cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Miocene Goldfield-Superstition volcanic province, Central Arizona, USA: Geochemically distinct rhyolite sources, 20.5 to 19 Ma

Abstract The Miocene Goldfield-Superstition volcanic province (G-SVP) in central Arizona is composed of silicic pyroclastic and lava flows, and, to a small extent, silicic domes, and mafic and intermediate lavas. Volcanism began ~20.5 Ma with small-scale silicic domes, followed by ≤1.5 m.y. of basaltic, andesitic, and dacitic lavas, after which large-scale pyroclastic flows and lavas created the bulk of this large province from ~19 to 18.5 Ma (~8000 km2). Rhyolite compositions dominate the G-SVP and our observations are that the earliest expressions, small-scale domes, had crustal sources geochemically different from those for the main mass of lavas and ash-flow tuffs. In particular, three early domes, while rhyolites, have notably low REE and HFSE abundances for high-SiO2 rocks (e.g., La 8–34 ppm; Zr 32–92; Nb 8–17, Th 6–7), generally lower than the abundances in overlying alkalic basalt lavas. They form two groups: one is higher in SiO2 (~77–79 wt%) than the other (~70–73 wt% SiO2). Both groups are crystal poor, from ~3 to 8 vol%. Modal mineralogy is mainly oligoclase, alkali feldspar, and quartz in the high-SiO2 group, and andesine and biotite in the low-SiO2 group. The high-SiO2 rhyolite domes have REE patterns that are nearly flat (La/Yb(n) 9–16), whereas the low-SiO2 domes have steeper REE patterns (La/Yb(n) 46–56). In comparison, the lavas and tuffs that erupted beginning ~1.5 m.y. later have REE patterns and higher REE and HFSE abundances (e.g., La largely 45–80 ppm; Nb 17–30; Th 9–20) characteristic of rhyolites in other western North American Oligocene-Miocene silicic large provinces. Their modal mineralogy (~2–13 vol% tuffs; ~5 to 26 vol% lavas) is andesine, oligoclase, alkali feldspar, quartz, biotite, edenitic amphibole, +/− pyroxene, titanite, zircon, and REE-rich perrierite. Our interpretation is that the earliest magmatism in the G-SVP – namely the domes – represents small percent (e.g., ≤10%) partial melts of lower crust amphibolite that had low trace element abundances, both with and without garnet (to influence the REE pattern slopes). Melting is attributed to heat from early stages of basaltic magmatism. The younger rhyolite lavas and pyroclastic flows are products of middle to upper granitoid crust anatexis (e.g., 40–60%) resulting from continual basalt magma injections up to 2 m.y. following dome emplacement (i.e., from ~20.5 to 19–18.5 Ma). The G-SVP therefore chronologically and geochemically tracks the change in sources for rhyolites over ~2 m.y. of volcanism to create a central Arizona large igneous province.
Using experimental trapping seasons to explore fisher harvest management uncertainties: is timing everything?

An experimental trapping season was used to address structural and partial controllability uncertainties related to the timing and duration of a fisher (Martes pennanti) trapping season in ...
Fusing data depth with complex networks: Community detection with prior information

Abstract A new nonparametric supervised algorithm is proposed for detecting multiple communities in complex networks using the Depth vs. Depth (DD(G)) classifier. The key idea behind the new clustering method is the notion of robust and data-driven data depth methodology that still remains new and unexplored in network sciences. The developed new DD(G)-method is inherently geometric and allows to simultaneously account for network communities and outliers. Although the data-based classifier operates within a supervised learning framework, the related nonparametric notion of depth in networks can be used in a more general context, including (semi) supervised and unsupervised learning. Utility of the new approach is illustrated by using the benchmark political blogs data, “dark” terrorist networks, and analysis of bill cosponsorship in the Italian Parliament.
Aspects of the Pollination Biology of Encyclia tampensis, the Commercially Exploited Butterfly Orchid, and Prosthechea cochleata, the Endangered Clamshell Orchid, in South Florida

Encyclia tampensis (Lindl.) Small (Orchidaceae), the butterfly orchid, is a commercially exploited, epiphytic orchid native to Florida. Similarly, Prosthechea cochleata (L.) W.E. Higgins (Orchidaceae), the clamshell orchid, is an endangered orchid that is epiphytic and native to Florida. We conducted this study in southern Florida at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge to gain more information about the pollination biology of E. tampensis and P. cochleata (var. triandra). Experiments using pollinator exclusion bags revealed that E. tampensis is not capable of spontaneous self-pollination, and requires a pollen vector for seed capsule development; however, P. cochleata appears to be readily self-pollinating. Using active and passive sampling, we determined that E. tampensis potentially can be pollinated by a variety of flower-visiting insects, including Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera. Insects from all 3 orders were observed on and collected from the E. tampensis flowers. However, only insects from 1 order (Hymenoptera) were actively collected from P. cochleata. Our data are useful for conservation efforts for E. tampensis and P. cochleata, because knowledge about potential pollinators and self-pollination capability can lead to future studies and information about optimal habitats for outplanting and reintroduction. The orchids face decline due to habitat loss, pests, and poaching, so conservation is an important key to re-establishment of these species.
EXPRESSION OF AN I REGION LOCUS IN HELPER T LYMPHOCYTES

Helper activity measured in F 1 into parent in vivo secondary adoptive transfers is mediated by a Thy-1 positive, Ly-1 positive, Ly-2 negative, carrier-specific lymphocyte. Treatment of limiting dilutions of helper T lymphocytes with anti-Ia sera plus complement reduces helper activity by 75–90%. Products of the Ia-1 and Ia-4 loci are not expressed in Th, while the product of a third Ia locus (no official designation yet assigned) distinguishes helper T lymphocytes from suppressor T lymphocytes. A number of potential technical problems in evaluating the Ia status of helper T lymphocytes are discussed.
'Ourself' and 'Themself': Grammar as expressive choice

Previous scholarly work on the pronouns ourself and themself describes them as variants of ourselves and themselves. In this paper, attested tokens of ourself and themself are examined, and the contexts in which they appear are analyzed. This analysis shows that these forms, and even some less frequent examples of other mixed-number self pronouns, occur where this combination of singular and plural morphology fits the communicative context. While prescriptive pressures limit their frequency, the existence of these data falsifies the claim that number morphology in self pronouns is grammatically constrained. Instead, the data show that the distribution of ourself and themself reflect expressive choices that speakers (and writers) make to facilitate communication, and provide support for a view of grammatical categories, even those commonly regarded as syntactically or semantically determined, as independent bearers of meaning. Speakers’ creativity in the use of these forms reveals the nature of the linguistic system, as well as its structure as a set of signals and meanings deployed by language users to meet their communicative goals
Darwin i naturalizm

Darwin’s theory of evolution is usually thought to conform to the requirements of methodological naturalism, but how can this be reconciled with the fact that Darwin talks about God more than a few times in the Origin of Species? Answering this question involves clarifying what methodological naturalism means. In the process, I consider whether propositions about supernatural beings are ever empirically testable and whether science would come to a halt if methodological naturalism were abandoned. Another question is whether Darwin’s theory and its modern successors are incompatible with isolated acts of divine intervention. And if numbers are understood Platonistically (as existing outside of space and time), does the modern mathematical theory of evolution thereby violate methodological naturalism?
Disruption of Monocyte and Macrophage Homeostasis in Periodontitis

Monocytes and macrophages are major cellular components of the innate immunity that play essential roles in tissue homeostasis. The contribution of different subsets of monocytes/macrophages to periodontal health and disease has not been fully elucidated. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a risk factor for periodontitis. We hypothesized that the monocyte/macrophage signaling is perturbed in periodontitis-affected sites versus periodontally-healthy sites and that this perturbation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. Pairs of gingival tissue samples (each from a periodontally healthy and a periodontitis-affected site of the same patient) were harvested from 27 periodontitis patients, with and without T2DM. Each sample was processed to form a single-cell suspension, and a flow-cytometry panel was designed and validated to study monocyte and macrophage phenotypes. In separate experiments, the transcriptional changes associated with a pro-inflammatory phenotype were also examined in monocyte/macrophage subsets obtained from peripheral blood of patients with T2DM versus diabetes-free controls. A significantly higher proportion of intermediate (CD14+CD16+) monocytes was observed in periodontitis-affected tissues compared to healthy tissues. These monocytes overexpressed HLA-DR and PDL1 molecules, suggesting their activated inflammatory status. PDL1 increase was specific to intermediate monocytes. The ratio of M1/M2 macrophages was also significantly higher in periodontally-affected sites, signifying an imbalance between inflammatory and repair mechanisms. We found a significantly higher expression of PDL1 in overall monocytes and M1 macrophages in periodontitis-affected sites compared to controls. Importantly, we identified a subpopulation of M1 macrophages present in periodontally-affected tissues which expressed high levels of CD47, a glycoprotein of the immunoglobulin family that plays a critical role in self-recognition and impairment of phagocytosis. Analysis of the transcriptional landscape of monocytes/macrophages in gingival tissue of T2DM patients with periodontitis revealed a significant disruption in homeostasis towards a proinflammatory phenotype, elevation of pro-inflammatory transcription factors STAT1 and IRF1, and repression of anti-inflammatory JMJD3 in circulating monocytes. Taken together, our results demonstrate disruption of myeloid-derived cell homeostasis in periodontitis, with or without T2DM, and highlight a potentially significant role of these cell types in its pathogenesis. The impact of macrophage and monocyte signaling pathways on the pathobiology of periodontitis should be further evaluated.
MECHANISMS OF LEFT VENTRICULAR REMODELING AFTER CARDIAC RESYNCHRONIZATION THERAPY BASED ON POST DEVICE CARDIAC MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING

Recent advances in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging facilitate a more comprehensive assessment of left ventricular function after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). We set out to determine mechanisms of remodeling post-CRT based on strain and volumetric changes. CRT patients had CMR
Optogenetically-induced long term depression in the rat orbitofrontal cortex ameliorates stress-induced reversal learning impairment.

Cognitive flexibility is a higher-order executive function that requires plasticity in neuronal circuits of the prefrontal cortex. Deficits in cognitive flexibility are prominent in a variety of psychiatric disorders, such as major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Chronic stress induces deficits in cognitive flexibility, perhaps through effects on plasticity, but the mechanism is not well understood. Previous work has demonstrated that stress reduces activity and dendritic elaboration in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). In contrast, stress appears to increase dendritic elaboration in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). This suggests that there may be a differential effect of stress on plasticity in different prefrontal cortical areas. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effects of inducing plasticity optogenetically in the OFC on reversal learning, an OFC-mediated form of cognitive flexibility, in stressed and non-stressed rats. Inducing opto-LTD in the projection from mediodorsal thalamus to OFC ameliorated reversal learning deficits in rats exposed to chronic intermittent cold (CIC) stress. Additionally, we found that inducing opto-LTP in non-stressed rats produced deficits in reversal learning similar to those seen in rats after CIC stress. Finally, CIC stress produced complex subregion-specific changes in dendritic material and spine subtype composition in the OFC. These results indicate that the effects of stress on plasticity in the OFC are distinct from those in the mPFC, and that the PFC should therefore not be treated as a homogenous region in studying either stress effects or potential treatments for stress-related psychiatric disorders.
Abstract 13753: Early and Late Outcomes of Ambulatory Counter Pulsation Device: Novel Intravascular Ventricular Assist Device vs Conventional Axillary Intra-aortic Balloon Pump

Introduction: Intravascular ventricular assist device (iVAS; NuPulse CV, North Carolina, USA) is a newly developed ambulatory and portable counter pulsation heart assist system. Hypothesis: Early a...
Long-Term Fate of the Truncal Valve

Background Long‐term survival in patients with truncus arteriosus is favorable, but there remains significant morbidity associated with ongoing reinterventions. We aimed to study the long‐term outc...
A relative Lubin–Tate theorem via higher formal geometry

Both E–theory and this ring are intimately connected to the infinitesimal deformation theory of formal groups: the associated formal scheme LTh D Spf E h is known as Lubin–Tate space, which classifies deformations of  [15]. More precisely, when R is a complete local ring with residue field k , maps Spf R ! LTh are in bijective correspondence with ?–isomorphism classes of formal group laws over R which reduce over the special fiber to the specified formal group law  . Given a complex orientation Spf E h CP S Spf E h ŒŒx of E–theory, the resulting formal group law associated to the formal group
Promise Keeping in the Great Society: A Model of Credit Information Sharing

Reputation is possible in a small community, but in the Smith-Lippman-Hayekian Great Society people are mainly strangers. I model credit reporting as a system of formalized and surgically-precise gossip. In the Great Society credit reporting makes possible reputations, which make possible credit relationships. But forming a credit reporting system is no simple matter. Historically it has been local gossip in the small community that has made possible credit reporting gosisip in the Great Society.
Child Development Day: A collaborative interprofessional experience

Abstract Interprofessional education is needed to guide students in becoming collaborative practitioners. We developed a hybrid learning experience, incorporating online modules with an in-person team-based learning experience to facilitate collaboration and understanding of roles among health professions students at a graduate institute. Child Development Day (CDD) involved the developmental assessment of children aged 6 months–36 months, incorporating several professions typically involved in the care of developing children. Before completing the 2-h interactive team experience, students across six health professions programs accessed an online pre-experience asynchronous learning module and completed a baseline knowledge assessment. During CDD, onsite interprofessional teams of students performed a developmental assessment of 1–2 children facilitated by interprofessional faculty. Learning activities and a graded team assignment addressed three Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies, including understanding roles and responsibilities, communication, and teamwork. After CDD, students completed a post-experience knowledge assessment and the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Scale (ICCAS). Learners demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge related to interprofessional practice, and all students passed the group assignment within 2 attempts. High levels of student satisfaction were measured in nearly all domains. Lower levels of satisfaction with the preparatory materials and perception of minimal improvements in communication and ethics highlighted parts of the program that could be enhanced.
Challenging the white spaces of environmental sociology

In 2015, Dorceta Taylor received the Fred Buttel Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Environmental Sociology Award at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA). At a bu...
The Chi-square \((X^2)\) Distribution as a Research Tool and Some of Its Most Important Parametric and Non-parametric Applications

Researchers can employ parametric methods (if they exist) or non-parametric approaches (if acceptable parametric methods do not exist) to test the validity of assertions during their research. The Chi-Square (x2) distribution plays a significant role in both parametric and non-parametric methods and many of its most important applications are explored in this paper, to guide the researchers in its use.
Non-Equilibrium Evolution of Disoriented Chiral Condensates

The nonequilibrium time evolution of the hot hadronic plasma produced in a relativistic heavy ion collision is studied in the O(N) linear sigma model to leading order in the large N expansion. The chiral phase transition to the broken symmetry phase as the plasma expands and cools is described by the evolution of the order parameter . In order to create a large domain of disoriented chiral condensate (DCC) long wavelength fluctuations must become and remain unstable for times longer than the characteristic strong interaction time scale of a few fm/c. Numerical evidence is presented that such instabilities survive for proper times that are at most 3 fm/c, and hence do not give rise to a substantial signal of DCC in the coherence of the final state pions. The large N development of time-dependent field equations described in this work is quite general and should be applicable to the electroweak phase transition, bubble wall propagation, and baryogenesis problems as well.
Linear basic peptides for targeting interferon‐γ–glycosaminoglycan interactions: synthesis and inhibitory properties

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) play an important role in inflammatory responses due to their ability to interact with cytokines and chemokines, resulting in the localization of these mediators to specific anatomical sites, where they function to direct leukocyte recruitment and activation. Targeting GAG-cytokine/chemokine interactions might may thus have therapeutic applications as anti-inflammatory or immunomodulatory therapy in vivo. Peptides that mimic the heparin-binding domains of cytokines may have a potential use as inhibitors of GAG-cytokine interactions. A linear octapeptide (MC-2) derived from the conserved heparin-binding region of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) was synthesized along with four analogs featuring a substitution of Phe for Leu in position 1 and varying number of positive charges on the octapeptide molecule. The relative abilities of the synthesized peptides to inhibit the interactions between IFN-gamma and GAGs were compared. From the results, it follows that the inhibitory potency of the octapeptide analogs was related to the number of positive charges in the molecule, while increased hydrophobicity had no significant effect.
Graft failure following bone marrow transplantation for severe aplastic anemia: risk factors and treatment results.

Graft failure was analyzed in 625 patients receiving allogeneic bone marrow transplants from HLA-identical sibling donors as treatment for severe aplastic anemia. Sixty-eight (11%) had no or only transient engraftment. Second bone marrow transplants were successful in achieving extended survival in 16 of 27 patients with transient initial engraftment but in none of ten patients with no sign of engraftment after the first transplant. The major factors associated with a reduced risk of graft failure were use of radiation for pretransplant immunosuppression and use of cyclosporine rather than methotrexate or T- cell depletion of the donor bone marrow for prophylaxis against graft-v- host disease (GVHD). Among 266 patients prepared for transplantation with cyclophosphamide alone, the risk of graft failure was increased in patients who received previous transfusions and reduced in those who received corticosteroids for previous therapy. Neither cell dose nor administration of donor buffy coat cells affected the probability of engraftment. Although use of radiation in conditioning reduced graft failure, survival was not improved. Posttransplant treatment with cyclosporine and avoidance of pretransplant blood transfusions were associated with improved survival.
Hyperbaric oxygen enhances apoptosis in hematopoietic cells

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) is 100% oxygen administered at elevated atmospheric pressure. In this study, we examined the effect of HBO on hematopoietic cell apoptosis. Cells exposed to HBO were incubated in a chamber containing 97.9% O2 and 2.1% CO2 at 2.4 atmospheres absolute (ATA). HBO enhanced spontaneous HL-60 cell apoptosis in a time-dependent manner; a 12 h exposure increased apoptosis by 42%. Exposing these cells to hyperoxia at standard atmospheric pressure (95% O2, 5% CO2 at 1 ATA) or increased pressure alone (8.75% O2, 2.1% CO2 at 2.4 ATA) had minimal effect on apoptosis. HBO also enhanced stimulus-induced apoptosis. HL-60 cells stimulated to die using γ radiation underwent 33% more apoptosis than cells exposed to radiation alone. HBO enhanced melphalan, camptothecin, and chlorambucil-induced apoptosis by 22%, 13%, and 8%, respectively. Jurkat cells stimulated to die with anti-Fas antibody underwent 44% more apoptosis when exposed to HBO. Spontaneous apoptosis was increased by 15% in HBO-exposed murine thymocytes. HBO's effect on apoptosis did not require new protein synthesis. As expected, HBO exposure increased the intracellular concentration of H2O2. Incubating HL-60 cells in the presence of dehydroascorbic acid partially abrogated HBO-induced increases in intracellular H2O2 and apoptosis. In summary, HBO enhances spontaneous and stimulus-induced apoptosis in hematopoietic cells, at least in part, by enhancing the intracellular accumulation of H2O2.
Learning DNFs and Circuits Using Teaching Assistants

In this paper we consider the complexity of learning monotone DNF formulae and Boolean circuits in an exact learning model called the teaching assistant model. This model, introduced in one of our earlier works, uses teaching assistant classes for classifying learning problems. Teaching assistant classes are a learning-theoretic analog of complexity classes. We show that monotone DNFs are learnable using a teaching assistant in the class SPP. On the other hand, Boolean circuits and general DNFs are not learnable using an SPP teaching assistant unless \(\mbox{\rm NP}\subseteq \mbox{\rm SPP}\). We also show that learnability of Boolean circuits with an assistant in the class NP will improve the Karp-Lipton collapse result to PNP.
Fat metabolism in higher plants. XXXI. Purification and properties of plant and bacterial acyl carrier proteins.

The acyl carrier proteins from Escherichia coli, Arthrobacter viscosus, avocado mesocarp (Persea americana), and spinach (Spinacea oleracea) have been purified to homogeneity and their chemical compositions have been examined. They are heat-stable and contain an abundance of acidic amino acids. Their total amino acid compositions are remarkably similar. The enzymic function of each acyl carrier protein was examined with fatty acid synthetase enzymes from both E. coli and spinach chloroplasts. These experiments showed that bacterial acyl carrier proteins had higher specific activities than the plant acyl carrier proteins in both synthetase systems. It was observed that the bacterial acyl carrier proteins from both E. coli and Arthrobacter were functionally indistinguishable. The spinach and avocado acyl carrier proteins were also similar to each other in their reactions with the synthetases. The fatty acids produced in cross-reactions with the use of plant acyl carrier proteins with the E. coli synthetase differ markedly from the products obtained with the bacterial acyl carrier proteins in the E. coli system. In contrast, the employment of E. coli acyl carrier protein instead of spinach acyl carrier protein in the spinach synthetase system did not alter the products of synthesis.
Technical Note: Materials: the development dimensions

In most developing countries materials technology has a long history; agricultural materials, stone, bronze, iron, clays and ceramics have been used to good effect. However, few countries of the Third World have benefited significantly from the industrial revolution of the past 300 years. Many of the applications of materials science as developed for the needs of First World economies are not directly transferable to use in the Third World. To counter this, research should be directed at developing materials technologies which are smaller, lighter, longer lasting, low cost, low energy and recyclable, based on abundant and renewable resources which can be processed locally using labour–intensive rather than capital–intensive methods.
T Cell Glycolipid-Enriched Membrane Domains Are Constitutively Assembled as Membrane Patches That Translocate to Immune Synapses

In T cells, glycolipid-enriched membrane (GEM) domains, or lipid rafts, are assembled into immune synapses in response to Ag presentation. However, the properties of T cell GEM domains in the absence of stimulatory signals, such as their size and distribution in the plasma membrane, are less clear. To address this question, we used confocal microscopy to measure GEM domains in unstimulated T cells expressing a GEM-targeted green fluorescent protein molecule. Our experiments showed that the GEM domains were assembled into membrane patches that were micrometers in size, as evidenced by a specific enrichment of GEM-associated molecules and resistance of the patches to extraction by Triton X-100. However, treatment of cells with latrunculin B disrupted the patching of the GEM domains and their resistance to Triton X-100. Similarly, the patches were coenriched with F-actin, and actin occurred in the detergent-resistant GEM fraction of T cells. Live-cell imaging showed that the patches were mobile and underwent translocation in the plasma membrane to immune synapses in stimulated T cells. Targeting of GEM domains to immune synapses was found to be actin-dependent, and required phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity and myosin motor proteins. We conclude from our results that T cell GEM domains are constitutively assembled by the actin cytoskeleton into micrometer-sized membrane patches, and that GEM domains and the GEM-enriched patches can function as a vehicle for targeting molecules to immune synapses.
ZAP-1 DNA Binding Activity Is First Detected at the Onset of Zona Pellucida Gene Expression in Embryonic Mouse Oocytes

ZAP-1 (zona pellucida gene activating protein-1) is a putative transcription factor controlling the oocyte-specific expression of mouse and human zona pellucida genes. The DNA binding activity of ZAP-1 first appears in oocytes from 19-day-old mouse embryos and reaches a maximum level at 10 days after birth. This developmental profile closely parallels that of mouse zona pellucida gene transcription, which is detected in oocytes at 19 days of fetal life using a sensitive RT-PCR method and is maximal in 10-day-old animals. DNA binding activity similar to that of ZAP-1 is present in ovarian extracts from rat, human, and opossum, suggesting that the ZAP-1 protein may be conserved among mammals.
Leptin concentrations in Prader-Willi syndrome before and after growth hormone replacement.

OBJECTIVE This study explored leptin concentrations in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a genetic disorder characterized by significant obesity and presumed hypothalamic dysfunction. The potential interaction of leptin metabolism with the growth hormone (GH) axis was also studied. STUDY DESIGN Plasma leptin concentrations and percent body fat were determined by radioimmunoassay and dual energy x-ray absorptionmetry, respectively, in 23 children with Prader-Willi syndrome and 23 children with exogenous obesity. RESULTS Log plasma leptin concentrations were positively correlated with percentage body fat in PWS (r = 0.844) and exogenous obesity (r = 0.869). When the regression lines for the two groups were compared, there were no differences in their slopes (P = 0.737) or intercepts (P = 0.701). Administration of recombinant human growth hormone to PWS children for 12 months significantly reduced both percentage body fat and plasma leptin concentrations, but the relationship of log plasma leptin to percentage body fat was unchanged. CONCLUSION Prader-Willi syndrome is not accompanied by deranged leptin concentrations and there was no evidence of an interaction of the GH axis with leptin metabolism in these GH-deficient children.
Obesity: can behavioral economics help?

Consumers regularly and predictably behave in ways that contradict standard assumptions of economic analysis such that they make decisions that prevent them from reaching rationally intended goals. These contradictions play a significant role with respect to consumers’ food decisions and the effect these decisions have on their health. Food decisions that are rationally derived include those that trade short-term gains of sensory pleasure (hedonic) for longer term gains of health and wellness (utilitarian). However, extra-rational food decisions are much more common. They can occur because of the contexts in which they are made—such as being distracted or pressed for time. In these contexts, heuristics (or rules of thumb) are used. Because food decisions are made with little cognitive involvement, food policies designed to appeal to highly cognitive thought (e.g., fat taxes, detailed information labels) are likely to have little impact. Furthermore, food marketing environments influence not only what foods consumers buy but also how much. As a general principle, when individuals do not behave in their own interest, markets will feed perverse and sub-optimal behaviors. Given the limited ability of individuals to retain and use accurate health information coupled with varying levels of self control, profit motivations of marketers can become predatory—though not necessarily malicious. Alternative policy options that do not restrict choice are outlined, which enable consumers to make better decisions. These options allow for profit motivations of marketers to align with the long-term well being of the consumer.
Microwave stabilization enhances immunocytochemical detection of estrogen receptor in frozen sections of macaque oviduct

We have found that microwave (MW) stabilization greatly improves detection of the estrogen receptor (ER) in frozen sections of rhesus monkey oviduct by immunocytochemistry (ICC). Fresh samples of fimbriae were MW-irradiated, frozen, and then cryosectioned. The frozen sections were also MW-treated and then fixed in a paraformaldehyde-based fixative before ICC processing. A parallel set of samples from each monkey were frozen, sectioned and processed for ICC without any MW treatment. MW stabilization clearly increased immunostaining intensity with either of two ER-specific monoclonal antibodies, namely, H222 and 1D5. The greatest increase was noted in tissues collected from spayed or progesterone-treated animals. An antibody dilution series indicated that MW stabilization increased the sensitivity approximately 20- to 40-fold. In addition, we incubated spayed macaque fimbriae at 4 C in the presence of 10 nM [3H]Moxestrol and then either froze the tissues immediately (non-MW) or treated them with MW. Slide-mounted cryosections of non-MW and MW-treated tissue were then incubated with either a Tris-EDTA buffer (low salt) or the same buffer containing 4 M KCl (high salt). The quantity of [3H]Moxestrol-occupied ER extracted from the frozen sections by each buffer was determined by a sucrose gradient shift assay. The low salt buffer extracted significantly more radiolabeled ER from non-MW sections than from MW-treated sections (P < 0.01), whereas the high salt buffer extracted equal amounts of ER from both the MW-treated and non-MW sections. MW-irradiation enhanced ICC detectability of ER in frozen sections by greatly reducing the amount of ER extracted during the various washes used during normal ICC processing.
Partial Single Base Flipping is Sufficient to Enable Strand Slippage at DNA Duplex Termini

DNA strand slippage is a structural mechanism by which mutations are introduced during replication by DNA polymerases. Although the template-slippage mechanism was suggested by Streisinger and coworkers around 40 years ago, there is no detailed atomic-resolution understanding of the dynamic pathways by which such strand slippage can occur. Using unrestrained molecular dynamics simulations, the present study demonstrates that partial single base flipping can be sufficient to enable spontaneous strand slippage at DNA duplex termini. The strand slippage was observed in both strands at the terminal end of a DNA duplex illustrating exactly how either insertion or deletion (indel) mutations were possible depending on which strand the partially flipped base belonged to. These findings highlight the steric and non-bonded interaction stringency required of DNA polymerase active sites to prevent indel mutations. This relationship between base flipping and strand slippage and its implications for sequence dependence of indel mutations will be discussed along with planned future studies to characterize these newly discovered dynamic DNA strand slippage pathways.
Use of a Thermographic Phosphor Fluorescence Imaging System for Simultaneous Measurement of Film Cooling Effectiveness and Heat Transfer Coefficient

This paper describes a novel approach based on the temperature-sensitive fluorescence of a thermographic phosphor (europium-doped lanthanum oxysulfide, La2O2S:Eu+3) that enables the simultaneous determination of both local film effectiveness and local heat transfer on a film-cooled surface. The measurement system is capable of acquiring a series of transient, full-field surface temperature images during a heating process. Using a data reduction procedure designed specifically for three-temperature systems, these temporally resolved temperature maps yield the local film effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient simultaneously. The film cooling test model is a single row of four, 30-degree inclined, discrete holes oo a flat plate. The measuement results exhibit superior spatial resolution with detailed features in good agreement with those using other conventional thermal methods, as well as the liquid crystal imaging technique. One major advantage of this technique is its potential for high temperature and highly unsteady applications.Copyright © 1996 by ASME
Dilational viscoelastic properties of fluid interfaces—III Mixed surfactant systems

Abstract The surface viscosity and elasticity of solutions of mixed surfactants were determined using the longitudinal wave technique combined with tracer particle measurements. The recent analysis of Maru et al. , which was restricted to insoluble monolayers and to monolayers adsorbed from a single surfactant solution, has now been extended to multicomponent solutions. This analysis can be used not only to estimate the “net” viscoelastic properties at gas-liquid interfaces but also to estimate the composition as well as the intrinsic viscoelastic properties. Furthermore, when accompanied by separate measurements of shear viscoelastic properties, the above analysis can be used for the determination of dilational viscosity and elasticity. Surface viscoelasticity measurements were conducted on aqueous solutions of sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate-lauryl alcohol. Net surface viscosity and elasticity of sodium lauryl sulfate solutions increased with bulk concentration and reached a maximum at a concentration in the neighborhood of the critical micelle concentration. The presence of small amount of lauryl alcohol caused almost an order of magnitude increase in intrinsic surface viscosity and a similar increase in compositional surface elasticity. A comparison between the values of intrinsic surface viscosity and those of surface shear viscosity indicated that surface dilational viscosity exceeds surface shear viscosity by at least two orders of magnitude. These appear to be the first set of data presented hitherto for the surface dilational properties in addition to surface shear properties for the same mixed surfactant systems.
Original Contribution: Uniqueness of the weights for minimal feedforward nets with a given input-output map

Abstract: We show that, for feedforward nets with a single hidden layer, a single output node, and a ''transfer function'' Tanh s, the net is uniquely determined by its input-output map, up to an obvious finite group of symmetries (permutations of the hidden nodes, and changing the sign of all the weights associated to a particular hidden node), provided that the net is irreducible (i.e., that there does not exist an inner node that makes a zero contribution to the output, and there is no pair of hidden nodes that could be collapsed to a single node without altering the inputoutput map).
Clinical Response to Combined Therapy of Cyclosporine and Prednisone

Reported is a patient with severe alopecia areata, multiple autoimmune diseases (chronic lymphocytic thyroidis, primary ovarian failure), and Down syndrome. She had a poor response to topical treatment with glucocorticoids and minoxidil, but showed some improvement with glucocorticoid injections. At the time of evaluation, she had hair loss on 85–90% of her scalp. She was treated initially with oral prednisone 50 mg per day for 2 weeks, followed by a 3-month course of prednisone 10 mg per day and cyclosporine 125 mg (4 mg kg−1) two times per day. She responded well with excellent regrowth of hair on the scalp, and prednisone was tapered and ultimately discontinued. Importantly, her parents noted marked improvement in sense of well-being. Several months after discontinuing treatment, she developed hyperpigmentation on the trunk consistent with confluent and reticulated papillomatosis; she has several known risk factors for this disorder, but it is not clear if this is related to her previous treatment.
Phase diagrams of Ba(Fe 1-x M x ) 2 As 2 single crystals ( M=Rh and Pd)

Single crystalline $\text{Ba}{({\text{Fe}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{M}_{x})}_{2}{\text{As}}_{2}$ $(M=\text{Rh},\text{Pd})$ series have been grown and characterized by structural, thermodynamic, and transport measurements. These measurements show that the structural/magnetic phase transitions, found in pure ${\text{BaFe}}_{2}{\text{As}}_{2}$ at 134 K, are suppressed monotonically by the doping and that superconductivity can be stabilized over a domelike region. Temperature-composition $(T\ensuremath{-}x)$ phase diagrams based on electrical transport and magnetization measurements are constructed and compared to those of the $\text{Ba}{({\text{Fe}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{M}_{x})}_{2}{\text{As}}_{2}$ $(M=\text{Co},\text{Ni})$ series. Despite the generic difference between $3d$ and $4d$ shells and the specific, conspicuous differences in the changes to the unit cell parameters, the effects of Rh doping are exceptionally similar to the effects of Co doping and the effects of Pd doping are exceptionally similar to the effects of Ni doping. These data show that whereas the structural/antiferromagnetic phase-transition temperatures can be parameterized by $x$ and the superconducting transition temperature can be parameterized by some combination of $x$ and $e$, the number of extra electrons associated with the $M$ doping, the transition temperatures of $3d$- and $4d$-doped ${\text{BaFe}}_{2}{\text{As}}_{2}$ cannot be simply parameterized by the changes in the unit-cell dimensions or their ratios.
Wound complications from idiopathic clubfoot surgery : A comparison of the modified turco and the cincinnati treatment methods

Purpose: Treatment protocols using the Turco and the Cincinnati incisions are widely used for the surgical correction of clubfoot deformity. However, it is unclear which surgical approach leads to fewer wound problems. We therefore sought to determine which treatment method led to a lower incidence of wound complications. Study Design: A retrospective chart review of 217 consecutive patients (308 feet) who underwent a primary posteromedial release for the treatment of idiopathic clubfoot under the age of 24 months via either the modified Turco or Cincinnati treatment methods was used to document the incidence of postoperative wound complications. The modified Turco protocol involved immediate postoperative casting in neutral, whereas the Cincinnati method involved staged casting with the foot initially in equinus, then to neutral with a cast change 7 days later. Results: A significantly lower incidence of wound complications was seen in the Cincinnati treatment group when compared with the modified Turco treatment method (6.9% vs 19.6%, respectively, P < 0.003). When patients were stratified based on immediate versus staged postoperative casting methods, there was a significantly lower incidence of wound complications (P < 0.05) in feet in the Cincinnati treatment group versus the modified Turco treatment method; however, the statistical populations were markedly unequal. Among all feet treated with the Cincinnati method, patients who underwent a staged cast change had significantly fewer wound problems when compared with those who underwent immediate casting with the foot in neutral (5.1% vs 16.7%, respectively, P < 0.04). Conclusions: In the surgical correction of idiopathic clubfoot, the incidence of wound complications is significantly decreased with the use of the Cincinnati treatment method rather than the modified Turco treatment protocol. Whether this effect is a result of the incision or the postoperative casting protocol is unclear.
Left Atrial Pressure Pulse in Mitral Valve Disease: A Correlation of Pressures Obtained by Transbronchial Puncture with the Valvular Lesion

Left atrial pressures were determined by transbronchial puncture in 53 patients with mitral valve disease of proved type, and were analyzed by several methods. Two new methods of analysis, the rate of the y descent divided by the mean left atrial pressure, and the y descent for each 0.1-second interval divided by the mean left atrial pressure afforded the best separation of the patients with mitral insufficiency from those with mitral stenosis requiring a commissurotomy. In the presence of predominant mitral stenosis, however, the severity of accompanying mitral regurgitation could not be assessed.
Detection of mycobacterial infections using the Dieterle stain.

Retrospective review comparing the modified Dieterle stain with standard acid-fast stains was performed on seven surgical pathology cases that contained culture-positive mycobacteria infections. Tissues examined comprised cervical and submandibular lymph nodes and soft tissues of the face and chest. Modified Dieterle staining was performed on paraffin-embedded tissue sections, and the results were compared with those of hematoxylin-eosin stains and auramine-rhodamines and carbol-fuchsin acid-fast stains. The acid-fast stain showed organisms in three of seven cases on initial review and five of seven cases on retrospective review; the auramine-rhodamine stain retrospectively revealed organisms in five cases. In contrast, the Dieterle stain showed organisms in all seven sections on retrospective examination. Dieterle stains revealed either beaded bacilli or nocardia-like filamentous organisms, sometimes with abundant granular debris possibly representing degenerative organisms. In three cases in which bacteria were readily apparent with the Dieterle stain, only rare organisms could be identified with the acid-fast stain. The modified Dieterle stain was more sensitive than the acid-fast stain in the identification of mycobacteria in pediatric specimens, and its use is recommended in cases with necrotizing granulomas. However, its specificity is limited by morphologic similarities of the organisms to those of nocardiosis and cat scratch disease.
Sound source localization identification accuracy: Bandwidth dependencies

Sound source localization accuracy using a sound source identification task was measured in the front, right quarter of the azimuth plane as rms (root-mean-square) error (degrees) for stimulus conditions in which the bandwidth (1/20 to 2 octaves wide) and center frequency (250, 2000, 4000 Hz) of 200-ms noise bursts were varied. Tones of different frequencies (250, 2000, 4000 Hz) were also used. As stimulus bandwidth increases, there is an increase in sound source localization identification accuracy (i.e., rms error decreases). Wideband stimuli (>1 octave wide) produce best sound source localization accuracy (∼6°–7° rms error), and localization accuracy for these wideband noise stimuli does not depend on center frequency. For narrow bandwidths (<1 octave) and tonal stimuli, accuracy does depend on center frequency such that highest accuracy is obtained for low-frequency stimuli (centered on 250 Hz), worse accuracy for mid-frequency stimuli (centered on 2000 Hz), and intermediate accuracy for high-frequency stimuli (centered on 4000 Hz).
The Grief Experiences of Certified Nursing Assistants: Personal Growth and Complicated Grief:

The grief that certified nursing assistants (CNAs) experience following the deaths of nursing home residents has received scant attention in past research, particularly from an empirical standpoint. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the grief experiences of CNAs in the nursing home setting and to identify and evaluate factors that may mediate or exacerbate grief. Participants (N = 136) from 12 nursing homes completed self-administered surveys. Regression analyses revealed that CNAs with lower levels of perceived disenfranchised grief reported higher levels of personal growth, while CNAs with greater fear of death and those who experienced fewer deaths on the job reported higher levels of complicated grief. Practitioners and future researchers may benefit from these findings through the construction and implementation of interventions aimed at effectively enfranchising the grief experiences of this important group of healthcare workers.
Cutaneous Arteriolar Dilation Elicited By Ultraviolet Irradiation

Arteriolar changes in the skin following monochromatic UV irradiation have been investigated with a photoelectric pulsemeter. Arteriolar dilatation was seen at all wavelengths tested and could be detected as early as 2 hours after irradiation. Intradermal epinephrine was found to produce marked pallor of UV erythema and arteriolar constriction was confirmed with the pulsemeter. Recordings indicating arteriolar dilatation were identical with 250 nm and 300 nm erythema, despite well documented qualitative differences in the erythema at these wavelengths.