cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular profiling and clinical characteristic of malignant melanoma in younger patients.

e22087Background: Combination of clinical and molecular data has not yet been well established in adolescent and younger adult patients with melanoma Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis ...
Early vs Late Readmissions in Pancreaticoduodenectomy Patients: Recognizing Comprehensive Episodic Cost to Help Guide Bundled Payment Plans and Hospital Resource Allocation.

Previous studies on readmission cost in pancreaticoduodenectomy patients use estimated cost data and do not delineate etiology or cost differences between early and late readmissions. We sought to identify relationships between postoperative complication type and readmission timing and cost in pancreaticoduodenectomy patients. Hospital cost data from date of discharge to postoperative day 90 were merged with 2008–2018 NSQIP data. Early readmission was within 30 days of surgery, and late readmission was 30 to 90 days from surgery. Regression analyses for readmission controlled for patient comorbidities, complications, and surgeon. Of 230 patients included, 58 (25%) were readmitted. The mean early and late readmission costs were $18,365 ± $20,262 and $24,965 ± $34,435, respectively. Early readmission was associated with index stay deep vein thrombosis (p < 0.01), delayed gastric emptying (p < 0.01), and grade B pancreatic fistula (p < 0.01). High-cost early readmission had long hospital stays or invasive procedures. Common late readmission diagnoses were grade B pancreatic fistula requiring drainage (n = 5, 14%), failure to thrive (n = 4, 14%), and bowel obstruction requiring operation (n = 3, 11%). High-cost late readmissions were associated with chronic complications requiring reoperation. Early and late readmissions following pancreaticoduodenectomy differ in both etiology and cost. Early readmission and cost are driven by common complications requiring percutaneous intervention while late readmission and cost are driven by chronic complications and reoperation. Late readmissions are frequent and a significant source of resource utilization. Negotiations of bundled care payment plans should account for significant late readmission resource utilization.
Degradation of ATFS-1 by LONP-1 promotes deleterious mitochondrial genome heteroplasmy

The accumulation of deleterious mitochondrial genomes ({Delta}mtDNAs) underlies inherited mitochondrial diseases and contributes to the aging-associated decline in mitochondrial function. Heteroplasmy occurs when a {Delta}mtDNA expands, ultimately causing a decline in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) function. In response to mitochondrial perturbations, the transcription factor ATFS-1 induces a transcription program to promote cell survival and recovery of mitochondrial function. Paradoxically, ATFS-1 is also required to maintain {Delta}mtDNAs in heteroplasmic worms. However, the mechanism(s) by which ATFS-1 promotes {Delta}mtDNA propagation relative to wild-type mtDNAs is unclear. Here, we show that mitochondrial-localized ATFS-1 binds almost exclusively to {Delta}mtDNAs in heteroplasmic worms and promotes binding of the mtDNA replicative polymerase (POLG). Interestingly, inhibition of the mtDNA-bound protease LONP-1 caused ATFS-1 and POLG to bind equally to {Delta}mtDNAs and wild-type mtDNAs. Furthermore, LONP-1 inhibition in C. elegans and human cybrid cells improved the heteroplasmy ratio and restored OXPHOS function. Our findings suggest that degradation of ATFS-1 within functional mitochondria by LONP-1 establishes the enriched interaction between ATFS-1 and {Delta}mtDNAs required to maintain heteroplasmy. One Sentence SummaryThe mitochondrial protease LONP1 regulates deleterious mitochondrial genome propagation.
Exposure to bisphenol A differentially impacts neurodevelopment and behavior in Drosophila melanogaster from distinct genetic backgrounds

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a ubiquitous environmental chemical that has been linked to behavioral differences in children and shown to impact critical neurodevelopmental processes in animal models. Though data is emerging, we still have an incomplete picture of how BPA disrupts neurodevelopment; in particular, how its impacts may vary across different genetic backgrounds. Given the genetic tractability of Drosophila melanogaster, they present a valuable model to address this question. Fruit flies are increasingly being used for assessment of neurotoxicants because of their relatively simple brain structure and variety of measurable behaviors. Here we investigated the neurodevelopmental impacts of BPA across two genetic strains of Drosophila-w1118 (control) and the Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) model-by examining both behavioral and neuronal phenotypes. We show that BPA induces hyperactivity in larvae, increases repetitive grooming behavior in adults, reduces courtship behavior, impairs axon guidance in the mushroom body, and disrupts neural stem cell development in the w1118 genetic strain. Remarkably, for every behavioral and neuronal phenotype examined, the impact of BPA in FXS flies was either insignificant or contrasted with the phenotypes observed in the w1118 strain. This data indicates that the neurodevelopmental impacts of BPA can vary widely depending on genetic background and suggests BPA may elicit a gene-environment interaction with Drosophila fragile X mental retardation 1 (dFmr1)-the ortholog of human FMR1, which causes Fragile X Syndrome and is associated with autism spectrum disorder.
Influence of surface roughness and bondline thickness on the bonding performance of epoxy adhesive joints on mild steel substrates

Abstract The bonding performance between adherend and adhesive depends on two main factors including the surface roughness of the adherend and the bondline thickness of the adhesive. This paper investigated how the surface roughness of the adherend substrate and bondline thickness of the adhesive influence the bonding performance of epoxy adhesive joints on A36 mild steel substrates using single lap shear (SLS) tests. The evaluated bonding performances included the bonding strength and the maximum strain of epoxy adhesive joints which were fabricated with four different surface roughnesses and three different bondline thicknesses using a general-purpose epoxy adhesive. The experimental results indicated that rougher steel substrates or thinner epoxy adhesive bondlines yielded larger bonding strengths and higher maximum shear strains. In addition, the morphology of the fracture substrates before and after SLS tests were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM image analyses indicated the improved bonding performance on very rough substrates was because of strong mechanical interlocking. Thinner epoxy adhesive bondlines had larger capabilities of plastic deformation as a result of enhanced toughness.
Coping with Gray Markets: The Impact of Market Conditions and Product Characteristics

Gray markets, also known as parallel imports, have created fierce competition for manufacturers in many industries. We analyze the impact of parallel importation on a price-setting manufacturer that serves two markets with uncertain demand, and characterize her policy against parallel importation. We show that ignoring demand uncertainty can take a significant toll on the manufacturer's profit, highlighting the value of making price and quantity decisions jointly. We find that adjusting prices is more effective in controlling gray market activity than reducing product availability, and that parallel importation forces the manufacturer to reduce her price gap while demand uncertainty forces her to lower prices. Furthermore, we explore the impact of market conditions (such as market base, price sensitivity, and demand uncertainty) and product characteristics (“fashion” vs. “commodity”) on the manufacturer's policy towards parallel importation. We also provide managerial insights about the value of strategic decision-making by comparing the optimal policy to the uniform pricing policy that has been adopted by some companies to eliminate gray markets entirely. The comparison indicates that the value of making price and quantity decisions strategically is highest for moderately different market conditions and non-commodity products.
Vaccine diplomacy: nation branding and China’s COVID-19 soft power play

As a global crisis, COVID-19 has altered how nation-states project influence. Public health has risen to the top of every agenda as individuals, societies, and nation-states focus on a common goal. With the advent of COVID-19 vaccines, home-grown national vaccines when distributed all over the world can play an integral role in nation branding as a technique for projecting soft power. This paper applies the theoretical lenses of nation branding and soft power to examine China’s bilateral vaccine diplomacy efforts, specifically the motivations and outcomes. The findings suggest that Chinese vaccines are used not only for image repair and for expanding Beijing’s great power ambitions, but also to reinforce and leverage existing soft power programs, and to capitalize on new economic and geopolitical opportunities. Vaccine diplomacy is a natural extension of Chinese soft power including prior engagement in health diplomacy. Sentiment analyses of social media and international media coverage suggest that where vaccines go, influence may follow. Although international sentiments are not all positive—with concerns over Chinese vaccines’ efficacy, safety, and data availability, Beijing reaped substantial soft power dividends through its ability to project influence in scientific prowess and civic virtue by providing the vaccines as International Public Goods through aid and gifts to countries left behind by the vaccine inequity.
My father was a wandering Aramean: Toward a missiological understanding of hybridity in the Abrahamic narrative:

The person of Abraham embodies the tension of living in-between. In studying the life of Abraham, the focus is often on the theological importance of the patriarch’s missional role as a vehicle of ...
Why Europe Grew Rich and Asia Did Not: India and the global economy, 1600???1800

Introduction Historians long thought it was self-evident that Europe lay at the center of the world economy of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Immanuel Wallerstein summed up several generations of thinking when he wrote, “The modern world-system took the form of a capitalist world-economy that had its genesis in Europe in the long sixteenth century . . . Since that time the capitalist world-economy has geographically expanded to cover the entire globe.” This passage captures three assumptions that have informed decades of historical scholarship. Europe was dynamic while the rest of the world was static. Europe gave rise to capitalism and brought the rest of the world under its economic ambit. Europe was at the core of the early-modern trading system.
Introduction to the Problem

Although some would not see it as totally heretical to suggest that intellectual discourse has its fashions, few of us are eager to consider the possibility that even our rational enterprises are at best partially, and at worst completely, the solidified product of our lifelong conditioning. The general fashion in medical ethics discussions, however, is easy enough to pick up: (1) Too many nonmedical problems have been forced into the medical model; we have over-medicalized our existence. There is a proper, and much narrower, task for medicine and the profession and its practice should be confined within those limits. (2) Medical information and intervention restricts our freedom; it is assumed that in our daily life we actually enjoy such a pure freedom, or that it is theoretically attainable. (3) Medicine is political and can have serious negative effects on social well-being. Therefore, medicine needs to be politicized openly by involving consumer and government agencies in its future development and regulation. (4) The current health care system must be fundamentally changed. (5) The government should enlarge its regulatory function and directly limit research and application of research. (6) Physicians are technocrats. (7) The Rights Model is the ethical model of choice.
Domestic Public Health Law

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the regulation of drugs in the United States, as well as federal law and policy surrounding the enforcement of the regulations. Prior to the creation of a federal drug control agency, Congress passed the Harrison Narcotics Act in 1914. The legislative history of the act indicates that Congress was concerned with stemming the increase in the recreational use of narcotics and saw the imposition of a tax as an effective deterrent. Enforcement picked up considerably when the Federal Bureau of Narcotics was created, with Henry Anslinger as its head. Anslinger was opposed to all forms of recreational drug use, and under his guidance the agency's drug policies became more and more restrictive in nature. The Narcotic Control Act of 1956 increased the civil and criminal penalties for drug offenses, both possession and distribution, and strengthened enforcement authority of narcotics agents, who were given the authority to carry guns, serve warrants, and arrest individuals without a warrant. With the increase in drug use in the 1960s and 1970s, federal policy struggled to find a balance between the punitive approach of the enforcement paradigm and the medical paradigm, which argues for a public health approach. The agency tasked with coordinating the federal government's response to illegal drug use is the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in the Executive Branch. In addition to setting national priorities and reviewing the budgets of the multiple other federal agencies with drug control programs, the ONDCP conducts research and a national media campaign focused on reducing illegal drug use in the United States.
Examining performance differences in workload execution phases

Workload characterization is vital to the design and performance analysis of new generation computer architectures. In many simulation-based performance analysis studies, only a small "representative" portion of the total workload execution is used for analysis. This is due to the prohibitive amount of time it takes to simulate or execute a workload to completion. Methods of choosing the portion of the workload for use vary from sampling to simply simulating an arbitrary number of instructions after initialization. The primary challenge in utilizing only a portion of a workload in a performance analysis study is ensuring that it accurately represents the whole. A significant amount of research has shown that often, the "representativeness" of a selected portion of a workload is quite low. This work identifies the execution phases and some of their behavioral characteristics in a subset of the SPEC95 benchmark suite. We quantitatively and qualitatively show that after several billion executed instructions, many commonly used workloads exhibit phases of execution characterized by previously unseen behavior. Additionally, these phases are characterized by very different performance behavior.
Nonlinear Neurodynamics Tool for System Analysis and Application for Time Series Prediction

Novel type of dynamical neural network, Freeman's K-models has been inspired by the biology and has been studied by researches in a number of research groups. This work is dedicated to providing a unifying test bed implementation that is capable of satisfying needs of possibly the most of these people. Given popularity of MATLABreg computational environment among engineers and scientists our effort is to develop a toolbox that would give way to simulate and experiment with the K-models in a simple manner as well as provide flexible tools for creation of applications that build on this dynamical model. The implementation is presented and detail of the design solutions are provided in this work. Also the successful usage of the toolbox is illustrated with the application to financial time series prediction by the K-models method
Nucleotide Excision Repair in Yeast: Recent Progress and Implications

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a ubiquitous process by which damaged bases are excised from the genome of living cells as oligonucleotide fragments (reviewed in Friedberg et al. 1995). Recent years have witnessed significant progress in our understanding of the biochemistry of NER in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (reviewed in Prakash et al. 1993; Friedberg et al. 1995; Friedberg 1996a). The establishment of a cell-free system that monitors NER of damaged plasmid DNA in vitro (Wang et al. 1995a, 1996) has facilitated the systematic screening of yeast strains carrying mutations in multiple genes known to be required for or involved in NER. Additionally, the polypeptides encoded by many of these genes have been purified and the early steps in the NER process have been reconstituted in vitro (Guzder et al. 1995a). At least 26 gene products are believed to be required for or involved in NER (Table 1). The Rad1/Rad10 heterodimeric complex and the Rad2 protein are now known to function as junction-specific endonucleases which specifically cleave DNA at single-strand/duplex junctions with opposite singlestrand polarity (Habraken et al. 1993; Bardwell et al. 1994; Fig. 1). Incisions (nicks) generated by these two endonucleases result in the formation of oligonucleotide fragments ~24–27 nucleotides in size, which include damaged bases (Guzder et al. 1995a). Displacement of the oligonucleotides generates single-strand gaps that are filled in by repair synthesis and sealed by ligation.
EdgeBuffer: Caching and prefetching content at the edge in the MobilityFirst future Internet architecture

The prevalence of mobile devices especially smartphones has attracted research on mobile content delivery techniques. In this paper, we propose to take advantage of the storage available at wireless access points to bring content closer to mobile devices, hence improving the downloading performance. Specifically, we propose to have a separate popularity based cache and a prefetch buffer at the network edge to capture both long-term and short-term content access patterns. Further, we point out that it is insufficient to rely on a device's past history to predict when and where to prefetch, especially in urban settings; instead, we propose to derive a prediction model based on the aggregated network-level statistics. We discuss the proposed mobile content caching/prefetching method in the context of the MobilityFirst future Internet architecture. In MobilityFirst, when mobile clients move between network attachment points (e.g., Wi-Fi access points), their network association records are logged by the network, which then naturally facilitates the network-level mobility prediction. Through detailed simulations with real taxi mobility traces, we show that such a strategy is more effective than earlier schemes in satisfying content requests at the edge (higher cache hit ratios), leading to shorter content download latencies. Specifically, the fraction of requests satisfied at the edge increases by a factor of 2.9 compared to a caching only approach, and by 45% compared to individual user-based prediction and prefetching.
Gender and National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policies in Africa

This chapter discusses the importance of incorporating gender aspects into the national ICT policies in Africa. The mention of gender issues in national ICT policies in Africa is still very scanty (where they exist). Many countries in Africa have no clear gender aspects incorporated into their national ICT policies. The chapter focuses on the imperativeness of ICTs to the livelihood of women in Africa, the need and urgency of increasing and encouraging women participation in all aspects of ICTs. The enactment and implementation of ICT policies and strategies targeting women population in both rural and urban areas is inevitable. Thus, status of gender inequality of ICT in Africa, strategies geared towards addressing gender inequalities in ICT in Africa and gender and ICT perspectives were discussed.
Robust features selection scheme for fault diagnosis in an electric power distribution system

In this paper, the authors present a statistically derived features set for use as input to a neural network based arcing line fault detector for power distribution systems. In addition, the authors test the performance of the back-propagation artificial neural network uses values of the features set computed from laboratory experimental data. The results show great promise toward the development of an efficient artificial neural network based arcing line fault detector. >
ADSORPTION AT CRYSTAL FACES1

The growth of crystals and adsorption at crystal faces are important factors in many ceramic processes. In order to understand the mechanism of such growth and adsorption it is necessary to study the growth velocities of single crystals. The present paper concerns itself with the growth and solution of single copper sulphate crystals in the presence of gelatin and dyes.
Direct and indirect effects of sublethal toxicant exposure on population dynamics of freshwater rotifers: a modeling approach

Abstract Ecotoxicological assessments commonly consider the direct effects of anthropogenic toxicants on the survival, growth, and reproduction of organisms. However, toxicants also may have indirect effects on aquatic communities by altering species interactions such as predation and competition. Such indirect effects are often mediated by changes in animal behavior, and contribute to uncertainty in predicting the environmental effects of toxicants. In an attempt to better understand indirect effects, a modeling approach was used to simulate the population dynamics of the predatory rotifer Asplanchna girodi and six prey species of herbivorous rotifers in response to sublethal concentrations (110, 190 or 330 mg/l) of pentachlorophenol (PCP). Simulations were performed assuming three different toxicant effect scenarios: behavioral toxicity alone, reproductive toxicity alone, or both behavioral and reproductive toxicity. Population growth rates ( G r ), maximum population densities ( D max ), and the percent of carrying capacity at D max (% K ) were calculated for A. girodi and each prey species for each effect scenario and toxicant concentration. Similar qualitative results were obtained regardless of which prey species was exploited by A. girodi . Toxicant effects on predator and prey population densities appeared to be the dominant cause of both direct and indirect toxicant effects, and behavioral toxicity was a redundant endpoint relative to reproductive toxicity. These results suggest that assessing toxicant effects on the population growth of individual species may provide sufficient data to predict toxicant effects on species interactions as well.
Efficacy of nodal dissection for treatment of persistent/recurrent papillary thyroid cancer.

Context: Although commonly performed, data are lacking regarding efficacy and safety of lymph node dissection (LND) for recurrent/persistent papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Objective: Evaluate the efficacy and morbidity of LND in recurrent/persistent PTC. Design: Retrospective review of central or lateral LND performed for persistent/recurrent PTC between January 2004 and March 2006. Setting: Multidisciplinary thyroid cancer clinic with a single surgeon at an academic medical center. Participants: Seventy-five patients who underwent 79 LND for persistent/residual PTC. Safety analysis included all 79 resections. Exclusion criteria for the efficacy analysis were factors prohibiting evaluation of thyroglobulin (Tg) response. Forty-one resections were included in the efficacy analysis. Intervention: Selective LND per standard of care. Main Outcome Measure: Primary outcome was the Tg response to LND. Secondary outcomes were surgical complications. Results: Thirty-nine of the 41 evaluable resections also had Tg data allowing classification of Tg response. Of 39 classifiable resections, 16 (41%) resulted in undetectable postoperative stimulated Tg levels. An additional 12 resections resulted in significant (≥50%) reductions in suppressed or stimulated Tg levels for an overall improvement rate of 72%. Of all 79 resections, 25 (32%) resulted in minor and 7 (9%) resulted in major complications. Conclusions: LND for persistent/recurrent PTC is a relatively safe procedure in experienced hands. It can lead to an undetectable Tg in 41% of cases and produce a major Tg reduction in an additional 31%. Its efficacy in short-term follow-up is comparable with that reported for I-131, and it should be considered in the management of persistent/recurrent PTC.
Interaction of metals and carbon tetrachloride on lipid peroxidation and hepatotoxicity

Rats were administered ferrous sulfate, cadmium chloride, or sodium vanadate alone and in combination with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) to determine if lipid peroxidation is associated with the toxicity of the three metals and to determine if there is an interaction between these metals and CCl4 in producing lipid peroxidation and hepatotoxicity. Expired ethane was used as an index of lipid peroxidation while serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and histopathology were used to assess liver damage. Lipid peroxidation did not appear to be associated with the hepatotoxicity of cadmium since no measurable increase in ethane production was observed when serum ALT concentrations were doubled relative to controls. Cadmium did not increase ethane when administered with CCl4 and the increase in ALT was additive. Iron and vanadate produced small significant increases in ethane production but no increase in ALT and only minor histopathologic changes, yet potentiated lipid peroxidation and liver damage when administered with CCl4. Thus, Cd did not produce lipid peroxidation and did not potentiate the lipid peroxidation and hepatotoxicity of CCl4, while iron or vanadate which produced lipid peroxidation alone potentiated the lipid peroxidation and hepatotoxicity of CCl4.
Media Icons of War and the Instrumentalisation of Images in US-American Media Today

In his paper "Media Icons of War and the Instrumenalisation of Images in US-American Media Today," Reinhold Viehoff argues that the destruction of Saddam Hussein's statue in Baghdad in April 2004 by the US army represents an attempt to instrumentalise the logic of mass media as a strategy of public diplomacy. Viehoff explains the logic of mass media and public diplomacy of the US government and US media today in the context of the history of the destruction of monuments as played out on the landscape of media during and following the demise of the Soviet empire. Viehoff proposes that the media images of the toppling of Hussein's statue is linked, historically, to the iconic representations of the divestiture of Central and East European dictatorships. Further, the divestiture of tyranny of the Soviet empire and its media images have been capitalised on in the strategic media image construction of the deposition of Hussein's government of tyranny. Based on specific examples of media images, Viehoff analyses the process in which the iconisation of images occurs in the case of Hussein's divestiture. In his conclusion, Viehoff proposes that the strategy of media and its icons used in the US media suggest misguided intentions. These misguided intentions are due to particularities in the processes of reflection in current USAmerican media systems. Reinhold Viehoff, "Media Icons of War and the Instrumenalisation of Images in US-American Media Today" page 2 of 11 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 7.4 (2005):
CAPILLARY LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY/ELECTROSPRAY MASS SPECTROMETRY FOR THE SEPARATION AND DETECTION OF CATECHINS IN GREEN TEA AND HUMAN PLASMA

The separation and detection of biologically active green tea catechins has been accomplished using capillary liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry (cLC/ESI-MS). Microscale determination (∼20 ng) of all six catechins in a green tea infusion, and the most extensively studied catechin, (–)epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), in human plasma is demonstrated by cLC/ESI-MS with selected ion monitoring of protonated molecular ions. The overall quality of the analysis is shown to be dependent on the use of a capillary column with a deactivated, monomeric C18 stationary phase. The high chromatographic separation efficiency of this packed-capillary column, combined with the high sensitivity and selectivity afforded by the mass spectrometer as detector, provide a reliable approach to the analysis of picomolar quantities of these interesting compounds in complex matrices. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Empowering Groups and Respect for Individual Dignity: A Review of Michael Walzer's Politics and Passion

Politics and Passion corrects liberal theory that conceives politics as rational deliberation among autonomous individuals who voluntarily associate in groups to advance their chosen life plans. Freedom and equality for individuals, insofar as they can be approximated, depend, Walzer contends, on passionate political activity and state policy that empower marginalized and diverse groups. Ethical principles and democratic deliberation are insufficient for group politics. Theological ethicists should welcome and learn, once again, from Walzer. However, a liberal conception of justice that avoids naivete about individual autonomy and democratic deliberation should have a greater role in politics, even the politics of group pluralism and equality, than Walzer apparently permits. Respect for the dignity of individuals requires it.
Rapid Assembly of the Salvileucalin B Norcaradiene Core

Preparation of the polycyclic core of the cytotoxic natural product salvileucalin B is described. The key feature of this synthetic strategy is a copper-catalyzed intramolecular arene cyclopropanation to provide the central norcaradiene. These studies lay the foundation for continued investigations toward an enantioselective total synthesis of 1.
The relationship of depression to social skills and intellectual functioning in mentally retarded adults.

. Ninety-nine mild to severely mentally retarded adults were evaluated on a variety of measures. The battery included the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Revised (PPVT), the Psychopathology Instrument for Mentally Retarded Adults, the Social Performance Survey Schedule, Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression, the Beck Depression Inventory and Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. Depression and social skills measures correlated significantly with each other on self-report and informant reports. Receptive vocabulary did not significantly correlate with depression or social skills measures, irrespective of self or other report format. Additionally, demographic variables such as intellectual level were not significant. The PPVT mean scores differed significantly by level of mental retardation as might be expected. The significance of these data and their implication for further study are reviewed.
Reduction of the d-Amino-Acid Oxidase Content of Rat Tissues in Riboflavin Deficiency

IT has been demonstrated that a riboflavin deficiency in the rat produces a marked derangement in those enzyme systems which are involved in the oxidation of certain intermediates of carbohydrate metabolism (Axelrod and Elvehjem, unpublished results). The possible effects of such a deficiency upon the metabolism of amino-acids have been suggested by the discovery of Warburg and Christian1that the prosthetic group of the d-amino-acid oxidase of Krebs2 is a flavin-adenine dinucleotide.
Selective sensitivity to methylmercury of specific cell aggregates and validity of the "nurse" cell concept.

Abstract Meristematic cells of carrot ( Daucus carota —Ca68-10) were grown in a heterogeneous suspension culture in the absence of (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid in 71-V medium in the dark. Freshly inoculated cell cultures were treated daily with methyl mercury for the first 4 days and harvested on Day 7. The cultures were separated (by selective filtration) into groups of aggregates varying in size from 44 to 900 μm. Methyl mercury severely decreased the cell mass of the dominant (300-μm) fraction. When separate aggregates were cultured (44 to 900 μm) and treated as before, the inhibition of the 300 μm fraction was more evident. Separately cultured cell groups of 200- or 300-μm size developed into larger heterogeneous populations and contained the dominant 300-μm size group which was the most sensitive to methyl mercury. Other cell groups (900-, 500-, and 44-μm) failed to produce a large heterogeneous cell population when cultured separately. without the 300-μm-sized aggregate, neither the whole culture nor the separate aggregates culture (900, 500, or 44 μm) could survive, survive, suggesting the “nurse” cell role of the 300-μm cell group.
Growing from the middle out: US jobs and the economy in Obama's second term

Heather Boushey reviews the policy initiatives of Obama's first term that brought the US economy back from the brink and outlines a ‘middle out’ growth agenda for his second go around.
ORBITAL COMPLICATIONS OF SINUSITIS 'IN THE PEDIATRIC POPULATION

Periorbital and orbital infections occur frequently in the pediatric population. Schramm et al1 reported that 75% of patients with these infections have associated paranasal sinusitis; however, other series of periorbital infections report sinusitis-associated diagnoses in only 29% .’ Although periorbital cellulitis resolves promptly with aggressive antibiotic treatment, orbital cellulitis is a more serious disease. Before the antibiotic era, Gamble3 reported 20% of patients went blind on the affected side, and 17% died of meningitis, brain abscess, or cavernous sinus thrombosis. Since the introduction of antibiotics, the number of serious sequelae has decreased dramatically, with series reporting complications as low as 5% .lr4 Orbital septum
The physics of mechanical alloying: A first report

In this paper, we present a first attempt to define the basic geometry, mechanics, and physics of the process of mechanical alloying. The geometry of the collision events which lead to particle fragmentation and coalescence is modeled on the basis of Hertzian contacts between the grinding media which entrap a certain amount of material volume between the impacting surfaces. This geometry essentially defines the volume of material affected per collision, and from this information and characteristics of the specific mill and the material being processed, impact times, powder strain rates and strains, powder temperature increase, powder cooling times, and milling times can be approximated.
Plant regeneration through multiple adventitious shoot differentiation from callus cultures of slash pine (Pinus elliottii)

A plant regeneration system through multiple adventitious shoot differentiation from callus cultures has been established in slash pine (Pinus elliottii). Influences of seven different basal media on callus induction, adventitious shoot formation, and rooting were investigated. Among the different basal media, B5, SH, and TE proved to be suitable for callus induction and plantlet regeneration. Multiple adventitious shoot formation was obtained from callus cultures of slash pine on B5, SH, and TE media containing indole-3-butyric acid, N6-benzyladenine, and thidiazuron. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated the early development of adventitious shoots derived from callus cultures. These results indicate that an efficient plant regeneration protocol for micropropagation of slash pine had been established. This protocol could be most useful for future studies on genetic transformation of slash pine.
Effect of sodium butyrate on mammalian cells in culture: a review.

Sodium butyrate produces reversible changes in morphology, growth rate, and enzyme activities of several mammalian cell types in culture. Some of these changes are similar to those produced by agents which increase the intracellular level of adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) or by analogs of cAMP. Sodium butyrate increases the intracellular level of cAMP by about two fold in neuroblastoma cells; therefore, some of the effects of sodium butyrate on these cells may in part be mediated by cAMP. Sodium butyrate appears to have properties of a good chemotherapeutic agent for neuroblastoma tumors because the treatment of neuroblastoma cells in culture causes cell death and “differentiation”; however, it is either innocuous or produces reversible morphological and biochemical alterations in other cell types.
Inhibition of presynaptic alpha-2-adrenoceptor and opioid receptor agonist responses in the rat vas deferens by chronic imipramine treatment

The effects of chronic imipramine administration on agonist responses in rat isolated smooth muscle preparations were investigated. The administration of 20 mg/kg imipramine two times a day for 4 and 11 days resulted in an equivalent subsensitivity (approximately 8-fold) of clonidine-induced inhibition of electrically evoked contractions in the rat vas deferens (presynaptic α2-adrenoceptor response). Imipramine (4 days) resulted in a marked inhibition of the ability of [d-Ala2, d-Leu5] enkephalin to decrease electrically evoked contractions of the vas deferens (presynaptic opioid receptor response) but did not significantly affect the carbachol-induced increase in electrically evoked contractions (muscarinic receptor response). In the absence of cocaine the contractile effects of norepinephrine and tyramine in the vas deferens were, respectively, potentiated and inhibited, following imipramine (4 days), suggesting a decrease in the activity of the neuronal uptake mechanism. When determined in the presence of cocaine, the potency of the postsynaptic effects of norepinephrine in the vas deferens (α1-adrenoceptor response) was not significantly altered by imipramine (4 days). With regard to other postsynaptic receptors, imipramine (4 days) decreased slightly the potency of phenylephrine in the aorta (α1-adrenoceptor response) and increased slightly the potency of carbachol in the trachea (muscarinic receptor response) and the potency of serotonin in the rat aorta (5HT2-receptor response). Thus, chronic imipramine administration decreased the potency of presynaptic α2- and opioid agonist responses in the vas deferens but caused very little or no changes in the potencies of agonists at postsynaptic sites.
Small Grains for Forage

Abstract Two cultivars each of four species of cereals were harvested at head, milk, and dough stage. In each of 2 yr the yield and content of DM, NDF, and ADF, lignin, CP, and in vitro DM disappearance were quantified. There were large differences in yield and chemical composition due to year, species, and harvest date. Yield varied from a low of 3.0 metric tons dry matter per hectare for Norwin barley at head stage in the 1st yr to a high of 10.6 for Mariner oats at milk stage in the 2nd yr. Overall average yield was 6.6 with yearly averages of 5.4 and 7.8 metric tons of DM per hectare. Dry matter yield increased as the crop matured, averaging 4.8, 7.4, and 7.6 metric tons per hectare at the three successive harvest dates. Fiber and lignin increased with each harvest date but CP decreased from 13.6 to 8.1% and in vitro DM disappearance decreased from 66 to 56%. Differences among cultivars and species allow forages to be chosen that will be suitable for various animal species and available on calendar dates needed.
Empirical Model with Environmental Considerations in Highway Alignment Optimization

The highway alignment optimization (HAO) process is a complex combinatorial optimization problem in which several conflicting factors, such as highway costs, user preferences, and environmentally sensitive factors, must be simultaneously considered. In previous studies, single-level and bi-level optimization approaches were developed to optimize three-dimensional highway alignments. One drawback of previous approaches is that environmental factors, such as vehicular emissions, were not adequately considered in conjunction with other factors (such as user preferences and highway costs) in the optimization process. This paper builds on our previous studies and proposes two separate approaches for considering environmental emissions in the HAO process. The first approach involves a separate analysis of user and decision-maker preferences, in which a conceptual formulation of various environmental factors is presented. In the second approach, a novel tri-level optimization framework is proposed for optimizing highway alignments. At the upper level, optimization is performed using the traditional criteria of cost minimization. At the intermediate level, total systems emission is calculated. Finally, at the lower level, the user equilibrium traffic flow is optimized. The developed approaches are illustrated through case study examples. The proposed approaches will be beneficial for designing highway alignments when considering environmental emissions. Future studies may make additional refinements to the formulation and sensitivity analyses.
Design of multibit noise-shaping data converters

A synthesis methodology for selecting locations of thez-domain poles for noise-shaping coders that use multibit internal converters is presented. A key aspect of the proposed methodology is the use of the |L|1 norm of the noise transfer function to guarantee stability rather than the power gain or |L|2 norm which is commonly used in the design of 1-bit noise-shaping coders. Simulation verifies that the performance predicted by the new method is within a few dBs of the actual performance. In addition, two hand-designed loop filters from the literature are compared with designs generated by the proposed method.
Future prospects in immunosuppression for liver transplantation.

Key Points 1. Our increasing understanding of signaling pathways and cellular interactions in transplant immunobiology and the availability of novel immunosuppressive agents have facilitated targeted strategies. 2. The driving forces behind the development of new immunosuppressive regimens are the long-term complications of current immunosuppressive regimens (particularly renal dysfunction and metabolic disturbances). 3. By regulatory mandate, the requirement for the primary endpoint to be a composite of death, graft loss, and rejection remains intact; however, current and future clinical trials could incorporate key secondary endpoints that address renal and metabolic derangements. Liver Transpl, 2011. © 2011 AASLD.
Radiation Sensitivity of Silicon Imaging Sensors on Missions to the Outer Planets

An investigation of radiation damage mechanisms and the magnitude of their effects on the operating characteristics of imaging sensors utilizing a mosaic array of silicon diodes in a television pickup tube is reported. The effects produced by bombardment of bare-silicon-diode arrays or vidicon tubes with 85kV x-rays, Cobalt 60 gamma rays, 1 MeV and 11 MeV electrons, 3 MeV and 142 MeV protons, and reactor neutrons are presented. Results show that the dark (reverse bias) current of a diode array increases less than a factor of 2 if the fluence level is less than 104 rads of gamma radiation or 4 ×1011 1 MeV electrons/cm2. For these same dose levels, the quantum efficiency increases rather than decreases. Continued bombardment in excess of these fluences decreases the quantum efficiency and increases the dark current. Electrons of 11 MeV were more damaging than 1 MeV electrons by a factor of 10 to 20 while protons of 3 MeV more effectively produced dark current increases and quantum efficiency degradation in silicon diode arrays than 1 MeV electrons by a factor of 105 in fluence. Protons of 142 MeV were less effective than 3 MeV protons in producing the same effects by a factor of 102 in fluence. Measurements of these degradation effects at 217 K indicated that the dark current is reduced by a factor of 200 to 500 relative to room-temperature values.
Interaction of a streamwise vortex with a turbulent mixing layer

The interaction of a single streamwise vortex with a plane turbulent mixing layer is experimentally studied. Initially, near the mixing layer origin, the vortex rides just below the layer and only affects the mixing layer properties near the bottom side of the mixing layer. Once the vortex starts to become embedded within the mixing layer and active interaction has begun, the effect of the vortex is to grossly distort the mean velocity and turbulence contours over the whole width of the mixing layer. The induced cross-flow velocities in the mixing layer result in the production of additional normal Reynolds stresses which in turn act with mean flow gradients to generate extra shear stresses. In particular, the secondary shear stress (SSS) achieves an absolute peak value equivalent to about 40 percent of the maximum primary shear stress. The position and decay of the SSS peak are then found to be strongly correlated with those of the streamwise vortex.
Altered inflammatory responses to Citrobacter rodentium infection, but not bacterial lipopolysaccharide, in mice lacking the Cyp4a10 or Cyp4a14 genes

Murine hepatic Cyp4a mRNAs are markedly downregulated during inflammation. Here, we investigated the roles of Cyp4a10 and Cyp4a14 in the response to infection with C. rodentium. Absence of either Cyp4a gene attenuated or abrogated the changes in spleen weight, colon crypt length, hepatic cytokine, and acute phase protein mRNAs, and serum acute phase proteins and cytokines caused by infection. Cyp4a10 −/− mice on a low-salt diet had a similar hepatic acute phase response as those mice on a high-salt diet, suggesting that hypertension associated with this genotype is not the cause of their altered inflammatory response. In contrast, wild-type, Cyp4a10 −/−, and Cyp4a14 −/− mice showed similar responses to injected LPS. These results implicate Cyp4a10 and Cyp4a14 in the regulation of the host inflammatory response to enteropathogenic bacterial infection but not to acute aseptic inflammation. Understanding the mechanism of this role may lead to novel therapeutic approaches in some inflammatory diseases.
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics comparison between subcutaneous and intravenous butorphanol administration in horses

The study objective was to compare butorphanol pharmacokinetics and physiologic effects following intravenous and subcutaneous administration in horses. Ten adult horses received 0.1 mg/kg butorphanol by either intravenous or subcutaneous injections, in a randomized crossover design. Plasma concentrations of butorphanol were measured at predetermined time points using highly sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay (LC-MS/MS). Demeanor and physiologic variables were recorded. Data were analyzed with multivariate mixed-effect model on ranks (P ≤ 0.05). For subcutaneous injection, absorption half-life and peak plasma concentration of butorphanol were 0.10 ± 0.07 h and 88 ± 37.4 ng/mL (mean ± SD), respectively. Bioavailability was 87%. After intravenous injection, mean ± SD butorphanol steady-state volume of distribution and clearance was 1.2 ± 0.96 L/kg and 0.65 ± 0.20 L/kg/h, respectively. Terminal half-lives for butorphanol were 2.31 ± 1.74 h and 5.29 ± 1.72 h after intravenous and subcutaneous administrations. Subcutaneous butorphanol reached and maintained target plasma concentrations >10 ng/mL for 2 ± 0.87 h (Mean ± SD), with less marked physiologic and behavioral effects compared to intravenous injection. Subcutaneous butorphanol administration is an acceptable alternative to the intravenous route in adult horses.