cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Olfactory preference for mother over home nest shavings by newborn rats

The developmental course and behavioral processes by which infant rats come to prefer one of two prominent natural odors within their rearing environment, those of their mother and home nest shavings, was studied. Pups as young as 4–5 days and as old as 9–10 days prefer their mother's odor over that of their home nest shavings in a two-choice test chamber; pups deprived overnight prior to testing express that preference more strongly than nondeprived littermates when the mother is awake, but not when anesthetized. Encountering maternal and shavings odors in a two-choice paradigm engages a behavioral sequence that progresses from arousal and active sampling of both odors during the establishment of preference to increased mouthing after the choice has been made. A .5°C thermal gradient augments the maternal preference response from 4–5 days of age on, and is necessary to it in 2-day-olds. One-day-old pups do not express a preference for their mothers in our test apparatus on the basis of odor even with the addition of a .5°C thermal gradient, suggesting that preference for the odor of mother over home shavings may be acquired between 1 and 2 days of age. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 33: 5–20, 1998
Some new butadiene copolymers

Copolymers of butadiene with 2-ethoxyethyl acrylate, 2-ethoxyethyl methacrylate, tetrahydrofurfuryl acrylate, acrylic acid, and methacrylic acid have been prepared and evaluated as rubbers. The 2-ethoxyethyl acrylate copolymer has good low temperature properties. The methacrylic acid copolymer has unexpectedly good oil resistance, but the low temperature properties are poor. The acrylic acid copolymers show fair oil resistance and good low temperature properties. Both acrylic acid and methacrylic acid copolymers with butadiene show unexpectedly good tensiles.
An Unusual Cause of Asystole during a Routine Pacemaker Generator Change

A 74-year-old pacemaker-dependent male patient, who underwent a pacemaker generator change due to elective replacement indicator, had a 4-second pause during interrogation of the new pacemaker generator out of the device pocket due to a specific feature that was programmed on called "enhanced transtelephonic monitoring."
SYNTHESIS OF A NOVEL ESTERASE-SENSITIVE CYCLIC PRODRUG OF A HEXAPEPTIDE USING AN (ACYLOXY)ALKOXY PROMOIETY

Synthetic methodology for preparing novel esterase-sensitive cyclic prodrugs of peptides with increased protease stability and cell membrane permeability compared to linear peptides is described. Cyclic prodrug 1 of the hexapeptide H-Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-OH linked by the N-terminal amino group to the C-terminal carboxyl group via an (acyloxy)alkoxy promoiety was synthesized. A convergent synthetic approach involving Boc[[(alaninyloxy)methyl]carbonyl]-N-tryptophan (2) and H-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp(OBzl)-OTce (3) was used. The key fragment 2 has the promoiety inserted between the Ala and the Trp residues. Fragment 3 was synthesized by a solution-phase approach using standard Boc-amino acid chemistry. These fragments were coupled to produce the protected linear hexapeptide, which after deprotection was cyclized using standard high-dilution techniques to yield cyclic prodrug 1. In pH 7.4 buffer (HBSS) at 37 °C, cyclic prodrug 1 was shown to degrade quantitatively to the hexapeptide (t1/2 = 206 ± 11 min). The rate ...
Draft Genome Sequence of Paenibacillus sp. Strain OSY-SE, a Bacterium Producing the Novel Broad-Spectrum Lipopeptide Antibiotic Paenibacterin

A strain of Paenibacillus sp., OSY-SE, was isolated from soil and found to produce a novel lipopeptide antibiotic. The antibiotic, paenibacterin, is active against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial pathogens. Paenibacterin is biosynthesized by a nonribosomal peptide synthetase pathway. Here we report the draft genome sequence of Paenibacillus sp. OSY-SE.
Bosonization of one-dimensional exclusons and characterization of Luttinger liquids.

We achieve a bosonization of one-dimensional ideal gas of particles obeying exclusion statistics $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ (so called $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ exclusons) at low temperatures, resulting in a new variant of $c\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}1$ conformal field theory with compactified radius $R\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}\sqrt{1/\ensuremath{\lambda}}$. These ideal excluson gases exactly reproduce the low- $T$ critical properties of Luttinger liquids, so they can be used to characterize the fixed points of the latter. Generalized ideal gases with mutual statistics and nonideal gases with Luttinger-type interactions have also similar low- $T$ behavior, controlled by an effective statistics varying in a fixed-point line.
Rugged compact metallized capillary Raman probe for material identification in hostile environments

In this paper we present the use of metallic waveguides as optical Raman probes for identification of various organic and inorganic compounds. In contrast to silica waveguides, metallic capillaries possess significant space savings and robust mechanical properties allowing the employment of such probes in hostile atmosphere and space environments. Furthermore, recent fabrication advances have produced metallic waveguides with low loss in the ultraviolet region, allowing the use of ultraviolet light as an excitation source in Raman spectroscopy, thereby decreasing background noise from sample and instrument fluorescence. Accordingly, we will present encouraging experimental results on the implementation of Raman spectroscopy using these metal capillaries and discuss their potential application to future space missions. This work is being developed as a NASA Planetary Instrument Definition and Development (PIDDP) task.
Multipole Ewald sums for the fast multipole method

A generalized Ewald summation for electric multipoles in periodic arrays is presented in the form needed for multipole transformations used in the fast multipole method. In the fast multipole method the time-consuming Ewald sums are thus eliminated in favor of a simple matrix transformation with almost no computational cost. The derivation also applies to traditional electrostatic potential calculations in periodic charged systems. A summary computational prescription is provided.
New antiestrogens in breast cancer: a review.

: A comprehensive review of the literature from 1975 to 1995 was conducted. Reports were identified using the Cancerline and Medline databases. The chemical structure, estrogen agonist and antagonist activity, and in vitro studies were reviewed and compared with those of tamoxifes. Also, the antitumor activity in cell lines and animal models was highlighted. The mechanisms of action, metabolism, route of administration, dose scheduling, antitumor activity, and side effects of each agent were reviewed and compared with those for tamoxifen, where available. Several new antiestrogens are at various stages of development. They are divided into nonsteroidal and steroidal antiestrogens. Among the nonsteroidal antiestrogens are agents like toremifene and droloxifene. Both produce response rates, and both have toxicity profiles that are comparable to tamoxifen. In addition, toremifene can chemosensitize estrogen receptor-negative tumors, reverse multidrug resistance, and affect tamoxifen-resistant tumors. The short half-life of droloxifene results in minimal serum accumulation, and therefore it may be sequentially used with other systemic therapies to maximize cell kill. ICI 182,780, a steroidal antiestrogen, is well tolerated, active in tamoxifen-resistant tumors, and has a potential role in the preoperative management of advanced breast cancer. Other potential benefits of these and other agents are discussed. Pure antiestrogens have documented antibreast cancer activity that is in some instances more potent than tamoxifen. Some have activity in estrogen receptor-negative or tamoxifen-resistant tumors. Others may help to reverse chemotherapy resistance. In addition, the potential role of these antiestrogens in radioimaging and their effect on lipid metabolism is also being recognized.
Ecophenotypic physiology: osmoregulation by fiddler crabs (Uca spp.) from the northern Caribbean in relation to ecological distribution

Nine species of Uca were collected across the northern Caribbean from 50 locations ranging in habitat osmolality from 18 to 2760 mmol kg−1 (mosmol). The osmoregulating ability of each species was assessed in solutions ranging from 30 to 3550 mosmol. Survivorship, lower and upper median lethal concentration and haemolymph isosmotic concentration ([ISO]) were estimated for each. A lower lethal concentration could not be calculated for some due to survival in low osmolality. By subgenus, average [ISO] for four species from the subgenus Minuca ranged from 587 to 768 mosmol and three species from the subgenus Leptuca from 805 to 881 mosmol. For species from the subgenus Boboruca and the subgenus Uca the [ISO] was 805 and 930 mosmol, respectively. These values reflect the habitat preference of each species in a subgenus. This study broadens our understanding of ecological physiology in Caribbean Uca and demonstrates intra- and inter-specific differences among tropical fiddler crabs.
Conformational states of Leu5- and Met5-enkephalins in solution.

Abstract The molecular conformations of Leu 5 - and Met 5 -enkephalins in aqueous and DMSO solutions were investigated by FT-IR and laser Raman spectroscopic methods. The amide I, II, and III regions in the FT-IR spectra of Leu 5 - and Met 5 -enkephalins in aqueous solution were analyzed by performing Fourier self-deconvolution of the bands. Leu 5 -enkephalin in aqueous solution is found to exist in both type II β-turn and β-sheet structures, whereas Met 5 -enkephalin has a lesser tendency to form β-turn structure in aqueous solution. It is likely that these different conformers of enkephalins might bind to different receptor types.
Anomalous Strength of Membranes with Elastic Ridges

We report on a simulational study of the compression and buckling of elastic ridges formed by joining the boundary of a flat sheet to itself. Such ridges store energy anomalously: their resting energy scales as the linear size of the sheet to the $1/3$ power. We find that the energy required to buckle such a ridge is a fixed multiple of the resting energy. Thus thin sheets with elastic ridges such as crumpled sheets are qualitatively stronger than smoothly bent sheets.
Microscale Thrusters with Pulsed Optical Lattices/Gas Nonresonant Dipole Interaction

The direct simulation Monte Carlo method is used to study the feasibility of new propulsion concepts based on the interaction of an optical lattice with gas molecules. Two regimes are considered, high density and low density. In the first one, a de Laval nozzle is examined with the carrier gas driven by energy and momentum deposition from the lattice to the region near the nozzle throat. Analytical expressions are developed and compared with the numerical predictions that describe the energy and momentum energy transfer between the lattice and the gas. In the second regime, a multiple orifice flow is considered with molecules accelerated to high velocities by a chirped lattice potential. Specific impulse of about 500 is obtained with the total thrust of over 10 μN per single 100 μm orifice.
Auditory Processing in Fragile X Syndrome

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is an inherited form of intellectual disability and autism. Among other symptoms, FXS patients demonstrate abnormalities in sensory processing and communication. Clinical, behavioral and electrophysiological studies consistently show auditory hypersensitivity in humans with FXS. Consistent with observations in humans, the Fmr1 KO mouse model of FXS also shows evidence of altered auditory processing and communication deficiencies. A well-known and commonly used phenotype in pre-clinical studies of FXS is audiogenic seizures. In addition, increased acoustic startle is also seen in the Fmr1 KO mice. In vivo electrophysiological recordings indicate hyper-excitable responses, broader frequency tuning and abnormal spectrotemporal processing in primary auditory cortex of Fmr1 KO mice. Thus, auditory hyper-excitability is a robust, reliable and translatable biomarker in Fmr1 KO mice. Abnormal auditory evoked responses have been used as outcome measures to test therapeutics in FXS patients. Given that similarly abnormal responses are present in Fmr1 KO mice suggests that cellular mechanisms can be addressed. Sensory cortical deficits are relatively more tractable from a mechanistic perspective than more complex social behaviors that are typically studied in autism and FXS. The focus of this review is to bring together clinical, functional and structural studies in humans with electrophysiological and behavioral studies in mice to make the case that auditory hypersensitivity provides a unique opportunity to integrate molecular, cellular, circuit level studies with behavioral outcomes in the search for therapeutics for FXS and other autism spectrum disorders.
Suppression of Local Tissue Reactivity (Shwartzman Phenomenon) by Nitrogen Mustard, Benzol, and X-Ray Irradiation:

Summary1. The Shwartzman phenomenon was studied in rabbits using a meningococcus filtrate and meningococcus endotoxin.2. The following agents were without suppressive effect on the Shwartzman phenomenon: benadryl, urethane, crude penicillin extract, penicillin G, streptomycin, mapharsen, BAL, vitamin C, alpha tocopherol, thyroidectomy, and partial exsanguination. 3. The reaction was completely suppressed by pretreatment of the rabbits with nitrogen mustard or benzol. It was also completely suppressed in some rabbits and partially in others by pretreatment with total body X-ray irradiation. 4. It is suggested that this study provides an experimental basis for a new therapeutic concept in the treatment of diseases involving tissue and vascular reactivity.
Epitaxial growth of laminar crystalline silicon on CaF2

Si heteroepitaxy on CaF2 was studied with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and diffraction and low-energy electron diffraction to determine the interface bonding and silicon overlayer growth mode. The CaF2 surface was prepared by irradiation with low-energy electrons and exposure to arsenic, which replaced surface fluorine atoms with arsenic. Thin Si films (1.3 nm) were subsequently deposited at 550 °C. The Si films completely cover the CaF2 substrate and have a type-B orientation. The resultant interface has Si–Ca bonds, with the As surfactant layer terminating the Si surface in a 1×1 structure.
Vascular Nutritional Correlates of Late-Life Depression

Objective The authors sought to examine the association of vascular nutritional factors and depression in an elderly cohort of depression (currently and recently depressed) and comparison (never depressed) subjects. Method Nutrient intake over the past year was assessed in 196 elderly depression and comparison individuals with a Block 1998 food-frequency questionnaire. Nutrient intake, body mass index, and Keys score (a measure of the serum cholesterol-raising capacity of the diet) were determined. Subjects were age 60 and over and were participants in a longitudinal study of major depression. All subjects received psychiatric and medical comorbidity assessments; depression subjects also received psychiatric treatment. Results Vascular nutritional factors differed between depression and comparison subjects. The depression group had higher intake of saturated fat and cholesterol, higher body mass indices, lower alcohol intake, and higher Keys score than the comparison group. After controlling for age, sex, education, race, and medical comorbidity, associations remained for cholesterol, alcohol, and Keys score. Depression was found to be associated with overall dietary pattern as defined by total kilocalories, saturated fat, cholesterol, body mass index, polyunsaturated fat, sodium, and alcohol. Conclusions This study provides evidence that dietary vascular risk factors differ in individuals with current or prior depression when compared with individuals with no history of depression.
An open-label trial of N-acetylcysteine for the treatment of cocaine dependence: a pilot study.

Abstract Recent preclinical studies implicate N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a cysteine prodrug, as a potential medication for preventing relapse to cocaine use; however, little is known about the safety and tolerability of NAC in cocaine-dependent subjects in an outpatient setting. This pilot study examines the safety and tolerability of 3 doses of NAC for the treatment of cocaine dependence. Twenty three treatment-seeking cocaine-dependent patients participated in a 4-week medication trial and received NAC at doses of 1200 mg/day, 2400 mg/day or 3600 mg/day. Results suggested that the three doses were well tolerated. Overall, the retention rates appeared to favor higher doses of NAC (2400 mg/day and 3600 mg/day). The majority of subjects who completed the study (n = 16) either terminated use of cocaine completely or significantly reduced their use of cocaine during treatment. Overall the findings suggest that it is feasible to treat cocaine-dependent treatment seekers with N-acetylcysteine on an outpatient basis.
Hydrology of some tidal channels in estuarine marshland near San Francisco

Abstract Measurements of velocity, depth, discharge, and slope were simultaneously made at ten gages along a natural estuarine channel 19,000 feet in length in Petaluma Marsh, California. Along the study reach the channel decreases from a width of 47 feet at its mouth to nearly zero at its headward extent, with accompanying decrease in depth. Though gage height varies with time in a smooth sinusoidal manner at all stations, this is not true for velocity, discharge, or slope. Velocity is rather constant for long periods in the ebb cycle and differs but little along the length of the channel. It is somewhat higher on ebb than on flood tide. At most gage sites, velocity continues one-half to one hour after the gage height has reached its maximum or minimum value and reversed. In this channel water surface slope is considerably greater in the midreach of channel than in either the mouthward or headward reaches. Slopes vary from less than .0001 to about .0005 through much of a tidal cycle. At some stages of both ebb and flood, the upper end of the channel has a positive slope while the lower end a negative or adverse slope. At those times the longitudinal profile of water surface is bow shaped or V shaped.
Paleoenvironmental Reconstructions in an Area of Rapid Facies Change, Parachute Creek Member of Green River Formation (Eocene), Uinta Basin, Utah

Raven Ridge in the northeastern Uinta Basin exposes nearshore deposits of Eocene Lake Uinta. From the northern end of the ridge to the south, units of the Green River Formation change from fluvial to “deep” water lacustrine. The facies changes are well developed in the Parachute Creek Member and are the basis for detailed reconstructions of the depositional history of Lake Uinta. However, the rapid facies changes also make correlation and the establishment of a stratigraphic framework difficult. Correlations between various facies in the Parachute Creek are made possible by the occurrence of sedimentary cycles. These cycles, each consisting of a lower regressive clastic unit and an upper transgressive carbonate unit (with the exception of fluvial facies that have cut-and-fill cycles), record changes in the level of Lake Uinta. Although individual lithologies are restricted laterally, the events that the lithofacies represent can be recognized and correlated from facies to facies. The resulting correlations are precise enough to match individual beds. Analysis of the lithofacies results in the identification of subenvironments, including fluvial channel, floodplain, delta, lagoon, shoal, beach, shoreface, nearshore, and offshore. Lacustrine and fluvial rocks are differentiated largely on the basis of sandstone petrography and fossils. Sedimentary structures and facies relations are used to define the detailed subenvironments.
Social support: main and moderating effects on the relation between financial stress and adjustment among college students with disabilities

Students with disabilities are underrepresented in 4-year colleges and universities in the United States and those that do attend are at an increased risk of performing poorly in these settings. These difficulties for college students with disabilities may be compounded by additional stress related to financial concerns. The current study was designed to investigate the effects of social support on the adjustment of college students with disabilities generally, and among college students experiencing financial stress specifically. Results indicated that two types of social support (total support and satisfaction with support) had positive effects on the post-secondary adjustment of college students with disabilities. Moreover, both forms of support moderated the effects of financial stress on some, but not all, indicators of adjustment. The implications of these findings for future research and practice are discussed.
Variation in the organization of the stomatal complex in the leaf epidermis of monocotyledons and its bearing on their phylogeny

Using macerated pieces of epidermal tissue from living plants and herbarium specimens, stomatal complexes of 192 species belonging to 49 families of monocotyledons were studied. Four categories are recognized, 2 with 4 or more subsidiary cells surrounding the guard cells, 1 with 2 subsidiaries, and 1 with none. Development of the 2-subsidiary type, studied in acetocarmine preparations of Juncus effusus and Sagittaria montevidensis, resembles that in Gramineae previously described. No correlation was found between type of stomatal complex and either leaf shape or type of xylem vessel, but some correlation exists between this character and type of seed germination, vascular anatomy of seedling, growth habit of mature plant, and geographic distribution. Types with 4 or more subsidiaries are most commonly phanero phytes with tropical distribution, many vascular bundles in the cotyledon, and hypogeal germination. Complexes with 2 subsidiaries occur in many families of a diverse nature, but the most primitive plants with this type are hydrophytes or helophytes with tropical or temperate distribution, 1 vascular bundle in the cotyledon, and epigeal germination. Stomatal complexes without subsidiaries are almost confined to the Liliales and their more specialized derivatives. These plants are predominantly geophytes with temperate or tropical distribution, 2 bundles in the cotyledon, and epigeal germination. Reasons are advanced for suggesting that the type with many subsidiaries is the most primitive and the other 2 types have been derived from it independently by reduction of the number of subsidiary cells.
A Schedule-Performance Approach for Level-of-Effort Tasks

Abstract:Earned Value Management (EVM) includes several types of effort used to define work or tasks. Often in engineering and management, Level of Effort (LOE) is primarily used. The current problem is that LOE's schedule-performance measure contributes to program performance inaccuracies. In this article, a new model is presented based on an action database of two program cases. The results provide a new quantitative model that is more precise for LOE tasks. Using the new model, managers can benefit with a more accurate schedule-performance measure for planning, executing, and reporting. These benefits provide management decision makers with earlier indications of program shortfalls.
Material Characterization and Mid-Span Bending Capacity With Finite Element Simulated Predictions

Intelligent materials have been the subject of research for many years. Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are a type of intelligent material that has been targeted for many different uses; such as actuators, sensors and structural supports. SMAs are attractive as actuators due to their large energy density. Although a great deal of information is available on the axial load capacity and on the tip force for SMA tweezer-like devices, there is not enough information about the load capacity at mid-span, especially at the macro-level. Imposed displacement at mid-span experimental evaluation of an SMA beam in the austenitic and martensitic regimes has been studied. To this end, a specimen of near equi-atomic nitinol was heat-treated (shape set) into a ‘U’ shape and loaded into a custom test fixture such that the boundary conditions of the beam are approximated as roller-roller; and the sample was deformed at different temperatures while reaction forces were measured. The displacement is near maximum displacement of the U shape without causing a change in concavity, thus full-scale capacity is shown. Additionally, Unified Model (finite element) predictions of the experimental response are also presented, with good agreement. Due to the robust nature of the Unified Model, geometric parameter variations (wire diameter and radius of curvature) were then simulated to encompass the design envelop for such an actuator. The material properties needed as inputs to the Unified Model were obtained from constant temperature tensile tests of a specimen subjected to the same heat treatment (shape set straight). The resultant critical stresses were then extracted using the tangent method similar to the one described in ASTM F-2082. It is worth noting that the specimen was trained before the stress value extraction, but the transversely loaded specimen was not trained due to the difficulty involved (inherent uneven stress distribution). The contribution of this work is the presentation of experimental results for transverse (mid-span) loading of a nitinol wire and the simulation results allowing for design of a proper actuator with known constraints on force, displacement or temperature (2 of 3 needed). In other words, this work could be used as a type of 3D look-up table; e.g. for a desired force/displacement, the required temperatures are given. Future work includes developing a sensor-less control strategy for simultaneous force/displacement control.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Earth and space science funding at risk

[1] With debt ceiling deadlines quickly approaching, U.S. lawmakers are still markedly divided over how to address the nation's economic and budgetary troubles. AGU is closely monitoring these debates and any cuts directed at funding for scientific research and development. Cuts beyond the already reduced levels from the current fiscal year 2011 continuing resolution have the potential to be devastating not only for the scientific community but also for the health, safety, and welfare of the public and America's economic competitiveness. It is not clear how the current proposals would apply to cutting scientific research and development, but it is very likely that federal funding levels for fiscal year 2012 will be even lower than those seen in 2011, a trend that could continue for a number of years. The Obama administration and congressional leadership are reported to be negotiating up to $4 trillion in reduced expenditures, with cuts of at least $1.1 trillion being made in discretionary appropriations over the next 10 years, starting in fiscal year 2012. While it is possible that a smaller, interim deal could pass, which would bring another debt ceiling vote before November 2012, there is significant opposition to such a stopgap measure.
3,4-Alkylenedioxypyrroles: functionalized derivatives as monomers for new electron-rich conducting and electroactive polymers.

New functionalized derivatives of 3,4-ethylenedioxypyrrole (EDOP, 5a) and 3,4-(1,3-propylenedioxy)pyrrole (ProDOP, 5b) as especially electron-rich monomers which yield highly electroactive and stable conducting polymers useful for a diverse set of applications have been synthesized. N-Alkylations of ProDOP were carried out to yield a variety of ProDOP derivatives having alkyl, sulfonatoalkoxy, glyme, and glyme alcohol pendant chains. Iodization of EDOP and ProDOP via iodo-decarboxylation afforded iodo-functionalized derivatives useful for subsequent aryl coupling chemistry. N-Protection and formylation of EDOP, followed by Knoevenagel condensation of the resultant 2-formyl-EDOP with aryl acetonitrile derivatives, led to 1-cyano-2-(2-(3,4-ethylenedioxypyrryl))-1-(2-thienyl)vinylene (23) (Th-CNV-EDOP) and 1-cyano-2-(2-(3,4-ethylenedioxypyrryl))-1-(2-(3,4-ethylenedioxythienyl)vinylene (26) (EDOT-CNV-EDOP). A 14-crown-4-ether 34 based dioxypyrrole was synthesized with a cavity potentially useful for lithium i...
In vivo evaluation of a transdermal codrug of 6-β-naltrexol linked to hydroxybupropion in hairless guinea pigs

Abstract 6-β-Naltrexol is the major active metabolite of naltrexone, NTX, a potent μ-opioid receptor antagonist used in the treatment of alcohol dependence and opioid abuse. Compared to naloxone, NTX has a longer duration of action largely attributed to 6-β-naltrexol. This study was carried out in order to determine percutaneous absorption of a transdermal codrug of naltrexol, 6-β-naltrexol-hydroxybupropion codrug (CB-NTXOL-BUPOH), in hairless guinea pigs as well as to evaluate the safety of 6-β-naltrexol for development as a transdermal dosage form. This codrug may be useful in the simultaneous treatment of alcohol dependence and tobacco addiction. The carbonate codrug traversed the skin at a faster rate than 6-β-naltrexol. 6-β-Naltrexol equivalent steady state plasma concentrations of 6.4 ng/ml were obtained after application of the codrug as compared to 1.2 ng/ml from 6-β-naltrexol base. The steady state plasma concentration of hydroxybupropion after codrug application was 6.9 ng/ml. Skin sensitization and irritation tested in the hairless guinea pigs using the Buehler method revealed that 6-β-naltrexol had no skin sensitizing potential. The method was validated with a known sensitizer, p -phenylenediamine, which induced sensitization in 90% of the animals. 6-β-Naltrexol caused only mild transient skin irritation after the initial application of the patch. During subsequent applications, erythema was slightly increased but no skin damage was observed. In conclusion, a transdermal codrug of 6-β-naltrexol could be a viable alternative treatment for alcohol and opiate abuse.
Pediatric transthoracic defibrillation: biphasic versus monophasic waveforms in an experimental model.

Abstract Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the efficacy of biphasic and monophasic waveforms in a porcine model of pediatric defibrillation. Background: The efficacy and safety of biphasic waveforms in children has not been established. Methods: We initially studied 27 piglets: 12 weighed 3–6 kg (‘infants’), and 15 weighed 7–12 kg (‘children’). Ventricular fibrillation (VF) was induced by rapid right ventricular pacing and maintained for 15 s. Transthoracic shocks of 7–100 J energy were given using monophasic (5 ms truncated exponential) and biphasic (5 ms positive, 5 ms negative pulse, truncated exponential) waveforms. A second study of four ‘infant’ and four ‘child’ piglets utilized the same protocol but with a 10 ms instead of 5 ms monophasic truncated exponential shock waveform compared with the 10 ms biphasic waveform. Results: For both biphasic and monophasic waveforms, shock success rate (termination of VF) rose steadily as energy was increased. In the first study in the ‘infant’ 3–6 kg group, the 10 ms biphasic waveforms were superior to 5 ms monophasic waveforms at 10, 20, and 30 J energies, and in the ‘child’ 7–12 kg group at 20 and 30 J energies ( P 80%) were achieved by 20 J (4 J/kg) biphasic waveform shocks in the ‘infant’ piglets and 30 J (3 J/kg) biphasic waveform shocks in the ‘child’ piglets. In the second study using a 10 ms monophasic waveform, we found similar results. Pulseless electrical activity occurred in two animals following biphasic shocks and in two animals following monophasic shocks. Conclusions: Biphasic waveforms proved superior to monophasic waveforms in both infant and child models. High success rates were achieved with low-energy biphasic shocks. Biphasic waveform defibrillation is a promising advance in pediatric resuscitation.
Ibuprofen and Dysmenorrhea

Primary dysmenorrhea and secondary dysmenorrhea induced by an intrauterine device are associated with increased production and release of endometrial prostaglandins. The condition may be treated by oral contraceptives, which reduce overall menstrual fluid volume, or by a prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor, such as ibuprofen. Unless the patient wishes to use oral contraceptives for birth control, ibuprofen (Motrin) is the drug of choice because it need only be given for two to three days each cycle, does not suppress the pituitary ovarian axis, and does not cause metabolic alterations. Clinical trials have shown ibuprofen to be highly efficacious, and more effective than indomethacin, aspirin, or propoxyphene, with no or few side effects.
Urban Growth And Elitism In Kenya: Public Policy Toward Employment and Housing

: It is universally acknowledged that Third World countries are experiencing rapid urbanization. Although the causes and effects of urbanization have been discussed in substantial detail, few scholars have examined public policy toward urban expansion in underdeveloped areas. Perhaps most important, Third World cities face a severe shortage of adequate employment and housing. This article discusses the urban policy followed by the Republic of Kenya with respect to these two problems. Overall, the data indicate that urban policies are biased in favor of economic and political elites. Although the Kenyan government has “officially” endorsed the creation of additional employment in both urban and rural areas, its policies have not facilitated these objectives. Similarly, the government has not allocated sufficient resources for urban housing, and resources that are allocated often subsidize a small elite. The findings for Kenya have broad implications for the study of urbanization throughout the Third World.
Identifying Time-of-Day Breakpoints Based on Nonintrusive Data Collection Platforms

To ensure the effective operation of traffic signal systems, different signal timings should be designed to accommodate traffic pattern variations. One of the greatest challenges is the identification of appropriate time-of-day (TOD) breakpoints, where different signal timings could be implemented during the time periods between two consecutive breakpoints. This research presents an advanced cluster analysis aimed at identifying TOD breakpoints for coordinated, semiactuated modes when it is necessary for multiple intersection operations to be considered simultaneously. Different from previous studies, this proposed methodology considers the time of traffic occurring as one dimension in clustering and uses continuous traffic data obtained through innovative, nonintrusive data collection techniques, which significantly improve this method's performance. The operability of this proposed method is demonstrated in a case study of a corridor located in Tampa, FL. The traffic simulation results reported in this ...
Treatment outcome evaluation methodology with anxiety disorders: Strengths and key issues

Abstract Methodology in the conduct of clinical outcome studies with anxiety disorders has advanced in several areas in recent years. Nevertheless, difficult issues concerning the conduct and interpretation of the results of these clinical trials remain. Developments that have facilitated clinical trials include the construction of structured interviews for anxiety and related disorders that allow consistency in identification of target disorders in a clinical context. An equally important development has been the introduction and widespread utilization of treatment manuals which allows for replicable independent variables. Remaining issues include ascertaining the optimal way of measuring change from among the variety of dependent variables available. A related difficulty is determination of the principle dependent variable (e.g., panic attacks, intrusive thoughts) in an anxiety disorder where many key features of anxiety disorders seem to coexist (symptom and syndrome comorbidity). Solving these issues as well as determining the optimal way to handle attrition will provide important methodological advances.
Gender Differences among Abused Older African Americans and African American Abusers in an Elder Abuse Provider Agency

Objectives of this study were to examine gender differences among mistreated older African Americans and their perpetrators. The analysis was based on substantiated elder abuse cases in Illinois. Gender differences regarding six forms of abuse were examined as were demographic and barrier differences among victims and perpetrators. Overall, older African Americans were more susceptible to financial exploitation and intentional neglect. Other than intentional physical neglect, there were no significant gender differences between male and female victims in their mistreatment (χ 2 = 6.66, p =.010). Both male and female abusers were equally engaged in caring for their aging relatives and more likely to be children of the victims and living with them. Females (75.0%) more than males (67.0%) were abusive to aging relatives. Findings show that older Blacks, especially males, are subject to mistreatment from relatives who may be overwhelmed by caring for them and may benefit from intervention programs.
Paths to which the nudged elastic band converges

A recent letter to the editor (Quapp and Bofill, J Comput Chem 2010, 31, 2526) claims that the nudged elastic band (NEB) method can converge toward gradient extremal paths and not to steepest descent paths, as has been assumed. Here, we show that the NEB does in fact converge to steepest descent paths and that the observed tendency for the NEB to approach gradient extremal paths was a consequence of implementation errors. We also note that while the NEB finds steepest descent paths, these are not necessarily minimum energy paths in the sense of being a set of points which are minima in the potential energy surface perpendicular to the path. An example is given where segments of steepest descent paths follow potential energy ridges.
Clinical Social Networking—A New Revolution in Provider Communication and Delivery of Clinical Information across Providers of Care?

The adoption of social media technologies appears to enhance clinical outcomes through improved communications as reported by Bacigalupe (Fam Syst Heal 29(1):1-14, 2011). The ability of providers to more effectively, directly, and rapidly communicate among themselves as well as with patients should strengthen collaboration and treatment as reported by Bacigalupe (Fam Syst Heal 29(1):1-14, 2011). This paper is a case study in one organization's development of an internally designed and developed social technology solution termed “Unite.” The Unite system combines social technologies' features including push notifications, messaging, community groups, and user lists with clinical workflow and applications to construct dynamic provider networks, simplify communications, and facilitate clinical workflow optimization. Modeling Unite as a social technology may ease adoption barriers. Developing a social network that is integrated with healthcare information systems in the clinical space opens the doors to capturing and studying the way in which providers communicate. The Unite system appears to have the potential to breaking down existing communication paradigms. With Unite, a rich set of usage data tied to clinical events may unravel alternative networks that can be leveraged to advance patient care.
Electron ionization cross sections in the Born approximation

Using the generalized oscillator-strength formulation of the Born approximation, electron ionization cross sections were calculated for 20 elements with $19\ensuremath{\le}Z\ensuremath{\le}54$. For Kr and Xe, good agreement (30%) is found for the total ionization cross section above 300 eV. Comparison with measured cross sections for producing various charge states in Kr and Xe showed significant discrepancies, which arise from neglect of configuration interaction. Comparison with measured total cross sections for other elements show limited agreement, though the agreement improves as one goes to higher $Z$.
"Right drug for the right patient": hurdles and the path forward in colorectal cancer.

Predictive biomarkers have been heralded as the way to develop the “right drug for the right patient.” However, despite many studies incorporating novel biomarkers with targeted therapies, there ha...
Recent progress in the theoretical treatment of protein folding.

The multiple-minima problem encountered in computations of the conformational energy of a globular protein can be approached by extending, in part, the methodology used heretofore to treat small oligopeptides and fibrous proteins, and by incorporating procedures to treat short-, medium, and long-range interactions. The latter consist primarily of energy minimization and application of distance constraints. Initial tests with the 20-residue membrane-bound portion of melittin and with the 58-residue bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor are sufficiently encouraging to suggest that the potential functions and computational algorithms are reasonable and extendable to globular proteins containing as many as 200 amino acid residues.
A randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of CouPLES: a spouse-assisted lifestyle change intervention to improve low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Abstract Objective This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of a telephone-delivered, spouse-assisted lifestyle intervention to reduce patient LDL-C. Method From 2007 to 2010, 255 outpatients with LDL-C > 76 mg/dL and their spouses from the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center were randomized to intervention or usual care. The intervention comprised nine monthly goal-setting telephone calls to patients and support planning calls to spouses. Outcomes were assessed at 11 months. Results Patients were 95% male and 65% White. LDL-C did not differ between groups (mean difference = 2.3 mg/dL, 95% CI = − 3.6, 8.3, p = 0.44), nor did the odds of meeting goal LDL-C (OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.6, 1.7; p = 0.87). Intakes of calories (p = 0.03), total fat (p = 0.02), and saturated fat (p = 0.02) were lower for the intervention group. Cholesterol and fiber intake did not differ between groups (p = 0.11 and 0.26, respectively). The estimated rate of moderate intensity physical activity per week was 20% higher in the intervention group (IRR = 1.2, 95% CI = 1.0, 1.5, p = 0.06). Most participants did not experience a change in cholesterol medication usage during the study period in the intervention (71.7%) and usual care (78.9%) groups. Conclusion This intervention might be an adjunct to usual primary care to improve adherence to lifestyle behaviors.
Applying steepest-edge techniques to a network primal-dual algorithm

This article addresses the computational efficacy of applying steepest-edge criteria in a primal-dual algorithm for solving the minimum cost network flow problem. It is shown for the incremental primal-dual method, steepest-edge directions can be calculated directly without any additional data structures or computational overhead. The resulting implementation outperformed a network simplex code by over an order of magnitude in CPU time on medium sized problems from the NETGEN benchmark problem suite, and also compared favorably with the relaxation method on uncapacitated transportation and transshipment problems.
Decision Analysis to Select a Microcomputer Networking Strategy: A Procedure and a Case Study

A multi-objective decision-analysis procedure is presented which was developed to assist a company in selecting a strategy for dealing with microcomputer networking. Evaluation measures were defined to measure the performance of different strategies, and a multi-attribute utility function was used to combine the evaluation measures into a single index of the overall preferability of each strategy. Uncertainties about the projected performance of various strategies were encoded using probabilities. Advantages of the approach over scoring (weighting and rating) methods that are sometimes used for resource-allocation decisions are reviewed. The case study presented in this article could serve as a starting point for multi-objective decision analyses of other computer information-systems decisions.
Hypovitaminosis D is associated with greater body mass index and disease activity in pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objectives To determine whether pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with alterations in the vitamin D-parathyroid hormone (PTH) axis and to assess the relation between vitamin D deficiency and SLE activity. Study Design 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D], 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D [1,25(OH) 2 D], and intact PTH were measured in subjects with SLE (n = 38) and healthy controls (n = 207), ages 5 to 21 years. Vitamin D status and its relation with disease activity were assessed using multivariable logistic and linear regression. Results Severe vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D P P = .09), adjusting for age, sex, race, and season. However, for each 1 SD greater body mass index (BMI) z -score, 25(OH)D levels were 4.2 ng/mL lower ( P = .01) in SLE, compared with controls. Adjusting for 25(OH)D levels, SLE was associated with significantly lower 1,25(OH) 2 D ( P P = .03). Greater SLE disease activity index scores were observed in those with 25(OH)D P = .01). Conclusions SLE was associated with vitamin D deficiency, particularly among those subjects with SLE who were overweight. Future studies should assess the effect of vitamin D supplementation on skeletal and nonskeletal outcomes in SLE.
Update on Patient-Controlled Epidural Analgesia

Abstract Since an early description of patient-controlled analgesia (PCEA) for labor pain in 1988, PCEA has become an integral and important analgesic option for postoperative and labor analgesia. There have been a large number of studies evaluating a wide variety of analgesic agents and adjuvants in examining PCEA in many settings. Despite the theoretical advantages of patient-controlled analgesia in general, the superiority of PCEA over continuous epidural infusions or intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PCA) is unclear as are the most optimal analgesic regimens and solutions for PCEA. We summarize the available data examining the analgesic efficacy of PCEA.
Overturning instability in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere: analysis of instability conditions in lidar data

Abstract. Resonant sodium lidar measurements from the transition region between the mesosphere and lower thermosphere have revealed frequently-occurring overturning events characterized by vertical scales of ~3–6 km and timescales of several hours. Larsen et al. (2004) proposed that a convective roll instability, similar to that found in the planetary boundary layer, is the likely mechanism responsible for the events. This type of instability requires an inflection point in the background winds near the center of the vortex roll with a low static stability region capped by an inversion. The earlier paper argued that the conditions required to support the instability are common in the altitude range where the features are found. In this paper, we use data from the University of Illinois sodium lidar that was located at the Starfire Optical Range near Albuquerque, New Mexico, and from the Maui/MALT Lidar Facility in Hawaii and present several cases that are used to examine the behavior of the inflection point in detail as a function of time during the evolution of the overturning event. In addition, we examine the background static stability conditions using the temperature data from the lidar.