cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Barriers to accessing opioid agonist therapy in pregnancy.

Background The incidence of opioid use disorder during pregnancy has risen dramatically in the last couple of decades. Despite the safety and efficacy of treatment for opioid use during pregnancy, pregnant women often cannot access treatment. Objective This study aimed to determine the availability of opioid agonist therapy to pregnant women in Missouri and Illinois and to compare different markers of treatment accessibility between opioid treatment programs and buprenorphine providers and between rural and urban practices. Study Design Buprenorphine providers and opioid treatment programs in Missouri and Illinois were identified using the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website. A phone audit was conducted to evaluate barriers to care, including whether clinics accepted new patients, pregnant patients, and insurance, and the time to the first appointment and appointment cost. Rural-urban commuting area codes and practice ZIP codes were used to determine whether practice location was rural or urban. Provider specialty was determined from state licensing databases. Results There were 1363 buprenorphine providers and 98 opioid treatment programs listed. Clinics were clustered around metropolitan areas, and only 13% of buprenorphine providers (183 of 1363) and 5% of opioid treatment programs (5 of 98) were in rural areas. Despite 3 contact attempts for each clinic, we were unable to reach 42% of buprenorphine providers (401 of 965) and 14% of opioid treatment programs (14 of 98). Of those reached, 40% of buprenorphine providers (223 of 564) and 80% of opioid treatment programs (67 of 84) were accepting new pregnant patients (P=.01). Buprenorphine providers required more contact attempts (>2 attempts in 34% vs 15%; P 7 days in 27% vs 4%; P=.002) than opioid treatment programs. Buprenorphine providers in urban areas required more attempts to reach (>2 attempts in 36% vs 24%; P=.03) and were less likely to accept Medicaid than those in rural areas (52% vs 74%; P=.008). More than 23% of buprenorphine provider listings (238 of 1038) contained incorrect information, whereas no opioid treatment program listing had incorrect information. Most buprenorphine providers were in primary care or psychiatry, whereas Conclusion This is the first phone audit to evaluate access to opioid agonist therapy for pregnant women. Only a minority of buprenorphine providers offered care for this patient population, and a large proportion required multiple contact attempts and wait times of >7 days. Opioid treatment programs were more responsive and accepting of new pregnant patients but comprised a minority of clinics and were predominately located in urban areas. There is an urgent need for improved reliability of contact information for opioid agonist providers, timely intake and acceptance for treatment of pregnant patients, and overall improved access to clinics that are challenged by geographic and insurance status barriers.
Registry of Arterial and Venous Thromboembolic Complications in Patients With COVID-19.

Abstract Background Cardiovascular complications, including myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and pulmonary embolism, represent an important source of adverse outcomes in coronavirus disease-...
Radical America: The 1930s and the Politics of Storytelling

This paper examines the invocation of similarities between today’s rising authoritarianism and economic crises and those of the 1930s to argue that a return to that period in American history is indeed politically instructive for movements that would challenge both. In the 1930s, an antifascist, antiracist, working-class identity came to the fore in the cultural productions of the Popular Front. The American stories told by Popular Front figures like Woody Guthrie, Jack Conroy, and John Dos Passos, and the group around the publication The New Masses, invoked the classic American hobo character. This character, the author argues, is an icon of the militant labor movement politics and the accompanying cultural politics that have been seminal in shaping American working-class struggle as well as the counterculture. A return to this story is ripe with political possibility if we read it against some of the intentions of the 1930s storytellers themselves.
The distribution of microbiomes and resistomes across farm environments in conventional and organic dairy herds in Pennsylvania

Antimicrobial resistance is a serious concern. Although the widespread use of antimicrobials in livestock has exacerbated the emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG) in farm environments, little is known about whether antimicrobial use affects distribution of ARG in livestock systems. This study compared the distribution of microbiomes and resistomes (collections of ARG) across different farm sectors in dairy herds that differed in their use of antimicrobials. Feces from heifers, non-lactating, and lactating cows, manure storage, and soil from three conventional (antimicrobials used to treat cows) and three organic (no antimicrobials used for at least four years) farms in Pennsylvania were sampled. Samples were extracted for genomic DNA, processed, sequenced on the Illumina NextSeq platform, and analyzed for microbial community and resistome profiles using established procedures. Microbial communities and resistome profiles clustered by sample type across all farms. Overall, abundance and diversity of ARG in feces was significantly higher in conventional herds compared to organic herds. The ARG conferring resistance to betalactams, macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin (MLS), and tetracyclines were significantly higher in fecal samples of dairy cows from conventional herds compared to organic herds. Regardless of farm type, all manure storage samples had greater diversity (albeit low abundance) of ARG conferring resistance to aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, MLS, multidrug resistance, and phenicol. All soil samples had lower abundance of ARG compared to feces, manure, and lagoon samples and were comprised of ARG conferring resistance to aminoglycosides, glycopeptides, and multi-drug resistance. The distribution of ARG is likely driven by the composition of microbiota in the respective sample types. Antimicrobial use on farms significantly influenced specific groups of ARG in feces but not in manure storage or soil samples.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Acute Stroke Care, Time Metrics, Outcomes, and Racial Disparities in a Southeast Michigan Health System.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has impacted acute stroke care with several reports showing worldwide drops in stroke caseload during the pandemic. We studied the impact of COVID-19 on acute stroke care in our health system serving Southeast Michigan as we rolled out a policy to limit admissions and transfers. METHODS: in this retrospective study conducted at two stroke centers, we included consecutive patients presenting to the ED for whom a stroke alert was activated during the period extending from 3/20/20 to 5/20/20 and a similar period in 2019. We compared demographics, time metrics, and discharge outcomes between the two groups. RESULTS: of 385 patients presented to the ED during the two time periods, 58% were African American. There was a significant decrease in the number of stroke patients presenting to the ED and admitted to the hospital between the two periods (p <0.001). In 2020, patients had higher presenting NIHSS (median: 2 vs 5, p = 0.012), discharge NIHSS (median: 2 vs 3, p = 0.004), and longer times from LKW to ED arrival (4.8 vs 9.4 h, p = 0.031) and stroke team activation (median: 10 vs 15 min, p = 0.006). In 2020, stroke mimics rates were lower among African Americans. There were fewer hospitalizations (p <0.001), and transfers from outside facilities (p = 0.015). CONCLUSION: a trend toward faster stroke care in the ED was observed during the pandemic along with dramatically reduced numbers of ED visits, hospitalizations and stroke mimics. Delayed ED presentations and higher stroke severity characterized the African American population, highlighting deepening of racial disparities during the pandemic.
Involvement of vimentin in prostate cancer progression and invasion: A study in transgenic TRAMP model that closely mimics human disease.

2089 Prostate Cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men in the United States. At present, there are inadequate treatment options for the management of this disease. Thus, there is a need to define novel targets that may lead to the development of effective approaches for combating PCa. PCa is a dynamic disease that progresses through stages that may be controlled via specific molecular determinants. Thus, identifying these controlling events may be useful for the management of stage-specific PCa. The transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) model mimics human disease where PCa progresses from benign prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia to malignant poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. This transition to an aggressive phenotype is not completely understood. We have found an increasing trend in the levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF), through the progression to malignant PCa in TRAMP mice. Studies have suggested possible involvement of vimentin, a mesenchymal intermediate filament, in the invasive phenotype in androgen-independent prostate cancer. IGF possesses a critical role in cancer-invasion via promoting cooperation between signals provided by cell attachment and cell motility proteins including vimentin. Employing TRAMP model, in this study, we assessed the involvement of vimentin in PCa progression from no cancer (8 weeks) to high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN, 16 weeks) to well differentiated adenocarcinoma (24 weeks) and finally to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (32 weeks). Using immunoblot, immunofluorescence and RT-PCR studies, we found that the protein and mRNA expression of vimentin was enhanced in an age-dependent manner as the cancer progressed to invasive phenotype. Vimentin expression was absent in the non-transgenic litter mates and in the 8 week old transgenic animals. A moderately detectable vimentin expression was observed in transgenic animals with high grade PIN (at 16 weeks). This expression was further enhanced at 24 and 32 weeks of age suggesting the involvement of vimentin in progression of cancer to the aggressive phenotype. We next utilized two prostatic epithelial cell lines obtained from TRAMP prostate (TRAMP-C2 and TRAMP-C3) to assess the role of vimentin. Our data demonstrated a higher expression of vimentin in TRAMP-C2 cells as compared to TRAMP-C3 cells. Because TRAMP-C2 cells are tumorigenic whereas TRAMP-C3 cells do not form tumors when grafted into syngenic animals, this observation further suggested a critical role for vimentin in PCa progression to an invasive phenotype. We suggest that vimentin functions in association with IGF-I and other proteins, in the process of tumorigenesis and its invasion. However, additional studies are needed to establish the function and interactions of vimentin in PCa.
Main Trends and Conclusions of Russia's Socioeconomic Development in April 2018

None of the important indicators of the Russian economy has become of late ominously turbulent, and foreign investors have even increased their investments in Russian assets. However, there is little doubt that these investments are in the main speculative, and that turbulence can easily come back with a vengeance. Even the unexpected decision of United States Department of the Treasury to soften some of the anti-Russian sanctions should be logically interpreted not as an indicator that the situation has begun to improve, but rather as a sign of further growth in uncertainty.
Assessment and Selection of Human Sperm for ART

Male factor is a common indication for ART procedures, usually approached byintracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Fertilization rates and/or embryo quality are not always optimal, therefore, evaluation of the male gamete for DNA fragmentation or nuclear integrity by novel techniques has been proposed, as a mean to improve ART results. In this chapter, we will evaluate these newtechniques, and their present status as tools in the evaluation and treatment of infertile couples.
Elastic freedom in cellular solids and composite materials

The question of how much freedom is to be incorporated in a continuum theory must ultimately be decided by experiment. There are several theories which describe behavior of materials. An early uniconstant theory was proposed based on atomic interaction theory; it was abandoned since it predicted a Poisson’s ratio of 1/4 for all materials. The elasticity theory currently accepted as classical allows Poisson’s ratios in isotropic materials in the range -1 to 1/2. Common materials exhibit a Poisson’s ratio from 1/4 to nearly 1/2. We have prepared materials with a Poisson’s ratio as small as -0.8. Deformation mechanisms in these materials include relative rotation of micro-elements, and non-affine micro-deformation. The relation between properties and structure is exploited to prepare viscoelastic composites with high stiffness combined with high damping. Generalized continuum theories exist with more freedom than classical theory. For example, in Cosserat elasticity there are characteristic lengths as additional engineering elastic constants. Recent experimental work discloses a variety of cellular and fibrous materials to exhibit such freedom, and the characteristic lengths have been measured. In hierarchical solids structural elements themselves have structure. Several examples of natural structural hierarchy are considered, with consequences related to optimality of material properties.
Incidencia de transtornos psicopatológicos en la población infantil

By means of the analysis of anamnesic psychopathological questionnaire applied to the parents o f a sample o f children, we have investigated the prevalence o f a wide range o f psychopathological disorders present in the infantile population of Catalonia . The sample studied comprised 1350 male children aged from nine years and six months to twelve years and six months. As well as quantifying the frequency of each disorder we have studied its incidence in the different social classes and undertaken a statistical analysis of differences found. The author proposes a line of investigation directed towards the analysis of the interdependence of the different disorders.
Evidence for an internal model dedicated to locomotor control

We investigated the formation and transfer of internal models during locomotion and a visual motor pointing task performed with the leg using a novel backdrivable robot. Subjects adapted to a force field applied by a robot that pushed their leg upward during walking, and then immediately pointed with their lower shank to a small target in the same force field or with the field removed. This paradigm was designed to test whether the internal model formed during walking is available during pointing and vice versa. Subjects exhibited direct effects when pointing in the force field following walking in the same field suggesting that separate models are used in each task. The same was true for the reverse transition. This separate model paradigm was further supported by the presence of aftereffects when pointing with the field removed following a period of walking with the field removed. Evidence of aftereffects when the field was removed for both walking and pointing following adaptation to force fields in the other task indicates, however a partial sharing of internal models. The results provide evidence that the internal model formed during locomotion is largely dedicated to locomotion.
Issues in the Transition From Childhood to Adult Growth Hormone Therapy

The consequences of severe growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in adults and the beneficial effects of GH replacement therapy are clear. However, the majority of children who have a diagnosis of GHD and who are treated with GH do not have permanent GHD and will not require treatment during adulthood. Several issues must be considered in selecting candidates for adult GH treatment and transitioning their care from pediatrics to adult medicine. Counseling about possible lifelong treatment should focus on children with panhypopituitarism and those with severe isolated GHD that is associated with central nervous system abnormalities. When to terminate growth-promoting GH therapy should be guided by balancing the high cost of late-adolescent treatment with the attainment of reasonable statural goals. Retesting for GH secretion is appropriate for all candidates for adult GH therapy; the GH axis can be tested within weeks after the cessation of treatment, but confirming an emerging adult GHD state with body composition, blood lipid, and quality-of-life assessments may require 1 year or more of observation. Selecting patients for lifelong adult GH replacement therapy will present diagnostic, therapeutic, and ethical problems similar to those in treating childhood GHD. The experience and expertise of pediatric endocrinologists in diagnosing and treating GHD should be offered and used in identifying and transitioning appropriate patients to adult GH therapy.
Odontoclastic resorptive lesion of a mandibular right first molar in a cougar.

A two-year old neutered/male cougar (Felis concolor) was presented because of abnormal eating habits and an irregularity of the mandibular right first molar that was noted by the caretaker. Oral examination and dental radiographs showed a lesion consistent with odontoclastic resorption of the mandibular right first molar, and a crown fracture and dilacerated root of the maxillary right first incisor. Exodontic therapy was performed on both teeth. The caretaker reported no problems associated with the patient's oral cavity 10-months following treatment.
A closed form mechanistic cutting force model for helical peripheral milling of ductile metallic alloys

Abstract A closed form mechanistic model is developed for cutting forces in helical peripheral milling (endmilling) of ductile metallic alloys. This paper presents an alternative derivation, using the frontal chip area, to describe two series of cutting force expressions—one using a Heaviside unit step function and the other using a Fourier series expansion. A specific advantage of the present work is highlighted by deriving analytical expressions for sensitivity coefficients required to analytically propagate the uncertainty in the cutting-force model parameters. Another advantage is that even very small radial immersions can be used to derive cutting coefficients reliably, along with their variances. The aforementioned analytical investigations are applied to a series of experimental cutting tests to estimate the force-model cutting coefficients. Experimental investigations include the study of a tool having radial runout. Finally, confidence intervals are placed on predicted forces which experimentally verify the validity of the proposed force model.
Validation of a colonoscopy simulation model for skills assessment.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose is to provide initial validation of a novel simulation model's fidelity and ability to assess competence in colonoscopy skills. METHODS: In a prospective, cross-sectional design, each of 39 endoscopists (13 staff, 13 second year fellows, and 13 novices) performed a colonoscopy on a novel bovine simulation model. Staff endoscopists also completed a survey examining different aspects of the model's realism as compared to human colonoscopy. The groups' simulation performances were compared. Additionally, individual performances were correlated to patient-based performance data. RESULTS: Median model realism evaluation scores were favorable for nearly all parameters evaluated with mucosa appearance, endoscopic view, and paradoxical motion parameters receiving the highest scores. During simulation procedures, each group outperformed the less experienced groups in all parameters evaluated. Specifically, median cecal intubation times were: staff 226 s (IQR [interquartile range] 179-273), fellows 340 s (282-568), and novices 1,027 s (970-1,122) (P < 0.05). Median total procedure times on the model were: staff 468 s (416-501), fellows 527 s (459-824), and novices 1,350 s (1,318-1,428) (P < 0.05). Finally, individual cecal intubation times on the simulation model had a very high correlation to their respective patient-based times (r = 0.764). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this model possesses a favorable degree of realism and is able to easily differentiate users based on their level of colonoscopy experience. More impressive, however, is the strong correlation between individual's simulated intubation times and actual patient-based colonoscopy data. In light of these findings, we speculate that this model has potential to be an effective tool for assessment of colonoscopic competence.
Kinetic Resolution of Chiral α-Olefins Using Optically Active ansa-Zirconocene Polymerization Catalysts

A series of enantiopure C1-symmetric metallocenes, {(SiMe2)2[η5-C5H(CHMe2)2][η5-C5H2((S)-CHMeCMe3)]}ZrCl2, (S)-2, {(SiMe2)2[η5-C5H(CHEt2)2][η5-C5H2((S)-CHMeCMe3)]}ZrCl2, (S)-6, and {(SiMe2)2[η5-C5HCy2][η5-C5H2((S)-CHMeCMe3)]}ZrCl2, (S)-7 (Cy = cyclohexyl), zirconocene dichlorides that have an enantiopure methylneopentyl substituent on the “upper” cyclopentadienyl ligand, and diastereomerically pure precatalysts, {(SiMe2)2[η5-C5H((S)-CHMeCy)(CHMe2)][η5-C5H3]}ZrCl2, (S)-8a and (S)-8b, which have an enantiopure, 1-cyclohexylethyl substituent on the “lower” cyclopentadienyl ligand, has been synthesized for use in the polymerization of chiral α-olefins. When activated with methylaluminoxane, these metallocenes show unprecedented activity for the polymerization of bulky racemic monomers bearing substitution at the 3- and/or 4-positions. Due to the optically pure nature of these single site catalysts, they effect kinetic resolution of racemic monomers: the polymeric product is enriched with the faster reacting ...
MO-B-211A-01: Biological/Clinical Outcomes Models in Radiation Therapy Planning

Radiation therapy must strike a balance between clinically acceptable tumorcontrol probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP). Typical treatments expose several normal organs to incidental dose with an associated risk of a variety of radiation‐induced complications, each of which may depend differently on the spatial and temporal dose distribution. Dose/volume effects, wherein the ‘iso‐complication dose’ increases if the irradiated volume fraction decreases, are particularly important in designing and evaluating treatment plans. These effects are pronounced for some complications and weak for others. The classic “Emami” paper of 1991 summarized guidelines based on decades of clinical experience derived from the simple beam arrangements of the 2‐dimensional planning era when discrete parts of normal tissues typically received uniform doses at conventional fractionation schedules (partial organ irradiation). More recently, 3‐dimensional planning (including IMRT) has led to more conformal distributions with superior patient‐specific dosimetric information. Three‐dimensionl techniques have also encouraged treatment to higher doses and exposed normal tissues to a more variable and inhomogeneous range of dose distributions and fraction sizes. These complex relationships are often summarized in dose‐volume histograms (DVH). Depending on the suspected volume effect, treatment planners use various DVH‐based metrics to estimate complication risks. These include single DVH points (e.g. maximum dose or percent or absolute volume above a dose cut‐point), combinations of such points, generalized equivalent uniform dose (including mean dose) and models (e.g. Lyman model). Co‐morbidities, chemotherapies and other medical factors may also need to be considered. We will describe commonly used evaluation metrics, some of which date back to the early 1990's and others from more recent publications or in‐house experience. The current metrics used to evaluate normal tissue DVHs are sub‐optimal. Under the QUANTEC (Quantitative Analysis of Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic) initiative, a project that is jointly funded by AAPM and ASTRO, approximately 60 physicists and physicians have critically surveyed the NTCP literature. Their updated consensus guidelines will be published in the near future. Some of their preliminary findings will be discussed here (check the proffered sessions for other presentations). Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the general features of the volume effect as applied to NTCP. 2. Be familiar with the dose/volume metrics commonly used for complications risk estimation in treatment planning. 3. Understand some of the difficulties in determining reliable dosimetric predictors of normal tissue complications.
Some evidence concerning energy use in manufacturing

Abstract The dramatic increase in energy efficiency in the U.S. economy since the early 1970s has been the subject of much study and controversy. Among the factors responsible for improved energy efficiency are better housekeeping measures, technological innovations and a changing product mix. These factors are discussed for the manufacturing sector using published input-output data for the years 1963, 1967 and 1972, and data from the Annual Survey of Manufactures for the years 1975 and 1979. Data for the years 1972, 1975 and 1979 are the most revealing in terms of improved energy efficiency. For the purpose of this analysis, a real IO coefficient was calculated by dividing deflated energy input costs by the deflated value of sector output.
Epidemiology: Resistance mapping in malaria

Whole-genome sequencing of human malaria parasites has revealed genomic regions that are associated with resistance to artemisinin-based drugs. The findings may help to explain the origin and spread of this worrying trend.
RAPID INCREASE OF SERUM FSH LEVELS IN CASTRATED MALE HAMSTERS FOLLOWING TRANSFER FROM SHORT TO LONG DAYS OR EXPOSURE TO A SINGLE LONG DAY

The purpose of this study was to develop an animal model in which a change in the length of the day could induce a rapid alteration in pituitary gonadotropin release. The transfer of castrated male hamsters (castrated for 34 days) that had been maintained on a nonstimulatory LD 6:18 light cycle for 14 weeks to a stimulatory LD 14:10 light regime resulted in a 2–3 fold increase in serum FSH levels within three days. Furthermore, exposure to a single LD 14:10 light cycle also induced a significant increase in serum FSH titers within three days, even though the animals had been returned to LD 6:18. This animal model should prove extremely useful in elucidating the neural, endocrine and cellular events which mediate the effects of light on reproductive function.
A Rac1-GDP trimer complex binds zinc with tetrahedral and octahedral coordination, displacing magnesium

The Rho family of small GTPases represent well characterized signaling molecules that regulate many cellular functions such as actin cytoskeletal arrangement and the cell cycle by acting as molecular switches. A Rac1-GDP-Zn complex has been crystallized in space group P3(2)21 and its crystal structure has been solved at 1.9 A resolution. These trigonal crystals reveal the unexpected ability of Rac1 to coordinate Zn atoms in a tetrahedral fashion by use of its biologically relevant switch I and switch II regions. Upon coordination of zinc, the switch I region is stabilized in the GDP-bound conformation and contributes to a Rac1 trimer in the asymmetric unit. Zinc coordination causes switch II to adopt a novel conformation with a symmetry-related molecule. Additionally, zinc was found to displace magnesium from its octahedral coordination at switch I, although GDP binding remained stable. This structure represents the first reported Rac1-GDP-Zn complex, which further underscores the conformational flexibility and versatility of the small GTPase switch regions.
The Holocene sea-level highstand in the equatorial Pacific: analysis of the insular paleosea-level database

A review of the literature provides 92 estimates of the middle to late Holocene sea-level highstand on Pacific Islands. These data generally support geophysical model calculations that predict a +1 to 3 m relative sea-level highstand on oceanic islands due to the Earth’s rheological response to the melting of the last continental ice sheets and subsequent redistribution of meltwater. Both predictions and observations indicate sea level was higher than present in the equatorial Pacific between 5000 and 1500 y B.P. A non-linear relationship exists between the age and elevation of the highstand peak, suggesting that different rates of isostatic adjustment may occur in the Pacific, with the highest rates of sea-level fall following the highstand near the equator. It is important to resolve detailed sea-level histories from insular sites to test and refine models of climatic, oceanographic, and geophysical processes including hydroisostasy, equatorial ocean siphoning, and lithospheric flexure that are invoked as mechanisms affecting relative sea-level position. We use a select subset of the available database meeting specific criteria to examine model relationships of paleosea-surface topography. This new evaluated database of paleosea-level positions is also validated for testing and constraining geophysical model predictions of past and present sea-level variations.
Usefulness of Transesophageal Echocardiography in Diagnosing and Guiding Correct Placement of a Right Ventricular Assist Device Malpositioned in the Left Atrium

In this report, we describe how transesophageal echocardiography was used not only to diagnose incorrect cannula position of a right ventricular assist device in the left atrium through a patent foramen ovale, but also to guide and to confirm correct cannula placement. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 13, March 1996)
Oxidative stress, alpha-tocopherol therapy, and atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Evidence suggests that antioxidants, especially α-tocopherol (AT), have potential benefits with respect to cardiovascular disease. AT has been shown to decrease lipid peroxidation, to inhibit platelet adhesion, aggregation, and smooth muscle cell proliferation, to exert anti-inflammatory effects on monocytes, and to improve endothelial function. Low levels of AT are related to a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease and increased intakes appear to afford protection against cardiovascular disease. Although clinical trials with AT supplementation to date have been conflicting, the majority of evidence supports a benefit for AT supplementation in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease. Clearly, more clinical trials are required in individuals with increased oxidative stress before a definitive recommendation can be made with respect to AT supplementation in atherosclerosis.
A model for understanding and affecting cancer genetics information seeking

Abstract Health-related topics are relevant to a diverse array of people, which makes health information seeking a rich area in which to study how people look for information and to create interventions to aid in their searches. Cancer genetics is an important health context because information acquisition can positively impact an individual's morbidity and mortality while also affecting an individual's family network. However, this new field of research has created a complex information environment that is constantly evolving. Traditional methods of providing content through mass communication campaigns cannot keep pace. What is needed is a strategy that does not rely on perishable content, but instead helps people gain lifelong skills to find and assess cancer genetic information on their own. This article reviews the tenets of cancer information seeking—highlighting the growing public interest in genetics—and discusses how the burden of seeking health information has shifted to the patient. The authors introduce GENIS 2 (Genetic Information-Seeking Skills), which is an intervention framework for helping people build cancer genetic information-seeking skills that will be useful throughout their lives. GENIS 2 is based on the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking (CMIS), which explores people's information-seeking actions by looking at the role played by demographics, experience, salience, and beliefs, as well as the information fields in which people exist. The CMIS is outlined and its stages are used to elucidate what kinds of cancer genetic information people are looking for in different situational contexts. The CMIS is also used as the framework for creating intervention strategies that information professionals can use to help coach people toward being more self-efficacious information seekers.
Influence of Desalivation in Rats on Incidence of Caries in Intact Cagemates

The evidence that dental caries is an infectious and transmitted disease in rodents is unequivocal. However, the factors controlling the transmission of micro-organisms from one animal to another have not been extensively explored. Results from previous studies in our laboratory showed that desalivated animals became infected by Streptococcus sobrinus in a shorter period of time than did intact animals. Furthermore, an additional study in our laboratory showed that animals with intact salivary function caged with desalivated animals harbored more S. sobrinus immediately following establishment of infection than did intact animals housed with other intact animals. Therefore, it seemed appropriate to determine the influence on caries development of caging a desalivated animal with an intact animal. In this study, intact Sprague-Dawley rats were caged with desalivated animals; additional groups of intact animals were housed with chlorhexidine-treated animals that were either intact or desalivated. Although chlorhexidine suppressed both caries development and the level of infection by S. sobrinus, nevertheless, intact animals caged with desalivated animals invariably developed more caries than did intact animals housed with other intact animals. Treating intact animals with chlorhexidine did not affect caries scores in untreated intact cagemates. Overall, the results suggest that a highly acidogenic flora with enhanced virulence (including S. sobrinus) is selected in the desalivated animals; this flora is apparently readily transmitted to intact cagemates, leading to enhanced levels of smooth-surface caries.
MacLaboratory for psychology: General experimental psychology with Apple’s Macintosh

Every student at Drexel University is required, on admission, to purchase a Macintosh computer. Consequently, there is an understandable demand to effectively utilize this resource in the undergraduate curriculum. We have developed what amounts to a series of “take-home” programs that convert the Macintosh into a number of “pieces” of experimental psychology equipment. Providing each student with a personal psychology “MacLaboratory” has apparent pedagogical and practical benefits, from creative hands-on experience to ease of independent research. This paper summarizes details of the program to date, its development process, supporting materials, and our experience when every student has a personal computer.
The N-Widths of Spaces of Holomorphic Functions on Bounded Symmetric Domains of Tube Type

Let D be a bounded symmetric domain of tube type and @S be the Shilov boundary of D. Denote by H"2(D) and A"2(D) the Hardy and Bergman spaces, respectively, of holomorphic functions on D; and let B(H"2(D)) and B(A"2(D)) denote the closed unit balls in these spaces. For an integer l>=0 we define the notion R^lf of the lth radial derivative of a holomorphic function f on D, and we prove the following results: Let 0<@r<1. Denote by W the class of holomorphic functions f on D for which R^lf@?B(H"2(D)) and set X=C(@r@S). Then we show that the linear and Gelfand N-widths of W in X coincide, and we compute the exact value. We do the same for the case in which W is the class of holomorphic functions f for which R^lf@?B(A"2(D)), and X=C(@r@S). Next, let X=L^p(@r@S) (respectively, L^p(@rD)) for 1=
Bounds for solutions of a class of quasilinear elliptic boundary value problems in terms of the torsion function

In this paper maximum principles are employed to relate solutions of certain classes of nonlinear elliptic problems to solutions of the associated torsion problem. By this method a number of new isoperimetric inequalities are derived. In special cases solutions of the nonlinear problems are also related to solutions of the clamped membrane problem.
Cognitive improvement associated with tricyclic antidepressant treatment of childhood major depressive illness.

11 children fulfilling DSM-III criteria for major depressive illness were administered detailed neuropsychological batteries prior to and 3 to 6 mo. after starting tricyclic antidepressant treatmen...
Longitudinal Outcomes of Women Veterans Enrolled in the Renew Sexual Trauma Treatment Program

Forty-three female veterans who were starting the 12 weeks Renew treatment program for survivors of sexual trauma at a Department of Veterans Affairs medical center were recruited for this study. Forty-one participants enrolled in a within subjects design longitudinal study. Participants completed structured interviews at pre-treatment (baseline) and post-treatment, and at 6, 9, and 12 months from baseline. Thirty-seven completed the treatment (10 % dropout) and 32 completed the entire study. Similar to previous findings on Renew, posttraumatic symptoms decreased immediately after graduation with large to medium effect sizes. In addition, up to 70 % had reliable clinical change at the 95 % confidence interval. However, the main hypothesis of this study was to test the stability of treatment outcomes at 12 months from baseline. Not only were these changes sustained 12 months from baseline, positive factors of self-esteem and quality of life continued to increase over time. Given participants’ level of trauma and their chronicity of symptoms prior to Renew, results suggest that Renew is an effective treatment for female veterans with multiple traumas across the life span including military sexual trauma, and a variety of life stressors including homelessness, substance abuse, and medical problems.
The isolation of the two electrophoretic forms of cowpea mosaic virus using fast protein liquid chromatography

This report describes the first time entire viral capsids have been purified using fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) techniques. The FPLC is used here to separate the two electrophoretic forms of cowpea mosaic virus. The capsid forms are shown to be separated by the Mono-Q column without damaging the capsids.
Inverse scattering problem for the Schrödinger equation with magnetic potential at a fixed energy

In this article we consider the Schrodinger operator inR n ,n≧3, with electric and magnetic potentials which decay exponentially as |x|→∞. We show that the scattering amplitude at fixed positive energy determines the electric potential and the magnetic field.
Improved Arabic Base Phrase Chunking with a new enriched POS tag set

Base Phrase Chunking (BPC) or shallow syntactic parsing is proving to be a task of interest to many natural language processing applications. In this paper, A BPC system is introduced that improves over state of the art performance in BPC using a new part of speech tag (POS) set. The new POS tag set, ERTS, reflects some of the morphological features specific to Modern Standard Arabic. ERTS explicitly encodes definiteness, number and gender information increasing the number of tags from 25 in the standard LDC reduced tag set to 75 tags. For the BPC task, we introduce a more language specific set of definitions for the base phrase annotations. We employ a support vector machine approach for both the POS tagging and the BPC processes. The POS tagging performance using this enriched tag set, ERTS, is at 96.13% accuracy. In the BPC experiments, we vary the feature set along two factors: the POS tag set and a set of explicitly encoded morphological features. Using the ERTS POS tagset, BPC achieves the highest overall Fβ=1 of 96.33% on 10 different chunk types outperforming the use of the standard POS tag set even when explicit morphological features are present.
Mycorrhizal status of Deschampsia antarctica in the Palmer Station area, Antarctica.

Arbuscular mycorrhizae were absent in 75 individuals of Deschampsia antarctica (Antarctic hair- grass) collected from the Palmer Station area, Ant? arctica, and the accompanying soil sampled had no mycorrhizal infectivity. However, D. antarctica was ca- pable of forming typical arbuscular mycorrhizae in? fections with Glomus intraradices and Glomus etunicatum in the greenhouse.
Responsivencess of Intact and Scarified Seeds of Barbarea vulgaris to Gibberellic Acid and Changes in Phytochrome

Either red light or millimolar levels of gibberellic acid promoted germination of seeds of yellow rocket (Barbarea vulgaris R. Br.), and their effects were generally additive. Buffering the substrate pH at 3.0, addition of 20 mM nitrate to the substrate, preliminary incubation at 10 or 30°C, and brief scarification of the seeds increased responsiveness of the seeds to gibberellic acid. Scarification increased several thousandfold the sensitivity of the seeds to gibberellic acid. Pretreatment of the seeds in darkness or far-red light did not lower their responsiveness to gibberellic acid. These results suggest that uptake of gibberellic acid is a limiting factor in the stimulation of germination in intact seeds and that there is only a minimal requirement for active phytochrome to express gibberellic acid action.
Reproductive biology of captive male cottontop tamarin monkeys as a function of social environment

The cottontop tamarin, Saguinus oedipus oedipus, is a cooperatively breeding monkey in which mature male and female offspring serve as helpers to assist in rearing younger siblings. Generally, only one female per social group reproduces; breeding restriction is mediated in postpubertal female offspring through low and acyclic levels of reproductive hormones. We investigated (1) reproductive activity of postpubertal male offspring, and (2) whether aggression towards male offspring and a cortisol-mediated stress response might restrict breeding of male offspring in the natal group. We examined sexual behaviour, olfactory communication and urinary hormone levels (testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, luteinizing hormone, cortisol) of the subject males while we manipulated their social environment from housing in natal groups to pairing with a novel female, and after the production of their own offspring. Mounting and erection rates of the male subjects were as high in the natal group as when paired with a novel female. However, most mounts in the natal group were directed towards other males, and complete copulation sequences did not occur with natal-group females. Social environment had no significant effect on olfactory investigation of breeding females. Although hormone levels increased significantly after the subjects were removed from the natal group, the elevation was transient; the hormone levels of subjects in their natal groups did not differ from the levels shown by the same males when successfully producing their own offspring. Male offspring received more contact aggression in the natal group than when paired with the novel female. However, most of the aggression was received from siblings rather than the breeding pair, and levels of cortisol did not correspond with levels of aggression. Thus, at both a behavioural and endocrine level, mature male offspring in captive natal groups were potentially fertile, but sexual activity with natal-group females appeared to be behaviourally restricted and directed instead towards group males. In wild cottontop tamarin groups, this reproductive potential may allow male helpers flexibility to respond to breeding opportunities.
Modalities for the Removal of β2‐Microglobulin from Blood

The long-term accumulation of beta(2)-microglobulin (beta(2)M) in patients with kidney failure results in a debilitating condition referred to as dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA). There have been few methods specifically designed to remove the large quantities of beta(2)M that are produced by the body. This article briefly reviews current modalities and concepts for the removal of beta(2)M from blood. The various approaches are classified according to the mechanism of beta(2)M clearance. The potential application of immunoadsorption, a biologically specific approach to remove macromolecules, in the treatment and understanding of DRA is discussed.
Revitalizing the role of values and objectives in institutions of higher education: Difficulties encountered and the possible contribution of external evaluation

This article is concerned with improvement in institutions of higher education through enhancing the role of values and objectives in guiding effort and evaluating outcomes. The term “objectives” is used in a broad sense to include general statements of institutional purposes, more specific instructional, research and public service goals, and professional and personal objectives of the academic community, as well as the goals of “clients” and the larger community within which a college or university operates. Difficulties are identified that stand in the way of optimization in determining and reassessing basic objectives and in working with objectives once they are determined. The possible contribution of external evaluation is considered, including that of accreditation agencies and evaluation research. Two additional approaches are suggested: a governance audit and, especially, an optimization review. An outline is provided of points that could be considered in an optimization review. Attention is given to an institution having access to and drawing upon diverse perspectives and needed capabilities. The role suggested for the external evaluator is that of providing insights that facilitate an institution in developing its own capacity for sustained self-study and improvement.
SAM Pointed Domain ETS Factor (SPDEF) regulates terminal differentiation and maturation of intestinal goblet cells

Abstract Background and Aims: SPDEF (also termed PDEF or PSE) is an ETS family transcription factor that regulates gene expression in the prostate and goblet cell hyperplasia in the lung. Spdef has been reported to be expressed in the intestine. In this paper, we identify an important role for Spdef in regulating intestinal epithelial cell homeostasis and differentiation. Methods: SPDEF expression was inhibited in colon cancer cells to determine its ability to control goblet cell gene activation. The effects of transgenic expression of Spdef on intestinal differentiation and homeostasis were determined. Results: In LS174T colon cancer cells treated with Notch/γ-secretase inhibitor to activate goblet cell gene expression, shRNAs that inhibited SPDEF also repressed expression of goblet cell genes AGR2, MUC2, RETLNB, and SPINK4. Transgenic expression of Spdef caused the expansion of intestinal goblet cells and corresponding reduction in Paneth, enteroendocrine, and absorptive enterocytes. Spdef inhibited proliferation of intestinal crypt cells without induction of apoptosis. Prolonged expression of the Spdef transgene caused a progressive reduction in the number of crypts that expressed Spdef, consistent with its inhibitory effects on cell proliferation. Conclusions: Spdef was sufficient to inhibit proliferation of intestinal progenitors and induce differentiation into goblet cells; SPDEF was required for activation of goblet cell associated genes in vitro. These data support a model in which Spdef promotes terminal differentiation into goblet cells of a common goblet/Paneth progenitor.