cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Where air quality has been impacted by weather changes in the United States over the last 30 years

Abstract Previous studies have contributed to the understanding on the impacts of weather on air pollution. Most of these investigations focused primarily on future climate scenarios, laboratory experiments, or weather trends-related air pollution at regional scale. In particular, an important limitation of the trends studies is that the estimated weather impact on air pollution may be underestimated or overestimated given that the regional scale does not capture the site-to-site variation of air pollution and weather. The primary objective of this research is to addresses this gap by quantifying weather-associated changes in air pollution at site location (air pollution sites) in the U.S between 1988 and 2018. We quantified the past weather-related increases CO, NO2, O3, nitrate, organic carbon, silicon, sodium, sulfate, and SO2 concentration using Generalized Additive Models (GAMs). We used a framework that derives “penalties” (weather penalty, in μg/m3, ppm or ppb per year) for each season (warm and cold). Three pollutants presented significant results (weather penalties), including CO, NO2, and O3. Our findings show significant spatio-temporal variation of climate impact on CO, NO2, and O3. For example, in the warm season we estimated a total penalty over the study period for the sites with the highest penalty on CO (site in Boise, Idaho), NO2 (site in New York City), and O3 (site in Tucson, Arizona) of 6.18 (95%CI: 0.30; 12.0) ppm, 182.04 (95%CI: 39.33; 324.72) ppb, and 0.09 (95%CI: 0.030; 0.150) ppm, respectively. In the cold season, the estimated total penalty for the sites with the highest penalty on CO (site in Los Angeles, California), NO2 (site in Washington, Pennsylvania), and O3 (site in Decatur, Illinois) was 12.01 (95%CI: 1.50; 22.50) ppm, 285.03 (95%CI: 14.37; 555.69) ppb, and −0.066 (95%CI: -0.120; −0.030) ppm, respectively. Our results should be of interest to policy makers to create future strategies related to environmental health and climate change. Climate models typically show large variation in projections of the key variables influencing pollution, and our model based on local scale allowed us to identify statistically robust results.
Behavioural syndromes shape evolutionary trajectories via conserved genetic architecture.

Behaviours are often correlated within broader syndromes, creating the potential for evolution in one behaviour to drive evolutionary changes in other behaviours. Despite demonstrations that behavi...
Quality improvement initiative to improve pulmonary function in pediatric cystic fibrosis patients.

Background Our Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Center initiated a Quality Improvement (QI) project in November 2017 with the goal of improving our patients' forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) percent predicted (pp) and continued for 1 year. Our specific aim was to increase the relative mean FEV1 pp by 5% in 12 months for CF patients 6 to 21 years old with FEV1 ≤ 80 pp. Methods We identified patients with FEV1 ≤ 80 pp, developed cause and effect diagrams (fishbones) to identify contributing factors to FEV1 ≤ 80 pp, and created flowcharts to address barriers. The barriers to adherence that may result in FEV1 ≤ 80 pp were studied using a fishbone. A standardized approach across providers was implemented to individualize care for each patient. Each discipline developed a flowchart to address barriers to improving FEV1. Results Forty patients were identified (43% male). Their mean age was 16.8 years (range 8.2-21.5 years). Mean FEV1 pp at baseline was 58.6 (range 30-80). The fishbone identified needs for continuing education for patients/families, and providing a treatment plan at each clinic visit. After 6 months of implementation, patients had an improvement in mean FEV1 pp by 6.4% (CI, 0.4%-12.9%). At 12 months, mean FEV1 pp had improved by 14% (CI, 6.5%-21.4%), which exceeded our goal of 5%. Conclusion Through this ongoing project, team members, patients, and families partnered to improve lung function in pediatric CF patients. Flowcharts facilitated a standardized approach across providers to develop individualized treatment plans for patients, which resulted in improved lung function.
A Novel Local Cancellous Autograft Source for Anterior Cervical Discectomy With Fusion

Study Design:Case series.Objectives:Successful clinical outcome scores following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) have been correlated with high fusion rate. Published fusion rates us...
AL Amyloidosis: The Effect of Maintenance Therapy on Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation Outcomes.

Background: Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) remains an effective treatment option for many patients with systemic light chain (AL) amyloidosis. While maintenance post ASCT in multiple myeloma is now standard, the decision to utilize maintenance in AL amyloidosis remains largely unexplored. The present study aims to determine the prognostic significance of utilizing maintenance therapy following ASCT and assess the impact of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) abnormalities, bone marrow plasma cell burden (BMPC), and degree of organ involvement on this decision. Methods and results: This is a retrospective analysis of fifty AL amyloidosis patients who underwent ASCT at The Ohio State University. Twenty-eight patients received maintenance and twenty-two did not. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was used to compare the effect of maintenance therapy with no significant difference in PFS (p = 0.66) and OS (p = 0.32) between the two groups. There was no difference in survival based on maintenance when further categorized by FISH, PFS (p = 0.15), and OS (p = 0.65); BMPC ≥ 10%, PFS (p = 0.49), and OS (p = 0.32); or with 2 or more organs involved, PFS (p = 0.34) and OS (p = 0.80). Conclusion: Maintenance therapy post ASCT did not impact PFS or OS when categorized by FISH abnormalities, increasing BMPC, or ≥2 organs involved in AL amyloidosis patients.
Structural seismic damage and loss assessments using a multi-conditioning ground motion selection approach based on an efficient sampling technique

The application of Latin Hypercube and Monte Carlo (MC) sampling techniques for ground motion selection purposes is investigated. Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) works by first stratifying a probability distribution domain into multiple equally spaced and non-overlapping stripes and then by permutationally drawing samples from those stripes. To examine the efficiency of these two distinct sampling methods, a set of conditional multivariate distributions was fit to an intensity measure vector based on a single, two, or average of more-than-two (average) conditioning intensity measure. LHS was then utilized for sampling purposes from the conditional multivariate distributions, which in turn demonstrated superiority over MC given the same number of realization samples. Accordingly, it was utilized as an underlying peace of a broader ground motion selection framework to facilitite the selection of a number of ground motion suites based on different methods of conditioning. Using the selected suites, response history and subsequent damage/loss analyses were conducted on a generic 4-story non-ductile reinforced concrete building. The outcomes of these latter studies demonstrated that the ground motion suite selected based on an average-intensity-measure conditioning criterion performed better than those selected through single- and two-intensity-measure conditioning criteria.
Individual and cumulative health afflictions are associated with greater impairment in physical and mental function in former professional American style football players

BACKGROUND Former American style football players (ASF players) have recognized health concerns associated with prior sport participation. It remains unknown whether categorizations of current health conditions, referred to in this report as afflictions (conceptually framed as neurocognitive, cardiovascular, cardiometabolic, sleep apnea, and chronic pain) are associated with physical and mental function. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association of afflictions to physical and mental function. It was hypothesized that former National Football League players with any affliction would have worse function compared to unafflicted participants. It was anticipated that multiple afflictions would result in cumulative loss of function. DESIGN Cross-sectional retrospective design. SETTING Academic medical multisite hospital system. PARTICIPANTS A total of 3913 of 15,611 former ASF players who played professionally from 1960 to 2019 (response rate 25%). Assessment of Risk Factors Self-report survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Each participant completed the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global Health Scale and Physical Function questionnaires. Responses were used to generate two physical function and one mental function subscale scores. Raw scores were converted to T-scores categorized as impaired (T-score < 40) or unimpaired (T-score ≥ 40). Primary analyses measured the association of affliction to function (impaired or unimpaired). RESULTS After adjusting for confounders (age, race, position, number of seasons, age of first exposure to football, alcohol use, smoking history, and current body mass index), each affliction was associated with reduced physical function on the Global physical function subscale (risk ratio [RR] = 1.23-2.45, all P < .005), physical function scale (RR = 1.24-2.75, all P < .01), and mental function scale (RR = 1.34-2.87, all P < .001), except that cardiovascular affliction was not associated with mental function (RR = 1.15, P = .15). The lowest functional measures were observed in those afflicted by chronic pain. Cumulative afflictions were associated with worse function. CONCLUSIONS Afflictions are associated with cumulative reduction of function. Research evaluating how afflictions interact may help elucidate mechanisms for illness and develop interventions to optimize function.
Perineal cutaneous basal cell carcinomas in patients with familial seronegative celiac disease: Report of three cases.

The etiopathogenesis of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) arising in the perineum is unclear. We report BCC arising in the perineum of three longstanding untreated celiac disease (CD) patients. CD is an autoimmune enteropathy due to hypersensitivity to consumed gluten. Patients can present with gastrointestinal symptoms including diarrhea and weight loss, as well as fatigue, iron-deficiency anemia, vitamin D deficiency, depression, and unexplained hypocalcemia. As a result, CD often goes undiagnosed for many years before a diagnosis is made.
Osmotic Hemolysis of Chemically Modified Red Blood Cells

The mechanism of osmotic hemolysis of human red blood cells has been investigated after mild fixation in glutaraldehyde. A mass of precipitated hemoglobin (crown) is seen around a single membrane break which may be as large as 2µ in diameter. Ghosts with large holes are not seen and it is believed that membrane repair takes place. Hemoglobin extrusion by this mechanism takes place only around the rim of the red cell. Both old and young red cells exhibit crown formation, but old cells require longer fixation than do young cells. A correlation with previous work on mode of osmotic hemolysis of red cells is discussed.
A systematic review of fast food access studies

The frequent consumption of energy-dense fast food is associated with increased body mass index. This systematic review aims to examine the methodology and current evidence on fast food access and its associations with outcomes. Six databases were searched using terms relating to fast food. Only peer-reviewed studies published in English during a 10-year period, with data collection and analysis regarding fast food access were included. Forty articles met the aforementioned criteria. Nearly half of the studies (n = 16) used their own set of features to define fast food. Studies predominantly examined the relationship between fast food access and socioeconomic factors (n = 21) and 76% indicated fast food restaurants were more prevalent in low-income areas compared with middle- to higher-income areas. Ten of 12 studies found fast food restaurants were more prevalent in areas with higher concentrations of ethnic minority groups in comparison with Caucasians. Six adult studies found higher body mass index was associated with living in areas with increased exposure to fast food; four studies, however, did not find associations. Further work is needed to understand if and how fast food access impacts dietary intake and health outcomes; and if fast food access has disparate socioeconomic, race/ethnicity and age associations.
The influence of crystal-field effects on the electronic transport properties of heavy-fermion systems: a semiphenomenological approach

The electronic transport properties of heavy-fermion systems were calculated based on a semiphenomenological approach to the lattice non-crossing approximation in the limit of infinite local correlations augmented by crystal-field effects. Within the scope of this calculation using the linearized Boltzmann theory in the relaxation time approximation the qualitative features of the temperature-dependent resistivity, the magnetoresistivity and the thermoelectric power can be successfully reproduced; this is exemplified by a comparison with experimental results on CeCu_2Si_2.
Renal Artery Aneurysm

The renal arteries and veins typically branch from the aorta and inferior vena cava, respectively, at the level of the second lumbar vertebral body, below the level of the anterior takeoff of the superior mesenteric artery. The right renal artery passes behind the IVC in its course and is considerably longer than the left renal artery. The main renal artery typically divides into four or more segmental vessels, with five branches most commonly described. The first and most constant segmental division is a posterior branch, which usually exits the main renal artery before it enters the renal hilum and proceeds posteriorly to the renal pelvis to supply a large posterior segment of the kidney. The remaining anterior division of the main renal artery typically branches as it enters the renal hilum. The renal arteries are end branch vessels and do not communicate with each other. This is in contrast to the renal venous system that contains many intrarenal anastomoses. Accessory renal arteries are anatomic variants that occur in 15–25 % of patients and can range from a single to multiple renal arteries.
Student/Faculty Connections in the Development of Teaching.

This project directly involved students in two different models of instructional development. The first model was a Student Consultant program in which faculty selected from a menu of instructional services carried out by students. Typical services included attending class as impartial observers, soliciting feedback from other students on their learning experiences, videotaping class sessions, and evaluating course Web sites. The second model of instructional development was a program of student-assisted teaching seminars for college faculty. Student Associates helped serve as panelists and facilitators. Assessments of attitudes toward teaching indicated that faculty members viewed both professors and students as collaborators in the classroom as a result of the seminar series.
Endogenous Sex Hormones and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Men and Women

Publisher Summary Obesity and diabetes are growing health problems in the United States that pose a significant public health burden. It is well established that polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), an endocrinopathy of reproductive age women characterized by hyperandrogenism, is associated with an increased risk of subsequent type 2 diabetes. Recent literature in men with clinical hypogonadism of various etiologies shows that they are at increased risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. This suggests that sex hormones in men and women may play a role in regulating glucose metabolism, either through their effects on adiposity or through independent mechanisms. This chapter aims (1) to review the associations of endogenous sex hormones (testosterone, estradiol, and sex hormone-binding globulin) with adiposity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes in men and women; (2) to highlight gender differences and similarities in these associations; and (3) to discuss the pathophysiological mechanisms by which sex hormones may influence insulin sensitivity. To provide a conceptual framework for understanding the gender dimorphism of the association between testosterone and diabetes, it reviews the literature examining the association between diabetes and PCOS in women and hypogonadism in men. However, the majority of the studies reviewed are population-based studies of individuals without clinical gonadal disorders who were not receiving hormone therapy to reduce potential confounding in interpreting the associations.
An algorithm to assign canonical forms by state feedback

A procedure for assigning an arbitrary normalized Hessenberg matrix is presented. Specifically, given a controller-Hessenberg pair (A,b) and a normalized upper Hessenberg matrix B, the algorithm computes an upper triangular matrix L=(l/sub ij/) and a row vector f/sup T/ such that L(A-b/sup T/f/sup T/)L/sup -1/=B/sup T/. It is formulated in such a way that the columns of L can be scaled to have unit lengths. Since the class of normalized Hessenberg matrices contains important canonical forms, such as companion, Schwarz, Rough, a Jordan matrix associated with a single eigenvalue, or any bidiagonal matrix having its eigenvalues on the diagonal, the method can be used to assign all these important canonical forms and also an arbitrary set of eigenvalues. After the initial reduction to the Hessenberg form, the method requires only the evaluation of a simple recursion, which becomes extremely simplified in all of these cases. It is also easy to program on a computer. A theoretical operations count suggests that the method is more efficient as an eigenvalue-assignment procedure than the best-known previous procedures. >
Student Experiences of the Adolescent Diversion Project: A Community‐Based Exemplar in the Pedagogy of Service‐Learning

Service-learning partnerships between universities and surrounding communities striving to create systems-level change must consider an emphasis in critical community service; a community centered paradigm where students are taught to work with communities to better understand contexts surrounding a social problem, as opposed to merely volunteering to provide a service to a community. The Adolescent Diversion Project (ADP), which has been operating for over 30 years, demonstrates critical community service through the type of relationship built between students and the local community. This article describes: a qualitative study with ADP students, the historical context of ADP, what and how students learned through their involvement in ADP, and reframes the work of this project as a form of service-learning pedagogy. Inductive content analysis was employed to identify underlying themes across participants related to their personal experiences of ADP and its impact in their lives. Findings were compared with service-learning outcomes and other quantitative studies conducted with past ADP cohorts from the literature. Consistent with past studies, ADP students become more negative toward social systems involved with their youth. This finding may explain an increase in feelings of political commitment following involvement in ADP. Consistent with service-learning outcomes, results demonstrate that ADP should be further documented as not only an effective community-based program but also as an exemplar in the pedagogy of service-learning. This study highlights why service-learning opportunities for students are not just one way to teach students, they are opportunities to bridge relationships within communities, bring life to theoretical concepts, and build the foundations necessary for educated citizens that will one day take lead roles in our society.
The dynamic clamp: artificial conductances in biological neurons

The dynamic clamp is a novel method that uses computer simulation to introduce conductances into biological neurons. This method can be used to study the role of various conductances in shaping the activity of single neurons, or neurons within networks. The dynamic clamp can also be used to form circuits from previously unconnected neurons. This approach makes computer simulation an interactive experimental tool, and will be useful in many applications where the role of synaptic strengths and intrinsic properties in neuronal and network dynamics is of interest.
Comparison of the responsiveness of perirenal adipose tissue of the rat, hamster, guinea pig and rabbit to the antilipolytic action of insulin.

Previous studies in several laboratories have demonstrated marked species differences in the hormonal responsiveness of mammalian adipose tissue. The present investigation extends these comparative studies by comparing the antilipolytic potency of insulin upon the perirenal adipose tissue of rat, hamster, guinea pig and rabbit. Epididymal adipose tissue of the rat was also studied. Lipolysis was stimulated in vitro in slices of adipose tissue from these 4 species by incubation with 1 μg/ml epinephrine, adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) or β-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (β-MSH) in albumin-free, glucosefree Krebs-Ringer phosphate medium; the lipolytic response to these hormones, in the absence and presence of 0.00001-10 μg/ml insulin, was determined by measuring the free fatty acid (FFA) concentration in the tissue slices after a 2-hr incubation. Bovine insulin at a concentration of 0.0001-.001 μg/ml or greater inhibited the lipolytic response of rat adipose tissue to epinephrine or ACTH by 50-95 %. At a concent...
Patients with Pelvic Floor Muscle Spasm Have a Superior Response to Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy at Specialized Centers

Purpose: Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome is a common condition that often requires multimodal therapy. Patients with chronic pelvic pain syndrome have a high incidence of pelvic floor spasm, which can be treated with pelvic floor physical therapy. However, this is a specialized skill. We compared outcomes of pelvic floor physical therapy as part of multimodal therapy in patients with chronic pelvic pain syndrome between those treated at our institution and elsewhere.Materials and Methods: We identified patients from our chronic pelvic pain syndrome registry with pelvic floor spasm who were seen between 2010 and 2014 for more than 1 visit. Patient phenotype was assessed with the UPOINT system and symptom severity was determined by the National Institutes of Health CPSI. A 6-point decrease in CPSI was used to define patient improvement.Results: A total of 82 patients fit the study criteria. Mean age was 41.6 years (range 19 to 75) and median symptom duration was 24 months (range 3 to 240). ...
Visitor Perceptions of Cultural Resource Management at Three National Park Service Sites

ABSTRACT The goals for interpretive programs in many parks and protected areas include conveying resource management topics in addition to the seminal goal of connecting visitors to natural and cultural heritage. Although desirable from an agency standpoint, the integration of management topics is likely to be heterogeneous and their detection within programs difficult. The challenge is to differentiate goals and gather visitor perspectives. This study assessed the effectiveness of heritage interpretation in conveying cultural resource management (CRM) topics embedded in public tours. A qualitative multiple case study examined cultural topics and, specifically, staff and visitor notions of the phrase cultural resource management at 3 National Park Service sites interpreting indigenous people. The study found that the topic of preservation was frequently cited by visitors to describe CRM. Furthermore, the topic of consultation suggests that programs offered visitors an opportunity to learn about agency eff...
Effects of prostaglandins on rat calvarial bone-cell calcium

Abstract Prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) over the concentration range 10 −5 –10 −7 M stimulated calcium uptake in osteoclastic-enriched populations isolated by sequential collagenase digestions of newborn rat calvaria. This effect was on initial calcium uptake occurring at 5 min at 37 °C but was not present when isotopic equilibrium was approached (60 min). Prostacyclin (PGI 2 , PGE 1 and PGF 2α ) stimulated osteoclastic calcium uptake in a similar manner, but with slightly smaller effects than PGE 2 . Under identical conditions, significant effects of PG were not observed in osteoblastic cells isolated from the same bones by extended collagenase digestions. Combined treatment with PGE 2 and parathyroid hormone (PTH) at concentrations which produced no individual effects resulted in a significant increase in calcium uptake in osteoclastic cells. During a 48-h culture period, osteoblastic populations released significantly greater amounts of PGE 2 than osteoclastic populations. Pre-incubation for 1 h at 37 °C with the prostaglandin cyclo-oxygenase antagonists, indomethacin and flufenamic acid, had no effect on calcium uptake in osteoclastic cells, but resulted in significant decreases in osteoblastic cells. The PGE 2 -induced increase in calcium uptake on osteoclastic cells was not altered by indomethacin or flufenamic-acid pretreatment. However, after treatment with these inhibitors, a significant response to PGE 2 was observed in osteoblastic cells.
Verbal memory performance of patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection : evidence of subcortical dysfunction

Abstract In the present study, the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) was administered to symptomatic HIV+ (n = 31), asymptomatic HIV+ (n = 94), and HIV-normal control (HIV-NC) (n = 40) subjects to assess the prevalence and nature of their verbal memory deficits. Symptomatic HIV+ subjects were significantly impaired relative to HIV-control subjects on CVLT measures of acquisition and retention, and were significantly less likely than control subjects to use a semantic clustering strategy to support recall. The performance of the asymptomatic HIV+ subjects fell between those of the symptomatic HIV+ subjects and HIV-controls on almost every CVLT measure. A linear discriminant function analysis (DFA) was used to compare the performances of these three groups to Alzheimer's disease (AD), Huntington's disease (HD), and normal control (NC) subjects on three CVLT measures, including total recall over five learning trials, intrusion errors, and a derived score of delayed recognition discriminability minus the...
mTOR Links Environmental Signals to T Cell Fate Decisions

T cell fate decisions play an integral role in maintaining the health of organisms under homeostatic and inflammatory conditions. The localized microenvironment in which developing and mature T cells reside provides signals that serve essential functions in shaping these fate decisions. These signals are derived from the immune compartment, including antigens, co-stimulation, and cytokines, and other factors, including growth factors and nutrients. The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), a vital sensor of signals within the immune microenvironment, is a central regulator of T cell biology. In this review, we discuss how various environmental cues tune mTOR activity in T cells, and summarize how mTOR integrates these signals to influence multiple aspects of T cell biology.
Particle Swarm Optimization: Principles and Application to the Design of Resonant Grating Devices

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is an evolutionary, easy-to-implement and promising technique to design optical diffraction gratings. In this paper, design of guided-mode resonance (GMR) grating filters using PSO is reported.
The Industrial Future and the Conflict of Ideologies

THE AVERAGE AMERICAN business man or laborer is suspicious of "ideological" discussions. To him there is something "un-American" about them. The ideologist, on the other hand, is contemptuous of such attitudes, tagging them as "provincial," or "nativistic," or as smacking of "vested ignorance." In a sense, the average American business man or laborer is far closer to the truth of the matter than perhaps he realizes. Of course, the dichotomy "American" versus "European" in and of itself is no great help in clarifying the situation. But he is dead right in his almost casual assumption that industrial society and liberal thinking and action have a common unity. Nor is their common ground purely historical in nature: it is no coincidence that they grew together. Liberalism has voiced the essential longing of industrial man: not more machines nor bigger ones, nor goods alone, but the opportunity for full living: the power to act as a human being. The United States as an industrial country has probably formulated this conception of the significance of liberalism to industrial culture more clearly than any other people. New, undeveloped, populated with groups having some vital need for "the power to act," America has been content to pay homage to liberal ideas as the pattern for their industrial future. In America "the leader" has not been a person; many persons have become leaders of State, for example, only because they have personified or dramatized a set of ideas. It
High-energy electron scattering as a test of the nuclear cluster model

Abstract The possibility of using high-energy electron scattering to investigate the cluster model of light nuclei is discussed. The general formulation of the electron-cluster coincidence cross section for processes of the type A(e, e′b)B is given. Final state interactions between the ejected cluster and the residual nucleus are taken into account using a square well optical-model potential. Finally, the formalism is applied to the process 6Li(e, e′d)4He as an example.
Synergistic growth studies of Entamoeba gingivalis using an EcologenR

Abstract A unique multiple diffusion growth chamber, an Ecologen R , designed for the study of interactions among microorganisms, was introduced as a means of growing xenic cultures of Entamoeba gingivalis with Crithidia sp. or Yersinia enterocolitica . Entamoeba gingivalis was grown in the central diffusion reservoir of the Eeologen R connected to separate growth chambers inoculated with the microorganisms to be evaluated. Growth of the accompanying bacteria in the E. gingivalis compartment was almost completely eliminated, except for sparse Pseudomonas sp. growth. The most vital E. gingivalis cultures were observed when either Crithidia sp. or Y. enterocolitica were added to the Ecologen R 48 h prior to the E. gingivalis inoculum. The medium which provided the best growth of the oral protozoan in this system was the new improved E. gingivalis medium containing antibiotics.
Pharmacy residency match rates and predictors.

Objective. To determine acceptance rates to postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residencies and examine the impact of several variables on acceptance rate.Methods. Residency match data for every US...
Effect of novel limited-spectrum MMP inhibitor XL784 in abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Background:Inhibiting the growth of small abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) is a clinically valuable goal and fills an important therapeutic void. Based on studies in animals and humans, inhibition of the activity of elastolytic matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) has the potential to slow AAA expansion and limit morbidity and the need for surgery. Previous attempts to make use of the synthetic MMP inhibitors in the treatment of chronic conditions have been limited by intolerable side effects. The limited-spectrum synthetic MMP inhibitor, XL784, was well tolerated and devoid of side-effects associated with other nonspecific MMP inhibitors in phase I studies. We hypothesized that clinically relevant doses of XL784 would be effective at inhibiting aneurysm development in a mouse model.Methods:The 14-day elastase-perfusion model of AAA in mice was used. An initial screening study of XL784 (50 [n = 17], 125 [n = 17], and 250 mg/kg [n = 18]) administered via gavage daily until harvest. Controls received diluent a...
Gemfibrozil, a lipid lowering drug, inhibits the activation of primary human microglia via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β

Microglial activation participates in the pathogenesis of various neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. However, mechanisms by which microglial activation could be controlled are poorly understood. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) are transcription factors belonging to the nuclear receptor super family with diverse effect. This study underlines the importance of PPARβ/δ in mediating the anti-inflammatory effect of gemfibrozil, an FDA-approved lipid-lowering drug, in primary human microglia. Bacterial lipopolysachharides (LPS) induced the expression of various proinflammatory molecules and upregulated the expression of microglial surface marker CD11b in human microglia. However, gemfibrozil markedly suppressed proinflammatory molecules and CD11b in LPS-stimulated microglia. Human microglia expressed PPAR-β and -γ, but not PPAR-α. Interestingly, either antisense knockdown of PPAR-β or antagonism of PPAR-β by a specific chemical antagonist abrogated gemfibrozil-mediated inhibition of microglial activation. On the other hand, blocking of PPAR-α and -γ had no effect on gemfibrozil-mediated anti-inflammatory effect in microglia. These results highlight the fact that gemfibrozil regulates microglial activation by inhibiting inflammatory gene expression in a PPAR-β dependent pathway and further reinforce its therapeutic application in several neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.
Membrane potential of fertilized eggs of Ilyanassa obsoleta during polar lobe formation and cytokinesis.

Abstract The membrane potential of fertilized eggs of Ilyanassa obsoleta does not change significantly during the cell shape changes involved in formation and resorption of the third polar lobe and in cytokinesis. The membrane potential is predominantly K + -dependent.
Selection on offspring size varies within and among families in relation to host nutritional quality

Life history theory often assumes a positive relationship between offspring size and fitness, although the strength and form of this relationship is expected to vary with environmental conditions. In arthropods, surprisingly few studies have examined the influence of larval environment on the offspring size–fitness relation. In phytophagous insects, the few studies that have examined variation in larval host plants have found a negative correlation between host plant nutritional quality and the strength of selection favoring larger offspring size, suggesting that this pattern might be general. I present experimental evidence for such a relationship in a population of the moth Rothschildia lebeau feeding on its three primary host plant species. Unlike previous studies, I consider the effect of offspring size on growth and survival at two levels, both among families and among siblings within families. Neonate caterpillar mass had a significant effect on growth and survival. The effect on growth, however, was weak, resulted primarily from variation among families, and did not differ among host plant diets. The effect on survival was stronger and varied among host plant diets, among families, and within families on different host plants in a manner that was generally consistent with the hypothesized negative correlation between host plant nutritional quality and the strength of selection favoring larger offspring size. Overall, results suggest that the consequences of variation in offspring size for survival within and among families are host plant-dependent in this system.
A prospective analysis of risk factors for white matter disease in the brain stem: the Cardiovascular Health Study.

Background and Purpose: White matter disease (WMD) in the brain stem may be a predictor of poor clinical outcome, independent of WMD in the periventricular and subcortical areas of the brain. Many cardiovascular risk factors such as older age, hypertension, and smoking have been suggested as risk factors for WMD in the periventricular and subcortical areas of the brain. However, no epidemiologic study has examined the associations between cardiovascular risk factors and WMD in the brain stem. Methods: A total of 789 participants, aged 65 years or older, from the Cardiovascular Health Study constituted the present study population. WMD, defined as hyperintensive lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in the brain stem was measured in 1992/1993 and 1997/1998. Results: Of the 789 participants, 212 (26.9%) had WMD in the brain stem in 1997/1998. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the presence of WMD in the brain stem in 1997/1998 was significantly associated with several variables measured in 1992/1993: an increase by 5 years of age (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.25–1.83), a 10-pack-years increase in smoking (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.04–1.21), a 0.1-liter increase in first-second forced expiratory volume (OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92–0.99), a 1 µmol/l increase in fibrinogen level (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.03–1.23), and MRI infarction (OR = 2.58, 95% CI: 1.78–3.74). Excluding those (n = 167) with WMD in the brain stem in 1992/1993, the pattern remained. Hypertension was not associated with WMD in the brain stem. Conclusions: Increased age, smoking, lower forced expiratory volume, increased fibrinogen level, and MRI infarction, but not hypertension, may be independent risk factors for WMD in the brain stem in older adults.
Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics and the Thermal Behavior of Small Systems

Equilibrium molecular dynamics can be used to investigate the heat transport due to conduction in small scale systems. The results from a molecular dynamics simulation can be used to extract the thermal behavior. In this study, an equilibrium molecular dynamics calculation of a model system using three interatomic potentials, a harmonic potential, an anharmonic potential, and the Tersoff interatomic potential, has been conducted. The characteristics of the transport are studied from the kinetic energies in the frequency domain. The power spectral density of the kinetic energy of the three different potentials is compared. This study helps to understand how heat is transported in a small system of atoms.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Effect of Pore Distribution on Microstructure Development: I, Matrix Pores

A model has been developed to describe the effect of the matrix (first-generation) pore distribution on microstructure development in the final stages of sintering. A model of simultaneous densification and grain growth was used to predict the effects of the number of pores per grain and the pore size distribution on microstructure evolution. Increasing the number of pores per grain was predicted to increase the densification rate, the grain growth rate, and the relative densification rate/grain growth rate ratio. Narrowing the pore size distribution was predicted to inhibit grain growth initially and to increase the densification rate indirectly. Overall, the pore distribution was predicted to have a strong influence on microstructure development and sintering kinetics.
Numerical analysis of the hot-gas-side and coolant-side heat transfer in liquid rocket engine combustors

The objective of this paper are to develop a multidisciplinary computational methodology to predict the hot-gas-side and coolant-side heat transfer and to use it in parametric studies to recommend optimized design of the coolant channels for a regeneratively cooled liquid rocket engine combustor. An integrated numerical model which incorporates CFD for the hot-gas thermal environment, and thermal analysis for the liner and coolant channels, was developed. This integrated CFD/thermal model was validated by comparing predicted heat fluxes with those of hot-firing test and industrial design methods for a 40 k calorimeter thrust chamber and the Space Shuttle Main Engine Main Combustion Chamber. Parametric studies were performed for the Advanced Main Combustion Chamber to find a strategy for a proposed combustion chamber coolant channel design.
Locke's Solid Souls

John Locke holds that matter is solid, the soul thinks, and for all we know the soul may be a material substance divinely endowed with a power to think. Though he openly admits to nothing stronger than the bare possibility of thinking matter, Locke grants that what thinks in us occupies a definite spatial location to the exclusion of other souls. Solidity is the quality that prevents other things from occupying a spatial location. Locke’s general criterion for identity is spatiotemporal exclusion of other things of the same kind. To meet these conditions for identity, souls must be solid. Although Locke refuses to declare that souls really are material things, taking the solidity of souls to be a condition for their identity is consistent with the following of Locke’s other important commitments: (1) nominalism about the essences by which substances are classified, (2) agnosticism about the underlying reality of what supports such “nominal essences,” and (3) the identity of persons is distinct from the identity of any substance. Locke ignores the implication that souls are solid because the solidity of souls is irrelevant to those three aims. Nevertheless he could allow for the solidity of souls without giving up on any of his other important and explicitly held commitments. There is therefore no need for Locke’s commentators to refrain from employing solidity in their accounts of Locke’s general criterion for identity from fear of attributing to Locke the position that souls would be solid.
Contribution of extracellular matrix to the mechanical properties of the heart

Extracellular matrix (ECM) components play essential roles in development, remodeling, and signaling in the cardiovascular system. They are also important in determining the mechanics of blood vessels, valves, pericardium, and myocardium. The goal of this brief review is to summarize available information regarding the mechanical contributions of ECM in the myocardium. Fibrillar collagen, elastin, and proteoglycans all play crucial mechanical roles in many tissues in the body generally and in the cardiovascular system specifically. The myocardium contains all three components, but their mechanical contributions are relatively poorly understood. Most studies of ECM contributions to myocardial mechanics have focused on collagen, but quantitative prediction of mechanical properties of the myocardium, or changes in those properties with disease, from measured tissue structure is not yet possible. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the mechanics of cardiac elastin and proteoglycans merit further study. Work in other tissues used a combination of correlation, modification or digestion, and mathematical modeling to establish mechanical roles for specific ECM components; this work can provide guidance for new experiments and modeling studies in myocardium.
Theoretical and Experimental Results on Coulomb Effects in Semiconductor Quantum Dots

Recent theoretical and experimental studies of semiconductor quantum dots are summarized. The one and two electron hole-pair states are investigated and the effects of quantum confinement and Coulomb interaction are discussed. Besides intrinsic quantum dots, also the effects of trapped carriers and surface polarizations are analyzed. The nonlinear properties are studied by computing the pump-induced absorption changes (differential transmission spectra). Good agreement with nanosecond and femtosecond hole-burning experiments is found. Es wird ein Uberbick uber jungste experimentelle und theoretische Untersuchungen von Halbleiter-Quanten -Dots gegeben. Die Ein- und Zwei-Elektron-Loch-Paar-Zustande werden berechnet und die Konsequenzen der Randbedingungen (Confinement-Effekte) und der Coulomb-Wechselwirkung werden analysiert. Neben intrinsischen Quanten-Dost wird auch der Einflus gebundener Ladungstrager und der Oberflachenpolarisierung diskutiert. In den Untersuchungen der nichtlinearen optischen Eigenschaften wird die in Pump-Teststrabl-Experimenten beobachtbare Absorptionsanderung (differentielle Transmissionsspektren) berechnet. Es wird gute Ubereinstummung mit Femtosekunden- und Nanosekunden-Experimenten gefunden.
Determinants of industrial residuals: generation and treatment: evidence from Chinese cities

Abstract Environmental degradation in China has become a serious problem of substantial magnitude. This paper examines the impact of economic and demographic variables on generation and treatment of four classes of polluting residuals from industrial production in China. Statistical analysis of 1991 data for 479 cities reveals that aggregate industrial output measures and sector-specific shares perform well in explaining aggregate flows of industrial wastes. Cities with higher per capita GDP treat larger fractions of all residuals classes and show lower production of gaseous and solid residuals. Population density is positively correlated with three residual flows and with efforts to control industrial dust. Finally, treatment correlates strongly with the share of GDP arising from the industrial and construction sectors.
Measurement and modeling of shock-tube ignition delay for propene

Abstract Propene ignition was studied behind reflected shock waves at postshock temperatures ranging from 1270 to 1820 K and postshock pressures from 0.95 to 4.7 atm. Reactant concentrations were varied from 0.8 to 3.2% propene and from 3.6 to 15.1% oxygen diluted in argon, giving equivalence ratios ranging from 0.5 to 2.0. The pressure-based ignition delay correlation equation τ(s) = 4.2 × 10−15 [C3H6]0.378[O2]−1.043 exp(48800/RT5) for mol/cm3 and cal units was derived. The data could be accounted for using a reaction mechanism with 463 elementary reactions.
A test of wavelength discrimination.

Abstract A test of wavelength discrimination is proposed with strict, self-contained controls for brightness cues. The procedure may be used to screen animals in comparative studies of wavelength discrimination and to test subjects repeatedly before and after brain lesions in experiments aimed at determining which brain structures are necessary for wavelength discrimination. Data are presented to illustrate that the procedure is applicable to the dichromatic thirteen-lined ground squirrel ( Citellus tridecemlineatus ).
Influence of morphology on the transport properties of crystalline polymers

The sorption and diffusion of penetrant of low molecular weight proceeds almost exclusively through the amorphous component of the semicrystalline polymer consisting of chain folds, tie molecules and free chain ends. Hence they depend on its transport properties and geometrical distribution which are both modified by mechanical and thermal treatment. The morphological changes induced by such treatment and the ensuing changes of transport properties cannot be described in a satisfactory manner by crystallinity and orientation. That is particularly true for drawn material with fibrous structure exhibiting a high anisotropy of diffusion and a drastic decrease of sorption and diffusion. Both effects are the consequence of the microfibrillar morphology with a large fraction of highly aligned taut tie molecules which by their closer packing eliminate many sorption sites, enormously reduce the diffusivity, and increase its concentration dependence and activation energy. The axial alternation of crystal blocks and amorphous layers making the microfibrils almost impermeable in the longitudinal direction produces the high anisotropy of diffusivity which may be reduced during plastic deformation of the fibrous structure by the increased number of interfibrillar tie molecules. Annealing relaxes the amorphous component by reducing the fraction of taut tie molecules, thus restoring the transport properties to values as observed in undrawn material. Another example of the overwhelming influence of morphology are the hard elastomers where the formation of a great many submicroscopical holes yields permeability increased by many orders of magnitude with no change in crystallinity and only modest increase of crystal orientation.