate of hematologic toxicity observed in the patients who previously received conventional chemotherapy plus HDCT/ABMT appears to have been due primarily to lower preradiotherapy blood counts. Cancer 1994; 74:2964-71.
Mode converters and sorters for quasiphase matching waveguide devices

We have demonstrated efficient second-harmonic generation of higher-order modes in periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides using a TM/sub 00/ to TM/sub 10/ mode converter based on an asymmetric Y-junction. Higher-order mode converters, combiners, and separators will expand the functionality of quasiphase matched waveguide devices.
The Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health and the Contradictory Trend in Bilateral and Regional Free Trade Agreements

In the Doha Declaration WTO Members committed themselves to implementing and interpreting the TRIPS Agreement to allow full use of its flexibilities, and to promote access to medicines for all. In the Doha Declaration there was an express acknowledgment of the right of Members to grant compulsory licenses on grounds determined by them. The provisions relating to patents and regulatory approvals with respect to medicines in recently concluded FTAs such as the CAFTA and U.S. – Morocco FTA are intended to restrict the flexibilities inherent in the TRIPS Agreement, Doha Declaration and Decision on Implementation of Paragraph 6. They are designed to prevent registration and marketing approval of generic versions of medicines that are not under patent by establishing data exclusivity rules far beyond anything contemplated by Article 39.3 of the TRIPS Agreement. They appear designed to negate the effective use of compulsory licensing by blocking the marketing of third party medicines during the term of patents. This is contrary to the letter and spirit of Paragraph 4 of the Doha Declaration, “that the [TRIPS] Agreement can and should be interpreted and implemented in a manner supportive of WTO Members’ right to protect public health and, in particular, to promote access to medicines for all.” The provisions of the CAFTA and U.S. – Morocco FTA relating to patents and pharmaceutical regulation are not accessible to laypersons. They are confusing to specialists in the field of intellectual property law and medicines regulation. Public international lawyers are needed to work out the complex hierarchical relationships among the conflicting provisions. From a practical standpoint, the overall effect of these provisions will be to establish potentially impenetrable obstacles to the supply of low priced medicines. Individuals operating in the real world of medicines regulation, procurement and distribution cannot be expected to sort out these incredibly complicated rules. This point cannot be stressed too strongly. This is not a happy occasion for lawyers to spend countless hours traveling to meetings to discuss the role of non-derogation clauses in international agreements, or the relationship between the WTO Agreement, GATT Article XXIV, TRIPS Article 4(d) and free trade agreements. Theses rules affect the lives and health of people – children, women and men.
Challenges in applications of computational intelligence in industrial electronics

The presentation is focused on comparison of neural networks and fuzzy systems. Advantages and disadvantages of both technologies are discussed. Fuzzy systems are relatively easy to design but number of inputs in the system are significantly limited. It is very difficult to design neural networks so rather they have to be trained instead. Neural networks produce much smoother nonlinear mapping than fuzzy systems. When neural networks are selected then researchers are facing two dilemmas: what should be neural network architectures and how to train them. The presentation gives answers for both problems. It was found that Bridged Multilayer Preceptron BMLP are a much better architecture than popular MLP architecture. It is faster to train and more complex problems can be solved with fewer neurons. Training of neural networks is not easy. For example most of the existing software cannot train close to optimal neural network so networks with excessive number of neurons are being used by most researchers. Such networks indeed can be trained to very small errors using training patterns but they are not able to respond correctly for new patterns not used in training. A new NBN learning algorithm is presented in this work. This algorithm is not only up to 1000 times faster than the popular EBP algorithm, but it can train all neural network architectures. More importantly it can train close to optimum neural networks which were not able to be trained before.
Exon-specific RNAi: A tool for dissecting the functional relevance of alternative splicing

The goal of functional genomics is to determine the function of each protein encoded by an organism. Typically, this is done by inactivating individual genes and, subsequently, analyzing the phenotype of the modified organisms. In higher eukaryotes, where a tremendous amount of alternative splicing occurs, such approaches are not feasible because they have the potential to simultaneously affect multiple proteins that could have quite distinct and important functions. Thus, it is necessary to develop techniques that inactivate only a subset of proteins synthesized from genes encoding alternatively spliced mRNAs. Here we demonstrate that RNA interference (RNAi) can be used to selectively degrade specific alternatively spliced mRNA isoforms in cultured Drosophila cells. This is achieved by treating the cells with double-stranded RNA corresponding to an alternatively spliced exon. This technique may prove to be a powerful tool to assess the function of proteins synthesized from alternatively spliced mRNAs. In addition, these results have implications regarding the mechanism of RNAi in Drosophila.
Organizational Storytelling and Technology Innovation

As technology innovation finds its way into increasingly diverse workplaces, the need to understand how project participants' views influence the change process has never been more pressing. Organizations are introducing technology change at an accelerated pace and increasingly diverse groups are finding themselves in uncertain territory as they attempt to collaborate on projects that fall outside their areas of expertise in an attempt to envision and then build new and complicated technology systems for their organizations. This paper explores the promising role of organizational storytelling as a framework to support the creation of shared meaning among disparate project members in an effort to mitigate the negative and costly impact that the different perspectives of team members have on innovation projects
Transdermal nicotine alters some of marihuana's effects in male and female volunteers

Abstract Despite the fact that tobacco and marihuana are often used together, relatively little is known about the effects of this combination. In order to investigate the effects of the principal psychoactive component in tobacco smoke, nicotine, on marihuana-induced intoxication, we conducted a double blind, cross-over experiment using nicotine transdermal patches. Ten male and 10 female participants received either placebo or a 21 mg transdermal nicotine patch 4 h before smoking one of two marihuana cigarettes (1.99 or 3.51% delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ 9 THC) content). Measurements of physiological activity (heart rate, blood pressure, and skin temperature) and subjective effects (self-reports of drug effects on visual analog scales (VAS) and the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI)) were made periodically before and for 3 h after smoking. Nicotine pre-treatment enhanced several responses to marihuana, in particular, heart rate, reports of “stimulated” on the visual analog scales, and scores on the Amphetamine scale of the ARCI. Male participants reported a more pronounced effect of marihuana that persisted longer than that of the female participants. Compared to the male participants, female participants experienced an attenuated response to marihuana and were less affected by the drug combination. The results of this study show that nicotine can have an important influence on the subjective and physiological effects of smoked marihuana. These effects have implications for the safety and efficacy of marihuana smokers who are self-medicating with the nicotine transdermal patch to manage their tobacco dependence.
Diabetes and pancreatic cancer

Epidemiological studies clearly indicate that the risk of pancreatic cancer (PC) is increased in diabetic patients, but most studies focus on overall diabetes or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and there are few studies on the risks of type 1 and type 3c (secondary) diabetes. Possible mechanisms for increased cancer risk in diabetes include cellular proliferative effects of hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and abnormalities in insulin/IGF receptor pathways. Recently, insulin and insulin secretagogues have been observed to increase the PC risk, while metformin treatment reduces the cancer risk in diabetic subjects. In addition, anticancer drugs used to treat PC may either cause diabetes or worsen coexisting diabetes. T3cDM has emerged as a major subset of diabetes and may have the highest risk of pancreatic carcinoma especially in patients with chronic pancreatitis. T3cDM is also a consequence of PC in at least 30% of patients. Distinguishing T3cDM from the more prevalent T2DM among new-onset diabetic patients can be aided by an assessment of clinical features and confirmed by finding a deficiency in postprandial pancreatic polypeptide release. In conclusion, diabetes and PC have a complex relationship that requires more clinical attention. The risk of developing PC can be reduced by aggressive prevention and treatment of T2DM and obesity and the prompt diagnosis of T3cDM may allow detection of a tumor at a potentially curable stage. Endocrine-Related Cancer (2012) 19 F9‐F26
Bilingualism Is in Dire Need of Formal Models.

Each year the Cognitive Science Society honors David Rumelhart by awarding the Rumelhart Prize to an outstanding cognitive scientist whose research makes a significant contribution to the formal analysis of human cognition. Formal models of language, including those of Rumelhart and his associates, are well known to psycholinguists in the monolingual context. The formalism of language in the bilingual context, however, is lamentable: to this date, there are only a handful of models (connectionist or otherwise) that are designed specifically to account for bilingual language processing and acquisition (cf. Li and Farkas, 2002). BIA is one of them. BIA+ is now another.
A false sense of security: lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) surrogate health care decision-making rights.

This article addresses the timely and ethically problematic issue of surrogate decision-making rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients and their families in the American health care system. Despite multiple pro-LGBT recommendations that have been released in recent years by the Obama administration, the Institute of Medicine, and the US Department of Health and Human Services, such initiatives, while laudable, also have unfortunately occasioned a “false sense of security” for many LGBT patients, their families, and their caregivers. In particular, new regulations on surrogate decision making merely invoke a sense of universal patient rights rather than actually generating them. Therefore, it is imperative that primary care physicians urge all LGBT patients to take proactive steps to protect themselves and their loved ones by naming proxy decision makers well before the crises that would necessitate such decisions.
Forms of Approximate Radiation Transport

Photon radiation transport is described by the Boltzmann equation. Because this equation is difficult to solve, many different approximate forms have been implemented in computer codes. Several of the most common approximations are reviewed, and test problems illustrate the characteristics of each of the approximations. This document is designed as a tutorial so that code users can make an educated choice about which form of approximate radiation transport to use for their particular simulation.
The Trinity and the Structure of Religious Life: An Indian Contribution to Wider Christian Theology

Indian Christian theology has begun to make a significant contribution to total Christian theology in a number of ways. One of these ways is to look at the doctrine of the Trinity again not merely in terms of the Godhead itself but also in terms of the religious life resulting from the fact that Christians think of God in terms of a Trinity.
[3H]imidacloprid: Synthesis of a candidate radioligand for the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

Imidacloprid is an exceptionally potent insecticide known from physiological studies to act at the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. To prepare [3H]imidacloprid as a candidate radioligand, 6-chloronicotinoyl chloride was reduced with NaB2H4 (in model studies) or NaB3H4 in absolute ethanol to 2-chloro-5-pyridinylmethanol which was transformed to 2-chloro-5-chloromethylpyridine on refluxing with thionyl chloride. Coupling with 4,5-dihydro-N-nitro-1H-imidazol-2-amine then gave [2H2]imidacloprid incorporating about 95% of the deuterium or [3H2]imidacloprid (25 Ci/mmol) in 80% radiochemical yield. In studies not detailed here [3H]imidacloprid was found to undergo high affinity, specific and saturable binding to a site in insect brain.
Cervical tumor characterization by transvaginal color flow Doppler ultrasound.

. Carter JR. Cervical tumor characterization by transvaginal color flow Doppler ultrasound. The aim of the study was to investigate the blood flow characteristics of benign cervical lesions and invasive cervical tumors and to determine if invasive cervical tumors can be predicted by transvaginal sonography (TVS) and color flow Doppler (CFD). The study design incorporated an open prospective collection of data from patients attending the Women's Cancer Center, University of Minnesota and the Sydney Women's Cancer Center. Inclusion criteria included patients with known benign or malignant cervical pathology. The study group of 66 patients comprised 32 patients with invasive cervical cancer and 34 patients with benign cervical lesions. Benign cervixes were significantly more likely to have absent or normal flow whereas malignant lesions were significantly more likely to have abnormal or increased flow (P < 0.0001). No differences in the uterine or intratumor systolic, diastolic, or mean velocity were found between the two groups. A reduction in the uterine artery pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) from 1.84 to 1.55 and 0.73 to 0.71, respectively, and also in the intracervical PI from 1.5 to 1.1, in the benign compared to invasive group was found, none of which reached statistical significance. However the intracervical RI was statistically lower (0.62) in malignant tumors compared to patients with benign lesions (0.71) (P = 0.03). The effect of menopause on blood flow characteristics was variable and overall not significant. While the uterine artery systolic velocity was significantly higher in premenopausal women, no such effect was found for the diastolic or mean velocity or the PI and RI. In postmenopausal women, the intratumor PI and RI were higher compared to premenopausal women. In conclusion, transvaginal CFD analysis of the uterine arterial or intratumor bed does not appear to be beneficial in attempting to distinguish benign from malignant cervical tumors.