cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of 3% vs. 23.4% Hypertonic Saline in Traumatic Brain Injury

Background: Hypertonic saline (HTS) is an effective treatment for patients with increased intracranial pressure (ICP) secondary to traumatic brain injury (TBI). The ideal concentration for use in these patients is not well defined. The aim of our study was to compare Glasgow coma scale (GCS) and mortality of patients after administration of 3% vs. 23.4% HTS in the initial resuscitation. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients admitted to the surgical intensive care unit (ICU) under the trauma service with a diagnosis of TBI who received HTS during initial resuscitation. Patient medical records were reviewed to collect data including in-hospital mortality, ICU length of stay, hospital length of stay, GCS at the time of admission and discharge, serum sodium and serum osmolality values at 24, 48 and 72 h after arrival, acute kidney injury and severe hypernatremia. Results: Patients >= 18 years of age admitted to trauma ICU with a diagnosis of TBI. Pregnant, incarcerated, or non-traumatic intracranial hemorrhage patients were excluded. Thirty-one patients were included in the study. The 3% arm included 21 patients, and 23.4% arm had 10 patients. All patients received 3% HTS continuous infusion following initial bolus. Median injury severity scores (ISS) were 22 vs. 25 in the 3% vs. 23.4% HTS groups, respectively (P = 0.37). There was no difference in in-hospital mortality between the two groups (52.4% vs. 50.0%, P = 0.45). There was a significant improvement in GCS at discharge, 8.3% vs. 44.4% in 3% HTS vs. 23.4% HTS arms, respectively (P = 0.029). Patients reaching goal serum sodium and serum osmolality at 24 h was significantly higher in the 23.4% group (33.3% vs. 70.0%; P = 0.028 and 35.7% vs. 77.8%; P = 0.026, respectively). Significant increase in incidence of severe hypernatremia in the 23.4% arm was noted (0.0% vs. 40.0%, P = 0.009). Conclusion: This study demonstrates no significant difference in in-hospital mortality for patients who received 3% vs. 23.4% HTS. Significantly higher percentage of patients receiving 23.4% HTS reached goal serum sodium and osmolality levels at 24 h with a concomitant significantly increased rate of severe hypernatremia. J Curr Surg. 2019;9(4):39-44 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jcs389 Â
Preliminary Evaluation of Dynamic Knee Valgus and Serum Relaxin Concentrations After ACL Reconstruction.

Background Athletes who have sustained a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are at a greater risk of re-tear and of developing other adverse outcomes, such as knee osteoarthritis, compared with uninjured athletes. Relaxin, a peptide hormone similar in structure to insulin, has been shown to interfere with the structural integrity of the ACL in female individuals. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate dynamic knee valgus and the serum relaxin concentration (SRC) in athletes who had previously sustained a torn ACL and in those who had not. Methods The study included 22 female athletes, divided into 2 groups: those who had previously sustained a torn ACL (4 participants; torn ACL in the dominant leg in all cases) and those who had not (18 participants). Kinematic data were collected at 100 Hz. To assess dynamic knee valgus, participants performed a single-leg squat, a single-leg crossover dropdown, and a drop vertical jump at 2 time points in the menstrual cycle of the patient, pre-ovulatory and mid-luteal. SRC was determined with use of the Human Relaxin-2 Immunoassay using a blood sample obtained during the mid-luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Results Independent samples t tests were utilized to compare the differences in dynamic knee valgus and SRC between groups. For the single-leg squat, participants with a prior torn ACL were found to have significantly higher dynamic knee valgus at the mid-luteal phase but not at the pre-ovulatory phase. For the drop vertical jump and single-leg crossover dropdown, participants with a prior torn ACL were found to have significantly higher dynamic knee valgus at both the pre-ovulatory and mid-luteal phases. SRC was also significantly higher among participants with a prior torn ACL. Conclusions Participants who had previously sustained a torn ACL had higher SRC and more dynamic knee valgus compared with those who had not. Further investigation of the effects of hormones as a risk factor for reinjury in participants with a prior ACL tear may be worthwhile. In addition, it may be worth monitoring hormonal and biomechanical properties in athletes during the long-term recovery from ACL reconstruction. Level of evidence Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
One stage or two? A cohort analysis of anterior–posterior spinal fusions for severe pediatric scoliosis

Retrospective case-series study of prospectively collected data. We sought to identify the differences in outcomes between one-stage (single surgical episode) and two­stage (separate day) anterior and posterior spinal fusion and segmental spinal instrumentation surgeries in severe non-idiopathic and idiopathic scoliosis cases. Patients with severe pediatric spine deformity may require combined anterior and posterior fusion procedures. Given their increased complexity and morbidity, surgeons may consider staging these procedures on separate days. A retrospective cohort study was performed on a prospective Pediatric Spine Database. Patients 21 years of age or under with pediatric scoliosis who underwent primary anterior and posterior spinal deformity correction surgery either through a one-stage or planned two-stage sequence with greater than 2-year follow-up were included. Differences in demographics, comorbidities, surgical details, perioperative morbidity, complications, and outcomes were assessed based on scoliosis etiology. Multivariate models were utilized to control for confounders. There were 70 non-idiopathic (14 two-stage vs. 56 one-stage) and 65 idiopathic scoliosis (8 two-stage vs. 57 one-stage) patients. Mean follow-up was 90.1 ± 54.7 months. In non-idiopathic scoliosis patients, two-stage surgery was independently associated with a 140-min increased surgical time (95% confidence interval: 52–229 min, p = 0.002) and an 8.2-day (95% confidence interval: 2.3–14.1 days, p = 0.007) increased hospital length of stay. In idiopathic scoliosis patients, two-stage surgery was independently associated with a 2108 ml increase in crystalloid use (95% confidence interval: 834–3381 ml p = 0.002) and a 5.3-day increased hospital length of stay (95% confidence interval: 4.0–6.5 days, p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in blood loss, transfusions, complications, or post-operative curves on multivariate analysis between one-stage and two-stage surgery cohorts in either non-idiopathic or idiopathic scoliosis patient groups. Two-stage surgery was associated with increased crystalloid use in idiopathic scoliosis patients and longer operative times in non-idiopathic scoliosis patients, and longer hospital length of stay in both populations, without significant difference in complications or deformity correction. In the appropriate patient, one-stage anterior–posterior scoliosis surgery may be preferable to two-stage surgery. Level III Retrospective Comparative Study
Effect of Glass Ceiling on the Earning Factor: A Case of UK

The aim of this research has been to examine the impact of glass ceiling on the earning factor. The case of organisations that are operating in UK have considered in this study. The use of quantitative research design has been made in this study along with primary data collection through survey questionnaire. The data was analysed through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) model on SmartPLS. It has been found that beliefs, culture, policy, self-perception and willingness to work have a significant and positive effect on earning factor, whereas ability to work, work-life balance and stereotypes were found to have insignificant effect on earning factor. The entire study was based on UK, thus the scope of this research has been more broad and generalised, as all those organisations that are operating in UK have been assessed. However, future researchers can narrow down the research scope to any particular industry or organisation to provide more concise and conclusive results.
Microfluidics-Coupled Radioluminescence Microscopy for In Vitro Radiotracer Kinetic Studies.

Integrated bioassay systems that combine microfluidics and radiation detectors can deliver medical radiopharmaceuticals to live cells with precise timing, while minimizing radiation dose and sample...
CDMI: A Clockwise-Displacement Algorithm to Compute Multiplicative Inverse

A multiplicative inverse (MI) algorithm is used in several fields, like cryptography algorithms. There are many MIs, however, these algorithms suffer from using several multiplication and division operations, which take more execution time than additions and subtractions. We created a new algorithm called Clockwise-Displacement (CDMI) by using addition and subtraction operations in the iterative steps instead of multiplications and divisions. Additionally, numerous MIs face the undecidable problem because of the floating-point issue. Whereas, CDMI tackles this issue by converting the domain from the floatingpoint space to integer space. Therefore, CDMI declines the time consuming to calculate the multiplicative inverse by applying fewer divisions and multiplications (expensive operations) and addresses the rounding error issue in some MI Algorithms.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Consumption of Airway Metabolites Promotes Lung Infection

Prevailing dogma indicates that the lung of cystic fibrosis (CF) individuals is infected by multiple pathogens due to the abundant accumulation of mucus, which traps most of inhaled organisms. However, this hypothesis does not explain how specific opportunists, like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are selected in the CF lung to cause chronic disease. This strongly suggests that other factors than mucus are accrued in the human airway and might predispose to bacterial disease, especially by P. aeruginosa. In this review we discuss the role of macrophage metabolites, like succinate and itaconate, in P. aeruginosa pneumonia. We analyze how dysfunction of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) favors release of these metabolites into the infected airway, and how P. aeruginosa exploits these elements to induce transcriptomic and metabolic changes that increase its capacity to cause intractable disease. We describe the host and pathogen pathways associated with succinate and itaconate catabolism, mechanisms of bacterial adaptation to these determinants, and suggest how both experimental settings and future therapies should consider macrophage metabolites abundance to better study P. aeruginosa pathogenesis.
The Living Rules of Evidence

The jurisprudential evolution of evidence law is dead. At least, that’s what we’re expected to believe. Ushered in on the wings of a growing positivist movement, the enactment of the Federal Rules of Evidence purported to quell judicial authority over evidence law. Instead, committees, conferences, and members of Congress would regulate any change to our evidentiary regime, thereby capturing the evolution of evidence law in a single, transparent code. The codification of evidence law, though, has proven problematic. The arrival of the Federal Rules of Evidence has given rise to a historically anomalous era of relative stagnation in the doctrinal space. Although the last half-century has seen material developments in the empirical and normative literatures underlying our evidentiary regime, rulemakers have gone silent. As modern understandings increasingly render the Federal Rules of Evidence anachronistic—and even offensive—there has been no substantial effort by rulemakers to align evidence law with evolving scientific findings or cultural sentiments. Rather, in the words of a prominent judge, evidence law has entered a “dogmatic slumber.” This Article therefore seeks to awaken evidence law. In particular, it advances a novel jurisprudential framework for interpreting and applying the Federal Rules of Evidence. Drawing on prominent jurisprudential responses to other frozen positivist landscapes, the Article encourages judges to adopt a holistic, progressive perspective when interpreting the Federal Rules of Evidence, one that expresses fidelity to text but also appreciates significant developments in the empirical literature and evolving cultural norms. Where the world outside has evolved such that the underlying rationale for an evidentiary rule no longer holds water, “living evidentiary theory” calls on judges to reassume their historic role and craft an optimal evidentiary solution.
Human biological variation and the "normal".

Anatomically modern human being is a relatively young species (~300 000 years old) with small amounts of genetic variation contained within them. The vast majority of its existence was spent in Eastern Africa, migration out of the region began around 100 000 YBP. Sub-Saharan African populations have the greatest amount of human genetic variation. However, migration allowed populations to accumulate genomic variation associated with living in the arctic, higher altitudes, disease resistance, living on high fat or starchy foods, surviving toxic arsenic-rich environments, lactase persistence, changing skin pigmentation, gaining thicker hair, and changing height and body mass index. Understanding these aspects of human evolution forces us to reconsider our notion of the "normal." Thus, normal for our species includes having dark melanic skin, brown eyes, and brown tightly curled hair. Derived features include lighter skin (~10 000 YBP), blue eyes (~6000 YBP), and blond straight hair (~6000 YBP). Yet in reality, "normal" has no meaning for a species that inhabits such a broad geographic range. Natural selection and genetic drift have genetically differentiated human populations in ways that impact our morphological and physiological traits. The genomic differentiation is small and does not allow any unambiguous classification of human populations into biological races. Despite these now well-established facts of human variation, significant confusion associated with Eurocentric notions of the normal still persist in both the lay public and various professions such as biomedical research and clinical practice.
Arthroscopic Versus Open Rotator Cuff Repair: Fellowship-Trained Orthopaedic Surgeons Prefer Arthroscopy and Self-Report a Lower Complication Rate

Purpose To evaluate whether fellowship training had an effect on the practice pattern and complication rates among Part II examinees of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) for rotator cuff repair (RCR) from 2007-2017. Methods The ABOS database was queried for arthroscopic (Current Procedural Terminology [CPT] code 29827) and open/mini-open (CPT codes: 23410, 23412) RCR performed from 2007-2017. Excluded were procedures that did not included CPT codes 29827, 23410, 23412. A comparison between arthroscopic and open/mini-open use as well as self-reported complications were assessed based on recorded fellowship training. Results A total of 31,907 RCR were reported over the past 10 years (2007-2017). The percentage of RCR procedures performed using arthroscopic technique vs open/mini-open varied among surgeons who completed one fellowship: Sports Medicine (92.5 % arthroscopy; 7.5 % mini/open), Shoulder & Elbow (91.3 % arthroscopy; 8.7% mini/open), and Hand & Upper Extremity (69.6 % arthroscopy; 30.4 % open). Total complication rates varied among surgeons who completed one fellowship: Sports Medicine (11.5 %), Shoulder & Elbow (13.5 %), and Hand & Upper Extremity (13.4 %). Surgeons completing one fellowship in either Sports Medicine, Shoulder & Elbow, Hand & Upper Extremity all reported significantly lower complication rates using arthroscopic over mini/open technique (P Conclusions Among ABOS Part II examinees completing a Sports Medicine, Shoulder and Elbow or Hand and Upper Extremity fellowship, Sports Medicine trained surgeons had significantly greater rates of performing arthroscopic over open RCR and significantly lower self-reported intraoperative complication rates. Clinical Relevance Understanding the effects of fellowship training may guide mentors and future trainees.
A Feasibility Study of Differentially Private Summary Statistics and Regression Analyses for Administrative Tax Data.

Federal administrative tax data are invaluable for research, but because of privacy concerns, access to these data is typically limited to select agencies and a few individuals. An alternative to sharing microlevel data are validation servers, which allow individuals to query statistics without accessing the confidential data. This paper studies the feasibility of using differentially private (DP) methods to implement such a server. We provide an extensive study on existing DP methods for releasing tabular statistics, means, quantiles, and regression estimates. We also include new methodological adaptations to existing DP regression algorithms for using new data types and returning standard error estimates. We evaluate the selected methods based on the accuracy of the output for statistical analyses, using real administrative tax data obtained from the Internal Revenue Service Statistics of Income (SOI) Division. Our findings show that a validation server would be feasible for simple statistics but would struggle to produce accurate regression estimates and confidence intervals. We outline challenges and offer recommendations for future work on validation servers. This is the first comprehensive statistical study of DP methodology on a real, complex dataset, that has significant implications for the direction of a growing research field.
Role of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Experimental Colitis

xv Chapter 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION and REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 1.1. Ulcerative Colitis: Definition, Clinical presentation, and Diagnosis 1 1.2. Abnormalities in Immune Responses in Ulcerative Colitis 2 1.3. Conventional Pharmacological Therapy 3 1.4. Smoking Cigarette and Ulcerative Colitis disease 4 1.5. The Effectiveness of Nicotine Replacement Therapy in Ulcerative Colitis patients.....5 1.6. The Effectiveness of Nicotine treatment in Experimental Animal Colitis Model........6 1.7. The Concept of “Cholinergic Anti-inflammatory Pathway” and involvement of α7 nicotinic Receptor 7 1.8. Nicotinic Receptors: Composition, Distribution, and Subtypes 9 1.9. Animal Experimental Models of Colitis 11
A Hybrid Model for Annotating Named Entity Training Corpora

In this paper, we present a two-phase, hybrid model for generating training data for Named Entity Recognition systems. In the first phase, a trained annotator labels all named entities in a text irrespective of type. In the second phase, naive crowdsourcing workers complete binary judgment tasks to indicate the type(s) of each entity. Decomposing the data generation task in this way results in a flexible, reusable corpus that accommodates changes to entity type taxonomies. In addition, it makes efficient use of precious trained annotator resources by leveraging highly available and cost effective crowdsourcing worker pools in a way that does not sacrifice quality.
Servicing the Public Debt: The Role of Expectations

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the role of expectations in servicing the public debt. Expectations may play a crucial role in the determination of equilibrium when the government debt is auctioned off to the public, and there is no attempt to manage expectations or to peg interest rates on the government debt. The nominal interest rate is not simply a passive reflection of people's inflationary expectations, but rather one of the main determinants of inflation. A credible anti-inflationary policy would have to implement rules to prevent nominal interest rates to become unduly high. However, the important reasons for debt repudiation to be costly are the fact that not all individuals are alike and, therefore, the incidence of repudiation is not uniform.
Rules are Made to Be Broken

You must first know the rules of grammar in order to break them. This article addresses some of the shifts in conventional attitudes toward rules of syntax and usage.
An investigation of the effect of pore scale flow on average geochemical reaction rates using direct numerical simulation

An Investigation of the Effect of Pore Scale Flow on Average Geochemical Reaction Rates Using Direct Numerical Simulation Sergi Molins 1 David Trebotich 2 Carl I. Steefel 1 Chaopeng Shen 2 Earth Sciences Division Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory One Cyclotron Road, Mail Stop 90R1116, Berkeley, California 94720, USA Computational Research Division Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory One Cyclotron Road, Mail Stop 50A-1148, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
Deconstructing Hirota: Habeas Corpus, Citizenship, and Article III

The jurisdiction of the federal courts to consider habeas petitions brought by detainees held as part of the war on terrorism has been a popular topic to courts and commentators alike. Little attention has been paid, however, to whether the Constitution itself interposes any jurisdictional limits over such petitions. In two recent cases, the U.S. government has invoked the Supreme Court's obscure (and obtuse) 1948 decision in Hirota v. MacArthur for the proposition that Article III forecloses jurisdiction over any petition brought by a detainee in foreign or international custody, including that of the Multinational Force - Iraq. Thus, on the government's view, Hirota precludes access to the courts even for U.S. citizens tortured at the behest of the U.S. government overseas. This Article takes on that argument, along with the citizenship-based distinction that these courts have thus far drawn to distinguish Hirota, and explains why Article III imposes no such bar, even where the detainee is not a U.S. citizen. Instead, Article III only bars such a petition if the detainee is not in the actual or constructive custody of the United States. It concludes that the distinction that courts have drawn in the current cases is not only untenable, but is indicative of the deeper flaw in Hirota - as based on a badly misplaced conception of the relationship between Article III, citizenship, and habeas corpus, obfuscating the more important debate over the scope of the substantive rights enforceable through the Great Writ.
Touch and go: tying TonB to transport

The TonB system of Gram-negative bacteria appears to exist for the purpose of transducing the protonmotive force energy from the cytoplasmic membrane, where it is generated, to the outer membrane, where it is needed for active transport of iron siderophores, vitamin B12 and, in pathogens, iron from host-binding proteins. In this review, we bring the reader up to date on the developments in the field since the authors each wrote reviews in this journal in 1990.
Corporate Governance, Leverage and Dividend Policy

This paper develops an agency model of the firm where the endogenous choice of corporate governance is driven by a trade-off between control by strong shareholders and control through a tight capital structure. The existence of this trade-off is documented for the US-market. Empirically, companies with weaker shareholders are more highly levered, more likely to pay dividends, and conditional upon paying, pay higher dividends. A one standard deviation decrease in shareholder power increases the propensity to pay dividends by up to 13%. In the model, limited shareholder power is optimal and more valuable companies offer higher levels of shareholder power.
Event-based prospective memory and everyday forgetting in healthy older adults and individuals with mild cognitive impairment.

An event-based nonfocal task was used to evaluate prospective memory (PM) and the relationship between PM, neuropsychological testing data, and everyday forgetting. Twenty-four participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 24 age- and education-matched cognitively healthy adults responded to a nonfocal PM cue, while completing an ongoing working memory task. Neuropsychological testing data and self- and informant-report of frequency of forgetting were also gathered. Compared to healthy adults, the MCI participants exhibited significantly poorer prospective remembering and ongoing task performance, despite similar self-reported effort directed to the PM task. Both self- and informant-report indicated that the MCI group was experiencing a higher frequency of everyday forgetting than the healthy adult group. Self-report of everyday forgetting was correlated with PM task performance for the healthy adults, but not for the MCI participants. For the healthy adults, correlational analyses also showed sig...
Improvements in Hepatic Parenchymal Transection for Living Related Liver Donor

Introduction. To eliminate mortality and morbidity risk in living related liver donors, we developed a new surgical technique to resect hepatic parenchyma using an ultrasonic surgical aspirator in association with a monopolar floating ball cautery. Methods. We performed 17 right hepatectomies and 2 left hepatectomies using this technique. We performed a retrospective analysis of perioperative mortality, length of hospitalization (LOS), blood transfused during surgery (IBT), intraoperative blood lost (IBL), biliary complications (BC), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) peak in the first postoperative week. This group of patients (Group A) was compared, using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test (P <.05) with 2 different groups of 19 patients: Group B with liver neoplasms that had the same technique as Group A, and Group C wherein a crushing clamp technique was used. Results. All of the analyzed variables showed significative statistical differences, especially between Group A and Group C (IBL, P <.000; IBT, P <.006; LOS, P <.028; BC, P <.000; AST peak, P <.041; and ALT peak, P <.023). Discussion. The association of these 2 techniques seems to reduce the LOS, and the need for intraoperative blood transfusions. Moreover, the surgical complications (biliary leaks) and the postoperative parenchymal cytonecrosis seem to be less using this technique.
Fe nanomagnets with unusual size-dependent magnetization directions produced by fast laser-induced self-organization

ABSTRACT Laser-induced melting of ultrathin films can lead to self-org anized arrays of hemispherical particles. We have applied this procedure to assemble arrays of Fe nanomagnets on SiO 2 substrates. Morphological studies showed presence of spatial short range order (SRO) in the array. Magnetic properties were studied at room temperature using zero-field magnetic force microscopy (MFM). The particles upto 55 nm in diameter showed in-plane (  45 o ), compared to out-of-plane magnetization directions (  45 o ) for the larger particles. The size-dependent orientation of magnetization for these hemispherical particles, was attributed to the domi nating magnetostrictive energy and a size-dependent residual strain. 5 Contact author at ramki@utk.edu KEYWORDS : self-organization, nanomagnetism, magnetostriction. 1. INTRODUCTION Present research on magnetic storage 1 and magneto-electronic devices 2 is concentrated on reducing the component size in order to achieve high density devices. Development of magnetic nanostructures with desirable properties has, therefore, become a subject of great interest. As the size of these magnetic nanostructures diminishes, the properties show dramatic changes compared to the bulk. In addition to the size, the shape, materials parameters and processing conditions also have a great influence on its properties
Linear polymers of vinyl aryl monomers containing another unsaturated group

The synthesis and the anionic polymerization of representative substituted styrenes, CH2CHC6H4R′, where R′ is an ethylenic or acetylenic group attached directly or indirectly to the benzene ring, to linear polymers is described. In contrast, crosslinked polymers were obtained when radical and cationic initiators were used. The unpolymerized, unsaturated bonds in R′ in the resulting linear polymers were shown to be present by infrared spectroscopic methods and by the following post-reactions of these bonds: (1) the thermal- and radical-initiated crosslinking of the linear polymers through the unsaturated bonds in R′; (2) the post-bromination of these unsaturated bonds; (3) the post-copolymerization of these unsaturated bonds with vinyl monomers; and (4) the reaction of decaborane with the acetylenic bonds. The anionic copolymerizations of methyl methacrylate, acrylonitrile, and styrene with these monomers were performed and confirmed their behavior as substituted styrenes. Block copolymerizations with styrene and methyl methacrylate were also performed and the expected results obtained. Post-bromination of the linear polymers afforded self-extinguishing polymers. The linear polymers and copolymers may be classified as “self-reactive” polymers which yield thermosetting polystyrenes.
Polynomial flows in the plane

Soit f:R n →R un champ vectoriel C 1 et on considere le systeme d'equations differentielles x˙=f(x) avec x(0)=x 0 . La solution x=φ(t,x 0 ) depend de t et x 0 . Pour n=2 sur R et C, on donne le f tel que le flot φ depende polynomialement de la condition initiale x 0
Using Statistical Models for Mathematical Programming Sensitivity Analysis

When exploring the potential payoffs from energy R & D, it is necessary to perform benefit-cost calculations over a wide range of future scenarios. Repeated runs of large-scale mathematical programming models are often required. This paper describes how simple statistical models might be used to eliminate at least some of the costly computer runs. The approach is illustrated in the context of a recent study on the effect of breeder timing on electricity generating costs.
Neural control of left ventricular contractility in the dog heart: synaptic interactions of negative inotropic vagal preganglionic neurons in the nucleus ambiguus with tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive terminals.

Abstract Recent physiological evidence indicates that vagal postganglionic control of left ventricular contractility is mediated by neurons found in a ventricular epicardial fat pad ganglion. In the dog this region has been referred to as the cranial medial ventricular (CMV) ganglion [J.L. Ardell, Structure and function of mammalian intrinsic cardiac neurons, in: J.A. Armour, J.L. Ardell (Eds.), Neurocardiology, Oxford Univ. Press, New York, 1994, pp. 95–114; B.X. Yuan, J.L. Ardell, D.A. Hopkins, A.M. Losier, J.A. Armour, Gross and microscopic anatomy of the canine intrinsic cardiac nervous system, Anat. Rec., 239 (1994) 75–87]. Since activation of the vagal neuronal input to the CMV ganglion reduces left ventricular contractility without influencing cardiac rate or AV conduction, this ganglion contains a functionally selective pool of negative inotropic parasympathetic postganglionic neurons. In the present report we have defined the light microscopic distribution of preganglionic negative inotropic neurons in the CNS which are retrogradely labeled from the CMV ganglion. Some tissues were also processed for the simultaneous immunocytochemical visualization of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH: a marker for catecholaminergic neurons) and examined with both light microscopic and electron microscopic methods. Histochemically visualized neurons were observed in a long slender column in the ventrolateral nucleus ambiguus (NA-VL). The greatest number of retrogradely labeled neurons were observed just rostral to the level of the area postrema. TH perikarya and dendrites were commonly observed interspersed with vagal motoneurons in the NA-VL. TH nerve terminals formed axo-dendritic synapses upon negative inotropic vagal motoneurons, however the origin of these terminals remains to be determined. We conclude that synaptic interactions exist which would permit the parasympathetic preganglionic vagal control of left ventricular contractility to be modulated monosynaptically by catecholaminergic afferents to the NA-VL.
Book reivew: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT. Edited by L. P. Pau (North-Holland 1986)

This book is a collection of thirty-three of the papers written after the International Workshop on Al in Economics and Management, which was held March 12 - 14, 1985, in Zurich, Switzerland. The main sponsor was the International Federation of Automatic Control, with multiple co-sponsors (ACM, IEEE-CS, IFORS, IFIP, ECCAI, etc.). Being a collection of thirty-three papers spread out over 288 pages (plus xv), the papers are necessarily short: the shortest is four pages and the longest is eighteen pages, although the latter has one page of references and seven pages of figures. Seventeen of the papers are seven, eight, or nine pages in length; of the remaining sixteen, eight are shorter and eight are longer.
Hyaluronan-CD44 Interaction with Leukemia-associated RhoGEF and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Promotes Rho/Ras Co-activation, Phospholipase Cϵ-Ca2+ Signaling, and Cytoskeleton Modification in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells

In this study we have examined the interaction of CD44 (a major hyaluronan (HA) receptor) with a RhoA-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor (leukemia-associated RhoGEF (LARG)) in human head and neck squamous carcinoma cells (HNSCC-HSC-3 cell line). Immunoprecipitation and immunoblot analyses indicate that CD44 and the LARG protein are expressed in HSC-3 cells and that these two proteins are physically associated as a complex. HA-CD44 binding induces LARG-specific RhoA signaling and phospholipase Cϵ (PLCϵ) activity. In particular, the activation of RhoA-PLCϵ by HA stimulates inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate production, intracellular Ca2+ mobilization, and the up-regulation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII), leading to phosphorylation of the cytoskeletal protein, filamin. The phosphorylation of filamin reduces its interaction with filamentous actin, promoting tumor cell migration. The CD44-LARG complex also interacts with the EGF receptor (EGFR). Most importantly, the binding of HA to the CD44-LARG-EGFR complex activates the EGFR receptor kinase, which in turn promotes Ras-mediated stimulation of a downstream kinase cascade including the Raf-1 and ERK pathways leading to HNSCC cell growth. Using a recombinant fragment of LARG (the LARG-PDZ domain) and a binding assay, we have determined that the LARG-PDZ domain serves as a direct linker between CD44 and EGFR. Transfection of the HSC-3 cells with LARG-PDZcDNA significantly reduces LARG association with CD44 and EGFR. Overexpression of the LARG-PDZ domain also functions as a dominant-negative mutant (similar to the PLC/Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) and EGFR/MAPK inhibitor effects) to block HA/CD44-mediated signaling events (e.g. EGFR kinase activation, Ras/RhoA co-activation, Raf-ERK signaling, PLCϵ-mediated inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate production, intracellular Ca2+ mobilization, CaMKII activity, filamin phosphorylation, and filamin-actin binding) and to abrogate tumor cell growth/migration. Taken together, our findings suggest that CD44 interaction with LARG and EGFR plays a pivotal role in Rho/Ras co-activation, PLCϵ-Ca2+ signaling, and Raf/ERK up-regulation required for CaMKII-mediated cytoskeleton function and in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma progression.
The subclinical stages of carcinoma of the uterine cervix and possible precursor lesions

It is now generally accepted that all carcinomas progress through an in situ stage, and if detected at that point in their evolution, the end results are predictably favorable. The high cost/benefit ratio, the general patient acceptance and the relative accuracy of cervical cytology as a screening procedure, has allowed us to learn a great deal about the pathogenesis of cancer of the uterine cervix. In spite of this there is still disagreement about definitions, natural history and optimum therapy for the various developmental stages. While the early detection by cytologic methods is undoubtedly responsible for the major portion of the observed decrease in both morbidity and mortality rates for invasive cervix cancer, no doubt some additional patient morbidity for cancinoma in situ has resulted from an overestimation of the potential of some cervix cellular abnormalities.
A Measurement of the Absolute Probability of K -Electron Ionization of Silver by Cathode Rays

The method of Ross's balanced foils was used to separate the $K\ensuremath{\alpha}$ quanta from the thin silver foil target radiation. The x-ray energy was absorbed in C${\mathrm{H}}_{3}$Br and S${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ in a standard ionization chamber and the ionization currents measured by means of a Compton electrometer and calibrated ionization system. Stockmeyer's value for the energy per ion pair for these gases was used to compute the number of quanta absorbed in the chamber. The number of Ag $K$ ionizations per bombarding electron was then calculated, after the necessary target and absorption corrections. Measurements were made on 10 thin targets of average thickness 0.17 micron, and the $K$-electron ionization cross section for silver for 70.0 kv electrons was determined to be $\ensuremath{\Phi}(U)=(4.80\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.43)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}23}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$. The measurements of relative probabilities of $K$ electron ionization for silver by Webster, Hansen and Duveneck are normalized at 70.0 kv, ($U=2.75$) by the above value of $\ensuremath{\Phi}(U)$, and these experimental data compared with classical quantum theory and the wave mechanics theories of Massey, Mohr and Burhop, Soden and Wetzel. The theories of Soden and Wetzel compare more favorably with the experimental data than those of Massey, Mohr and Burhop, or indeed with the classical theory.
Effects of preventing hyperphagia on glycolipid metabolic abnormalities in Spontaneously Diabetic Torii fatty rats

Spontaneously Diabetic Torii (SDT) fatty rats, made by introducing the fa allele of the Zucker fatty rat into the SDT rat genome, represent a new model of obese type 2 diabetes. SDT fatty fa/fa (SDT fatty) rats exhibit overt obesity, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia from about six weeks of age, and this is associated with hyperphagia by an induced disorder of leptin action. The present study was conducted to elucidate whether suppression of hyperphagia can improve reduce abnormalities in SDT fatty rats. SDT fatty rats were subjected to pair-feeding with SDT fatty +/+ (SDT) rats from 6 to 26 weeks of age, and the effects on metabolic parameters and diabetic complications were assessed. Body weights of the pair-fed rats were similar with those of SDT rats during the experimental period. Improvement of hyperglycemia or hypertriglyceridemia was observed from 8 to 16 or 12 weeks of age in the pair-fed rats, but hypercholesterolemia was not entirely improved during the experimental period. We also examined mRNAs expression in liver, and found that the expression associated with glyconeogenesis, such as glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), tended to decrease in the pair-fed rats, and the mRNA expression of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) was elevated. Renal parameters, such as blood urea nitrogen and urinary albumin excretion, were improved in the pair-fed rats. The incidence or progression of diabetic complications, such as renal lesions and cataract, was reduced. In conclusion, suppression of hyperphagia in SDT fatty rats was effective in temporally improving hyperglycemia or hypertriglyceridemia, and reducing the incidence or progression of diabetic complications, but was ineffective in reducing hypercholesterolemia.
The enzyme-coenzyme-substrate complexes of pyridine nucleotide dependent dehydrogenases.

Abstract 1. 1. The reaction between a number of dehydrogenases, DPN or DPN analogues, and nucleophilic substances, known to form addition complexes with DPN has been described. The dehydrogenases include lactic acid-, malic acid-, propylene glycol-, glycerol-, glycerol phosphate-, glucose-6-phosphate-, isocitric acid-, glutamic acid-, and alcohol dehydrogenases. 2. 2. The nucleophilic substances in many instances have their reaction with the coenzyme favored by the presence of the dehydrogenases. The compounds fall into two classes: those, which are bound to the DPN on the dehydrogenase in equal molar amount to the moles of DPN bound; and those which show a discrepancy in this correlation, in that maximally 1 mole of complexing agent is bound for each 2 moles of DPN bound. This has been found true for all dehydrogenases studied except yeast alcohol dehydrogenase, for which a ratio of 4 was obtained. 3. 3. The nucleophilic substances, which show the above discrepancy, are all compounds structurally related to the substrate. Mercaptans and hydroxylamine fall into this class. The dehydrogenases show specificity towards the structure of these compounds; a close resemblance between the structure of the agent and the substrate must exist before the reaction is apparent. 4. 4. The complexing agents are, in general, competitive inhibitors for the dehydrogenases. 5. 5. The affinity of the alcohol dehydrogenases in forming complexes with mercaptans corresponds to the effectiveness of the analogous alcohol to serve as substrate in the enzymic reaction. 6. 6. The data are discussed with respect to the postulation that one substrate is acted upon by the intervention of 2 enzyme bound DPN molecules. This mechanism appears to hold for the group of dehydrogenases which oxidize alcohols to aldehydes and ketones, primary amines to ketones plus ammonia, and hemiacetals to lactones.
Standard clocks, interferometry, and gravitomagnetism

Abstract The contribution of the gravitomagnetic field to the proper time of a standard clock in orbit about a rotating astronomical body is discussed. Moreover, the influence of gravitation on the interference of electromagnetic radiation is investigated. The possibility of detection of the gravitomagnetic field of the earth via standard clocks or interferometry is critically examined.
Balanced tone-evoked synaptic excitation and inhibition in mouse auditory cortex

The recent characterization of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic receptive fields in rat auditory cortex laid the basis for further investigation of the roles of synaptic excitation and inhibition in cortical computation and plasticity. The mouse is an increasingly important model system because of the wide range of genetic tools available for it. Here we present the first in vivo whole-cell voltage-clamp measurements of synaptic excitation and inhibition in the mouse cortex. We find that a substantial population of auditory cortical neurons receives balanced synaptic excitation and inhibition, whose amplitude ratios and relative time courses remain approximately constant across tone frequency. We conclude that the synaptic mechanisms underlying tone-evoked auditory cortical responses in mice closely resemble those in rats, supporting the mouse as a suitable model for synaptic processing in auditory cortex.
Multilinear theory of nonlinear networks

Abstract A nonlinear network analysis procedure based on multilinear operators is developed in this paper. The procedure is equivalent to that using a multi-input, multi-output Volterra series and thus is most useful for slightly nonlinear networks. The new procedure, however, is simpler, computer implementable and lends a great deal of insight into network behavior. Some nonlinear circuit synthesis techniques are discussed using this insight. In addition, for the first time, a procedure for the incorporation of initial conditions is developed. It also is shown that the network response can be expressed as a linear combination of a set of waveforms. The network nonlinearities and input amplitude affect only the specific linear combination but not the waveforms themselves. These invariant waveforms are thus building blocks of the nonlinear network response. The manner in which the Volterra series converges and also the effect of the network nonlinearities and input amplitude upon the network response is discussed in terms of the invariant waveforms. Finally, the relation of the multilinear theory developed in this paper and the state representation is discussed. From this, a better understanding of both representations is obtained.
Expression of imatinib mesylate-targeted kinases in endometrial carcinoma

Abstract Purpose. Imatinib mesylate is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that specifically targets c-Kit, Abl, and platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR). It has been shown to be an effective treatment for patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). These cancers are characterized by activating mutations of the Abl and c-Kit tyrosine kinases, respectively. To determine whether imatinib mesylate could be a potentially useful agent in the treatment of endometrial cancer, we assessed the expressions of Abl, c-Kit, and PDGFR in both primary and recurrent endometrial carcinoma. Experimental design. We performed immunohistochemical analysis on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections from 63 patients: 33 with endometrioid endometrial carcinoma (EEC), 11 with uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC), 12 with recurrent EEC, and seven with recurrent UPSC. The sections were stained with commercially available antibodies for Abl, PDGFR, and c-Kit. The sections were also stained for phosphorylated Abl and phosphorylated PDGFR. Results. Among the primary EEC, 28/33 (85%) stained positively for Abl and 30/33 (91%) were positive for PDGFR. Of the primary UPSC, 8/11 (73%) were positive for Abl. In addition, 8/11 (73%) of the primary UPSC tumors were positive for PDGFR. Neither the primary EEC (0/33) nor the primary UPSC (0/11) expressed c-Kit. Of the recurrent EEC tumors, 11/12 (92%) were positive for Abl expression, 12/12 (100%) were positive for PDGFR, and 2/8 (25%) were positive for c-Kit. Of the recurrent UPSC, 6/7 (86%) were positive for Abl, 7/7 (100%) were positive for PDGFR, and 2/4 (50%) for c-Kit. In addition, the majority of primary and recurrent tumors were positive for phosphorylated Abl (primary EEC, 91%; primary UPSC, 64%; recurrent EEC, 83%; recurrent UPSC, 86%), and phosphorylated PDGFR (primary EEC, 46%; primary UPSC, 40%; recurrent EEC, 58%; recurrent UPSC, 100%). Within the EEC primary tumors, the differences in kinase expression by grade of tumor were not significant except for PDGFR kinase; the lower grade tumors (1 and 2) had more PDGFR expression than the grade 3 tumors ( P Conclusions. The majority of primary and recurrent EEC, as well as primary and recurrent UPSC express Abl and PDGFR. This preclinical data suggest that imatinib mesylate may be useful in the treatment of patients with endometrial carcinoma.
Contextual Variation, Familiarity, Academic Literacy, and Rural Adolescents’ Idiom Knowledge

Purpose: The paucity of data on idiom development in adolescents, particularly rural adolescents, limits the ability of speech-language pathologists and educators to test and teach idioms appropriately in this population. This study was designed to delineate the interrelationships between context, familiarity, and academic literacy relative to rural adolescents’ idiom knowledge. Method: Ninety-five rural eighth graders (M age=13.4 years) were quasi-randomly assigned to complete the Idiom Comprehension Test (Qualls & Harris, 1999) in one of three contexts: idioms in a short story (n=25), idioms in isolation (n=32), and idioms in a verification task (n=38). For all conditions, the identical 24 idioms—8 each of high, moderate, and low familiarity (Nippold & Rudzinski, 1993)—were presented. For a subset (N=54) of the students, reading and language arts scores from the California Achievement Tests (5th ed., 1993), a standardized achievement test, were correlated with performance on the idiom test. Results: Per...