cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A dilute-and-shoot flow-injection tandem mass spectrometry method for quantification of phenobarbital in urine.

Rationale Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) is the gold standard of urine drug testing. However, current LC-based methods are time consuming, limiting the throughput of MS-based testing and increasing the cost. This is particularly problematic for quantification of drugs such as phenobarbital, which is often analyzed in a separate run because they must be negatively ionized. Methods This study examined the feasibility of using a dilute-and-shoot flow-injection method without LC separation to quantify drugs with phenobarbital as a model system. Briefly, a urine sample containing phenobarbital was first diluted by 10 times, followed by flow injection of the diluted sample to mass spectrometer. Quantification and detection of phenobarbital were achieved by an electrospray negative ionization MS/MS system operated in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with the stable-isotope-labeled drug as internal standard. Results The dilute-and-shoot flow-injection method developed was linear with a dynamic range of 50–2000 ng/mL of phenobarbital and correlation coefficient > 0.9996. The coefficients of variation and relative errors for intra- and inter-assays at four quality control (QC) levels (50, 125, 445 and 1600 ng/mL) were 3.0% and 5.0%, respectively. The total run time to quantify one sample was 2 min, and the sensitivity and specificity of the method did not deteriorate even after 1200 consecutive injections. Conclusions Our method can accurately and robustly quantify phenobarbital in urine without LC separation. Because of its 2 min run time, the method can process 720 samples per day. This feasibility study shows that the dilute-and-shoot flow-injection method can be a general way for fast analysis of drugs in urine. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reactivation of seizure-related changes to interictal spike shape and synchrony during postseizure sleep in patients

SummaryObjective Local field potentials (LFPs) arise from synchronous activation of millions of neurons, producing seemingly consistent waveform shapes and relative synchrony across electrodes. Interictal spikes (IISs) are LFPs associated with epilepsy that are commonly used to guide surgical resection. Recently, changes in neuronal firing patterns observed in the minutes preceding seizure onset were found to be reactivated during postseizure sleep, a process called seizure-related consolidation (SRC), due to similarities with learning-related consolidation. Because IISs arise from summed neural activity, we hypothesized that changes in IIS shape and relative synchrony would be observed in the minutes preceding seizure onset and would be reactivated preferentially during postseizure slow-wave sleep (SWS). Methods Scalp and intracranial recordings were obtained continuously across multiple days from clinical macroelectrodes implanted in patients undergoing treatment for intractable epilepsy. Data from scalp electrodes were used to stage sleep. Data from intracranial electrodes were used to detect IISs using a previously established algorithm. Partial correlations were computed for sleep and wake periods before and after seizures as a function of correlations observed in the minutes preceding seizures. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans were co-registered with electroencephalography (EEG) to determine the location of the seizure-onset zone (SOZ). Results Changes in IIS shape and relative synchrony were observed on a subset of macroelectrodes minutes before seizure onset, and these changes were reactivated preferentially during postseizure SWS. Changes in synchrony were greatest for pairs of electrodes where at least one electrode was located in the SOZ. Significance These data suggest preseizure changes in neural activity and their subsequent reactivation occur across a broad spatiotemporal scale: from single neurons to LFPs, both within and outside the SOZ. The preferential reactivation of seizure-related changes in IISs during postseizure SWS adds to a growing body of literature suggesting that pathologic neural processes may utilize physiologic mechanisms of synaptic plasticity.
British women’s travel to Greece, 1840–1914: travels in the palimpsest

In the past decade, women travellers to Greece finally have been getting the scholarly attention they deserve. While travelling in fewer numbers than their male counterparts, they published activel...
Police Misconduct: A Global Perspective

This book explores the different types of police misconduct including the use of excessive force. It also explores what types of officers become involved in illegal misconduct, steps jurisdictions may take to prevent such problems, and discusses who should police the police. Also included is a historical analysis of police misconduct, discussions on the legal restrictions designed to prevent police misconduct, and steps that the jurisdiction may take to limit their liability. Ancillary material is available with course adoption.
A parametric bootstrap to evaluate portfolio allocation models

Abstract If the asset returns are multivariate normal and the investor knows the moments, the Mean–Variance (MV) solution provides the portfolio with the highest Sharpe ratio. However, estimation errors of the moments misalign the allocation weights, and the out-of-sample Sharpe ratio falls. The paper introduces a parametric bootstrap to estimate the predictive Sharpe ratio, the most likely Sharpe ratio that the investor would see out of sample. This Sharpe ratio is advantageous because it includes the distortions from estimation errors and the investor can see the most likely results before investing capital. The approach is quite general and one can use the approach for any portfolio allocation model that uses the moments in some way. The ex ante feature of the test is key, as the test allows the investor to see which model works best before the investors commits capital.
Modelling the mysterious Maya

The collapse of the Maya is a topic of perpetual fascination. Now, a study modelling the development of their civilization finds that collapse was driven by land degradation, rather than precipitation change.
Use of an Effective Quality Management System for Business Improvement in the Plastics Industry

From the discovery of cellophane by the French and the fundamental polymer work with Nylon by Carothers in the early 1930’s, a tremendous market has developed for plastics in all areas of consumer’s lives. Plastic pellets and powders are molded into all manner of shapes such as pipes, toys, household goods, automotive parts, apparel items and the like. Plastic films are found in such items as video tapes, audio tapes, capacitors, motors, packaging applications, and weather balloons. Plastic fibers are predominant in apparel, carpets, linens, draperies and similar industries. From a simple beginning in the first quarter of the twentieth century, the plastics industry has grown to be an indispensable giant on a worldwide basis. As markets have increased, the competition to supply these markets has also increased. The customer has become more knowledgeable and, with a wealth of offerings to choose from, has become very selective. He demands from his supplier a sophisticated total offering which must include the best combination of price, quality, and service. The suppliers that meet this requirement are successful while those that do not find their products and services in little demand. One of the most successful tools for use by suppliers in meeting these demands has been a strong, broadly based, integrated Quality Management System with an emphasis on statistical process control and strong supplier-customer quality partnerships.
Structure and Regulation of Cardiac and Skeletal Muscle Thin Filaments

The biological production of force and movement can be understood only when it is considered as a molecular phenomenon, as has been recognized for many decades (Huxley, 1957). However, detailed molecular-scale investigations of this process had to await atomic resolution structures of the myosin molecular motor (Rayment et al., 1993). In striated muscles such as skeletal muscle and the heart, the primary regulation of myosin is by the reversible binding of Ca2+ to the thin filament. As was true for understanding myosin’s action, the understanding of myosin’s regulation requires detailed information about the structure of the relevant proteins: the thin filament and its components. These data are now increasingly available, thanks to the determined efforts of many investigators. Albeit incomplete, a molecular appreciation for how movement is controlled is now within reach. This review summarizes recent advances in the structures of actin, tropomyosin, troponin, and the assembled thin filament, focusing on how these results help explain the regulation of cardiac and skeletal muscle contraction, and on some of the questions that remain.
Eigenvalues, Eigenvectors, and Invariant Subspaces

Linear maps from one vector space to another vector space were the objects of study in Chapter 3.
Do Amino Acid Substitutions Alter the Structure of Gramicidin Channels? Chemistry at the Single Molecule Level

Amino acid substitutions in the linear gramicidins alter the function of channels formed by the modified peptides. To assess whether the functional changes result frem alterations in channel structure, we developed a measure of structural equivalence based on functional (single-channel) measurements.The experiments exploit the fact that gramicidin channels are symmetrical dimers, and that channels formed by different analogues often can be distinguished on the basis of their current amplitudes. It is thus possible to determine whether hybrid channels can form between chemically dissimilar peptides - if the peptides can adapt to each other so as to form a stable dimer. Further, by examining the hybrid channel appearance and disappearance rates, one can evaluate whether there are hybrid-specific interactions among monomers with different position # 1 residues - at the join. If such interactions are indetectable, it implies that the pure channels formed by the modified peptides are structurally equivalent.
Whose Past, Whose Present?

In Gladis’s social studies classroom, rows of uniformed 10th graders concentrated on the blackboard at the front of the room, where I displayed a photo of the mural that was painted on the walls outside their school.i The mural depicted Mayan history, from ancient times to present day, and it stretched nearly 200 feet from the neighboring cemetery to the school entrance, an intentional crossroads between youth and their Mayan ancestry.
A Unified Conceptual Framework for Professional Psychology

Professional psychology is ready to adopt a unified science-based biopsychosocial framework. Doing so would mean that the field will finally become scientifically paradigmatic. This chapter integrates the findings from the previous chapters and presents a framework based on a biopsychosocial approach to conceptualizing human development, functioning, and behavior change. This framework incorporates a definition of professional psychology as a health care profession that has its foundations in biomedical ethics and the scientific understanding of human psychology. The implications of this approach for professional psychology education, practice, and research are discussed. This approach would resolve many of the theoretical and conceptual conflicts that have long divided the field.
Exposure of normal human epidermal keratinocytes to ozone results in increased expression of cytochrome P450 through activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor

595 Ozone, one of the main components of photochemical smog, represents an important source of environmental oxidative stress to which the skin is exposed, especially during smoggy and ozone alert days. The exposure of ozone has been shown to induce antioxidant depletion as well as the oxidation of lipids and proteins in mouse skin. The primary role of cytochrome P450s (CYPs) in cutaneous tissue is to participate in biotransformation of endogenous substrates and xenobiotic materials such as environmental pollutants to which human skin is either deliberately or inadvertently exposed. For example, induction of the CYP1 family of isoforms in the skin by environmental pollutants and ultraviolet radiation has been suggested to be responsible for enhanced cutaneous carcinogenesis. The present study was designed to determine the effect of ozone on CYP isoforms, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its downstream events in normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK). Western blotting and RT-PCR analyses indicated that ozone (0.3 ppm for 20 min) exposure to NHEK resulted in increased protein and mRNA expression of CYP1A1, CYP1A2 and CYP1B1, the CYP isoforms responsible for metabolic activation of environmental pollutant such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in cigarette smoke. Because AhR induces transcription of CYP1A genes, we determined the effect of ozone on AhR. Ozone exposure resulted in increased expression of AhR protein and mRNA in NHEK. Since AhR is known to “cross-talk” with the EGFR, we next examined the phosphorylation of EGFR in ozone exposed cells. Exposure of NHEK to ozone resulted in an increased phosphorylation of EGFR. Next we determined the effect of ozone on downstream events of EGFR and found that it resulted in an increased (i) activation of PI3K, (ii) phosphorylation of AKT, and (iii) phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK1/2 and p38. To determine whether ozone-induced CYPs expression is EGFR and/or AhR-dependent, we silenced NHEK by appropriate siRNAs for EGFR and AhR and then exposed them to ozone. We found that AhR silencing by siRNA abolished the capacity of these cells to increase the protein and mRNA expressions of CYP1A1, CYP1A2 and CYP1B1 upon ozone exposure. However, silencing of EGFR did not show any effect on ozone-induced protein and mRNA expression of CYPs. These data indicate that induction of CYPs by ozone is mediated through activation of AhR and not by EGFR. These studies could lead to development of novel skin care products for ameliorating ozone-induced toxic effects in the skin. Based on these results, we suggest that supplementation of skin care products with inhibitors of CYPs might be beneficial to skin damages caused by ozone especially, during smoggy and ozone alert days.
A Novel Genetic Variant of Grapevine leafroll-associated virus-3 (GLRaV-3) from Idaho Grapevines

Grapevine leafroll-associated virus-3 (GLRaV-3) is a major constraint on profitable grapevine cultivation. The virus is transmitted efficiently by mealybugs and soft scale insects, or through vegetative propagation by cuttings, and is present worldwide, wherever grapevines are grown. GLRaV-3 exists as a complex of genetic variants currently classified in several phylogenetic groups that can differ from each other by as much as 30% in nucleotide sequence of the whole genome. In the course of the GLRaV-3 testing of wine grapes in southern Idaho, plants of two grapevine cultivars were found to harbor a novel genetic variant of GLRaV-3, named ID45, which exhibited ≤80% nucleotide sequence identity level to the known GLRaV-3 isolates in its most conserved HSP70h gene. The ID45 variant caused no foliar symptoms in 'Cabernet Sauvignon' in the fall, and was demonstrated to have poor reactivity to commercial virus-specific antibodies. The entire 18,478-nt genome sequence of the GLRaV-3-ID45 was determined using a combination of high-throughput and conventional Sanger sequencing, and demonstrated to have typical organization for the genus Ampelovirus (family Closteroviridae), with only 70 to 77% identity level to the GLRaV-3 genomes from other established phylogroups. We concluded that ID45 represented a new phylogenetic group IX of GLRaV-3. Database search using ID45 nucleotide sequence as a query suggested that this novel ID45 variant is present in at least one other grape-growing state in the U.S., California, and in Brazil. An RT-PCR based test was developed to distinguish ID45 from the predominant GLRaV-3 phylogroup I found in Idaho in single and mixed infections.
The Trouble With Types: A Partial Test of the Validity of Membership Association Content as a Proxy for Structure:

Research findings on what types of voluntary associations influence members’ political participation are inconsistent. We suggest the problem is the use of content-based types (e.g., political, ser...
CD36himonocytes play immunoregulatory roles in human umbilical cord blood

Abstract The fetal and neonatal immune systems are uniquely poised to generate tolerance to self, maternal, and environmental antigens encountered in the womb and shortly after birth. The tolerogenic nature of fetal and neonatal immunity is a rising health concern with the spread of vertically transmitted viruses, such as the Zika virus. A variety of mechanisms contribute to fetal and neonatal tolerance, including a propensity to generate Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs). Here, we demonstrate that a subset of CD14+ monocytes expressing the scavenger molecule, CD36, is able to generate CD4+ and CD8+ T cells that express Foxp3 from umbilical cord blood (UCB). Monocyte-induced Foxp3+ T cells have potent suppressive functions on T cell proliferation and maintain Foxp3 expression over six weeks in vitro. Importantly, UCB-derived Foxp3+ T cells are distinguishable from adult peripheral blood (APB) CD4+CD25+ Tregs by surface antigen expression. While UCB-derived Foxp3+ T cells express prototypic Treg-associated surface antigens, such as CD25 and glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor-related receptor (GITR), only UCB-derived Foxp3+ T cells express CD26. In addition, most UCB-derived CD8+Foxp3+ T cells express CD31. Mechanistically, both APB and UCB-derived monocytes support the development of Foxp3+ T cells from naive T cells, but APB naive T cells are less efficient in expressing Foxp3 than UCB naive T cells. These data suggest that antigen presentation by CD36hi monocytes in the fetus leads to the development of a group of T cells that share some but not all phenotypes of adult thymus-derived Tregs.
Rejection sensitivity and suicide ideation among psychiatric inpatients: An integration of two theoretical models

Abstract Rejection is a direct threat to an individual's need to belong that has serious consequences for mental health. Rejection sensitivity may explain why some individuals are more likely to perceive rejection in social situations and experience subsequent psychological distress. The current study examined suicide ideation among psychiatric inpatients (N = 103) through the lenses of the rejection sensitivity model and the interpersonal theory of suicide. We hypothesized that rejection sensitivity would be indirectly associated with suicide ideation (i.e., a cognitive-affective reaction to social rejection) through greater perceptions of rejection (i.e., thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, constructs from the interpersonal theory of suicide), in parallel. Results from bootstrapped parallel mediation regression procedures indicated that the relation between rejection sensitivity and suicide ideation was significantly indirectly associated through the additive effect of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, such that greater rejection sensitivity was associated with greater thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness and subsequently greater suicide ideation. Further, rejection sensitivity was significantly indirectly associated with suicide ideation independently through thwarted belongingness, but not perceived burdensomeness. These findings provide support for the rejection sensitivity model and the interpersonal theory of suicide in an effort to advance our conceptualization of suicide risk among psychiatric inpatients.
Regulator of G-Protein Signaling 16 Is a Negative Modulator of Platelet Function and Thrombosis.

Background Members of the regulator of G‐protein signaling (RGS) family inhibit G‐protein coupled receptor signaling by modulating G‐protein activity. In platelets, there are 3 different RGS isofor...
What exactly is endometrial receptivity

Endometrial receptivity is a complex process that provides the embryo with the opportunity to attach, invade, and develop, culminating in a new individual and continuation of the species. The window of implantation extends 3–6 days within the secretory phase in most normal women. In certain inflammatory or anatomic conditions, this window is narrowed or shifted to preclude normal implantation, leading to infertility or pregnancy loss. Of the factors that prevent normal implantation and pregnancy, embryo and endometrial quality share responsibility. In this review, we highlight the advances in the study of implantation from the perspective of the endometrium, normally a barrier to implantation. New advances will allow the early identification of defects in endometrial receptivity and provide new avenues for treatment that promote successful establishment of pregnancy.
Translating the right way.

Early in his career, Gordon Carmichael was inspired by the contradictory conclusions of three articles.
Prophylactic Biliary Stenting Before Cholecystectomy in Patients With Gallstones and Common Bile Duct Stones

Background The usefulness of prophylactic biliary stenting for patients with common bile duct stones (CBDS) and gallstones (GS) to prevent recurrent biliary events after endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) and CBDS extraction before elective cholecystectomy remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk of recurrent CBDS around the perioperative period and clarify its risk factors. Methods The clinical data of all patients who received prophylactic biliary stenting after EST for CBDS and later underwent cholecystectomy for GS followed by stent extraction in our institution were retrospectively reviewed. The numbers of residual CBDS at the end first and second endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) studies were compared. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using a logistic regression model to determine risk factors for recurrent CBDS in the perioperative period. Results Forty-two consecutive patients received prophylactic biliary stenting and subsequent cholecystectomy for GS. Three of these patients were excluded from this study because the number of residual stones was not confirmed. The median maximum CBDS diameter at second ERC was 0 mm (range, 0 - 10 mm); six patients had multiple CBDS (≥ 5). The number of CBDS at second ERC was increased in comparison to that at the first ERC in 15 patients (38.4%), and was unchanged or decreased in 24 patients. The median minimum cystic duct diameter was 4 mm (range, 1 - 8 mm). The median interval between first ERC and operation was 26 days (range, 2 - 131 days). The median interval between operation and second ERC was 41 days (range, 26 - 96 days). Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) was performed in 38 patients, one of whom was converted from LC to open cholecystectomy. Postoperative complications (transient bacteremia) occurred in one patient. The cystic duct diameter was an independent risk factor for an increased number of CBDS at second ERC in the multivariate analysis (odds ratio 0.611 (95% confidence interval (0.398 - 0.939)), P = 0.03). Conclusion Recurrent CBDS around the perioperative period of cholecystectomy is not a rare complication after EST and the removal of CBDS with concomitant GS. Prophylactic biliary stenting is considered useful for preventing CBDS-associated complications, especially for patients in whom the cystic duct diameter is larger (≥ 5 mm).
Dietary Supplementation with Galactooligosaccharides Attenuates High-Fat, High-Cholesterol Diet–Induced Glucose Intolerance and Disruption of Colonic Mucin Layer in C57BL/6 Mice and Reduces Atherosclerosis in Ldlr–/– Mice

BACKGROUND A Western-type diet (WD), rich in fat and cholesterol but deficient in fiber, induces development of diabetes and atherosclerosis. Colonic bacteria use the gut's mucous lining as an alternate energy source during periods of fiber deficiency, resulting in intestinal barrier erosion. OBJECTIVE We hypothesized that supplementing a WD with galactooligosaccharide (GOS) fiber would attenuate WD-induced mucin layer disruption and attenuate development of metabolic diseases. METHODS C57BL/6 mice (both sexes, 8-10 wk of age) were fed a standard rodent diet (TD7012, reference) or a high-fat, high-cholesterol-containing WD (TD88137, 21% fat, 0.15% cholesterol, 19.5% caesin) or a WD supplemented with 5% GOS fiber (TD170432, WD + GOS) for 16 wk. WD-fed mice that were gavaged daily with curcumin (100 mg/kg) served as positive controls. Glucose tolerance, colonic mucin layer, gene expression, and circulating macrophage/neutrophil levels were determined. Hyperlipidemic Ldlr-/- mice (both sexes, 8-10 wk of age) fed a WD with or without GOS supplementation (for 16 wk) were used to assess plasma LPS and atherosclerosis. Effects of dietary supplementation on different parameters were compared for each genotype. RESULTS Compared with a WD, glucose tolerance was significantly improved in male C57BL/6 mice fed a WD + GOS (mean ± SEM: AUC = 53.6 ± 43.9 compared with 45.4 ± 33.3 g ⋅ min/dL; P = 0.015). Continuity of colonic mucin layer (MUC-2 expression) was improved in mice receiving GOS supplementation, indicating improved intestinal barrier. GOS supplementation also reduced circulating macrophages (30% decrease) and neutrophils (60% decrease), suggesting diminished systemic inflammation. In Ldlr-/- mice, GOS supplementation significantly reduced plasma LPS concentrations (mean ± SEM: 0.81 ± 0.43 EU/mL compared with 0.32 ± 0.26 EU/mL, P < 0.0001, in females and 0.56 ± 0.24 EU/mL compared with 0.34 ± 0.12 EU/mL, P = 0.036, in males), improved glucose tolerance in male mice, and attenuated atherosclerotic lesion area (mean ± SEM: 54.2% ± 6.19% compared with 43.0% ± 35.12%, P = 0.0006, in females and 54.6% ± 3.99% compared with 43.1% ± 8.11%, P = 0.003, in males). CONCLUSIONS GOS fiber supplementation improves intestinal barrier in C57BL/6 and Ldlr-/- mice and significantly attenuates WD-induced metabolic diseases and, therefore, may represent a novel strategy for management of these diseases.
Intravesical anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibition in urothelial bladder cancer in a mouse model.

537Background: Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer is treated by resection within the bladder and bladder instillment with BCG or chemotherapy, but the majority of intermediate- and high-risk cases ...
Supracerebellar Approach for Resection of a Falcotentorial Dural Arteriovenous Fistula with Pial Tectal Arteriovenous Malformation Component Associated with a Left Parafalcine Meningioma.

A 66-year-old woman presented with a 4.5- × 4-cm left posterior parafalcine meningioma and visual loss in her left eye ( Video 1 ). Prior to meningioma embolization, angiography confirmed an incidental high-risk falcotentorial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) with pial tectal arteriovenous malformation (AVM) and flow-related aneurysms of the superior cerebellar artery (SCA) and posterior cerebral artery (PCA). Arterial supply to the AVM/DAVF consisted of branches of the middle meningeal artery, tentorial branches of the internal carotid arteries, and the PCA and SCA. Drainage into the vein of Galen (VG) and venous reflux into the precentral cerebellar vein (PCCV) were identified. The patient underwent transarterial embolization of the DAVF via the left middle meningeal artery using Onyx with a significant decrease of arterial venous shunting. A semi-sitting supracerebellar approach was performed. The subarachnoid space of the tentorium, cerebellar hemispheres, vermis, quadrigeminal, and ambient cisterns was dissected to reveal the boundaries of the lesion. Indocyanine green video angiography was done before and after in situ occlusion to identify the arterial supply and early venous drainage. The vascular lesion was disconnected circumferentially around the edges of the pial portion of the AVM, and the feeders were carefully cauterized and cut. The vessels on the surface of the brainstem were occluded in situ to prevent any parenchymal transgression. Finally, the drainage into the VG and the venous reflux to the PCCV were ligated. Postoperative angiography showed no residual DAVF or AVM and regression of aneurysms. The patient was discharged with no added deficits, and the meningioma was totally resected several months later.
Mechanisms of Cardioprotecfion by Volatile Anesthetics

日渐增多的证据表明,吸入麻醉药可保护心肌免受可复性或不可复性缺血性损伤.探讨吸入麻醉药介导抗缺血性效应的机制近来备受关注,由于吸入麻醉药可明显影响心血管功能,如降低动脉及冠脉灌注压、剂量依赖性抑制心肌收缩、舒张冠脉、影响电生理、不同程度调节自主神经系统活性等,使得机制的探讨较为困难.因此心肌氧供需关系的适度改变、能量依赖性细胞功能的存储及冠脉血流增加至少部分介导了吸入麻醉药的抗缺血效应.但改变心肌代谢与冠脉灌注可能并非吸入麻醉药抗缺血效应的唯一机制,多种胞内信号转导通路可通过激活KATP及诱生ROS而参与抗缺血效应.基础及临床研究均发现吸入麻醉药预处理存在抗心肌缺血损伤现象,现就该现象的胞内机制作一综述。
All contexts are not created equal: Social stimuli win the competition for organizing reinforcement learning in 9-month-old infants.

Previous work has shown that infants as young as 8 months of age can use certain features of the environment, such as the shape or color of visual stimuli, as cues to organize simple inputs into hierarchical rule structures, a robust form of reinforcement learning that supports generalization of prior learning to new contexts. However, especially in cluttered naturalistic environments, there are an abundance of potential cues that can be used to structure learning into hierarchical rule structures. It is unclear how infants determine what features constitute a higher-order context to organize inputs into hierarchical rule structures. Here, we examine whether 9-month-old infants are biased to use social stimuli, relative to non-social stimuli, as a higher-order context to organize learning of simple visuospatial inputs into hierarchical rule sets. Infants were presented with four face/color-target location pairings, which could be learned most simply as individual associations. Alternatively, infants could use the faces or colorful backgrounds as a higher-order context to organize the inputs into simpler color-location or face-location rules, respectively. Infants were then given a generalization test designed to probe how they learned the initial pairings. The results indicated that infants appeared to use the faces as a higher-order context to organize simpler color-location rules, which then supported generalization of learning to new face contexts. These findings provide new evidence that infants are biased to organize reinforcement learning around social stimuli.
Temporal association of reduced serum vitamin D with COVID-19 infection: A single-institution case-control and historical cohort study

Objectives: Vitamin D supplementation has been proposed for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, but the relationship between the two is inconclusive: Reduced serum vitamin D may predispose to COVID-19, but it may also be a secondary consequence of infection. The objective of this study was to assess the temporal association between serum vitamin D levels and COVID-19. Design: A single-institution case-control study and a historical cohort study Setting: University of California San Diego (UCSD) Health System in San Diego, California Participants: Patients testing positive for COVID-19 from January 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020 with serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) measured within 180 days of diagnosis. Patients were separated based on whether 25(OH)D was measured before (n=107; "pre-diagnosis") or after (n=203; "post-diagnosis") COVID-19 diagnosis. Subjects with 25(OH)D assessments prior to COVID-19 diagnosis were evaluated using a case-control study design, while subjects with 25(OH)D measured after COVID-19 diagnosis were analyzed with a historical cohort study design. Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: In the pre-diagnosis study, a conditional logistic regression was performed using COVID-19 infection status as the binary dependent variable. In the post-diagnosis study, an ordinary least squares regression was performed using serum 25(OH)D levels as the continuous dependent variable. Results: Serum 25(OH)D levels were not associated with the odds of subsequently testing positive for COVID-19 (OR 1.00, 95% CI: 0.98 to 1.02, p = 0.982). However, COVID-19 positive individuals had serum 25(OH)D measurements that were lower by 2.70 ng/mL (95% CI: -5.19 to -0.20, p = 0.034) compared to controls. Conclusions: In our study population, serum 25(OH)D levels were not associated with risk of testing positive for COVID-19 but were reduced in subjects after being diagnosed with COVID-19 infection. These results raise the possibility that reduced serum 25(OH)D may be a consequence and not a cause of COVID-19 infection.
Upper Paleolithic ceramic figurines and similarities to some late Pleistocene pigment and pottery materials and technologies of Eurasia

Abstract Three soft stone technologies that characterize the Upper Paleolithic period are fired ceramic figurines, pigments prepared from colored minerals that often consist of or include clay, and, lastly, pottery vessels. The earliest synthetic material of which we have a permanent artifactual record was made at 26,000 cal BP (Klima 1959b, 1963), marking the beginnings of chemical technology and pyrotechnology and is the concern of the first part of this paper. A review is presented of Upper Paleolithic ceramic figurines at the group of habitation sites in Moravia that includes Dolni Věstonice, Pavlov, Předmosti and Petřkovice. Dolni Věstonice, the only proven production site with the largest collection of ceramics, was the focus of the study because of the possibility of analyzing figurine fragments, kiln remains and raw materials that enabled reverse engineering of the technology. The size of the ceramic inventory and the presence of kilns argue for intentional production of ceramic objects and demonstrates that the relevant cultural practices over time involved repetition and both transmission and learning of a specific, patterned performance behavior of ceramic technology. The high fracture rate encountered and the resistance of the raw material to thermal shock, however, strongly suggest that what was important was not the final, durable product, but rather the process of making and firing and/or refiring of the objects, probably for ritual, ceremonial and political purposes. Similar additive fabrication methods and firing of local pluvial clay deposits was practiced at the site of Maina in Siberia at ca. 15,000 cal BP to make a singular ceramic figurine. At the southern end of the Urals is Kapovaya, a cave with images and a date similar to those at Lascaux and where a single small bowl that may be a fired ceramic was excavated. The second part discusses examples of ceramic processing technology without firing, if we understand ceramics as we define them today to include non-clay products made by processing of fine sub-10 μm, equiaxed or platy particles. Fine clay and pigment particles behave similarly when processed. Clays and pigments were processed at the cave site of Lascaux where excavation of the floor produced evidence of selected, collected and imported naturally occurring mineral and sediment blocks as well as fabricated chalk-like sticks referred to as “crayons.” These ground and fabricated blocks were used as manufacturing elements to apply red, yellow and black pigment to the cave walls at Lascaux. Stone ‘palettes’ were excavated from the floor with in-situ powders that indicate grinding and mixing of clays and pigments. This mixing also occurred on the tips of crayons. The third part is focused on a third ceramic performance technology that preserved physical health of community members: the making and using of pottery vessels for cooking and storage, and a description of some problems involved in reconstructing the processing technology.
The Presidential Coup

What prevents the president from abusing the military power at his disposal to stage a coup and actively impose presidential rule upon the United States? What if generations of presidential assertions of authority, congressional acquiescence, and judicial abdication have not only laid the groundwork for the president to use military power to impose his will, but in fact have legally sanctioned such a presidential coup? And what if the informal checks and balances that historically against such abuse – specifically military disobedience, intra-executive branch checks, and intra-party discipline – have also eroded to no longer function as checks? This article explores these questions by arguing that the decay of formal and informal checks, buttressed by historical incrementalism, has created an environment ripe for a malevolent president to use the military power at his disposal to effectuate a presidential coup. Legal scholarship seldom takes seriously the threat of a presidential coup. Such reluctance to engage seriously with a presidential coup has been understandable, as little historical evidence suggested a president was likely to turn the military power at his disposal against the American people. Nonetheless, the increasing use of the military by the Trump Administration to circumvent the constitutional design, followed by the use of the military to quell Black Lives Matter protests in Washington DC, and then culminating in the president’s reluctance and failure to use the military power at his disposal to defend the U.S. Capitol during the January 2021 insurrection suggest that such a threat of a presidential coup is ever-growing and becoming increasingly realistic. Legal scholarship needs to engage in the potential of a presidential coup with seriousness, examining the risk of it, the means to protect against it, and whether those means are functioning. This article presents a novel framework that does just that.
Influence of thermally induced microstress and microstructural randomness on transverse strength of unidirectional composites

An investigation is performed into the interaction between thermally and mechanically induced stresses and their relation to failure in a unidirectional composite under transverse tension and longi...
Molecular Alterations in Murine Mesotheliomas Induced by Crocidolite Asbestos

Repeated weekly intraperitoneal injections of crocidolite asbestos lead to the development of malignant mesothelioma in mice. Acute asbestos-induced mesothelial injury is accompanied by an inflammatory reaction characterized by nonspecifically activated macrophages (Branchaud et al., 1993). Macrophages surround asbestos fibers and generate reactive oxygen species during phagocytosis (Goodglick and Kane,1990). A single episode of asbestos-induced mesothelial cell injury is repaired by regeneration after 14–21 days. Weekly exposure to asbestos results in repeated episodes of injury, inflammation, and regeneration (Moalli et al., (1987). We hypothesize that constitutive activation and/or deregulation of growth factor signaling pathways may contribute to the development of malignant mesothelioma.
Relations Between Microscopic and Mesoscopic Levels Shown by Calculating Pulse Probability Conditional on EEG Amplitude, Giving the Asymmetric Sigmoid Function

The first significant new insight from gamma spatial analysis emerged on re-examination of the sigmoid function representing bilateral saturation. The AM patterns of gamma activity show the capacity of the olfactory system to construct novel responses that are determined by the internal dynamics, and only indirectly by the properties of the stimulus. Therefore, there must exist in the bulb a mechanism by which the input on each inhalation serves to initiate the construction of an AM pattern to be transmitted centrally from the bulb. Most dynamical systems give outputs that are determined by processing of inputs, and that serve as “representations” of the inputs (Freeman 1983; Freeman and Skarda 1985, 1989). We know that for each olfactory burst an input is required, because gamma bursts are prevented by the simple act of closing the nostrils with the fingers to force mouth breathing by awake animals. The most likely mechanism of burst formation is sensitization of the bulb by input, such that the volley of receptor input to the bulb lowers the threshold of certain bulbar neurons to interact among themselves. I concluded that each inhalation might induce an abrupt increase in the feedback gain among bulbar neurons, causing the entire bulb to transit from an equilibrium state under noise during exhalation (Mode 1) to a limit cycle state during inhalation (Mode 2) (Figure IV in Chapter 4).
Electrocardiography of Rate-Adaptive Dual-Chamber (DDDR) Pacemakers: Lower Rate Behavior

The lower rate interval (LRI) is the most basic and important interval of single- and dual-chamber pacemakers. Many manufacturers of DDD pulse generators utilize a VV timing or ventricular-based timing system for control of the LRI of their devices. The LRI of a dual-chamber pulse generator is tradtitionally defined as the longest interval from a sensed or paced ventricular event to the succeeding ventricular stimulus [1]. The atrial escape (pacemaker VA) interval is defined as the interval from a ventricular paced or sensed event to the subsequent atrial paced event (provided there are no intervening atrial or ventricular sensed events). A ventricular sensed event either in the atrioventricular (AV) interval or atrial escape interval (AEI) resets both the LRI and the AEI so that both start again. Constancy of the atrial escape (pacemaker VA) interval is the cardinal feature of V-V lower rate timing (LRT). Hence, the term “V-V timing” is often used interchangeably with “VA timing” to emphasize constancy of the AEI in ventricular-based LRT [2].
Speaking and Writing about Godard: A Response to Nochimson and Sutton

Martha P. Nochimson A Modest Employee of the Cinema vs The Big Garage _Film-Philosophy_, vol. 4 no. 6, March 2000
Alcohol consumption enhances antiretroviral painful peripheral neuropathy by mitochondrial mechanisms.

A major dose-limiting side effect of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) chemotherapies, such as the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), is a small-fiber painful peripheral neuropathy, mediated by its mitochondrial toxicity. Co-morbid conditions may also contribute to this dose-limiting effect of HIV/AIDS treatment. Alcohol abuse, which alone also produces painful neuropathy, is one of the most important co-morbid risk factors for peripheral neuropathy in patients with HIV/AIDS. Despite the prevalence of this problem and its serious impact on the quality of life and continued therapy in HIV/AIDS patients, the mechanisms by which alcohol abuse exacerbates highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)-induced neuropathic pain has not been demonstrated. In this study, performed in rats, we investigated the cellular mechanism by which consumed alcohol impacts antiretroviral-induced neuropathic pain. NRTI 2',3'-dideoxycytidine (ddC; 50 mg/kg) neuropathy was mitochondrial-dependent and PKCe-independent, and alcohol-induced painful neuropathy was PKCe-dependent and mitochondrial-independent. At low doses, ddC (5 mg/kg) and alcohol (6.5% ethanol diet for 1 week), which alone do not affect nociception, together produce profound mechanical hyperalgesia. This hyperalgesia is mitochondrial-dependent but PKCe-independent. These experiments, which provide the first model for studying the impact of co-morbidity in painful neuropathy, support the clinical impression that alcohol consumption enhances HIV/AIDS therapy neuropathy, and provide evidence for a role of mitochondrial mechanisms underlying this interaction.
Performance of Pigs in a Swedish Bedded Group Lactation and Nursery System

In the 1980s, Swedish swine producers were forced to develop several production models to remain profitable due to the strict legal policies facing the swine industry. By 1994, approximately 150 Swedish farms were using a sustainable model for pig production. This model, a deep-bedded, group housing system for pregnant, farrowing, and nursing sows and their litters, was known as the Vastgomodel. Ljungstrom and Thorstensson are two versions of the Vastgomodel system. In the Ljungstrom system, sows farrow in conventional pens and are moved with their litters to group nursing rooms after the pigs are 10 to 14 days old. In the Thorstensson system, sows farrow in group nursery rooms in temporary wooden farrowing boxes, which are removed after the pigs are 7 to 10 days old and have begun to climb out of the boxes. Group lactation ensues.
A low-noise 86-90 GHz uniplanar Schottky-receiver

A millimeter-wave Schottky receiver based on a coplanar-waveguide (CPW)-fed double-slot antenna is described. This antenna is backed by an extended hemispherical silicon substrate lens. The design is uniplanar and requires no via holes or backing ground-plane. The receiver results in a 6.9-dB measured double-sideband (DSB) conversion loss at 86-90 GHz and a DSB noise temperature at 1200 K. The DSB conversion loss drops to 5.7 dB when the residual matching-cap reflection loss (0.9 dB) and the IF (intermediate frequency) reflection loss (0.3 dB) are calibrated out of the measurements. The CPW-fed double-slot antenna results in a low-cost millimeter-wave uniplanar receiver with a performance that is within 3 dB of the best waveguide mixers at millimeter-wave frequencies. >
Disgust Sensitivity Predicts Punitive Treatment of Juvenile Sex Offenders: The Role of Empathy, Dehumanization, and Fear

We explore the possibility that disgust sensitivity predicts attitudes toward a stigmatized, yet vulnerable population: juvenile sex offenders. Participants were 125 undergraduates (66% women, M age = 19) who read a case depicting a 17-year-old boy convicted of aggravated child molestation for receiving oral sex from an intoxicated 15-year-old girl. Participants subsequently indicated the degree to which they supported registering the juvenile offender as a sex offender and completed a series of case judgments (i.e., belief the defendant is a threat, the dehumanizing belief the defendant is a superpredator, and defendant empathy). Finally, participants provided demographic information and completed the Disgust Sensitivity Scale. In line with our hypotheses, as disgust sensitivity increased, support for juvenile sex offender registration also increased. Yet, this relationship was explained by various mediating factors. Specifically, a series of models tested via path analysis showed that as disgust sensitivity increased, participants’ were more likely to dehumanize the offender as a “superpredator” and experience diminished empathy. In turn, dehumanization and diminished empathy predicted the belief the defendant is a threat to society, which predicted greater registration support.