cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Baryonic strangeness and related susceptibilities in QCD

The ratios of off-diagonal to diagonal conserved charge susceptibilities, e.g., {chi}{sub BS}/{chi}{sub S},{chi}{sub QS}/{chi}{sub S}, related to the quark flavor susceptibilities, have proven to be discerning probes of the flavor carrying degrees of freedom in hot strongly interacting matter. Various constraining relations between the different susceptibilities are derived based on the Gell-Mann-Nishijima formula and the assumption of isospin symmetry. Using generic models of deconfined matter and results from lattice quantum chromodynamics, it is demonstrated that the flavor-carrying degrees of freedom at a temperature above 1.5T{sub c} are quarklike quasiparticles. A new observable related by isospin symmetry to C{sub BS}=-3{chi}{sub BS}/{chi}{sub S} and equal to it in the baryon free regime is identified. This new observable, which is blind to neutral and nonstrange particles, carries the potential of being measured in relativistic heavy-ion collisions.
Detrusor Underactivity and Detrusor Hyperactivity with Impaired Contractility

Detrusor underactivity (DU) is a condition of impaired bladder contraction strength or duration resulting in impaired bladder emptying. In contrast, detrusor hyperactivity with impaired contractility (DHIC) is a condition in which patients paradoxically exhibit detrusor overactivity during storage yet are unable to mount a sufficient detrusor contraction during voiding to completely empty the bladder. Both conditions are often mistaken for bladder outlet obstruction. These conditions are more commonly seen in institutionalized elderly patients with either urinary retention or incontinence. To date, the exact etiologies of DU and DHIC remain unclear. Accurate diagnosis is based on clinical suspicion, complete history and physical exam, and videourodynamic evaluation. However, in certain patients, such as frail elderly patients, a full workup may not be warranted if it will not influence treatment decisions. Treatment of these disorders is primarily based on patient bother, with behavior modification first implemented, followed by pharmacotherapy with addition of CIC or indwelling catheter as indicated.
An Unsymmetrical, Doubly Bridged Diiron(II) Complex with Readily Accessible Coordination Sites

The reactivity of the unsymmetrical diiron(II) complex ({mu}-alkoxo)({mu}-carboxylato)diiron(II) (1) toward the thiocyanate ion is directed to the iron center which has the lesser number of donor atoms contributed by the unsymmetrical bridging ligand rather than by availability of a vacant coordination site. Structural evidence for 1 and the product of reaction with SCN{sup -} is presented.
Hair transplantation for male pattern baldness: Aesthetic considerations and current status

The multiple punch technique of hair transplantation, utilizing the principle of donor dominance, has proven to be a cosmetically acceptable procedure in properly selected patients in the presenter's 24-year experience. Careful planning with attention to aesthetic principles, especially in frontal hairline placement, in donor site selection and with regard to the ratio between the donor supply and the existing or potential future extent of baldness, together with meticulous surgical technique, are essential for satisfactory results. Scalp reduction, in which bald areas of crown and midscalp are serially excised, with extensive subgaleal undermining is a highly useful adjunct to grafting in many patients with moderately extensive male pattern baldness who have adequate scalp mobility by enabling the available donor supply to be concentrated and thus provide more effective coverage in the frontal scalp.
Women with Bipolar Disorder Who use Alcohol and Other Drugs

Through a literature review and case examples we will explore the process of diagnosing and treating women who have both bipolar disorder (BD) and substance use disorders (SUDs) including alcohol, marijuana, and various other drugs of abuse. Women with bipolar disorder, who use psychoactive drug substances, are at increased risk for social stigma and negative consequences, including suicide and risk of arrest. Due to the major risks that this combination of disorders presents for women, health care providers must assess for co-occurring bipolar disorder in any woman presenting with substance abuse, and assess for substance abuse or risk for substance abuse in any woman presenting with bipolar disorder. The outcomes of treatment for these women will improve when both disorders are addressed together. Prevention of substance abuse and dependency may be possible for many women if accurate diagnosis of bipolar disorder is made and adequate mood stabilizing medications and psychosocial treatments are initiated.
A Comprehensive Model for Predicting Semiconductor Detector Performance

A Monte-Carlo computational model has been developed to simulate the photon and electron spectral response in semiconductor detectors. Source photons from 10 eV to 1 GeV are three-dimensionally absorbed in detectors of almost arbitrary shape. One-dimensional charge collection in an arbitrary electric field profile includes trapping and electronics system effects. HgI2, CdTe, and Ge spectra, as well as full energy peak and absorption efficiency calculations, are made into the MeV range.
A new test for linear inequality constraints when the variance-covariance matrix depends on the unknown parameters

Abstract We extend Hansen’s (2005) test to testing hypotheses involving general inequality constraints where the variance–covariance matrix of the functions in the constraints depends on the unknown parameters. The test can be applied to a wider class of problems than Wolak’s (1991) .
Diet of female polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea of Alaska: evidence for an emerging alternative foraging strategy in response to environmental change

Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) diet may become more variable in some Arctic regions due to climate warming and altered sea ice habitat. We surveyed carbon and nitrogen stable isotope profiles of five polar bear tissues sampled from adult females in the Southern Beaufort Sea of Alaska in order to assess inter-tissue isotopic variability and to determine whether any dietary shifts are occurring in this population. We did not detect any significant shifts from historical means in population-level tissue stable isotope values. A number of sectioned hair samples, however, were significantly depleted in 15N relative to the mean. We hypothesized that lower hair δ15N values were due to the consumption of bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) tissue. Telemetry data showed that polar bears with 15N-depleted hair sections were located on multiple dates near known subsistence-harvested bowhead whale bone piles and had spent 90 % of the prior year within 50 km of the shore. Bears with hair section δ15N values at or above the mean spent no time near bowhead whale bone piles and less than half of the year nearshore. An isotopic mixing model estimation of diet proportions determined that bowhead whale comprised approximately 50–70 % of fall diet for bears with lower hair δ15N values. We conclude that these results offer emergent evidence of an alternative foraging strategy within this population: ‘coastal’ bears, which remain near to shore for much of the year and use bowhead whale bone piles when they are present. In contrast, ‘pelagic’ bears follow a more typical strategy and forage widely on sea ice for seals.
Hydroxyl group formation caused by hydrogen diffusion into optical glass fibre

Transmission loss increase of optical glass fibre caused by hydrogen diffusion is measured as a function of temperature and partial pressure of hydrogen gas. The activation energy of hydroxyl group formation from the diffused molecular hydrogen was found to be 15.9 kcal/mole. Also the hydroxyl absorption loss increase at 200°C was found to be proportional to the square root of the partial pressure of hydrogen gas.
Kinetics of Withdrawal from the Cell Cycle in Cultured Human Epidermal Keratinocytes

In keratinizing epithelia one of the earliest changes in the process of terminal differentiation is cessation of replication or withdrawal from the cell cycle. In this report, we measured the loss of colony-forming ability, and confirmed that withdrawal from the cell cycle is a specific event that occurs during maturation of the keratinocyte in culture. In addition, the rate of withdrawal was assayed by labeling cultures for 24 h with [14C]dThd and then measuring the fraction of labeled cells that undergo repeated cycles of DNA synthesis. These additional cycles of replication were measured by feeding BrdUrd to the cultures and quantitating the distribution of 14C-labeled DNA in unsubstituted and BrdUrd-substituted DNA in CsCl density gradients. The results show that the fraction of 14C-labeled DNA undergoing replication decreases exponentially by 23% every 24 h. This cessation of replication could not be explained by a reduced level of replication in the entire culture since during each day of the experiment about 8% of the total DNA underwent replication. The exponential decrease in replication of 14C-labeled DNA represents withdrawal from the cell cycle. Since the doubling time for keratinocytes is approximately 24 h, these results suggest that following each cycle of replication, there is a probability of 0.23 that postreplicated cells will withdraw from the cell cycle.
Relationship between cytotoxicity, drug accumulation, DNA damage and repair of human ovarian cancer cells treated with doxorubicin: modulation by the tiapamil analog RO11-2933

The effect ofN-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)N-methyl-2-(naphthyl)-m-dithiane-2-propylamine hydrochloride (RO11-2933), an analog of the calcium channel blocker tiapamil, on doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cytotoxicity and DNA damage in human ovarian cancer cells sensitive and resistant to DOX was investigated. A2780-DX2, A2780-DX3, and A2780-DX6 cell sublines were characterized by 7-, 26-, and 48-fold resistance after 2 h DOX exposure and 30-, 50-, and 500-fold resistance after 72 h DOX exposure, respectively. Increased drug efflux resulting in a lower intracellular drug accumulation, decreased DOX-induced DNA single-strand breaks (DNA SSBs), and rapid DNA repair correlated with the degree of resistance. In addition, DNA SSBs were rapidly repaired within 8 h in A2780-DX3 cells, whereas no significant repair of DNA SSBs was observed in sensitive cells. In comparison with verapamil, RO11-2933 was found to reverse DOX resistance at lower and nontoxic concentrations (2 μM as compared with 10 μM verapamil). This reversion was complete in cells with a low degree of resistance (A2780-DX1 and A2780-DX2) but partial in highly resistant cells (A2780-DX3 and A2780-DX6), and continuous exposure to RO11-2933 was essential for optimal reversal of drug resistance. Interestingly, RO11-2933 was found to inhibit the repair of DNA SSBs induced by DOX but not those induced by X-ray. These results suggest that the potentiation of DNA SSBs and the specific inhibition of DNA repair by RO11-2933 in multidrug-resistant cells could be of particular value in overcoming MDR in the clinic.
Organic Photovoltaics: Elucidating the Ultra‐Fast Exciton Dissociation Mechanism in Disordered Materials

Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) offer the opportunity for cheap, lightweight and mass-producible devices. However, an incomplete understanding of the charge generation process, in particular the timescale of dynamics and role of exciton diffusion, has slowed further progress in the field. We report a new Kinetic Monte Carlo model for the exciton dissociation mechanism in OPVs that addresses the origin of ultra-fast (<1 ps) dissociation by incorporating exciton delocalization. The model reproduces experimental results, such as the diminished rapid dissociation with increasing domain size, and also lends insight into the interplay between mixed domains, domain geometry, and exciton delocalization. Additionally, the model addresses the recent dispute on the origin of ultra-fast exciton dissociation by comparing the effects of exciton delocalization and impure domains on the photo-dynamics.This model provides insight into exciton dynamics that can advance our understanding of OPV structure–function relationships.
Increased antitumor potential of the raloxifene prodrug, raloxifene diphosphate.

Raloxifene (RAL) significantly reduced the incidence of breast cancer in women at high risk of developing the disease. Unlike tamoxifen (TAM), an increased incidence of endometrial cancer was not observed in women treated with RAL. However, RAL, having two hydroxyl moieties, can be conjugated rapidly through phase II metabolism and excreted, making it difficult to achieve adequate bioavailability by oral administration in humans. As a result, higher doses must be administered to obtain an efficacy equivalent to that achieved with TAM. To improve oral bioavailability and antitumor potential, RAL diphosphate was prepared as a prodrug. RAL diphosphate showed several orders of magnitude lower binding potential to both ERα and ERβ and weak antiproliferative potency on cultured human MCF-7 and ZR-75-1 breast cancer cells, as compared to RAL. However, RAL diphosphate has a much higher bioavailability than RAL, endowing it with higher antitumor potential than RAL against both 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced mammary carcinoma in rats and human MCF-7 breast cancer implanted in athymic nude mice. The RAL prodrug may provide greater clinical benefit for breast cancer therapy and prevention. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Predictors of Behavioral Loyalty Among Hikers Along the Appalachian Trail

In recent years, conceptual and empirical papers have begun to appear in the leisure literature examining the processes leading to the formation of recreationist loyalty. While this work is still in its infancy, current understanding suggests that leisure involvement plays a formative role in the development of social psychological commitment, which in turn, is an antecedent to loyalty to a brand or organization. In the context of natural resource-based recreation the concept of loyalty is most often used to refer to recreationists' attachments to specific recreation areas. The purpose of this paper is to provide an empirical examination of the first order structural relations among involvement (i.e., Centrality, Attraction, Self Expression), commitment (i.e., Social Investment, Financial Investment, Position Involvement, Informational Complexity, Volitional Choice), resistance to change (i.e., Activity Resistance, Place Resistance) and behavioral loyalty for hikers along the Appalachian Trail. These data...
Arcaine is a competitive antagonist of the polyamine site on the NMDA receptor.

In this report I describe the actions of arcaine, a novel antagonist of the NMDA receptor that appears to act as a competitive inhibitor at the polyamine site
The phospholipids of Manduca sexta tissues and the incorporation, in vivo, of ethanolamine, choline, and inorganic phosphate☆

Abstract The nature and content of the phospholipids of different tissues of fifth-instar larvae of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta , have been determined. Quantitatively, phosphatidylcholine is the major phospholipid in all tissues and phosphatidylethanolamine is the second most abundant, while only minor differences exist in the qualitative picture of phospholipid composition of different tissues. The incorporation of 14 C-choline, 14 C-ethanolamine, and 32 P-phosphoric acid into different lipid classes of various organs was examined in vivo and the results are discussed in relation to current ideas of lipid metabolism.
In vitro studies of DDT, DDE, and ATPase as related to avian eggshell thinning

Interspecific and inter-tissue differences were found in thein vitro sensitivity of oligomycin sensitive Mg2+ATPase (O.S.-ATPase) from avian mitochondrial homogenates to DDE. The enzyme from the “target” tissue, the shell gland of kestrels, which lay thin-shelled eggs on exposure to DDE, showed significantly greater sensitivity to DDE than O.S.-ATPase in muscle and brain preparations. The O.S.-ATPase from chicken shell gland was about nine times less sensitive than that from the kestrel. DDT, in contrast to DDE, was highly effective on O.S.-ATPase in all tissues tested from the three species of birds. In contrast to the high sensitivity of O.S.-ATPase, O.Ins.-ATPase and Na+-K+ATPase were not significantly affected by DDE or DDT. In addition, Ca2+-ATPases from mitochondrial and microsomal preparations from shell gland of kestrels were only minimally affected by DDT and DDE at concentrations over 20 times greater than those which inhibited O.S.-ATPase. The selectivity of DDE action in the eggshell thinning of kestrel is correlated with its action on shell gland O.S.-ATPases. However, because DDT effectively inhibits O.S.-ATPase from all tissues studied a combined effect is possible. Both would cause a reduction in ATP synthesis affecting energy-linked calcium transport. The need forin vivo studies including mitochondrial calcium transport is emphasized.
Malacoplakia of the urinary tract with renal parenchymal involvement

Malacoplakia is a distinct pathologic lesion usually involving the urinary bladder. The lesions consist of smooth, yellowish brown plaques in the mucosa varying from 0.1 to 0.3 cm in diameter. The lesion was first described by Michaelis and Gutmann in 1902, and was subsequently named malacoplakia (“soft plaque”) by von Hansemann in 1903. This report describes a case of renal parenchymal malacoplakia presenting on excretory urography as a cystic renal mass associated with malacoplakia involving the ureter and bladder. The usual urographic differential diagnoses of a cystic renal mass include cystic renal cell carcinoma, mutilocular cyst, benign cystic nephroma, hemorrhagic cyst, hematoma, and renal abscess. In patients, especially females, with a renal mass associated with a history of repeated urinary tract infections, altered immune syndromes, abnormal cystoscopic findings, or filling defects in the collecting system or urter, renal parenchymal malacoplakia should be included in the differential diagnosis.
Using Digital Earth to Expose Students to GIScience

Students in U.S. geography programs face particular challenges that may discourage them from taking advanced GIScience courses and considering geospatial careers. This article provides a preliminary discussion of the development, delivery, and evaluation of a University of Colorado Colorado Springs sophomore-level, required geography course designed to address this concern. The course, Digital Earth (DE), introduces students to the principles, concepts, and applications of major geographic information technologies (GITs) early in their academic careers. The success of DE is evaluated by examining the extent to which the course excited students about GIScience and motivated them to take higher level elective geospatial courses. Results suggest that DE generates considerable student interest in GIScience, prepares students reasonably well for elective courses, and greatly inspires them to seek a geospatial career.
Analysis of the Solvatochromic Behavior of the Disubstituted Triphenylmethane Dye Brilliant Green

The coincident spectral components of the main visible absorption band of the triphenylmethane dye Brilliant Green can be resolved using a nonlinear least-squares fitting routine. This analysis reveals two Gaussian components, with centers near 600 and 630 nm, that possess additional spectral characteristics with a pronounced sensitivity to the dye's microenvironment. In particular, both the ratio of the heights of these Gaussian peaks and the ratio of their areas exhibit an inverted dependence on solvent dielectric constant, i.e., a reversal of solvatochromic behavior in media of low polarity. Such an absorption spectrum analysis facilitates the use of triphenylmethane dyes that lack symmetric trisubstitution of the phenyl rings as environment-sensitive spectroscopic probes. We demonstrate further the utility of this approach through the spectrophotometric determination of the critical micelle concentration of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate using Brilliant Green as an optical probe.
Preventing and detecting hedge fund failure risk through partial transparency

Hedge fund managers often do not offer transparency to their investors. To do so, they say, would reveal their trading strategies and reduce their investment profits, as other traders use the knowledge of their positions to compete for the same trades. However, most investors do not need complete transparency, which reveals trading positions on a frequent basis. Complete transparency, revealing the specific securities in the portfolio, can be damaging to the hedge fund manager, and confusing to the investor. However, the investor can benefit from partial transparency. A third-party service that aggregates portfolio information can be invaluable to investors in their search for stronger risk management and fraud prevention techniques. However, most commercially available services focus on market risk and do not provide the data necessary to detect operational risk failures. Through the use of three case studies: Bayou, Lancer and Wood River, we demonstrate a few simple tests to prevent and detect both market risk and operational risk by hedge fund managers.
Improving safety for young blood donors

Young blood donors between the ages of 16 and 18 years contribute substantially to the blood supply in the United States, accounting for about 14% of the allogeneic whole blood collected by the American Red Cross in 2010. However, studies have consistently demonstrated that the donors' age, total blood volume, and first-time donation status independently contribute to the risk of syncopal reactions after whole blood donation. Efforts to improve the donation experience are crucial not only to ensure the health and well-being of blood donors but also to sustain an adequate blood supply. Even minor reactions or temporary deferrals discourage individuals from donating blood again. Shifting population demographics and advances in medical care in the United States and other countries predict that the need for blood will increase, whereas blood donation by the older generations declines each year. Broad deferral strategies and precautionary measures have further winnowed the eligible donor pool, but their contribution to transfusion safety remains controversial. Consequently, blood centers that depend on recruiting and retaining adolescent blood donors have made concerted efforts to improve safety, especially on high school blood drives. Population-based operational tactics to improve donation safety focus on donor education, the drive environment, or recruiting individuals who are less likely to have reactions. Physiologic strategies modulate the donors' response to blood loss, decreasing their susceptibility to a donation-related reaction. This review examines the published data supporting the measures recently taken by blood centers to reduce the risk of syncopal reactions among young, whole blood donors.
Present status of amorphous soft magnetic alloys

Application of amorphous soft magnets in electric-utility and industrial transformers are increasingly being adopted, helping to solve global warming and energy-saving problems. In addition, amorphous metal-based magnetic components are used in power electronics, telecommunication equipment, sensing devices, electronic article surveillance systems, etc. Some magnetic inductors find applications in pulse power devices, automotive ignition coils, and electric power conditioning systems. All of these applications are possible because of faster flux reversal, lower magnetic loss and more versatile property modification achievable in amorphous alloys. Improvements in materials processing and device fabrication technology will continue to take place, which will further increase the universe of application of amorphous soft magnets. Some fundamental problems associated with the applications are mentioned.
Physical activity and endometrial cancer in a population-based case–control study

Introduction Published studies of physical activity, BMI, and endometrial cancer risk show conflicting results and many do not report on reliability or validity of physical activity questionnaires.
Colon-specific tumorigenesis in mice driven by Cre-mediated inactivation of Apc and activation of mutant Kras

Several genetically engineered mouse (GEM) models of colorectal cancer have been developed and are a mainstay in our efforts to identify means of preventing and treating this disease. Many of these models involve a germline disruption of the adenomatous polyposis coli (Apc) tumor suppressor gene and share the limitation that the great preponderance of tumors appear in the small rather than large intestine. In recent years efforts have been made to increase the similarity of these models to human sporadic colorectal cancer by disrupting Apc in a tissue-specific fashion using the Cre-Lox system so that the genetic aberrations are confined to the colonic epithelium. These models have shown great promise but reproducible and high penetrance colon-specific tumorigenesis has not yet been achieved without invasive techniques to introduce the Cre enzyme. We therefore sought to create a new model with high penetrance colon-specific tumorigenesis but without the need for exogenous Cre administration. We utilized existing mice possessing a conditional knock out for the Apc gene and a latent activated Kras allele and crossed them with mice expressing Cre recombinase solely in the large intestine. Using this approach we generated mice that developed 1–9 colonic adenomas per mouse (average 4.3) but without any tumors in the small intestine or cecum. No invasive tumors were observed. Despite the apparent lack of invasion, the geographical correctness, complete penetrance and intermediate tumor burden make this model a promising addition to our toolkit for the study of colorectal cancer treatment and prevention.
Solvent Effects on Solute Electronic Structure and Properties: Theoretical Study of a Betaine Dye Molecule in Polar Solvents

The electronic structure of the betaine dye molecule, pyridinium- N-phenoxide [4-(1-pyridinio)phenolate] including the effects of geometry and polar solvents, has been studied at an ab initio level using the reference interaction site model self-consistent-field (RISM-SCF) method. Acetonitrile (CH3CN) and water (H2O) were selected as polar solvents. We obtain both the optimized solute geometry in solution and the total free energy profile with respect to variation in the torsion angle between the pyridinium and phenoxide rings and analyze the various electronic and solvation contributions. The betaine molecule in the gas phase has a twisted geometry, which is slightly more twisted in solution. In acetonitrile, the calculated structure shows good agreement with earlier semiempirical results for the minimum free energy structure. It is shown that the solute dipole moment is strongly enhanced in polar solution, also in accord with earlier semiempirical calculations. However, in solution, there is relatively ...
Transitions of Athletes: Developmental and Preventive Perspectives

Common anticipated and unanticipated transitions faced by athletes are examined from the perspectives of developmental psychology and a model of adult transitions developed by Nancy Schlossberg. Factors contributing to dysfunctional response to transitions associated with athletic careers are identified and discussed. Preventive strategies, targeting athletes at risk of experiencing dysfunctionality in such transitions, are examined, and illustrative programs described.
KCa2 channels: Novel therapeutic targets for treating alcohol withdrawal and escalation of alcohol consumption

Small-conductance, calcium-activated potassium (K(Ca)2) channels influence neuronal firing properties, intrinsic excitability, and NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic responses and plasticity. In this mini-review, we discuss new evidence that chronic alcohol-associated plasticity critically involves K(Ca)2 channels in hippocampus, ventral tegmental area, and nucleus accumbens. K(Ca)2 channel activity can modulate the magnitude of excitation of midbrain dopamine neurons induced by acute alcohol exposure. Emerging evidence indicates that K(Ca)2 channels regulate neuroadaptations to chronic alcohol that contribute to withdrawal hyperexcitability and escalation of voluntary alcohol consumption. Restoring K(Ca)2 channel activity can attenuate the severity of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome in vivo and withdrawal-associated neurotoxicity in vitro. Pharmacological modulation of K(Ca)2 channels can bi-directionally influence drinking behavior in rat and mouse models of voluntary alcohol consumption. Collectively, these studies using various rodent models have clearly indicated a central role for K(Ca)2 channels in the neuroplasticity of chronic alcohol exposure. In addition, accumulating evidence suggests that K(Ca)2 channels are a novel therapeutic target to alleviate the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and reduce high amounts of alcohol drinking.
A rapid assessment of Uganda police force and Uganda prisons service health facilities capacity to roll out the virtual elimination of mother to child HIV transmission (eMTCT) strategy

Background Uganda has embraced the strategy of virtual elimination of mother to child HIV transmission (eMTCT) by 2015 which has seen the roll out of Option B + country wide. According to the Modes of Transmission report 2009, HIV prevalence among uniformed personnel was 18.4percent, a rate that is almost three times the national average. However little has been done to reach Uganda police Force (UPF) and Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) communities, most affected by HIV and AIDS. In October 2012, The Supporting Public Sector workplaces Expand Action and Responses to HIV (SPEAR) Project funded by USAID, planned to implement eMTCT interventions in the health facilities (HF) of UPF and UPS.
Defect Engineered Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube arrays as Electrochemical Double Layer Capacitors

The efficacy of vertically aligned defect engineered multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) arrays as electrochemical double layer capacitors (EDLCs) was investigated using standard electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). We report a ∼ 200% improvement in specific double layer capacitance of MWCNT arrays by extrinsically introducing defects using argon plasma irradiation. The capacitance-voltage characteristics of argon irradiated MWCNTs provide insights into the nature of the defects and their influence on the specific capacitance (capacitance/area).
Use of Biotin-Labeled Nucleic Acids for Protein Purification and Agarose-Based Chemiluminescent Electromobility Shift Assays.

We have employed biotin-labeled RNA to serve two functions. In one, the biotin tethers the RNA to streptavidin-agarose beads, creating an affinity resin for protein purification. In the other, the biotin functions as a label for use in a modified chemiluminescent electromobility shift assay (EMSA), a technique used to detect the formation of protein-RNA complexes. The EMSA that we describe avoids the use not only of radioactivity but also of neurotoxic acrylamide by using agarose as the gel matrix in which the free nucleic acid is separated from protein-nucleic acid complexes. After separation of free from complexed RNA in agarose, the RNA is electroblotted to positively charged nylon. The biotin-labeled RNA is readily bound by a streptavidin-alkaline phosphatase conjugate, allowing for very sensitive chemiluminescent detection ( approximately 0.1-1.0 fmol limit). Using our system, we were able to purify both known iron-responsive proteins (IRPs) from rat liver and assess their binding affinity to RNA containing the iron-responsive element (IRE) using the same batch of biotinylated RNA. We show data indicating that agarose is especially useful for cases when large complexes are formed, although smaller complexes are even better resolved.
Pseudoxanthoma elasticum: Significance of limited phenotypic expression in parents of affected offspring

Abstract The inheritance pattern of pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is controversial. Inheritance patterns are confounded by delayed diagnosis and mild or limited phenotypic expression among certain family members. Because testing for the genetic mutation(s) responsible for PXE is not routine, genetic counseling must be done with caution. We describe 4 families in which one or more children were diagnosed with PXE. Detailed examination of the parents was carried out, including skin biopsy and ophthalmologic examination. In 3 of the 4 families, one parent had limited phenotypic expression, such as ocular findings without skin lesions or very mild skin lesions with no ocular findings. In the other family, one parent had very mild skin and ocular disease. All 4 affected parents had diagnostic skin biopsy findings. In none of the 4 families was the inheritance pattern clear-cut. Although the inheritence pattern of PXE has been debated, clinically significant stigmata of PXE, which are not always readily apparent, can occur in successive generations. Therefore all first-degree relatives of affected patients should receive a full dermatologic examination as well as a funduscopic examination. If even mild typical skin or eye findings are present, then skin biopsy should be performed. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2001;44:534-7.)
Age and load compliance alter time to task failure for a submaximal fatiguing contraction with the lower leg

The purpose of this study was to compare the time to failure and muscle activation of young and old adults for a sustained isometric submaximal contraction with the dorsiflexor muscles when the foo...
Effects of Perceived Group Effectiveness and Group Role on Attributions of Group Performance1

Cadets at the U.S. Military Academy completed a questionnaire describing their experiences in Cadet Basic Training (CBT) and Cadet Field Training (CFT). Analyses of variance examined the impact of Group Role (Leader vs. Follower) and Perceived Group Effectiveness (High vs. Low) on group member perceptions of the extent to which each of six factors affected group performance. Significant main effects for Perceived Effectiveness were interpreted in terms of the egodefensive bias. Role main effects indicated that leaders tended to make stronger dispositional attributions than did followers. There were no signifcant Group Role × Perceived Effectiveness interaction effects. Findings support, in part, hypotheses concerning the operation of an attributional bias within the leader-member relationship.
Mortality of Red Flour Beetle Adults and Indian-Meal Moth Larvae in Simulated Peanut Storages Purged for Short Periods with CO2 or N2

Adults of the red flour beetle. Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), and larvae of the Indian-meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hubner), were exposed 6 and 24 hours in towers containing peanuts being purged with CO2 or N2. Of the insects exposed for 6 hours. 2 groups had mortalities of 20 and 32%, the other 46 groups less than 9%. Twenty-four hours of purging with CO2 caused the greatest insect mortality. This mortality varied with age and species and was more than 90% among the 9-day-old larvae.
From Tent Meetings and Store-front Healing Rooms to Walmarts and the Internet: Healing Spaces in the United States, the Americas, and the World, 1906–2006

The centennial of the Azusa Street revivals of 1906 provides us with convenient poles for charting shifts in the landscape of Christian spiritual healing practices during the past century. Alongside unprecedented achievements in medical science, nearly 80 percent of Americans report believing that God supernaturally heals people in answer to prayer. Individuals who need healing, even after trying the best medical cures, readily transgress ecclesiastical, physical, and social boundaries in their quest for health and wholeness. The promise of a tangible experience of divine power, moreover, presents an attractive alternative to seekers disillusioned with what they perceive as the callous materialism of medical science and the religious legalism of traditional Christian churches. This essay calls for new narratives of sacred space that map the ways that pentecostal and charismatic healing practices have proliferated, diversified, and sacralized a growing number and variety of physical, social, and linguistic spaces in the past hundred years. At the turn of the twentieth century, modernist epistemological assumptions that privileged reason over experience encouraged fine intellectual distinctions between the sacred and the secular. In esteeming bodily experience as more trustworthy than disembodied doctrine and in resisting linguistic binaries as culturally constructed, postmodern epistemologies have multiplied the number and range of places available to be endowed with sacred meanings. I argue that boundaries between the sacred and the secular are dissolving at the same time that new boundaries are being established, privileging particular places and defining a new relationship among the United States, the Americas, and the world.
Matrix Metalloproteinase (2, 9, and 14) Expression, Localization, and Activity in Ovine Corpora Lutea Throughout the Estrous Cycle

Members of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family collectively degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) and help regulate luteal function. The objectives of these experiments were to characterize the mRNA expression, localization, and activity of MMPs 2, 9, and 14 in ovine corpora lutea (CL). Ovine CL were collected on Days 2, 4, 10, and 15 of the estrous cycle (Day 0 = estrus). Messenger RNA transcripts for MMPs 2 and 14 were detected using Northern analysis; however, expression of MMP-9 was undetectable. Expression of MMP-14 mRNA (membrane type-1 MMP) was increased (P < 0.05) on Day 4; whereas, expression of MMP-2 mRNA was highest (P < 0.05) on Day 10, which corresponded to the observed increases in gelatinolytic activity in luteal homogenates as measured by a fluroscein-labeled gelatin substrate assay. MMP 2 and 9 proteins were localized predominantly to large luteal cells (LLCs), whereas MMP-14 was localized primarily to cells other than LLCs as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. Immunolocalization of MMP-2 to putative endothelial cells was also observed on Day 15. Localization of MMP activity was determined using in situ zymography. Luteal tissues contained gelatinolytic activity primarily localized pericellularly to various cell types, including LLCs. These results support the hypothesis that ECM remodeling occurs throughout the luteal phase and may help potentiate cellular migration, differentiation, angiogenesis, and growth factor bioavailability.
Depth versus Breadth: How Content Coverage in High School Science Courses Relates to Later Success in College Science Coursework.

This study relates the performance of college students in introductory science courses to the amount of content covered in their high school science courses. The sample includes 8310 students in introductory biology, chemistry, or physics courses in 55 randomly chosen U.S. colleges and universities. Students who reported covering at least 1 major topic in depth, for a month or longer, in high school were found to earn higher grades in college science than did students who reported no coverage in depth. Students reporting breadth in their high school course, covering all major topics, did not appear to have any advantage in chemistry or physics and a significant disadvantage in biology. Care was taken to account for significant covariates: socioeconomic variables, English and mathematics proficiency, and rigor of their preparatory high science course. Alternative operationalizations of depth and breadth variables result in very similar findings. We conclude that teachers should use their judgment to reduce coverage in high school science courses and aim for mastery by extending at least 1 topic in depth over an extended period of time. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed93:798–826, 2009
Movement of Movements: Culture Moves in the Long Civil Rights Struggle

In what way do movements move? What do we mean by the movement of movements? While still a rather unconventional stance, I advance the argument that social movements are, at root, culture production agents. Regardless of whatever else they may accomplish, movements produce new cultural forms in the course of struggle; they often change and augment cultural stock in the process, and sometimes live on for generations in collective memory. My answer to the query follows a movement-centered production and circulation of culture template organized around several major moments of culture moves: moving across space, moving emotions, moving social-cultural conditions and moving through memory. I illustrate culture moves in these four moments using sociological and historical studies of the long civil rights movement, suggesting a variety of research agendas along the way.
Biosynthesis and release of pheromonal bile salts in mature male sea lamprey

In vertebrates, bile salts are primarily synthesized in the liver and secreted into the intestine where they aid in absorption of dietary fats. Small amounts of bile salts that are not reabsorbed into enterohepatic circulation are excreted with waste. In sexually mature male sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus L.) a bile salt is released in large amounts across gill epithelia into water where it functions as a pheromone. We postulate that the release of this pheromone is associated with a dramatic increase in its biosynthesis and transport to the gills upon sexual maturation. We show an 8000-fold increase in transcription of cyp7a1, a three-fold increase in transcription of cyp27a1, and a six-fold increase in transcription of cyp8b1 in the liver of mature male sea lamprey over immature male adults. LC–MS/MS data on tissue-specific distribution and release rates of bile salts from mature males show a high concentration of petromyzonol sulfate (PZS) in the liver and gills of mature males. 3-keto petromyzonol sulfate (3kPZS, known as a male sex pheromone) is the primary compound released from gills, suggesting a conversion of PZS to 3kPZS in the gill epithelium. The PZS to 3kPZS conversion is supported by greater expression of hsd3b7 in gill epithelium. High expression of sult2b1 and sult2a1 in gill epithelia of mature males, and tissue-specific expression of bile salt transporters such as bsep, slc10a1, and slc10a2, suggest additional sulfation and transport of bile salts that are dependent upon maturation state. This report presents a rare example where specific genes associated with biosynthesis and release of a sexual pheromone are dramatically upregulated upon sexual maturation in a vertebrate. We provide a well characterized example of a complex mechanism of bile salt biosynthesis and excretion that has likely evolved for an additional function of bile salts as a mating pheromone.
Color Computer Vision and Artificial Neural Networksfor the Detection of Defects in Poultry Eggs

A blood spot detection neural network was trained, tested, and evaluated entirely on eggs with blood spots and grade A eggs. The neural network could accurately distinguish between grade A eggs and blood spot eggs. However, when eggs with other defects were included in the sample, the accuracy of the neural network was reduced. The accuracy was also reduced when evaluating eggs from other poultry houses. To minimize these sensitivities, eggs with cracks and dirt stains were included in the training data as examples of eggs without blood spots. The training data also combined eggs from different sources. Similar inaccuracies were observed in neural networks for crack detection and dirt stain detection. New neural networks were developed for these defects using the method applied for the blood spot neural network development. The neural network model for blood spot detection had an average accuracy of 92.8%. The neural network model for dirt stained eggs had an average accuracy of 85.0%. The average accuracy of the crack detection neural network was 87.8%. These accuracy levels were sufficient to produce graded samples that would exceed the USDA requirements.
Subscapularis Strain From Swinging a Baseball Bat in an Adolescent With Closed Physis

A healthy 16-year-old female baseball player was referred by her pediatrician for evaluation of pain in her right, dominant shoulder. The pain had begun insidiously 4 weeks previously after several sessions of batting practice and had worsened until she could not participate in baseball, even with low doses of ibuprofen. She was not participating in any other sports or weight lifting and had had no previous incidents of shoulder pain, but she did have a history of being able to voluntarily subluxate the right shoulder since she was a child. Her voluntary shoulder subluxation and reduction did not reproduce or worsen her pain. Results from her physical examination and radiographs were normal. Magnetic resonance imaging showed edema in the subscapularis muscle consistent with acute muscle strain. She was treated with 6 weeks of rest, ice, and anti-inflammatory medication as needed. She returned to baseball and hitting during the following 6 weeks with no limitations.
Glycerol-3-Phosphate Acyltransferase 1 Is Essential for the Immune Response to Infection with Coxsackievirus B3 in Mice

Livers and hearts from mice deficient in glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase 1 (GPAT1; Gpat1 2/2 ) have a decreased content of glycerolipid intermediates and triacylglycerol, an altered composition of liver phospholipids, and elevated markers of oxidative stress. Compared with control C57BL/6 mice, infection of Gpat1 2/2 mice with coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) resulted in higher mortality, an ;50% increase in heart pathology, a significant increase in liver viral titers, and a 100-fold increase in heart viral titers. Moreover, heart mRNA levels for proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-a, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1B were increased in the Gpat1 2/2 mice. Loss of Gpat1 also resulted in dysregulation of specific immune cells. Splenic dendritic cells from Gpat1 2/2 mice were fully capable of stimulating T cells from control mice; however, splenic T cells from Gpat1 2/2 mice were defective in their response to CVB3 antigen. Our data indicate that a lack of GPAT1 activity affects both innate and adaptive immune mechanisms. Innate mechanisms may be affected by altered membrane composition or host redox status, whereas the adaptive response may require GPAT1 activity itself. J. Nutr. 139: 779‐783, 2009.