cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Human Activities on the World's Most Vulnerable Coral Reefs: Comoros Case Study

Effective management of highly biodiverse and threatened reefs requires the identification of human activities driving declines on the particular reef to be managed. The island nation of the Comoros is a model setting to investigate effects of human activities on diverse and threatened coral reefs, with abundant and diverse marine life, local dependence on reef resources, and a variety of anthropogenic pressures on reefs rendering the nation vulnerable to coral reef degradation. Using data from 21 sites throughout the Comoros, we evaluated the relative influence of human activities and other natural and anthropogenic factors on benthic cover and fish richness, abundance, and biomass with the goal of providing prioritized management targets. Human activities including fishing, beach sand extraction, and beachfront housing and development had the strongest relationship with degraded reefs but with some seasonal fluctuation, while geographic patterns most consistently predicted reef degradation across seasons. Comparing analyses conducted with and without human activities as predictors, the inclusion of human activities greatly improved explanatory power. Baseline data on reef biotic composition and localized anthropogenic impacts, monitoring over time, and controlled experiments can facilitate an adaptive management approach for protecting fragile reef ecosystems in the Comoros and elsewhere.
Fukushima derived radiocesium in subsistence-consumed northern fur seal and wild celery.

In July 2014, our investigative team traveled to St. Paul Island, Alaska to measure concentrations of radiocesium in wild-caught food products, primarily northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus). The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident released radiocesium into the atmosphere and into the western Pacific Ocean; other investigators have detected Fukushima-derived radionuclides in a variety of marine products harvested off the western coast of North America. We tested two subsistence-consumed food products from St. Paul Island, Alaska for Fukushima-derived radionuclides: 54 northern fur seal, and nine putchki (wild celery, Angelica lucida) plants. Individual northern fur seal samples were below minimum detectable activity concentrations of (137)Cs and (134)Cs, but when composited, northern fur seal tissues tested positive for trace quantities of both isotopes. Radiocesium was detected at an activity concentration of 37.2 mBq (134)Cs kg(-1) f.w. (95% CI: 35.9-38.5) and 141.2 mBq (137)Cs kg(-1) f.w. (95% CI: 135.5-146.8). The measured isotopic ratio, decay-corrected to the date of harvest, was 0.26 (95% CI: 0.25-0.28). The Fukushima nuclear accident released (134)Cs and (137)Cs in roughly equal quantities, but by the date of harvest in July 2014, this ratio was 0.2774, indicating that this population of seals has been exposed to small quantities of Fukushima-derived radiocesium. Activity concentrations of both (134)Cs and (137)Cs in putchki were below detection limits, even for composited samples. Northern fur seal is known to migrate between coastal Alaska and Japan and the trace (134)Cs in northern fur seal tissue suggests that the population under study had been minimally exposed Fukushima-derived radionuclides. Despite this inference, the radionuclide quantities detected are small and no impact is expected as a result of the measured radiation exposure, either in northern fur seal or human populations consuming this species.
1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 decreases alkaline phosphatase activity in cultures of embryonic chick tibiae.

AbstractThe influence of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] on the alkaline phosphatase (AlPase) activity in cultures of chick embryo tibiae was determined. A dose-related, decreased release (30-47%) of AlPase from the bones was seen with the metabolite at 0.05-0.5 ng/ml of medium with a similar effect on the bone content of enzyme. The highest dose (1 ng/ml) decreased the bone content by 38% without further effect on AlPase release. Combining a low level of 1,25(OH)2D3 (0.05 ng/ml) with parathyroid hormone (PTH, 1 U/ml) reduced release of enzyme additively, but caused no greater decrease in bone content of activity than PTH alone. No effects of 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [24,25(OH)2D3, 0.5 ng/ml] on release or bone content of AlPase were found when this metabolite was added alone or in combination with PTH; however, 24,25(OH)2D3 did prevent the inhibition of release of AlPase when added with 1,25(OH)2D3, After a 1-day exposure to 1,25(OH)2D3, continued incubation in metabolite-free medium resulted in ...
An experimental comparison of equivalent terminal and rotational crossbreeding systems in swine: pig performance

Eleven thousand forty-nine pigs produced from 934 litters using 262 rotational and F1 crossbred sows were used to study differences in pig weights, survival rates and pen average daily gain, daily feed intake, and feed conversion between pigs from equivalent three-breed rotational and three-breed terminal crossbreeding systems using Duroc, Yorkshire, and Landrace breeds. Pig weights at birth and 21 and 56 d and days to reach 100 kg did not differ (P > .10) between the terminal and rotational crossbreeding systems. However, ultrasound backfat thickness of pigs from the terminal crossbreeding system was .04 cm greater (P .10) on survival rate at birth, from birth to 21 d, from 21 to 56 d, or from birth to 100 kg. Differences between the two crossbreeding systems were nonsignificant (P > .20) for pen average daily gain, daily feed intake, and feed conversion. Breed composition of pigs was an important source of variation (P .10). For survival traits, only survival rate from 56 d to 100 kg was influenced by breed composition of the pig.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Structure of the lutein-binding domain of human StARD3 at 1.74 Å resolution and model of a complex with lutein.

A crystal structure of the lutein-binding domain of human StARD3 (StAR-related lipid-transfer protein 3; also known as MLN64) has been refined to 1.74 A resolution. A previous structure of the same protein determined to 2.2 A resolution highlighted homology with StARD1 and shared cholesterol-binding character. StARD3 has since been recognized as a carotenoid-binding protein in the primate retina, where its biochemical function of binding lutein with specificity appears to be well suited to recruit this photoprotective molecule. The current and previous structures correspond closely to each other (r.m.s.d. of 0.25 A), especially in terms of the helix-grip fold constructed around a solvent-filled cavity. Regions of interest were defined with alternate conformations in the current higher-resolution structure, including Arg351 found within the cavity and Ω1, a loop of four residues found just outside the cavity entrance. Models of the complex with lutein generated by rigid-body docking indicate that one of the ionone rings must protrude outside the cavity, and this insight has implications for molecular interactions with transport proteins and enzymes that act on lutein. Interestingly, models with the ∊-ionone ring characteristic of lutein pointing towards the bottom of the cavity were associated with fewer steric clashes, suggesting that steric complementarity and ligand asymmetry may play a role in discriminating lutein from the other ocular carotenoids zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin, which only have β-ionone rings.
The Prime Minister, the Cabinet, and the Central Agencies

To examine the role of the Japanese Prime Minister is to examine the exercise of central political power. Who runs Japan? The answer varies with time, events, and personalities, but without doubt, the central figure since World War II and before has been the Prime Minister, and the central instrument has been the Cabinet.
Systemic Sclerosis (Scleroderma)

Abstract Systemic sclerosis or scleroderma is a multisystem, autoimmune disease with prominent fibrotic and vasculopathic features. Clinically, it is associated with high morbidity and mortality, although the disease course can be highly variable. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the current knowledge about the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, as well as monitoring and treatment strategies of systemic sclerosis.
National Curriculum for Physical Education in the United States.

ABSTRACTSince the publication of A Nation at Risk, some scholars have argued that a national curriculum and national testing are necessary to hold school personnel accountable for student achievement and, ultimately, to raise educational standards. The idea of developing a nationwide curriculum has been widely debated in the United States, where the traditions of local control and state responsibility are dominant. Thus, this article examines the relevance and feasibility of a uniform curriculum in physical education. A core curriculum for physical education has the potential to provide clear goals, coherent instructional guidelines, and relevant assessments aligned with designated program outcomes. A more advanced curricula framework with clear guidance for P-12 curricula and pedagogical practices could promote system-wide changes in school-based physical education. In contrast, the adoption of an overly rigid national curriculum would create a stifling educational context where cultural differences and ...
Ataxia with Idiopathic Hypomyelination

A progressive ataxic diplegia syndrome of unknown etiology is reported in 4 unrelated girls evaluated at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD; Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; and Tufts, New England Medical Center, Boston, MA.
Nonparametric Estimation of Survival Distributions with Censored Initiating Time, and Censored and Truncated Terminating Time: Application to Transfusion Data for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

The analysis of survival data with censored initiating time, and censored and truncated terminating time arises in some recent epidemiological studies. The transfusion-related acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) data of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are a typical example. The initiating time in this case is the time of infection by the human immunodeficiency virus and is not observed for every patient either because of unrecorded transfusion times or multiple transfusions. The terminating time here is the onset of AIDS and in truncated. the result of being able to report within an observational period only a proportion of the infected cases which came down with AIDS in the time period. We consider nonparametric estimation of the survival as well as the initiating time distributions assuming that they are independent and non-informatively censored. We propose a simple algorithm to obtain the maximum likelihood estimates for the discrete formulation of the problem and apply it to estimating the AIDS latency and infection distributions for four age groups of transfusion-related AIDS from the CDC surveillance database
Metalworking fluid-associated respiratory morbidity in a production facility with a cluster of lymphocytic bronchiolitis

Introduction: A cluster of lymphocytic bronchiolitis occurred in a facility where in-use metalworking fluid (MWF) had microbial growth. Aims: Evaluate the respiratory health of the current workforce and assess relationships with markers of MWF and microbial exposures. Methods: 388 (89%) workers were interviewed and performed spirometry. We collected 40 area and 104 personal air samples for total thoracic aerosol, MWF, and endotoxin. Mean concentrations by job group were used to assign exposures. We examined trends in health outcomes by exposure using generalized linear models adjusted for age and smoking. Results: Most participants were male (91%), never-smokers (68%), with mean age of 42 years (range: 19-65) and mean facility tenure of 15 years (range: 1-40). Forty-nine (13%) reported dyspnea, 47 (12%) cough, and 129 (33%) wheeze; 14 (4%) had a spirometric abnormality. Mean total thoracic aerosol ranged from below the limit of detection ( 3 , mean MWF from 3 , and mean endotoxin from 3 . Respiratory symptom prevalence increased with increasing exposure. Mean total thoracic aerosol was significantly associated with cough; mean MWF with dyspnea, cough, and wheeze; and mean endotoxin with dyspnea. Mean %predicted FEV1 was significantly lower in those reporting dyspnea (101.9 vs. 93.3), cough (102.1 vs. 94.7), and wheeze (102.5 vs. 98.1), but we found no associations between spirometric parameters and exposure. Conclusions: Associations between exposure and respiratory symptoms, but not lung function, could reflect early occupational lung disease and warrant further investigation.
Genetics And Genomics of Microrna In Psychiatry

Abstract MicroRNA is one important class of non-coding RNAs that have been suggested to involve the risks of developing illnesses. We will present the current knowledge, basic concepts about microRNA, related genetic and genomic variations, biological functions, and its implicated roles in psychiatric disorders. Relevant experimental technologies and bioinformatics resources will be introduced as well. The session has four talks, about 45 minutes per talk. 1. General Introduction: (basic concepts, genomic features, function etc.): Murray Cairns, University of Newcastle, Australia 2. Genetics of microRNA: (genetic polymorphism, association studies and implication in psychiatry): Chunyu Liu, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA 3. Functional genomics of microRNA: (miRNA expression and its roles on regulating other genes): Hermona Soreq, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel 4. Bioinformatics resource for studying microRNA: (Tools and databases): Chao Chen, Central South University, China Educational Objectives By the end of the session, the audiences will understand what microRNAs are, how they function and may involve disease risk. The audiences will also know what genetic, genomic, and bioinformatics methods are available for the study of miRNA in psychiatric disorders.
Catalysts for Diesel Powered Vehicles

Abstract A theory of how diesel oxidation flow-through type converters reduce gaseous and particulate emissions is explained. The effects of substrate, catalyst support and application of noble metals are discussed and investigated. Experiments were performed to determine, (1) the sulfur storage characteristic of silica and alumina catalyst supports, (2) the SO 2 oxidation abilities of platinum and palladium and (3) the effects of ceramic and metal monolithic substrates on converter emission performance. Light duty FTP results are also presented.
Black First-Generation Social Work Doctoral Students

Black students are underrepresented in doctoral programs in social work, and the disparity calls for greater attention to the preparation of such students for doctoral programs. Toward this goal, t...
Mendel or Molecules First: What is the Best Approach for Teaching General Genetics?

A key question in teaching a General Genetics course is whether to present the major concepts of Mendelian genetics first, or to start with the essential ideas of molecular genetics. A comparison of two sequential courses at Creighton University with similar groups of students indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in exam scores or final grades with the two approaches. It thus may be better to focus on the questions of how best to present the material in each area to contemporary students and how better to prepare them to take exams that involve different types of questions requiring analytical, numerical, and writing skills. These issues are discussed in the context of the modern biology curriculum.
On the relation between orbital-localization and self-interaction errors in the density functional theory treatment of organic semiconductors.

It is commonly argued that the self-interaction error (SIE) inherent in semilocal density functionals is related to the degree of the electronic localization. Yet at the same time there exists a latent ambiguity in the definitions of the terms “localization” and “self-interaction,” which ultimately prevents a clear and readily accessible quantification of this relationship. This problem is particularly pressing for organic semiconductor molecules, in which delocalized molecular orbitals typically alternate with localized ones, thus leading to major distortions in the eigenvalue spectra. This paper discusses the relation between localization and SIEs in organic semiconductors in detail. Its findings provide further insights into the SIE in the orbital energies and yield a new perspective on the failure of self-interaction corrections that identify delocalized orbital densities with electrons.
WebGIS Systems for Planetary Data Access at the PDS Geosciences Node

NASA’s Planetary Data System (PDS) is a geographically distributed system with five discipline and three support nodes that work together to archive and distribute scientific data from NASA’s planetary missions. The Geosciences Node focuses on data for Earth’s Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars. As of September 2010, the Geosciences Node holdings consist of about 50 TB of data, with the addition of about 1 TB per month. To support search and retrieval of data from the Geosciences Node archives, two online systems, Analyst Notebooks (ANs) and Orbital Data Explorers (ODEs) have been developed. Both ANs and ODEs have WebGIS systems embedded to enhance their map-based search and display capabilities. An ESRI® ArcGIS Server was used to build maps and publish web services. JavaScript application programming interface (API) was used extensively to access those map services and build web interface with interactive maps. This paper first reviews the existing planetary online map systems used in the planetary community. Then the challenges of planetary GIS are discussed. The development of WebGIS for ANs and ODEs with ArcGIS Server and JavaScript API is introduced. This paper also discusses data sharing through planetary Web service including WMS/WFS based on Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards. A solution is presented in this paper to solve the map projection issue of planetary Web services. Free client tools used to test the OGC WMS/WFS services are covered at the end of this paper.
Regional Psychological Capital and Its Impact on Regional Entrepreneurship in Urban Areas of the US

Investigation of the determinants of entrepreneurship has been extensively pursued by academics in many disciplines. Two dominant but alternative approaches to understanding these determinants have been used. The first systematically studies individual entrepreneurs in an effort to identify characteristics or tendencies common to successful entrepreneurs. The second examines the role of various hypothesized structural attributes and conditions across regions in an effort to explain variation in levels of entrepreneurial activities. Both approaches reveal considerable insight into how and why entrepreneurial activities emerge, yet much remains unanswered as no study exists to confirm or refute the evidence pertaining to the manifestation of the psychological characteristics found at the individual-level at the meso or regional level.
Differential Rates of Change in Measures of Ovarian Reserve in Young Cancer Survivors Across the Reproductive Lifespan

CONTEXT Recent studies have examined level and rate of change of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) for predicting time to menopause. Limited prospective, longitudinal data exists evaluating measures of ovarian reserve (MOR) in cancer survivors. PURPOSE Determine the rate of change of MOR in survivors (15 to 39 years) compared with similar-aged controls and compared with late reproductive-aged controls (40 to 50 years). DESIGN Prospective cohort. SETTING Quaternary university hospital. PARTICIPANTS Survivors at least 1 year from therapy completion, similar-aged controls, and late reproductive-aged controls. INTERVENTIONS Annual visits with early follicular-phase hormone analysis and ultrasound. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Changes in AMH and antral follicle count (AFC) were modeled using random effects linear regression. RESULTS Cancer survivors (170) and 135 similar-aged controls had annual visits for an average of 38 months; 71 late reproductive-aged controls were followed for an average of 24 months. In models adjusted for body mass index, time since cancer therapy (for survivors), and exogenous hormone use, the geometric mean AMH and AFC levels were lower in the survivors than similar-aged controls at all ages. After age 24.5 AMH and AFC declined in both groups at rates that were similar (P = 0.78 for AMH, P = 0.37 for AFC). Late reproductive-aged controls declined at a much more precipitous rate of 30% per year for AMH and 16% per year for AFC (P < 0.01 compared with survivors). CONCLUSIONS Although survivors had lower levels of AMH and AFC at the time of enrollment, the rate of change of AMH and AFC is not significantly different than similar-aged controls.
Investigating the use of the ACTFL can-do statements in a self-assessment for student placement in an Intensive English Program

Abstract In this study, the authors use a validation framework to evaluate the usefulness of a self-assessment instrument based on the ACTFL Can-Do Statements for student placement in an Intensive English Program. The authors evaluated (a) the design of the instrument by investigating how well the intended item difficulties aligned with the actual item difficulties (ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines) and how well the scale functioned; (b) the assessment instrument itself through evaluating how reliably it distinguished between students with different levels of self-perception, and (c) the interpretation of scores that examined how well the results could be used as a proxy measure of student ability by comparing the students' perceived ability levels from the self-assessment instrument to their scores on speaking and writing placement tests. Results showed strong evidence for both the instrument's design and internal consistency; however, interpreting the scores as a measure of the students' productive skills was problematic. The correlations between self-assessment and placement test results were weak, raising questions regarding the use of this self-assessment in lieu of other placement measures.
Work!: A Queer History of Modeling

In Work! A Queer History of Modeling, Elspeth Brown explores the history of photographic, stage, cloak, and fashion models throughout the twentieth century. The author provides an in-depth discussi...
Delayed Bedtimes Are Associated With More Severe Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Intensive Residential Treatment

Delays in behavioral and biological circadian rhythms (e.g., sleep timing, melatonin secretion) are found more frequently in individuals with severe and treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In recent years, it has been documented that these delays in behavioral and biological circadian rhythms are associated with more severe OCD symptoms and poorer response to some OCD treatments. This study examined self-reported sleep behaviors in individuals taking part in an intensive treatment for OCD and the relations between these and OCD symptoms (both at admission to and discharge from the treatment program). Replicating previous findings in less severe populations, delayed sleep phases were relatively common in this group and later bedtimes were associated with more severe OCD symptoms at admission. Sleep onset latency and sleep duration were not associated with OCD symptom severity at admission. Later bedtimes were not associated with self-reported depression or worry symptom severity. There was no evidence of sleep behaviors affecting change in OCD symptoms from admission to discharge from treatment-however, later bedtimes at admission were associated with more severe OCD symptoms at admission and discharge from treatment. There was no evidence of sleep onset latency or sleep duration having a similar predictive effect. More severe OCD symptoms at admission were also associated with later bedtimes at admission and discharge from treatment. These bidirectional predictive relations between late bedtimes and OCD symptoms were of small effect size but support the potential value of evaluating sleep timing in individuals with severe and/or treatment-resistant OCD.
Centring Complex Maternal Emotion in The Babadook

Jennifer Kent’s horror film The Babadook shines a spotlight on maternal ambivalence, which is easily read as horrifying in a culture that demands mothers feel or express nothing but love for their children. However, Kent asks her audience to look beyond maternal ambivalence as a representation of bad, mad, or monstrous mothering and instead as an act of resistance to one of the most intimate forms of female oppression—motherhood. Read this way, The Babadook challenges what Adrienne Rich named the "institution of motherhood." I argue that The Babadook moves beyond the institution of motherhood and into the realm of the emotional and psychological ramifications the institution engenders. I engage Barbara Almond’s The Monster Within: The Hidden Side of Motherhood to help convey the experiences of what she refers to as "the dark side of motherhood." It is in this dark space that Amelia, the film’s protagonist, finds herself. Like so many mothers, Amelia has no outlet to honestly express what and how she feels about motherhood and about her child. As a result, she denies and represses her feelings. But monsters are not often born from the expression of feelings but from their repression, and the more her feelings are denied the stronger the monster—the Babadook—grows. Ultimately, The Babadook challenges the many cultural and emotional restrictions placed upon mothers. More so, it asks those of us who are mothers to consider loving and maybe even nurturing the monster within.
Agriculture in the process of development: A micro-perspective

Abstract This paper compares national-level data from India with 40 years of household panel data from rural India to track sectoral changes in employment and income as well as examine the hypothesis of induced innovation in agricultural production. In the national data, India appears to be in the midst of a structural transformation. The share of agriculture in GDP and employment has shrunk while agricultural output continues to grow. This productivity growth appears to adhere to the induced innovation hypothesis, as productivity per hectare has increased more rapidly than productivity per worker. Many of the same patterns exist in the household data. Tracking households across time, I observe agricultural output has increased, despite more households engaging in off-farm labor. Household agricultural production is highly specialized and has increased its reliance on improved inputs. However, while agricultural income has grown, industrial and service income has remained stagnant, and the relative income of these households has declined in recent years.
Overcoming blood–brain barrier transport: Advances in nanoparticle-based drug delivery strategies

The Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB), a unique structure in the central nervous system (CNS), protects the brain from bloodborne pathogens by its excellent barrier properties. Nevertheless, this barrier limits therapeutic efficacy and becomes one of the biggest challenges in new drug development for neurodegenerative disease and brain cancer. Recent breakthroughs in nanotechnology have resulted in various nanoparticles (NPs) as drug carriers to cross the BBB by different methods. This review presents the current understanding of advanced NP-mediated non-invasive drug delivery for the treatment of neurological disorders. Herein, the complex compositions and special characteristics of BBB are elucidated exhaustively. Moreover, versatile drug nanocarriers with their recent applications and their pathways on different drug delivery strategies to overcome the formidable BBB obstacle are briefly discussed. In terms of significance, this paper provides a general understanding of how various properties of nanoparticles aid in drug delivery through BBB and usher the development of novel nanotechnology-based nanomaterials for cerebral disease therapies.
Rapid exposure of macrophages to drugs resolves four classes of effects on the leading edge sensory pseudopod: Non-perturbing, adaptive, disruptive, and activating.

Leukocyte migration is controlled by a membrane-based chemosensory pathway on the leading edge pseudopod that guides cell movement up attractant gradients during the innate immune and inflammatory responses. This study employed single cell and population imaging to investigate drug-induced perturbations of leading edge pseudopod morphology in cultured, polarized RAW macrophages. The drugs tested included representative therapeutics (acetylsalicylic acid, diclofenac, ibuprofen, acetaminophen) as well as control drugs (PDGF, Go6976, wortmannin). Notably, slow addition of any of the four therapeutics to cultured macrophages, mimicking the slowly increasing plasma concentration reported for standard oral dosage in patients, yielded no detectable change in pseudopod morphology. This finding is consistent with the well established clinical safety of these drugs. However, rapid drug addition to cultured macrophages revealed four distinct classes of effects on the leading edge pseudopod: (i) non-perturbing drug exposures yielded no detectable change in pseudopod morphology (acetylsalicylic acid, diclofenac); (ii) adaptive exposures yielded temporary collapse of the extended pseudopod and its signature PI(3,4,5)P3 lipid signal followed by slow recovery of extended pseudopod morphology (ibuprofen, acetaminophen); (iii) disruptive exposures yielded long-term pseudopod collapse (Go6976, wortmannin); and (iv) activating exposures yielded pseudopod expansion (PDGF). The novel observation of adaptive exposures leads us to hypothesize that rapid addition of an adaptive drug overwhelms an intrinsic or extrinsic adaptation system yielding temporary collapse followed by adaptive recovery, while slow addition enables gradual adaptation to counteract the drug perturbation in real time. Overall, the results illustrate an approach that may help identify therapeutic drugs that temporarily inhibit the leading edge pseudopod during extreme inflammation events, and toxic drugs that yield long term inhibition of the pseudopod with negative consequences for innate immunity. Future studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms of drug-induced pseudopod collapse, as well as the mechanisms of adaptation and recovery following some inhibitory drug exposures.
Dispersion at the edges of near road noise barriers

Abstract This paper presents an analysis of data from a wind tunnel study conducted to examine the dispersion of emissions at the edges of near-road noise barriers. The study is motivated by the concern that a barrier positioned downwind of a roadway may guide highly polluted plumes along the barrier leading to heightened concentrations as the plume spills around and downwind of the barrier end. The wind tunnel database consists of measurements of dispersion around a simulated roadway segment with various noise barrier configurations. Each roadway segment simulated in the wind tunnel had full-scale equivalent dimensions of 135 m long. Barrier segments, 135 m long with a height (H) of 6 m, were located on the downwind side of the source at a distance of 18 m from it (measured perpendicularly from the line source). Examination of the concentration patterns associated with the cases indicates that 1) vertical mixing induced by barriers persists at crosswind distances up to the edge (lateral end) of the barrier and downwind distances of x/H = 10, 2) concentration levels at all heights below z/H = 1 increase towards the edge of the barrier at downwind distances less than x/H = 7, and 3) concentration is well mixed in the vertical at the edge of the barrier, and the levels can be higher than in the middle of the barrier even when the source ends at the edge of the barrier. We have formulated a parameterization that captures the major features of these observations and can be incorporated in models such as RLINE.
Stability and ocular biodistribution of topically administered PLGA nanoparticles

Polymeric nanoparticles have been investigated as potential delivery systems for therapeutic compounds to address many ailments including eye disease. The stability and spatiotemporal distribution of polymeric nanoparticles in the eye are important regarding the practical applicability and efficacy of the delivery system in treating eye disease. We selected poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles loaded with lutein, a carotenoid antioxidant associated with eye health, as our model ophthalmic nanodelivery system and evaluated its stability when suspended in various conditions involving temperature and light exposure. We also assessed the ocular biodistribution of the fluorescently labeled nanoparticle vehicle when administered topically. Lutein-loaded nanoparticles were stable in suspension when stored at 4 °C with only 26% lutein release and no significant lutein decay or changes in nanoparticle morphology. When stored at 25 °C and 37 °C, these NPs showed signs of bulk degradation, had significant lutein decay compared to 4 °C, and released over 40% lutein after 5 weeks in suspension. Lutein-loaded nanoparticles were also more resistant to photodegradation compared to free lutein when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, decaying approximately 5 times slower. When applied topically in vivo, Cy5-labled nanoparticles showed high uptake in exterior eye tissues including the cornea, episcleral tissue, and sclera. The choroid was the only inner eye tissue that was significantly higher than the control group. Decreased fluorescence in all exterior eye tissues and the choroid at 1 h compared to 30 min indicated rapid elimination of nanoparticles from the eye.
Why do subcutaneous ports get stuck? A case-control study.

Abstract Purpose We sought to identify clinical features associated with difficult subcutaneous port removals in children. Methods Ports placed between April 2014 and September 2017 at our institution were prospectively tracked for difficult removals. A case-control analysis was performed. Patients with ports that were difficult to remove (stuck; cases) were compared to biological sex and age-matched controls in a ratio of 1:3. Logistic regression determined the association between case/control status and clinical features adjusting for biological sex and age as covariates. A multivariable analysis was performed to identify independent associations. Results 57 stuck ports (28 extreme [10 endovascular intervention] and 29 moderate) and 171 controls were analyzed. Stuck ports were associated with a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (86% cases versus 22.2% controls; p Conclusion Polyurethane central venous catheters placed for the two-year treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia may become difficult to remove. This constellation of factors warrants more extensive preoperative discussion of risk, endovascular backup availability, and scheduling for longer operating room time.
Mechanisms of Ototoxicity and Otoprotection

Ototoxicity refers to damage to the inner ear that leads to functional hearing loss or vestibular disorders by selected pharmacotherapeutics as well as a variety of environmental exposures (eg, lead, cadmium, solvents). This article reviews the fundamental mechanisms underlying ototoxicity by clinically relevant, hospital-prescribed medications (ie, aminoglycoside antibiotics or cisplatin, as illustrative examples). Also reviewed are current strategies to prevent prescribed medication-induced ototoxicity, with several clinical or candidate interventional strategies being discussed.
Unusual orbital mucocele

An orbital muco(pyo)cele is described as a cystic lesion that has invaded the orbit by eroding the bony wall. Based on acoustic characteristics typical for mucocele, the sensitivity of Standardized Echography in correctly diagnosing this lesion reaches 97.6% [1]. Ultrasound, being noninvasive and of relatively low cost, should usually be the first choice in diagnostic tools. However, in atypical cases, such as the one presented here, the typical echographic diagnostic features may be altered or absent, and other diagnostic modalities must be combined with ultrasound in order to make the correct diagnosis.
Effect of activating agents on the development of microporosity in polymeric-based carbon for CO2 adsorption

A single commercial carbon sorbent was treated with different activating agents such as carbon dioxide, water steam, ammonia, potassium hydroxide, and zinc (II) chloride, to compare their activating power toward evolution of microporosity beneficial for CO2 adsorption at ambient conditions. The activating agents improved the structural properties of the carbon studied and CO2 adsorption in the following order: ZnCl2 < H2O < NH3 < CO2 < KOH. Low-temperature nitrogen adsorption characterization showed that the CO2 adsorption depends mainly on the volume of micropores <1 nm. The KOH-activated carbon had the largest volume of these pores, which resulted in the highest CO2 uptake (6.9 mmol g−1 at 0 °C and 1 bar). Among activating agents studied KOH is the best activator for the structure development and improvement of CO2 adsorption.
MOTORCYCLES FOR THE DISABLED : MOBILITY, MODERNITY AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF EXPERIENCE IN URBAN CHINA

This paper describes changes in people's attitudes toward and experiences of disability in contemporary China. In particular, it examines how, as a result of shifting gender structures and modernist modes of production, urban men who struggle to walk have adopted cycle technolgies, and how this has caused Chinese society increasingly to associate these men with disability. The paper further details ways the young state-run advocacy organization, the China Disabled Persons' Federation, has contributed to these attitudinal and experiential shifts by providing more assistance to urban men who struggle to walk than to any other PRC citizens who might be considered disabled. In general, the transformations outlined in this paper exemplify how ongoing macro changes in contemporary China often provide benefits to a relatively small number of people and how, for those who receive them, the benefits are often double-edged.
Morphometric Analysis of Rat Hepatocytes After Total Biliary Obstruction

Using light and electron microscopic morphometric techniques, the effects of 48 hr of extrahepatic biliary obstruction on hepatocyte structure were examined in the rat. Liver cells near the portal area were compared to those in the centrilobular regions of the hepatic lobule. Observations on the normal animals confirm earlier evidence of quantitative differences in the surface density of organelles in hepatocytes located within different regions of the lobule. A striking difference in the quantity of the Golgi complex in the two areas of the lobule was noted for the first time, with the portal cells containing a significantly greater quantity of this organelle than centrolobular hepatocytes. After 48 hr of total obstruction, most of the previously reported qualitative changes in the canalicular and pericanalicular regions were confirmed. Morphometric analysis at the light-microscopic level showed an increase in the number of cells and a decrease in cell size in those cells near the portal area were compared to those in the centrolobular regions of the helar level demonstrated a significant decrease in both rough and smooth surfaced endoplasmic reticulum in cells of both zones, a finding in marked contrast to the hypertrophy of smooth endoplasmic reticulum suggested by other investigators on the basis of qualitative assessments. There was also a striking decrease in the amount of the Golgi complex, limited to cells in the portal regions. In addition, in all zones a decrease in the volume density of mitochondria and Iysosomes was noted, whereas the volume of microbodies was increased. It is suggested that this loss in total membrane material within the cell may be secondary to the degranulation and decrease in total surface area of rough surfaced endoplasmic reticulum, an organelle thought to be responsible in part for the synthesis of new cellular membranes. These observations suggest that present concepts concerning the pathogenesis of cholestatic liver disease require reappraisal.
Forming proactive team cooperation by observations

Proactivity is the ability to take initiative by exhibiting goal-directed behavior. Agents with proactivity can respond to dynamic environment in a timely way. Hence the ability to anticipate the information needs of teammates and assist them proactively is highly desirable. This research is directed toward helping agents produce effective communication through observations. We show how agents can use observation to estimate the teammates' beliefs and proactively provide the information that the teammates need. We present two experiments that explore: 1) effectiveness of different aspects of observability; 2) scalability of using observability with respect to the number of agents in a team.
Adjustable adaboost classifier and pyramid features for image-based cervical cancer diagnosis

Cervical cancer is the third most common type of cancer in women worldwide. Most death cases of cervical cancer occur in less developed areas of the world. In this work, we develop an automated and low-cost method that is applicable in those low-resource regions. First, we propose a more distinctive multi-feature descriptor for encoding the cervical image information by enhancing an existing descriptor with the pyramid histogram of local binary pattern (PLBP) feature. Second, we apply the AdaBoost algorithm to perform feature selection, and train a binary classifier to differentiate high-risk patient visits from low-risk patient visits. Our AdaBoost classifier can be adjusted to achieve high specificity, which is necessary for use in clinical practice. Experiments on both balanced and imbalanced datasets are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of our method. Our method is shown to achieve better performance than existing image-based CIN classification systems and also outperform human interpretations on various screening tests.
The prevalence of short sleep duration by industry and occupation in the National Health Interview Survey.

THE NATIONAL SLEEP FOUNDATION (NSF) RECOMMENDS THAT HEALTHY ADULTS SLEEP 7-9 H/DAY; BUT EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES SUGGEST THAT mean sleep duration among American adults has decreased substantially over time, with an increased percentage of adults who report an average sleep duration of ≤ 6 h/day.1,2 Recent surveys indicate that American workers average 6.7 to 7.6 h of sleep per workday.3,4 Both short and long habitual sleep time have been found to be associated with increased risks of mortality,5,6 hypertension,7,8 coronary heart disease,9 and diabetes.10 In addition, short sleep duration has been found to be associated with self-rated poor health11 and elevated body mass index (BMI).12 Among workers, insufficient sleep can affect job performance and workplace safety, which are important occupational health considerations.13–15 In addition to understanding the effects of sleep duration, it is important to study determinants that predict or influence an individual's sleep duration.16 This issue is important because: 1) understanding the primary determinants of sleep duration will allow for the design of studies that can appropriately control for confounders and effect modifiers; and 2) knowledge of the determinants of sleep duration will allow for identification of subgroups at highest risk for sleep related morbidity, so that these subgroups can be targeted with appropriate interventions. Non-occupational factors that have been associated with short sleep duration include demographic factors: being male,17–20 being non-Hispanic black,18,21 being divorced or widowed,18,19 low levels of education,7,18,19 and urban residence.18 Some studies have found a U-shaped relationship between age and short sleep duration, with lower prevalence of short sleep duration among young adults and older adults, compared to middle-aged adults2,17; while other studies have suggested a more linear increase in prevalence of short sleep duration with age.7 High self-reported stress,18 smoking,18,20,22,23 activity limitations and leisure-time physical inactivity,18,23 and alcohol consumption18,22,23 have also been associated with short sleep duration. Employed persons tend to have a higher prevalence of short sleep duration than unemployed persons18; and, with regard to work schedules, early morning start times,24 rotating shifts,25 night shifts,26 and long work hours17 are associated with short sleep duration.
Intercistronic regions in øX174 DNA: II. Biochemical and biological analysis of mutants with altered intercistronic regions between genes J and F*

oX174 mutants with altered J-F intercistronic regions, which were constructed as described in the preceding paper (Muller & Wells, 1980), were characterized biochemically and biologically. Inserts of AluI fragments of pBR322 into this region were identified by restriction mapping; deletions of parts of the J-F intercistronic region were characterized by DNA sequencing. The biological consequences of deleting 27 base-pairs from or inserting 163 base-pairs into the J-F intercistronic region were determined by one-step growth curves and by competitive growth experiments of phages in mixed infections. A small reduction was observed in growth efficiency for the insertion mutant whereas no growth deficiencies were found for the mutant, which had a deletion of 75% of the J-F intercistronic region.
Formalism and Prototyping in the Software Process

The September 1988 issue of the Communications of the ACM contained a paper by James Fetzer entitled Program Verification: The Very Idea’ [1]. The title was adapted from a book by John Haugland on artificial intelligence [2]. One is accustomed to controversy in AI. One might not have expected an essay by a professor of philosophy to have aroused passions, but it did. The March 1989 issue of the Communications printed eight pages of technical correspondence on the paper plus three pages of discussion in the ACM Forum. A letter in the Forum, signed by ten researchers in the field, stated that Fetzer’s paper was ‘not a serious scientific analysis of the nature of verification’ [3]. Fetzer replied by referring to the authors of the letter as ‘The Gang of Ten’ and said their response was an example of ‘the ancient practice of killing the messenger when you do not like the message’ [4]. Regrettably, the continuing debate has served to obscure rather than clarify the goals and benefits of formal methods.
Production of Pseudotype‐Retroviral Vectors

Retrovirus pseudotype is defined as the genome of one retrovirus encapsidated by the envelope protein of a second virus. The host range of the pseudotype is that of the virus donating the envelope protein. Two procedures that use 293GP cells, which are derived from human kidney 293 cells, are described here. The first is based on the high transient transfection efficiency of 293 cells. The retroviral construct and an expression plasmid for VSV-G are co-transfected into 293GP cells that stably express MLV gag and pol proteins. Transiently generated virus is then harvested during consecutive days following DNA transfection. The second procedure involves stable 293GP cell lines containing the VSV-G gene under the control of a promoter whose activity is regulated by tetracycline. Cell lines containing the retroviral vector of interest are established under noninduced conditions. Infectious virus can be harvested following the induction of VSV-G expression in these cell lines.Retrovirus pseudotype is defined as the genome of one retrovirus encapsidated by the envelope protein of a second virus.