cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Holographic Laser Projection

Phase-only holographic projection has prompted a great deal of research and has often been cited as a desirable method of 2-D image formation, since such a technique offers a number of advantages over conventional imaging projection technology. Although holographic image formation was demonstrated some forty years ago, efforts at realizing a real-time 2-D video projection system based on this technique have not been successful, principally due to the computational complexity of calculating diffraction patterns in real time and the poor quality of the resultant images. In this paper, a new approach to hologram generation and display is presented which overcomes both of these problems, enabling-for the first time-a high-quality real-time holographic projector.
Fertility of somatic hybrids from protoplast fusions of Solanum brevidens and S. tuberosum.

Two sets of somatic hybrids between Solanum brevidens (2x) and S. tuberosum (2x and 4x) were evaluated for male fertility, meiotic regularity and female fertility. The somatic hybrids were tetraploids from 2x + 2x fusions and hexaploids from 2x + 4x fusions. Pollen stainability ranged from 0 to 83% in tetraploids and from 0 to 23% in hexaploids. The tetraploids had more regular meiosis, lower levels of micropollen and fewer unassociated chromosomes than hexaploids. However, except for a low level of selfing, the pollen of both sets of hybrids was ineffective in pollinations. The tetraploids, as females, crossed poorly with 2x and 4x tester species and selfed only at low levels. The hexaploid fusion hybrids also crossed poorly with the 2x tester species and selfed only to a limited degree; however, they crossed well with 4x testers. Seed set in crosses with S. tuberosum Group Andigena, and S. tuberosum Group Tuberosum cultivars ‘Kathadin’ and ‘Norland’ averaged 16.7, 15.6 and 28.6 seeds per fruit, respectively. Progeny from these crosses had 5x or nearly 5x ploidy levels. The results indicate that reasonable levels of female fertility can be obtained in somatic fusion hybrids of S. brevidens and S. tuberosum.
It's Probably Good to Talk

Despite their diverse themes, the various articles in this special issue all focus on the possibility that the child's view of the world is infused with premises and assumptions taken on board from other people. Demonstrating that process of transmission from parent to child is not easy. One powerful strategy would be to show that parental discourse predicts the cognitive attainments of adopted children. Meantime, the articles provide encouraging evidence for the follow- ing conclusions: (1) parents vary not just in the sophistication of the emotional insight that they nurture in their children but also in the positive—or negative— orientation of that insight; (2) mothers who offer more explanations in dis- cussing a family conflict have children who report more flexible coping; (3) mothers' metamemory comments are associated with children's sensitivity to the way in which a given source of information supplies information; (4) mothers often invite children to contemplate the future by reminding them of similar oc- casions in the past; and (5) parental use of analogy is associated with greater scientific understanding on the part of the child.
Comparison of hollow-fiber membrane oxygenators with different perfusion modes during normothermic and hypothermic CPB in a simulated neonatal model.

Purpose: The objectives of this investigation were (1) to compare two hollow-fiber membrane oxygenators (Capiox Baby RX versus Lilliput 1-D901) in terms of pressure drops and surplus hemodynamic en...
SEMINIFEROUS TUBULE DYSGENESIS (KLINEFELTER'S SYNDROME) ASSOCIATED WITH FAMILIAL CEREBELLAR ATAXIA

ABSTRACT A case of Klinefelter's syndrome associated with familial cerebellar ataxia is presented. This combination is reported for the first time. Evidence is accumulating that seminiferous tubule dysgenesis is a genetically determined disorder. The association of this condition with another genetic disturbance suggested that a study of the patient's family might be of value. However, no additional cases of seminiferous tubule dysgenesis were found.
Prevalence of hypercalcemia of malignancy among cancer patients in the UK: analysis of the Clinical Practice Research Datalink database.

Abstract Background The reported proportion of cancer patients who experience hypercalcemia of malignancy (HCM) ranges between 3% and 30%. HCM can be observed with any type of tumor and occurs most commonly in lung cancer, breast cancer and multiple myeloma. While HCM is a potentially fatal condition, the prevalence of HCM is not well defined. Methods Using the United Kingdom Clinical Practice Research Datalink, we identified adult cancer patients with recorded corrected serum calcium (CSC). Hypercalcemic patients (CSC ≥10.8 mg/dL) were classified into 4 CSC levels. We estimated annual prevalence of HCM overall, stratified by cancer type, and in patients with stage IV cancer. Results Among 37,442 cancer patients in 2003–2012 the prevalence of grade 1 HCM increased from 0.13% to 0.45% and the prevalence of HCM overall (grade 1 or higher) increased from 0.20% to 0.67% over the study period. Prevalence estimates varied across cancer type and were highest for lung cancer, multiple myeloma and patients with stage IV cancer. Conclusion We provide the first systematic analysis using a UK population-based data source to estimate number of cancer patients affected with HCM by grade. The increase in HCM prevalence over the 10-year study period is likely due to the increased recording of laboratory values, particularly comparing more recent data to 2003. Our findings suggest that HCM in general is not a common condition.
Conformational Analysis of 4,4-Dimethylheptane

Abstract Infrared and Raman spectra were obtained for 4,4-dimethylheptane and were interpreted with the aid of normal coordinate calculations. It was shown that this compound exists in three conformations. Force constant values transferred from dimethylpentanes resulted in an overall average difference between observed and calculated wavenumbers of 4.5 cm−1 for the three conformers.
Central Sets and Radii of the Zero-Divisor Graphs of Commutative Rings

For a commutative ring R with identity, the zero-divisor graph, Γ(R), is the graph with vertices the nonzero zero-divisors of R and edges between distinct vertices x and y whenever xy = 0. This article gives a proof that the radius of Γ(R) is 0, 1, or 2 if R is Noetherian. The center union {0} is shown to be a union of annihilator ideals if R is Artinian. The diameter of Γ(R) can be determined once the center is identified. If R is finite, then the median is shown to be a subset of the center. A dominating set of Γ(R) is constructed using elements of the center when R is Artinian. It is shown that for a finite ring R ≇ ℤ2 × F for some finite field F, the domination number of Γ(R) is equal to the number of distinct maximal ideals of R. Other results on the structure of Γ(R) are also presented.
Infertility in the Turkey. II. A Description of a Spontaneous Infertility Condition and Its Alleviation by Intramagnal Insemination and Sexual Rest

Abstract A spontaneous infertility condition in hens taken from a commercial turkey flock was studied. Forty-eight hens from the original flock of about 2200 were housed in cages to obtain individual fertility records. Thirteen of the 48 hens were sterile upon arrival from the parent flock while five laid eggs which were all fertile. The fertility of other individuals fell between these extremes. Even hens with fertility as low as 9% laid a scattering of fertile eggs after insemination, showing they did store sperm. Reinsemination of the hens with good quality semen did not ameliorate the condition. Insemination in a manner designed to bypass the normal sperm storage glands (i.e. intramagnal AI) increased fertility from less than 10% to over 85%. Hens inseminated in this manner had an average fertility level of 70.6% in the second week after AI and 23.1% in the third. Low fertility hens which underwent a period of sexual rest and ovarian and oviducal regression had high levels of fertility when egg laying resumed. In the 7th and 8th weeks after resumption of lay it appeared that fertility was again declining.
Reno: regularized non-parametric analysis of protein lysate array data

Motivation: The reverse-phase protein lysate arrays have been used to quantify the relative expression levels of a protein in a number of cellular samples simultaneously. To avoid quantification bias due to mis-specification of commonly used parametric models, a nonparametric approach based on monotone response curves may be used. The existing methods, however, aggregate the protein concentration levels of replicates of each sample, and therefore fail to account for within-sample variability. Results: We propose a method of regularization on protein concentration estimation at the level of individual dilution series to account for within-sample or within-group variability. We use an efficient algorithm to optimize an approximate objective function, with a data-adaptive approach to choose the level of shrinkage. Simulation results show that the proposed method quantifies protein concentration levels well. We show through the analysis of protein lysate array data from cell lines of different cancer groups that accounting for within-sample variability leads to better statistical analysis. Availability: Code written in statistical programming language R is available at: http://odin.mdacc.tmc.edu/~jhhu/Reno Contact: gro.nosrednadm@uhj Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Serum haptoglobin concentrations in dairy cattle with lameness due to claw disorders.

Abstract In cattle, elevated blood serum concentrations of haptoglobin, an acute phase protein, have been demonstrated in association with several diseases, but not with lameness. Serum haptoglobin was measured in 60 Holstein dairy cattle diagnosed with lameness due to four claw disorders, pododermatitis septica (PS; n = 41), pododermatitis circumscripta (PC; n = 8), interdigital necrobacillosis (IN; n = 7), papillomatous digital dermatitis (PDD; n = 4). Haptoglobin was measured on day 1 (0–3 days after lameness was observed but before treatment) and on days 3 and 5. A total of 10 healthy cows served as controls (haptoglobin values Each of the claw disorders was associated with elevated haptoglobin on day 1 (PS, PC, IN and PDD: 65.9%, 37.5%, 71.4% and 25.0%, respectively). Trimming and antibiotic treatment led to a reduction in the number of PS and IN cows with increased haptoglobin concentrations, respectively (P
Hardware for fast global operations on multicomputers

The results presented show that the addition of a secondary network with a wide-tree topology and one or more coordination processors to a message-passing-only multicomputer can speed up synchronization, broadcasting, global reduction, and other collective communication operations by two or three orders of magnitude. While the idea of a secondary network is in itself not new, modeling and simulation show that our system is faster, more cost effective, and more versatile than any others we have found. As as direct evidence of this latter point, our system is applicable to workstation cluster multicomputers as well as to "Big Iron" type multicomputers. Although our system provides a large performance gain for global operations, it increases overall system cost by only 2-3%. >
Colorimetric Determination of 2,3-Diphosphoglycerate in Whole Blood

A method for determining 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) is described that has been adapted for the clinical laboratory and does not require any special equipment. For eight controls, the average value obtained by this method was 4.19 ± 0.26 µmol of DPG per milliliter of red blood cells. The procedure is simple, quick, and reliable
Recent improvement in mental health services to lesbian and gay clients.

Abstract Recent attention to the needs of gay and lesbian clients in the professional literature and by mental health training programs should be resulting in improved mental health services to this population. Gay and lesbian clients in this study did report greater satisfaction with therapy experiences in more recent years (r = .47), and they reported more improvement in services over time than did heterosexual clients (r = .23). Gay and lesbian clients' retrospective ratings of non-gay therapists before 1985 were closer to “not at all helpful” than to “fairly helpful.” By the late 1980s, however, these ratings were rising sharply, surpassing heterosexuals' ratings of their therapists in the 1990s.
Nested tori in a 3-variable mass action model

The dynamics of three competitive species are analysed through a mass action kinetic scheme derived from the Lotka-Volterra model. It is demonstrated that in a neighbourhood of bifurcation criticality, or crisis known as the explosive route to chaos, the system exhibits both nearly conservative and strongly dissipative solutions. The behaviour depends on the selection of initial conditions. All dissipative solutions are attracted to a fractal torus that produces a bead-like structure and supports chaotic solutions. In contrast, the enclosed bead interior constrains for a short time nearly conservative periodic orbits which promote formation of a nested tori family in the three-dimensional space. The long-time behaviour, however, exhibits either slowly contracting or slowly expanding scroll solutions. The model possesses qualitative and topological features found in medicine, neurobiology, chemistry, and fluid dynamics. Among these are examples such as oscillatory behaviour of the Belousov-Zhabotinskii chemical reaction and fluid dynamic properties of the Taylor-Couette flow.
Polynucleotide Phosphorylase Plays an Important Role in the Generation of Spontaneous Mutations in Escherichia coli

Polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNP) plays a central role in RNA degradation, generating a pool of ribonucleoside diphosphates (rNDPs) that can be converted to deoxyribonucleoside diphosphates (dNDPs) by ribonucleotide reductase. We report here that spontaneous mutations resulting from replication errors, which are normally repaired by the mismatch repair (MMR) system, are sharply reduced in a PNP-deficient Escherichia coli strain. This is true for base substitution mutations that occur in the rpoB gene leading to Rif(r) and the gyrB gene leading to Nal(r) and for base substitution and frameshift mutations that occur in the lacZ gene. These results suggest that the increase in the rNDP pools generated by polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNP) degradation of RNA is responsible for the spontaneous mutations observed in an MMR-deficient background. The PNP-derived pool also appears responsible for the observed mutations in the mutT mutator background and those that occur after treatment with 5-bromodeoxyuridine, as these mutations are also drastically reduced in a PNP-deficient strain. However, mutation frequencies are not reduced in a mutY mutator background or after treatment with 2-aminopurine. These results highlight the central role in mutagenesis played by the rNDP pools (and the subsequent dNTP pools) derived from RNA degradation.
Prevalence and prognosis of unrecognized myocardial infarctions in chronic kidney disease

Background Unrecognized myocardial infarctions (UMIs) are common in the general population but have not been well studied in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and prognosis for mortality of UMI among adults with CKD.
Effects of Advertising and Product Placement on Television Audiences

Digital video recorder proliferation and new commercial audience metrics are making television networks' revenues more sensitive to audience losses from advertising. There is currently limited understanding of how traditional advertising and product placement affect television audiences. We estimate a random coefficients logit model of viewing demand for television programs, wherein time given to traditional advertising and product placement plays a role akin to the "price" of consuming a program. Our data include audience, advertising, and program characteristics from more than 10,000 network-hours of prime-time broadcast television from 2004 to 2007. We find that the median effect of a 10% rise in traditional advertising time is a 15% reduction in audience size. We find evidence that creative strategy and product category factors are important determinants of viewer response to traditional advertising. When we control for program episode quality, we find that product placement time decreases viewer utility. In sum, our results imply that networks should give price discounts to those advertisers whose ads are most likely to retain viewers' interest throughout the commercial break.
Disruptores endocrinos: una historia muy personal y con múltiples personalidades

E n este numero de Gaceta Sanitaria, Olea et al1 discuten el problema de los disruptores endocrinos desde el punto de vista de la reglamentacion del comercio de productos quimicos
Optoelectronic Signatures of DNA-Based Hybrid Nanostructures

This paper presents a characterization of the vibrational modes of nanostructure-DNA complexes immobilized on substrates, such as silver-coated microspheres and silver nanostructure array DNA strands end terminated with titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles are used to study UV-induced cleaving of DNA molecules functionalized with indirect-bandgap semiconductors. In addition, conventional DNA-based molecular beacons were designed and applied in the detection of DNA of selected organisms. Micro-Raman (μRaman) measurements of DNA in water have proven to be a major challenge because of: 1) weak DNA signatures in solution; 2) changes in structural conformations of the DNA; and 3) environmental effects, such as temperature and pH of the solution in which DNA is suspended. We have studied optoelectronic properties of nanostructure-DNA complexes immobilized on silver nanosphere substrates as well as on Ag-coated micro- and nanostructures. In this research, self-assembled monolayers of DNA formed on these substrates were studied using μRaman techniques. These Raman spectra were used to identify prominent vibrational modes of DNA, and to characterize DNA Raman spectra for both B-DNA with a right-handed double helix, and Z-DNA with a left-handed double helix (S. C. Ha, K. Lowenhaupt, A. Rich, Y. Kim, and K. Kim, “Crystal structure of a junction between B-DNA and Z-DNA reveals two extruded bases,” Nature, Vol. 437, pp. 1183-1186, 2005). These Raman-based studies of the conformational states of DNA employ pH-changing trivalent salts, methylation of cytosine bases, and alternating GC bases. Moreover, DNA strands terminated with titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were observed to undergo cleaving upon UV illumination.
The integrin-binding protein Nischarin regulates cell migration by inhibiting PAK

Nischarin, a novel intracellular protein, was originally identified as a binding partner for the α5β1 integrin. Here we show that Nischarin also interacts with members of the PAK family of kinases. The amino terminus of Nischarin preferentially binds to the carboxy-terminal domain of PAK1 when the kinase is in its activated conformation. Nischarin binding to PAK1 is enhanced by active Rac, with the three proteins forming a complex, while expression of the α5β1 integrin also increases the Nischarin/PAK1 association. Interaction with Nischarin strongly inhibits the ability of PAK1 to phosphorylate substrates. This effect on PAK kinase activity closely parallels Nischarin's ability to inhibit cell migration. Conversely, reduction of endogenous levels of Nischarin by RNA interference promotes cell migration. In addition, PAK1 and Nischarin colocalize in membrane ruffles, structures known to be involved in cell motility. Thus, Nischarin may regulate cell migration by forming inhibitory complexes with PAK family kinases.
Exploring the Roles of Diaphanous and Enabled Activity in Shaping the Balance between Filopodia and Lamellipodia

During migration cell protrusions power cell extension and sample the environment. Different cells produce different protrusions, from keratocytes dominated by lamellipodia, to growth cones combining filopodia and lamellipodia, to dendritic spines. One key challenge is to determine how the toolkit of actin regulators are coordinated to generate these diverse protrusive arrays. Here we use Drosophila leading-edge (LE) cells to explore how Diaphanous (Dia)-related formins and Ena/VASP proteins cooperate in this process. We first dissect the Dia regulatory region, revealing novel roles for the GTPase-binding and FH3 domains in cortical localization, filopodial initiation, and lengthening. Second, we provide evidence that activating Dia mobilizes Ena from storage places near the LE to act at the LE. Further, Dia and Ena coIP and can recruit one another to new locations, suggesting cooperation is key to their mechanisms of action. Third, we directly explore the functional relationship between Dia and Ena, varying their levels and activity separately in the same cell type. Surprisingly, although each is sufficient to induce filopodia, together they induce lamellipodia. Our data suggest they work together in a complex and nonadditive way, with the ratio between active Dia and Ena being one factor that modulates the balance between filopodia and lamellipodia.
Introduction to relational programming

In this paper we discuss relational programming, i.e. a style of programming in which entire relations are manipulated rather than individual data. This analogous to functional programming [1], wherein entire functions are the values manipulated by the operators. We will see that relational programming subsumes functional programming because every function is also a relation. It is appropriate this point to discuss why we have chosen investigate relational programming.
Monitoring enzymatic degradation of pericellular matrices through SERS stamping

We introduce a surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) stamping approach for acquiring cell-surface specific vibrational spectra of individual living cells under physiological conditions. The SERS stamping approach utilizes a nanostructured metal surface on top of a lithographically defined piston that can be translated in 3-dimensions with nanometer resolution to contact living cells in solution with a pristine metal surface. We applied this approach to characterize the chemical composition of the cellular surface of living MCF7 breast cancer cells and to monitor its change upon addition of the enzyme hyaluronidase, which degrades major constituents of the pericellular matrix. Although the cell surface spectra show significant cell-to-cell fluctuations, a statistical barcode analysis of the spectra ensembles reveals systematic changes in the cell surface SERS spectra upon addition of hyaluronidase, which are consistent with a thinning of the pericellular matrix.
DESTRUCTION OF EPIDERMAL CELLS IN VITRO BY AUTOLOGOUS SERUM FROM NORMAL ANIMALS

Sera and plasma from normal rats and rabbits were shown to be extremely toxic in vitro to autologous epidermal cells. On the other hand, mouse sera and newborn rat sera were innocuous to autologous epidermal cells. Viability of cells was assessed by the method of eosin dye exclusion upon 2 hour incubation at 37°C. Testicular cells were also killed by autologous sera, but polymorphonuclear leukocytes, lymphocytes, and lymph node cells were not affected. Autotoxicity of sera could be destroyed by the depletion of complement components with an antigen-antibody precipitate, heat, zymosan, and NH3. Moreover, activity of sera could be absorbed out by epidermal cells, though not by lymph node cells or erythrocytes. Such absorption of toxicity was not individual-specific since homologous epidermal cells also absorbed toxicity, and in addition, were killed by fresh normal serum. Enzyme inhibitors such as soybean trypsin inhibitor and e-amino-n-caproic acid did not affect the activity of fresh autologous serum. It is suggested that a natural barrier exists between the basal cells of the epidermis and the plasma which prevents the autodestructive process under normal conditions. Any injury to this barrier may than lead to necrosis and death of the epidermis as seen in various pathological conditions.
A little unreality in a realistic replica environment degrades distance estimation accuracy

Users of IVEs typically underestimate distances during blind walking tasks, even though they are accurate at this task in the real world. The cause of this underestimation is still not known. Our previous work found an exception to this effect: When the virtual environment was a realistic, co-located replica of the concurrently occupied real environment, users did not significantly underestimate distances. However, when the replica was rendered in an NPR style, we found that users underestimated distances. In this study we explore whether the inaccuracy in distance estimation could be due to lack of size and distance cues in our NPR IVE, or if it could be due to a lack of presence. We ran blind walking trials in a new replica IVE that combined features of the previous two IVEs. Participants significantly underestimated distances in this environment.
Multiple description source coding with no excess marginal rate

Multiple description source coding concerns situations in which the transmission of the source information is distributed over two data streams at rates R/sub 1/ and R/sub 2/, respectively. When both data streams are received, the decoder uses the combined data at rate R/sub 1/+R/sub 2/ to reconstruct the source information with average distortion d/sub 0/. If a communication breakdown prevents one of the data streams from reaching the receiver, the decoder has to base its reconstruction solely on the available data at rate either R/sub 1/ or R/sub 2/. This results in a higher distortion of either d/sub 1/ or d/sub 2/, respectively. The region /spl Rscr/ of all achievable quintuples (R/sub 1/, R/sub 2/, d/sub 0/, d/sub 1/, d/sub 2/) has been determined in the so-called "no excess rate" sum case defined by imposing the requirement R/sub 1/+R/sub 2/=R(d/sub 0/), where R(/spl middot/) is the rate-distortion function of the source. The case with excess rate sum, characterized by R/sub 1/+R/sub 2/>R(d/sub 0/), is challenging. We study in this paper a special case of it in which the requirements R/sub t/=R(d/sub t/), t=1, 2, are imposed; we refer to this as the "no excess marginal rate" case. The lower and upper bounds on d/sub 0/ we obtain are separated by only a tiny gap when evaluated for a binary equiprobable source and the Hamming distortion measure. >
Effects of surface-water irrigation on sources, fluxes, and residence times of water, nitrate, and uranium in an alluvial aquifer

Abstract Effects of surface-water irrigation on an alluvial aquifer were evaluated using chemical and isotopic data including δ 2 H, δ 18 O, 3 H, δ 3 He, Ar, Ne, N 2 , δ 15 N, and 234 U/ 238 U activity ratios in a transect of nested wells in the North Platte River valley in western Nebraska, USA. The data were used to evaluate sources and fluxes of H 2 O, NO 3 - and U, all of which were strongly affected by irrigated agriculture. Combined results indicate that the alluvial aquifer was dominated by irrigation water that had distinctive chemical and isotopic features that were inherited from the North Platte River or acquired from agricultural soils or recharge processes. Values of δ 2 H, δ 18 O, Ar and Ne indicate that most of the ground water in the alluvial aquifer was irrigation water that was derived from the North Platte River and distributed during the growing season. The irrigation water was identified by an evaporated isotopic signature that was acquired by the river in major upstream reservoirs in Wyoming, and by relatively warm gas-equilibration temperatures related to warm-season recharge. Apparent 3 H– 3 He ages indicate that the ground water in the alluvium was stratified and mostly 3.0 m/a. Age gradients and NO 3 - concentrations indicate that recharge occurred by a combination of focused leakage from irrigation canals (rapid local recharge, low NO 3 - ) and distributed infiltration beneath the irrigated agricultural fields (lower recharge, high NO 3 - ). Large amounts of U with relatively low 234 U/ 238 U activity ratios were present in the alluvial aquifer as a result of irrigation with U-bearing river water, and minor amounts of U with higher 234 U/ 238 U activity ratios were added locally from basal and underlying volcanic-rich sediments. Distributions of NO 3 - , δ 15 N [ NO 3 - ] , dissolved gases, and ground-water ages indicate that NO 3 - concentrations increased and δ 15 N [ NO 3 - ] values decreased in distributed recharge in the last few decades, possibly in relation to a documented increase in the agricultural use of artificial fertilizers. Canal leakage caused substantial dilution of NO 3 - within the alluvial aquifer, whereas denitrification occurred mainly near the bottom of the alluvium. The average residence time of the irrigation water within the aquifer was relatively short (about 9 a) and reactions such as respiration, denitrification and U exchange in the saturated zone had relatively little effect on the overall composition of the alluvial ground water in comparison to what they might have had in the absence of irrigation recharge.
Where We Live: The Unexpected Influence of Urban Neighborhoods on the Academic Performance of African American Adolescents.

Adolescents who live in low-income neighborhoods face numerous unique challenges. Examining their resilience in multiple contexts sheds light on what contributes to the diverse outcomes of these yo...
Spongivory by Parrotfish in Florida Mangrove and Reef Habitats

Abstract. Although parrotfish are generally reported to be herbivorous, increasing evidence suggests that some Caribbean species feed on sponges. After observing grazing scars on the barrel sponge, Xestospongia muta, 40 sponges were videotaped on three reefs for >0.5 h to determine the frequency of parrotfish bites on this species. A total of 10 h of video recording captured 45 bites on normally coloured X. muta and 527 bites on four bleached X. muta by the parrotfish Sparisoma aurofrenarum, Scarus croicensis and Scarus taeniopterus. The viscera gut and liver of 55 parrotfish collected from mangrove and reef habitats were digested in nitric acid and analysed for spicule content. The parrotfish collected in the mangroves mostly Scarus guacamaia and Sparisoma chrysopterum had significantly higher masses of spicules in their viscera than did parrotfish collected on the reef Sparisoma aurofrenatum, Sparisoma viride, Sparisoma chrysopterum, Scarus vetula, Scarus coelestinus and Scarus taeniopterus. The spicules of Geodia gibhrrosa, a chemically undefended sponge that is common in the mangroves but rare in exposed locations on the reef, were abundant in the viscera of parrotfish collected in the mangroves. These results provide further evidence that fish predation has an important effect on the distribution and abundance of Caribbean sponges.
Halfdan Mahler: Architect and Defender of the World Health Organization “Health for All by 2000” Declaration of 1978

The article discusses the life of Danish Dr. Halfdan Mahler who also served as the Secretary-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), and it mentions Mahler's work involving the Declaration of Alma-Ata in September 1978 in which the WHO, the United Nations Children's Fund, and 134 signatory nations declared the "Health for All by 2000" goal. Social justice and global public health history are examined, along with health care accessibility and the attitudes of health activists.
Surgeon-Specific Reports in General Surgery: Establishing Benchmarks for Peer Comparison Within a Single Hospital.

Background Methods to assess a surgeon's individual performance based on clinically meaningful outcomes have not been fully developed, due to small numbers of adverse outcomes and wide variation in case volumes. The Achievable Benchmark of Care (ABC) method addresses these issues by identifying benchmark-setting surgeons with high levels of performance and greater case volumes. This method was used to help surgeons compare their surgical practice to that of their peers by using merged National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) and Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) data to generate surgeon-specific reports. Study design A retrospective cohort study at a single institution's department of surgery was conducted involving 107 surgeons (8,660 cases) over 5.5 years. Stratification of more than 32,000 CPT codes into 16 CPT clusters served as the risk adjustment. Thirty-day outcomes of interest included surgical site infection (SSI), acute kidney injury (AKI), and mortality. Performance characteristics of the ABC method were explored by examining how many surgeons were identified as benchmark-setters in view of volume and outcome rates within CPT clusters. Results For the data captured, most surgeons performed cases spanning a median of 5 CPT clusters (range 1 to 15 clusters), with a median of 26 cases (range 1 to 776 cases) and a median of 2.8 years (range 0 to 5.5 years). The highest volume surgeon for that CPT cluster set the benchmark for 6 of 16 CPT clusters for SSIs, 8 of 16 CPT clusters for AKIs, and 9 of 16 CPT clusters for mortality. Conclusions The ABC method appears to be a sound and useful approach to identifying benchmark-setting surgeons within a single institution. Such surgeons may be able to help their peers improve their performance.
Medieval Attitudes Toward the Legal Profession: The Past as Prologue

An interesting aspect of the medieval period is its legalistic nature and the resulting role of lawyers. Moreover, what is particularly noteworthy is the persistent hostility toward lawyers. Throughout this period, complaints about lawyers were common. A familiar litany emerged: there was excessive litigation that was caused by excessive lawyers who created a demand for their services and by their misconduct and incompetence. What is striking about these attitudes is similarity to current complaints about the legal profession. Thus, since the inception of the legal profession at the end of the 13th century, the profession has been under attack. On the other hand, it also played an important role and had significant value to the crown, government officials, and certain social groups. This essay, which is derived primarily from a longer article, The Legal Profession in Medieval England: A History of Regulation, 48 Syracuse L. Rev. 1 (1998), traces the emergence and nature of these attitudes. It also explores their influence of the medieval regulation of the legal profession. Primary emphasis is on medieval attitudes and their impact during that period. In addition, their persistence into the early modern period in England and into colonial America is also described. The essay concludes by raising a fundamental issue about the social function of the profession and the antagonism and controversy that it engendered, and suggests the need for further thought and research about these attitudes and the ambivalence toward the profession.
Simultaneous Treatment of Co-occurring Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Use Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD) frequently co-occur. Existent evidence suggests that SUD often develops in reaction to PTSD symptoms, as individuals attempt to “self-medicate” their PTSD symptoms. Once the SUD develops, the disorders establish a bi-directional loop, with PTSD driving further substance use behaviors, and the SUD symptoms mirroring and reinforcing symptoms of PTSD. Once this bi-directional cycle is locked in, the disorders become more resistant to treatment and result in poorer prognoses and worse health outcomes versus having only one of these disorders. Traditional approaches to treatment of co-occurring PTSD and SUD have involved segregated and sequential treatment models. Normally, this involves treatments focused first on the SUD followed by a referral to different providers to address the PTSD. This traditional sequential and segregated treatment model presents several challenges to patients and treatment providers and may unintentionally contribute to the poorer prognosis observed in individuals with co-occurring PTSD-SUD. There are now state-of-the-art treatment approaches that focus on simultaneously treating PTSD and SUD. Psychotherapeutic protocols are available to simultaneously treat PTSD and SUD. Findings show that psychotherapies that simultaneously address PTSD and SUD show superior outcomes in reducing PTSD versus SUD treatment as usual. Recent studies also support the efficacy of several medications, including sertraline, naltrexone, and prazosin in treating co-occurring PTSD-SUD. Although treatments are shown to produce benefits to either reduce PTSD or improve SUD outcomes, no psychotherapeutic treatment, psychopharmacologic treatment, or combination thereof is shown to produce greater benefits versus SUD treatment as usual for simultaneously reducing both PTSD symptoms and improving SUD outcomes. The current research suggests that clinicians should consider simultaneous treatment approaches for co-occurring PTSD and SUD.
PVTX Properties of H2O-CO2-“salt” at PTX Conditions Applicable to Carbon Sequestration in Saline Formations

Among the many scenarios that have been proposed to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to the atmosphere, carbon-capture and storage (CCS) in geological reservoirs represents the method most technologically feasible and capable of accommodating the large amounts of CO2 that are generated on an annual basis by combustion of fossil fuels (IPCC, 2005). Geological environments and processes that have been proposed for CCS include deep, unmineable coal seams, depleted oil and gas reservoirs, organic-rich shale basins, deep saline formations, and mineral carbonation of basalts. Of these various options, the one that is most attractive owing to its widespread distribution and capacity to store large amounts of CO2 is deep saline formations, with the U.S. Department of Energy reporting that saline formations in the United States could potentially store more than 2,100–20,000 billion metric tons of CO2 (DOE, 2012). A recently released assessment of geologic carbon dioxide storage potential (USGS, 2013) estimates a capacity ranging from 2,400 to 3,700 billion metric tonnes (Gt) of CO2, which corresponds to the low end of the DOE estimate. When supercritical CO2 (scCO2) is injected into a saline formation, it may be stored in various ways. Initially, the CO2 will be stored by structural and stratigraphic trapping, whereby scCO2 is trapped beneath an impermeable confining layer that prohibits the upward migration of the more buoyant scCO2. Some scCO2 may also be stored by residual trapping in pores via capillary forces. In the discussion to follow, we include residual trapping with structural/stratigraphic trapping as all of these processes involve the storage of a scCO2 phase and, as such, the volume requirements are assumed to be identical for these storage mechanisms for a given mass of CO2. Over time, …
Family Life Course Development Framework Applied: Understanding the Experiences of Vietnamese Immigrant Families

Baumrind’s (1971) conceptualization of authoritarian parenting style has been utilized to characterize the parenting practices of Vietnamese American parents, who are known to practice strict discipline and have high expectations of their children. Research has documented the success of Vietnamese parents utilizing authoritarian practices with their children, especially in academic endeavors. Yet, research has tended to generalize the success of authoritarian practices for all Vietnamese American youth. There is a gap in the literature on the success of developmental outcomes for Vietnamese American adolescents. The point of interest is to investigate whether authoritarian parenting practices are effective for Vietnamese American adolescents as they once were as children. For adolescents, forming an identity is an important developmental task. Adolescents are influenced by their peers and question the traditional values of their families, which can lead to intergenerational conflict. Therefore, it is hypothesized that Vietnamese American adolescents who are more acculturated to the dominant culture, with parents who adhere strictly to authoritarian parenting practices, may experience higher levels of family conflict. Therefore, exploration of how authoritarian parenting practices can affect Vietnamese American adolescent’s developmental processes, which include but are not limited to areas of academic success, acculturation levels, and mental health, is important.
SITOSTEROLEMIA : EXCLUSION OF GENES INVOLVED IN REDUCED CHOLESTEROL BIOSYNTHESIS

Sitosterolemia (phytosterolemia) is a rare autosomal recessively inherited disorder that is characterized by premature coronary artery disease, xanthomas, and increased plasma plant sterols and 5alpha-stanols. Affected individuals show an increased absorption of both cholesterol and sitosterol from the diet, decreased bile clearance of these sterols and their metabolites resulting in markedly expanded whole body cholesterol and sitosterol pools. Biochemical studies have shown that the regulation of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway may be abnormal in this condition. In particular, the activities and mRNA for the biosynthetic enzymes, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase and HMG-CoA synthase are low in liver biopsy specimens isolated from affected individuals, suggesting replete intracellular cholesterol pools. However, the membrane expression of hepatocyte low density lipoprotein receptors was increased, suggesting discordant regulation. Segregation analyses in three families for the genes for HMG-CoA reductase, HMG-CoA synthase, and LDL-receptor excluded these as sites of mutation. In view of the previously described discordant regulation of the above genes in sitosterolemia, the two major regulatory genes for this pathway, sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBP-1 and -2), were also examined. These genes did not segregate with the disease and were thus excluded. Two other genes involved in cholesterol absorption and chylomicron secretion, namely acyl coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) and microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) were also examined for segregation and similarly excluded. Although the gene defect in sitosterolemia therefore remains to be elucidated, important candidate genes have been excluded.
Effect of sodium salicylate treatment on antibody titers in rats infected with Trypanosoma lewisi.

SummaryDaily treatment with sodium salicylate reduced the concentration of circulating antibody in rats infected with T. lewisi. Possible modes of action are discussed.
Optimal Replacement Policy for Multi-state System

In this paper,a new method is proposed to determine the optimal replacement policy. We assess the dynamic element state probabilities of each aging multi-state element using a stochastic process model which is identified as a non-homogeneous continuous time Markov model(NHCTMM),we evaluate the state distribution of the entire MSS via the combination of the stochastic process,and the universal generating function(UGF).Moreover,we derive an explicit expression of the long-run expected profit per unit time.The proposed models are demonstrated via an illustrative case of a three-element series-parallel MSS.
Does the 2,6‐didehydropyridinium cation exist?

Reactive intermediates are key species involved in many chemical and biochemical processes. For example, carbon-centered aromatic σ,σ-biradicals formed in biological systems from naturally occurring enediyne antitumor antibiotics are responsible for the irreversible cleavage of double-stranded DNA caused by these prodrugs. However, because of their high reactivity, it is very difficult or impossible to isolate and investigate these biradicals. The aromatic σ,σ-biradical, 2,6-didehydropyridine, has been speculated for many years to be formed in certain organic reactions; however, no definitive proof of its generation has been obtained. We report here the successful generation of protonated 2,6-didehydropyridine and the examination of its chemical properties in the gas phase by using a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. The results suggest that a mixture of singlet (ground) state and triplet (excited) state 2,6-didehydropyridinium cations was generated. The two different states show qualitatively different reactivity, with the triplet state showing greater Bronsted acidity than that of the singlet state. The triplet state also shows much greater radical reactivity than that of the singlet state, as expected because of the coupling of the nonbonding electrons in the singlet state. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Absence of encapsulation in strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine mastitis

Thirty of 104 strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from clinical cases of bovine mastitis in England grew as diffuse colonies in serum soft agar (SSA), 45 grew as mixed diffuse and compact colonies and 29 > ielded compact colonies only. The compact strains grew as diffuse colonies in SSA after one passage in the mammary gland of mice. However, none of the strains had an unstained halo when examined by the India ink technique and there was a 99·99 per cent reduction in the viable numbers of the bacteria in 30 representative strains 24 hours after inoculation into the peritoneal cavity of mice. By contrast the truly encapsulated strain M had an unstained halo by the India ink technique and resisted phagocytic killing in the peritoneal cavity. It is concluded that these strains from cases of mastitis are not encapsulated and that growth as diffuse colonies in SSA is not a reliable test of encapsulation.
Phenotypic and marker-assisted genetic enhancement of parental lines of Rajalaxmi, an elite rice hybrid.

The cytoplasmic male sterile line system comprising CRMS 32A and its maintainer line CRMS 32B is a popular choice for the development of new hybrids in India as CRMS 32A, having Kalinga 1 cytoplasm (other than WA), is a viable alternative to WA cytoplasm. However, both lines are susceptible to bacterial blight (BB), a major disease on rice. As enhancement of host plant resistance is the most effective and economical strategy to control this disease, four resistance genes (Xa4, xa5, xa13 and Xa21) were transferred from a BB pyramid line of IR64, into the A and B lines using a marker-assisted backcrossing (MAB) breeding strategy. During the transfer of genes into CRMS 32B, foreground selection was applied using markers associated with the genes, and plants having resistance alleles of the donor, are selected. Selection for morphological and quality traits was practiced to select plants similar to the recurrent parent. The four gene and three gene pyramid lines exhibited high levels of resistance against the BB pathogen when challenged with eight virulent isolates. Using genome wide based SSR markers for background selection, pyramids having >95% of the recurrent parent genome were identified. With CRMS 32B gene pyramid as donor, the four resistance genes were transferred into the A line through repeated backcrosses and the A line pyramids also exhibited high level of resistance against BB. Through a combination of selection at phenotypic and molecular levels, four bacterial blight resistance genes were successfully introduced into two parental lines (CRMS 32 B and A) of Rajalaxmi, an elite popular hybrid. The pyramided B lines did exhibit high levels of resistance against BB. Selection for morphological and quality traits and background selection hastened the recovery of the recurrent parent genome in the recombinants. Through repeated backcrosses, all the four resistance genes were transferred to CRMS 32A and test crosses suggest that the maintenance ability of the improved CRMS 32B lines is intact. These improved maintainer and CMS lines can directly be used in hybrid rice breeding and the new hybrids can play an important role in sustainable rice production in India.