cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multiple-Regression Analysis of Factors Affecting Prevalence of Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus in Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Populations

Pastures in southeastern Louisiana were sampled to determine percent mortality caused by a nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) in Spodoptera frugiperda populations. Data were also collected on the host populations and environmental variables. Stepwise multiple-regression analysis indicated that overwinter NPV in the soil, but not S. frugiperda population density, was an important variable relative to prevalence of the disease. Time of year was another consistently important independent variable. When time was dropped from the model, a temperature variable partially compensated for its absence. Other variables that entered the models included precipitation, presence of cattle, percent ground cover, plowing of the pasture, grass height, percent silt in the soil, and host plant species in the pasture.
Fine Mapping of the Barley Chromosome 6H Net Form Net Blotch Susceptibility Locus

Net form net blotch, caused by the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Pyrenophora teres f. teres, is a destructive foliar disease of barley with the potential to cause significant yield loss in major production regions throughout the world. The complexity of the host–parasite genetic interactions in this pathosystem hinders the deployment of effective resistance in barley cultivars, warranting a deeper understanding of the interactions. Here, we report on the high-resolution mapping of the dominant susceptibility locus near the centromere of chromosome 6H in the barley cultivars Rika and Kombar, which are putatively targeted by necrotrophic effectors from P. teres f. teres isolates 6A and 15A, respectively. Utilization of progeny isolates derived from a cross of P. teres f. teres isolates 6A × 15A harboring single major virulence loci (VK1, VK2, and VR2) allowed for the Mendelization of single inverse gene-for-gene interactions in a high-resolution population consisting of 2976 Rika × Kombar recombinant gametes. Brachypodium distachyon synteny was exploited to develop and saturate the susceptibility region with markers, delimiting it to ∼0.24 cM and a partial physical map was constructed. This genetic and physical characterization further resolved the dominant susceptibility locus, designated Spt1 (susceptibility to P. teres f. teres). The high-resolution mapping and cosegregation of the Spt1.R and Spt1.K gene/s indicates tightly linked genes in repulsion or alleles possibly targeted by different necrotrophic effectors. Newly developed barley genomic resources greatly enhance the efficiency of positional cloning efforts in barley, as demonstrated by the Spt1 fine mapping and physical contig identification reported here.
The Menopause: A Signal for the Future

Publisher Summary The menopause is overly laden with negative symbolism. Many of the behavioral complaints at the time of menopause can be explained by psychologic and sociocultural influences. Important interactions among biology, psychology, and culture do not occur, but it is time to stress the normalcy of this life event. Menopausal women do not suffer from a hormone deficiency disease. Hormone replacement therapy should be viewed as specific treatment for symptoms in the short term. Therapy remains effective for treating women with vasomotor symptoms and vaginal atrophy and selected women with osteoporosis. The benefits and risks of hormone therapy should be balanced in each individual. Part of the reason for the negative stereotypical views of menopause is that the initial characterization of menopause was derived from women with physical and psychologic difficulties. The variability in menopausal reactions makes the cross-sectional study design particularly unsuitable. More and larger longitudinal studies are needed to document what is normal and the variations around normal. It is important to educate women and clinicians about the normal events of this time. This physiologic event brings clinicians and patients together, providing the opportunity to enroll patients in a preventive health care program. Contrary to popular opinion, menopause is not a signal of impending decline, but rather a wonderful phenomenon that can signal the start of something positive, such as a good health program. Rather than being a lightning rod for social and personal problems, menopause can be a signal for the future.
Glucagon receptor inhibition normalizes blood glucose in severe insulin-resistant mice

Inactivating mutations in the insulin receptor results in extreme insulin resistance. The resulting hyperglycemia is very difficult to treat, and patients are at risk for early morbidity and mortality from complications of diabetes. We used the insulin receptor antagonist S961 to induce severe insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, and ketonemia in mice. Using this model, we show that glucagon receptor (GCGR) inhibition with a monoclonal antibody normalized blood glucose and β-hydroxybutyrate levels. Insulin receptor antagonism increased pancreatic β-cell mass threefold. Normalization of blood glucose levels with GCGR-blocking antibody unexpectedly doubled β-cell mass relative to that observed with S961 alone and 5.8-fold over control. GCGR antibody blockage expanded α-cell mass 5.7-fold, and S961 had no additional effects. Collectively, these data show that GCGR antibody inhibition represents a potential therapeutic option for treatment of patients with extreme insulin-resistance syndromes.
Metal ion size and the pyramidalization of trimetallic nitride units inside a fullerene cage: Comparisons of the crystal structures of M 3 N@ Ih -C 80 (M=Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Lu, and Sc) and some mixed metal counterparts

Abstract The structures of Er3N@Ih-C80 and Ho3N@Ih-C80 have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction in the cocrystals Er3N@Ih-C80·Ni(OEP)·2benzene and Ho3N@Ih-C80·Ni(OEP)·2benzene where OEP is the dianion of octaethylporphyrin. Comparison of the structural data for M3N@Ih-C80.with M = Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Sc reveals that, as the ionic radii of the metal ions increase, the anisotropic thermal ellipsoid of the nitrogen becomes more and more elongated until it is better to refine it as split and isotropic as in the cases of Gd3N@Ih-C80 and Tb3N@Ih-C80. The data also indicate that the M3N unit becomes pyramidalized to some extent when the sum of the Shannon-Prewitt crystal radii for six-coordinate M3+ of the three metal ions involved exceeds 3.05 A. There is a gradual progression in the degree of distortion as the metal ion sizes increase. This statement holds true for both homometallic and heterometallic endohedrals of the type M3N@Ih-C80.
Imaging with Mass Spectrometry of Bacteria on the Exoskeleton of Fungus-Growing Ants.

Mass spectrometry imaging is a powerful analytical technique for detecting and determining spatial distributions of molecules within a sample. Typically, mass spectrometry imaging is limited to the analysis of thin tissue sections taken from the middle of a sample. In this work, we present a mass spectrometry imaging method for the detection of compounds produced by bacteria on the outside surface of ant exoskeletons in response to pathogen exposure. Fungus-growing ants have a specialized mutualism with Pseudonocardia, a bacterium that lives on the ants’ exoskeletons and helps protect their fungal garden food source from harmful pathogens. The developed method allows for visualization of bacterial-derived compounds on the ant exoskeleton. This method demonstrates the capability to detect compounds that are specifically localized to the bacterial patch on ant exoskeletons, shows good reproducibility across individual ants, and achieves accurate mass measurements within 5 ppm error when using a high-resolut...
Review of Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics, 4th Edition

Andy Field’s fourth edition of his text is a useful piece for students of research methods, ranging from introductory to advanced quantitative methodology. The current review covers the text for SP...
Microsurgical testis sperm extraction

Advances in assisted reproductive techniques including in vitro fertilization using intracytoplasmic sperm injection allows for use of testicular sperm to aid in achieving paternity in men with male factor infertility. Microsurgical testis sperm extraction was developed as a sophisticated method of sperm retrieval and increases the probability of successful retrieval of sperm in these men.
Drug-resistant cytomegalovirus: clinical implications of specific mutations.

Purpose of reviewCytomegalovirus (CMV) infection can be refractory to antiviral treatment. Although refractoriness can be due impaired host immunity, it can also be due to viral mutations that confer antiviral drug resistance. This article provides a succinct review of mutations in CMV genes that co
Complex Notation and Symbolic Methods

The mathematical description of the vibration of a complex structure is very complicated because of the many modes of motion in which the structure can respond. However, we are primarily interested in the periodic vibrations that are excited by harmonically varying forces and in the building up and decay of such vibrations, since the response of a vibrator to unsteady forces can be deduced from its response to harmonic forces with the aid of Fourier analysis or the Laplace transform. The harmonic sine and cosine functions are very inconvenient because of the complex addition and multiplication theorems and the complexity of all the other theorems that apply to these functions. Fortunately, it is possible to eliminate sine and cosine completely by introducing rotating vectors as the primary variables. The sine and cosine can be defined as the projections of such a vector on the vertical and horizontal axis, respectively, both being plotted as functions of the angle of this vector with the horizontal axis according to the procedure shown in Fig. 1. A condensed notation can be introduced by replacing the sinusoidal functions by rotating vectors and by considering these rotating vectors as the primary variables. The harmonic functions can then be easily reconstructed from the rotating vectors.
Talking the Talk in Citizen Science

Increasingly, citizen scientists do work beyond the primary goal of the project (i.e., advanced work) such as writing articles. These activities often take place in discussion boards and have a set of linguistic norms for contributing. For newcomers, learning this language presents a challenge since there are no formal opportunities for them to learn the language and volunteers who join later need to learn more than volunteers who join earlier in a project life-cycle. In this poster, we examine how newcomers language use shifts over the course of two citizen science projects. We find that, although, newcomers joining later might face obstacles, newcomer language associated with advanced work increase over the project's life-cycle. The analysis can help the science team assess whether newcomers on the talk page have either adopted advanced terminologies or they need to have a more formal resource such as tutorial or blog posts.
The Location and Timing of Failure-to-Rescue Events Across a Statewide Trauma System.

Abstract Background Failure to rescue (FTR) refers to death after a major complication. Defining the optimal context in which to reduce FTR after injury requires knowledge of where and when FTR events occur. Materials and methods Retrospective observational study of patients >16 y with a minimum Abbreviated Injury Score ≥2 at all 30 level I and II Pennsylvania trauma centers (2007-2015). Location and timing of the first major complication were collected. Complication, mortality, and FTR rates were calculated by location (prehospital, emergency department, operating room, stepdown unit, interventional radiology, intensive care unit (ICU), radiology, and the surgical ward) and by postadmission day. Kruskal–Wallis and chi-squared tests were used to compare variables. Results Major complications occurred in 15,388 of 178,602 (8.6%) patients. The median age was 58 y (interquartile range [IQR] 37-77 y), 78% were Caucasian, 68% were male, 89% were bluntly injured, and the median Injury Severity Score was 19 (IQR 10-29). Death occurred in 2512 of 15,388 patients with a major complication, for an FTR rate of 16.3%. Compared with non-FTR, FTR had earlier major complications (median day 2 [IQR 0-5 d] versus day 4 [IQR 2-8 d], P Conclusions Interventions designed to reduce FTR after injury should focus on pulmonary and cardiac complications in the ICU.
US Cultural History: Visible and Invisible Influences on Leadership for Learning

Every nation has a unique cultural history. In the United States, political governance (e.g., public welfare) and economic power (e.g., property rights) have not only dominated educational reform discourses, but also have vied continuously to influence and reframe debates on leadership for learning. As such, a knowledge of US cultural history should be important to educational leaders, most notably to provide school administrators with a cultural perspective for interpreting current practices and policies – and not see current educational reform(s) only within the narrow context of the present. The problem is that educators and researchers live and work in the present and, thus, have never had any educational experiences except what they know as educational reform policies and practices. Educators today have been unduly influenced by powerful economic forces, billionaire philanthropists, foundations, and ideological think tanks, rather than by the many on-the-ground local school leaders. This chapter asks, what would past US revolutionaries, James Madison, Horace Mann, John Dewey, Elsie Clapp, and Alice Miel, say about educational leadership and reforms today?
A Digital I/Q Correction Technique for a 125-GHz Interferometric Radar with Sub-Micrometer Sensitivity

Signal deterioration due to I/Q mismatch may happen in all quadrature direct-conversion receivers, destroying the orthogonality of the demodulated signal and causing a mirrored signal to appear superimposed to the desired signal. This effect is even more pronounced for radar systems over 100 GHz since they are sensitive to small fabrication errors. In addition, for ac-coupled interferometric radars measuring slow movements, coupling distortion is present. In this paper, these issues were analyzed for interferometric radars and then resolved using a novel phase imbalance correction method on a 125 GHz radar. The effectiveness of the proposed solution was verified experimentally. A high sensitivity was demonstrated by successfully measuring a 95-nm sinusoidal movement.
Cocaine and chronic stress exposure produce an additive increase in neuronal activity in the basolateral amygdala.

Cocaine addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder. Stress and cues related to cocaine are two common relapse triggers. We have recently shown that exposure to repeated restraint stress during early withdrawal accelerates the time-dependent intensification or "incubation" of cue-induced cocaine craving that occurs during the first month of withdrawal, although craving ultimately plateaus at the same level observed in controls. These data indicate that chronic stress exposure during early withdrawal may result in increased vulnerability to cue-induced relapse during this period. Previous studies have shown that chronic stress exposure in drug-naive rats increases neuronal activity in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), a region critical for behavioral responses to stress. Given that glutamatergic projections from the BLA to the nucleus accumbens are critical for the incubation of cue-induced cocaine craving, we hypothesized that cocaine withdrawal and chronic stress exposure produce separate increases that additively increase BLA neuronal activity. To assess this, we conducted in vivo extracellular single-unit recordings from the BLA of anesthetized adult male rats following cocaine or saline self-administration (6 h/day for 10 days) and repeated restraint stress or control conditions on withdrawal days (WD) 6-14. Recordings were conducted from WD15 to WD20. Interestingly, cocaine exposure alone increased the spontaneous firing rate in the BLA to levels observed following chronic stress exposure in drug-naive rats. Chronic stress exposure during cocaine withdrawal further increased firing rate. These studies may identify a potential mechanism by which both cocaine and chronic stress exposure drive cue-induced relapse vulnerability during abstinence.
Bayesian modeling and decision theory for non-homogeneous Poisson point processes

Abstract We present a flexible hierarchical Bayesian model and develop a comprehensive Bayesian decision theoretic framework for point process theory. We closely investigate the commonly used point process model for independent events, the Poisson process, using a finite mixture of exponential family components to model the intensity function. We employ a Bayesian hierarchical framework for parameter estimation and illustrate the Bayesian computations involved. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the Bayes rule under the Kullback–Leibler and Hellinger loss functions and compare them with the usual estimator, the posterior mean under squared error loss. The methodology is exemplified through simulations and a motivating application involving estimation of the intensity surface of homicide incidents in Chicago during 2015.
Theory and statistical properties of Quantile Data Envelopment Analysis

Abstract This research proposes Quantile Data Envelopment Analysis (qDEA) as a procedure that accounts for the sensitivity of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to data or firm outliers when using DEA to estimate comparative efficiency or benchmarking performance metrics. The qDEA methodology endogenously identifies the distance to a qDEA-α hyperplane while allowing up to proportion q = 1 - α of the data observations to lie external to the qDEA-α hyperplane. The ability of qDEA to provide more conventional quantile-based benchmarking information is discussed. The statistical properties of the qDEA estimator are examined utilizing nCm subsampling and Monte Carlo procedures. Monte Carlo simulations indicate that qDEA distance estimates share the desirable root-n convergence and large sample normality properties of the robust Free Disposal Hull (FDH) based order-m and order-α estimators.
Pathophysiology of Diabetes

Abstract The pathophysiology of diabetes is related to the levels of insulin within the body, and the body’s ability to utilize insulin. There is a total lack of insulin in type 1 diabetes, while in type 2 diabetes, the peripheral tissues resist the effects of insulin. Normally, the pancreatic beta cells release insulin due to increased blood glucose concentrations. The brain in order for normal functions to occur continually requires glucose. Hypoglycemia, or low plasma glucose levels, is usually caused by drugs used in the treatment of diabetes, including insulin and oral antihyperglycemics. The pathophysiology of diabetes involves plasm concentrations of glucose signaling the central nervous system to mobilize energy reserves. It is based on cerebral blood flow and tissue integrity, arterial plasma glucose, the speed that plasma glucose concentrations fall, and other available metabolic fuels. Low plasma glucose causes a surge in autonomic activity. Diagnosis of hypoglycemia requires verification of low plasma glucose levels. Immediate treatment is the intake of glucose. The responses to hypoglycemia include decreased insulin secretion, increased secretion of glucose counter-regulatory hormones such as glucagon and epinephrine, a greater sympathoadrenal response, related symptoms, and finally, cognitive dysfunction, seizures, or coma. Late hypoglycemia of occult diabetes may develop in some patients with impaired glucose tolerance, or early type 1 or type 2 diabetes. After a high-carbohydrate meal, the patient experiences hypoglycemia.
Epidemic Models with Random Infectious Period

In this paper, we present an extension to the classical SIR epidemic transmission model that uses any general probability distribution for the length of the infectious period. The classical SIR model implicitly requires an exponential distribution for the length of this period of time. We will show how a general distribution can be easily taken into account using the Transient Little Law and present numerical methods to solve the model in an efficient way. Our numerical experiments show that in the presence of a more realistic distribution, with lower variability than the exponential distribution, the size of peak of infected individuals on the graph will be higher and occur earlier. Conversely, a higher-variability distribution will lead to a lower peak that takes longer to dissipate. We also discuss some extensions to the basic model, to include variants like SEIRD and SIS. These findings should have profound and important consequences in the design of public policy.
Forming—and Re forming—Workplace Culture

Our cultures form us, and we form—and reform—them. As a workplace leader, part of your role is to understand the culture of your organization. Assimilating into a culture, and leading change within a culture, often hinge on how well you understand your group’s basic shared assumptions. The leader who has absorbed an organization’s values and embodies what is best about the shared culture is well positioned for effective cultural stewardship.
Against Rigidity for General Terms

The difficulties with extending Kripke’s notion of rigidity from singular terms to general terms are well-known. The most serious are overgeneralization and the related problem of trivialization. Proposed solutions fall into two camps. One proposes restricting rigidity to terms that apply essentially. The most detailed version of this is rigid application as elaborated and defended by Michael Devitt. The other solution is to happily accept that all common nouns and unstructured general terms as well as some structured ones are rigid, thus embracing the overgeneralization charge. This approach has been defended by Genoveva Marti and Jose Martinez-Fernandez, Joseph LaPorte, Nathan Salmon, Arthur Sullivan, and Michael Johnson, among others. Neither of the proposed solutions is satisfactory. The one view offers no systematic way of classifying general terms as rigid, the other includes too many terms as rigid. Overgeneralization remains a significant problem. The notion of rigidity cannot be satisfactorily extended to general terms, and there is no reason why we should regret this.
Characteristics of HIV-1 molecular transmission networks and drug resistance among men who have sex with men in Tianjin, China (2014-2018).

In Tianjin, China, there is a relatively high prevalence of HIV in men who have sex with men (MSM). The number of HIV cases in Tianjin is also increasing. We investigated the HIV molecular transmission network, genetic tropisms, and drug resistance mutations in Tianjin. Blood samples were collected from 510 newly diagnosed antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive HIV-1-infected subjects among MSM in Tianjin. Partial pol and env genes were sequenced and used for phylogenetic, genetic tropism, and genotypic drug resistance analyses. Molecular clusters were identified with 1.5% genetic distance and 90% bootstrap support. Among the 436 HIV-1 pol sequences obtained from the study participants, various genotypes were identified, including CRF01_AE (56.9%), CRF07_BC (27.8%), B (7.3%), CRF55_01B (4.1%), unique recombinant forms (URFs) (3.7%), and CRF59_01B (0.2%). A higher prevalence of X4 viruses was observed in individuals infected with CRF55_01B (56.3%) and CRF01_AE (46.2%) than with other subtypes. Of all 110 sequences in the 36 clusters, 62 (56.4%) were observed in 23 CRF01_AE clusters and 18 (16.4%) in four CRF07_BC clusters. Eight sequences clustered with at least one other shared the same drug resistance mutation (DRM). In different cluster sizes, the distributions of individuals by age, presence of sexually transmitted disease, and presence of DRMs, were significantly different. We revealed the characteristics of HIV molecular transmission, tropism, and DRMs of ART-naive HIV-infected individuals among the MSM population in Tianjin. Identifying infected persons at risk of transmission is necessary for proposing counseling and treating these patients to reduce the risk of HIV transmission.
DIFF(Σ) AND METRICS FROM HAMILTONIAN-TQFT'S IN 2+1 DIMENSIONS

The constraints of BF topological gauge theories are used to construct Hamiltonians which are anti-commutators of the BRST and anti-BRST operators. Such Hamiltonians are a signature of topological quantum field theories (TQFTs). By construction, both classes of topological field theories share the same phase spaces and constraints. We find that, for (2+1)- and (1+1)-dimensional space-times foliated as M=Σ × ℝ, a homomorphism exists between the constraint algebras of our TQFT and those of canonical gravity. The metrics on the two-dimensional hypersurfaces are also obtained.
Stereotactic body radiation therapy for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer in the USA: patterns of adoption and potential healthcare disparities

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a definitive treatment option for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but access is not universal. This study evaluated trends in SBRT utilization to identify potential disparities. This was a cancer registry study using the National Cancer Database (NCDB). The NCDB was queried for patients diagnosed with early-stage NSCLC from 2004 to 2016. Patients receiving surgery, chemotherapy, radiation not meeting criteria for SBRT, or other ablative procedures were excluded. SBRT use in treatment facilities over time was evaluated, and patients were analyzed by various socioeconomic factors to determine predictors of SBRT vs no-treatment. Multivariate and Cox regression analyses were performed to determine the extent to which decreased treatment with SBRT may be contributing to worse overall survival. A total of 65,376 patients were included. There was a significant increase in SBRT use from 2004 (n = 80) to 2016 (n = 7948). Patients treated in academic centers were more likely to get SBRT than community programs, but the use in the community has increased in recent years. Covariates associated with decreased use of SBRT included lack of insurance (OR 0.45, p < 0.0001), Hispanic (OR 0.79, p < 0.001), black (OR 0.59, p < 0.0001), or ‘other’ race (OR 0.48 p < 0.0001), and living in a less-educated community (OR 0.83, p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, use of SBRT was associated with decreased risk of death (HR = 0.48, p < 0.001), and patients treated with SBRT had increased median overall survival compared with patients receiving no treatment (39.6 versus 14.9 months, p < 0.001 by log-rank test). SBRT use is increasing across all treatment facilities but there are notable health disparities based on socioeconomic factors including race that may be contributing to worse survival outcomes.
Early and Repeated Screening Detects Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Objective To evaluate timing and accuracy of early and repeated screening for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during well-child visits. Study design Using a longitudinal study design, toddlers (n = 5784) were initially screened at 12 (n = 1504), 15 (n = 1228), or 18 (n = 3052) months during well-child visits, and rescreened at 18, 24, and 36 months. Of those screened, 368 toddlers attended an ASD evaluation after a positive screen and/or a provider concern for ASD at any visit. Results Screens initiated at 12 months yielded an ASD diagnosis significantly earlier than at 15 months (P = .003, d = 0.99) and 18 months (P 93.5%). Screening at 18 months resulted in significantly higher positive predictive value than at 12 months (X2 (1, n = 221) = 9.87, P = .002, OR = 2.60) and 15 months (X2 (1, n = 208) = 14.57, P Conclusions Screening as early as 12 months effectively identifies many children at risk for ASD. Children screened at 12 months receive a diagnosis of ASD significantly earlier than peers who are first screened at later ages, facilitating earlier intervention. However, as the sensitivity is lower for a single screen, screening needs to be repeated.
Kinetics of HTT lowering in brain of YAC 128 mice following single and repetitive intranasal dosing of siRNA packaged in chitosan-based nanoparticles

Abstract This report describes the kinetics of Huntington's Disease (HD) gene (HTT) lowering in brains of YAC 128 mice. Lowering (or “knock-down”) of HTT mRNA expression was achieved by intranasal administration of specially designed siRNA loaded into chitosan nanoparticles. Kinetic patterns of HTT lowering observed in different brain regions allowed calculation of cumulative lowering effects that result from multiple consecutive administrations. Mathematical modeling generated dosing schedules for approaching a steady knock-down effect and for prediction of magnitude and duration of HTT lowering. Kinetic modeling of HTT lowering with our algorithm will be useful in determining intranasal dosing schedules to produce chronic, therapeutically significant lowering effect of gene expression.
Macroevolution of dimensionless life-history metrics in tetrapods.

Life-history traits represent organisms' strategies to navigate the fitness trade-offs between survival and reproduction. Eric Charnov developed three dimensionless metrics to quantify fundamental ...
Evaluation of Microsatellite Instability in Urine for the Diagnosis of Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Lower Urinary Tract in Dogs

Background: The accumulation of frame-shift mutations in microsatellites (MS), termed microsatellite instability (MSI), is associated with certain tumors. MSI and its detection in urine samples has been used to aid in the detection of human bladder cancer. Hypothesis: Evaluation of MSI in urine is a useful assay test for diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) in dogs and is more specific than the commercially available, veterinary bladder tumor analyte (V-BTA) test. Animals: Seventy-three dogs: healthy controls (n= 21), proteinuric (n= 12), lower urinary tract disease excluding TCC (n= 17), and TCC (n= 23). Methods: Prospective observational study. Urine samples collected from each animal were evaluated for MSI and using the V-BTA. For MSI detection, 22 MS sequences were polymerase chain reaction amplified from urine and blood, subjected to capillary electrophoresis, and the MS genotypes were compared. Aberration in ≥15% of MS was considered indicative of MSI. Results: MSI was detected in 11 of 23 (48%) urine samples from dogs with TCC. MSI was also detected in 12 of 50 (24%) of the control animals, including 29, 16, and 24% of healthy, proteinuric, and lower urinary disease dogs, respectively. In this population, sensitivity and specificity of MSI analysis was 48 and 76%, respectively, compared with 83 and 64%, respectively, for the V-BTA test. Conclusions: MS analysis as performed in this study is not useful in the diagnosis of TCC.
Hydrophobic Forces in Foam Films

Hydrophobic particles suspended in water are attracted to each other due to forces that are larger than the van der Waals force, a process generally referred to as hydrophobic interaction. An air bubble in water may be considered hydrophobic by virtue of its high interfacial tension, thus raising the possibility that the hydrophobic interaction also plays a role in bubble coalescence. This chapter presents evidences for the presence of attractive hydrophobic forces in the thin films of water confined between air bubbles. The hydrophobic forces are strong at low concentrations of surfactants and/or inorganic electrolytes, and decrease with increasing concentrations. Further, the rate of film thinning is accelerated in the presence of attractive hydrophobic forces. The magnitudes of the hydrophobic forces determined using different experimental techniques are compared with the stability of three-dimensional foams and the Gibbs elasticities of foam films. At low surfactant concentrations, the hydrophobic force plays a role in bubble coalescence and hence foam stability, while the film elasticity is important at higher concentrations. Possible origins of the long-range hydrophobic forces that may be present in foam films are discussed.
Neural and Behavioral Mechanisms of Impulsive Choice in Alcohol Use Disorder

Background: Alcohol dependence has repeatedly been associated with impulsive choice, or the inability to choose large delayed rewards over smaller, but more immediate rewards. However, the neural basis of impulsive choice in alcohol use disorders (AUDs) is not well understood. Methods: One hundred fifty-one individuals with a range of alcohol use from social drinking to severe alcohol dependence completed a delay discounting task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. Participants received customized trials designed to ensure an approximately equivalent number of immediate responses. Results: Delaying gratification recruited regions involved in cognitive control, conflict monitoring, and the interpretation of somatic states. Individuals with more severe alcohol use problems showed increased discounting of delayed rewards and greater activation in several regions including supplementary motor area, insula/orbitofrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, and the precuneus. Conclusions: These results suggest that impulsive choice in alcohol dependence is the result of functional anomolies in widely distributed, but interconnected brain regions involved in cognitive and emotional control. Furthermore, our results suggest that the neural mechanisms of impulsive choice in AUD both overlaps with that observed in previous studies, and shows that individuals with AUD recruit additional mechanisms when making intertemporal choices. Language: en
Photobiomodulation Mitigates Diabetes-Induced Retinopathy by Direct and Indirect Mechanisms: Evidence from Intervention Studies in Pigmented Mice

Objective Daily application of far-red light from the onset of diabetes mitigated diabetes-induced abnormalities in retinas of albino rats. Here, we test the hypothesis that photobiomodulation (PBM) is effective in diabetic, pigmented mice, even when delayed until weeks after onset of diabetes. Direct and indirect effects of PBM on the retina also were studied. Methods Diabetes was induced in C57Bl/6J mice using streptozotocin. Some diabetics were exposed to PBM therapy (4 min/day; 670 nm) daily. In one study, mice were diabetic for 4 weeks before initiation of PBM for an additional 10 weeks. Retinal oxidative stress, inflammation, and retinal function were measured. In some mice, heads were covered with a lead shield during PBM to prevent direct illumination of the eye, or animals were treated with an inhibitor of heme oxygenase-1. In a second study, PBM was initiated immediately after onset of diabetes, and administered daily for 2 months. These mice were examined using manganese-enhanced MRI to assess effects of PBM on transretinal calcium channel function in vivo. Results PBM intervention improved diabetes-induced changes in superoxide generation, leukostasis, expression of ICAM-1, and visual performance. PBM acted in part remotely from the retina because the beneficial effects were achieved even with the head shielded from the light therapy, and because leukocyte-mediated cytotoxicity of retinal endothelial cells was less in diabetics treated with PBM. SnPP+PBM significantly reduced iNOS expression compared to PBM alone, but significantly exacerbated leukostasis. In study 2, PBM largely mitigated diabetes-induced retinal calcium channel dysfunction in all retinal layers. Conclusions PBM induces retinal protection against abnormalities induced by diabetes in pigmented animals, and even as an intervention. Beneficial effects on the retina likely are mediated by both direct and indirect mechanisms. PBM is a novel non-pharmacologic treatment strategy to inhibit early changes of diabetic retinopathy.
Hyperpolarized Helium-3 MRI of Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction During Challenge and Therapy

Purpose To investigate the utility of hyperpolarized He-3 MRI for detecting regional lung ventilated volume (VV) changes in response to exercise challenge and leukotriene inhibitor montelukast, human subjects were recruited with Exercise Induced Bronchoconstriction (EIB), a condition described by airway constriction following exercise leading to reduced Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1) coinciding with ventilation defects on hyperpolarized He-3 MRI.
HDL cholesterol and stroke risk: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Abstract Background and purpose Accurate identification of risk factors for stroke is important for public health promotion and disease prevention. HDL cholesterol is a potential risk factor, yet its role in stroke risk is unclear, as is whether HDL cholesterol content or particle number might be a better indicator of stroke risk. Furthermore, the degree to which ethnicity moderates the risk is unknown. As such, the current study examines the associations between incident stroke and both HDL cholesterol concentration and particle number, and assesses the moderating role of race and ethnicity. Methods The sample is a racially diverse cohort of US adults between the ages of 45–84 years enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis between 2000 and 2002 and followed until December 2011. The associations among cholesterol content and stroke risk, particle number and stroke risk, and the interaction with race were explored. Results The incidence of stroke was 2.6%. HDL cholesterol concentration (mmol/L) (Hazard Ratio (HR) = .56; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): .312–.988) and number of large HDL particles (μmol/L) (HR = .52, CI: .278–.956) were associated with lower stroke risk. When interactions with race were evaluated, the relationship between both HDL variables and stroke were significant in Blacks, but not other races. Conclusions Higher HDL cholesterol and a higher concentration of large particles are associated with lower risk of stroke in Blacks. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which HDL subfractions may differentially affect stroke outcome in different races/ethnicities.
Analysis of the cell kinetics of human solid tumors.

The cell cycles (tc) of seven human solid tumors (lung, maxillary antrum, malignant schwannoma, malignant melanoma, colon cancer, and two breast cancers) were studied in vivo following the pulse labelling with intravenous tritiated thymidine and multiple biopsies. The standard components of the cell cycle were observed by radioautography, and the duration of the tc was analyzed by the per cent of labelled mitosis curve, the grain halving method, and computer model (G. G. Steel) which allows the determination of the variants of each component of the cycle. The determined tc ranged from 14 hrs. (lung cancer) to 44 hrs. (schwannoma), and the DNA synthetic period ranged from 5.5 hrs. ((lung cancer) to 21 hrs. (melanoma). There was a significant discrepancy between the calculated tumor doubling time and the measured doubling time. The rate of cell loss calculated on the basis of this difference ranged between 11% (lung cancer) to 86% (melanoma). The growth fraction ranged between 25% (breast cancer) and 80% (lung cancer). No significant discrepancies were observed in the estimation of the cell cycle by the different methods. A second wave of labelled mitoses was always demonstrated if frequent samples were obtained. The analysis of our data, as well as the review of the reported cases, shows a wide variation in the duration of the cell cycle in different tumors. Therefore, no significant correlation can yet be established between the type of tumor and the kinetics of the cell components.
Early-Stage Thinning for the Restoration of Young Redwood—Douglas-Fir Forests in Northern Coastal California, USA

Among forested parks and reserves of the Pacific Coast of the United States, the restoration of late-successional conditions to second-growth stands is a management priority. Some traditional silvicultural treatments may help achieve this objective. We evaluated early-stage thinning as a restoration treatment to facilitate the growth and development of young (33- to 45-year old), homogeneous, and second-growth stands of coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Targeting both stand-level responses and dominant (focal) tree responses for analysis, we compared structural attributes of adjacent thinned and unthinned stands, 12–17 years after thinning. Thinned stands displayed enhanced metrics of tree vigor, growth, and mechanical stability, thereby improving response to future restoration treatments and broadening the range of potential stand conditions. We conclude that early-stage thinning has been successful as a preliminary restoration treatment because it accomplished many initial goals of forest restoration, while retaining sufficient tree numbers to buffer against possible attrition from future disturbances.
Distortions of Apparent Velocity: A New Optical Illusion

To an observer whose one eye is covered with a relatively strong filter (approximately 90 percent extinction) and who views a landscape from the side window of a moving automobile, the velocity of the vehicle appears to be markedly reduced when the uncovered eye is in the forward or leading position (in the sense of motion of the vehicle); the velocity seems to be increased when the covered eye is in the leading position. The illusion of reduced velocity is accompanied by an apparent dwarfing of objects near the roadside and an apparent foreshortening of the distance between object and observer; the illusion of increased velocity is accompanied by an apparent increase in size of objects and an increase in their apparent distance. These illusions can be understood as corollaries of the well-known Pulfrich phenomenon.
Evidence That Spt6p Controls Chromatin Structure by a Direct Interaction with Histones

Genetic analysis has implicated SPT6, an essential gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in the control of chromatin structure. Mutations in SPT6 and particular mutations in histone genes are able to overcome transcriptional defects in strains lacking the Snf/Swi protein complex. Here it is shown that an spt6 mutation causes changes in chromatin structure in vivo. In addition, both in vivo and in vitro experiments provide evidence that Spt6p interacts directly with histones and primarily with histone H3. Consistent with these findings, Spt6p is capable of nucleosome assembly in vitro.
Quantification of total serum transferrin and transferrin sialoforms in human serum; an alternative method for the determination of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin in clinical samples

Carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT) is a biochemical marker for congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG), chronic alcohol consumption, and forensic medicine diagnosis. However it is necessary to take into account that CDT is not a single molecular entity but refers to a group of transferrin (Tf) sialoforms (asialo-, monosialo-, disialo- and occasionally trisialo-Tf). A number of methods have been developed for CDT measurement based on different analytical techniques and principles without harmonization or calibration to a reference method or a certified reference material, hampering understanding of the diagnostic value of CDT and its routine use. Thus, it is unquestionable that there is a need for a reference material which permits the accurate and precise determination of each individual Tf sialoform which could serve as a universal calibrator for routine immunologic methods used in clinical laboratories. In this work, we describe highly sensitive ICP-MS isotope dilution analysis (IDA) methods for the separation and quantification of the different Tf sialoforms in human serum. The methodology was applied to measure the concentration of each sialoform of Tf and the total concentration of Tf in the NIST Standard Reference Material (SRM) 909c human serum. Additionally, two clinical laboratory control serums utilized for routine analysis of CDT were also analyzed. The separation of the sialoforms was achieved by anion exchange chromatography. The two IDA techniques applied for the quantification of the Tf sialoforms were: (a) post-column IDA and (b) species-specific IDA with the total concentration of Tf calculated by these two being the sum of the individual sialoforms. A third IDA technique, exact matching IDA was applied to determine the total concentration of Tf in SRM 909c. All the Tf measurements were validated with the ERM-DA470-IFF human serum (IRMM, Geel, Belgium) certified for total Tf. Finally, the identification of each Tf sialoform previously separated in the serum (SRM 909c) was carried out by LC/MS/MS.
Sparse Gradient Image Reconstruction Done Faster

In a wide variety of imaging applications (especially medical imaging), we obtain a partial set or subset of the Fourier transform of an image. From these Fourier measurements, we want to reconstruct the entire original image. Convex optimization is a powerful, recent solution to this problem. Unfortunately, convex optimization in its myriad of implementations is computationally expensive and may be impractical for large images or for multiple images. Furthermore, some of these techniques assume that the image has a sparse gradient (i.e., that the gradient of the image consists of a few nonzero pixel values) or that the gradient is highly compressible. In this paper, we demonstrate that we can recover such images with GradientOMP, an efficient algorithm based upon Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP), more effectively than with convex optimization. We compare both the qualitative and quantitative performance of this algorithm to the optimization techniques.
Capturing the competitive advantages of AMT: Design-manufacturing integration as a complementary asset

Abstract In this article we describe and test a theory of complementarities between design–manufacturing integration (DMI) and usage of advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT). This study extends prior AMT research by examining the role of complementary assets in explaining how AMT adoption contributes to manufacturing performance. In addition, the study provides a finer-grained analysis of associations between Process and Planning AMT usage and various aspects of manufacturing performance. We analyze data from 224 manufacturing plants in order to test the hypotheses that DMI moderates the relationships between AMT usage and manufacturing performance. Regression analysis results indicate that DMI plays the role of complementary asset to AMT usage when quality, delivery and process flexibility are considered. A complementary role is not observed for cost efficiency and new product flexibility. In fact, the results suggest that combined high levels of DMI and AMT usage can be costly. We discuss the implications of the findings for a contingency theory of AMT success, for future research, and for managerial practice.
Innovation in Land Use Governance and Protection The Case of Great Outdoors Colorado

Land use governance in the United States traditionally has taken a centralized or decentralized form. This research documents a perceived innovation in land use governance that combines centralized and decentralized approaches—Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO). Using criteria from the extant literature on growth management and land protection, this research provides a framework for evaluating land protection efforts. The perceived innovation of GOCO is evaluated within this framework. Clear innovations associated with the GOCO program include (a) more appropriate land protection efforts, (b) the cultivation of political support for the projects, (c) a dedicated funding source, and (d) a greater likelihood of implementation and enforcement over centralized or decentralized approaches. The GOCO program could use additional innovation in the way it addresses regional areas of concern and the provision of technical expertise.