cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trends in contraceptive need and use in developing countries in 2003, 2008, and 2012: an analysis of national surveys

Summary Background Data for trends in contraceptive use and need are necessary to guide programme and policy decisions and to monitor progress towards Millennium Development Goal 5, which calls for universal access to contraceptive services. We therefore aimed to estimate trends in contraceptive use and unmet need in developing countries in 2003, 2008, and 2012 . Methods We obtained data from national surveys for married and unmarried women aged 15–49 years in regions and subregions of developing countries. We estimated trends in the numbers and proportions of women wanting to avoid pregnancy, according to whether they were using modern contraceptives, or had unmet need for modern methods (ie, using no methods or a traditional method). We used comparable data sources and methods for three reference years (2003, 2008, and 2012). National survey data were available for 81–98% of married women using and with unmet need for modern methods. Findings The number of women wanting to avoid pregnancy and therefore needing effective contraception increased substantially, from 716 million (54%) of 1321 million in 2003, to 827 million (57%) of 1448 million in 2008, to 867 million (57%) of 1520 million in 2012. Most of this increase (108 million) was attributable to population growth. Use of modern contraceptive methods also increased, and the overall proportion of women with unmet need for modern methods among those wanting to avoid pregnancy decreased from 29% (210 million) in 2003, to 26% (222 million) in 2012. However, unmet need for modern contraceptives was still very high in 2012, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (53 million [60%] of 89 million), south Asia (83 million [34%] of 246 million), and western Asia (14 million [50%] of 27 million). Moreover, a shift in the past decade away from sterilisation, the most effective method, towards injectable drugs and barrier methods, might have led to increases in unintended pregnancies in women using modern methods. Interpretation Achievement of the desired number and healthy timing of births has important benefits for women, families, and societies. To meet the unmet need for modern contraception, countries need to increase resources, improve access to contraceptive services and supplies, and provide high-quality services and large-scale public education interventions to reduce social barriers. Our findings confirm a substantial and unfinished agenda towards meeting of couples' reproductive needs. Funding UK Department for International Development, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
A Fast Interferometer Using a Nitrogen Laser for Dense Plasmas

A Mach-Zehnder interferometer utilizing a short pulse (5 ns FWHM) nitrogen laser has been built and successfully operated. This system is capable of measuring plasma electron densities higher than 1020 cm-3 and is simple as well as inexpensive. The same system can be used for schlieren and shadow photography. Examples of an interferogram and a shadowgraph of a high density plasma are presented.
Photokymography: A noninvasive method of detecting ischemic segmental myocardial wall motion abnormalities

The photokymograph is a new and simple noninvasive device for assessing epicardial segmental myocardial wall motion utilizing cardiac fluoroscopy and image intensification. The validity of this technique in detecting wall motion changes occurring with ischemia was assessed in seven closed chest dogs undergoing acute balloon occlusion of the left circumflex coronary artery. Acute occlusion resulted in a prompt change in the analog signal of the photokymogram, characterized first by a decreased systolic inward motion and late systolic outward movement that later became akinetic and dyskinetic. Systolic amplitude decreased 18 +/- 7 percent (mean +/- standard error of the mean) within 5 seconds of occlusion and progressed to systolic outward motion (- 106 +/- 24 percent) at 2 minutes. The time course and type of morphologic changes observed after occlusion were similar to those previously described using invasive methods. Furthermore, such changes preceded electrocardiographic S-T segment elevation. These data suggest that photokymography is a sensitive technique for noninvasive detection of acute ischemic segmental wall motion abnormalities and holds promise as a simple method of detecting ischemic heart disease in man.
Designing a type I interferon signaling phagosome.

Circulating immune complexes trigger type I interferons exacerbating disease in systemic lupus erythematosus. In this issue of Immunity, Henault et al. (2012) show that Fcγ-receptor, Toll-like receptor 9, and LC3 conspire to mold phagosomes into type I interferon signaling platforms.
Quantitative optical tomographic imaging of a supersonic jet.

Two-dimensional quantitative images of the density of chlorine in a supersonic expansion are produced with an of 5% in 150-μm pixels by using optical absorption tomography. An incoherent arc-lamp source absolute accuracy provides ample ultraviolet radiation for high-resolution optical absorption tomographic measurements. A measurement of the chlorine absorption coefficient is reported.
Effects of prolonged lung inflation or deflation on pulmonary stretch receptor discharge in the alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is a semi-aquatic diving reptile that has a periodic breathing pattern. Previous work identified pulmonary stretch receptors, that are rapidly and slowly adapting, as well as intrapulmonary chemoreceptors (IPC), sensitive to CO2, that modulate breathing patterns in alligators. The purpose of the present study was to quantify the effects of prolonged lung inflation and deflation (simulated dives) on pulmonary stretch receptors (PSR) and/or IPC discharge characteristics. The effects of airway pressure (0-20 cm H2O), hypercapnia (7% CO2), and hypoxia (5% O2) on dynamic and static responses of PSR were studied in juvenile alligators (mean mass=246 g) at 24°C. Alligators were initially anesthetized with isoflurane, cranially pithed, tracheotomized and artificially ventilated. Vagal afferent tonic and phasic activity was recorded with platinum hook electrodes. Receptor activity was a mixture of slowly adapting PSR (SAR) and rapidly adapting PSR (RAR) with varying thresholds and degrees of adaptation, without CO2 sensitivity. Receptor activity before, during and after 1 min periods of lung inflation and deflation was quantified to examine the effect of simulated breath-hold dives. Some PSR showed a change in dynamic response, exhibiting inhibition for several breaths after prolonged lung inflation. Following 1 min deflation, RAR, but not SAR, exhibited a significant potentiation of burst frequency relative to control. For SAR, the post-inflation receptor inhibition was blocked by CO2 and hypoxia; for RAR, the post-inflation inhibition was potentiated by CO2 and blocked by hypoxia. These results suggest that changes in PSR firing following prolonged inflation and deflation may promote post-dive ventilation in alligators. We hypothesize that PSR in alligators may be involved in recovery of breathing patterns and lung volume during pre- and post-diving behavior and apneic periods in diving reptiles.
Fictitious minima of object functions, finite element meshes, and edge elements in electromagnetic device synthesis

The authors points out the nature of the discontinuities in the object function as a result of mesh error. That is, they are artificial and have no physical basis. These discontinuities, however accurate the mesh might be, persist. As such, the solution of inverse problems gets to be slow. The authors present three approaches to minimizing this error: adaptive meshes, edge elements, and crunched meshes. The latter is shown to be significantly faster for optimization, although the field solutions in the iterations have accuracy depending on the fineness of the initial mesh. Adaptive approaches on the other hand significantly slow down convergence. Edge elements improve flux-density-based object functions by making them C/sup 1/ continuous because no derivative of the potential is required, although multiple minima continue to exist; but the C/sup 1/ continuity makes it possible to utilize faster algorithms using the Hessian. >
Evaluation for abdominal aortic aneurysms is justified in patients with thoracic aortic aneurysms

Aortic aneurysms are a significant cause of mortality, and the presence of multiple aneurysms may affect treatment plans. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in patients with thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs) and to establish whether patient specific factors, such as gender and comorbidities, influenced the frequency of AAAs, thereby indicating if and when abdominal aortic evaluation is justified. Electronic medical records were reviewed from 1000 patients with a computed tomography (CT) angiogram of the chest and abdomen and a clinical diagnosis of TAA from Cardiac Surgery clinic between 2008 and 2013. 538 patients with history of aortic intervention, dissection, rupture or trauma were excluded. The frequency of AAAs among the 462 remaining patients was established, and statistical analysis was used to elucidate differences in frequency based on age, gender, comorbidities, and TAA location. Overall, 104 of 462 (22.5 %) patients with a TAA also had an AAA. There were significant differences in the frequency of AAA based on TAA location, age, and comorbidities. The following comorbidities showed positive associations with AAA using logistic regression analysis: age ≥65 (P age 55, with systemic hypertension, a smoking history and/or a TAA in the descending thoracic aorta.
Refinement of the margarite structure in subgroup symmetry

The crystal structure of margarite-2M1 from Chester County, Pennsylvania, has been refined as an ordered derivative structure in subgroup Cc of the ideal space group C2/ c. Because of the high pseudosymmetry involved, successful refinement by least-squares required initial movement of atomic parameters away from those of the disordered phase towards those of the possible ordered models predicted by a distance least-squares program. Ordering of tetrahedral Si and AI is nearly complete in a pattern that violates centrosymmetry between the two tetrahedral sheets within a 2: I layer. Compositionally similar tetrahedra in adjacent sheets are related instead by a pseudo two-fold axis that extends laterally through the oc­ tahedral AI atoms and is normal to the direction of intralayer shift. The two tetrahedral sheets differ si.in Si,Al contents. A similar ordering pattern is theoretically possible in muscovite-2M, also, but was not found to be adopted by muscovite from the Diamond mine, South Dakota.
The Network Effect of Privacy Choices

With most of their news, media and information coming from online social sources, users often personalize their information to receive better quality content. Most online services explicitly rely on data or actions from yourself and your friends for their service, or as training data or examples used for personalization. They also implicitly use this data for additional profit, which is typically perceived as an erosion of the user’s privacy. Any innocuous choice that is exercised online can reveal a lot of information about the individual. Indeed, with the explosion of data science techniques, the privacy risks involved with personalized information online is ever increasing. Unfortunately, navigating this trade-off today remains an uncertain endeavor. Among the difficulties is the formidable technical complexity of grasping how different data together can integrate to reveal, to different degrees of certainty, private information about the user. Here, we wish to study a relatively under explored avenue of research: How does the disclosure of multiple types of data by locally connected individuals affect each ones privacy differently? When and why can we expect that decisions made individually lead to predictable outcome? When are we likely to observe excessive privacy behaviors which appear seemingly irrational [1, 2] such as refusing to disclose any data, or sharing most of your life? While this paper will consider a simple case the issue at stake is pervasive. Using vocabulary from micro-economics [8], while the enjoyment of your privacy through piece of mind or protection from future harm may appear as a conventional (i.e. private) utility, the enjoyment of personalization and social network sharing is by definition a public good. The quality of personalization (at the expense of privacy) highly depends on your connections and their individual choices. In this paper, we present the following contributions:
Managing data quality: a critical issue for the decade to come

This paper presents a study of data quality in the context of the information systems organization. We introduce a fundamental analogy between manufacturing and information systems, define the dimensions of data quality, and develop the concept of a data value chain. Based on these ideas, we analyze the impact of data quality on corporate profits and present the results of a detailed field study. The study reveals an urgent need to improve Corporate America's data quality along four dimensions: accuracy, interpretability, availability, and timeliness. A majority of field study participants also expressed difficulty tracking down the sources of their data quality problems. Finally, we argue that organizations can realize significant economic benefits from the proper management of data quality. Toward that end, we develop a five-phase methodology for managing data quality and identify five critical success factors for operationalizing data quality management. This study has raised many intriguing research issues. Example: What kinds of technologies can be developed to certify existing corporate data, to certify external sources of data, and to provide data auditability? How should data originators, data distributors, and data consumers manage data quality problems differently? How can procedures and technologies for data quality be managed in the context of overall architectures for data administration? What critical issues need to be addressed in developing and installing data warehouses? With the evident trends in systems integration, data architectures, and the proliferation of management support systems, Corporate America will be confronted with these critical research issues in the decade to come.
Children (and adults) benefit from visual feedback during gesture interaction on mobile touchscreen devices

Surface-gesture interaction styles used on mobile touchscreen devices often depend on the platform and application. Some applications show a visual trace of gesture input being made by the user, whereas others do not. Little work has been done examining the usability of visual feedback for surface-gestures, especially for children. In this paper, we extend our previous work on an empirical study conducted with children, teens, and adults to explore characteristics of gesture interaction with and without visual feedback. We analyze 9 simple and 7 complex gesture features to determine whether differences exist between users of different age groups when completing surface-gestures with and without visual feedback. We find that the gestures generated diverge significantly in ways that make them difficult to interpret by some recognizers. For example, users tend to make gestures with fewer strokes in the absence of visual feedback, and tend to make shorter, more compact gestures using straighter lines in the presence of visual feedback. In addition, users prefer to see visual feedback. Based on these findings, we present design recommendations for surface-gesture interfaces for children, teens, and adults on mobile touchscreen devices. We recommend providing visual feedback, especially for children, wherever possible.
Visual compatibility of micafungin sodium and levofloxacin injections

Micafungin and levofloxacin are often used in combination as part of broad-spectrum empirical antimicrobial therapy in hospitalized patients. Guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America recommend the use of micafungin and levofloxacin concomitantly as alternative therapy in high-risk
Carcinoembryonic Antigen in Pericardial Effusion

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was measured by enzyme immunoassay in 14 consecutive pericardial fluids submitted for cytologic examination. The sediment from 14 pericardial fluids (five benign, nine malignant) was examined cytologically, and the supernatant was assayed for CEA. Final diagnoses were rendered after clinical, radiologic, cytologic, and pathologic correlation. The mean CEA level in benign effusion was 1.15 ng/mL. Malignant effusions ranged between 9.4 ng/mL to more than 600 ng/mL. The diagnostic sensitivity of cytologic examination was 90%, and for the CEA assay for carcinoma, the sensitivity was 100%. Specificity for both procedures was 100%. CEA assay of pericardial fluid is a useful diagnostic adjunct to cytologic examination.
Data Dependent Peak Model Based Spectrum Deconvolution for Analysis of High Resolution LC-MS Data

A data dependent peak model (DDPM) based spectrum deconvolution method was developed for analysis of high resolution LC-MS data. To construct the selected ion chromatogram (XIC), a clustering method, the density based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN), is applied to all m/z values of an LC-MS data set to group the m/z values into each XIC. The DBSCAN constructs XICs without the need for a user defined m/z variation window. After the XIC construction, the peaks of molecular ions in each XIC are detected using both the first and the second derivative tests, followed by an optimized chromatographic peak model selection method for peak deconvolution. A total of six chromatographic peak models are considered, including Gaussian, log-normal, Poisson, gamma, exponentially modified Gaussian, and hybrid of exponential and Gaussian models. The abundant nonoverlapping peaks are chosen to find the optimal peak models that are both data- and retention-time-dependent. Analysis of 18 spiked-in LC-MS...
Barriers and Challenges of Female Adult Students Enrolled in Higher Education: A Literature Review

The present study is a review of the literature concerning the barriers and challenges of female adult students enrolled in colleges and universities in the United States. Findings indicated that the commitments of multiple roles, lower level of self-confidence, and insufficient family and social support were the most significant variables related to the barriers and challenges of this population. Suggestions and implications of assisting this student group are discussed. The purpose of the current study is to raise people’s awareness and to understand the difficulties female adult students endure. It is also expected that family, peers, schools, and communities will offer more help to this special student group.
Comparing Playa Inundation Estimates from Landsat and LiDAR Data to a Doppler Radar-Based Hydrologic Model

Although water is a contentious resource in terms of human use and consumption, particularly in the southwestern United States (U.S.), its presence is not always considered valuable or welcome. Where water accumulates on the flat, hard surfaces of desert playas used for the military mission, ephemeral conflict with nature occurs; conflict present only so long as standing water persists into scheduled use for training and testing. Flood occurrences on playas where runways and flightlines are established may incur added financial burden due to unanticipated scheduling changes in training and testing, or damage to infrastructure. The ability to better estimate and predict flooding events including duration and frequency of inundation, which could affect use of playas with infrastructure, may present range managers with a means to avert potential conflicts. For this reason examining the current model that incorporates watershed parameters and Doppler-radar precipitation measurements to estimate runoff onto Rogers (Dry) Lake at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), U.S.A. was done. Satellite imagery and digital elevation model data are spatially explicit (associated with a geographic location) and present that advantage both for planning and to provide comparison of model estimates. The degree to which either or both approaches reflect ground condition following storm events was quantified. Pre- and post-standing water extent for the two significant rainfall-runoff events was mapped from Landsat satellite imagery and standing water volume on the playa was then calculated using a high spatial resolution LiDAR–derived digital elevation model (DEM). These results were compared to the runoff volume estimates made from a model that extrapolated precipitation from Doppler-radar and meteorological stations within the Rogers Lake watershed. The results showed both over- and under-estimated playa inundations when compared.
Research of Oxidative Desulfurization of Simulative Light Oil

Performance of the oxidation of benzothiophene and dibenzothiophene in simulated oil by KMnO4 in KMnO4/HCl system is investigated.Conversions of dibenzothiophene and benzothiophene are 98.5% and 86.6% respectively under the conditions of reaction temperature 25 ℃,reaction time 30 min,KMnO4 0.01 g/mL oil,pH=0,V(oil)∶V(HCl)=3∶4 and phase tranfer catalyst 0.002 g/mL oil.Oxidative kinetics of dibenzothiophene is researched.The apparent activated energy Ea=55.23 kJ/mol and k0=4.88×108.
Purification and Assay of Kinase-Active EGF Receptor From Mammalian Cells by Immunoaffinity Chromatography

The epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor possesses intrinsic protein-tyrosine kinase activity, and both overexpressed wild-type and mutated forms have been associated with many types of cancers. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms that modulate receptor activity and function is essential to the development of treatments for many of these cancers. However, to address this issue by either conventional or high-throughput screening methods requires the availability of large amounts of highly purified and active EGF receptor. The technique described in this chapter utilizes immunoaffinity chromatography, which allows for the isolation of highly purified and active preparations of EGF receptor. By immobilizing an antibody that recognizes the ligand-binding domain of the receptor to Sepharose beads, the receptor can be eluted specifically from the antibody by the addition of EGF. This association establishes a unique interaction that ensures the isolation of a highly enriched preparation of EGF receptor. This protocol allows for the purification of large or small batches of receptor that retain their kinase activity. Additionally, this chapter reports on the subsequent steps necessary to characterize the receptor: kinase activity, mass, purity, and the ability of the receptor to undergo autophosphorylation.
Comparison of Proximal and Distal Oblique Second Metatarsal Osteotomies with Varying Achilles Tendon Tension: Biomechanical Study in a Cadaver Model.

BACKGROUND The optimal surgery for reducing pressure under the second metatarsal head to treat metatarsalgia is unknown. We tested our hypothesis that a proximal oblique dorsiflexion osteotomy of the second metatarsal would decrease second-metatarsal plantar pressures in a cadaver model with varying Achilles tendon tension. We also tested the plantar pressure effects of two popular techniques of distal oblique osteotomy. METHODS Twelve fresh-frozen feet from six cadavers were randomly assigned to either the distal osteotomy group (a classic distal oblique osteotomy followed by a modified distal oblique osteotomy) or proximal metatarsal osteotomy group. Each specimen was tested intact and then after the osteotomy or osteotomies. The feet were loaded with 0, 300, and 600 N of Achilles tendon tension and a 400-N ground reaction force. Plantar pressures were measured by a pressure sensitive mat and analyzed in sections located under each metatarsal. RESULTS The proximal metatarsal osteotomy significantly reduced average pressures beneath the second metatarsal head during both 300 and 600 N of Achilles tendon loading by an average of 19.4 and 29.7 kPa, respectively (p < 0.05). The modified distal oblique osteotomy significantly decreased these pressures during 600 N of Achilles tendon loading, by a mean of 20.2 kPa, which was to a lesser extent than the proximal metatarsal osteotomy. Interestingly, the classic distal oblique osteotomy was not found to have significant effects on pressures beneath the second metatarsal head. CONCLUSIONS The proximal oblique dorsiflexion metatarsal osteotomy may be the most effective procedure for decreasing plantar pressures under the second metatarsal. The modified distal oblique osteotomy may be the second most effective. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The findings of this biomechanical study help shed light on which of the common second metatarsal osteotomies are best for decreasing plantar pressures.
A Probabilistic Approach for Evaluating Predictions of Critical Levels in Physiological Time Series

Many challenges arise in evaluating predictions from dynamical models of physiological signals. A fundamental objective desired by clinicians is to predict regions of clinical interest rather than just match these signals. Although threshold based metrics provide much better insight by classifying predictions based on their ability to capture critical levels of abnormality, these metrics lack the ability to well characterize the prediction performance near decision boundaries. This paper presents a probabilistic approach for evaluating predictions by incorporating prediction uncertainty into the evaluation process. A case study is presented for evaluating 20s and 60s ahead predictions of critical oxygen levels in the blood using Gaussian Process (GP) models. Results show significant improvement in the ability to characterize the performance in predicting critical desaturation events.
An efficient and scalable approach for generating topologically optimized cellular structures for additive manufacturing

Abstract This paper presents an end-to-end design process for compliance minimization-based topological optimization of cellular structures through to the realization of a final printed product. Homogenization is used to derive properties representative of these structures through direct numerical simulation of unit cell models. The resulting homogenized properties are then used assuming uniform distribution of the cellular structure to compute the macroscale structure. Results are presented that illustrate the fine-scale stresses developed in the macroscale optimized part as well as the effect that fine-scale structure has on the optimized topology. Finally, a new method is presented for generating an STL representation of the optimized part that is suitable for printing on typical industrial machines. Quite fine cellular structures are shown to be possible using this method.
Block2Vec: A Deep Learning Strategy on Mining Block Correlations in Storage Systems

Block correlations represent the semantic patterns in storage systems. These correlations can be exploited for data caching, pre-fetching, layout optimization, I/O scheduling, etc. In this paper, we introduce Block2Vec, a deep learning based strategy to mine the block correlations in storage systems. The core idea of Block2Vec is twofold. First, it proposes a new way to abstract blocks, which are considered as multi-dimensional vectors instead of traditional block Ids. In this way, we are able to capture similarity between blocks through the distances of their vectors. Second, based on vector representation of blocks, it further trains a deep neural network to learn the best vector assignment for each block. We leverage the recently advanced word embedding technique in natural language processing to efficiently train the neural network. To demonstrate the effectiveness of Block2Vec, we design a demonstrative block prediction algorithm based on mined correlations. Empirical comparison based on the simulation of real system traces shows that Block2Vec is capable of mining block-level correlations efficiently and accurately. This research and trial show that the deep learning strategy is a promising direction in optimizing storage system performance.
La ausencia de la madre y la asersión de la subjetividad en "Nada" de Carmen laforet

En Nada de Carmen Laforet la busqueda de la asersion de la subjetividad viene originada por una carencia. El tema de la ausencia del personaje de la madre es una idea central en esta novela. La anoranza de lo materno en las circunstancias historicas y sociales de la epoca de la posguerra espanola repercute en la caracterizacion del personaje central. Siguiendo las diferentes teorias que se han desarrollado en torno a la maternidad, mi ensayo estudia la importancia esencial de la figura de la madre desde las etapas mas tempranas de crecimiento del individuo y en la formacion de su subjetividad. In Carmen Laforet’s Nada the search for the assertion of the subjectivity is originated by a emptiness. The theme of the absence of the mother figure is a central idea in this novel. The pinning for the maternal in the social and economic circumstances of the Spanish postwar period has a repercussion on the image of the main character. Following different theories about maternity, my essay studies the essential importance of the mother figure from the earliest stages of the individual’s development and in the formation of his/her subjectivity.
Inferring Discourse Relations from PDTB-style Discourse Labels for Argumentative Revision Classification

Penn Discourse Treebank (PDTB)-style annotation focuses on labeling local discourse relations between text spans and typically ignores larger discourse contexts. In this paper we propose two approaches to infer discourse relations in a paragraph-level context from annotated PDTB labels. We investigate the utility of inferring such discourse information using the task of revision classification. Experimental results demonstrate that the inferred information can significantly improve classification performance compared to baselines, not only when PDTB annotation comes from humans but also from automatic parsers.
A Robust Method to Generate Mechanically Anisotropic Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Sheets for Vascular Tissue Engineering

In arterial tissue engineering, mimicking native structure and mechanical properties is essential because compliance mismatch can lead to graft failure and further disease. With bottom-up tissue engineering approaches, designing tissue components with proper microscale mechanical properties is crucial to achieve the necessary macroscale properties in the final implant. This study develops a thermoresponsive cell culture platform for growing aligned vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) sheets by photografting N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) onto micropatterned poly(dimethysiloxane) (PDMS). The grafting process is experimentally and computationally optimized to produce PNIPAAm-PDMS substrates optimal for VSMC attachment. To allow long-term VSMC sheet culture and increase the rate of VSMC sheet formation, PNIPAAm-PDMS surfaces were further modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane yielding a robust, thermoresponsive cell culture platform for culturing VSMC sheets. VSMC cell sheets cultured on patterned thermoresponsive substrates exhibit cellular and collagen alignment in the direction of the micropattern. Mechanical characterization of patterned, single-layer VSMC sheets reveals increased stiffness in the aligned direction compared to the perpendicular direction whereas nonpatterned cell sheets exhibit no directional dependence. Structural and mechanical anisotropy of aligned, single-layer VSMC sheets makes this platform an attractive microstructural building block for engineering a vascular graft to match the in vivo mechanical properties of native arterial tissue.
Aberrant Chromatin Remodeling by APL Fusion Proteins Assessed at the Single-Cell Level: Contribution of Reduced Mobility of Nuclear Coregulators.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is notable for its specific t(15;17) chromosomal translocation-generated fusion protein, PML-RARα , and a dramatic clinical response to all- trans retinoic acid (ATRA) therapy. To explore the hypothesis that aberrant chromatin remodeling plays a role in PML-RARα-induced leukemogenesis and its reversal by ATRA at the single-cell level, we subcloned the open reading frames of wild type RARα , PML-RARα and PLZF-RARα into the amino-terminus of CFP-LacR. Immunoblot analysis, DNA binding studies, reporter assays and fluorescent microscopic analysis demonstrated that each CFP-LacR tagged construct encoded proteins of the expected size and that each gained the ability to bind to a Lac operator-containing reporter construct and activate transcription in an ATRA-dependent manner; addition of the tag did not interfere with their RARE binding ability or their cellular localization and distribution. Fluorescent microscopic examination of chromosomally integrated Lac operator arrays within the CHO cell line, A03_1, following expression of CFP-LacR-tagged proteins demonstrated that each of the tagged proteins localized to tightly packed arrays of less than half the volume of arrays within A03_1 cells transfected with CFP-LacR alone (p −7 M) normalized the array volume in cells expressing CFP-LacR-RARα but not in cells expressing CFP-LacR-PML-RARα or CFP-LacR-PLZF-RARα . To determine directly whether or not the Lac operon array volume correlated with recruitment of nuclear receptor co-regulators, we imaged A03_1 cells co-expressing CFP-LacR-RARα , CFP-PML-RARα or CFP-LacR-PLZF-RARα and YFP-SMRT or YFP-SRC-1. In the absence of ATRA, YFP-SMRT bound almost exclusively to the arrays within cells expressing CFP-LacR-RARα , CFP-PML-RARα or CFP-LacR-PLZF-RARα , while YFP-SRC-1 did not; rather, CFP-SRC-1 distributed throughout the nucleus in each case. Surprisingly, the concentration of ATRA required to induce dissociation of YFP-SMRT from the arrays and recruitment of YFP-SRC-1 to the arrays (10 −7 M) was similar in cells expressing each construct. In contrast, while the mobility of YFP-SRC-1 localized on the CFP-LacR-RARα-bound arrays assessed by its recovery half-life (t 1/2 ) was 17.80 ± 4.31 s, its mobility on the CFP-LacR-PML-RARα-bound arrays or the CFF-LacR-PLZF-RARα-bound arrays was reduced by 47% (t 1/2 =26.07 ± 8.35 s; p 1/2 =25.80 ± 9.89 s; p 1/2 (13.57 ± 4.53 s) was similar to the mobility of YFP-SMRT localized on the CFP-LacR-PML-RARα-bound arrays (t 1/2 =13.50 ± 4.21 s), the mobility of YFP-SMRT on the CFF-LacR-PLZF-RARα-bound arrays was reduced by 68% (t 1/2 =22.76 ± 7.87 s; p
Incidence, Management, and Risk Factors for Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Renal Transplant Recipients.

Abstract Background There are limited convincing data regarding management and outcomes of lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGB) in renal transplant recipients (RTR). The aim of this study was to evaluate incidence, management strategies, and risk factors associated with LGB in RTR. Methods Between January 2004 and December 2013, RTR with LGB were analyzed. LGB was defined as having clinical evidence of hemorrhage after upper gastrointestinal etiology was ruled out. Results There were 1578 RTR with a mean age of 50 ± 14 years at the time of transplantation. Mean follow-up time after transplantation was 57 ± 45 months. Forty-five (2.9%) patients had a documented site of LGB. The most common causes of bleeding were colitis and angiodysplasia (n = 17). Mean time to LGB after transplantation was 43 ± 36 months. Twelve patients with LGB required intervention. Three underwent colectomy, endoscopic treatment was utilized in 8, and 1 patient had angiographic embolization to control bleeding. Recurrent LGB developed in 11 patients of 42 patients who did not have surgery at the time of index bleeding. Surgical (n = 1) or endoscopic intervention (n = 4) was required in 5 of recurrent bleeders. LGB was more commonly seen in RTRs who had development of a nonfunctioning kidney ( P P = .001). We did not observe any increased risk of LGB bleeding among patients who were receiving anticoagulant or anti-aggregant treatment agents ( P = .76). Conclusions Nonfunctioning kidney after transplant is a risk factor for LGB. Overall mortality rates increased after LGB in RTR. Strategies aiming to prolong transplanted kidney function may reduce the incidence of LGB and improve life expectancy in RTR.
Dicamba-Tolerant Soybeans (Glycine max L.) MON 87708 and MON 87708 × MON 89788 Are Compositionally Equivalent to Conventional Soybean.

Herbicide-tolerant crops can expand both tools for and timing of weed control strategies. MON 87708 soybean has been developed through genetic modification and confers tolerance to the dicamba herbicide. As part of the safety assessment conducted for new genetically modified (GM) crop varieties, a compositional assessment of MON 87708 was performed. Levels of key soybean nutrients and anti-nutrients in harvested MON 87708 were compared to levels of those components in a closely related non-GM variety as well as to levels measured in other conventional soybean varieties. From this analysis, MON 87708 was shown to be compositionally equivalent to its comparator. A similar analysis conducted for a stacked trait product produced by conventional breeding, MON 87708 × MON 89788, which confers tolerance to both dicamba and glyphosate herbicides, reached the same conclusion. These results are consistent with other results that demonstrate no compositional impact of genetic modification, except in those cases wher...
Confinement-Tray Background Color Affects Parasitism Rates of Attacking Pseudacteon curvatus (Diptera: Phoridae) in a Laboratory Rearing System

Distribution of the phorid fly (Pseudacteon curvatus Borgmeier), a natural parasitoid of imported fire ants (Solenopsis spp.), was tested in a laboratory rearing system to evaluate differences in phorid fly production based on tray background color. Significantly (P = 0.02) higher rates of parasitism were observed for ants confined within a tray with darker background colors (olive drab, brown or ruddy brown) than for ants confined within a brighter white background tray. This study identifies a factor that may be influencing production levels in a phorid rearing system.
Ethanol metabolism by alcohol dehydrogenase or cytochrome P450 2E1 differentially impairs hepatic protein trafficking and growth hormone signaling

Impaired growth hormone-mediated signaling is observed in ethanol-exposed hepatocytes and is explained by differential effects of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)- and cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1)-media...
The evolution of androgen receptor expression and behavior in Anolis lizard forelimb muscles

The motor systems that produce behavioral movements are among the primary targets for the action of steroid hormones, including androgens. Androgens such as testosterone bind to androgen receptors (AR) to induce physiological changes in the size, strength, and energetic capacity of skeletal muscles, which can directly influence the performance of behaviors in which those muscles are used. Because tissues differentially express AR, resulting in tissue-specific sensitivity to androgens, AR expression may be a major target of selection for the evolution of behavior. Anolis lizards (i.e., anoles) provide a robust system for the study of androgen-regulated traits, including the behavioral traits that facilitate social display and locomotion. In this study, we examined six anole species that demonstrate significant variation in the behavioral use of the forelimbs to measure the proportion of myonuclei in the bicep muscles that express AR. Using phylogenetic comparative analyses, we found that species with a greater proportion of nuclei positive for AR expression in the biceps exhibited greater frequencies of locomotor movements and pushup displays. These results suggest that AR expression in skeletal muscles may influence the evolution of androgen-regulated behaviors in this group.
Increased Rate of ASCUS Diagnosis With Concomitant Request for High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Reflex Testing May Be Due to Cognitive Bias

Objectives To determine if concomitant high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV-HR) reflex testing may bias the cytologic interpretation of Papanicolaou (Pap) tests. Methods Percentage of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) and HPV-HR positivity was compared between Pap tests with HPV-HR cotesting and HPV-HR reflex testing for ASCUS, with subset analysis of cytopathologists' experience. Results ASCUS in the reflex group (41.5%) was significantly higher than the cotesting group (33.0%) (P = .02). There was no difference in HPV-HR positivity or ASCUS/squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) ratios between the two groups. The cytopathologists' experience inversely correlated with the proportion of ASCUS but did not explain the higher reflex group ASCUS. Conclusions HPV-HR reflex testing may introduce bias in cytologic diagnosis, making it more likely that an ASCUS diagnosis is rendered. HPV-HR and ASCUS/SIL ratios were similar between the groups, so cytopathologist performance was not significantly affected. There was no effect of cytopathologists' experience.
Stability Analysis of Loaded Columns Made of Pultruded Composites

ABSTRACT In Pultrusion, a single reinforcement or a collection of reinforcements, saturated with a reactive resin, is pulled through a heated die that imparts a desired final geometry to the profile. Generally, the cross section of the profile is constant but it can be of arbitrary shape. These products have become very popular because they can be made to exhibit features found in components produced by other processes. In this paper, a method based on the combination of theoretical and numerical methods is developed to investigate effects of pertinent variables including geometric parameters, reinforcement types, and volume fractions of the constituents on the strength and stability of such composites. The energy method is used to establish the buckling criterion which leads to a two-dimensional, orthotropic partial differential equation (pde), for determination of the warping function. A numerical approach based on the Fundamental Collocation Method (FCM) is used for determination of the warping function. Consequently, the buckling criterion can be established, the eigenvalues of which are related to the critical buckling loads.
The Status of the Non-Discursiveness Thesis

This essay defends the non-discursive nature of argumentation proposed by the author in previous works. The objections to this idea are described as being representative of two alternative theories...
Pseudofolliculitis barbae and related disorders.

Pseudofolliculitis barbae is a common and often distressing condition in black men who shave. Treatment can keep the disorder under control, but it must be individualized and it requires patient compliance. Dermatitis papillaris capillitii is related to pseudofolliculitis barbae but is not as common, and treatment differs for both entities.
Comparing stuttering attitudes of preschool through 5th grade children and their parents in a predominately rural Appalachian sample.

Abstract Background Theories relating to young children’s social cognitive maturity and their prevailing social groups play important roles in the acquisition of attitudes. Previous research has shown that preschool and kindergarten children’s stuttering attitudes are characterized by stronger negative beliefs and self reactions than those of parents. By contrast, 12 year-old children’s stuttering attitudes have been shown to be similar to their parents’ attitudes. Other research indicates that parental stuttering attitudes are no different from attitudes of adults who are not parents. Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore children’s stuttering attitudes of preschool through 5th grade children and to compare them to their parents’ attitudes. Method Children and parents from a rural Appalachian elementary school and child/parent pairs from other areas in the region responded to child and adult versions of the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes–Stuttering (POSHA–S/Child and POSHA–S). Seven grade levels were included: preschool, kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade. Results Confirming earlier research, younger children’s attitudes toward stuttering were considerably less positive than those of their parents. As children matured up to the fifth grade, however, their stuttering attitudes progressively were more positive. Parents’ stuttering attitudes were quite consistent across all seven grade levels. Conclusions Consistent with theories of attitudinal development, between the ages of 4 and 11 years, children’s measured attitudes toward stuttering improved and gradually approximated the attitudes of their parents and the general public.
Dynamical disparity between hydration shell water and RNA in a hydrated RNA system

We have performed large-scale molecular dynamics simulations on hammerhead RNA in water and observed disparity in the dynamical properties between water and RNA. The simulations are carried out above the dynamical transition temperature of RNA and is varied from below freezing to ambient temperature. Using this model, we observed different types of relaxation dynamics for water and RNA. While RNA shows a single stretched exponential decay, the water molecules show a double-exponential decay. Both water and RNA dynamics show temperature and spatial dependence on relaxation times. The RNA relaxations are many orders of magnitude slower compared to water for all temperature and spatial length scales. RNA relaxations show predominantly heterogeneous dynamics. Water dynamics in the hydration shell show a combination of interfacial water and bulk-like water properties and the water dynamics are decoupled from the RNA dynamics. These results explain the dynamics of water in the hydration shell and that of RNA.
Coherent excitonic quantum beats in time-resolved photoemission measurements

Coherent excitation of materials via ultrafast laser pulses can have interesting, observable dynamics in time-resolved photoemission measurements. The broad spectral width of ultrafast pump pulses can coherently excite multiple exciton energy levels. When such coherently excited states are probed by means of photoemission spectroscopy, interference between the polarization of different exciton levels can lead to observable coherent exciton beats. Here, we present the theoretical formalism for evaluating the time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectra (tr-ARPES) arising from the coherently excited exciton states in the regime of zero overlap between the pump and probe pulses. We subsequently apply our formalism to a simple model example of hydrogenic exciton energy levels to identify the dependencies that control the quantum beats. Our findings indicate that the most pronounced effect of coherent quantum excitonic beats is seen midway between the excited exciton energy levels and the central energy of the pump pulse provides tunability of this effect.