cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract LB-117: Increased peripheral glucose levels restores chemotherapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. The 5-year survival rate is less than 10% and less than 5% for patients with metastatic disease due to the lack of effective therapy. Therefore, searching for novel therapies or strategies to improve existing therapies is a high priority in the field. The pancreatic cancer microenvironment comprises the majority of the tumor mass, and is characterized by a dense, fibrotic stroma, high interstitial fluid pressure and diminished vascularity. This creates a large nutrient gradient, such that pancreatic cancers must adapt to severely austere conditions to survive. We previously demonstrated that the harsh, nutrient-deprived conditions directly resulted in aggressive pancreatic cancer biology and chemotherapy resistance, in part due to activation of a stress response protein, HuR (ELAVL1). It also followed that higher blood glucose levels (e.g., diabetics) correlated with longer disease-free survival in pancreatic cancer patients who received gemcitabine after tumor resection. Herein, we extend this line of investigation in an in vivo mouse model of pancreatic cancer. First, we induced moderate hyperglycemia using a single dose of streptozotocin (120 mg/kg), which destroys beta islets in the pancreas. Blood glucose levels were titrated to a “non-toxic” level (~300 mg/dL) through daily injections of long-acting insulin, glargine. In a second independent model, we induced mild hyperglycemia by adding dextrose to the drinking water (30% dextrose). In both models, blood glucose levels and body weights were measured weekly, and mice were examined for the signs of distress. Interestingly, low-dose gemcitabine treatment, 50 mg/kg twice per week, significantly inhibited PDA xenograft growth under moderate and mild hyperglycemia. However, gemcitabine had no benefit in euglycemic mice with especially low levels of glucose in the xenograft microenvironment. These results demonstrate that chemotherapeutic efficacy may be potentially enhanced through forced induction of hyperglycemia in patients receiving chemotherapy. Citation Format: Ali Vaziri-Gohar, Imran Khokhar, George Titomihelakis, Jonathan R. Brody, Jordan M. Winter. Increased peripheral glucose levels restores chemotherapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-117.
Uncovering Unused Messaging Tools for Motivating Pro-environmental Behavior

Environmental knowledge and awareness have small impacts on pro-environmental behavior (PEB). Decades of public information campaigns that inform the public how personal behaviors and consumer choices drive climate change have not changed behavior. Research into motivation for PEB change across disparate fields demonstrates new insights into what motivates behavioral change. This paper provides a review of those literatures, which have not been systematically brought together, in order to generate research questions and propose a new research agenda. The findings indicate the need to test how types of individuals, categorized by what motivates their behaviors, respond to different policy messaging tools.
High Affinity binding of Yeast Nucleolin Nsr1 to Co-transcriptionally Formed G4 DNA Obstructs Replication and Elevates Genome Instability

ABSTRACT A significant increase in genome instability is associated with the conformational shift of a guanine-run-containing DNA strand into the four-stranded G-quadruplex (G4) DNA. The mechanism underlying the recombination and genome rearrangements following the formation of G4 DNA in vivo has been difficult to elucidate but has become better clarified by the identification and functional characterization of several key G4 DNA-binding proteins. Mammalian nucleolin NCL is a highly specific G4 DNA-binding protein with a well-defined role in the transcriptional regulation of genes with associated G4 DNA-forming sequence motifs at their promoters. The consequence of the in vivo interaction between G4 DNA and nucleolin in respect to the genome instability has not been previously investigated. We show here that G4 DNA-binding is a conserved function in the yeast nucleolin Nsr1. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the Nsr1-G4 DNA complex formation results in replication obstruction and is a major factor in inducing the genome instability associated with the co-transcriptionally formed G4 DNA in the yeast genome. The G4-associated genome instability and the G4 DNA-binding in vivo requires the arginine-glycine-glycine (RGG) repeats located at the C-terminus of the Nsr1 protein. Nsr1 with the deletion of RGG domain supports normal cell growth and is sufficient for its pre-rRNA processing function. However, the truncation of RGG domain of Nsr1 significantly weakens its interaction with G4 DNA in vitro and in vivo and restores unhindered replication, overall resulting in a sharp reduction in the G4-associated genome instability. Our data suggest that the interaction between Nsr1 with the intact RGG repeats and G4 DNA impairs genome stability by precluding the access of G4-resolving proteins and obstructing replication. AUTHOR SUMMARY Genome instability is uniquely elevated at sequences containing multiple runs of guanines, which can fold into the unusual, four-stranded G-quadruplex (G4) DNA. In this study, we report a novel finding that a highly conserved G4 DNA binding protein Nsr1 can elevate the rate of recombination and chromosomal rearrangement occurring at a G4 DNA-forming sequence in the genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The elevated genome instability requires the C-terminally located RGG domain of Nsr1, which supports the high-affinity interaction between the protein and G4 DNA. The connection between G4-specific genome instability and the function of Nsr1 to form stable complex with G4 DNA led to the hypothesis that the high-affinity Nsr1-G4 DNA complexes can become a barrier to replication. We demonstrate here that the presence of Nsr1 in fact slows the replication past a G4 DNA-containing genomic site and that the RGG domain is required to facilitate such replication block.
Abstract 199: The Role of miR-987 in Homeostasis of the Aging Heart in Drosophila

Background: microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as ideal candidates to regulate the genes involved in tissue homeostasis of the aging heart. Our work suggests a novel role for miR-987 in heart tissue m...
Slow Orthostatic Tremor: Review of the Current Evidence.

Background: Orthostatic tremor (OT) is defined as tremor in the legs and trunk evoked during standing. While the classical description is tremor of ≥13 Hz, slower frequencies are recognized. There is disagreement as to whether the latter represents a slow variant of classical OT, or different tremor disorder(s) given frequent coexistent neurological disease. Methods: A systematic literature search of PubMed was performed in February 2019 for gslow orthostatic tremorh and related terms which generated 573 abstracts, of which 61 were included. Results: Between 1970 and 2019, there were 70 cases of electrophysiologically confirmed slow OT. Two-thirds were female, of mean age 60 years (range 26.86), and mean disease duration 6 years (range 0.32). One-third of cases were isolated, and two-thirds had a coexistent disorder(s), including parkinsonism (30%), ataxia (12%), and dystonia (10%). Postural arm tremor was present in 34%. Median tremor frequency was 6.7 Hz (range 3.12). Tremor bursts ranged from 50 to 150 ms duration, and were alternating or synchronous in antagonistic and/or analogous muscles. Low and high coherences were reported. Five cases (7%) had coexistent classical OT. Clonazepam was the most effective medication across all frequencies, and levodopa was effective for 4.7 Hz OT with coexistent parkinsonism. Two cases resolved with the treatment of Gravesf disease. Electrophysiology and imaging predominantly support a central tremor generator. Discussion: While multiple lines of evidence separate slow OT from classical OT, clinical and electrophysiological overlap may occur. Primary and secondary causes are identified, similar to classical OT. Further exploration to clarify these slow OT subtypes, clinically and neurophysiologically, is proposed.
Association between DSM-5 and ICD-11 personality dimensional traits in a general medical cohort and readmission and mortality.

Abstract Background Personality has long been studied as a factor associated with health outcomes. Investigations of large, generalizable clinical cohorts are limited by variations in personality diagnostic methodologies and difficulties with long-term follow-up. Methods Electronic health records of a cohort of patients admitted to a general hospital were characterized using a previously developed natural language processing tool for extracting DSM-5 and ICD-11 personality domains. We used Cox regression and Fine-Gray competing risk survival to analyze the relationships between these personality estimates, sociodemographic features, and risk of readmission and mortality. Results Among 12,274 patients, 2379 deaths occurred in the course of 61,761 patient-years at risk, with 19,985 admissions during follow-up. Detachment was the most common personality feature. Presence of disinhibition was independently associated with a higher mortality risk, while anankastic traits were associated with a lower mortality risk. Increased likelihood of readmission was predicted by detachment, while decreased likelihood of readmission was associated with disinhibition and psychoticism traits. Conclusions Personality features can be identified from electronic health records and are associated with readmission and mortality risk. Developing treatment strategies that target patients with higher personality symptom burden in specific dimensions could enable more efficient and focused interventions.
Abstract MS2-1: Mechanisms of resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors and new therapeutic approaches

Activation of the CDK4/6 kinases is a well-established mechanism whereby estrogens and other mitogens drive breast cancer growth. ATP competitive inhibitors of the CDK4/6 kinases have had a transformational impact on the clinical approach to ER+ breast cancer patients. However, with prolonged CDK4/6i therapy, most tumors ultimately develop resistance. Unlike the case for acquired resistance to many other targeted therapies, CDK4/6i resistance does not appear to be occur through mutations of the drug target. Second site, missense mutations in CDK4 and CDK6 have not been identified in either preclinical resistance screens or clinical biopsies of resistant tumors. This raises several questions including: (1) what are the genetic alterations and pathways that mediate resistance to CDK4/6i therapy in breast cancer, (2) what therapeutic approaches are effective after tumors have developed resistance to CDK4/6i, and (3) what can these understandings about resistance teach us about the underlying basis for sensitivity to CDK4/6i therapy. In this talk, published and unpublished data on mechanisms of resistance to CDK4/6i will be reviewed to elucidate how tumors can either restore CDK4/6 activity or else bypass the requirement for these G1 checkpoint kinases. Data on potential vulnerabilities for each class of drug-resistant tumors will then be discussed. Finally, the findings on resistance will be used to revisit the original understandings on the basis for CDK4/6i sensitivity and how that informs the ongoing use of these drugs in other settings and with more effective combinations that might suppress the emergence of resistance. Citation Format: S Chandarlapaty. Mechanisms of resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors and new therapeutic approaches [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr MS2-1.
Feeling Stressed? Piezo1-Mediated Loss of Heterochromatin Buys Time for Long-Term Adaptation

Skin and other epithelial cell layers are frequently subjected to extensive deformations, yet sustain such mechanical stress without damage. In this issue of Cell, Nava and colleagues show that stretch induces rapid loss of heterochromatin that leads to transient softening of the nucleus, which, together with long-term cytoskeletal and supracellular rearrangements, protects nuclei from DNA damage.
Review of Ilit Ferber, Language Pangs: On Pain and the Origin of Language

People tend to think of pain as merely destructive, isolating, or incommunicable. Ilit Ferber’s illuminating philosophical study challenges these assumptions by investigating the “essential interco...
The effect of early puberty suppression on treatment options and outcomes in transgender patients

In the past 10–15 years, paediatric transgender care has emerged at the forefront of several general practice and subspecialty guidelines and is the topic of continuing medical education for various medical disciplines. Providers in specialties ranging from family medicine, paediatrics and adolescent medicine to endocrinology, gynaecology and urology are caring for transgender patients in increasing numbers. Current and evolving national and international best practice guidelines recommend offering a halt of endogenous puberty for patients with early gender dysphoria, in whom impending puberty is unacceptable for their psychosocial health and wellness. Pubertal blockade has implications for fertility preservation, transgender surgical care and psychosocial health, all of which must be considered and discussed with the patient and their family and/or legal guardian before initiation. For transgender people who experience gender dysphoria as children, in whom impending puberty is unacceptable for their psychosocial health and wellness, pubertal blockade is a therapeutic option. In this Review, the authors discuss pubertal blockade and its implications for fertility preservation, surgical care and psychosocial health, all of which must be considered and discussed with the patient and their family and/or legal guardian before initiation.
Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project: Citizen Science and Student-Based Discoveries for 15 Years and Counting

The Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in Education recognizes an individual who has had a significant impact on genetics education at any education level. Seth R. Bordenstein, Ph.D., Centennial Professor of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University and Founding Director of the Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, is the 2020 recipient in recognition of his cofounding, developing, and expanding Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project.
Self-Devouring Growth – A Planetary Parable As Told From Southern Africa: By JULIE LIVINGSTON. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2019. xiii + 160 pp. ISBN 9781478006399 (pbk.)

In a compact format, Julie Livingston tells a story of the ‘miracle’ of Botswana’s first 50 post-colonial years. Livingston is known primarily as an historian of public health in Botswana; her Self...
Income-driven socioeconomic status and presenting illness severity in children with acute respiratory failure.

Children living in low socioeconomic communities are vulnerable to poor health outcomes, especially when critically ill. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and illness severity upon pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission in children with acute respiratory failure. This secondary analysis of the multicenter Randomized Evaluation of Sedation Titration for Respiratory Failure clinical trial includes children, 2 weeks to 17 years old, mechanically ventilated for acute respiratory failure; specifically, subjects who had parental consent for follow-up and residential addresses that could be matched with census tracts (n = 2006). Subjects were categorized into quartiles based on income, with a median income of $54,036 for the census tracts represented in the sample. Subjects in the highest income quartile were more likely to be older, non-Hispanic White, and hospitalized for pneumonia. Subjects in the lowest income quartile were more likely to be Black, younger, and hospitalized for asthma or bronchiolitis, to have age-appropriate baseline functional status, and history of prematurity and asthma. After controlling for age group, gender, race, and primary diagnosis, there were no associations between income quartile and either Pediatric Risk of Mortality scores or pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome. As measured, income-based SES was not associated with illness severity upon PICU admission in this cohort of patients. More robust and reliable methods for measuring SES may help to better explain the mechanisms by which socioeconomic affect critical illness.
Pharmacologic, Pre-clinical and Clinical Investigations of the Cisplatin/Taxol Combination

Taxol, the prototype of a novel class of antimicrotubule agents that is derived from the bark of the Pacific yew Taxus brevifolia, induces excessive polymerization of tubulin and impairs the dynamic equilibrium between tubulin and microtubules interfering with normal cellular functions.1–4 Taxol (Figure 1) is the first compound with a taxene ring that has been demonstrated to possess antineoplastic activity,5 and it has become one of the most important lead anticancer agents to recently emerge from the screening of natural products.
Mechanical properties of lipid bilayers from molecular dynamics simulation.

Lipid areas (Al), bilayer area compressibilities (KA), bilayer bending constants (KC), and monolayer spontaneous curvatures (c0) from simulations using the CHARMM36 force field are reported for 12 representative homogenous lipid bilayers. Al (or their surrogate, the average deuterium order parameter in the "plateau region" of the chain) agree very well with experiment, as do the KA. Simulated KC are in near quantitative agreement with vesicle flicker experiments, but are somewhat larger than KC from X-ray, pipette aspiration, and neutron spin echo for saturated lipids. Spontaneous curvatures of bilayer leaflets from the simulations are approximately 30% smaller than experimental values of monolayers in the inverse hexagonal phase.
Inotropes Are Not Linked to Increased Mortality in Heart Failure

How to use inotropes is one of the most controversial topics in the management of heart failure. While most clinicians use these drugs, and recognize the state of inotrope dependency, current guidelines recommend them onlu as a bridge or palliation. Thus, inotropes are considered either neutral or detrimental in terms of outcomes. Meanwhile, properly designed randomized clinical trials testing the outcomes on inotropes, have never been performed and it is unlikely that they will ever be attempted. These trials would require randomizing patients with advanced heart failure, low output syndrome, and impaired end-organ perfusion into groups that received or not received inotropes, or received inotropes or placebo. Many physicians would consider this design unethical so the trials would be challenging to implement. But if it is unethical to deny inotropes to this subset of patients, we have to admit that inotropes do not only improve quality of life, but prolong it, or decrease mortality. Otherwise, we consider it unethical to deny the medication which increases mortality. In this review, we analyze the current evidence relating to inotropes and outcomes. We demonstrate that the original trials were performed with agents that are no longer in use, or on patients without an indication for inotropes, or at a time before automatic cardio-defibrillators were recommended for primary prevention. We conclude that current guidelines for inotropes are misleading in their interpretation of outcomes in patients with advanced heart failure. The guidelines should be revised to adequately reflect the evidence.
Altered Entrainment and Feedback Loop Function Effected by a Mutant Period Protein

The period (per) and timeless (tim) genes encode interacting components of the circadian clock. Levels and phosphorylation states of both proteins cycle with a circadian rhythm, and the proteins drive cyclic expression of their RNAs through a feedback mechanism that is, at least in part, negative. We report here that a hypophosphorylated mutant PER protein, produced by creating a small internal deletion, displays increased stability and low-amplitude oscillations, consistent with previous reports that phosphorylation is required for protein turnover. In addition, this protein appears to be defective in feedback repression because it is associated with relatively high levels of RNA and high levels of TIM. Transgenic flies carrying the mutant PER protein display a temperature-dependent shortening of circadian period and are impaired in their response to light, particularly to pulses of light in the late night that normally advance the phase of the rhythm. Interestingly, per RNA is induced by light in these flies, most likely because of the removal of the light-sensitive TIM protein, thus implicating a more direct role for TIM in transcriptional inhibition. These data have relevance for mechanisms of feedback repression, and they also address existing models for the differential behavioral response to light at different times of the night.
Intention to Treat Analysis: Basic

In a randomized clinical trial design for the comparison of treatments, subjects are randomly assigned to different treatments. The intention-to-treat principle requires that any comparison of the treatments be based upon comparison of all patients in the treatment groups to which they were randomly assigned. This approach maintains the benefits of randomization, one of which is that the characteristics of the group of patients receiving the different treatments should be roughly equivalent at the onset of the trial. Several conditions can influence the actual versus intended protocol under which subjects are studied including: nonadherence to the assigned treatment regimen, or termination of participation prior to outcome measurement. Investigators may attempt to compare groups defined by factors that might be influenced by the treatments under test, for example, the comparison of only those patients in the trial that actually complied with the prescribed treatments. Any observed differences among treatment groups constructed in this manner may be due not to treatment, but to factors associated with compliance. Keywords: clinical trial; intention-to-treat analysis; noncompliance; randomization; selection bias; missing data; as-treated analysis
The Electrochemistry of Nuclear Reactor Coolant Circuits

The sections in this article are Introduction Water Radiolysis Radiolytic Yield Chemical Reactions Convection General Solution of the Equations Mixed Potential Model and the Electrochemical Corrosion Potential Stress Corrosion Cracking Electrochemistry of Boiling Water Reactors Electrochemistry of Pressurized Water Reactors Summary
Cognitive Illiberalism, Summary Judgment, and Title VII: An Examination of Ricci v. DeStefano

Scholars have long criticized the federal courts for their inappropriate grants of summary judgment in Title VII cases. Empirical research supports the scholars’ concerns about summary judgment and also tends to demonstrate an “anti-plaintiff effect” in employment discrimination cases in all stages in federal court. Whether the “anti-plaintiff effect” is based on conscious, discriminatory attitudes on the part of judges is unlikely and unknowable. What we do know is that the gap in success between employment discrimination plaintiffs and defendants raises serious questions about procedural and substantive fairness, and the proper role of judges and juries. Moreover, it may threaten the perceived legitimacy of the federal courts.The new literature on cognitive illiberalism, which has yet to be applied in the employment discrimination context, considers the effect of judges’ grants of summary judgment and their statements that no reasonable jury could find different facts. With the empirical studies in mind, this article explores the U.S. Supreme Court’s grant of summary judgment to the plaintiffs in a high profile “reverse” race discrimination case, Ricci v. DeStefano. It considers whether cultural cognition explains the Supreme Court’s decision to grant summary judgment to the plaintiffs in Ricci v. DeStefano, rather than to remand the case for factual development. It concludes that the Court’s analysis of the facts in Ricci was likely influenced by cultural cognition, and, as a result, the Court’s grant of summary judgment to the plaintiffs in Ricci was improper.
Wendland Claire L. A Heart for the Work: Journeys through an African Medical School . Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010. xiv + 330 pp. Technical Appendix. Notes. Glossary. Bibliography. Index. $27.50. Paper.

HEALTH AND DISEASE Claire L. Wendland. A Heart for the Work: Journeys through an African Medical School. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010. xiv + 330 pp. Technical Appendix. Notes. Glossary. Bibliography. Index. $27.50. Paper. Claire Wendland provides a compelling account of medical training in Africa in A Heart for the Work. In her analyses of the socialization of MaIawian physicians and the practice of African biomedicine, Wendland makes a valuable contribution to the literature on medical power/knowledge, particularly in poor and postcolonial contexts, and provides an all too rare example of anthropology "studying up" in Africa. Herself a Northerntrained obstetrician-gynecologist and anthropologist, Wendland uses her case to argue that biomedical professionals everywhere are shaped as much by the social, cultural, and material conditions in which they train and practice as by the characteristics of biomedicine in hegemonic form. This coproduction, then, has important consequences for individual physicians and, through their medical practice, for their patients and their nation. Wendland writes accessibly to distill complicated social theory, and biomedical knowledge and experience, into an effordess prose that most any reader could easily engage with. The book deserves to be read far and wide: while Wendland clearly writes with her undergraduate anthropology, sociology, and premedicai students in mind, professionals in medical education, international public health and development, and international public administration broadly will also find a trove of useful analysis and insight. Scholars of biomedicine and scientific expertise will find the case of Malawian physicians a compelling counterpoint to the Eurocentric literature. Finally, as Wendland keeps the contemporary history and context of southern Africa at the forefront of her work, her analysis of modern African biomedicine is useful for Africanists of all stripes. The book is cogendy arranged in seven chapters that follow the progress of medical students through their course of study at the University of Malawi's College of Medicine. Wendland's data comes from a year of intensive fieldwork (2002-3) combined with shorter trips before and after; her view of student progress through the training program is thus crosssectional rather than longitudinal. Instead of following one cohort through the five-year program and beyond, Wendland creates comparative "snapshots" of different cohorts at various stages of becoming competent physicians. This organization allows her to correlate students' experience with historical phenomena as well as with changing policies in the university system. …
Transplantation of the Liver

The authors’ results with liver transplantation are presented, along with their present views regarding candidacy for liver replacement and selected diagnostic and technical problems that are encountered during and after liver transplantation, particularly the problem of secondary jaundice.
Inflation, Microwave Background Anisotropy, and Open Universe Models

The inflationary scenario for the very early universe has proven very attractive, because it can simultaneously solve a number of cosmological puzzles, such as the homogeneity of the Universe on scales exceeding the particle horizon at early times, the flatness or entropy problem, and the origin of density fluctuations for large-scale structure [1]. In this scenario, the observed Universe (roughly, the present Hubble volume) represents part of a homogeneous inflated region embedded in an inhomogeneous space-time. On scales beyond the size of this homogeneous patch, the initially inhomogeneous distribution of energy-momentum that existed prior to inflation is preserved, the scale of the inhomogeneities merely being stretched by the expansion.
Boston Desegregation: What Went Wrong?

order had been developed by the Massachusetts State Board of Education in order to bring the school system into compliance with the state's Racial Imbalance Law. Opposition to desegregation included peaceful marches, clashes with police, and boycotts of schools. In the Fall of 1975 the same scenes were replayed as Phase II of the desegregation order was implemented. The plan had been developed by court-appointed masters and experts. Because of the violence and vocal opposition to desegregation the Boston school system drew national attention. The problem of this paper is to develop a model for effective school desegregation and to compare this model with the desegregation events in Boston.
Characterization of cerebral blood flow response to traumatic brain injury in an animal model using SPECT.

OF THE THESIS CHARACTERIZATION OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW RESPONSE TO TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY IN AN ANIMAL MODEL USING SPECT by Michael Capille Florida International University, 2005 Miami, Florida Professor Anthony McGoron, Major Professor In this study the focal effects of moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) on cerebral blood flow (CBF) as reported by SPECT cerebral brain perfusion (CBP) imaging in an animal model were investigated by parallelized statistical techniques. Subjects were randomly assigned to either a control group or test group receiving fluid percussion injury directly to the left parietal lobe. Qualitative SPECT CBP accuracy was assessed against reference radioactive microsphere technique (RMT) regional CBF measurements by map reconstruction, registration and smoothing. Cerebral hypoperfusion in the test group was then identified at the voxel level using a statistical parametric mapping (SPM) model. Using SPM-SPECT CBP, a significant area o f hypoperfusion (P <0.01) was found as a characteristic response to the TBI. Further study and correlation o f this characteristic lesion with long-term outcomes and auxiliary diagnostic modalities is critical to developing more effective emergency treatment guidelines and automated medical imaging processing techniques.
Latent class and latent transition analysis.

Often quantities of interest in psychology cannot be observed directly. These unobservable quantities are known as latent variables. By using multiple items as indicators of the latent variable, we can obtain a more complete picture of the construct of interest and estimate measurement error. One approach to latent variable modeling is latent class analysis, a method appropriate for examining the relationship between discrete observed variables and a discrete latent variable. The present chapter will introduce latent class analysis, its extension to repeated measures, and recent developments further extending the latent class model. First, the concept of a latent class and the mathematical model are presented. This is followed by a discussion of parameter restrictions, model fit, and the measurement quality of categorical items. Second, latent class analysis is demonstrated through an examination of the prevalence of depression types in adolescents. Third, longitudinal extensions of the latent class model are presented. This section also contains an empirical example on adolescent depression types, where the previous analysis is extended to examine the stability and change in depression types over time. Finally, several recent developments that further extend the latent class model are introduced. Keywords: categorical variables; depression types; latent class analysis; latent transition analysis; latent variables; longitudinal
Coalition for a Healthier Community: Lessons learned and implications for future work.

The Coalition for a Healthier Community (CHC) initiative was implemented to improve the health and well-being of women and girls. Underpinning CHC is a gender-based focus that uses a network of community partners working collaboratively to generate relevant behavior change and improved health outcomes. Ten programs are trying to determine whether gender-focused system approaches are cost-effective ways to address health disparities in women and girls. Programs implemented through coalitions made up of academic institutions, public health departments, community-based organizations, and local, regional, and national organizations, are addressing health issues such as domestic violence, cardiovascular disease prevention, physical activity, and healthy eating. Although these programs are ongoing, they have made significant progress. Key factors contributing to their early success include a comprehensive needs assessment, robust coalitions, the diversity of populations targeted, programs based on findings of the needs assessments, evaluations taking into consideration the effect of gender, and strong academic-community partnerships. A noteworthy impact of these programs has been their ability to shape and impact public, social, and health policies at the state and local levels. However, there have been challenges associated with the implementation of such a complex program. Lessons learned are discussed in this paper. Language: en
Riboflavin status of female athletes consuming normal diets

Riboflavin (B2) status was determined in trained female athletes (n=13) and untrained female subjects (n=14). Groups were similar in age, height and weight. Subjects ingesting large quantities of supplemental or dietary riboflavin were excluded from the study. Dietary intake information was obtained and evaluated for B2 content. Riboflavin status was evaluated using the erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity coefficient (EGRAC) and urinary riboflavin excretion. Results indicated that total riboflavin intake per 24 hr was significantly greater (p<0.05) in the athletic group. However, no significant difference in intake was noted when B2 consumption was expressed as intake/ 1000 kcal consumed (1.0±0.4 mg and 0.9±0.2 mg, athletes and untrained, X±SD). While all subjects had normal EGRAC values, athletes tended to have slightly higher (p=0.09) values when compared to untrained females (1.06±0.06 vs 1.01±0.07). Total riboflavin excretion/24 hr was not different in athletes (98±51 mcg) versus untrained females (86±16 mcg) although riboflavin excretion/g creatinine was somewhat lower (p=0.1) in athletes (63±26 mcg/g) than in untrained females (82±28 mcg/g). Five athletes and five untrained subjects with the lowest riboflavin intakes were also compared. No significant differences were noted for EGRAC values or total urinary riboflavin excretion. However, athletes in the subgroup excreted significantly less (p<0.05) B2/g creatinine than did the untrained subgroup (50.8±15.5 and 81.3±16.7 mcg/g, respectively). Findings from the present study suggest that female athletes were able to maintain adequate riboflavin status from dietary intake alone.
The neurologic manifestations of mitochondrial disease

The nervous system contains some of the body's most metabolically demanding cells that are highly dependent on ATP produced via mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Thus, the neurological system is consistently involved in patients with mitochondrial disease. Symptoms differ depending on the part of the nervous system affected. Although almost any neurological symptom can be due to mitochondrial disease, there are select symptoms that are more suggestive of a mitochondrial problem. Certain symptoms that have become sine qua non with underlying mitochondrial cytopathies can serve as diagnostic "red-flags." Here, the typical and atypical presentations of mitochondrial disease in the nervous system are reviewed, focusing on "red flag" neurological symptoms as well as associated symptoms that can occur in, but are not specific to, mitochondrial disease. The multitudes of mitochondrial syndromes are not reviewed in-depth, though a select few are discussed in some detail.
A scientometric analysis of social media research (2004---2011)

To better understand the rapidly growing social media research domain, this study presents the findings of a scientometric analysis of the corresponding literature. We conducted a research productivity analysis and citation analysis of individuals, institutions, and countries based on 610 peer-reviewed social media articles published in journals and conference proceedings between October 2004 and December 2011. Results indicate that research productivity is exploding and that several leading authors, institutions, countries, and a small set of foundational papers have emerged. Based on the results--indicating that the social media domain displays limited diversity and is still heavily influenced by practitioners--the paper raises two fundamental challenges facing the social media domain and its future advancement, namely the lack of academic maturity and the Matthew Effect.
Glucocorticoid modulation of corticotropin-releasing factor desensitization in cultured rat anterior pituitary cells.

The ability of ovine corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) to stimulate both ACTH release and intracellular cAMP accumulation is rapidly and reversibly desensitized when rat anterior pituitary cells are cultured in the absence of added glucocorticoids. Since this desensitization has not been readily apparent in vivo, where initial CRF exposure results in high levels of ambient glucocorticoids, we examined the effect of glucocorticoids on the desensitization process in vitro. Rat anterior pituitary cells were cultured for 3–5 days in the absence of added steroid hormones. Dexamethasone was then added to some culture wells 24 h before the desensitization experiment began. Desensitization of CRF was achieved by preincubating the cells for 4 h with varying concentrations (10−11−10−7 m) of ovine CRF, washing the cells with medium alone, and then reexposing the cells to CRF. In the absence of glucocorticoid, the ED60 for CRF desensitization (the preincubation dose causing 50% desensitization of subsequent ACTH r...
Tables of the Freeman-Tukey Transformations for the Binomial and Poisson Distributions

We present a table of the Freeman-Tukey variance stabilizing arc-sine transformation for the binomial distribution together with properties of the transformation. Entries in the table are $$ \theta = \frac{1} {2}\left\{ {\arcsin \surd \left( {\frac{x} {{n + 1}}} \right) + \arcsin \surd \left( {\frac{{x + 1}} {{n + 1}}} \right)} \right\},$$ where n is the sample size and x is the number of successes observed in a binomial experiment. Values of θ are given in degrees, to two decimal places, for n = 1[1]50 and x = 0[1]n.
Far‐ultraviolet observations of the neutral comae of comet Hale‐Bopp (C/1995 01) near perihelion

The Ultraviolet Imager on the Polar spacecraft observed the neutral oxygen and carbon comae of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 01) at far-ultraviolet wavelengths near perihelion on March 31 and April 2, 1997. The OI (1304) coma was circularly symmetric with a diameter of about 5 million km. The coma was smaller in the longer wavelength (1400-1600 A and 1600-1800 A) bands, which is probably due to fluorescence of neutral carbon at 1561 A and 1657 A. The production rate for O calculated from the observed OI (1304) flux was (9.8 ± 2.5) x 10 30 . Using this value the estimated production rate for OH was (8.9±2.5) x 10 30 and for H 2 O was (1.0 ± 0.3) × 10 31 .
Social defeat stress induces a depression-like phenotype in adolescent male c57BL/6 mice

AbstractExposure to stress is highly correlated with the emergence of mood-related illnesses. Because major depressive disorder often emerges in adolescence, we assessed the effects of social defeat stress on responses to depressive-like behaviors in juvenile mice. To do this, postnatal day (PD) 35 male c57BL/6 mice were exposed to 10 days of social defeat stress (PD35-44), while control mice were handled daily. Twenty-four hours after the last episode of defeat (PD45), separate groups of mice were tested in the social interaction, forced swimming, sucrose preference, and elevated plus-maze behavioral assays (n = 7–12 per group). Also, we examined body weight gain across days of social defeat and levels of blood serum corticosterone 40 min after the last episode of defeat stress. Our data indicates that defeated mice exhibited a depressive-like phenotype as inferred from increased social avoidance, increased immobility in the forced swim test, and reduced sucrose preference (a measure of anhedonia), when ...
Energy partitioning and normal mode analysis of IVR in 30-mode benzene: overtone relaxation for CH(v=2)

Abstract We present normal mode analyses of energy flow and late time energy partitioning in 30-mode benzene. The highest-frequency out-of-plane E 1g and E 2u modes are second to the highest-frequency in-plane E 2g and E 1u modes in importance in redistributing energy from an initially excited E 1u CH stretching mode. At 9.6 ps, the distribution of vibrational energy lost from the bright state can be described by statistical models.
Demonstration of chalcogenide glass racetrack microresonators.

We have demonstrated what we believe to be the first chalcogenide glass racetrack microresonator using a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor-compatible lift-off technique with thermally evaporated As2S3 films. The device simultaneously features a small footprint of 0.012 mm×0.012 mm, a cavity Q (quality factor) of 10,000, and an extinction ratio of 32 dB. These resonators exhibit a very high sensitivity to refractive index changes with a demonstrated detection capability of ΔnAs2S3=(4.5×10−6±10%) refractive index unit. The resonators were applied to derive a photorefractive response of As2S3 to λ=550 nm light. The resonator devices are a versatile platform for both sensing and glass material property investigation.
Pole-Based approximation of the Fermi-Dirac function

Two approaches for the efficient rational approximation of the Fermi-Dirac function are discussed: one uses the contour integral representation and conformal mapping, and the other is based on a version of the multipole representation of the Fermi-Dirac function that uses only simple poles. Both representations have logarithmic computational complexity. They are of great interest for electronic structure calculations.
Basic peptide-morpholino oligomer conjugate that is very effective in killing bacteria by gene-specific and nonspecific modes

Basic peptides covalently linked to nucleic acids, or chemically modified nucleic acids, enable the insertion of such a conjugate into bacteria grown in liquid medium and mammalian cells in tissue culture. A unique peptide, derived from human T cells, has been employed in a chemical synthesis to make a conjugate with a morpholino oligonucleotide. This new conjugate is at least 10- to 100-fold more effective than previous peptides used in altering the phenotype of host bacteria if the external guide sequence methodology is employed in these experiments. Bacteria with target genes expressing chloramphenicol resistance, penicillin resistance, or gyrase A function can effectively be reduced in their expression and the host cells killed. Several bacteria are susceptible to this treatment, which has a broad range of potency. The loss in viability of bacteria is not due only to complementarity with a target RNA and the action of RNase P, but also to a non-gene-specific tight binding of the complexed nontargeted RNA to the basic polypeptide-morpholino oligonucleotide.
Locating drivers in a trucking terminal network

Abstract We consider the problem of determining the home locations, or domiciles, of truck drivers for a less-than-truckload carrier. Domiciling decisions are complex, in part due to regulations and union rules restricting driver schedules, but have a significant impact on the operating costs of less-than-truckload carriers. We present an iterative scheme, using driver dispatch technology in each iteration, to allocate drivers to terminals and to determine drivers’ bids so as to satisfy union requirements. Computational experiments demonstrate the value of the iterative scheme and quantify the impact of union rules on the number of drivers required (and the resulting operating costs).
Trends in use of opioids by noncancer pain type 2000-2005 among Arkansas Medicaid and HealthCore enrollees: results from the TROUP study.

Abstract Use of prescription opioids for noncancer pain has increased significantly in recent years, but it is not known if trends differ among the most common noncancer pain conditions. We examined trends in opioid prescribing for the years 2000 through 2005 for individuals with arthritis/joint pain, back pain, neck pain, and headaches by type and number of pain diagnoses, using data from claims records from 2 health insurers: HealthCore commercially insured members (N = 3,768,223) and Arkansas Medicaid (N = 127,866). Rates of headache, back pain, and neck pain diagnoses increased significantly in Arkansas Medicaid enrollees but more modestly among HealthCore enrollees. Rates of opioid use increased in both groups, with long-term use (>90 days' supply per year) increasing at twice the rate of any use. Rates of opioid use did not differ widely between noncancer pain conditions, but long-term opioid use rates doubled with each additional pain diagnosis. Mean days supply and cumulative yearly dose increased between 2000 and 2005 for all pain types and with increasing number of pain diagnoses, but dose per day supply remained relatively stable. The greatest increases in dose among all the pain conditions were seen in short-acting DEA Schedule II opioids. Perspective This study demonstrates increased use of opioids, particularly long-term use, in noncancer pain over a 6-year period among those with multiple pain types. These results appear to reflect a general increase in use of prescription opioids for noncancer pain rather than a condition-specific change in prescribing practices.
Fragments of Human Growth Hormone Produced by Digestion with Thrombin: Chemistry and Biological Properties*

Human GH (hGH) was digested with bovine thrombin conjugated to Sepharose, resulting in the cleavage of only one peptide bond between amino acid residues 134 and 135 in the large disulfide loop of the molecule. hGH was quite sensitive to the proteolytic action of thrombin, with digestion going essentially to completion. Thrombin-digested hGH (TDhGH) was equipotent with hGH in promoting growth in hypophysectomized rats, in stimulating the in vitro oxidation of glucose by isolated adipose tissue of hypophysectomized rats, in inducing N-acetyllactosamine synthase activity in mammary tissue explants from pregnant mice, and in competing with [l25I]hGH for binding to hGH antibodies. TD-hGH was reduced and alkylated to produce S-carbamidomethylated (RCAM-TDhGH), S-aminoethylated (RAE-TD-hGH), and S-carboxymethylated (RCM-TD-hGH) derivatives. These materials showed substantial alterations in their profiles of biological activity when compared to intact hGH. RCAM-TD-hGH and RAE-TD-hGH had 50% of the growth-promotin...