cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Activation of the Ah Receptor Modulates Gastrointestinal Homeostasis and the Intestinal Microbiome

The Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that responds to a variety of structurally diverse exogenous and endogenous small molecules. The AHR has been implicated in both host and microbiota homeostasis. Understanding the role of the AHR in gastrointestinal health and the appropriate level of AHR activation has implications in determining whether the AHR is an appropriate target for dietary or drug intervention. The discovery of previously unrecognized AHR ligands of dietary, environmental, and pharmaceutical origin continues to expand, including many tryptophan derivatives (e.g., 2-oxindole, kynurenic acid). AHR activation can lead to organ and cell type-specific effects through altered gene expression. Most recent studies have focused on the role of the AHR in immune cell function especially within the gastrointestinal tract. The AHR plays an important role in xenobiotic metabolism within the intestine. In addition, the AHR regulates proliferation and differentiation status of intestinal epithelial cells. The lack of AHR expression and activation of the AHR are both capable of altering the composition of the gut microbiota in mice. Dietary AHR ligand exposure has been shown to attenuate toxicity due to gastrointestinal challenge. However, activation by persistent AHR ligands can lead to intestinal dysfunction. Many questions remain to be answered as to the suitability of utilizing the AHR as a target to maintain gastrointestinal health and treat various disease states. Nevertheless, the potential of AHR ligands to improve intestinal health appears to be quite significant.
Automatic Crack Detection and Analysis for Biological Cellular Materials in X-Ray In Situ Tomography Measurements

We introduce a novel methodology, based on in situ X-ray tomography measurements, to quantify and analyze 3D crack morphologies in biological cellular materials during damage process. Damage characterization in cellular materials is challenging due to the difficulty of identifying and registering cracks from the complicated 3D network structure. In this paper, we develop a pipeline of computer vision algorithms to extract crack patterns from a large volumetric dataset of in situ X-ray tomography measurement obtained during a compression test. Based on a hybrid approach using both model-based feature filtering and data-driven machine learning, the proposed method shows high efficiency and accuracy in identifying the crack pattern from the complex cellular structures and tomography reconstruction artifacts. The identified cracks are registered as 3D tilted planes, where 3D morphology descriptors including crack location, crack opening width, and crack plane orientation are registered to provide quantitative data for future mechanical analysis. This method is applied to two different biological materials with different levels of porosity, i.e., sea urchin (Heterocentrotus mamillatus) spines and emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) eggshells. The results are verified by experienced human image readers. The methodology presented in this paper can be utilized for crack analysis in many other cellular solids, including both synthetic and natural materials.
Abstract 73: Sex Hormone Binding Globulin: A Novel Hormonal Biomarker for Ischemic Stroke Risk?

Introduction: Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) is a sex-steroid transporter previously linked to cardiometabolic outcomes such as diabetes (DM) and coronary heart disease and their risk factors....
Prior Therapeutic Experiences, Not Expectation Ratings, Predict Placebo Effects: An Experimental Study in Chronic Pain and Healthy Participants.

Introduction Many clinical trials fail because of placebo responses. Prior therapeutic experiences and patients' expectations may affect the capacity to respond to placebos in chronic disorders. Objective The scope of this study in 763 chronic orofacial pain and healthy study participants was to compare the magnitude and prevalence of placebo effects and determine the putative role of prior therapeutic experiences vs. expectations. Methods We tested placebo propensity in a laboratory setting by using 2 distinct levels of individually tailored painful stimulations (high pain and low pain) to reinforce expectations and provide a hypoalgesic experience (conditioning phase). Afterwards, both levels of pain were surreptitiously set at a moderate pain level to test for placebo effects (testing phase). Pain and expectation ratings were assessed as primary outcomes using visual analog scales. Results In both chronic pain and healthy participants, placebo effects were similar in magnitude, with the larger prevalence of responders in the healthy participants. Although chronic pain participants reported higher pain relief expectations, expectations did not account for the occurrence of placebo effects. Rather, prior experience via conditioning strength mediated placebo effects in both pain and healthy participants. Conclusions These findings indicate that participants with chronic pain conditions display robust placebo effects that are not mediated by expectations but are instead directly linked to prior therapeutic experiences. This confirms the importance of assessing the therapeutic history while raising questions about the utility of expectation ratings. Future research is needed to enhance prediction of responses to placebos, which will ultimately improve clinical trial designs.
Influence of local structures on the energy transfer efficiencies of quantum-dot films

Energy transfer is an important photophysical process that plays a significant role in determining the performance of many optoelectronic and light-harvesting devices. Combining carrier dynamics measurements with Monte Carlo simulations, we study the influence of local microscopic structures on energy transfer efficiencies in quantum-dot films. We find that in thin films, the formation of local domains leads to reduced energy transfer efficiencies, even though macroscopically the energy transfer rate remains intact. Compared to packing density, the vertical interlayer energy transfer has a small impact on the overall energy transfer efficiencies in our structures. In thick three-dimensional films, energy transfer outpaces biexciton recombination, suggesting the possibility to harvest multiexcitons in quantum-dot films for device applications.
Sex and Gender as Non-Binary: What Does This Mean for Physics Teachers?.

Gender bias and inequity are pervasive in physics, but teachers can help. A recent Resource Letter digs into the history, current status, and classroom implications of gender and physics. However, one finding from that work was the tendency for “gender in physics” research to treat sex and gender as the same thing and to neglect the perspective of LGBTQIA+ scientists. In this special issue of The Physics Teacher we want to further discuss the non-binary nature of sex and gender, and why physics teachers should care. Our main goal is to collect information and resources for teachers who wish to know more about these issues. For readers who are members or close allies of the LGBTQIA+ community, much of the introductory material will not be news, but we hope the resource list at the end will be useful.
A Complexity Approach for Reducing Disaster Risks for Marginalized Urban Populations: Comparing DRR Interventions Across Four Cities

The extreme poor increasingly reside in cities, often in high-risk settlements such as slums. Unfortunately, the risk in cities is an incredibly complex product, shaped by interactions between groups of people, natural and physical infrastructures, and different institutions. This chapter conceptualizes cities and their risks as a complex adaptive system and examine the methods for risk reduction. To do so, it reviews how the international NGO Concern Worldwide reduces risks for the extreme poor living in four cities: Port au Prince, Haiti; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Nairobi, Kenya; and Freetown, Sierra Leone. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in these cities, this chapter finds that while many commonly used disaster management techniques can be employed for risk reduction, the complex and dynamic nature of urban systems creates unique challenges that must be accounted for. Risk reduction can be enhanced by implementing a multiplicity of interventions spanning scales and perspectives, structured along the lines of preparedness and response to crisis, direct services provision, and enhancing social inclusion. To truly to escape crises, these interventions must address not just the immediate symptoms of risk, but the underlying macro processes creating hazards and vulnerabilities. From these results, the argument is made that a complex system approach that is cognizant of interconnections among hazards, vulnerabilities, and forces of creating risks, is crucial for addressing risks in cities. By introducing this complex system perspective and providing a series of real-world examples of risk reduction in cities, this chapter should be relevant for researchers and policymakers working to understand how risks in an urban context can be managed in better ways.
Looking Back on What Was Good and What Was Bad: Prospective Teachers’ Understanding of Critical Reflection

This chapter concerns how prospective teachers conceive of the concept of critical reflection and how those conceptions provide some explanation for the patterns of their reflection and classroom teaching practice discussed in Chap. 2. Prospective teachers tend to have a somewhat simplistic understanding of critical reflection, sometimes confusing it with thinking in general, or with criticism, and other times incorporating one or two of the elements of critical reflection discussed in Chap. 1. This conceptual confusion mirrors the evasion, simplicity, and instrumentality of the majority of their written reflections and also mirrors disagreement on critical reflection between their teacher educators.
Two Dimensional Assessment of Right Ventricle in Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot – a Novel Approach to Older Technique

Introduction: In repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF), progressive right ventricular (RV) enlargement and dysfunction lead to poor outcomes. Currently, the evaluation of RV has limitations, especially in pediatric patients. While cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is considered gold standard, it has significant barriers including cost, accessibility and need for sedation in pediatric patients. Newer echocardiographic techniques like 3D and strain are not readily available and need additional expertise. Two-dimensional (2D) echocardiogram remains the most accessible, practical and commonly utilized tool for serial RV assessment. However, there are limitations of traditional echocardiographic RV assessment due …
Cerebrovascular pressure reactivity and intracranial pressure are associated with neurologic outcome after hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.

Abstract Aim We evaluated the association of physiological parameters measured by intracranial multimodality neuromonitoring with neurologic outcome in a consecutive series of patients with hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIBI). Methods We retrospectively identified all patients with HIBI who underwent combined invasive intracranial pressure (ICP) and brain tissue oxygen (PbtO2) monitoring over a 3 year period. Cerebrovascular pressure reactivity index (PRx) was calculated continuously as a surrogate of cerebral autoregulation. Favorable outcome was defined as recovery of consciousness (Glasgow Coma Scale motor score = 6). Differences in mean ICP, PRx and PbtO2 for the entire monitoring period across outcomes were measured. Logistic regression and area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve were used to assess the association of each monitoring parameter with neurologic outcome. Results We analyzed data from 36 patients. Most (89%) had an antecedent sudden cardiac arrest. Favorable outcome occurred in 8 (22%) patients. ICP and PRx were higher in patients with unfavorable outcome (ICP: 26 ± 4.1 mmHg vs 7.5 ± 2 mmHg, p = 0.0002; PRx: 0.51 ± 0.05 vs 0.11 ± 0.05, p 15 mmHg, PRx > 0.2, and PbtO2 Conclusion Cerebrovascular pressure reactivity and intracranial pressure appear to be associated with neurologic outcome in patients with HIBI.
Grid Topology Identification With Hidden Nodes via Structured Norm Minimization

This letter studies a topology identification problem for an electric distribution grid using sign patterns of the inverse covariance matrix of bus voltage magnitudes and angles, while accounting for hidden buses. Assuming the grid topology is sparse and the number of hidden buses are fewer than those of the observed buses, we express the observed voltages inverse covariance matrix as the sum of three structured matrices: sparse matrix, low-rank matrix with sparse factors , and low-rank matrix . Using the sign patterns of the first two of these matrices, we develop an algorithm to identify the topology of a distribution grid with a minimum cycle length greater than three. To estimate the structured matrices from the empirical inverse covariance matrix, we formulate a novel convex optimization problem with appropriate sparsity and structured norm constraints and solve it using an alternating minimization method. We validate the proposed algorithm’s performance on a modified IEEE 33 bus system.
Feeding Ecology of a Larval Fish Assemblage During its Passage Through a Coastal Inlet in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico

Throughout the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), coastal inlets provide vital pathways for marine fish larvae spawned offshore to reach estuarine nursery habitat. While survivorship of fish larvae is dependent on many factors, feeding success has been highlighted as the most important. Currently, little is known about the feeding ecology of larval fish during their passage through coastal inlets. The purpose of this study was to investigate the trophodynamics of fish larvae passing through a GoM estuarine tidal inlet during a fall spawning season. Several trophic niches existed within the δ13C’ and δ15N’ (lipid and baseline corrected values) stable isotope-derived food web of larval fish, with multiple taxa present within most trophic niches. These trophic niches changed throughout the fall season, however. Micropogonias undulatus, an estuarine-dependent species common to the region, was selected for a closer look at dietary shifts through ontogeny and showed an overall shift to higher trophic level prey with size, although there was not yet evidence of a shift towards estuarine prey indicative of settlement. Their diet mainly consisted of Calanoida copepods across all sizes of larvae with significant electivity for only Acartia (Calanoida), and this selection was likely due to a difference in behavior rather than taxonomy or size. This study provides information about larval fish trophodynamics at coastal inlets, advancing our understanding of larval fish survivorship and recruitment to adult fish stocks.
Education in Forensic Anthropology: Appraisal and Outlook

Increases in the awareness and participation of physical anthropologists in forensic investigations have resulted in growing concerns over the training of students with specializations in forensic anthropology. A survey of United States universities shows that forensic anthropologists provide training to large numbers of students in basic osteology and smaller, but still significant numbers of graduates and undergraduates in forensic anthropology. Their work augments that provided by physical anthropologists whose interests lie in osteology and skeletal biology. Discrepancies exist in the course topic content in training provided by these two groups (forensic anthropologists and osteologists) which may have implications for the future, especially if some students are unaware of the legal role and responsibilities of anthropologists in the forensic sciences.
CT and MRI appearances of cardiac pseudotumours

Summary Cardiac anatomic variants, vascular abnormalities and non-neoplastic mass lesions may be misinterpreted as tumours, potentially leading to inappropriate intervention. This article discusses the complementary role of multi-detector computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in the work-up of suspected masses. The cross-sectional imaging appearance of common or distinctive anatomic variants and pseudotumours, including ‘don't touch’ lesions, are reviewed.
Geographies of Production: The Institutional Foundations of a Design‐Intensive Manufacturing Strategy

This article critically reviews research on the national institutional influence on firm practice in economic geography, in particular the “varieties of capitalism” school (VoC) and national business systems, in order to promote a deeper examination of the role of corporate agency in contemporary institutionalist approaches. In order to do so, it invokes a growing segment of the contemporary economy – design-intensive manufacturing – and draws on the knowledge base framework developed by Asheim and Gertler (2005) to identify a core set of industrial practices that enable design-intensive manufacturing firms to integrate diverse knowledge bases (synthetic and symbolic) in order to compete effectively in global markets. In integrating these knowledge bases, firms are pressured to both align with, yet also deviate from, the dominant national institutional environment in which they operate. In the case of the latter, they may be prompted to develop local and sectoral forms of economic governance that compensate for an apparent disjunction at the national scale in order to adapt to certain aspects of the sectorally specific terms of competition. The case of design-intensive manufacturing emphasizes the importance of hybrid institutions and practices in the global knowledge economy and demonstrates that an agency-centered perspective is critical to our understanding of a more nuanced theory of firm practice.
Nationalism, Politics, and the Practice of Archaeology

Nationalism, Politics, and the Practice of Archaeology. Philip L. Kohl and Clare Fawcett. eds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. 329 pp.
Small ocellar interneurons in the brain of the cabbage looper moth Trichoplusia ni (hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract The small ocellar interneurons in the brain of the adult cabbage looper moth, Trichoplusia ni , have been examined after cobalt infiltration and intensification by the Timm's sulfide-silver technique. Small interneuron tracts pass from the ocellar synaptic region to the central body and the ipsilateral corpora pedunculata, optic tubercle and lobula. Additional ipsilateral and contralateral lobula tracts arise from the ipsilateral large interneuron tract and pass to both lobulas. Small interneurons also pass to the deutocerebrum and tritocerebrum via fibers in the anterior median tract and the antennal glomerular tracts.
Breast cancer 1985. What have we learned

A popular misconception infers that all breast cancers are systemic from their inception, that variations of primary therapy will not affect prognosis, and that an effective systemic therapy is already available. This is not so. Moderate improvement in long-term survival of breast cancer patients has occurred during the last three decades, and particularly more recently, due to increased detection of "early" disease. More patients are being encountered with early Stage I lesions that are confined to the breast or with minimal axillary involvement. These patients have a minimal risk of occult systemic spread, and the majority can anticipate long-term disease-free survival through adequate primary therapy that achieves total local control. The great majority of our patients who are free of disease 15 years following aggressive primary therapy remain so thereafter. Although adjuvant multichemotherapy has prolonged disease-free survival, its effect on long-term patient survival has been marginal. Optimum control of breast cancer is achieved through early detection (most important) and aggressive primary therapy that aims to achieve total local control, plus the use of the best available systemic therapy for patients with high risk of occult systemic disease.
Imaging magnetic fields

A scanning squid microscope (SSM) detects sub-nanotesla fields and nanoamperes of current with unsurpassed sensitivity. SSM can image magnetic fields at the surface of the sample under study. It is paving the way to an understanding of how materials that become superconducting at a rather high transition temperature do it. The author describes the SSM and how it is used to image the magnetic fields.
Decoding combinations of the first n integers taken k at a time

The following problem arose in connection with some studies involving game programming: the representation of any position in the game tree was formed by a sequence of k different integers selected from the first n integers. It was desired to decode any of these representations to a unique memory address such that all such addresses formed a compact group in the memory. Mathematically, the problem was to find a transformation of the representation such that any of the n!/(n - k)! sequences transformed uniquely to one of the set of integers from 0 to [n!/(n - k)! - 1]. A procedure for this is described here.
Container and Installation Time Effects on Soil Moisture, Temperature, and Inorganic Nitrogen Retention for an in situ Nitrogen Mineralization Method

Mineralization contributes significantly to agronomic nitrogen (N) budgets and is difficult to accurately predict. Models for predicting N‐mineralization contributions are needed, and development of these models will require field‐based data. In situ mineralization methods are intended to quantify N mineralization under ambient environmental conditions. This study was conducted to compare soil moisture and temperature in intact soil cores contained in cylinders to those in adjacent bulk soil, compare the effect of two resin‐bag techniques on water content of soil within cylinders, and assess the effect of installation duration on inorganic N retention by resins. The study was conducted at a dryland conventionally tilled corn (Zea mays L.) site and an irrigated no‐tillage corn site in eastern Nebraska. Soil in cylinders was slightly wetter (<0.05 g g−1) and warmer (<1 °C) than adjacent soil. Soil water content was <80% water‐filled pore space (WFPS) at all sampling times and differed little between the two...
Potential of proteomics as a bioanalytic technique for quantifying sleepiness.

Currently, there are no simple ways to assess the degree of sleep loss in individual subjects. Proteins constitute greater than 98% of all molecules in the cell. They participate in physiological interactions, explain all of posttranslational modifications that occur in cellular micro-environments and thus are potential candidates for identification of a biomarker of sleepiness. A variety of proteonomic techniques are available which are being used in a current sleep deprivation study of monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs we are performing. Citation: Naidoo N. Potential of proteomics as a bioanalytic technique for quantifying sleepiness. J Clin Sleep Med 2011;7(5):Supplement S28-S30.
I Can Resist Anything But Temptation: Adolescent Expectations for Smoking Cigarettes1

Conformity to group pressure is widely considered a prime factor in experimentation with cigarettes. An alternative assumption is that the temptation to smoke arises out of the belief that cigarettes are instrumental in enhancing a sense of maturity, affiliation, and a reputation for autonomy. The present research assessed the relative saliency for both motive fulfillment and social pressure hypotheses in temptation dynamics and traced the causal influence of these factors on future expectations to smoke. Some 5,600 sixth, eighth and tenth graders rated the temptation value of four situations for smoking, varied along two dimensions: the composition of the group and the presence or absence of reasons that might minimize personal responsibility for smoking. Solitary smoking was a fifth situation. Between-group analyses confirmed that smoking history of the individual (e.g., nonsmokers), grade level, and type of tempting situation all exerted a significant impact on perceived peer pressure, on temptation level, and on behavioral expectancy to smoke. However, beliefs about the instrumentality of cigarettes for reducing tension and enhancing a reputation for maturity and autonomy overshadowed peer pressure as causal agents for both temptation level and expectations. Moreover, instrumental beliefs were differentially salient in this temptation/expectancy dynamic, depending on the individual's smoking history. Finally, the causal saliency of instrumental beliefs differed, depending on whether temptation arose in solitary or group situations. The implications of these findings for adolescent smoking prevention and cessation strategies were considered.
The Effect of Spironolactone Treatment on the Cytochrome P450-Mediated Metabolism of the Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid Senecionine by Hepatic Microsomes from Rats and Guinea Pigs

Spironolactone (SPL), a known inducer of cytochrome P4503A, was injected into rats and guinea pigs in order to investigate species differences in pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) metabolism. Liver microsomes from treated male rats showed an increased (+/-)-6,7-dihydro-7-hydroxy-1-hydroxymethyl-5H-pyrrolizine (DHP) formation of 47% from the PA senecionine, coincident with the induction of P4503A1, whereas senecionine N-oxidation was decreased by 49%, probably due to a reduction in hepatic P4502C11 concentrations. By contrast, liver microsomes from SPL-treated female rats exhibited almost a 500% increase in both DHP and senecionine N-oxide production, coincident with the marked induction of P4503A1. In guinea pigs of both sexes, oral treatment with SPL caused an approximately 50% increased formation of both DHP and senecionine N-oxide by liver microsomes. Only a slight increase in hepatic concentrations of P4503A1 occurred in the treated guinea pigs. SPL treatment increased testosterone 16 beta-hydroxylase activity by 100% in both sexes of guinea pigs. Use of the P4503A1 specific inhibitor triacetyloleandomycin showed that the P4503A sub-family played an important role in senecionine bioactivation in untreated or SPL-treated rats but not in both untreated and SPL-treated guinea pigs. This study demonstrated that P4503A was not the major enzyme for senecionine metabolism in guinea pigs.
On the Mechanical Response in a Thermal Barrier System Due to Martensitic Phase Transformation in the Bond Coat

Recent studies have shown that Pt-aluminide-a common bond coat material in thermal barrier coatings-undergoes martensitic transformations during thermal cycling. The transformations are associated with both large transformation strain and a strain hysteresis, leading to accumulation of a mismatch strain. Thermal barrier systems based on Pt-aluminide bond coats are stusceptible to interfacial morphological instabilitites. In this study, we investigate how the cyclic martensitic transformation influences the morphology. Two key results dre: (i) the morphological instabilities are highly sensitive to the thermo-mechanical properties of the substrate due to the martensitic transformation; (ii) the hysteresis associated with cyclic martensitic transformation cannot drive the morphological instabilities; the strains associated with the formation of the thermally grown oxide do.
Moyamoya and stroke in sickle cell anemia: bad news and good news

If having unannounced painful crises that present with the quality of giant toothaches was not enough, some sickle cell anemia patients are also affected by devastating strokes. Dobson et al (page[3144][1]) have examined a subgroup among the sickle stroke victims: those with moyamoya. Moyamoya in
Regeneration of Identified Neurons and Their Synaptic Connections in the Central Nervous System of Aplysia

SYNOPSIS. In the CNS of Aplysia the number and sequence of lesions influence the regeneration of identified neurons and their synaptic connections The left pleural ganglion giant neuron (LGC) fails to regenerate its severed axon following crushes of the cerebro pleural (C-PL) connectses A conditioning lesion paradigm in which first a foot nerve and then 10 days later, the left C-PL connective is crushed, results in the LGC regenerating its axon Synaptic inputs from identified neurons in the cerebral ganglion rarely regenerate when only the C-PL connectives are crushed Conditioning lesions also result in the regeneration of synaptic connections from the cerebral A neurons Multiple and sequential lesions appear to be more effective than single lesions in promoting both axonal regeneration and synapse formation The possible mechanisms by which axonal regeneration and synaptogenesis are controlled are discussed.
Application of a Multidimensional Nested Logit Model to Multiple-Choice Test Items

Nested logit models have been presented as an alternative to multinomial logistic models for multiple-choice test items (Suh and Bolt in Psychometrika 75:454–473, 2010) and possess a mathematical structure that naturally lends itself to evaluating the incremental information provided by attending to distractor selection in scoring. One potential concern in attending to distractors is the possibility that distractor selection reflects a different trait/ability than that underlying the correct response. This paper illustrates a multidimensional extension of a nested logit item response model that can be used to evaluate such distinctions and also defines a new framework for incorporating collateral information from distractor selection when differences exist. The approach is demonstrated in application to questions faced by a university testing center over whether to incorporate distractor selection into the scoring of its multiple-choice tests. Several empirical examples are presented.
Hypercalcemia Complicating Leukemic Transformation of Agnogenic Myeloid Metaplasia-Myelofibrosis

Hypercalcemia is a common and potentially life-threatening metabolic derangement associated with many malignancies, especially solid tumors and multiple myeloma. Hypercalcemia has been reported only rarely with acute myelogenous leukemia. We describe a patient who developed hypercalcemia in association with transformation of agnogenic myeloid metaplasia into M7 acute myelogenous leukemia. Laboratory investigation revealed low levels of serum parathyroid hormone, undetectable levels of parathyroid hormone–related peptide, and normal levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. These observations suggest that an-other mediator was responsible for hypercalcemia in this patient. Awareness of this rare complication of acute myelogenous leukemia is essential for prompt diagnosis and management.
Maximum likelihood methods for linear and log-linear models in categorical data

This work considers two types of models for categorical data: the linear model [email protected] = Xsz and the generalized log-linear model A [email protected] = Xsz, where @p is an array of cell probabilities corresponding to a multinomial or a product multinomial sampling scheme. For both models we derive maximum likelihood estimators of @p and @b, ad well as large-sample estimators of Var @b. Three examples are used to compare the results produced by the maximum likelihood and weighted least squares methods.
A Conceptual Framework for Secrecy-preserving Reasoning in Knowledge Bases

In many applications, Knowledge Bases (KBs) contain confidential or private information (secrets). The KB should be able to use this secret information in its reasoning process but in answering user queries care must be exercised so that secrets are not revealed to unauthorized users. We consider this problem under the Open World Assumption (OWA) in a setting with multiple querying agents M1,…, Mm that can pose queries against the KB K and selectively share answers that they receive from K with one or more other querying agents. We assume that for each Mi, the KB has a prespecified set of secrets Si that need to be protected from Mi. Communication between querying agents is modeled by a communication graph, a directed graph with self-loops. We introduce a general framework and propose an approach to secrecy-preserving query answering based on sound and complete proof systems. The idea is to hide the truthful answer from a querying agent Mi by feigning ignorance without lying (i.e., to provide the answer ‘Unknown’ to a query q if it needs to be protected. Under the OWA, a querying agent cannot distinguish between the case that q is being protected (for reasons of secrecy) and the case that it cannot be inferred from K. In the pre-query stage we compute a set of envelopes E1, …, Em (restricted to a finite subset of the set of formulae that are entailed by K) so that Si⊆ Ei, and a query α posed by agent Mi can be answered truthfully whenever α ∉ Ei and ¬ α ∉ Ei. After the pre-query stage, the envelope is updated as needed. We illustrate this approach with two simple cases: the Propositional Horn KBs and the Description Logic AL KBs.
Nimodipine in the management of preeclampsia: Maternal and fetal effects

Objective: Our purpose was to determine the effects of orally administered nimodipine on selected maternal and fetal parameters in patients with preeclampsia. Study Design: Ten consecutive patients were given 30 mg of nimodipine orally every 4 hours from admission until 24 hours after delivery. Maternal and fetal cerebral blood velocity, umbilical artery blood velocity, fetal heart rate variability, maternal blood pressure and heart rate, and transplacental passage of the drug were studied. All 10 patients were delivered within 24 hours of the first dose of nimodipine. Results: There was an acute and significant reduction in the pulsatility index in the smaller diameter maternal cerebral arteries (ophthalmic and central retinal) and in the fetal middle cerebral artery. The umbilical artery systolic/diastolic ratio was also significantly reduced. Maternal blood pressure was controlled without the need for other anti hypertensive medication, and although there was an increase in heart rate after administration of the drug, it was well tolerated. Nimodipine reached significant maternal and fetal levels within 2 hours. Conclusions: Nimodipine is rapidly absorbed after oral administration and has significant maternal and fetal cerebral vasodilator activity. It is an effective, easily administered anti hypertensive agent when used in patients with preeclampsia.
Arthroscopic debridement for osteoarthritis of the knee: predictors of patient satisfaction.

Abstract Summary: A retrospective review of 204 knees with osteoarthritis debrided arthroscopically was carried out to determine possible predictors of patient satisfaction with the outcome of their procedure. Knees were divided into three groups based upon the alignment on a standing anteroposterior radiograph in extension: group I, 0°; group II, 5°. Each group was further subdivided as to whether the patients were better (satisfied), unchanged, or worse (unsatisfied) with their operation at the time of review. There were 81 men (42.6%) and 109 women (57.4%) ranging in age from 30 to 88 years (mean, 62.1 years). Follow-up ranged from 2 to 15 years (mean, 7.4 years). Overall, 63.2% (129 knees) were better, 21.1% (43 knees) were unchanged, and 15.7% (32 knees) were worse after surgery. Further surgery was needed in 54 knees (26.5%). Regarding satisfactory results, group I (n = 57) had 84.2%, group II (n = 102) had 67.6%, and group III (n = 45) had 26.7%. Based on statistical analysis, it is concluded that patients with less deviated axes do better than those with large angulations, prior surgery predisposes to poorer results, and while the age was lower in the better and unchanged groups, it seems to be secondary in importance to angular deformity. Arthroscopic debridement is a successful palliative, temporizing treatment for the osteoarthritic knee. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, Vol 15, No 2 (March), 1999: pp 142–146
Twilight of the Parasites: Ultramodern Capital and the New World Order

This text explores the economic, sex/gender, and racialized passage of CAPITAL from its modern to its ultramodern phase. Here the parasitism qf CAPTTAList power shifts to a New World Order of social domination based, not simply upon the exploitation of human labor, but upon the technological invasion of human bodies by cybernetic feedback mechanisms, high/speed image-processing, and self-liquifying social control. Rooted in “military metaphysics” and a whitemale imagination of flexible economic accumulation, the Historical emergence of ultramodern CAPITAL signals a dangerous new ritual environment for contemporary social problems. It also presents important theoretical, methodological, and political challenges to the critical sociological imagination. Structured as an analytic collage, the paper asks that we, as social scientists, reflexively double back upon our own complicities with current informational modalities of power, so as to jam or uproot the most “possessive” features of cybernetic culture. Originally “performed” as part of the 1992 SSSP Presidential Address, the text includes visual images used during that presentation. It also includes a discussion of the relationship between telecommunicative mediums of memory and the eclipse of Historical awareness, the ultramodern police bombing of the Move community in Philadelphia, and a critical analysis of CAPITAList appropriations of Voodoo-based religious practices and other African-American styles of resistance.
Synthesis and Preliminary Cancer Activity of Chelidonic Acid Polyesters Containing the Triphenylarsenic, Triphenylantimony, and Triphenylbismuth Moiety

Polyesters derived from the interfacial reaction of the salt of chelidonic acid and triphenylarsenic dibromide, triphenylantimony dichloride, and triphenylbismuth dichloride are formed in moderate yield using commercially available reactants. IR data shows new bands characteristic of the formation of the M-O bond. MALDI MS shows formation of ion fragment clusters to two units. The polymers were tested for their ability to inhibit prostate, colon, breast (two cell lines), and pancreatic (two cell lines) cancer cells. All polymers showed ability to inhibit some of the cancer cell lines. The arsenic polymer exhibits good inhibition of the AsPC-1 pancreatic cell line. All three polymers inhibit the estrogen independent 7233 cell line to a much greater extent compared to inhibition of the 7259 estrogen positive receptor cell line. The arsenic and bismuth polymers also exhibit decent inhibition of the other cancer cell lines while the antimony polymer shows only decent inhibition of the 3465 prostate cell line.
In pursuit of a stable peroxynitrite complex—NOx (x=1–3) derivatives of Tpt-Bu,MeCo

Abstract Reaction of Tpt-Bu,MeCo(O2) with NO yielded a mixture of Tpt-Bu,MeCo(NO2) (2) and Tpt-Bu,MeCo(NO3) (3) rather than the desired stable peroxynitrite complex Tpt-Bu,MeCo(OONO). Complexes 2 and 3 have been independently synthesized and characterized, including a crystal structure determination of 2. Reaction of Tpt-Bu,MeCo(N2) with NO yielded the paramagnetic cobalt nitrosyl Tpt-Bu,MeCo(NO) (4), a {Co(NO)}9 complex that has also been structurally characterized. Exposure of 4 to O2 in solution yielded 2 exclusively, while the major product of the same reaction carried out in the solid state was 3. A labile peroxynitrite complex is considered a likely intermediate in these reactions; indeed, in situ IR spectroscopy revealed the formation of a intermediate tentatively assigned as such in the reaction of Tpt-Bu,MeCo(O2) with NO at −78 °C.
Pattern Formation in a Model of Acute Inflammation

We seek to understand patterns that form due to acute inflammation in the skin in the absence of specific pathogenic stimuli. By incorporating inhibition (represented by an anti-inflammatory cytokine) into a classical Keller-Segel chemotaxis model, we create a novel model that produces a variety of spatial patterns. We find that the dynamical instability in both homogeneous and nonhomogeneous steady states arises only when the inhibitor dynamics are sufficiently slow. We present simulation results that motivate the nonlinear analysis of the model and illustrate a variety of interesting dynamic two-dimensional spatial patterns that form, including isolated traveling pulses, rotating waves, and patterns that do not settle to a regular behavior.
Exercise performance following repair of hypoplastic left heart syndrome: A comparison with other types of Fontan patients.

Reports of exercise performance after Fontan surgery for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) are lacking. We compared the exercise performance of total cavopulmonary connection type (TCPC) of Fontan subjects with HLHS (group 1, n= 7) to those not requiring a Norwood procedure having a systemic right ventricle (group 2, n= 6) or a systemic left ventricle (group 3, n= 8). The subjects underwent assessment of resting pulmonary mechanics followed by maximal exercise testing with a bicycle or treadmill protocol. ECG, oxygen consumption, and carbon dioxide production were measured continuously. There was not a significant difference seen between HLHS and the comparison groups for the following parameters: maximum heart rate, maximum oxygen consumption, respiratory exchange ratio, breathing reserve, and arterial oxygen saturation at rest or exercise. Exercise performance in the TCPC type of Fontan patients was comparable regardless of ventricular morphology or surgical approach.
The convergence of the method of conjugate gradients at isolated extreme points of the spectrum

LetA be a positive definite matrix with a simple eigenvalue ?1 that lies outside an interval [?, β] containing the remaining eigenvalues. Let the method of conjugate gradients be applied to the solution of the linear systemAz=b producing a sequence of iteratesz 0,z 1,... and an associated sequence of error vectorse i=z?z i. In this paper bounds are obtained for the component of the error vector lying along the eigenvector associated with ?1. The bounds imply that, provided ?1 is well separated from [?, β], this component will decrease rapidly, even when the matrixA is moderately ill conditioned.
Epithelial cell-targeted transgene expression enables isolation of cyan fluorescent protein (CFP)-expressing prostate stem/progenitor cells.

To establish a method for efficient and relatively easy isolation of a cell population containing epithelial prostate stem cells, we developed two transgenic mouse models, K5/CFP and K18/RFP. In these models, promoters of the cytokeratin 5 (Krt5) and the cytokeratin 18 (Krt18) genes regulate cyan and red fluorescent proteins (CFP and RFP), respectively. CFP and RFP reporter protein fluorescence allows for visualization of K5+ and K18+ epithelial cells within the cellular spatial context of the prostate gland and for their direct isolation by FACS. Using these models, it is possible to test directly the stem cell properties of prostate epithelial cell populations that are positively selected based on expression of cytoplasmic proteins, K5 and K18. After validating appropriate expression of the K5/CFP and K18/RFP transgenes in the developing and adult prostate, we demonstrate that a subset of CFP-expressing prostate cells exhibits stem cell proliferation potential and differentiation capabilities. Then, using prostate cells sorted from double transgenic mice (K5/CFP + K18/RFP), we compare RNA microarrays of sorted K5+K18+ basal and K5−K18+ luminal epithelial cells, and identify genes that are differentially expressed. Several genes that are over-expressed in K5+ cells have previously been identified as potential stem cell markers. These results suggest that FACS isolation of prostate cells from these mice based on combining reporter gene fluorescence with expression of potential stem cell surface marker proteins will yield populations of cells enriched for stem cells to a degree that has not been attained by using cell surface markers alone.
An exact integral equation approach to the inverse problem in two-dimensional fluids

Abstract It is shown that the Born-Green-Yvon integral equation can be used to extract interparticle pair potentials from two- and three-particle distribution functions in certain two-dimensional fluids. The approach was tested against Monte Carlo data from two pairs of closely related inverse-power-law potentials and found satisfactory over a density regime from infinite dilution to near crystal packing.
The Effect of Depressive Symptoms on the Association Between Functional Status and Social Participation

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to examine the interactive effects of depressive symptoms and lower extremity functioning on social participation for a group of moderately to severely disabled older women. METHODS: The study used a cross-sectional community based sample, enrolled in the Women's Health and Aging Study I, randomly selected from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services enrollment files for women living in the Baltimore, Maryland area. The participants were women aged 65 or older who completed the in-person interview (n = 999). RESULTS: After adjusting for demographics and risk factors, each unit increase in the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score was associated with a 0.31 point increase in satisfaction with social participation for the non-depressed group, and 2.04 points for the depressed group. DISCUSSION: Depressive symptoms and lower extremity functioning interact to affect satisfaction with social participation. Among women with high depressive symptoms the gradient of association with social participation increased sharply with better lower extremity function compared with non-depressed women, where the gradient of association was moderate. The findings suggest the potential value of programs that focus on improving lower extremity function among older high risk groups.
DENSITY-FUNCTIONAL STUDY OF THE EQUILIBRIUM STRUCTURES, VIBRATIONAL SPECTRA, AND ENERGETICS OF CH3OBR AND CH3BRO

The geometries, vibrational spectra, and relative energetics of CH3OBr and CH3BrO have been examined using various ab initio and density-functional methods. The estimated heat of formation of CH3OBr, at 0 K, is −5.4 kcal mol-1, in good agreement with the estimates of bond additivity. The CH3BrO isomer is 42.6 kcal mol-1 higher in energy than CH3OBr.
Propaganda in General Language Texts

Author's Summary— Language teachers who see in General Language a boon to their teaching field should be on guard against those texts which undermine rather than build interest in foreign language study.)
Brachial Flow-Mediated Dilation Predicts Incident Cardiovascular Events in Older Adults The Cardiovascular Health Study

Background— The relationship between impaired brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and subsequent clinical cardiovascular events is not well established, especially in older adults whose FMD is often diminished. We assessed the hypothesis that FMD predicts incident cardiovascular events in a population-based cohort of older adults. Methods and Results— FMD was measured at the 1997 to 1998 Cardiovascular Health Study clinic visit in 2792 adults aged 72 to 98 years (82.7% white, 58.6% women) recruited at 4 clinic sites in the United States. Log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the association between FMD and adjudicated cardiovascular events. A total of 674 subjects (24.1%) had an adjudicated event over the 5-year follow-up period. Event-free survival rates for cardiovascular events were significantly higher in subjects with FMD greater than the sex-specific medians than in subjects with FMD less than or equal to the sex-specific medians (78.3% versus 73.6%, log-rank P=0.00...