cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anuran calling circuits: inhibition of pretrigeminal nucleus by prostaglandin.

Abstract Neural correlates of mating calling and pulmonary respiration were recorded from isolated brain stems of male Northern leopard frogs (Rana p. pipiens) before and after exposure of the brain stems to prostaglandin F2α (PG) or saline. Diffusion of PG (but not saline) from a pipette directly over the pretrigeminal nuclei abolished "calling" temporarily. Similar application of PG nearby had no effect. Exposure of only the anterior 1 2 of the brain stem, containing the pretrigeminal nuclei but not the pulmonary respiration generator, to PG (but not saline) abolished generation of slow waves by the pretrigeminal nucleus portion of the mating calling pattern generator. Exposure of only the posterior 1 2 of the brain stem, containing the pulmonary respiration generator but not the pretrigeminal nuclei, to PG had no effect on the correlates of pulmonary respiration. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the inhibition of calling by PG is through an effect largely, perhaps exclusively, on the pretrigeminal nuclei.
Tactual perception of speech-like stimuli with an electrocutaneous vocoder.

A deficiency in current tactual vocoder designs is the relatively poor transmission of rapid spectral changes (formant transitions). To understand better the application of electrocutaneous tactual stimulation as a basis for an artificial hearing system, the tactual discrimination of rapidly changing patterns was studied. Stimuli were presented on a belt containing 32 electrodes that was worn in a linear array 5 cm above the navel. Bipolar pulse trains (height 10 mA; width 13 microseconds) of specified frequencies (200, 400, or 1,000 Hz) were presented sequentially to adjacent electrodes to simulate a tactual vocoder equivalent of simple frequency transitions. Discrimination of the direction of stimulation movement (i.e., stimulation on the belt to either a subject's left or right) was assessed with one experienced subject as a function of both electrode number (four or eight electrodes) and stimulation frequency. Identification of the direction of stimulation movement was influenced both by the number of stimulus channels and by the frequency of electrocutaneous stimulation. These preliminary results indicate that the discrimination of formant trajectory transmitted in an electrocutaneous vocoder scheme is within the temporal limits typically imposed by natural speech.
Regulation of Kiss1 Expression by Sex Steroids in the Amygdala of the Rat and Mouse

Kisspeptin (encoded by the Kiss1 gene) is an important regulator of reproduction. In rodents, Kiss1 is expressed in two hypothalamic regions, the arcuate nucleus and anteroventral periventricular/ periventricular continuum, where it is regulated by sex steroids. However, the distribution, regulation, and functional significance of neural kisspeptin outside of the hypothalamus have not been studied and are poorly understood. Here, we report the expression of Kiss1 in the amygdala, predominantly in the medial nucleus of the amygdala (MeA), a region implicated in social and emotional behaviors as well as various aspects of reproduction. In gonadally intact rats and mice, Kiss1-expressing neurons were identified in the MeA of both sexes, with higher Kiss1 expression levels in adult males than females in diestrus. In rats, Kiss1 expression in the MeA changed as a function of the estrous cycle, with highest levels at proestrus. Next, we tested whether Kiss1 in the MeA is regulated by the circulating sex steroid milieu. Kiss1 levels in the MeA were low in gonadectomized mice and rats of both sexes, and treatment with either testosterone or estradiol amplified Kiss1 expression in this region. Testosterone's inductive effect on Kiss1 expression in the MeA likely occurs via estrogen receptor-dependent pathways, not through the androgen receptor, because dihydrotestosterone (a nonaromatizable androgen) did not affect MeA Kiss1 levels. Thus, in rodents, Kiss1 is expressed and regulated by sex steroids in the MeA of both sexes and may play a role in modulating reproduction or brain functions that extend beyond reproduction.
Battlefield archaeology under fire

Archaeology, History, and Ouster's Last Battle: The Little Big Horn Reexamined. By Richard Allan Fox Jr. University of Oklahoma Press: 1993. Pp. 411. $29.95.
Optimization of Plasma Spray Processing Parameters for Deposition of Nanostructured Powders for Coating Formation

When nanostructured powder particles are used for thermal spray coatings, the retention of the original nanostructure that is engineered into the raw stock is a principal objective, along with production of some molten material in order to adhere the sprayed material to the surface being coated. Therefore, in contrast with spraying conventional powders, complete melting of the nanostructured raw stock is to be avoided. In this study, the melting and resolidification of sprayed material is correlated to a spray processing parameter that has been introduced in the literature by some of the spray processing practitioners. Using computer modeling, processing of zirconia agglomerates with plasma spraying has been simulated. Transition regions for the phase change response of the sprayed material to the thermal processing conditions are identified. The retained nanostructure content and liquid fraction of the sprayed material are correlated to particle diameters, injection velocities, as well as this thermal spray processing parameter. Finally, a novel method to produce desired coatings composed of partially molten material using a bimodal particle size distribution of the sprayed powder is suggested.
Aerobic respiration in pelagic marine sediments

Abstract Analyses for dissolved oxygen, nitrate and total CO2 in the interstitial water have been combined with solid phase sediment analyses of carbon and nitrogen to calculate the rates of reaction and stoichiometry of decomposing organic matter in central Equatorial Pacific pelagic sediments. The diagenesis is dominated by aerobic respiration and nitrification. Organic carbon and total nitrogen decrease exponentially with depth in both red clay and carbonate ooze sediments. In addition, there is a correlation between surface organic carbon and total nitrogen with distance from the equator. Fixed NH4 is relatively constant with depth and constitutes 12 to 64% of the total nitrogen. The remainder is considered to be organic nitrogen. The C N ratio of the decomposing organic matter was obtained using three approaches. Using the correlations of organic carbon with total nitrogen or organic nitrogen the molar ratios varied from 3.4 to 18.1. The average of all stations was 12.6 using total nitrogen and 13.7 using organic nitrogen. The Redfield ratio is 6.6. Approaches using interstitial water chemistry gave lower ratios. The average value using correlations between dissolved oxygen and nitrate was 8.1. The same approach using total CO2 and nitrate gave an average of 9.1. Due to difficulties in unambiguously interpreting the solid phase data we favor the ratios obtained from the pore water analyses. The rate of organic matter decomposition can be obtained from model calculations using the dissolved oxygen and solid organic carbon data. Most gradients occur in the upper 10 to 20 cm of the sediments. Assuming that bioturbation is more important than sedimentation we have calculated first order rate constants. The average values using organic carbon and dissolved oxygen was 3.9 kyr− and 4.2 kyr− respectively using a biological mixing coefficient of 100 cm2 kyr−1. These rate constants decrease in direct proportions to the mixing coefficient.
Why not use

This chapter argues that pursuing use as the defining goal for evaluation can distort the allocation of evaluation resources and reduce the contributions of evaluation to broader social goals, such as social betterment.
What Aspects of Galaxy Environment Matter

We determine what aspects of the density field surrounding galaxies most affect their properties. For Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxies, we measure the group environment, meaning the host group luminosity and the distance from the group center (hereafter "groupocentric distance"). For comparison, we measure the surrounding density field on scales ranging from 100 h-1 kpc to 10 h-1 Mpc. We use the relationship between color and group environment to test the null hypothesis that only the group environment matters, searching for a residual dependence of properties on the surrounding density. Generally, red galaxies are slightly more clustered on small scales (~100-300 h-1 kpc) than the null hypothesis predicts, possibly indicating that substructure within groups has some importance. At large scales (>1 h-1 Mpc), the actual projected correlation functions of galaxies are biased at less than the 5% level with respect to the null hypothesis predictions. We exclude strongly the converse null hypothesis: that only the surrounding density (on any scale) matters. These results generally encourage the use of the halo model description of galaxy bias, which models the galaxy distribution as a function of host halo mass alone. We compare these results to proposed galaxy formation scenarios within the cold dark matter cosmological model.
Mortality and repellent effects of microbial pathogens on Coptotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Background Two entomopathogenic fungi, Isaria fumosorosea and Metarhizium anisopliae, and one bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, were tested for their ability to cause mortality of Formosan subterranean termites (FST), Coptotermes formosanus (Shiraki), after liquid exposure, and for their lack of propensity to repel FST.
Examining Loss Aversion for Quality Versus Loss Aversion for Price

This paper focuses on an important issue in brand choice: Is loss aversion for quality greater than loss aversion for price, or vice versa? Using existing research findings as a starting point, the study shows that it is important to use a common metric before reaching conclusions about the role of relative loss aversion for price and quality on a dependent variable of interest. Based on this procedure, the paper reexamines the conclusion on the relative loss aversion for price and quality from the existing research. In addition, using numerical simulations, the paper illustrates some boundary conditions of the relative magnitudes of loss aversion for price and quality. Managerial and research implications of the findings are delineated.
Completion pancreatectomy and duodenectomy for recurrent MEN-1 pancreaticoduodenal endocrine neoplasms.

Background The purpose of this study is to describe outcomes of MEN-1 patients with recurrence requiring completion pancreatectomy and duodenectomy after initial treatment of pancreatic endocrine neoplasms (PENs) and hypergastrinemia with distal pancreatectomy, enucleation of pancreatic head PENs, and duodenotomy. Methods After undergoing this initial operation, 8 of 49 patients (16%) have required completion pancreatectomy and duodenectomy for recurrent PENs and hypergastrinemia. Retrospective review was performed. Results Median age was 39 years (27–51) at completion pancreatectomy compared to 31 years (20–40) at initial operation. Pathology revealed multiple PENs in 100%, duodenal neoplasms in 63%, and metastatic lymph nodes in 75%. There was no operative mortality and 88% of patients are currently alive. Preoperative gastrin levels were 934 ± 847 pg/mL while postoperative levels are 93 ± 79 pg/mL (normal 25–111 pg/mL). Mean Hemoglobin A1C levels are 8.3 ± 3.3% (normal 3.8%–6.4%). Mean follow-up is 44 ± 25 months. Conclusion This initial operation may provide tumor control and prevent metastases but recurrent PENs are multifocal and progressive. Completion pancreatectomy and duodenectomy is arduous but outcomes are acceptable. Considering the radical nature of this treatment, individual consideration should be given to MEN-1 patients amenable to initial alternative pancreatic resections that preserve pancreatic mass and allow future pancreas-preserving reoperations.
Regional and Global Fault Slip Rates from Seismicity

Rates of fault slip calculated from the seismicity of the world's chief seismic regions agree well with the predictions of “rigid plate tectonics”. Global fault activity seems to have decreased fivefold in the past seventy years, indicating that earthquakes are coupled on a global scale within decades. This article also discusses the possible recurrence of a period of high activity.
Use of an in vitro system to study the effects of lead on astrocyte-endothelial cell interactions: A model for studying toxic injury to the blood-brain barrier

Abstract We investigated the effect of inorganic lead on the interaction of immature rat astrocytes and bovine adrenal endothelial cells. The two cell types were cultured alone and in coculture in the presence or absence of lead acetate for up to 1 week. A battery of cell specific markers was used for cell identification. Newborn Sprague-Dawley rat brain astrocytes were more sensitive than bovine adrenal endothelial cells to the cytotoxic effects of 10–50 μ m lead acetate, as demonstrated by a decrease in cell number and by the presence of intracellular vacuoles and detached cells. The number of astrocytes decreased to 50% of control after 4 days in culture at a concentration of 10 μ m lead. In contrast, a mitogenic effect of lead was observed on the endothelial cells at this concentration, with an increase in cell number to 110% of control. In coculture, the two cell types demonstrated a distinctive cellular organization and the astrocytes were less sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of lead than when they were cultured alone. A lead-enhanced induction of a neural capillary enzyme activity, γ-GTP, was detected histochemically in the coculture system. These results are consistent with a maturing of differentiating effect of the endothelial cells on the astrocytes, making them less susceptible to lead and mature enough to induce γ-GTP activity in the endothelial cells.
Both LRP5 and LRP6 Receptors Are Required to Respond to Physiological Wnt Ligands in Mammary Epithelial Cells and Fibroblasts

A canonical Wnt signal maintains adult mammary ductal stem cell activity, and this signal requires the Wnt signaling reception, LRP5. However, previous data from our laboratory have shown that LRP5 and LRP6 are co-expressed in mammary basal cells and that LRP6 is active, leading us to question why LRP6 is insufficient to mediate canonical signaling in the absence of LRP5. Here, we show that at endogenous levels of LRP5 and LRP6 both receptors are required to signal in response to some Wnt ligands both in vitro (in mouse embryonic fibroblasts and mammary epithelial cells) and in vivo (in mammary outgrowths). This subgroup of canonical ligands includes Wnt1, Wnt9b, and Wnt10b; the latter two are expressed in mammary gland. In contrast, the ligand commonly used experimentally, Wnt3a, prefers LRP6 and requires just one receptor regardless of cellular context. When either LRP5 or LRP6 is overexpressed, signaling remains ligand-dependent, but the requirement for both receptors is abrogated (regardless of ligand type). We have documented an LRP5-6 heteromer using immiscible filtration assisted by surface tension (IFAST) immunoprecipitation. Together, our data imply that under physiological conditions some Wnt ligands require both receptors to be present to generate a canonical signal. We have designed a model to explain our results based on the resistance of LRP5-6 heteromers to a selective inhibitor of E1/2-binding Wnt-LRP6 interaction. These data have implications for stem cell biology and for the analysis of the oncogenicity of LRP receptors that are often overexpressed in breast tumors.
Depersonalization in Response to Life-Threatening Danger

Abstract Basic features of depersonalization, including alterations in the experience of time, emotion, sensation, volition, reality, memory, attachment, and space, were elicited from 101 persons who had encountered life-threatening danger. Sixty-six per cent reported five or more of these features pointing to the extremely frequent appearance of this adaptive mechanism under dangerous circumstances. Contrasting effects were reported by depersonalized individuals that appeared to reflect heightened arousal on the one hand and attenuation of potentially disorganizing emotion on the other. A dissociation between an observing and a participating self was hypothesized to account for these fundamental alterations in the experience of the self and its immediate environment.
Using integer clocks to verify clock-synchronization protocols

We use the Uppaal model checker for timed automata to verify the Timing-Sync time-synchronization protocol for sensor networks (TPSN), the clock-synchronization algorithm of Lenzen, Locher and Wattenhofer (LLW) for general distributed systems, and the clock-thread technique of the software monitoring with controllable overhead algorithm (SMCO). Clock-synchronization algorithms such as TPSN, LLW, and SMCO must be able to perform arithmetic on clock values to calculate clock drift and network propagation delays. They must also be able to read the value of a local clock and assign it to another local clock. Such operations are not directly supported by the theory of timed automata. To overcome this formal-modeling obstacle, we augment the Uppaal specification language with the integer clock-derived type. Integer clocks, which are essentially integer variables that are periodically incremented by a global pulse generator, greatly facilitate the encoding of the operations required to synchronize clocks as in the TPSN, LLW, and SMCO protocols. With these integer-clock-based models in hand, we use Uppaal to verify a number of key correctness properties, including network-wide time synchronization, bounded clock skew, bounded overhead skew, and absence of deadlock. We also use the Uppaal Tracer tool to illustrate how integer clocks can be used to capture clock drift and resynchronization during protocol execution.
Heart Failure in Pregnancy

With increasing maternal age and the presence of comorbid conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular assessment and monitoring is the responsibility of all clinicians caring for pregnant patients. Furthermore, there are specific conditions, such as mitral stenosis, peripartum cardiomyopathy, and preeclampsia, that can be associated with heart failure and secondary maternal (and fetal) mortality and morbidity. The important causes of heart failure in pregnancy are discussed.
Enhanced haloperidol-induced prolactin stimulation with chronic neuroleptic treatment in the rat

Abstract Animals were treated either acutely, or chronically for 21 days, with a low dose (0.1 mg/kg) of haloperidol, then sacrificed to obtain trunk blood for radioimuno-assay of prolactin (PRL) level. PRL concentrations on day 21 of chronic treatment were greater than two-fold those produced by acute neuroleptic. Challenge with apormorphine to rats withdrawn for 48 hours revealed similar PRL reductions as a group withdrawn from chronic vehicle injections.
Zweideutigkeit about “Zweideutigkeit”: Sommerfeld, Pauli, and the methodological origins of quantum mechanics

Abstract In early 1925, Wolfgang Pauli (1900–1958) published the paper for which he is now most famous and for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1945. The paper detailed what we now know as his “exclusion principle.” This essay situates the work leading up to Pauli's principle within the traditions of the “Sommerfeld School,” led by Munich University's renowned theorist and teacher, Arnold Sommerfeld (1868–1951). Offering a substantial corrective to previous accounts of the birth of quantum mechanics, which have tended to sideline Sommerfeld's work, it is suggested here that both the method and the content of Pauli's paper drew substantially on the work of the Sommerfeld School in the early 1920s. Part One describes Sommerfeld's turn away from a faith in the power of model-based (modellmassig) methods in his early career towards the use of a more phenomenological emphasis on empirical regularities (Gesetzmassigkeiten) during precisely the period that both Pauli and Werner Heisenberg (1901–1976), among others, were his students. Part two delineates the importance of Sommerfeld's phenomenology to Pauli's methods in the exclusion principle paper, a paper that also eschewed modellmassig approaches in favour of a stress on Gesetzmassigkeiten. In terms of content, a focus on Sommerfeld's work reveals the roots of Pauli's understanding of the fundamental Zweideutigkeit (ambiguity) involving the quantum number of electrons within the atom. The conclusion points to the significance of these results to an improved historical understanding of the origin of aspects of Heisenberg's 1925 paper on the “Quantum-theoretical Reformulation (Umdeutung) of Kinematical and Mechanical Relations.”
Sleep Patterns in Patients With Huntington's Disease and Their Unaffected First-Degree Relatives: A Brief Report

Polysomnographic sleep patterns in Huntington's disease (HD) have been studied sporadically in small groups of patients, providing variable results. In this study, by comparing the polysomnographic sleep patterns of HD patients and their unaffected relatives, identifying sleep traits more specifically related to the HD gene was attempted. The results corroborated previously reported findings of prolonged sleep latency and the virtual absence of nocturnal respiratory disturbances in early HD. Sleep latency in the HD patients positively correlated with the results of a screening test for frontal lobe dysfunction. Larger, more standardized studies will be needed to correlate genetic markers and sleep patterns in HD.
Morbidity of prostate biopsy after simplified versus complex preparation protocols: assessment of risk factors.

Objective To determine whether prostate biopsy complications were affected by 2 varying prebiospy protocols implemented at our institution. Although transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided prostate biopsy is considered generally safe, it is associated with significant complications. Methods We retrospectively evaluated a total of 1438 TRUS-guided prostate biopsies between January 2001 and June 2008. In group A, 931 men had only one dose of a quinolone antibiotic immediately before the procedure, and no enema was performed. In group B, 507 men who underwent a prebiopsy enema and were given oral antibiotics starting the day before the procedure for 3 days. We analyzed demographics and biopsy complications between the 2 groups. Results The overall complication rates were categorized as infection (2.2%), urine retention (0.8%), hematuria (4.4%), rectal bleeding (1.5%), sepsis (0.2%). There was no significant statistical difference in the incidence of infection or sepsis between the 2 groups (2.7% vs 1.4%, P = .157 and 0.1% vs 0.4%, P = .285 respectively, for group A vs B). Both hematuria and hematospermia were more common in group B (2.5% vs 7.9%, P P P = .003) and acute urinary retention (odds ratio = 4.45, 95% confidence interval = 2.01–9.84, P Conclusions This study demonstrates that a single antibiotic dose before prostate biopsy may be sufficient. In addition, use of prebiopsy enemas is unnecessary to decrease overall complication rates.
Proteomic profiling of cardiac tissue by isolation of nuclei tagged in specific cell types (INTACT)

The proper dissection of the molecular mechanisms governing the specification and differentiation of specific cell types requires isolation of pure cell populations from heterogeneous tissues and whole organisms. Here, we describe a method for purification of nuclei from defined cell or tissue types in vertebrate embryos using INTACT (isolation of nuclei tagged in specific cell types). This method, previously developed in plants, flies and worms, utilizes in vivo tagging of the nuclear envelope with biotin and the subsequent affinity purification of the labeled nuclei. In this study we successfully purified nuclei of cardiac and skeletal muscle from Xenopus using this strategy. We went on to demonstrate the utility of this approach by coupling the INTACT approach with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) proteomic methodologies to profile proteins expressed in the nuclei of developing hearts. From these studies we have identified the Xenopus orthologs of 12 human proteins encoded by genes, which when mutated in human lead to congenital heart disease. Thus, by combining these technologies we are able to identify tissue-specific proteins that are expressed and required for normal vertebrate organ development.
Synthesis of ketenes from carboxylic acids on functionalized silica monoliths at short contact times

We have synthesized ketene and dimethylketene by dehydration of acetic acid and isobutyric acid, respectively, over functionalized silica monoliths at contact times of 10 to 100 ms. Molar yields of ketene and dimethylketene of 79 and 87% per pass, respectively, are routinely achieved. These results indicate that the control of contact time is a valid strategy for maximizing yield in catalytic ketene synthesis.
Flexible bronchoscopy in lung transplantation.

In the last decade lung transplantation has become a realistic option for selected patients with many end-stage lung diseases. Annual activity has steadily increased, and the results have been good. The limitations, however, have become apparent, too. The principal causes of morbidity and mortality after lung transplantation have been infection and allograft rejection, but the bronchial anastomosis is still a vulnerable site. Because of its diagnostic and therapeutic versatility, bronchoscopy plays a central role in the management of lung transplant recipients.
Approaching Religious Diversity: Barriers, Byways, and Beginnings

When we met in San Francisco in 1978, I presented my first paper to this association (published as Warner 1979), and in it I complained of theoretical barriers sociologists had erected that made it difficult to understand evangelical Christianity. Nineteen years later, I still have a complaint, but today I also want to offer some words of appreciation. In 1978, my complaint was about a misleading literature, and in the intervening years our understanding of evangelicalism has been enormously advanced through the efforts of such scholars as Nancy Ammerman (1987) and Randall Balmer (1993). Today, my complaint is about a mostly nonexistent literature on new religious diversity in the United States,1 but I will report significant beginnings to fill that lacuna. My topic the form of diversity I've been most concerned with over the past five years is the religious institutions of new immigrant and ethnic groups, a provisional category that might be roughly defined as people from what we in the US used to call the Third World. I include people from east, southeast, and south Asia, the Middle East and Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America; Filipinos, Koreans, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indians, Pakistanis, Iranians, Arabs, North Africans, Nigerians, Jamaicans, Haitians, Dominicans, Guatemalans, Salvadorans, and Mexicans, to name some of the most numerous groups. I also include Puerto Ricans in this category despite the fact that they are US citizens, because, to quote the late Joseph Fitzpatrick (1980:858), "the island language and culture are foreign to most of the mainland [and thus] migration involves a cultural transition differing little from that experienced by immigrants coming
Commentary: Relative Presence of Business-to-Business Research in the Marketing Literature: The Demand-Oriented Path Forward

In this article we discuss the relative presence of business-to-business (B2B) research in the marketing literature. We concur that B2B research is underrepresented in marketing literature and business school curricula. Avenues for remedy, improvement, and future research are presented.
Deviations from ideal sublimation vapor pressure behavior in mixtures of polycyclic aromatic compounds with interacting heteroatoms

Despite the relatively small atomic fraction of a given heteroatom in a binary mixture of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC), the presence of heteroatoms can significantly impact mixture vapor pressure behavior over a wide range of temperatures. The vapor pressures of several binary PAC mixtures containing various heteroatoms show a range of behavior, from practically ideal behavior following Raoult’s law to significant deviations from ideality depending on the heteroatoms present. Mixtures were synthesized using the quench-cool technique with equimolar amounts of two PAC, both containing heteroatoms such as aldehyde, carboxyl, nitrogen, and sulfur substituent groups. For some mixtures, deviation from ideality is inversely related to temperature, though in other cases we see deviation from ideality increasing with temperature, whereas some appear independent of temperature. Most commonly we see lower vapor pressures than predicted by Raoult’s Law, which indicates that the interacting heteroatoms prefer the solid mixture phase as opposed to the vapor phase. Although negative deviations predominate from Raoult’s Law, the varying mixtures investigated show both higher and lower enthalpies and entropies of sublimation than predicted. In each mixture, a higher enthalpy of sublimation leads to higher entropy of sublimation than predicted, and vice versa.
Azeotropic Distillation in a Middle Vessel Batch Column. 2. Nonlinear Separation Boundaries

On the basis of the analytical tools developed for the middle vessel column (MVC) operated under limiting conditions, analysis of the qualitative dynamics of the MVC in separating an azeotropic mixture is extended to the more realistic case in which the separation boundaries are nonlinear. The differences between batch stripper pot composition boundaries and batch rectifier pot composition being able to cross these pot composition boundaries. On the basis of these insights, operating procedures are developed in which ternary azeotropic mixtures of acetone, benzene, and chloroform can be separated into their constituent pure components, a separation not achievable with either the batch stripper or the batch rectifier. The operating procedures suggested for separating the ternary azeotropic mixture of acetone, benzene, and chloroform in the MVC are then shown to be the time analogues of sequences of continuous distillation columns that achieve the same separation. On the basis of this space-time analogy, further analogies are developed between the MVC and a continuous column, and it is postulated that many complex separations currently achieved with sequences of continuous columns can also be achieved with a single MVC. Thus, the MVC represents the ultimate multipurpose solvent recovery technology, as it can handle, inmore » a batch multipurpose mode. separations that will otherwise require a dedicated continuous distillation sequence. Finally, the characteristics of perfect MVC batch entrainers, which allow the complete separation of any azeotrope into its constituent pure components in a single MVC, are discussed.« less
Imaging system design for surgical guidance with near-infrared autofluorescence

We present a study to evaluate and compare three near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging systems designed to provide intraoperative guidance around anatomical structures. The three systems adapted specifically for the application of endogenous NIR fluorescence detection were (1) a photomultiplier tube based NIR viewer, (2) a thermoelectrically cooled electron-multiplying charge-coupled device (CCD) camera, and (3) a clinical endoscope CCD camera system. Each system was evaluated on the basis of ease-of-use, cost, and system performance. The cooled CCD camera showed the highest contrast ratio, but is limited in utility by its bulk interface and high cost. The clinical endoscope camera showed flexibility in its field-of-view and provides the benefit of being sterilized to allow easy integration into the surgical suite; however, it exhibits signal nonlinearity that would distort quantitative analysis. The NIR viewer shows optimal performance, exhibiting high spatial resolution, linearity, and sufficient contrast to differentiate between tissue types. This low-cost design proves to be the optimal system for parathyroid detection, offering ease-of-use in a surgical setting while meeting system performance requirements.
Heliospheric, Astrospheric, and Interstellar Lyα Absorption toward 36 Ophiuchi

We use high-resolution UV spectra taken by the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph instrument on board the Hubble Space Telescope to study the 5.5 pc line of sight to the K0 V star 36 Oph A. The one interstellar component detected for this line of sight has a velocity inconsistent with the local interstellar cloud (LIC) flow vector but consistent with the flow vector of the so-called G cloud, a very nearby warm cloud in the Galactic center direction. From our data, we measure the following values for the interstellar temperature, nonthermal velocity, H I column density, and D/H value: T = 5900 ± 500 K, ξ = 2.2 ± 0.2 km s-1, log NH = 17.85 ± 0.15, and D/H = (1.5 ± 0.5) × 10-5. The temperature of the G cloud is somewhat lower than that of the LIC, and Mg and Fe depletions are also lower, but the D/H value appears to be the same. Based on upper limits for the LIC absorption, we estimate the distance to the edge of the LIC to be dedge < 0.19 pc, which the Sun will reach in tedge < 7400 yr. The H I Lyα absorption line has properties inconsistent with those of the other absorption lines, indicating the presence of one or more absorption components not seen in the other lines. We present evidence that hot neutral hydrogen local to both the Sun and the star is responsible for the excess Lyα absorption. This hot H I is created by the interaction between the ISM and the winds of the Sun and 36 Oph A. The observed line of sight lies only 12° from the upwind direction of the LIC flow vector, where hydrodynamic models of the heliosphere suggest that heliospheric H I absorption should be particularly prominent. The properties of the heliospheric absorption (T = 38,000 ± 8000 K and log NH = 14.6 ± 0.3) are consistent with previous measurements of this absorption for the α Cen line of sight 52° from the upwind direction.
Depressive symptoms in patients with type 2 diabetes in the ambulatory care setting: Opportunities to improve outcomes in the course of routine care

Objectives To assess the frequency of untreated, self-reported depressive symptoms in a cross section of adult ambulatory patients with type 2 diabetes and to identify demographic and/or clinical characteristics associated with depressive symptoms in study patients. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Three ambulatory care clinics in the southwestern United States in fall 2005. Patients 217 primary care patients aged 18 years or older with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Intervention Administration of the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (Zung SDS). Main outcomes measures Self-reported data on demographic characteristics and depressive symptoms. Data for insurance, comorbid conditions, and glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) values were abstracted from patient charts. Results Depressive symptoms (Zung SDS score ≥50) were identified in 72.1% of patients. Overall, 13% of the patients with a diagnosis of depression (based on patient charts) were not receiving treatment. Factors significantly associated with depressive symptoms were past history of depression (β = 0.53, P P P Conclusion The results suggest that possible undetected or untreated depression can be assessed in patients with type 2 diabetes through use of a self-rating scale in the course of routine ambulatory care. Adding the Zung SDS screen to routine care protocols could facilitate improved detection and treatment of comorbid depression in ambulatory patients with type 2 diabetes.
Epidermal growth factor receptor is not amplified in schwannomas

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a tyrosine kinase receptor of the ErbB family. This family of receptors plays an active role in cellular growth and mitogenesis. It is well established that the overexpression of ErbB receptors in human cancers, most commonly because of true genomic amplification, correlates with a more aggressive clinical course. There is limited data published on the expression and amplification of EGFR in schwannomas. Both neurofibromas and schwannomas are capable of progression to malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs). A subset of human MPNSTs, both NF-1–related and sporadic, overexpress EGFR via true genomic amplification of the short arm of chromosome 7 (7p12). The goal of this study is to assess whether EGFR is expressed and/or amplified in human schwannomas. Twenty schwannomas in 12 women and 8 men (mean age, 51 years) were analyzed for EGFR expression via immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization. None of the 20 cases were positive for EGFR expression via immunohistochemistry; 3 tumors showed focal nonspecific Golgi staining. None of the cases demonstrated true genomic amplification of the EGFR region via fluorescence in situ hybridization. The mitogenic signaling for schwannomas is unlikely to be related to overexpression or amplification of EGFR; however, acquiring this signaling pathway might contribute to the progression of a subset of benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors to MPNST.
Thermally modulated nano-trampoline material as smart skin for gas molecular mass detection

Conventional multi-component gas analysis is based either on laser spectroscopy, laser and photoacoustic absorption at specific wavelengths, or on gas chromatography by separating the components of a gas mixture primarily due to boiling point (or vapor pressure) differences. This paper will present a new gas molecular mass detection method based on thermally modulated nano-trampoline material as smart skin for gas molecular mass detection by fiber Bragg grating-based gas sensors. Such a nanomaterial and fiber Bragg grating integrated sensing device has been designed to be operated either at high-energy level (highly thermal strained status) or at low-energy level (low thermal strained status). Thermal energy absorption of gas molecular trigs the sensing device transition from high-thermal-energy status to low-thermal- energy status. Experiment has shown that thermal energy variation due to gas molecular thermal energy absorption is dependent upon the gas molecular mass, and can be detected by fiber Bragg resonant wavelength shift with a linear function from 17 kg/kmol to 32 kg/kmol and a sensitivity of 0.025 kg/kmol for a 5 micron-thick nano-trampoline structure and fiber Bragg grating integrated gas sensing device. The laboratory and field validation data have further demonstrated its fast response characteristics and reliability to be online gas analysis instrument for measuring effective gas molecular mass from single-component gas, binary-component gas mixture, and multi-gas mixture. The potential industrial applications include fouling and surge control for gas charge centrifugal compressor ethylene production, gas purity for hydrogen-cooled generator, gasification for syngas production, gasoline/diesel and natural gas fuel quality monitoring for consumer market.
Divergence of the SigB regulon and pathogenesis of the Bacillus cereus sensu lato group

The Bacillus cereus sensu lato group currently includes seven species (B. cereus, B. anthracis, B. mycoides, B. pseudomycoides, B. thuringiensis, B. weihenstephanensis and B. cytotoxicus) that recent phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses suggest are likely a single species, despite their varied phenotypes. Although horizontal gene transfer and insertion-deletion events are clearly important for promoting divergence among these genomes, recent studies have demonstrated that a major basis for phenotypic diversity in these organisms may be differential regulation of the highly similar gene content shared by these organisms. To explore this hypothesis, we used an in silico approach to evaluate the relationship of pathogenic potential and the divergence of the SigB-dependent general stress response within the B. cereus sensu lato group, since SigB has been demonstrated to support pathogenesis in Bacillus, Listeria and Staphylococcus species. During the divergence of these organisms from a common “SigB-less” ancestor, the placement of SigB promoters at varied locations in the B. cereus sensu lato genomes predict alternative structures for the SigB regulon in different organisms. Predicted promoter changes suggesting differential transcriptional control of a common gene pool predominate over evidence of indels or horizontal gene transfer for explaining SigB regulon divergence. Four lineages of the SigB regulon have arisen that encompass different gene contents and suggest different strategies for supporting pathogenesis. This is consistent with the hypothesis that divergence within the B. cereus sensu lato group rests in part on alternative strategies for regulation of a common gene pool.
Magnetic focusing of redox molecules at ferromagnetic microelectrodes

The electrochemical behavior of Fe and Ni disk-shaped microelectrodes (25 to 250 μm radius) in a uniform magnetic field (1 T) is reported. Magnetization of the ferromagnetic microelectrode generates a magnetic field gradient across the depletion layer that can be used to focus paramagnetic molecules toward the electrode surface. The magnetic force acting on the depletion layer is given by F∇B=(χ/μ)B·∇B, where χ and μ are the volume magnetic susceptibility and magnetic permeability of the depletion layer, respectively, and B is the magnetic field. Magnetic field focusing of the nitrobenzene radical anion at Fe and Ni microelectrodes is demonstrated.
The Annual Cycle and Interannual Variability in the Tropical Pacific and Indian Ocean Regions

Abstract The annual cycle of outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), clouds, precipitation and sea level pressure is studied from satellite and station data in the tropical Indian and Pacific sectors. A region of heavy convection, termed the tropical convective maximum, moves from north to south and west to cast in the Indian and Pacific sectors as the mean annual cycle proceeds from northern summer to northern winter. During its return excursion northwestward from northern winter to northern summer in the Indian sector, it is not as strong as in the preceding half of the annual cycle. To study interannual fluctuations of the annual cycle in these regions, Indian monsoon rainfall is chosen as an indicator of precipitation and convection in the summer monsoon region. Relatively strong and weak years of monsoon rainfall are selected and used as a starting point to follow the evolution of the annual cycle in the two sets of years. More than two-thirds of the monsoon seasons since 1900 are classified as either rel...
The Effects of an Amino Acid Supplement on Glucose Homeostasis, Inflammatory Markers, and Incretins after Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass

Background Protein supplements are routinely used after a laparoscopic gastric bypass (LGB). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of an amino acid supplement on glucose homeostasis and hormonal and inflammatory markers after LGB. Study Design Thirty patients undergoing LGB were randomized to receive or not 24 g of an oral supplement containing a leucine metabolite, glutamine, and arginine twice daily. Changes in weight, glucose, insulin, C-peptide, insulin sensitivity, interleukin (IL) 6, C-reactive protein (CRP), leptin, insulin-like growth factor (IGF) 1, ghrelin, and incretins were assessed preoperatively and 2 weeks and 8 weeks postoperatively. Results Thirty patients (96.7% female, age 46.9 ± 8.4 years, body mass index 43.3 ± 4.1 kg/m 2 ) were randomized. The experimental (n = 14) and control (n = 16) groups were not significantly different at baseline . Weight loss was similar for the 2 groups. Fasting glucose decreased significantly at 2 and 8 weeks compared with base line (p Conclusions An amino acid supplement had no effect on the early postoperative incretins after LGB. It may have a negative influence on glucose kinetics and degree of inflammation. Future studies are needed to clarify these effects.
The quiz electrocardiogram: a new diagnostic and research technique for evaluating the relation between emotional stress and ischemic heart disease.

Abstract To evaluate possible cardiovascular effects of emotional stress, a specially designed 12 minute tape-recorded stress quiz was administered to 43 subjects while blood pressure and the electrocardiogram were monitored. For the entire group, the heart rate and blood pressure rose from respective control levels of 76 beats/min and 136 87 mm Hg to a mean during the quiz of 87 beats/min and 158 94 mm Hg . This difference was highly significant. Of the 43 subjects, 33 were classified as executives and 10 as nonexecutives. There were three groups of executives: control and angina with and without a history of hypertension. Both groups of executives with angina responded with a significantly higher heart rate than that of the executive control group. Blood pressure response was significantly greater in executives with angina and hypertension than in the other groups. Heart rate and systolic blood pressure responses to the quiz were lower in nonexecutives with angina than in executives with angina. During the quiz, 10 of 14 executives with angina had S-T segment depression greater than 0.5 mm; of these, 7 evidenced greater than 1.0 mm depression, and in 3 of these the depression was greater than 1.5 mm and in 2 greater than or equal to 2.0 mm. None of the executive control subjects had S-T depression greater than 0.5 mm. Among nonexecutives, 2 had S-T depression greater than 0.5 mm but none greater than 1.0 mm S-T depression. Seventeen of the patients also were given a bicycle exercise tolerance test. There was a significant correlation between S-T depression in response to exercise and to the quiz ( r = 0.63; P The quiz electrocardiogram is presented as a new research technique and diagnostic test for evaluating the relation of emotional stress to ischemic heart disease.
DEVICE FOR APPLYING INTERNAL PRESSURE TO CYLINDRICAL SPECIMENS

A text fixture was developed to apply internal pressure to cylindrical specimens. The agreement between the calculated and measured strain from the hoop and longitudinal gages from the aluminum specimen and the hoop gages from the human bone specimens suggest the test fixture does apply and maintain hoop stress to cylindrical specimens. This test fixture in the future may be used to model the transverse viscoelastic behavior of human bone.