cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
FDG-PET is an effective imaging modality to detect and quantify age-related atherosclerosis in large arteries.

The main aim of this research was to determine the changes of FDG uptake in large arteries with aging as visualized by FDG-PET imaging. We examined the presence of arterial FDG uptake in 149 subjects (61 males, 88 females; age range 5–83 years) who underwent whole-body PET scans for the assessment of non-cardiovascular disorders. The subjects were divided into eight age decade groups, with at least 12 subjects in each group. The presence of FDG uptake was recorded in the ascending, arch, descending thoracic and abdominal segments of the aorta, as well as in iliac and femoral arteries. We then calculated the percentage of segments with visible FDG uptake for each age group. Mean SUVs were calculated for each of the arterial segments and compared among the age groups. Among 149 subjects, 145 were noted to have visible uptake in at least one segment of the large vessels. Percentage of segments with visible FDG uptake increased with age (p < 0.01). Mean SUVs of the ascending aorta, aortic arch, descending thoracic aorta, iliac arteries and femoral arteries increased with age (p < 0.01). Prevalence and intensity of FDG uptake in large arteries generally increases with aging. Increased FDG uptake likely represents the presence of active inflammatory process of atherosclerotic plaque. The magnitude of inflammation within the wall of the large arteries increases with aging.
Clinical Experimentation: Lessons From Lung Volume Reduction Surgery

Although the advancement of medical science can occur only with the systematic evaluation of new interventions, novel therapies continue to be introduced and accepted prior to thorough study. The recent development of lung volume reduction surgery for emphysema provides an illustration of the unwillingness or the inability of the medical community, unconstrained by legal or reimbursement limitations, to assure the safety and efficacy of a new procedure prior to widespread utilization. Medical practitioners must learn to recognize the experimental nature of new procedures independent of the courts and third-party payers. The nature of the informed consent that must be obtained for an experimental therapy is different from that which is required for standard medical practice and this difference can provide a test of whether a new treatment is experimental. A comparison between the introduction of lung volume reduction surgery and the rigorous scrutiny required of any pharmacologic interventions for emphysema underscores the double standard that exists for evaluating new surgical (and some medical) innovations. Such a double standard cannot be defended on ethical or scientific grounds. Specific changes in the way experimental therapies are introduced and disseminated are suggested. Until all new medical and surgical interventions are required to undergo a thorough evaluation prior to becoming standard of care, the promise of evidence-based medicine can never be fulfilled. (CHEST 1996; 110:230-38)
Observations of soiling of nylon 66 carpet fibers

Soiling of nylon 66 carpets was studied to investigate the effect of spin finishes with and without fluorocarbons finishes; and, in addition, the use of a secondary extraction process was examined to determine the effect of removing residual spin finish oils. Two types of residential carpet of intimate blend trilobal fibers with two modification ratios were evaluated: one had fluorcarbons in the spin finish with an additional topical mill-applied fluorocarbon. The second carpet had no fluorocarbons in the spin finish, but had a topical mill-applied fluorocarbon finish so that both carpets had a target of 250 to 300 ppm fluorine. Acetone extraction was used to remove the spin finishes from the carpets. Both carpets with and without extraction were soiled with particulate soil in the laboratory. Visual ratings and color difference measurements indicated more soiling on the carpets that had been extracted. Fluorine analysis showed that fluorcarbons were removed from both carpet types with the acetone extraction. Electron microscopy indicated the deposition of soil in the V-groove of the filaments with the higher modification ratio. Furthermore, fiber surfaces near the face of the carpet exhibited higher levels of soil than surfaces located near the carpet backing.
Oxidative Stress Causes Mucin Synthesis Via Transactivation of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor: Role of Neutrophils

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases of airways. Here we show that oxidative stress causes ligand-independent activation of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) and subsequent activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)-p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p44/42mapk), resulting in mucin synthesis in NCI-H292 cells. Exogenous hydrogen peroxide and neutrophils activated by IL-8, FMLP, or TNF-alpha increased EGFR tyrosine phosphorylation and subsequent activation of p44/42mapk and up-regulated the expression of MUC5AC at both mRNA and protein levels in NCI-H292 cells. These effects were blocked by selective EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (AG1478, BIBX1522) and by a selective MEK inhibitor (PD98059), whereas a selective platelet-derived growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (AG1295), a selective p38 MAPK inhibitor (SB203580), and a negative compound of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (A1) were without effect. Neutrophil supernatant-induced EGFR tyrosine phosphorylation, activation of p44/42mapk, and MUC5AC synthesis were inhibited by antioxidants (N-acetyl-cysteine, DMSO, dimethyl thiourea, or superoxide dismutase); neutralizing Abs to EGFR ligands (EGF and TGF-alpha) were without effect, and no TGF-alpha protein was found in the neutrophil supernatant. In contrast, the EGFR ligand, TGF-alpha, increased EGFR tyrosine phosphorylation, activation of p44/42mapk, and subsequent MUC5AC synthesis, but these effects were not inhibited by antioxidants. These results implicate oxidative stress in stimulating mucin synthesis in airways and provide new therapeutic approaches in airway hypersecretory diseases.
THE LIMITS OF BACILLUS CALMETTE-GUERIN FOR CARCINOMA IN SITU OF THE BLADDER

Purpose: Historically carcinoma in situ of the bladder has been treated with radical cystectomy based on the aggressive and potentially invasive nature of this disease. The introduction in the late 1970s of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) has made this therapy the gold standard in the management of carcinoma in situ. Cases that are refractory or resistant to BCG therapy are a management dilemma with various available treatment options.Materials and Methods: A comprehensive literature review of the current management of carcinoma in situ of the bladder was performed using MEDLINE, a review of current urology journals and abstracts from recent urology meetings. Data focused on BCG resistant carcinoma in situ of the bladder and current approaches in use for refractory disease.Results: Complete and durable response rates have been reported in more than 70% of patients with carcinoma in situ who are treated with intravesical BCG. To our knowledge the optimal therapeutic regimen has not been establi...
Artifact-resistant, power-efficient design of finger-ring plethysmographic sensors. II. Prototyping and benchmarking

For pt. I see ibid., p. 2792-5 (2000). A miniaturized, telemetric, photoplethymographic sensor called a "ring sensor" for long-term monitoring is presented. A prototype ring sensor is designed and built based on the power budget analysis and the artifact-resistive attachment method. It is verified through experiments that the ring sensor is resistant to interfering forces and acceleration acting on the ring body. Benchmarking tests with FDA-approved photoplethysmograph and EKG reveal that the ring sensor is comparable to those devices in detecting beat-to-beat pulsation despite disturbances.
Acoustic leak-detection system for railroad transportation security

Pressurized rail tank cars transport large volumes of volatile liquids and gases throughout the country, much of which is hazardous and/or flammable. These gases, once released in the atmosphere, can wreak havoc with the environment and local populations. We developed a system which can non-intrusively and non-invasively detect and locate pinhole-sized leaks in pressurized rail tank cars using acoustic sensors. The sound waves from a leak are produced by turbulence from the gas leaking to the atmosphere. For example, a 500 μm hole in an air tank pressurized to 689 kPa produces a broad audio frequency spectrum with a peak near 40 kHz. This signal is detectable at 10 meters with a sound pressure level of 25 dB. We are able to locate a leak source using triangulation techniques. The prototype of the system consists of a network of acoustic sensors and is located approximately 10 meters from the center of the rail-line. The prototype has two types of acoustic sensors, each with different narrow frequency response band: 40 kHz and 80 kHz. The prototype is connected to the Internet using WiFi (802.11g) transceiver and can be remotely operated from anywhere in the world. The paper discusses the construction, operation and performance of the system.
Determination of Salvinorin A in body fluids by high performance liquid chromatography–atmospheric pressure chemical ionization

Salvinorin A was quantitated in human and rhesus monkey plasma, rhesus monkey cerebrospinal fluid, and human urine by negative ion LC-MS/APCI. The method for Salvinorin A has been fully validated, the LLOQ using FDA guidelines is 2 ng/mL for 0.5 mL plasma samples. The linear range was from 2 to 1000 ng/mL. Several derivatives in the Salvinorin family can also be analyzed by this method; d(3)-Salvinorin A was prepared and used as internal standard. The metabolite Salvinorin B can be semi quantitatively determined. The method has been used to establish that Salvinorin B is the principal metabolite of Salvinorin A ex vivo and to establish the analytical method to study in vivo samples.
JEM EUSO mission on the International Space Station

The Extreme-Universe Space Observatory (EUSO) on Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) is a mission on ISS [1], led by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to investigate the nature and origin of extremely-high-energy cosmic rays (EHECRs). This is the sole window on the extreme-energy universe. JAXA has selected JEM-EUSO for study as one of two international mission candidates for installation on the JEM Exposure Facility by 2013. JEM-EUSO (hereafter, EUSO) is designated to pioneer measurements of EHECR-induced extensive air showers (EAS) from space. As the detector, it uses the whole earth, observing from the International Space Station (ISS) where a remote sensor is located. The signal is fluorescent and Cherenkov light from the Extensive Air Showers (EAS).
Health Care Providers’ Perceptions of Spirituality While Caring for Veterans

To determine health care providers’ views on spirituality, its role in the health of patients, and barriers to discussing spiritual issues with patients, the author convened five focus groups at two Veterans Administration Medical Centers. Participants were nurses, physicians, social workers, psychologists, and chaplains. Common themes included (a) the lack of education for professionals regarding how to address patients’ spiritual needs; and (b) systems-related issues, including communication systems that do not function well, how spiritual needs are addressed on admission, support or lack thereof by hospital administrators, and lack of support for the spiritual needs of staff. The aging and illnesses of many current veterans plus the escalated potential of war highlight the importance of addressing veterans’ spiritual needs.
Telomere maintenance and disease

The proliferative capacity of human cells is regulated by telomerase, an enzyme uniquely specialised for telomeric DNA synthesis. The critical role of telomerase activation in tumour progression and tumour maintenance has been well established in studies of cancer and of oncogenic transformation in cell culture. New evidence suggests that telomerase activation has an important role in normal somatic cells, and that failure to activate sufficient telomerase also promotes disease. We review the evidence for premature telomere attrition in proliferative deficiencies of the human haemopoietic system, and discuss the potential use of telomerase activation in telomere-restorative gene therapy.
Tumor macrophages as a target for Capsaicin mediated immunotherapy

Tumor microenvironment contributes to a large extent for failure of immunological destruction of antigenic tumors. Most solid tumors adapt to the microenvironment and escape the host immune system. The dramatic and systemic effectiveness of neuro-immune ligand Capsaicin (CP) in regression of established solid tumors led us to investigate its immunomodulatory role in tumor microenvironment. In this report we demonstrate that CP induced tumor cell apoptosis leads to increased sensitization of the surrounding stroma manifested by enhanced antigen presentation by stromal macrophages and its destruction by tumor specific T-cells. Further, CP injection alters the tumor microenvironment with regards to tumor-infiltrating Treg cells as well as the cytokine milieu at the tumor site. Our data collectively demonstrates that injection of CP sets in motion, a cascade of several independent innate and adaptive immunological events initiated at the tumor environment.
INVOLVEMENT OF INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID PRODUCED BY THE GROWTH-PROMOTING BACTERIUM AZOSPIRILLUM SPP. IN PROMOTING GROWTH OF CHLORELLA VULGARIS(1).

Involvement of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), produced by the microalgae-growth-promoting bacteria Azospirillum brasilens and A. lipoferum, in promoting growth of the microalga Chlorella vulgaris Beij. was studied. Four wildtype strains of Azospirillum and their IAA-deficient mutants were co-immobilized with C. vulgaris in alginate beads. Cultures were grown in synthetic growth medium supplemented with tryptophan. Growth promotion of microalgae and production of exogenous IAA by Azospirillum spp. were monitored. All wildtype Azospirillum spp. produced significant but varying amounts of IAA, while their mutant forms produced significantly less. The results demonstrated a significant growth promotion in Chlorella cultures when immobilized with the four wildtype strains of Azospirillum, while very low or no enhanced growth was induced by the four IAA-deficient mutants, compared to when C. vulgaris is immobilized alone. A complementation experiment, where an IAA-attenuated mutant (A. brasilense SpM7918) was supplemented with IAA produced by its parental wildtype strain (A. brasilense Sp6), restored growth promotion in the microalgae-mutant culture.
The Relation of Plasma Osteocalcin and BMI in Subjects Who Visited a Health Promotion Center of a General Hospital

우리나라는 급속한 사회 경제적 성장과 생활방식의 서구 화로 인하여 비만인구가 급증하게 되었다. 2007년 국민건강 영양조사 자료에 따르면 한국에서 19세 이상 성인의 비만 유병률은 체질량지수 25 kg/m 2 이상을 기준으로 하였을 때, 전체는 31.7%, 남성은 36.2%였으며, 여성에서는 26.3%였 다. 2008년 미국민보건영양조사(NHANES)에서 미국은 체 질량지수 30 kg/m 이상을 기준으로 했을 때, 전체 33.8%, 남성 32.2%, 여성 35.5%의 비만 유병률을 보였다. 1) 비만인 구가 많은 나라로 인식되는 미국과 비교해서도 큰 차이가 없을 만큼 한국 또한 비만의 높은 유병률을 보이고 있다. 심혈관계 질환 및 내분비계 질환 발생이 비만과 밀접한 관계를 가지고 있음이 이미 여러 연구들을 통해 밝혀졌다. 국내 건강검진센터를 방문한 당뇨가 없는 건강한 여성에서 혈중 오스테오칼신과 체질량지수와의 상관관계
GRIMM: genome rearrangements web server.

Summary Genome Rearrangements In Man and Mouse (GRIMM) is a tool for analyzing rearrangements of gene orders in pairs of unichromosomal and multichromosomal genomes, with either signed or unsigned gene data. Although there are several programs for analyzing rearrangements in unichromosomal genomes, this is the first to analyze rearrangements in multichromosomal genomes. GRIMM also provides a new algorithm for analyzing comparative maps for which gene directions are unknown. Availability A web server, with instructions and sample data, is available at http://www-cse.ucsd.edu/groups/bioinformatics/GRIMM.
UAV as a Reliable Wingman: A Flight Demonstration

In this brief, we present the results from a flight experiment demonstrating two significant advances in software enabled control: optimization-based control using real-time trajectory generation and logical programming environments for formal analysis of control software. Our demonstration platform consisted of a human-piloted F-15 jet flying together with an autonomous T-33 jet. We describe the behavior of the system in two scenarios. In the first, nominal state communications were present and the autonomous aircraft maintained formation as the human pilot flew maneuvers. In the second, we imposed the loss of high-rate communications and demonstrated an autonomous safe "lost wingman" procedure to increase separation and reacquire contact. The flight demonstration included both a nominal formation flight component and an execution of the lost wingman scenario.
Combining neural networks and the wavelet transform for image compression

The authors present a new image compression scheme which uses the wavelet transform and neural networks. Image compression is performed in three steps. First, the image is decomposed at different scales, using the wavelet transform, to obtain an orthogonal wavelet representation of the image. Second, the wavelet coefficients are divided into vectors, which are projected onto a subspace using a neural network. The number of coefficients required to represent the vector in the subspace is less than the number of coefficients required to represent the original vector, resulting in data compression. Finally, the coefficients which project the vectors of wavelet coefficients onto the subspace are quantized and entropy coded. The advantages of various quantization schemes are discussed. Using these techniques, a 32 to 1 compression at peak SNR of 29 dB was obtained. >
Software cache coherence for large scale multiprocessors

Shared memory is an appealing abstraction for parallel programming. It must be implemented with caches in order to perform well, however and caches require a coherence mechanism to ensure that processors reference current data. Hardware coherence mechanisms for large-scale machines are complex and costly, but existing software mechanisms for message-passing machines have not provided a performance-competitive solution. We claim that an intermediate hardware option-memory-mapped network interfaces that support a global physical address space-can provide most of the performance benefits of hardware cache coherence. We present a software coherence protocol that runs on this class of machines and greatly narrows the performance gap between hardware and software coherence. We compare the performance of the protocol to that of existing software and hardware alternatives and evaluate the tradeoffs among various cache-write policies. We also observe that simple program changes can greatly improve performance. For the programs in our test suite and with the changes in place, software coherence is often faster and never more than 55% slower than hardware coherence. >
The Relationship Between Parent-Adolescent Communication and Safer Sex Behaviors in College Students:

An increased incidence of HIV infection in adolescents has led researchers to examine factors that influence young people’s sexual behaviors. One of these factors is parent-adolescent communication about sexuality. In this study, two measurements of this communication were developed and tested through a mailed survey instrument methodology, with a sample of 732 college students. The instruments were found to be psychometrically sound. An exploration of the associations between selected demographic variables, parent-adolescent communication about sexuality, and specific safer sexual behaviors was conducted using a Chi Square Automatic Interaction Detection statistical technique. Overall, the study findings suggest that race, gender, and communication with parents are important factors within the sexual activity of college students.
Marine Borers in Calcareous Terrigenous Rocks of the Pacific Coast

Biological attack of carbonate-cemented sandstones and mudstones (Cretaceous and Eocene ages) and semi-consolidated calcareous muds (Holocene age) were studied near La Jolla, southern California. Rocks were collected from the intertidal zone to a depth of 40 m using SCUBA. The deeper samples came from Scripps and La Jolla submarine canyons. In order to learn of the borers and their preferred substrata, we studied the borers in situ as well as in aquaria, examined their borings with x-ray radiography, and analyzed the bored rocks by petrographic techniques. In preferred substrata a sequence of boring activities resulted in over half of the initialrock volume being excavated to depths of 10 cm. The major initial borers were bivalves (pholads, Lithophaga ) , which made straight smooth-walled holes up to 10 cm deep and at all angles to the rock surfaces. When abandoned, these holes were modified by other borers, and interconnected by smooth or roughhewn sinuous passageways 1 to 15 mm in diameter. The passageways were concentrated along bedding planes and in selected layers of rock, meeting at common points to form galleries. Many crustaceans and worms occupied the passageways, and several kinds of saapings and/or etchings characterized the walls. Species accomplishing this have not yet been determined. A variety of borings 1 to 5 mm in diameter have single or multiple openings into the larger passageways. Rates of biological erosion of the rock were obtained from the depth of penetration of the borers and estimated length of life spans in years. Yearly attrition is estimated to range from2 to 10 mm in some localities. Physical and chemical submarine weathering of these rocks alone seldom penetrates more thanone cm from the exposed surface. Because biological penetration is much greater, it is an important factor in shaping the seabed. Borers attack fine-grained rocks more intensely than those that are coarse-grained, perhaps accounting for the dearth of mudstones on the seabed near La Jolla, except for the steep and more rapidly eroding walls of the submarine canyons. Most rocks presently exposed on the relatively flat upper continental shelf (10 to 30 m) appear to be remnants of highly indurated sandstone strata, less susceptible to biological attack.
A Time and Place for Causal Inference Methods in Perinatal and Paediatric Epidemiology

In this issue of Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Sudan et al.1 describe their analysis of cell phone exposure and hearing loss among children enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort. Sudan and colleagues have provided a thoughtful analysis and incorporated several relatively new analytic methods. These include the use of directed acyclic graphs (DAGs),2 marginal structural models (MSM),3 and doubly robust estimators (DRE).4 In addition, the authors also present results from a sensitivity analyses for unmeasured confounding and outcome misclassification.5 While we applaud their efforts, we would like to provide a rationale for the use – and misuse – of these and other methods for causal inference.
Ground-dwelling Spider Assemblages Inhabiting Riparian Forests and Hedgerows in an Agricultural Landscape

Abstract Generalist predators, such as spiders, play an important role as natural enemies in agroecosystems and, given the annual disturbance of most field crops, these predators typically re-colonize fields from adjacent habitats such as hedgerows or riparian forests. To test whether the biota of these source habitats differed, we collected ground-dwelling spiders (Araneae) from thin ( 50 m) riparian forests and hedgerows (<15 m wide) located next to soybean or corn fields in south-west Ohio. Pitfall traps collected spiders at the stream edge, the interior of forests or hedgerows and the agricultural edge. Rarefaction analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination tested how spider diversity and community structure, respectively, differed between hedgerows and riparian forests and by trap location. Wide riparian forests harbored a higher diversity of spiders than thin riparian forests and hedgerows contained the lowest spider diversity. The latter result...
Sex Differences in GABAA Signaling in the Periaqueductal Gray Induced by Persistent Inflammation.

The ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) is a key structure in the descending pain modulatory circuit. Activation of the circuit occurs via disinhibition of GABAergic inputs onto vlPAG output neurons. In these studies, we tested the hypothesis that GABAergic inhibition is increased during persistent inflammation, dampening activation of the descending circuit from the vlPAG. Our results indicate that persistent inflammation induced by Complete Freund9s adjuvant (CFA) modulates GABA signaling differently in male and female rats. CFA treatment results in increased presynaptic GABA release but decreased high-affinity tonic GABAA currents in female vlPAG neurons. These effects are not observed in males. The tonic currents in the vlPAG are dependent on GABA transporter activity and are modulated by agonists that activate GABAA receptors containing the δ subunit. The GABAA δ agonist THIP (gaboxadol) induced similar amplitude currents in naive and CFA-treated rats. In addition, a positive allosteric modulator of the GABAA δ subunit, DS2 (4-chloro-N-[2-(2-thienyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-yl]benzamide), increased tonic currents. These results indicate that GABAA δ receptors remain on the cell surface but are less active in CFA-treated female rats. In vivo behavior studies showed that morphine induced greater antinociception in CFA-treated females that was reversed with microinjections of DS2 directly into the vlPAG. DS2 did not affect morphine antinociception in naive or CFA-treated male rats. Together, these data indicate that sex-specific adaptations in GABAA receptor signaling modulate opioid analgesia in persistent inflammation. Antagonists of GABAA δ receptors may be a viable strategy for reducing pain associated with persistent inflammation, particularly in females. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT These studies demonstrate that GABA signaling is modulated in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray by persistent inflammation differently in female and male rats. Our results indicate that antagonists or negative allosteric modulators of GABAA δ receptors may be an effective strategy to alleviate chronic inflammatory pain and promote opioid antinociception, especially in females.
Marriage, divorce, and asymmetric information

We use data on people's valuations of options outside marriage and beliefs about spouses' options. The data demonstrate that, in some couples, one spouse would be happier and the other spouse unhappier outside of some marriages, suggesting that bargaining takes place and that spouses have private information. We estimate a bargaining model with interdependent utility that quantifies the resulting inefficiencies. Our results show that people forgo some utility in order to make their spouses better off and, in doing so, offset much of the inefficiency generated by their imperfect knowledge. Thus, we find evidence of asymmetric information and interdependent utility in marriage.
Fukushima Daiichi unit 1 uncertainty analysis--Preliminary selection of uncertain parameters and analysis methodology

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) plans to conduct uncertainty analyses (UA) on the Fukushima Daiichi unit (1F1) plant with the MELCOR code. The model to be used was developed for a previous accident reconstruction investigation jointly sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). However, that study only examined a handful of various model inputs and boundary conditions, and the predictions yielded only fair agreement with plant data and current release estimates. The goal of this uncertainty study is to perform a focused evaluation of uncertainty in core melt progression behavior and its effect on key figures-of-merit (e.g., hydrogen production, vessel lower head failure, etc.). In preparation for the SNL Fukushima UA work, a scoping study has been completed to identify important core melt progression parameters for the uncertainty analysis. The study also lays out a preliminary UA methodology.
Extracellular Proteins of Staphylococci.

SummaryStrains representative of potentially pathogenic and nonpathogenic staphylococci were studied with respect to the extra-cellular proteins that accumulate in cultures. Starch gel electrophoresis of the non-dialyzable substances isolated from culture supernates revealed that 12 to 14 species of proteins are elaborated by potentially pathogenic strains while about half as many were found to be associated with nonpathogenic staphylococci. Additional findings permitted the loci of hemolytic and several enzymatic activities to be mapped and compared with those of protein. Most of the proteins do not appear to be identifiable with previously described products of staphylococcal growth, and therefore, represent new extracellular substances. Several of these occur consistently and perhaps exclusively in association with potentially pathogenic strains.
Curriculum vitae: An important tool for the nurse practitioner

Advanced practice nurses (APNs) should maintain a curriculum vitae (CV) that comprehensively reflects the individual's work and professional accomplishments. This article guides APNs through best practices for development of a CV. Tips are offered to help guide the content, format, and maintenance of the CV.
Current concepts in the passivation and encapsulation of semiconductor devices

Approaches to providing reliable semiconductor devices in non-hermetic packages has been reviewed and several conclusions are evident. First, the thermal silicon dioxide which is required for stable and controllable device characteristics must be protected by an outer, dense dielectric. Fortunately, both phosphor-silicate glass and silicon nitride are available for this purpose, and these are being used successfully.
LARGE RETINAL PIGMENT EPITHELIAL RIP ASSOCIATED WITH BULLOUS RETINAL AND CHOROIDAL DETACHMENT.

PURPOSE To report a giant retinal pigment epithelium rip in a patient with a bullous retinal and choroidal detachment. METHODS Case report with widefield imaging, fundus autofluorescence, and optical coherence tomography of the retina. RESULTS This 62-year-old patient had a history of advanced glaucoma, trabeculectomy, blebitis, and endophthalmitis. He had cataract surgery 6 weeks before presentation. He was found to have a large bullous retinal and choroidal detachment with a large retinal pigment epithelium tear at the limit of the choroidal detachment. After vitrectomy for retinal detachment repair, the tear was observed to extend inferiorly at the margins of the choroidal detachment. CONCLUSION This case report demonstrates that large retinal pigment epithelium rips can be found associated with large bullous choroidal and retinal detachments. These tears seem similar to tears that have been observed after trabeculectomy.
Neuronal housekeeping via activation of autophagy by blueberry, strawberry, acai berry and walnut extracts.

Age-related neurodegenerative diseases are associated with an increased accumulation of damaged proteins, organelles and increased susceptibility to oxidative stress and inflammation. Our cell cult...
Binding of Factor VIII to Lipid Nanodiscs Increases its Clotting Function in a Mouse Model of Hemophilia A

Background: Hemophilia A is a congenital bleeding disorder caused by defective or deficient factor VIII (FVIII). The active form of FVIII is the co-factor for the serine protease factor IXa (FIXa) in the membrane-bound intrinsic tenase (FVIIIa-FIXa) complex. The assembly of the FVIIIa-FIXa complex on the activated platelet surface is critical for successful blood clotting. Objectives: To characterize the role of lipid nanodiscs (ND) for on FVIII function in vivo and test the lipid ND as a delivery system for FVIII. To evaluate the potential of binding recombinant FVIII to ND as improved treatment for Hemophilia A. Methods: Recombinant porcine FVIII (rpFVIII) was expressed and characterized in solution, and when bound to ND. The rpFVIII, ND and rpFVIII-ND complexes were characterized via transmission electron microscopy. Functional studies were carried out using aPTT tests and time resolved tail snip studies of hemophilic mice. Results: Functional rpFVIII was successfully assembled on lipid ND. When injected in hemophilic mice, the rpFVIII-ND complexes showed a pronounced pro-coagulant effect, which was stronger than that of rpFVIII alone. While injection of the ND alone showed a pro-coagulant effect this effect was not additive, implying that the rpFVIIIND complexes have a synergistic effect on the clotting process in hemophilic mice. Conclusions: Binding of rpFVIII to ND prior to its injection in hemophilic mice significantly improves the therapeutic function of the protein. This represents a meaningful step towards a new approach to modulate blood coagulation at the membrane-bound FVIII level and the assembly of the intrinsic tenase complex.
Two-Step Phototherapy for Patients with Resistant Disease

It is not uncommon for patients to have only a partial response to UVB phototherapy. Typically, adequate improvement of disease is seen on the trunk, but treatment response may be poor on the distal extremities. In such a case, the two-step approach can be utilized. In the two-step approach, the patient will first receive phototherapy as usual to the whole body for overall exposure, followed by a second additional treatment to the extremities while covering the rest of the body.
Pensions, Politics, and Soul Train: Anglo-Caribbean Diasporic Encounters with Guantánamo from the War to the Special Period

Centering the narratives of Cubans of Anglo-Caribbean origin, this chapter examines encounters with the Guant\xE1namo naval base. For some black immigrants and their Cuban-born children, the Base was a space of transnational conviviality and source of status and upward mobility. With the 1959 revolution, it became one of the theatres of the escalating hostilities between the United States and Cuba, catching this community in the crossfire. Now, in the post-Soviet era, the Base continues to create a loud echo in the lives of Anglo-Caribbean Cubans. Exploring the contours of the Base’s impact in the political, economic, and cultural spheres, this chapter engages questions of identity, citizenship, and asymmetries of power at the intersections created by this particular case of militarization.
Animal-sediment relations and community analysis of a Florida estuary

Five species assemblages of the intertidal infauna of Old Tampa Bay, Florida, USA are identified. Two assemblages are judged to constitute distinct communities, while a third is shown to be an interdigitation of the two communities. Dominance by on species is the prevalent pattern within the assemblages. Numbers of deposit feeders are found to be inversely correlated to that of filter feeders, and both trophic types are found to be correlated to the sediment parameters of median grain size, sorting and skewness. Three transects with three stations each were established along the south side of Courtney Campbell Causeway in Tampa Bay, Florida. A faunal sample (0.4 m2), a sediment sample, and a water sample were taken at each station in September, December, and March of 1968/1969. Sediment samples were wet-seived. Animal samples were reduced to numbers of organisms and biomass per species. Trellis diagrams and correlation tests were generated. Support is shown for the trophic group-amensalims hypothesis, however, the silt-clay fraction is apparently of lesser importance to deposit feeders in Florida sediments than in Buzzards Bay sediments. An attempt is made to relate an analysis of the optimal grain size for filter feeders to the trophic group-amensalism hypothesis. A view of communities as abstractions from continua is more realistic than communities as discrete units.
The Incorrigible Science: A Conversation with James Lamiell

James Lamiell, in his interview, discusses his abiding concerns over the notion, by now thoroughly embedded within the research methods canon of contemporary mainstream scientific psychology, that knowledge of statistical patterns in population-level data is knowledge that is also scientifically informative about the psychological lives of individual persons. Located at the nexus of the philosophy of psychology, the history of psychology, and research methods in psychology, Lamiell’s work identifies the many historical points at which the confusions that result from this mistaken notion have been clearly articulated by critics but then ignored, or misunderstood, within psychology’s mainstream, revealing the discipline to be, in this crucial respect, effectively incorrigible. The result is neither good science nor ethically unquestionable professional practice.
Finite model finding in satisfiability modulo theories

In recent years, Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) solvers have emerged as powerful tools in many formal methods applications, including verification, automated theorem proving, planning and software synthesis. The expressive power of SMT allows problems from many disciplines to be handled in a single unified approach. While SMT solvers are highly effective at handling certain classes of problems due to highly tuned implementations of efficient ground decision procedures, their ability is often limited when reasoning about universally quantified first-order formulas. Since generally this class of problems is undecidable, most SMT solvers use heuristic techniques for answering unsatisfiable when quantified formulas are present. On the other hand, when the problem is satisfiable, solvers using these techniques will either run indefinitely, or give up after some predetermined amount of effort. In a majority of formal methods applications, it is critical that the SMT solver be able to determine when such a formula is satisfiable, especially when it can return some representation of a model for the formula. This dissertation introduces new techniques for finding models for SMT formulas containing quantified first-order formulas. We will focus our attention on finding finite models, that is, models whose domain elements can be represented as a finite set. We give a procedure that is both finite model complete and refutationally complete for a fragment of first-order logic that occurs commonly in practice.
Self-reported Medication Adherence and CKD Progression

Introduction In the general population, medication nonadherence contributes to poorer outcomes. However, little is known about medication adherence among adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We evaluated the association of self-reported medication adherence with CKD progression and all-cause death in patients with CKD. Methods In this prospective observational study of 3305 adults with mild-to-moderate CKD enrolled in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study, the baseline self-reported medication adherence was assessed by responses to 3 questions and categorized as high, medium, and low. CKD progression (50% decline in eGFR or incident end-stage renal disease) and all-cause death were measured using multivariable Cox proportional hazards. Results Of the patients, 68% were categorized as high adherence, 17% medium adherence, and 15% low adherence. Over a median follow-up of 6 years, there were 969 CKD progression events and 675 deaths. Compared with the high-adherence group, the low-adherence group experienced increased risk for CKD progression (hazard ratio = 1.27, 95% confidence interval = 1.05, 1.54) after adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical factors, cardiovascular medications, number of medication types, and depressive symptoms. A similar association existed between low adherence and all-cause death, but did not reach standard statistical significance (hazard ratio = 1.14 95% confidence interval = 0.88, 1.47). Conclusion Baseline self-reported low medication adherence was associated with an increased risk for CKD progression. Future work is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying this association and to develop interventions to improve adherence.
Electron parallel closures for the 3 + 1 fluid model

Linear closures are obtained for arbitrary collisionality for the 3 + 1 fluid model which includes the evolution of density, flow velocity, and pressure both parallel and perpendicular to a preferred direction, usually a magnetic field. A large set of 6400 moment equations is solved to provide closures that are accurate in the collisional regime and well into the collisionless regime. The closures in the collisionless limit are determined by solving the kinetic equation with a model collision operator. Simple fits for the kernel functions that define the closures are obtained for arbitrary collisionality in wave number space. The results are linearly accurate to within 3% across the entire range of collisionality.
IDENTIFICATION OF BONE MICROSTRUCTURE FROM EFFECTIVE COMPLEX MODULUS

This work deals with the problem of reconstruction of bone structure from measurements of its effective mechanical properties. We propose a novel method of calculation of bone porosity from measured effective complex modulus. Bone is modelled as a medium with a microstructure composed of trabecular bone (elastic component) and bone marrow (viscoelastic component). We model bone as a cylinder subjected to torsion and assume that the effective complex modulus can be measured as a result of experiment. The analytical representation of the effective complex mod- ulus of the two-component composite material is exploited to recover information about porosity of the bone. The microstructural information is contained in the spectral measure in the Stieltjes representation of the effective complex modulus and can be recovered from the measurements over a range of frequencies. The problem of reconstruction of the spectral measure is very ill-posed and requires regularization. To verify the approach we apply it to analytically and numerically simulated response of a cylinder subjected to torsion assuming that it is filled with a composite material with known (laminated) microstructure. The values of porosity calculated from the effective shear modulus are in good agreement with the model values.
Directionality of change in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and suicidal ideation over six years in a naturalistic clinical sample

Abstract Background Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with elevated suicide risk, but the directionality of the association between OCD severity and suicidal ideation has not been established, which was the goal of this study. Methods Participants (n = 325) were adults with either a current or past diagnosis of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) OCD who were assessed annually for suicidal ideation and OCD symptom severity for six years. Cross-lagged panel analyses statistically compared unidirectional and bidirectional models over time. Serious suicide-related adverse events were reported. Results The best-fitting and most parsimonious model included paths predicting suicidal ideation from OCD symptom severity, but not vice versa. These results were confirmed by comparing a model with cross-lagged paths constrained equal to a freely estimated model. Higher OCD symptom severity in a given year was associated with a higher suicidal ideation severity in the subsequent year. Five suicide-related adverse events were reported throughout the duration of the study, including two suicide deaths and three suicide attempts. Limitations The study relied on a single-item, annual measure of suicidal ideation in adults, with substantial variability in severity of suicide risk, and missing data increased with later observations in the study. Discussion OCD symptom severity predicted next year suicidal ideation severity. In contrast, suicidal ideation severity in a given year did not predict next-year OCD symptom severity in this OCD sample. Thus, rather than waiting for suicidal ideation to resolve, clinicians should consider providing empirically supported treatments for OCD.
Comparative features and outcomes between paediatric T-cell and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Summary Contemporary paediatric clinical trials have improved 5-year event-free survival above 85% and 5-year overall survival above 90% in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in many study groups, whilst outcomes for T-cell ALL are still lagging behind by 5–10% in most studies. Several factors have contributed to this discrepant outcome. First, patients with T-cell ALL are generally older than those with B-cell ALL and, therefore, have poorer tolerance to chemotherapy, especially dexamethasone and asparaginase, and have increased risk of extramedullary relapse. Second, a higher proportion of patients with B-cell ALL have favourable genetic subtypes (eg, ETV6–RUNX1 and high hyperdiploidy), which confer a superior outcome compared with favourable subtypes of T-cell ALL. Third, T-cell ALL blasts are generally more resistant to conventional chemotherapeutic drugs than are B-cell ALL blasts. Finally, patients with B-cell ALL are more amendable to available targeted therapies, such as Philadelphia chromosome-positive and some Philadelphia chromosome-like ALL cases to ABL-class tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and CD19-positive and CD22-postive B-cell ALL cases to a variety of immunotherapies. Several novel treatments under investigation might narrow the gap in survival between T-cell ALL and B-cell ALL, although novel treatment options for T-cell ALL are limited.
Nutritional Intake and Bone Health Among Adults With Probable Undiagnosed, Untreated Celiac Disease: What We Eat in America and NHANES 2009-2014.

Objective: The aim was to evaluate differences in nutritional intake of calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus; serologic indices of these nutrients; and bone health among adults with and without proba...
Foraging devices as enrichment in captive walruses (Odobenus rosmarus)

Stereotypies in captive animals are typically defined as repetitive, invariant behavioral patterns with no obvious goal or function. They are often attributed to boredom or fear and treated by introducing occupational stimuli. The present work on captive walruses examined the relationship between walrus stereotypies and species-typical foraging behaviors engaged in by their wild counterparts. Two types of walrus stereotypies were studied: (a) patterned swimming around their pool, or (b) repetitive sucking of some item, typically their own flipper. We tested two enrichment devices under filled and empty conditions: large foam/rubber mats and hollow boomer balls, both with multiple holes in them. Both devices were designed to stimulate the use of flippers, vibrissae, and mouth suctioning of small food in the devices. Walruses in the devices with food conditions increased locomotion and device contact and decreased engaging in stereotypies. We conclude: (1) daily stereotypies in these captive walruses are based on incomplete behavioral foraging "loops" (2) providing stimuli supporting completed foraging sequences can reduce stereotypies and increase active foraging components.