cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Increase in a distinct pulmonary macrophage subset possessing an antigen-presenting cell phenotype and in vitro APC activity following silica exposure

Silica inhalation results in chronic lung inflammation and fibrosis. While the role of the alveolar macrophage (AM) is considered key to the effects of silica on lung pathology, the etiology is not completely understood. Evidence suggests an increase in antigen presenting cell (APC) activity as a contributing factor to this process, as well as potential roles for both AM and interstitial macrophages (IM) in silicosis. In order to study the effects of crystalline silica on the APC activity of pulmonary macrophages, mice were exposed intranasally and changes in pulmonary macrophage populations were assessed using flow cytometry. Following intranasal instillation of silica, a significant increase in the APC activity of AM was observed, as well as a significant increase in a subset of IM expressing classic APC markers (MHC class II, CD11c). In addition, an in vitro system using bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) was generated to assess the effects of silica on the APC activity of macrophages in vitro. Data using BMDM in the in vitro APC assay demonstrated a significant increase in APC activity following silica exposure, but not following exposure to saline or a control particle (TiO(2)). Using a combination of in vivo and in vitro experiments, the current study describes a significant increase in an interstitial macrophage subset with an APC phenotype, as well as an increase in the APC activity of both AM and BMDM, as a direct result of exposure to crystalline silica. These studies suggest a specific mechanism, macrophage subset activation, by which crystalline silica exposure results in chronic pulmonary inflammation and, eventually, fibrosis.
Spectral Emissivity of Optically Anisotropic Solid Media

This work determines the spectral emissivity of a semi-infinite uniaxial medium in vacuum. If the optic axis is normal to the surface, then, for many materials and wavelengths, such as rutile between 10 and 25 μm, the directional and hemispherical spectral emissivities of the medium can be approximated, with an error of less than 10 percent, as those of an isotropic medium possessing the ordinary optical constants. In contrast, if the optic axis is parallel to the surface, the directional and hemispherical spectral emissivities can be predicted only by accounting for the optical anisotropy of the medium
Performances in Contradiction: Facilitating a Neosophistic Creative Writing Workshop

This article examines the ways that creative writing instructors may willingly (or unintentionally) suppress contradiction and indeterminacy in workshop feedback conversations. By suggesting that contradiction and indeterminacy may be fruitful and dynamic sites to investigate craft practice, aesthetics, and authorship, the essay argues for a reassessment of the way teachers facilitate workshop. In addition to drawing on experience in the classroom, the author suggests that workshop become a site where rhetorical and artistic invention are intermeshed in the sophistic pedagogical tradition of antilogike and dissoi logoi (rhetorical strategies emphasising contradiction and doubt, rather than certainty). The concept of antilogike is connected to workshop pedagogy through an analysis of William Covino's Magic, Rhetoric, and Literacy: An Eccentric History of the Composing Imagination. In the book, Covino suggests that generative magic (rather than arresting magic) provides a lens to analyse language and instit...
Correction of equinus in cerebral palsy by the Murphy procedure of tendo calcaneus advancement: a preliminary communication.

UMMARY The biomechanics of the Murphy procedure for correction of equinus in cerebral palsy are presented. A series of 79 surgical procedures on 48 patients, with a follow-up period of from one to four years, is reviewed. Correction of equinus was successful in 89·9 per cent of the procedures. Using the Murphy procedure the following advantages over other methods of correction are anticipated: (1) no loss of ‘push-off’ in gait; (2) no loss of correction (recurrence) during longitudinal growth of the child, necessitating repeated surgery; and (3) no need for continual night bracing during the growth period. RESUME Les auteurs presentent l'analyse bio-mecanique de l'operation de Murphy, pratiquee pour corriger un equin. Une serie de 79 interventions chirurgicales chez 48 sujets, suivie d'une surveillance de un a quatre ans est discutee. Les avantages suivants peuvent etre attendus de ce type d'intervention par rapport aux autres methodes de correction de l'equin: (1) absence de perte d'effet de soulevement dans la demarche; (2) pas de perte de 1'effet de correction durant la croissance longitudinale de l'enfant, necessitant une chirurgie iterative et (3) non necessite d'appareillage de nuit durant la periode de croissance. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Die Biomechanik der Operation nach Murphy zur Korrektur des Klumpfuses wird beschrieben. 79 chirurgische Eingriffe an 48 Patienten mit einer Nachuntersuchungszeit von 1 bis 4 Jahren werden besprochen. Fur die Anwendung des hier beschriebenen chirurgischen Vorgehens werden folgende Vorteile gegenuber anderen Methoden zur Korrektur des Klumpfuses gefordert: (1) kein Verlust des ‘push-off’ beim Gehen, (2) kein Korrekturverlust (Rezidiv) wahrend des Langenwachstums der Kinder, der eine erneute Operation erforderlich machen wurde, und (3) kein standiges Anschnallen wahrend der Nacht in der Wachstumsperiode. RESUMEN Se presenta la biomecanica de la operation de Murphy para la correccion del equino. Se revisa una serie de 79 intervenciones quirurgicas en 48 pacientes, con una observacion posterior de uno a cuatro anos. Se anticipan las siguientes ventajas del uso de este procedimiento sobre todos los otros metodos de correccion del equino: 1) no hay perdida del impulso (‘push-off’) en la marcha. 2) no perdida de la correccion (recurrencia) durante el crecimiento longitudinal del nino. que requeriria una repeticion del tratamiento quirurgico; y 3) no necesidad de ferulas nocturnas durante el periodo de crecimiento.
Integrating the biophysical and molecular mechanisms of auditory hair cell mechanotransduction

Mechanosensation is a primitive and somewhat ubiquitous sense. At the inner ear, sensory hair cells are refined to enhance sensitivity, dynamic range and frequency selectivity. Thirty years ago, mechanisms of mechanotransduction and adaptation were well accounted for by simple mechanical models that incorporated physiological and morphological properties of hair cells. Molecular and genetic tools, coupled with new optical techniques, are now identifying and localizing specific components of the mechanotransduction machinery. These new findings challenge long-standing theories, and require modification of old and development of new models. Future advances require the integration of molecular and physiological data to causally test these new hypotheses.
Ovarian cancer biomarkers as diagnostic triage tests

Correspondence: Sara Jordan Division of Gynecologic Oncology, UC Irvine Medical Center, 101 The City Drive, Building 56, Room 260, Orange, CA 92868, USA Tel +1 714 456 8020 Fax +1 714 456 6622 Email sara.jordan@uci.edu Abstract: Ovarian cancer survival improves with accurate surgical staging, maximal tumor removal, and appropriate adjuvant chemotherapy. Therefore, survival is higher among patients managed by a gynecologic oncologist trained in these surgical techniques. Unfortunately, identifying patients preoperatively for referral to a gynecologic oncologist is often challenging, given that there are no definitive noninvasive diagnostic tests to triage patients with an adnexal mass to a surgical subspecialist. Inaccurate preoperative diagnosis of an adnexal mass frequently results in either unnecessary surgery for a benign mass or inadequate surgical staging for a malignant mass, with a subsequent negative effect on overall survival. Several recent tests have been investigated to improve the preoperative diagnosis of women presenting with adnexal masses. Cancer antigen 125 is the most commonly used serum marker for screening and monitoring of ovarian cancer, but is elevated in many benign conditions and falsely normal in 50% of early-stage epithelial ovarian cancers. The relatively low sensitivity and specificity of CA125 has driven researchers to identify new biomarkers and algorithms to assist with triaging adnexal masses. A promising new biomarker, human epididymis protein 4, has been developed to monitor for recurrence of ovarian cancer. Three algorithms have also been developed, ie, risk of malignancy index, risk of ovarian malignancy algorithm, and OVA-1, which is the first diagnostic algorithm that combines multiple biomarkers for the purpose of triaging adnexal masses to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
The Dynamical Environment About Asteroid 25143 Itokawa, Target of the Hayabusa Mission

This paper explores the dynamical environment about Asteroid 25143 Itokawa, using the shape and rotation state model recently estimated from radar imaging data by Ostro et al. (2004). In 2005 the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa will reach Itokawa and begin a period of vicinity operations about that body. The existence of this model can be used to prepare for the Hayabusa spacecraft rendezvous with that asteroid, enabling a more rapid transition from arrival to the start of intensive science and sampling operations. The Hayabusa mission also yields a unique opportunity to validate the shape inversion procedures from radar data described in Hudson (1993). We find that there are stable orbiting options for the Hayabusa spacecraft about Itokawa.
The Circuit-Input Game, Natural Proofs, and Testing Circuits With Data

We revisit a natural zero-sum game from several prior works. A circuit player, armed with a collection of Boolean circuits, wants to compute a function $f$ with one (or some) of its circuits. An input player has a collection of inputs, and wants to find one (or some) inputs on which the circuit player cannot compute f. Several results are known on the existence of small-support strategies for zero-sum games, in particular the above circuit-input game. We give two new applications of these classical results to circuit complexity:Natural properties useful against self-checking circuits are equivalent to circuit lower bounds. We show how the Natural Proofs barrier may be potentially sidestepped, by simply focusing on analyzing circuits that check their answers. Slightly more precisely, we prove NP not concurrent P/poly if and only if there are natural properties that (a) accept the SAT function and (b) are useful against polynomial-size circuits that never err when they report SAT. (Note, via self-reducibility, any small circuit can be turned into one of this kind!) The proof is very general; similar equivalences hold for other lower bound problems. Our message is that one should search for lower bound methods that are designed to succeed (only) against circuits with "one-sided error."Circuit Complexity versus Testing Circuits With Data. We reconsider the problem of program testing, which we formalize as deciding if a given circuit computes a (fixed) function f. We define the "data complexity" of f (as a function of circuit size s) to be the minimum cardinality of a test suite of inputs: a set of input/output pairs necessary and sufficient for deciding if any given circuit of size at most s computes a slice of f. (This is a "gray-box testing" problem, where the value s is side information.) We prove that designing small test suites for f is equivalent to proving circuit lower bounds on f: the data complexity of testing f is "small" if and only if the circuit complexity of f is "large." Therefore, circuit lower bounds may be constructively viewed as data design circuit-testing problems.
Translatory accelerating motion of a circular disk in a viscous fluid

The exact solution of the equation of motion of a circular disk accelerated along its axis of symmetry due to an arbitrarily applied force in an otherwise still, incompressible, viscous fluid of infinite extent is obtained. The fluid resistance considered in this paper is the Stokes-flow drag which consists of the added mass effect, steady state drag, and the effect of the history of the motion. The solutions for the velocity and displacement of the circular disk are presented in explicit forms for the cases of constant and impulsive forcing functions. The importance of the effect of the history of the motion is discussed.
Bilateral retinal occlusion progressing to long-lasting blindness in severe preeclampsia.

BACKGROUND: Temporary blindness in pregnancy associated with preeclampsia has been reported. Most cases have been attributed to cortical cerebral edema with transient vision impairment. We present a patient with bilateral retinal arteriole occlusions causing permanent blindness. CASE: A teenage primigravida at term presented with uterine contractions and preeclampsia. Twenty-four hours after delivery she developed sudden visual loss that progressed to total bilateral blindness. Imaging studies ruled out cerebral edema and an ophthalmologic examination found retinal hemorrhages and infarcts consistent with bilateral central retinal arteriole occlusions. At 2- and 6-month follow-up there was marked persistent visual impairment. CONCLUSION: The combination of blindness and preeclampsia is rare. Evaluation for ophthalmologic findings should be part of the initial patient assessment with preeclampsia.
The Nonlinear Dynamics of Long, Slender Cylinders

The nonlinear dynamics of long, slender cylinders for moderately large deformations are studied by projecting the solution along the set of eigenmodes of the linear problem. The resulting set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations is truncated on the basis of bandlimited response. The efficiency of the method is due to the derivation of asymptotic solutions for the linear problem in its general form, by using the WKB method. Applications for the dynamics of risers, including the effects of nonlinear fluid drag and geometric nonlinearity demonstrate the features of the method.
Interaction between proteases and bovine erythrocyte membranes. II. Binding of fibrinolytic components

Abstract 1. 1. Bovine erythrocyte ghosts bind plasminogen and plasmin, but do not inhibit the caseinolytic activity of plasmin. 2. 2. Urokinase, which is not bound to ghosts, readily activates plasminogen in the presence and absence of ghosts without an apparent loss in efficiency. 3. 3. Inactivation of trypsin solutions at physiological pH is prevented by the presence of ghosts having the capacity to bind the enzyme. 4. 4. Incomplete activation of plasminogen by trypsin is observed upon addition of trypsin to ghosts-plasminogen mixtures or upon addition of plasminogen to ghosts-trypsin mixtures. 5. 5. Increased binding of [ 3 H]trypsin to ghosts is seen in the presence of plasminogen regardless of the order of addition of the proteins to the ghosts, suggesting that there are separate binding sites on the surface of the membranes for trypsin and plasminogen, and that trypsin might be bound both directly to ghosts and to plasminogen which bind to ghosts. 6. 6. Totally acetylatated trypsin incompletely activates plasminogen in the presence of ghosts in a manner identical to that of trypsin. These results are interpreted to suggest that acetylated sites on trypsin, which reduce binding directly to ghosts, are in no way influential in plasminogen activation, and that the binding of plasminogen to ghosts must be the step which, in an unknown manner, affects conformation of the former thereby reducing the efficiency of native trypsin and acetyltrypsin, while exerting no noticeable influence on urokinase activation. 7. 7. A potential role for the possible transport by membranes of zymogens and enzymes involved in fibrinolysis in the blood is suggested.
Acute and subacute effects of ECT on plasma HVA, MHPG, and prolactin.

El~~~on~lsive therapy (ECT) in humans does not appear to result in consistent changes in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of the major monoamine metabolites (Lerer 1987). Some studies reported no change in CSF homovanillic acid (HVA), and 5hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5 HIAA) following the ECT course (Abrams et al. 1976), whereas others have reported a reduction in the probenecid-induced accumulation of both HVA and 5HIAA (Jori et al. 1975), and a recent study found elevation in CSF HVA levels from pre-ECT to I week
Prognostic value of Akt-1 in human prostate cancer: a computerized quantitative assessment with quantum dot technology.

Background: Akt/protein kinase B signaling pathway has been implicated in tumorigenesis and progression. Previous studies showed the predictive potential of p-Akt-1, but total Akt-1 could provide more reliable information. We used image deconvolution, nanotechnology (quantum dots), and image analysis to improve Akt-1 quantification. Design: This tissue microarray study included 840 radical prostatectomy cases. Slides were incubated with primary antibody against nonphosphorylated Akt-1 (Akt-1) followed by biotinylated secondary antibody and then by Qdot655 streptavidin conjugate. Slides were imaged under fluorescence microscopy and spectral deconvolution (Nuance) and quantified using plug-in image analysis software. Average intensity of Akt-1 signal was measured and subject to statistical analysis. Multivariate analysis (Cox regression) was applied to assess the prognostic value of Akt-1 for biochemical recurrence and prostate cancer-specific death. Akt-1 expression was also examined for correlations with Ki-67 index and apoptotic index in our database. Result: Akt-1 was inversely correlated with apoptotic index ( ρ = −0.203; P = 0.004) but not with Ki-67 index. The correlation between Akt and p-Akt is significant but weak ( P = 0.0496; R 2 = 0.118). On multivariate analysis Akt-1 was independently predictive of biochemical recurrence [hazard ratio, 2.863 (95% confidence interval, 1.127-7.271); P = 0.0270]. Akt-1 level is also predictive of prostate cancer-specific death ( P = 0.0376). Conclusion: High levels of Akt-1, assessed by quantum dots, deconvolution imaging, and image analysis, are associated with a higher risk of biochemical recurrence and prostate cancer-specific death.
Integrated Chemistry and Biology for First-Year College Students.

A three-course sequence for first-year students that integrates beginning concepts in biology and chemistry has been designed. The first two courses that emphasize chemistry and its capacity to inform biological applications are described here. The content of the first course moves from small to large particles with an emphasis on membrane macrostructures and protein structure. Critical to this progression is an understanding of strong and weak bonding interactions within and between macrostructure subunits. The Boltzmann distribution and Boltzmann entropy are used in the second course to rationalize enthalpy and entropy changes in biochemical reactions and consequences of the second law of thermodynamics. Biochemical processes in the second course include protein folding, hydration, ligand binding to proteins, ATP hydrolysis, protein redox reactions, and enzyme kinetics. Attitude assessment indicated students were overwhelmingly satisfied with the course sequence. Students had a broader view of interdisc...
Triples in matroid circuits

Watkins and Mesner characterized edge-triples of a graph which are not in any circuit, and Chakravarti and Robertson solved the dual problem of edge-triples not in a bond. Here we give a common generalization, solving the problem for all binary matroids. Our main result is that if e , f , g are elements of a 3-connected, internally 4-connected binary matroid, then there is a circuit containing e , f , g , unless either { e , f , g } is a cocircuit, or the matroid is graphic and e , f , g are edges of the graph with a common vertex. The more general non-binary problem is still open.
Finite topologies and Hamiltonian paths

Suppose x is a finite set. This paper deals with the question of how many mutually complementary topologies X can carry. If p is a prime and | X |= p , p +1, 2p −1 or 2p , we prove that the answers are respectively p, p, 2p −1, 2p −1. The problem is shown to be related to the existence of a certain type of 1-factorization of the complete graph on an even number of points, and is also formulated combinatorially.
Insight Gained from a Review of the Master of Science Degree in Workforce Education Leadership Curriculum

Research focusing on community college leadership programs and the needs of workforce development personnel shows that the primary knowledge and skills needed by professionals in the field include collaboration, teaching, community college context, effects of globalization, data usage, and skills related to leadership and team work. Program faculty and staff in a master of science degree in a Workforce Education Leadership program researched the needs of workforce development personnel. They also met with community college workforce development and industry personnel from five community college districts to review the program curriculum. Key conclusions included the value of offering all courses online and on a regular basis, offering appropriate coursework, and including courses that would allow for the discussion of changing trends, problem-based projects, and industry experiences.
Multidentate-protected colloidal gold nanocrystals: PH control of cooperative precipitation and surface layer shedding

Colloidal gold nanocrystals (AuNCs) with broad size tunability and unusual pH-sensitive properties have been synthesized using multidentate polymer ligands. Because they contain both carboxylic functional groups and sterically hindered aliphatic chains, the multidentate ligands can not only reduce gold precursors but also stabilize gold nanoclusters during nucleation and growth. The “as-synthesized” AuNCs are protected by an inner coordinating layer and an outer polymer layer and are soluble in water and polar solvents. When the solution pH is lowered by just 0.6 units (from 4.85 to 4.25), the particles undergo a dramatic cooperative transition from being soluble to insoluble, allowing rapid isolation, purification, and redispersion of the multidentate-protected AuNCs. A surprising finding is that when a portion of the surface carboxylate groups are neutralized by protonation, the particles irreversibly shed their outer polymer layer and become soluble in nonpolar organic solvents. Furthermore, the multid...
Evaluation of the tourniquet test as a predictor of diabetic retinopathy.

Medical practitioners often have difficulty in assessing the presence or severity of diabetic retinopathy. The tourniquet test is a method of assessing diabetic capillary fragility that has been felt to reliably correlate with background and proliferative diabetic retinopathy. We studied 100 consecutive diabetic patients and 50 age-matched controls in a masked fashion, using fundus photographs and fluorescein angiography to correlate the amount of capillary fragility with the presence and severity of background and proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Although the severity of diabetic capillary fragility did correlate with the presence and severity of diabetic retinopathy (p < 0.001), this test was not as good an indicator of diabetic retinopathy as were other risk factors such as duration of diabetes (p ⪡ 0.001). The tourniquet test is unreliable in predicting the presence or severity of diabetic retinopathy because of its high false negative response rate.
Charitable Organizations' Strategies and Program‐Spending Ratios

Analysis in this study demonstrates how differences in strategy can be incorporated into evaluations and comparisons of financial statements of charitable organizations. The ratio of program spending to total spending, a metric commonly used in practice to evaluate charities, is the focus of the analysis. Our approach involves classifying charities according to how they access markets for donated resources and then using regression analysis to predict an organization's program‐spending ratio, given the organization's strategic choice, size, and charitable objective. We then compare the predicted ratio to the organization's actual ratio to identify candidates for further review and investigation. In doing so, this paper illustrates how considering strategic choice enhances the analysis of financial statements of charitable organizations and informs assessments of organization effectiveness.
Single parenting: Interventions in the transitional stage

Following divorce or separation, many mother-headed families need to mourn losses, including reduced economic resources. They need to reestablish family rituals, confront such issues as time management and structural changes that can result in scapegoating or over-reliance on a parental child. Normalizing difficulties associated with parenting is important because single parents tend to internalize societal attribution of family difficulties to inadequate family structure rather than developmental stages, limited economic resources, and negative expectations about the capacity of women to head families.
Ethical Issues in Animal-Assisted Therapy Programs

(1991). Ethical Issues in Animal-Assisted Therapy Programs. Anthrozoos: Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 154-163.
LC-MS–MS characterisation of curry leaf flavonols and antioxidant activity

Abstract Curry leaf ( Murraya koenegii ) is a common flavouring agent in Indian foods. This study characterised the flavonol profile of curry leaf extracted with different solvents and the relative antioxidant capacity of these extracts by quantifying phenolic constituents. Flavonols were extracted using ethanol, methanol, or acetone prior to identification and quantification using liquid chromatography coupled to atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) mass spectrometry in tandem mode (LC-MS–MS) with negative ion detection. Major curry leaf flavonols included myricetin-3-galactoside, quercetin-O-pentohexoside, quercetin-3-diglucoside, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, quercetin-3-glucoside, quercetin-3-acetylhexoside, quercetin-O-xylo-pentoside, kaempferol-O-glucoside, and kaempferol-aglucoside. Lag-time and TBARS tests demonstrated that curry leaf phenolics prevent cupric-ion induced oxidation of LDL. The best extraction yield was obtained with 80% ethanol. Acetone extracts provided better antioxidant activity expressed as increased lag-time formation, than did ethanol or methanol extracts. Curry leaf is a rich source of flavonols that have biological activity in vitro and further studies are warranted in regards to the potential health benefits and identification of the novel flavonols whose identities remain unknown.
Analogy or Erasure? Dialectics of Religious Transformation in the Early Doctrinas of the Colca Valley, Peru

This paper examines the tension between the Spanish evangelical ideal of religious conversion (erasure and replacement of “idolatrous” praxis) and the exigencies of its enactment (inter-cultural communication via analogy) among a series of sixteenth century Franciscan doctrinal settlements (doctrinas) in the Colca valley of southern Peru. I suggest that the necessity and outcomes of inter-cultural communication during initial evangelization made conversion impossible, despite increasing institutionalization of coercive doctrinal measures through time. Combined archaeological and historical analysis explores how these tensions were locally negotiated. Written texts describe early extirpation campaigns, while archaeological evidence documents the remains of early doctrinas in the form of rustic chapels at local settlements which were previously centers of Inka power. Associations between these chapels and Inka ritual spaces hint at an analogical approach to conversion that is not as evident in the documentary record. Analogies linking Inka and Christian religious symbols were later “re-written” onto the surfaces and spaces of Spanish-style reduccion villages established in the 1570 s.
Swamp Mary’s revenge: deviant phenomenal knowledge and physicalism

Deviant phenomenal knowledge is knowing what it’s like to have experiences of, e.g., red without actually having had experiences of red. Such a knower is a deviant. Some physicalists have argued and some anti-physicalists have denied that the possibility of deviants undermines anti-physicalism and the Knowledge Argument. The current paper presents new arguments defending the deviant-based attacks on anti-physicalism. Central to my arguments are considerations concerning the psychosemantic underpinnings of deviant phenomenal knowledge. I argue that physicalists are in a superior position to account for the conditions in virtue of which states of deviants constitute representations of phenomenal facts.
A possible role for TRPV4 receptors in asthma

the report from Jia et al., the current article in focus (Ref. [15][1], see p. L272 in this issue), describes their findings in human bronchial smooth muscle cells in culture that can be stimulated with hypotonic solutions ([15][1]). This is an important finding with practical relevance for the
Theory of electromagnetic elastic plates

Abstract Field equations are obtained for elastic solids (carrying static bias fields) subject to small dynamical loads and electromagnetic (E-M) fields. The general theory is then used to derive basic equations and boundary conditions for thin elastic plates (carrying static bias E-M fields) and disturbed by dynamical perturbations. Both flexural and in-plane motions are considered. Field equations are solved to determine critical transverse electric field and surface charge that cause buckling of a plate.
Discriminative stimulus properties of α-ethyltryptamine optical isomers

alpha-Ethyltryptamine (alpha-ET) possesses central stimulant and hallucinogenic activity. Also, in tests of stimulus generalization using rats trained to discriminate the controlled substance analog (i.e., designer drug) N-methyl-1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-aminopropane (MDMA) from vehicle, alpha-ET substituted for MDMA. These previous studies employed racemic alpha-ET. Because psychoactive phenylalkylamines with abuse potential can produce one or more of three distinct stimulus effects (i.e., amphetamine-, DOM- and/or PMMA-like effects) in animals trained to discriminate either the stimulant (+)amphetamine, the hallucinogen 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylphenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOM), or N-methyl-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-aminopropane (PMMA) from vehicle, and because these effects can be stereoselective, the individual optical isomers of alpha-ET were examined in groups of animals trained to discriminate (+)amphetamine, DOM, PMMA and MDMA from saline vehicle. (-)alpha-ET (ED(50)=7.8 mg/kg), but not (+)alpha-ET (maximum of 53% drug-appropriate responding), substituted for (+)amphetamine, whereas (+)alpha-ET (ED(50)=2.7 mg/kg), but not (-)alpha-ET (maximum of 33% drug-appropriate responding), substituted for DOM. Both optical isomers of alpha-ET substituted for PMMA and MDMA with ED(50) values of 1.6 and 1.4 mg/kg (PMMA-trained animals) and 1.3 and 2.0 mg/kg (MDMA-trained animals) for (-)alpha-ET and (+)alpha-ET, respectively. The results of this investigation suggest that both optical isomers of alpha-ET are capable of producing an MDMA/PMMA-like effect at nearly comparable doses, and that the stimulant or amphetamine-like nature of alpha-ET resides primarily with its (-)isomer whereas hallucinogenic or DOM-like character resides primarily with the (+)enantiomer.
Heart rate mediation of sex differences in pain tolerance in children

Abstract Despite evidence supporting the existence of important sex-related differences in pain, the mechanisms underpinning such differences are not well understood. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between sex and pubertal differences in autonomic arousal and pain tolerance to laboratory pain stimuli in healthy children. We tested the following specific hypotheses: (1) females would have greater autonomic arousal and less pain tolerance than males, and (2) this sex difference in pain tolerance would be mediated by autonomic arousal. Participants were 244 healthy children (50.8% female, mean age 12.73±2.98 years, range 8–18 years). Separate 4-trial blocks of cutaneous pressure and thermal pain stimuli were presented in counterbalanced order. Heart rate (HR) was recorded during 2–3 min periods preceding each block and a 1-min period between trials. Results indicated lower tolerance in females for cutaneous pressure, but not thermal pain, compared to males. In addition, pre-trial HR was greater for females than males. Mediation analyses suggested that sex differences in pressure pain tolerance were accounted for by sex differences in pre-trial HR. There were also significant effects for puberty, but these did not vary by sex. Overall, early pubertal children had greater pre-trial HR and less pain tolerance than those in late puberty for both cutaneous pressure and thermal pain across sex. These results suggest that autonomic arousal may be a mediator of sex-related differences in pain responses in children.
Spatial patterns of vegetation, soils, and microtopography from terrestrial laser scanning on two semiarid hillslopes of contrasting lithology

Shrublands in semiarid regions are heterogeneous landscapes consisting of infertile bare areas separated by nutrient rich vegetated areas known as resource islands. Spatial patterns in these landscapes are structured by feedbacks driven by the transport of water and nutrient resources from the intershrub space to areas below shrubs, and the retention of these resources to locally drive productivity and tight biogeochemical cycles. Most understanding of plant-soil feedbacks is based predominantly on studies of low topographic gradient landscapes, and it is unclear whether the patterns of association between soils and vegetation, and the autogenic processes that create them, also occur on more steeply sloping terrain. Here we analyze the spatial patterns of soils, vegetation, and microtopography on hillslopes of contrasting lithology (one granite at 16°, one schist at 27°) in the Sonoran desert foothills of the Catalina Mountains. We also describe a method of extracting vegetation density from terrestrial laser scanning point cloud data at 5 cm × 5 cm scales and find that it correlates well with soil organic carbon measurements. Vegetation was associated with microtopographic mounds (relative to the mean slope) extending 0.3 m downslope and 1.8 m (schist) and 0.9 m (granite) upslope on the study hillslopes. Soils below the shrub canopies exhibited 2–3 times more soil organic matter and 2–4 times higher hydraulic conductivity than the interspaces. Soils enriched with organic matter were found to extend at least two canopy radii downslope of woody shrubs, but not upslope. These plumes were clearest in the lower gradient granite site where vegetation mounds created distinct patterns of microtopographic convergence and divergence. At the steeper schist site, microtopography appeared to have a weaker control on topographic flow accumulation. Collectively, our findings suggest that the spatial structure of association between soils and microtopography and vegetation on these slopes exhibit many of the features observed in lower gradient areas. However, microtopography and soils are more asymmetric along the downslope axis of the hillslopes than lower gradient areas and vary with lithology. Alluvial and colluvial processes are likely more important in shaping vegetation and soil dynamics on hillslopes, and these factors need further consideration in scaling results to the landscape level.
Lateral current injection photonic crystal membrane emitters bonded to sapphire

Photonic crystal (PhC) membrane lasers are promising candidates for future photonic integrated circuit applications [1] due to their small mode volume [2], low threshold [3], and lithographically tunable wavelength [4]. However, practical methods for electrical injection have been difficult to achieve. Room temperature, pulsed electrically injected lasing has been realized using a suspended membrane with a vertical post [5], though the fabrication method is difficult to reproduce. Lateral current injection (LCI) [6] - with n and p regions defined by ion implantation - allows for more reliable fabrication, and has recently been demonstrated to yield continuous wave (CW) electrical injection at cryogenic temperatures [3]. Here we propose a design and demonstrate preliminary results for a LCI PhC membrane laser bonded (post-process) to a sapphire substrate. We observe significant modification of the room temperature laser properties with simultaneous optical and electrical pumping, as well as optical amplification in a photonic crystal waveguide.
Modulation of DOI-induced increases in cortical BDNF expression by group II mGlu receptors

Previous studies have shown that 5-hydroxytryptamine(2A) (5-HT(2A)) receptor activation induces changes in the pattern of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA expression in the neocortex and hippocampus, and that 5-HT(2A) receptor blockade interferes with the induction of BDNF mRNA by stress. Recent studies have also shown that activation of metabotropic glutamate group II (mGlu2/3) receptors suppresses 5-HT(2A) receptor-stimulated excitatory postsynaptic potentials/currents (EPSP/Cs) in pyramidal neurons in medial prefrontal cortex. Conversely, blockade of mGlu2/3 receptors enhances 5-HT-induced EPSCs. The current study examined the effects of the highly selective mGlu2/3 agonist (1S,2S,5R,6S)-2-aminobicyclo[3.1.0]hexane-2,6-dicarboxylate monohydrate (LY354740) and the mGlu2/3 antagonist 2S-2-amino-2-(1S,2S-2-carboxycycloprop-1-yl)-3(xanthy-9-yl)propanoic acid (LY341495) on BDNF mRNA expression in medial prefrontal cortex induced by the hallucinogen and 5-HT(2A/2B/2C) agonist 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenethyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI). LY354740 (0.1-10 mg/kg) dose-dependently suppressed DOI-induced BDNF mRNA levels in medial prefrontal cortex. In contrast, the mGlu2/3 antagonist LY341495 (1 mg/kg) enhanced DOI-induced BDNF mRNA levels. BDNF mRNA expression was not altered by administration of the mGlu agonist or the antagonist alone. These results are discussed with respect to a potential role for group II mGlu agonists in the treatment of depression and schizophrenia.
Thermoelectric charge imbalance in superconducting aluminum

The charge imbalance voltage produced in superconducting aluminum by the presence of a temperature gradient and an electric current has been studied over the temperature range 0.5-1.2 K. Measurements were obtained of the magnitude and temperature dependence of the charge imbalance voltage of seven samples, two of which contained magnetic impurities. The data are compared with recent theoretical models of the effect.
Daily Low-Dose Aspirin Use Leads to a Delay in Diagnosis of Aspirin Exacerbated Respiratory Disease

T U E S D A Y 787 Daily Low-Dose Aspirin Use Leads to a Delay in Diagnosis of Aspirin Exacerbated Respiratory Disease Kathleen Lee-Sarwar, Christina Johns, BA, Tanya M. Laidlaw, MD, FAAAAI, Katherine N. Cahill, MD; Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Department of Medicine, Boston, MA, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Boston, MA, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Division of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy, Boston, MA. RATIONALE: Clinical observation suggests use of daily low-dose (81mg) aspirin can obscure the diagnosis of Aspirin Exacerbated Respiratory Disease (AERD). The prevalence and characteristics of patients who tolerate low-dose aspirin without history of a clinical reaction at the time of AERD diagnosis are not known. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of patients with AERD followed at Brigham and Women’s Hospital was performed. Patients taking 81mg of aspirin daily stopped their aspirin at least 10 days before aspirin challenge. History and clinical data of patients on 81mg aspirin daily prior to diagnosis (81mg aspirin group) and of those not on low-dose aspirin (no aspirin group) were compared using non-paired, two-tail T-test and Chi-square analyses. RESULTS: 164 patients were reviewed, with comprehensive data available for 91. Seven (4.3%) took 81mg aspirin daily prior to aspirin challenge; these patients all had refractory nasal polyposis. Average age at diagnostic aspirin challenge was 59.6 years in the 81mg aspirin group, compared with 48.3 years (n566) in the no aspirin group (p 5 0.013). There was no difference in number of lifetime polypectomies. Asthmawas less common among the 81mg aspirin group (5/7 vs. 83/84, p 5 0.015). Four of the 81mg aspirin patients initiated high-dose aspirin therapy; all reported subjective improvement and none required repeat polypectomy (average follow-up 26 months, range 5-37 months). On high-dose aspirin their FEV1 (n53) increased by at least 10%. CONCLUSIONS: Tolerance of low-dose aspirin results in delayedAERD diagnosis, and is associated with lower asthma prevalence and clinical benefit from high-dose aspirin.
Juvenile granulosa cell tumor of the ovary associated with tuberous sclerosis

Abstract Background. Tuberous sclerosis is a neurocutaneous syndrome characterized by benign tumors that can affect many organs. Juvenile granulosa cell tumors of the ovary are rare neoplasms that typically occur in the first three decades of life and have excellent prognosis for early-staged disease. Case report. We report the first case of an 8-year-old white female with tuberous sclerosis and juvenile granulosa cell tumor of the ovary. She presented with a 20 × 22 cm pelvic mass and received a right salpingo-oophorectomy. Three months later, she recurred and underwent a left salpingo-oophorectomy, lymphadenectomy, and omentectomy followed by four cycles of Bleomycin, Etoposide, and Cisplatin chemotherapy. She is currently free of disease 8 years after her recurrence. Conclusion. Treatment options and a review of the literature pertaining to juvenile ovarian granulosa cell tumors and tuberous sclerosis are discussed.
Socioeconomic disparities in the use and success of fertility treatments: analysis of data from a prospective cohort in the United States

Objective To determine the effect of income, education, and race on the use and outcomes of infertility care. Design Prospective cohort. Setting Eight community and academic infertility practices. Patient(s) Three hundred ninety-one women presenting for an infertility evaluation. Intervention(s) Face-to-face and telephone interviews and questionnaires. Main Outcome Measure(s) Use of infertility services and odds of pregnancy. Linear and logistic regression used to assess relationship between racial and socioeconomic characteristics, use of infertility services, and infertility outcomes. Result(s) After adjustment for age and demographic and fertility characteristics, college-educated couples (β = $5,786) and households earning $100,000–$150,000 (β = $6,465) and ≥$150,000 (β = $8,602) spent significantly more on infertility care than their non-college-educated, lower-income counterparts. Higher income and college-educated couples were much more likely to use more cycles of higher-intensity fertility treatment. The increased cost of infertility care was primarily explained by these differences in number and type of infertility treatment. Even after adjustment for these factors and total amount spent on fertility care, having a college degree was associated with persistently higher odds of achieving a pregnancy (OR = 1.9). Conclusion(s) Education and household income were independently associated with the amount of money spent on fertility care. This relationship was primarily explained by types and intensity of infertility treatments used. Having at least a college degree was independently associated with improved odds of pregnancy.
On-line optimization of switched-mode hybrid dynamical systems

This paper concerns the optimal mode-switching problem in hybrid dynamical systems, where it is desired to compute the switching times between the modes in order to minimize a given cost functional defined on the state trajectory of the system. The state variable cannot be directly observed, and it has to be estimated by an observer. The paper proposes an on-line algorithm and presents bounds on its convergence rate.
The Need for Individualization in Neurofeedback: Heterogeneity in QEEG Patterns Associated with Diagnoses and Symptoms

Very diverse assessment procedures are utilized by neurofeedback practitioners, many of which are not based on careful examination of raw EEG data followed by scientifically objective quantitative EEG (QEEG) database comparisons. Research is reviewed demonstrating the great heterogeneity in the EEG patterns associated with various diagnoses and symptoms. The fact that most patients qualify for dual diagnoses, with co-morbid psychiatric and medical conditions present, complicates the ability of clinicians to estimate what electrophysiological patterns may be associated with symptoms. In such cases treatment planning is characterized by a great deal of guesswork and experimentation. Peer reviewed publications have documented that neurofeedback treatment can sometimes be associated with both transient side effects as well as more serious negative effects. It is believed that the lack of comprehensive and objective assessment of brain functioning may increase the risk of neurofeedback either being ineffective or causing iatrogenic harm. QEEG provides reliable, non-invasive, objective, culture-free and relatively low cost evaluation of brain functioning, permitting individualization of treatment and added liability protection.
Scanning Capacitance Microscopy for Electrical Characterization of Semiconductors and Dielectrics

A scanning capacitance microscope (SCM) combines an atomic force microscope (AFM) with a 1-GHz tuned inductance-capacitance-resistance (LCR) circuit to measure the capacitance between a conducting tip and sample. When applied to a semiconductor sample, an ac voltage at around 10 kHz is used to induce a depletion region within the semiconductor. The resulting differential capacitance is measured with a lock-in amplifier. The SCM contrast is proportional to this differential capacitance, which in turn is proportional to the inverse square root of the dopant concentration in the semiconductor beneath the tip. In this way dopant gradients in semiconductors, either natural or process induced, can be imaged. The differential capacitance measured by the SCM is also dependent on the properties of any native oxide or deposited dielectric film on the semiconductor surface, and the carrier mobility, which may be degraded near defects. This chapter will first review the history, principles, and modes of operation of the SCM. The remainder of the chapter will discuss major applications of scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) for the electrical characterization of semiconductors and dielectric films, including qualitative characterization for integrated circuit failure analysis, quantitative dopant profiling and models for interpreting SCM images as dopant profiles, applications to semiconductors other than silicon, characterization of dielectric films, and optical pumping for carrier mobility measurements.