cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Resistance Gene Transfer in Anaerobes: New Insights, New Problems

Investigations of antibiotic-resistance gene transfer elements in Bacteroides species have generated some new insights into how bacteria transfer resistance genes and what environmental conditions foster gene transfer. Integrated gene transfer elements, called conjugative transposons, appear to be responsible for much of the transfer of resistance genes among Bacteroides species. Conjugative transposons not only transfer themselves but also mobilize coresident plasmids and excise and mobilize unlinked integrated elements. Less is known about resistance gene transfer elements of the gram-positive anaerobes, but there are some indications that similar elements may be found in them as well. An unusual feature of the Bacteroides conjugative transposons is that transfer of many of them is stimulated considerably by low concentrations of antibiotics. Thus, antibiotics not only select for resistant strains but also can stimulate transfer of the resistance gene in the first place. This finding raises questions about whether use of low-dose tetracycline therapy may have a greater effect on the resident microflora than had been previously thought. Finally, investigations of resistance genes in Bacteroides species and other genera of bacteria have begun to provide evidence that the resident microflora of the human body does indeed act as a reservoir for resistance genes, which may be acquired from and passed on the transient colonizers of the site.
From nature to culture? Diogenes and philosophical anthropology

This essay is concerned with the central issue of philosophical anthropology: the relation between nature and culture. Although Rousseau was the first thinker to introduce this topic within the modern discourse of philosophy and the cultural sciences, it has its origin in Diogenes the Cynic, who was a disciple of Socrates. In my essay 1(1) historically introduce a few aspects of philosophical anthropology, (2) deal with the nature-culture exchange, as introduced in Kant, then I (3) relate this topic to the Ancient Cynic Diogenes. Surprisingly, although we usually identify Critical Theory and Freudian psychoanalysis as theories that have shown that cultural progress should not be comprehended as a development from nature to culture, and that instead it should be conceived as a development from culture against (external as well as internal) nature, I show that Cynicism can be conceived as a vivid example within the history of our culture that reveals a double sense of repression and alienation, which is part of human civilization and mankind.
Modulation of Rat Lung Na+,K+-Atpase Gene Expression by Hyperoxia

Rats exposed to 85% O2 for 5–7 days develop tolerance to otherwise lethal hyperoxia (100% O2). The rate of alveolar fluid clearance increases during adaptation to hyperoxia, due in part to increased alveolar epithelial sodium channel activity. In these studies, we have investigated molecular mechanisms leading to increased lung Na+,K+-ATPase activity in hyperoxia. We exposed adult rats to 85% O2 (sublethal hyperoxia) for 7 days, followed by 2, 3, or 4 days in 100% O2. Steady-state levels of the Na+,K+-ATPase α1 and β1 subunit mRNAs increased in whole lung tissue during hyperoxia exposures. Stability of the Na+,K+-ATPase α1 and β1 subunit mRNA messages in whole lung RNA did not change significantly. Thus, lung Na+,K+-ATPase gene expression in sublethal hyperoxia appears to be regulated in part at the transcriptional level. Alveolar epithelial type II (ATII) cell Na+,K+-ATPase α1 and β1 subunit proteins, measured by quantitative immunofluorescence, increased significantly after sublethal hyperoxia and 100% ...
Localization of genes influencing ethanol-induced conditioned place preference and locomotor activity in BXD recombinant inbred mice.

Genetic differences in ethanol's ability to induce conditioned place preference were studied in 20 BXD Recombinant Inbred (RI) mouse strains and in the C57BL/6J and DBA/2J progenitor strains. Male mice from each strain were exposed to a Pavlovian conditioning procedure in which a distinctive floor stimulus (CS+) was paired four times with ethanol (2 g/kg). A different floor stimulus (CS-) was paired with saline. Control mice were injected only with saline. Floor preference testing without ethanol revealed significant genetic differences in conditioned place preference, with some strains spending nearly 80% time on the ethanolpaired floor while others spent only 50% (i.e., no preference). Control mice showed genetic differences in unconditioned preference for the floor cues, but unconditioned preference was not genetically correlated with conditioned preference. There were also substantial genetic differences in ethanol-stimulated activity, but contrary to psychomotor stimulant theory, ethanol-induced activity on conditioning trials was not positively correlated with strength of conditioned place preference. However, there was a significant negative genetic correlation (r=−0.42) between test session activity and preference. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses showed strong associations (P<0.01) between conditioned place preference and marker loci on chromosomes 4, 8, 9, 18 and 19. Weaker associations (0.01<P<0.05) were identified on several other chromosomes. Analysis also yielded several significant QTL for unconditioned preference, ethanol-stimulated activity, and sensitization. Overall, these data support the conclusion that genotype influences ethanol-induced conditioned place preference, presumably via genetic differences in sensitivity to ethanol's rewarding effects. Moreover, several chromosomal regions containing candidate genes of potential relevance to ethanol-induced conditioned place preference have been identified.
The current state of bioterrorist attack surveillance and preparedness in the US

The use of biological agents as weapons to disrupt established structures, such as governments and especially larger urban populations, has been prevalent throughout history. Following the anthrax letters sent to various government officials in the fall of 2001, the US has been investing in prevention, surveillance, and preparation for a potential bioterrorism attack. Additional funding authorized since 2002 has assisted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency to invest in preventative research measures as well as preparedness programs, such as the Laboratory Response Network, Hospital Preparedness Program, and BioWatch. With both sentinel monitoring systems and epidemiological surveillance programs in place for metropolitan areas, the immediate threat of a large-scale bioterrorist attack may be limited. However, early detection is a crucial factor to initiate immediate response measures to prevent further spread following dissemination of a biological agent. Especially in rural areas, an interagency approach to train health care workers and raise awareness for the general public remain primary tasks, which is an ongoing challenge. Risk-management approaches in responding to dissemination of biological agents, as well as appropriate decontamination measures that reduce the probability of further contamination, have been provided, and suggest further investments in preparedness and surveillance. Ongoing efforts to improve preparedness and response to a bioterrorist attack are crucial to further reduce morbidity, mortality, and economic impact on public health.
Diuretic therapeutics in the pediatric patient

Abstract Careful management of fluid and electrolytes has long been an intrinsic part of pediatric practice. However, the augmentation of these manipulations through the rational use of diuretic agents requires considerable skill. In pediatric medicine, the regulation of pharmacodynamic processes show dramatic age-related changes. These ontogenetic processes and thier modification by various disease states must be considered carefully before selection and application of diuretic agents. The available data concerning the ontogeny of renal function and the attemps to apply diuretic therapy to pediatric disease are reviewed. It is concluded that results obtained to date suffer from the absence of a rigorous attempt to answer the fundamental therapeutic questions: What drug? What dose? What duration of therapy? A rational “target-effect” strategy is proposed for the application of diuretic agents to pediatric medicine.
Molecular reorientation in monolayers at the paraffin-water interface

Abstract Stearic acid monomolecular films on 10 −4 M CaCl 2 subsolutions were deposited on paraffin substrates by the Langmuir-Blodgett method over the pH range 2–9. The withdrawal contact angle developed during the deposition of the second monolayer was examined by a cinematographic technique. The contact angle behavior appears to be associated with changes in the molecular orientation of the immersed film molecules at the paraffin-water interface. Evidence for molecular reorientation is presented and discussed.
New World Monkey Aotus nancymae as a Model for Campylobacter jejuni Infection and Immunity

Three groups of six monkeys (Aotus nancymae) each were inoculated intragastrically with increasing doses of Campylobacter jejuni. Infection resulted in fecal colonization (100% of monkeys), dose-related diarrhea, and robust immune responses. Colonization duration and diarrhea rate were reduced upon secondary challenge. A. nancymae may be useful for studying anti-Campylobacter vaccine efficacy.
Distance Bounding Protocol for Multiple RFID Tag Authentication

Relay attacks occur when an adversary simply relays signals between honest reader and tag without modifying it in any way. Since the signal content is not modified by the adversary, none of the extant cryptographic protocols are immune to such attacks. There have been several proposed protocols that purport to alleviate this problem for a single tag. We propose a protocol that considers relay attacks when multiple tags are authenticated for their simultaneous presence in the field of the reader.
Tumour necrosis factor receptor 1 and mortality in a multi-ethnic cohort: the Northern Manhattan Study

Objective: to study the association between soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor 1 (sTNFR1) levels and mortality in the population-based Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS). Methods: NOMAS is a multi-ethnic, community-based cohort study with mean 8.4 years of follow-up. sTNFR1 was measured using ELISA. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (HR, 95% CI) for the association of sTNFR1 with risk of all-cause mortality after adjusting for relevant confounders. Results: sTNFR1 measurements were available in 1,862 participants (mean age 69.2 ± 10.2 years) with 512 all-cause deaths. Median sTNFR1 was 2.28 ng/ml. Those with sTNFR1 levels in the highest quartile (Q4), compared with those with sTNFR1 in the lowest quartile (Q1), were at an increased risk of all-cause mortality (adjusted HR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.4– 2.4) and non-vascular mortality (adjusted HR: 2.5, 95% CI: 1.5–3.6), but not vascular mortality (adjusted HR: 1.3, 95% CI: 0.9–1.9). There were interactions between sTNFR1 quartiles and medical insurance-status [likelihood ratio test (LRT) with 3 degrees of freedom, Pinteraction= 0.02] and alcohol consumption (LRT with 3 degrees of freedom, Pinteraction< 0.01) for all-cause mortality. In participants with no insurance or Medicaid, those with sTNFR1 in the top quartile had nearly a threefold increased risk of total mortality than the lowest quartile (adjusted HR: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.9–4.4). Conclusion: in this multi-ethnic cohort, sTNFR1 was associated with all-cause and non-vascular mortality, particularly among those of a lower socioeconomic status.
Positron emission tomographic imaging of neural correlates of a fear acquisition and extinction paradigm in women with childhood sexual-abuse-related post-traumatic stress disorder.

Background. In the conditioned fear paradigm, repeated pairing of an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US) (e.g. electric shock) with a neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) (e.g. bright light) results in a conditioned fear response to the light alone. Animal studies have shown that the amygdala plays a critical role in acquisition of conditioned fear responses, while the medial prefrontal cortex (including anterior cingulate), through inhibition of amygdala responsiveness, has been hypoth- esized to play a role in extinction of fear responses. No studies have examined neural correlates of fear conditioning and extinction in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Method. Women with early childhood sexual-abuse-related PTSD (n=8) and women without abuse or PTSD (n=11) underwent measurement of psychophysiological (skin conductance) responding as well as positron emission tomographic (PET) measurement of cerebral blood flow during habitu- ation, acquisition and extinction conditions. During habituation subjects were repeatedly exposed to a blue square on a screen. During acquisition, exposure to the blue square (CS) was paired with an electric shock to the forearm (US). With extinction, subjects were again exposed to the blue squares without shock. On a different day subjects went through the same procedure with electric shocks administered randomly in the absence of the blue square. Results. Skin conductance responding to the CS was consistent with the development of con- ditioned responses with this paradigm. PTSD patients had increased left amygdala activation with fear acquisition, and decreased anterior cingulate function during extinction, relative to controls. Conclusions. These findings implicate amygdala and anterior cingulate in the acquisition and extinction of fear responses, respectively, in PTSD.
Periodic Review Inventory Systems with Continuous Demand and Discrete Order Sizes

We study a single product inventory system with nonnegative setup cost in which the demand is a continuous random variable but orders are restricted to be integer valued. Optimal policies, when there are no setup costs, have a nice form. However, we show that, when the setup costs are nonzero, optimal policies may have a very counterintuitive form without any particular structure. We obtain a bound for the increase in costs resulting from the restriction of orders to be integers and define a suboptimal policy whose performance is within that bound.
Cloacibacillus porcorum sp. nov., a mucin-degrading bacterium from the swine intestinal tract and emended description of the genus Cloacibacillus.

A novel anaerobic, mesophilic, amino-acid-fermenting bacterium, designated strain CL-84T, was isolated from the swine intestinal tract on mucin-based media. Cells were curved rods (0.8–1.2×3.5–5.0 µm), stained Gram-negative and were non-motile with no evidence of spores. Strain CL-84T produced acetate, propionate, formate and butyrate as the end products of metabolism when grown on serine. Optimum growth occurred at 39 °C and pH 6.5. The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 0 3-OH, iso-C17 : 0 and C16 : 0, distinguishing strain CL-84T from closely related species. The DNA G+C content of strain CL-84T was 55.1 mol%. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain CL-84T shared 90–95 % similarity with characterized genera within the phylum Synergistetes , family Synergistaceae . Phylogenetic analysis showed that strain CL-84T was related to, but distinct from, Cloacibacillus evryensis . Based on these findings, we propose that strain CL-84T represents a novel species of the genus Cloacibacillus . We further propose the name Cloacibacillus porcorum sp. nov. be designated for this species. The type strain is CL-84T ( = DSM 25858T = CCUG 62631T). An emended description of the genus Cloacibacillus is provided.
A Content Analysis of the Appeals Used in Advertising in the American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy in 1960, 1970, 1980, and 1990

ABSTRACTPrevious research efforts have identified pharmaceutical advertising appeals that attempt to motivate physicians to prescribe or pharmacists to dispense a particular drug product. The information provided by this study represents a description and quantification of a 30-year progression of drug product advertising directed at the institutional pharmacist. The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the total number of pharmaceutical advertising appeals encountered in the American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy in 1960, 1970, 1980, and 1990, (2) to determine the frequency of advertisements in the study years with respect to type of appeal, (3) to determine external rationale for any trends identified, and (4) to identify any new appeal types. A total of 896 drug product advertisements in 7,071 journal pages were evaluated to reveal a total of 4,537 appeal appearances. The average number of appeals per advertisement increased from 3.82 in I960 to 5.75 in 1990, and several new appeal categories ...
A Diophantine Frequency Synthesizer for the Examination of High Spectral Purity

Diophantine frequency synthesis (DFS), a number theoretic approach to the design of very high resolution and agile frequency synthesizers was introduced at the IEEE frequency control symposium of 2006, [1]. Since DFS uses frequency addition (and/or subtraction), concerns for the impact of mixing spurs in the spectral purity was raised. Further work has been performed to address this issue and is reported in this paper. The focus has been on basic DFS architecture targeting micro-phase type applications. The design goal has been to achieve 100 dB spurious free dynamic range (SPFD) with minimal circuit complexity. The results of the examination demonstrate that the use of DFS does not impart any extraordinary design constraints to spectral purity from that of other topology choices. In fact, the flexibility of the design technique from its applied math basis allows this demonstration synthesizer to be realized with simple and expedient construction.
Facilitation of lordosis in rats by a metabolite of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone

In the female rat, ovulation is preceded by a marked increase in the release of the decapeptide, LHRH, culminating in a preovulatory LH surge, which coincides with a period of sexual receptivity. The decapeptide, LHRH, is processed by a zinc metalloendopeptidase EC 3.4.24.15 (EP24.15) that cleaves the hormone at the Tyr(5)-Gly(6) bond. We have previously reported that the autoregulation of LHRH gene expression can also be mediated by its metabolite, LHRH-(1-5). Given the central function of LHRH in reproduction and reproductive behavior, we examined the role of the metabolite, LHRH-(1-5), in mediation of LHRH-facilitated reproductive behavior. Intracerebroventricular administration of LHRH-(1-5) facilitated sexual behavior responses, similar to those facilitated by the decapeptide LHRH, in ovariectomized estradiol-primed female rats. Furthermore, immunoneutralization of EP24.15 resulted in the inhibition of the LHRH-facilitated lordosis but had no inhibitory effects on LHRH-(1-5)-facilitated lordosis. The LHRH antagonist, Antide, was capable of inhibiting LHRH-facilitated lordosis, without affecting LHRH-(1-5)-facilitated lordosis. Collectively, these results suggest a role for LHRH metabolites in the facilitation of female receptive behavior in rats.
Wireless Mesh Networks: Current Challenges and Future Directions of Web-In-The-Sky

Within the short span of a decade, Wi-Fi hotspots have revolutionized Internet service provisioning. With the increasing popularity and rising demand for more public Wi-Fi hotspots, network service providers are facing a daunting task. Wi-Fi hotspots typically require extensive wired infrastructure to access the backhaul network, which is often expensive and time consuming to provide in such situations. wireless mesh networks (WMNs) offer an easy and economical alternative for providing broadband wireless Internet connectivity and could be called the web-in-the-sky. In place of an underlying wired backbone, a WMN forms a wireless backhaul network, thus obviating the need for extensive cabling. They are based on multihop communication paradigms that dynamically form a connected network. However, multihop wireless communication is severely plagued by many limitations such as low throughput and limited capacity. In this article we point out key challenges that are impeding the rapid progress of this upcoming technology. We systematically examine each layer of the network and discuss the feasibility of some state-of-the-art technologies/protocols for adequately addressing these challenges. We also provide broader and deeper insight to many other issues that are of paramount importance for the successful deployment and wider acceptance of WMNs.
Patterns of Insertion and Deletion in Contrasting Chromatin Domains

Transposable elements (TEs) play a fundamental role in the evolution of genomes. In Drosophila they are disproportionately represented in regions of low recombination, such as in heterochromatin. This pattern has been attributed to selection against repeated elements in regions of normal recombination, owing to either (1) the slightly deleterious position effects of TE insertions near or into genes, or (2) strong selection against chromosomal abnormalities arising from ectopic exchange between TE repeats. We have used defective non-long-terminal repeat (LTR) TEs that are "dead-on-arrival" (DOA) and unable to transpose in order to estimate spontaneous deletion rates in different constituents of chromatin. These elements have previously provided evidence for an extremely high rate of spontaneous deletion in Drosophila as compared with mammals, potentially explaining at least part of the differences in the genome sizes in these organisms. However, rates of deletion could be overestimated due to positive selection for a smaller likelihood of ectopic exchange. In this article, we show that rates of spontaneous deletion in DOA repeats are as high in heterochromatin and regions of euchromatin with low recombination as they are in regions of euchromatin with normal recombination. We have also examined the age distribution of five non-LTR families throughout the genome. We show that there is substantial variation in the historical pattern of transposition of these TEs. The overrepresentation of TEs in the heterochromatin is primarily due to their longer retention time in heterochromatin, as evidenced by the average time since insertion. Fragments inserted recently are much more evenly distributed in the genome. This contrast demonstrates that the accumulation of TEs in heterochromatin and in euchromatic regions of low recombination is not due to biased transposition but by greater probabilities of fixation in these regions relative to regions of normal recombination.
Nombrar y representar: escritura y naturaleza en el Códice de la Cruz-Badiano, 1552

The present study of the Codice de la Cruz-Badiano recontextualizes this document as a place of encounter between different writing systems and knowledge. The analysis of the relation between the pictographic-glyphic and alphabetical traditions is a way to approach the cultural interactions between the Old and the New World and to provide information about natural history that was not present in the texts in Latin. The codex is evidence of a complex process by which different knowledge and expression systems coexisted during the post conquest period. The concept of hibridity is useful to illuminate the processes of cultural interaction present in this colonial artifact of the 16th century, stepping away from recurrent ideas of cultural contamination or imposition.
Comorbid depression and substance use disorder: Longitudinal associations between symptoms in a controlled trial

Abstract This study examined the longitudinal association between substance use and depressive symptoms in veterans receiving outpatient treatment for comorbid substance use disorder and major depression. Veterans ( N = 237, mean age=48.2 years, 90% male, 70% Caucasian) received either 6 months of group integrated cognitive–behavioral therapy or twelve-step facilitation. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores and percent days using any substance were assessed every 3 months up to 1 year posttreatment. Greater substance use predicted time-varying elevations in depression above individual patterns of change in depression. Moreover, change in depressive symptoms was associated with change in both the likelihood of any substance use and the frequency of use during the treatment and follow-up periods. Changes in these symptoms appear to be linked, such that individuals with greater reductions in substance use have greater reductions in depressive symptoms (and vice versa).
Constructing the U.S. Rapprochement with China, 1961–1974: From “Red Menace” to “Tacit Ally.”

Constructing the U.S. Rapprochement with China, 1961–1974: From “Red Menace” to “Tacit Ally.” By Evelyn Goh. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. 316p. $75.00.The constructivist approach to the study of international relations seems to have become popular today. Evelyn Goh's book uses the constructivist approach to study one of the most dramatic events in the history of international relations in the twentieth century: Richard Nixon's rapprochement with China. The traditional orthodox interpretation of Sino-American relations views bilateral relations in the 1960s as an extension of hostility and antagonism that started in the early 1950s; Nixon's dramatic departure in the early 1970s resulted from his realistic calculation of American strategic interests and the assistance China might provide in counterbalancing the increasing Soviet threat. This book analyzes the Sino-American rapprochement from a different angle. By identifying and tracing, throughout the 1960s within the U.S. government, the changing perception of China and the idea of a new China policy associated with the rapprochement, Goh tries to answer the question of how the rapprochement could have been achieved, rather than why it happened in 1972.
Deserted island or a child's first language forgetting

The longitudinal study reported in the present paper examines L1 vocabulary decline by a child whose native language input effectively ceased after her immersion into the L2 environment. The subject of the study was a Russian girl adopted by an American family, brought to the USA, and completely isolated from any contact with the Russian-speaking environment. The analysis of the data was based on the results of picture naming tasks and reaction time measurements. Three groups of words showed high vulnerability to forgetting: high frequency words, cognates, and semantically convergent pairs (pairs of words lexically distinguished in L2 and non-distinguished in L1). Fast forgetting of these lexical items in L1 was related to the acquisition of their equivalents in L2. The comparison of noun versus verb retention/acquisition suggested that there might be a delay in L1 verb forgetting / L2 verb acquisition at the early stage of an extensive exposure to the second language.
Institutional food as a lever for improving health in cities: the case of New York City

Abstract Objectives To describe and examine the factors that most facilitate and impede the provision of healthy foods in a complex institutional food system. Study design Comparative case study of three institutional food settings in New York City. Methods Document review and interviews with relevant city government staff. Results Factors that facilitate and impede the provision of healthy food vary across institutional food settings, and particularly between centralized and decentralized settings. Generally pro-health factors include centralized purchasing and the ability to work with vendors to formulate items to improve nutritional quality, though decentralized purchasing may offer more flexibility to work with vendors offering healthier food items and to respond to consumer preferences. Factors most often working against health in more centralized systems include financing constraints that are unique to particular settings. In less centralized systems, factors working against health may include both financing constraints and factors that are site-specific, relating to preparation and equipment. Conclusions Making changes to institutional food systems that will meaningfully influence public health requires a detailed understanding of the diverse systems supporting and shaping public food provision. Ultimately, the cases in this study demonstrate that agency staff typically would like to provide healthier foods, but often feel limited by the competing objectives of affordability and consumer preference. Their ability to address these competing objectives is shaped by a combination of both forces external to the institution, like nutritional regulations, and internal forces, like an agency's structure, and motivation on the part of staff.
Early Dialysis Initiation, a Look from the Rearview Mirror to What’s Ahead

The article by Slinin et al. reported in this issue of CJASN presents some interesting trends regarding provider and patient care characteristics and early start of dialysis in the United States in 2006 ([1][1]). As reported by others, their study found that older patients, patients with diabetes,
Discouraging Racial Preferences in Adoptions

More than 20,000 white Americans go abroad each year to adopt children from other countries, the majority of whom are not white. At the same time, there are more African-American children available for adoption than there are African-American families seeking to adopt them. While Americans claim there are few healthy infants available for adoption in the United States, hundreds of African-American newborns each year are placed with white families in Canada and other countries. Tracing the history of transracial adoption in the United States, Professor Maldonado argues that one reason Americans go abroad to adopt is race. The racial hierarchy in the adoption market places white children at the top, African-American children at the bottom, and children of other races in between, thereby possibly rendering children from Asia or Latin America more desirable to adoptive parents than African-American children. Drawing on the rich literature on cognitive bias, Professor Maldonado debunks the myths about domestic and international adoptions and shows that racial preferences, even if unconscious, play a role in many Americans' decisions to adopt internationally. She proposes that the law discourage international adoptions based on racial preferences by requiring that Americans seeking to adopt internationally, while there are available children in the United States who meet their non raced based criteria, show non-race-based reasons for going abroad.
Effects of neural differentiation maturity status of human induced pluripotent stem cells prior to grafting in a subcortical ischemic stroke model

Neural cell grafting is a promising therapy for stroke, but the optimal differentiation status of the cells prior to grafting is unclear. We grafted cells at different maturity stages (days 28, 42, or 56 of in vitro neural differentiation) into the brains of eight-week-old rats one week after subcortical ischemic stroke, and assessed motor and sensory behavioral recovery over one month. We did not find a difference between the grafted or control groups on behavioral recovery, or on brain tissue outcomes including infarct size, microgliosis, or astrocytosis. Further research is needed into mechanisms of benefit of neural cell grafting for stroke.
Inheritance of Photoperiodic Responses Controlling Diapause

It is useful to divide the life cycles of insects into 4 main phases: reproduction, growth and development, dormancy, and (to a greater or lesser degree) movement and migration. Each of these episodes must be synchronized to specific biotic and abiotic requisites that vary with the season. For most insects, diapause is the primary factor that synchronizes the annual rhythm of their life history phases with appropriate seasonal conditions (see Tauber et al. 1979). Diapause is a genetically determined and environmentally controlled state during which development is suppressed, metabolic activity is lowered, resistance to environmental extremes is increased, and behavioral activity is altered or reduced. One of the main functions of diapause is to initiate dormancy at the suitable time; subsequently the end of diapause sets the stage for appropriately timing the active stages that follow.
Translation of Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: From Clinical Trial in a Dish to Precision Medicine

The prospect of changing the plasticity of terminally differentiated cells toward pluripotency has completely altered the outlook for biomedical research. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide a new source of therapeutic cells free from the ethical issues or immune barriers of human embryonic stem cells. iPSCs also confer considerable advantages over conventional methods of studying human diseases. Since its advent, iPSC technology has expanded with 3 major applications: disease modeling, regenerative therapy, and drug discovery. Here we discuss, in a comprehensive manner, the recent advances in iPSC technology in relation to basic, clinical, and population health.
Application of a modified Craig-Bampton method in dynamics modeling of multi-body system

With the aid of Craig-Bampton modality synthetic method to carry out modification and being applied to describe elastic deformation upon flexible multi-body system such as space laboratory, flexible mechanical arm and so on. Let the modality synthetic method be combined with the commonly used hybrid coordinative method in multi-body system modeling, so as to suit the coupling of rigid-body movement with elastic movement, which could reflect the dynamic characteristics of the system all the better. With the combination of ADAMS, ANSYS software, this method can be used to carrying out the computer simulation analysis on the flexible multi-body system, and proceed to conduct the optimization design and so on.
The Channels of Capital Supply, Financial Intermediaries, and Competition in Peer Effects

We document “supply-side” channels that connect peer firms’ financial policies. We find constrained firms’ equity issuance decisions depend on peers’ recent SEO activity, and that common financial intermediaries strengthen the transmission of peer effects. Constrained firms react positively to peer SEO announcements, and analyst coverage and institutional ownership increase following peer firms’ SEOs. Constrained firms’ SEO announcement returns and underwriting fees improve with “their” underwriters’ recent peer-SEO experience. Peer effects are pronounced when there is more overlap with peers’ financial intermediaries and major shareholders. We conclude that supply-side effects are key in the transmission of peer-to-peer financial policies.
The Profound Problem of Locating Humanity: The Significance and Implications of Feng-Shui

In 1862, Thomas Huxley published his classic Man’s Place in Nature. In justifying the title and contents of this book, he wrote of a recurring “question of questions” for humankind; a problem “which underlies all others, and is more deeply interesting than any other.” He identified this problem as “the ascertainment of the place which man occupies in nature, and of his relationship to the universe of things.” An important corollary of this problem was “What are the limits of our power over nature?”
Chordomas and Other Skull Base Tumors

The list of differential considerations of lesions of the central skull base is long and includes many common tumors such as meningiomas and metastatic disease, which are discussed elsewhere in this book. In this chapter, we review the differential list of skull base tumors and discuss in more detail chordomas and to a lesser degree chondrosarcomas, two rare malignant lesions that classically involve the skull base. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become the examination of choice in evaluation of intracranial tumors, in the skull base, computed tomography (CT) and MRI have complementary roles. CT is better at defining the complex bony anatomy and extent of bony involvement and MRI, because of its superior soft tissue contrast and multiplanar capability, is better at delineating the location, anatomic extension, and defining involvement of adjacent, critical neural, and vascular structures such as the cavernous sinus, optic chiasm, basilar artery and brain stem, for example. Although imaging studies cannot reliably distinguish chordoma from chondrosarcoma or other skull base lesions, defining the location and extent of the lesion are important factors in determining the optimal the surgical approach and in effective treatment planning. This is critical given that radical resection is the key factor in longer survival and improved quality of life.
Management of pedal fibrovascular papillomas in Goltz-Gorlin syndrome.

Focal dermal hypoplasia, also known as Goltz-Gorlin syndrome (GGS) or Goltz syndrome, arises from a rare genetic abnormality in the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway first described by Goltz et al in 1962.1 Molecularly, Goltz syndrome is caused by a mutation or deletion in PORCN that occurs sporadically or through X-linked dominant inheritance. We report on a 17-year-old patient who presented to our clinic with extensive papillomas on her right foot and focal dermal hypoplasia. The papillomas were a source of significant pain and prevented our patient from wearing adequate footwear. She was referred to plastic surgery for excision and skin grafting because of persistent symptoms that were not adequately controlled by topical therapy. We report this case because of paucity in the literature for this cutaneous finding and lack of reports for management.
What do interviewer intelligence ratings actually measure

Political scientists interested in studying the political implications of citizens’ cognitive abilities often turn to readily available “intelligence ratings” in the American National Election Studies (ANES). These ratings are generally thought to represent respondents’ cognitive abilities, albeit imperfectly. I hypothesize that these ratings do not reflect more-objective tests of cognitive ability, and instead better capture considerations related to the political subject of the interviews and other contextual factors. In the 2012 ANES, which contained a cognitive ability test (“Wordsum”), I find that political engagement and demographic factors but not actual measurements of cognitive ability are associated with interviewer intelligence rating scores. In bivariate analyses, verbal intelligence and interviewer ratings are moderately correlated with one another, consistent with conventional wisdom. But this correlation is a spurious one, as the same is also true for political engagement, education, and ho...
A Preliminary Model of the Role of Upper Ocean Chemical Dynamics in Determining Oceanic Oxygen and Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Levels

A first version is presented of equations for a three-dimensional model of nutrient and carbon cycling in the oceans. An analytical solution of these equations has been obtained for a one-and-a-half-dimensional “pipe” model. This solution shows that atmospheric CO2 can be varied by changing the level of preformed nutrients. It is suggested that this mechanism may explain the lower pCO2 values of the last ice age.
Overhead Matters: A Model for Virtual Resource Management

Virtual machines provide a promising vehicle for controlled sharing of physical resources, allowing us to instantiate a precisely defined virtual resource, configured with desired software configuration and hardware properties, on a set of physical resources. We describe a model of virtual machine provisioning in a Grid environment that allows us to define such virtual resources and efficiently instantiate them on a physical Grid infrastructure. We argue that to properly account for, and manage, the overhead resulting from instantiating and managing virtual resources, overhead must be scheduled at the same level as virtual resources, instead of being deducted from a user's resource allocation. We present preliminary results that demonstrate the benefits of such an approach.
A confidence index weighted least squares filter for ultrasound displacement regularization

Filtering estimated displacements is widely used in ultrasonic strain imaging. To minimize spatial resolution loses due to filtering, we propose an adaptive, weighted least squares filtering scheme driven by a confidence index indicating estimation quality. Compared to traditional, non-adaptive median filtering, the variance of displacement estimation was reduced 61%. Moreover, this adaptive filtering scheme is particularly helpful in accumulating displacement and strain estimates.
Paying for Undergraduate Business Education: Recent Trends in Tuition, Income, Institution Choice, and Debt.

ABSTRACTIn 1999–2000, business students borrowed substantially less to pay for their educations than nonbusiness students. By 2011–2012 this difference had disappeared. The authors describe changes in tuition, grants, incomes, and choice of institution type (public, private not-for-profit, or private for-profit) to help explain this observation. They find that an important determinant of whether a student will take debt and how much that student will take is the type of institution the student attended. The authors also find that business students were less likely to borrow than liberal arts and humanities majors in the earlier period, but not in the later period.
Neighborhood Environment and Falls among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Background: Falls present a major challenge to active aging, but the relationship between neighborhood factors and falls is poorly understood. This study examined the relationship between fall events and neighborhood factors, including neighborhood social cohesion (sense of belonging, trust, friendliness, and helpfulness) and physical environment (vandalism/graffiti, rubbish, vacant/deserted houses, and perceived safety walking home at night). Methods: Data were analyzed from 9259 participants over four biennial waves (2006-2012) of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative sample of adults aged 65 and older in the United States. Results: In models adjusting for demographic and health-related covariates, a one-unit increase in neighborhood social cohesion was associated with 4% lower odds of experiencing a single fall (odds ratio (OR): 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.93-0.99) and 6% lower odds of experiencing multiple falls (OR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90-0.98). A one-unit increase in the physical environment scale was associated with 4% lower odds of experiencing a single fall (OR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.93-0.99) and with 5% lower odds of experiencing multiple falls (OR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.91-1.00) in adjusted models. Conclusions: The physical and social neighborhood environment may affect fall risk among community-dwelling older adults. Findings support the ongoing need for evidence-based fall prevention programming in community and clinical settings.
Matrix Models for Evolutionary Population Dynamics: Studies of the Effects of Climate Change on Seabirds

Field observations and studies by my collaborators Shandelle Henson and James Hayward on Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge, State of Washington, USA, have shown some striking and unusual changes in the life history strategies of seabirds during breeding seasons (specifically, the Glaucous-winged Gull) that are strongly correlated with the rise in mean sea surface temperature during El Nino years [1,3,4,6]. Given that there is continuing, half century long warming trend in SST, a question arises about the long term survival prospects for these bird populations, i.e. whether the observed behavioral changes can be adaptive in the long run. Two of the behavioral changes observed to occur during El Nino years are increased egg cannibalism and female egg laying synchrony. We have formulated several low dimensional, test-of-concept models to investigate the dynamic and evolutionary consequences of these phenomena. The models are nonlinear discrete time matrix models for structured population models. Since extinction is the primary concern, we are interested in the destabilization of the extinction equilibrium at R₀=1 and the nature of the bifurcation that result. Because the projection matrices in our models are often imprimitive, complicated bifurcations can occur and non-standard analytic methods are needed [2,5,7,8]. The results obtained from these models, and from evolutionary versions of the models, provide explanations for the observed behavioral changes during El Nino years and descriptions of circumstances under which these changes can be evolutionarily adaptive.
Introduction — Definition of a Bonus-Malus System

Most developed countries use several classification variables to differentiate premiums among automobile third-party liability policyholders. Typical variables include age, sex, and occupation of the main driver, the town where he resides, and the type and use of his car. More exotic variables, such as the driver’s marital status and smoking behavior, or even the color of his car, have been introduced in some countries. Such variables are often called a priori rating variables, as their values can be determined before the policyholder starts to drive. The main purpose for their use is to subdivide policyholders into homogeneous classes. If, for instance, females are proved to cause significantly fewer accidents than males, equity arguments suggest that they should be charged a lower premium. Moreover, if a company was to disregard this variable and charge an average premium to everyone, regardless of gender, most of its female policyholders would switch to another carrier, leaving the company with a disproportionate population of males and insufficient premium income to pay for claims.
Behavioral Counseling Interventions to Promote a Healthy Diet and Physical Activity for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Adults With Cardiovascular Risk Factors: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.

Importance Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death in the US. Known modifiable risk factors for CVD include smoking, overweight and obesity, diabetes, elevated blood pressure or hypertension, dyslipidemia, lack of physical activity, and unhealthy diet. Adults who adhere to national guidelines for a healthy diet and physical activity have lower cardiovascular morbidity and mortality than those who do not. All persons, regardless of their CVD risk status, benefit from healthy eating behaviors and appropriate physical activity. Objective To update its 2014 recommendation, the USPSTF commissioned a review of the evidence on behavioral counseling to promote a healthy diet and physical activity for CVD prevention in adults with cardiovascular risk factors. Population This recommendation statement applies to adults 18 years or older with known hypertension or elevated blood pressure, those with dyslipidemia, or those who have mixed or multiple risk factors such as metabolic syndrome or an estimated 10-year CVD risk of 7.5% or greater. Adults with other known modifiable cardiovascular risk factors such as abnormal blood glucose levels, obesity, and smoking are not included in this recommendation. Evidence Assessment The USPSTF concludes with moderate certainty that behavioral counseling interventions have a moderate net benefit on CVD risk in adults at increased risk for CVD. Recommendation The USPSTF recommends offering or referring adults with CVD risk factors to behavioral counseling interventions to promote a healthy diet and physical activity. (B recommendation)