cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social Support and Adjustment to Recurrence of Breast Cancer

We explored the reciprocal relations between social support and adjustment following a recurrence of breast cancer. The sample was composed of 30 women, ages 34 to 80, 90% Caucasian, who had sustained a recurrence of breast cancer. Social support, coping, and adjustment were measured through telephone interviews on two occasions (T1 and T2) separated by 6 months. Emotional support from a partner and informational support from an oncologist were related to decreased physical problems over time, but were not related to psychological distress over time. Women's use of positive reinterpretation appeared to mediate these relations. Interestingly, psychological distress was related to decreased partner emotional support over time. These results suggest that it is not enough to consider how social support may influence women's adjustment; it is also important to consider how women's adjustment may shape their social support networks.
Layered closure versus buried sutures and adhesive strips for cheek defect repair after cutaneous malignancy excision.

Background Primary closure of surgical defects after excision of cutaneous malignancies has been traditionally accomplished with layered closure. Objective We sought to compare the cosmetic outcome of cheek defects repaired with layered closure versus buried sutures and adhesive strips. Methods In all, 38 patients underwent excision of a cutaneous malignancy on the cheek by primary excision or Mohs micrographic surgery. Patients were prospectively randomized to receive layered closure to one half of the repair and buried sutures with adhesive strip closure for the other half of the repair. Follow-up assessment was performed by a blinded evaluator using a visual analog scale. Results There were no differences in scar contour, erythema, or overall cosmesis between closure types. Limitations All study participants were Caucasian, with a mean age of 68 years, limiting generalizability of results. Conclusion Layered closure does not have a cosmetic advantage over buried sutures and adhesive strips for the primary repair of cheek defects.
Dysregulated iron metabolism in the choroid plexus in fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome

Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a late-onset neurodegenerative disorder associated with premutation alleles of the FMR1 gene that is characterized by progressive action tremor, gait ataxia, and cognitive decline. Recent studies of mitochondrial dysfunction in FXTAS have suggested that iron dysregulation may be one component of disease pathogenesis. We tested the hypothesis that iron dysregulation is part of the pathogenic process in FXTAS. We analyzed postmortem choroid plexus from FXTAS and control subjects, and found that in FXTAS iron accumulated in the stroma, transferrin levels were decreased in the epithelial cells, and transferrin receptor 1 distribution was shifted from the basolateral membrane (control) to a predominantly intracellular location (FXTAS). In addition, ferroportin and ceruloplasmin were markedly decreased within the epithelial cells. These alterations have implications not only for understanding the pathophysiology of FXTAS, but also for the development of new clinical treatments that may incorporate selective iron chelation.
Storage optimization of tree structured files representing descriptor sets

It is shown that the total node requirements for tree structured files can be minimized without significantly affecting the search time. However, search times are determined primarily by type of use, and the particular implementation of tree structured files.In this paper theoretical results are reported for full and sparse files, and empirical techniques for minimizing total node requirements of tree structured files are given.
Constipation in children

Constipation is a common problem throughout the world. It occurs in about 10–20% of adults in Western Countries and 0.3% to 28% of children worldwide. Most childhood constipation results from intentional withholding of stool following a painful experience with defecation. Thus, an extensive evaluation is often not necessary in a child presenting with constipation. Treatment should include education, evacuation of the rectum with oral or rectal laxatives if an impaction is present, laxatives to ensure soft stools and behavior modification.
Ration Effects on Rumen Acids, Ketogenesis, and Milk Composition. II. Restricted Roughage Feeding, ,

Summary Two trials, with 12 cows each, using a 56-day comparison period, were used to investigate the effect of feeding normal levels of hay and concentrates in various forms and combinations on rumen volatile fatty acids, blood ketone and sugar levels, and milk production and composition. In both trials, rations containing pelleted hay or pelleted corn produced the following changes: (1) Lower milk fat test. (2) Lower percentage of rumen acetic acid. (3) Higher percentage of rumen propionic acid. (4) Increased total concentration of rumen acids. (5) Increased blood sugar levels. The feeding of pelleted corn tended to increase blood ketone bodies, whereas feeding pelleted hay reduced them. Feeding pelleted hay once a day counteracted the ketogenic effect of pelleted corn, whereas feeding a combined pellet, 50% hay–50% corn, had the same ketogenic effect as pelleted corn. An increase in total rumen acids with more butyrate to be metabolized would suggest butyrate to be the ketogenic agent. The high ketone levels did not prevent depression of milk fat test. The depression in milk fat test was not corrected when feeding 20lb of long hay/day with pelleted corn.
Efficient DNA photocleavage by [Ru(bpy)2(dppn)]2+ with visible light

The population and reactivity of two low-lying excited states in [Ru(bpy)2(dppn)]2+ (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, dppn = benzo[i]dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine), a weakly emissive 3MLCT state and a long-lived ligand-centered 3ππ* state, lead to efficient photoinduced DNA damage. Irradiation with visible light results in nearly complete DNA cleavage within 30 s (λirr ≥ 455 nm), likely from the combined action of guanineoxidation and the production of reactive oxygen species derived from 1O2.
The case for medical savings accounts

The debate about health care reform has centered around managed care and its ramifications. Medical savings accounts (MSAs), on the other hand, have been relegated to the background of the congressional discussion of health care reform. Conservative Republicans have advocated MSAs, whereas they have been denigrated by many liberals. The Clinton administration has threatened to veto any legislation that includes MSA provisions. I believe that MSAs are in general poorly understood by physicians and deserve closer attention. This article will explain what MSAs are and how they work. The advantages of MSAs will be discussed and examples of MSAs in action will be provided.
Notes on the Etymologies of English big and Gothic ga

During the Northwest Germanic period, *ɣaβiɣs ‘rich’ (Go. gabigs / gabeigs ‘rich’ giban ‘to give’) and related forms (Go. gabigjan ‘to make rich’, gabignan ‘to be rich’) were reanalyzed as consisting of the prefix * ɣa- + root. This reanalysis was triggered by the prevailing Germanic stress pattern (indicated where necessary by a raised tick '), since * ɣaβiɣs was stressed on the first syllable of the root (thus *' ɣaβiɣs ). while nominal and adjectival compounds that consisted of * ɣa - + root (' ga - qumps ‘assembly’, ' ga - fulgins ‘hidden’, ' ga - hails ‘hale’) were stressed on the prefix. Thus, an extrapolated root form * ɣiγ - > * biγ - was created that then existed parallel to * γaβiγs in Northwest Germanic. The newly created form * biγs survived and developed into ME big(ge) ‘strong, sturdy’ (> Eng. big ), while OE gifig , ON g˛fugr ‘noble’, and related forms in Old High German and Gothic are reflexes of * ɣaβiɣs .
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: What an Educator Needs to Know.

The presence of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) impairs social, emotional and academic functioning. Individuals with OCD may have co-morbid disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, oppositional defiant disorder, or Tourette syndrome. Challenges occur when students with OCD become a part of the general education classroom. This article provides an overview of OCD and presents information to assist teachers and school staff to successfully meet the needs of students with OCD.
Efficient integration of a realistic two-dimensional cardiac tissue model by domain decomposition

The size of realistic cardiac tissue models has been limited by their high computational demands. In particular, the Luo-Rudy phase II membrane model, used to simulate a thin sheet of ventricular tissue with arrays of coupled ventricular myocytes, is usually limited to 100/spl times/100 arrays. The authors introduce a new numerical method based on domain decomposition and a priority queue integration scheme which reduces the computational cost by a factor of 3-17. In the standard algorithm all the nodes advance with the same time step /spl Delta/t, whose size Is limited by the time scale of activation. However, at any given time, many regions may he inactive and do not require the same small /spl Delta/t and consequent extensive computations. Hence, adjusting /spl Delta/t locally is a key factor in improving computational efficiency, since most of the computing time is spent calculating ionic currents. This paper proposes an efficient adaptive numerical scheme for integrating a two-dimensional (2-D) propagation model, by incorporating local adjustments of /spl Delta/t. In this method, alternating direction Cooley-Dodge and Rush-Larsen methods were used for numerical integration. Between consecutive integrations over the whole domain using an implicit method, the model was spatially decomposed into many subdomains, and /spl Delta/t adjusted locally. The Euler method was used for numerical integration in the subdomains. Local boundary values were determined from the boundary mesh elements of the neighboring subdomains using linear interpolation. Because /spl Delta/t was defined locally, a priority queue was used to store and order nest update times for each subdomain. The subdomain with the earliest update time was given the highest priority and advanced first. This new method yielded stable solutions with relative errors less than 1% and reduced computation time by a factor of 3-17 and will allow much larger (e.g. 500/spl times/500) models based on realistic membrane kinetics and realistic dimensions to simulate reentry, triggered activity, and their interactions.
A Time-Series Analysis of International Public Relations Expenditure and Economic Outcome

This study tested a causal relationship between international public relations (PR) expenditure and its economic outcome at the country level by using a time-series analysis. International PR expenditures of four client countries (Japan, Colombia, Belgium, and the Philippines) were collected from the semi-annual reports of the Foreign Agency Registration Act (FARA) from 1996 to 2009. Economic outcome was measured by U.S. imports from the client countries and U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) toward them. This study found that the past PR expenditure holds power in forecasting future economic outcomes for Japan, Belgium, and the Philippines except Colombia.
Simulation-based optimization for multi-echelon inventory systems under uncertainty

Inventory optimization is critical in supply chain management. The complexity of real-world multi-echelon inventory systems under uncertainties results in a challenging optimization problem. We propose a novel simulation-based optimization framework for optimizing distribution inventory systems where each facility is operated with the (r, Q) inventory policy. The objective is to minimize the inventory cost while maintaining acceptable service levels quantified by the fill rates. The inventory system is modeled and simulated, which returns the performance functions. The expectations of these functions are then estimated by the Monte-Carlo method. Then the optimization problem is solved by a cutting plane algorithm. As the black-box functions returned by the Monte-Carlo method contain noises, statistical hypothesis tests are conducted in the iteration.
Performance assessment of mammography image segmentation algorithms

In this paper, we present a comprehensive validation analysis to evaluate the performance of three existing mammogram segmentation algorithms against manual segmentation results produced by two expert radiologists. These studies are especially important for the development of computer-aided cancer detection (CAD) systems, which will significantly help improve early detection of breast cancer. Three typical segmentation methods were implemented and applied to 50 malignant mammography images chosen from the University of South Florida's Digital Database for Screening Mammography (DDSM): (a) region growing combined with maximum likelihood modeling (Kinnard model), (b) an active deformable contour model (snake model), and (c) a standard potential field model (standard model). A comprehensive statistical validation protocol was applied to evaluate the computer and expert outlined segmentation results; both sets of results were examined from the inter- and intra-observer points of view. Experimental results are presented and discussed in this communication
Necessary conditions for stochastic dominance: A general approach

In this paper a general method for developing necessary conditions for all degrees of stochastic dominance is derived. The method, a minimization of the expected value of certain functions of the random variable, is used to rederive known necessary conditions for dominance and is then used to derive new necessary conditions. Some of the old and new conditions are then compared empirically using a data set of security returns.
Design and Synthesis of Photoaffinity Probes and Their Application to Target Identification Study of PD 404182

To investigate the mechanism of action of the potent antiviral compound PD 404182, three novel photoaffinity probes were designed and synthesized based on the structure–activity relationship studies. These probes with a biotin or alkyne indicator retained the potent anti-HIV activity of the original pyrimidobenzothiazine derivatives. In photoaffinity labeling studies using HIV-1-infected H9 cells (H9IIIB), eight potential binding proteins to PD 404182 were observed.
Intra- and intersexual selection on male body size are complimentary in the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas)

Summary Intrasexual competition between males and intersexual mate choice by females may have complementary or antagonistic effects on the evolution of sexually-selected traits. We used open-aquarium experiments to test for the effects of male body size and male secondary sexual characters on male–male competition and on female mate choice in the fathead minnow Pimephales promelas. Larger males were more successful than smaller males in competing for nesting substrates. Larger males were also preferentially chosen by females for spawning. Secondary sexual characters (tubercle number, banding pattern, and dorsal pad development) were not associated with success in male–male contests and were not preferred by females. In a separate experiment, we found that female choice was not influenced by past male reproductive success. We confirmed genetic paternity of fertilized eggs with microsatellites and showed that our results were not complicated by clutch stealing or multiple paternity. Collectively, our results suggest that male–male competition and female mate choice have complimentary effects on the evolution of large male body size in fathead minnows.
Faster Batched Shortest Paths in Road Networks

We study the problem of computing batched shortest paths in road networks efficiently. Our focus is on computing paths from a single source to multiple targets (one-to-many queries). We perform a comprehensive experimental comparison of several approaches, including new ones. We conclude that a new extension of PHAST (a recent one-to-all algorithm), called RPHAST, has the best performance in most cases, often by orders of magnitude. When used to compute distance tables (many-to-many queries), RPHAST often outperforms all previous approaches.
Coordinate control of terminal dendrite patterning and dynamics by the membrane protein Raw

The directional flow of information in neurons depends on compartmentalization: dendrites receive inputs whereas axons transmit them. Axons and dendrites likewise contain structurally and functionally distinct subcompartments. Axon/dendrite compartmentalization can be attributed to neuronal polarization, but the developmental origin of subcompartments in axons and dendrites is less well understood. To identify the developmental bases for compartment-specific patterning in dendrites, we screened for mutations that affect discrete dendritic domains in Drosophila sensory neurons. From this screen, we identified mutations that affected distinct aspects of terminal dendrite development with little or no effect on major dendrite patterning. Mutation of one gene, raw, affected multiple aspects of terminal dendrite patterning, suggesting that Raw might coordinate multiple signaling pathways to shape terminal dendrite growth. Consistent with this notion, Raw localizes to branch-points and promotes dendrite stabilization together with the Tricornered (Trc) kinase via effects on cell adhesion. Raw independently influences terminal dendrite elongation through a mechanism that involves modulation of the cytoskeleton, and this pathway is likely to involve the RNA-binding protein Argonaute 1 (AGO1), as raw and AGO1 genetically interact to promote terminal dendrite growth but not adhesion. Thus, Raw defines a potential point of convergence in distinct pathways shaping terminal dendrite patterning.
Individual and Community Risks of Measles and Pertussis Associated With Personal Exemptions to Immunization

ContextThe risk of vaccine-preventable diseases among children who have philosophical and religious exemptions from immunization has been understudied.ObjectivesTo evaluate whether personal exemption from immunization is associated with risk of measles and pertussis at individual and community levels.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsPopulation-based, retrospective cohort study using data collected on standardized forms regarding all reported measles and pertussis cases among children aged 3 to 18 years in Colorado during 1987-1998.Main Outcome MeasuresRelative risk of measles and pertussis among exemptors and vaccinated children; association between incidence rates among vaccinated children and frequency of exemptors in Colorado counties; association between school outbreaks and frequency of exemptors in schools; and risk associated with exposure to an exemptor in measles outbreaks.ResultsExemptors were 22.2 times (95% confidence interval [CI], 15.9-31.1) more likely to acquire measles and 5.9 times (95% CI, 4.2-8.2) more likely to acquire pertussis than vaccinated children. After adjusting for confounders, the frequency of exemptors in a county was associated with the incidence rate of measles (relative risk [RR], 1.6; 95% CI, 1.0-2.4) and pertussis (RR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.7-2.1) in vaccinated children. Schools with pertussis outbreaks had more exemptors (mean, 4.3% of students) than schools without outbreaks (1.5% of students; P = .001). At least 11% of vaccinated children in measles outbreaks acquired infection through contact with an exemptor.ConclusionsThe risk of measles and pertussis is elevated in personal exemptors. Public health personnel should recognize the potential effect of exemptors in outbreaks in their communities, and parents should be made aware of the risks involved in not vaccinating their children.
Sociomoral Education Through Physical Education With At-Risk Children

This paper presents a theoretically grounded and empirically tested intervention to promote the sociomoral growth of children through physical education. The intervention, which has been implemented with at-risk urban elementary school children, is based on the moral action model proposed by Shields and Bredemeier (1995). The first section of the paper discusses the appropriateness of physical education for sociomoral education. Then, the intervention program goals are identified: promoting empathy, moral reasoning maturity, task motivation, and self-responsibility. Four major components of moral education are then identified and illustrated: cooperative learning, building moral community, creating a mastery motivational climate, and transferring power from teacher to students concomitant with students acceptance of increasing personal and social responsibility. We conclude with anecdotal evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention.
Ego identity status in college women.

Summary Ego-identity status was determined for 49 college women and related to difficulty of college major, self-esteem, authoritarianism, and Welsh Anxiety Scale (WAS) scores The modified identity status interview for women included “attitudes toward premarital intercourse” Identity achievements had more difficult majors than identity diffusions Foreclosures were highest in self-esteem and lowest in WAS scores–interpreted either as approval-seeking or as this status's adaptive value for women. They were also highest in authoritarianism Moratoriums were lowest in authoritarianism. Identity diffusions obtained the highest WAS scores Failure to find differences on the Luchins Water Jars task was seen as limiting the range of the identity status constructs.
Fabrication of high-critical current density Yba 2 Cu 3 O 7−δ films using a fluorine-free sol gel approach

Superconducting Yba2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) films with critical transition temperature Tc(0) of 90 K were fabricated via a fluorine-free, metal trimethylacetate based sol-gel route. Precursor films were spin-coated onto single-crystal (001) LaAlO3 (LAO) and (001) SrTiO3 (STO) substrates. Optimization of the burnout process resulted in films with excellent out-of-plane and in-plane texture. Transport critical current densities, Jc, of 1.6 and 1.1 MA/cm2 were obtained at 77 K in self-field on films grown on LAO and STO substrates, respectively. This is the first demonstration of high-Jc YBCO film fabrication using a fluorine-free, ex-situ process.
Identification of African-derived bees in the Americas: a survey of methods.

In 1956, honey bees of the African subspecies A. m. scutellata were imported to Brazil, and their descendents subsequently spread to South, Central, and North America. This invasion sparked significant academic controversy, particularly concerning the genetic composition of the expanding population. We review the biogeography and intraspecific phylogeny of Apis mellifera in the Old World as it pertains to African-derived bees in the Americas, the methods used to study gene flow between European-derived and African-derived populations in the New World, and the techniques used in identification of African-derived bees.
Phenotypical features of long Q-T syndrome in transgenic mice expressing human Na-K-ATPase α3-isoform in hearts

To understand why the adult human heart expresses three isoforms of the sodium pump, we generated transgenic mice (TGM) with 2.3- to 5.5-fold overexpression of the human α3-isoform of Na-K-ATPase i...
Global EEG segmentation using singular value decomposition

In this paper, we propose a method based on singular value decomposition (SVD) for segmenting multichannel electroencephalography (EEG) data into temporal blocks during which the spatial distributions of the underlying active neuronal generators stay fixed. We locate segment boundaries by statistically comparing the residual error resulting from projecting the data under a reference window, on one hand, and a sliding window, on the other hand, onto a feature subspace. The basis of this subspace is the most significant left eigenvectors of the data block under the reference window. The statistical testing is performed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test. To enhance the reliability of the K-S test, the consecutive K-S decisions are aggregated under a given decision window. Simulation results confirm that the proposed algorithm can successfully detect segment boundaries under a wide range of different conditions.
GENETICS OF FLUCTUATING ASYMMETRY: A DEVELOPMENTAL MODEL OF DEVELOPMENTAL INSTABILITY.

Although numerous studies have found that fluctuating asymmetry (FA) can have a heritable component, the genetic and developmental basis of FA is poorly understood. We used a developmental model of a trait, according to a diffusion-threshold process, whose parameters are under genetic control. We added a small amount of random variation to the parameter values of this model to simulate developmental noise. As a result of the nonlinearity of the model, different genotypes differed in their sensitivity to developmental noise, even though the noise is completely random and independent of the genotype. The heritable component of FA can thus be understood as genetically modulated expression of variation that is itself entirely nongenetic. The loci responsible for this genetic variation of FA are the same that affect the left/right mean of the trait, showing that genetic variation for FA does not require genes that specifically control FA. Furthermore, the model offers alternative explanations for phenomena widely discussed in the literature on FA, for instance, the correlations between FA and heterozygosity and between FA and trait size. The model underscores the importance of dominance and epistasis, and therefore unites the study of FA with the classical theory of quantitative genetics.
ALPHA AND BETA DIVERSITY OF FORAMINIFERA THAT ENCRUST THE ANTARCTIC SCALLOP ADAMUSSIUM COLBECKI: ECOLOGICAL CONNECTIVITY AMONG SHELLS AND BETWEEN SITES

Benthic foraminifera are ubiquitous marine organisms in Antarctica, but little is known about their ecology despite their importance as climate-change proxies. A fundamental question remains unanswered: is foraminiferal diversity highly localized and similar to reports for Antarctic benthic invertebrates? If so, high endemism would result driven by dispersal limitation with little connectivity among sites. To answer this question, the composition, abundance, spatial distribution and alpha (α) and beta (β) diversity of foraminiferal species that encrust living shells of the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki were compared within and between two sites located 30-km apart in McMurdo Sound, Ross Sea, Antarctica: Bay of Sails (BOS), an open coastal region with annual sea-ice cover, and Explorers Cove (EC), a protected embayment with multiannual sea-ice cover. Foraminiferal community structure differed between the sites, generated by variations in species abundance, turnover of rare species, and heterogeneity in species composition between top and bottom valves. Foraminifera were significantly more common on the scallop’s auricles, perhaps driven by nutrients generated by the scallop. Calcareous taxa were significantly more abundant at EC despite lower seawater pH, while agglutinated taxa were significantly more abundant at BOS. Alpha diversity (species richness, Shannon H , e H ) was higher at BOS than at EC and is similar to deep-sea diversity reported for Caribbean encrusting foraminifera. Based on Shannon H , foraminifera at EC may represent a stressed community dominated by Cibicides antarcticus , while those at BOS may represent a transitional community. Within-site β-diversity was high, spurred by the turnover of rare species between top and bottom valves, which acted as separate microhabitats. Higher β-diversity at BOS suggests that foraminiferal dispersal and recruitment were more localized than at EC. Additive partitioning revealed that encrusting diversity was mostly held at the local level, and that BOS and EC have high connectivity, similar to deep-sea communities. The Antarctic endemicity of these protists is questionable, and is in stark contrast to Antarctic invertebrates with high within- and between-site diversity. Therefore, Antarctic encrusting foraminifera appear to be influenced primarily by niche-based processes, rather than dispersal limitation. Indeed, habitat islands, such as carbonate shells, are essential for generating Antarctic diversity, and are integral for the conservation of Antarctica’s unique polar ecosystem.
Feeding Stimulant for Western and Northern Corn Rootworm Adults

In tests conducted at Brookings, S. Dak., during the summer of 1963, presence of a feeding stimulant for western and northern corn rootworm adults, Diabrotica virgifera LeConte and D. longicornis (Say), was demonstrated in the kernel, pistillate branch, silks, leaves, and root of corn, and in squash blossoms. The highest concentration of the feeding stimulant, in extracts of plant parts tested, occurred in corn kernels.
The Contagion of Drug Violence

Why are some territories ravaged by intense levels of criminal violence while others are relatively peaceful? This research contributes to an understanding of the escalation and diffusion of drug violence in Mexico from 2000 to 2010 by formalizing the interactions between the state and organized criminals and by relying on a large database of event data containing more than 1.6 million observations. Results based on spatial econometrics provide evidence of the spatial diffusion of violence. In congruence with the theoretical expectations, the results show that the disruptive effect of law enforcement is an important catalyst for the intensification of violence between criminal organizations, especially when deployed in areas hosting a high concentration of criminal groups. This relationship holds for a broad menu of violent and nonviolent law enforcement tactics. The analysis also reveals that other broadly held factors (international, geographic, and socioeconomic characteristics) have a modest effect on...
Sarpagine and related alkaloids

The sarpagine-related macroline and ajmaline alkaloids share a common biosynthetic origin, and bear important structural similarities, as expected. These indole alkaloids are widely dispersed in 25 plant genera, principally in the family Apocynaceae. Very diverse and interesting biological properties have been reported for this group of natural products. Isolation of new sarpagine-related alkaloids and the asymmetric synthesis of these structurally complex molecules are of paramount importance to the synthetic and medicinal chemists. A total of 115 newly isolated sarpagine-related macroline and ajmaline alkaloids, along with their physicochemical properties have been included in this chapter. A general and efficient strategy for the synthesis of these monomeric alkaloids, as well as bisindoles, has been presented, which involves application of the asymmetric Pictet-Spengler reaction (>98% ee) as a key step because of the ease of scale up of the tetracyclic template. Also included in this chapter are the syntheses of the sarpagine-related alkaloids, published since 2000.
Abstract 23: Identification of a Novel Intracellular Cholesteryl Ester Hydrolase (CES3) in Human Macrophages: Compensatory Increase Following CES1 Silencing

Removal of free cholesterol (FC) from lesion-associated macrophage foam cells represents the major mechanism for reducing the lipid burden of atherosclerotic plaques and intracellular cholesteryl ester (CE) hydrolysis is recognized as the rate-limiting step in this process. We have earlier reported cloning of human macrophage CE hydrolase (gene symbol CES1) that associated with cytoplasmic lipid droplets and enhanced cellular CE mobilization. Macrophage-specific transgenic expression of CES1 attenuated diet-induced atherosclerosis and lesion necrosis in ldlr-/- mice. Several enzymes have since been identified as intracellular CE hydrolases in human macrophages and the objective of the present study was to determine the relative contribution of CES1 to the total CE hydrolytic activity in human macrophages. Immune-precipitation by CES1-specific antibody resulted in 70-80% decrease in enzyme activity indicating that CES1 is responsible for >70% of the total CE hydrolytic activity (Panel A). To examine the effects of CES1 depletion/knockdown on FC efflux, human monocyte/macrophages (THP1) were stably transfected with 4 different CES1-specific shRNA vectors (p81-p84) to generate THP1-shRNA cells; cells transfected with pRSL vector were used as controls. Despite significant reduction in CES1 expression both at mRNA and protein levels, CES1 knockdown neither decreased intracellular CE hydrolysis nor decreased FC efflux. Examination of the underlying mechanisms for the observed lack of effects of CES1 knockdown revealed a compensatory increase in the expression of a novel carboxylesterase, CES3 (Panel B). Human macrophage CES3 was identical to the reported CES3 except it lacked exon 8 and, in wild type THP1 cells it was only expressed at 29.2±6.1 percent of CES1. Transient over-expression of this novel variant of CES3 led to an increase in CE hydrolytic activity (>4 fold), mobilization of intracellular lipid droplets and reduction in cellular CE content (108.1±7.65 vs 160.9±7.00, P=0.0005), establishing CES3 as a bona fide CE hydrolase. Reciprocal backup circuits, where deficiency of a gene leads to an increase in another gene with similar function, have been described and this study provides first evidence of functional compensation in intracellular CE hydrolysis whereby increased expression of CES3 restores intracellular CE hydrolytic activity and FC efflux in CES1-deficient cells. To gain insight into the mechanisms underlying the observed increase in CES3 following CES1 deficiency in silico analyses of CES3 promoter was performed and several NF-kB binding sites were identified. Based on our earlier demonstration of a decrease in NF-kB activation by CES1 over-expression, it is speculated that conversely, deficiency of CES1 increases NF-kB activation leading to compensatory increase in CES3 expression. ![Graphic][1] [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
Understanding underwater archaeological scenarios by optical and acoustic sensing tools

Underwater seafloors represent a huge archive of manmade artefacts, a cultural heritage whose abandon process started since man has been able to travel by the waters. In order to put this heritage under safeguard and preservation archaeologists require and request for technological support provided by the scientific community. Automated procedures tailored for the purposes of manmade object recognition in the underwater scenario represent the main topic discussed in this work. In particular the authors propose a set of procedures that enables to extract meaningful insights about the inspected environment and that can be exploited to assign a label of interest, in terms of cultural significance, to the surveyed areas. Furthermore the authors introduce a sketch of a framework according to which the identification of interesting areas on the seafloor may be implemented in terms of a Bayes decision system.
AN UPDATED COMPREHENSIVE META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED TRIALS EVALUATING THE EFFICACY OF STEM CELL THERAPY FOR REFRACTORY ANGINA

Background: A substantial proportion of patients with coronary artery disease do not achieve complete revascularization and continue to experience refractory angina in spite of optimal medical therapy (OMT). Recently, stem cell therapy has emerged as a potential therapeutic option for these patients
Delay spread estimation in shallow water acoustic channels using masked channel subspaces

Tracking the shallow water acoustic channel in real time has been a long standing challenge, particularly over moderate to rough sea conditions due to unpredictable oceanic activity that are difficult to track dynamically using a single algorithm. We build upon prior work to propose a constrained non-convex mixed norm solution that tracks the rapidly fluctuating shallow water acoustic channel as a banded delay spread, wherein different bands correspond to different degrees of multipath reflection and bounce patterns. This enables us to exploit the non-convex solution landscape to track different channel activity independently through the banded constraints, which are implemented as masks on the initialization of the channel tracking algorithm. Promising improvements over the current art in channel prediction error and computing time were observed over experimental field data collected at 200 meters range and 15 meters depth.
Making Meaning Present: Semiotics and the Ontological Life of Stones in West Africa

Semiotics, which is a foundational principle of scientific thought, has also shaped anthropology’s understanding of live stones that serve as shrines in the savannah region of West Africa, such as in the Commune of Cobly of northwestern Benin. Semiotics either reduce live stones and other religious and ontological phenomena to a function of signification or they recast them as semiotic anomalies attributable to the Other. Either way leads to an epistemological paradox in which such phenomena can be rationally understood yet existentially denied. I propose to counter this by introducing a new type of entity, which I call the “onton.” Building on the notion of presence and the anthropology of ontology, I understand ontons as indivisible and non-representational entities that cannot be broken down into different sign components. Ontons are more than meaningful; they are made present in the world when other entities relate to them through the process of presencing that shifts the focus from meaning to action. Presencing, which builds on semiotics, is guided by different practices, which, in turn, can account for ontological diversity and differentiation. I claim that presencing, which allows for ontonic entities, leads to a deeper understanding of ontology and human experience more broadly. Meaning as a basis for communication is thus extended to include presence as a basis for a wider engagement with the world, thereby breaking down difference between humans, animals and things.
Merkel cell carcinoma: An update and review: Current and future therapy.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare neuroendocrine tumor of the skin associated with a high risk of local recurrence and distant metastases. It most commonly occurs on sun-exposed areas of white patients >65 years of age. The Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) is thought to be responsible for malignant transformation in approximately 80% of cases in the northern hemisphere, while ultraviolet radiation–induced DNA damage is implicated in MCV-negative tumors. The overall incidence of MCC is low, with approximately 1600 cases diagnosed annually in the United States. The rate is much higher in patients with lymphoproliferative malignancies, solid organ transplants, and HIV infection. The low overall incidence of this tumor makes it challenging to conduct prospective clinical trials with sufficient power. As a result, most management recommendations are based on case series, retrospective reviews, and expert opinion. The pathogenesis, diagnosis, and staging of MCC was discussed in the first article in this continuing medical education series. This article focuses on current management guidelines and promising new therapies in development. Because of the complexity, aggressive nature, and individuality of each case, MCC is best treated by a multidisciplinary team.
Analysis of low latency TSCH networks for physical event detection

Timeslotted Channel Hopping (TSCH) is a mode of the IEEE802.15.4 standard for low-power wireless sensor networks. We discuss the variation in performance of a 6TISCH network implemented using OpenWSN, an open-source implementation of current low-power wireless sensor networking standards, by measuring end-to-end packet latency — the time between an event trigger signaling the transmitter node's microprocessor to create a packet, and the packet reception on the receiving node — with 0.5 millisecond accuracy. In TSCH networks, time is divided into repeated chunks known as slotframes, which are further divided into timeslots. We explore the effect the number of available transmission slots has on packet end-to-end latency for an 11 slot 6TISCH network with 1, 3, 5, 8, and 11 active slots. Results are reported for a setup with one transmitter and one receiver.
Evaluation of Transrectal Ultrasound in the Early Detection of Prostate Cancer

AbstractTo determine the ability of transrectal ultrasound to detect early localized prostate cancer, unsuspected (nonpalpable) cancer in the contralateral lobe of patients undergoing radical prostatectomy for clinically localized disease was evaluated. A total of 59 patients with palpable prostate cancer clinically confined to 1 lobe underwent transrectal ultrasound before radical prostatectomy and step-sectioning of the radical prostatectomy specimen. Transrectal ultrasound was performed with 5 or 7MHz. real-time transrectal units. Pathological findings in these 59 cases revealed no tumor in the contralateral lobe in 34 (58%) and the presence of unsuspected tumor in 25 (42%). Transrectal ultrasound detected 13 of 25 unsuspected cancers for a sensitivity of 52%. Of 34 patients with no contralateral lobe lesion transrectal ultrasound was correct in 23 for a specificity of 68%. The positive and negative predictive values for transrectal ultrasound in this study group were 54 and 66%, respectively. There wa...
THERMAL POLYCONDENSATION OF α-AMINO ACIDS

Publisher Summary The only α-amino acids known to be condensable by heat to poly-α-amino acids were glycine and aspartic acid. The former yielded intractable polyglycine. Aspartic acid yields a polymer of uncertain constitution. This “polyaspartic acid” has been found to be a polyimide, which is converted to a peptide type of polyaspartic acid, by warming in water or by alkaline titration. Copoly-α-amino acids might be prepared by thermal condensation of dry amino acid mixtures containing sufficient proportions of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, or lysine. The effect of copolymerization is manifest with the 18 common amino acids simultaneously. The products that are obtained contain some proportion of each of the amino acids common to protein. Such polymers of molecular weight in the thousands can, after purification, be hydrolyzed to yield a quantitative recovery of α-amino acids. The interactions of side-chains that might be anticipated, either do not occur to a major degree or are reversible. This chapter describes thermal polymerizations of α-amino acids. Some of the characterization of these polymers is also presented.
Abstract WP312: Using Qualitative Analysis to Explore the Themes of Follow-Up Calls to Discharged Stroke Patients

Introduction: Few studies have explored unscripted conversations with stroke survivors during the post-discharge period to determine areas of need and concern. Additional contact during the transit...
Simulation Retrieval of Frequency-Resolved Optical Gating Traces Using Neural Network

We present a FROG pulse retrieval approach using neural network and Hermite-Gaussian field decomposition. It shows retrieval error an order of magnitude better than before. Hermite- Gaussian modes also provide the privilege to retrieve non-Gaussian pulses.
23 Students and 23 Teachers: Socio-Cultural Mediation in the Early Childhood Classroom

It is essential for teachers to provide a setting where student interaction is fostered as a mediational tool for learning, thus expediting the natural transfer of language and knowledge among students (Cummins, 1979). Doing so provides students a way of learning in an additive environment (Soltero, 2004). Could such a classroom have the potential to transform and empower students to feel valued, impacting their cognitive and self-identity growth? This reflective paper looks at the experience of one Dual Language Kindergarten class through the lens of socio-cultural mediation (Donato & MacCormick, 1994) while considering the Communities of Practice as a theoretical framework (Wenger, 1998) for Dual Language classrooms. Implications indicate that these classrooms could potentially be communities for transformative pedagogy where interactive practices are developed in a way that advances life-long academic success for Spanish-speaking students and English-speaking students alike.
Proteomic analysis of Moringa oleifera's anti-arthritic effects on human fibroblasts-like synoviocytes

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects more than 1.3 million Americans, making it the most common auto-immune arthritic disorder in the U.S. Current treatments are largely based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and corticosteroids. However, these drugs are either ineffective, costly or have a plethora of side effects. Therefore, here, we sought to examine the anti-arthritic effects of a tropical medicinal plant, Moringa oleifera (MO), and its underlying mechanism using proteomics analysis and primary human fibroblast-like synoviocytes (HFLS) harvested from healthy people and patients with arthritis (HFLS-RA). Data generated from proteomics were verified by confocal immunofluorescence. The MTT assay data shows that below 75 mg/mL, MO is not cytotoxic and therefore does not affect cell viability. Proteomics data revealed that MO alters expression of all the 40 proteins that are aberrantly expressed in HFLS-RA by either mitigating their expression (35 proteins) or enhancing (5 proteins) them. Specifically, the 35 proteins were mostly associated with pathological processes, such as inflammation, aberrant proliferation and cell adhesion, whereas the 5 proteins were associated overall with normal protective processes, such as anti-inflammatory and apoptotic activities, were down regulated in HFLS-RA. We conclude that MO is potentially a good candidate for developing alternative therapy for managing arthritis.
Low-thrust guidance - An optimal stochastic control problem

Space vehicle low thrust minimum terminal variance guidance problem reduced to stochastic bang-bang optimal control system
Drivers of Social Engagement: Employee Voice–Advice Sharing Relationship:

Sparked by recent scholarly interest in identifying the drivers or antecedents of employee engagement, this article examines the relationship between an employee’s perception of voice and his or he...
PolyProc: A Modular Processing Pipeline for X-ray Diffraction Tomography

Direct imaging of three-dimensional microstructure via X-ray diffraction-based techniques gives valuable insight into the crystallographic features that influence materials properties and performance. For instance, X-ray diffraction tomography provides information on grain orientation, position, size, and shape in a bulk specimen. As such techniques become more accessible to researchers, demands are placed on processing the datasets that are inherently “noisy,” multi-dimensional, and multimodal. To fulfill this need, we have developed a one-of-a-kind function package, PolyProc, that is compatible with a range of data shapes, from planar sections to time-evolving and three-dimensional orientation data. Our package comprises functions to import, filter, analyze, and visualize the reconstructed grain maps. To accelerate the computations in our pipeline, we harness computationally efficient approaches: for instance, data alignment is done via genetic optimization; grain tracking through the Hungarian method; and feature-to-feature correlation through k-nearest neighbors algorithm. As a proof-of-concept, we test our approach in characterizing the grain texture, topology, and evolution in a polycrystalline Al–Cu alloy undergoing coarsening.