cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stability of fluorouracil administered through four portable infusion pumps

The stability of fluorouracil in four portable infusion pumps under simulated infusion conditions was studied. Three commercially available fluorouracil aqueous solutions (50 mg/mL) were used. Samples adjusted to six pH levels were examined for precipitate. Drug reservoirs of four different portable infusion pumps were filled with 70 mL of each fluorouracil injection. Under conditions simulating actual use, the reservoirs were attached to the pumps and the solutions were pumped at a rate of 10 mL/24 hours over a seven-day period at 25 degrees C and 37 degrees C. Samples at the distal end of the extension tubing were collected hourly for the first 10 hours and at 12-hour intervals thereafter. Visual observations and pH determinations were made immediately. Drug concentrations were determined by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Diethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) concentrations (the result of leaching from the plastic tubing and container) were determined by gas chromatography. In the pH study, precipitate appeared immediately in all fluorouracil injections below pH 8.52; precipitate was observed after two to four hours at pH 8.60-8.68. Under simulated infusion conditions, no apparent changes in concentration or pH were detected with any of the brands of drugs or portable infusion devices. At 25 degrees C, a fine white precipitate was observed in the extension tubing of all devices with the Roche brand of fluorouracil 48 to 96 hours after the pumping cycle began. The amount of DEHP leached from the drug reservoirs over the seven-day period was less than 1 ppm at both temperatures. All tested brands of fluorouracil injection were found to be stable under simulated infusion conditions over a seven-day period at 37 degrees C.
A study of refractive state in premature infants without retinopathy of prematurity during their early life

Objective To understand the development of the refractive status in premature infants during their early life. Methods It was a cross-sectional study. Two hundred fifty-three premature infants without retinopathy of prematurity (BOP) were screened for BOP at 4-6 weeks after born. Refraction with cycloplegic retinoscopy was determined. The refractions of 38 infants were compared with those of mature infants at 40-44 weeks' correct gestational age (CGA). Results The spherical equivalent (SE) increased progressively (become more hypermetropic) along with increasing gestational age (GA), birth weight (BW) and CGA at test. BW was the main factor for SE. The incidence of myopia and astigmatism was 14. 43% (73eyes) and 10. 28% (52eyes). The former decreased and the latter did not change along with increasing CGA. The median of astigmatism was 1.00DC, while Percentile 25 (P25) and Percentile 75 (P75) were 0. 50DC and 1.13DC, respectively. The degree of astigrnatism increased along with increasing CGA and did not change along with GA or BW. The median of axis of astigmatism (AX) was 90°, while P25 and P75 were 90°and 100° ,respectively. The AX was not correlated with CGA, GA or BW. Five observations, including SE, incidence of myopia and astigmastism, the degree and axis of astigmatism between premature and mature infants at 40 to 44 weeks' CGA, were compared. It shows that there was no statistical difference between the two groups in all items mentiond above but SE, which indicating that there was more myopic in premature infants. Conclusions The refraction of premature infants shifts towards hypermetropia along with development, but is still more myopic than mature infants at 40 to 44 weeks' CGA. Further studies on the underlying mechanisms of myopia and the subsequent refractive development are needed. (Chin J Ophthalmol , 2009,45:507-511) Key words: Infant, premature; Refraction, ocular; Retinopathy of prematurity
Phospholipids as modulators of hepatic recognition of chylomicron remnants. Observations with emulsified lipoprotein lipids.

The lipids extracted from chylomicrons, chylomicron remnants generated in vivo and hepatic-lipase-treated chylomicrons were emulsified by sonication. These emulsified particles retained the capacity of the native lipoproteins to be differentiated by the liver in vivo, i.e. only the particles derived from remnant and hepatic-lipase-treated chylomicron lipids were efficiently taken up by the liver. To investigate the role of phospholipids in this differentiation process, the phospholipids of all three lipoprotein preparations were separated from the remaining lipids by silicic acid chromatography. The phospholipid-free lipid fraction of chylomicrons was then emulsified with the phospholipids derived from each of the three lipoprotein preparations. Only the particles emulsified with phospholipids derived from remnants and hepatic-lipase-treated chylomicrons were efficiently taken up by the liver in vivo. These results support the proposition that phospholipids modulate the hepatic differentiation between chylomicrons and remnants in vivo.
Moleculo Long-Read Sequencing Facilitates Assembly and Genomic Binning from Complex Soil Metagenomes.

ABSTRACT Soil metagenomics has been touted as the “grand challenge” for metagenomics, as the high microbial diversity and spatial heterogeneity of soils make them unamenable to current assembly platforms. Here, we aimed to improve soil metagenomic sequence assembly by applying the Moleculo synthetic long-read sequencing technology. In total, we obtained 267 Gbp of raw sequence data from a native prairie soil; these data included 109.7 Gbp of short-read data (~100 bp) from the Joint Genome Institute (JGI), an additional 87.7 Gbp of rapid-mode read data (~250 bp), plus 69.6 Gbp (>1.5 kbp) from Moleculo sequencing. The Moleculo data alone yielded over 5,600 reads of >10 kbp in length, and over 95% of the unassembled reads mapped to contigs of >1.5 kbp. Hybrid assembly of all data resulted in more than 10,000 contigs over 10 kbp in length. We mapped three replicate metatranscriptomes derived from the same parent soil to the Moleculo subassembly and found that 95% of the predicted genes, based on their assignments to Enzyme Commission (EC) numbers, were expressed. The Moleculo subassembly also enabled binning of >100 microbial genome bins. We obtained via direct binning the first complete genome, that of “Candidatus Pseudomonas sp. strain JKJ-1” from a native soil metagenome. By mapping metatranscriptome sequence reads back to the bins, we found that several bins corresponding to low-relative-abundance Acidobacteria were highly transcriptionally active, whereas bins corresponding to high-relative-abundance Verrucomicrobia were not. These results demonstrate that Moleculo sequencing provides a significant advance for resolving complex soil microbial communities. IMPORTANCE Soil microorganisms carry out key processes for life on our planet, including cycling of carbon and other nutrients and supporting growth of plants. However, there is poor molecular-level understanding of their functional roles in ecosystem stability and responses to environmental perturbations. This knowledge gap is largely due to the difficulty in culturing the majority of soil microbes. Thus, use of culture-independent approaches, such as metagenomics, promises the direct assessment of the functional potential of soil microbiomes. Soil is, however, a challenge for metagenomic assembly due to its high microbial diversity and variable evenness, resulting in low coverage and uneven sampling of microbial genomes. Despite increasingly large soil metagenome data volumes (>200 Gbp), the majority of the data do not assemble. Here, we used the cutting-edge approach of synthetic long-read sequencing technology (Moleculo) to assemble soil metagenome sequence data into long contigs and used the assemblies for binning of genomes. Author Video: An author video summary of this article is available.
On the E-optimality of some Block Designs

SUMMARY This paper is concerned with the investigation of E-optimal block designs. Some conditions are given under which there is a regular graph design which is E-optimal. Immediate applications of these results demonstrate that a great majority of the designs obtained by John and Mitchell (1977) are indeed E-optimal. It can also be shown that a group-divisible design with Al = A2 + 1 > 1 and group size 2 is E-optimal. The same result also holds for a PBIB design with a cyclic scheme, )2 = Al ? 1, and v = 5. Another application shows that if d is a BIBD, a group-divisible design with A2 = Al + 1, a groupdivisible design with A, = A2 + 1 > 1 and group size 2, or a PBIB design with a cyclic scheme, A2 = Al ? 1 and v = 5, then the dual design of d is also E-optimal.
Comparison of Complications Related to Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters, Infusion Ports, and Hickman Catheters in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients

Abstract 4288 Background: Intravenous catheters are widely used in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Complications associated with these catheters are frequently encountered and contribute to morbidity, mortality, and increased cost of treatment. Studies exploring and comparing complications in the different types of catheters in this unique patient population are lacking. We retrospectively studied infectious and thrombotic catheter-related complications in AML patients treated at the largest tertiary referral center for AML in Oklahoma. Methods: AML patients above the age of 18 who were referred to The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center from January, 2000 to June, 2012 were identified and medical records were reviewed. Patients were stratified according to type of first catheter inserted (peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC), infusion port (IP), or Hickman). First catheter-related blood stream infection and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) events were reported (subsequent catheter-related complications were not included). Statistical analysis was performed using SAS 9.2 software (SAS Institute Inc). Fisher exact test was used to compare patients with different types of catheters. Results: 195 patients with AML were identified; of which 125 were included in the analysis (Patients referred for stem cell transplant (SCT) were excluded if not treated with prior chemotherapy at our institution). Median age at diagnosis was 51 years. 87 (70%) were males and 38 (30%) were females. 97 (78%) were White, 11 (9%) Native Americans, and 10 (8%) African Americans. 73 (58%) had PICC, 34 (27%) had Hickman, and 17 (14%) had IP. Blood stream infection occurred in 34% of all patients. Blood stream infection rates in each group were 32% in patients with PICC, 47% with IP, and 31% with Hickman (p=0.47). When divided by age group, infections occurred in 41% of patients 55 years of age or older and in 29% of those 20,000/microL at the time of event had DVT compared to only 8% of those with platelet count <20,000/microL (p=0.0005). Conclusion: Among AML patients referred to our institution, PICCs were associated with significantly higher rate of DVT compared to IPs and Hickmans. Platelet count >20,000/microL was also associated with significantly higher rate of thrombosis. There was no difference in blood stream infections across the different catheter types. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Does the Location of Amerindian Communities Provide Signals About the Spatial Distribution of Tree and Palm Species

This chapter examines the proximity of plants that provide critical ecosystem services to indigenous peoples of the Rupununi, southern Guyana, relative to their village centers. We explore the hypothesis that plants of greater importance to indigenous peoples’ livelihood practices are distributed closer to village centers, focusing on multiple-use plants, species that provide either two or more ecosystem services of nontimber forest products, food for wildlife, and commercial timber. We consider multiple-use plants to be more important than single-use plants, and we expect them to be distributed closer to village centers. Using the von Thunen model as a theoretical basis, we measure the average Euclidian distance of multiple-use plants to village centers, and compare their proximity across 12 villages and two controls. Results suggest that plants associated with some form of traditional use for indigenous peoples are distributed closest to village centers. This finding supports the idea that plants with higher economic value are located closest to village centers. Our analysis also suggests the potential for resource use conflict with plants in a multiple-use class, and suggests that logging close to villages has implications for traditional practices. Implications from removal of such plants for logs include accessing medicines and hunting services. The potential for resource use conflict underscores the importance of employing spatial analysis tools in studying plant distribution and resource use allocation schemes. Our results support the idea that indigenous peoples and their livelihood practices favor forest structure and plant distributions of greater economic value closer to their villages.
Enabling the Extraction of Climate-Scale Temporal Salinity Variations from Aquarius: An Instrument Based Long-Term Radiometer Drift Correction

All channels of the Aquarius radiometer were observed to have calibration instability consisting of a drift in the antenna temperature during the first couple of months of the mission and pseudo-periodic oscillations of the antenna temperature over the mission life. For the version 4 Aquarius processing, both of these anomalies were corrected by removing a time variable bias in the Aquarius measurements relative to a seven-day global average from a salinity model. In order to accurately track long-term variation of salinity on climate scales it is necessary to decouple Aquarius radiometric calibration from ocean salinity models. In this paper, a new technique is used to investigate the nature of anomalies using nonocean vicarious external sources such as Antarctic ice or Amazonian rain forests. Two completely different solutions are developed to correct the pseudo-periodic oscillations as well as the drift of the Aquarius radiometers, decoupling the Aquarius measurements from salinity model.
A brief retrospective on the U.S. organic sector: 1997 and 2003

Introduction Organic products have shifted from being a lifestyle choice for a small share of consumers to being consumed at least occasionally by two-thirds of American consumers (5), consequently increasing opportunities for producers, handlers, and retailers of organic products. Along with the increased market opportunities, the production and distribution sides of the sector have taken on a new character. Formerly, organic foods were judged not only by taste, price, and appearance, but also by their social and environmental benefits. As the market has grown, consumers and businesses have developed broader reasons for purchasing and producing organic food. Today’s organic industry consists of new entrants — including most notably conventional supermarkets, manufacturers, and distributors — as well as long-time, established organic firms — including producers, natural foods stores, and distributors. Each group has a comparative advantage in the industry. Conventional firms have established, low cost ways of moving product along the supply chain. In many cases, they are building up knowledge of the organic sector by purchasing organic firms and their expertise. Long-time organic firms have extensive knowledge of organic products and how to access the natural products markets, and are learning to compete with and coexist with conventional firms new to the industry. In this paper, we trace some of the changes in the organic sector by comparing the industry in 1997 and 2003, starting with consumers and moving back through the supply chain to the farm level. We conclude with a brief discussion of opportunities and obstacles to market growth in the organic sector.
Turning a molehill into a mountain? How reading curricula are failing the poor worldwide

Reading programs for low-income populations often give disappointing results. Failures may be partly due to a neglect of practice in decoding letters. Visual stimuli are best learned symbol by symbol, with pattern analogies and much practice to unite smaller components and speed up identification. The prerequisite for comprehending volumes of text is parallel-processing of letters. This happens when the letter-by-letter decoding function moves to the visual word form area of the brain, which recognizes words as if they were faces. Strangely, people may become fluent readers in transparent orthographies without knowing the relevant language. To teach the poor, governments and donors should promote instruction of individual letters and independent student practice with teacher feedback; then, students may achieve parallel processing. Teachers would emphasize comprehension and writing after the attainment of fluency. This methodology requires a rather lengthy textbook for every student, but it simplifies classroom activities and teacher training. To attain the Sustainable Development Goals of 2030, teachers must base instruction on specific scientific studies rather than “best practices”.
Use of Reversible Contraceptive Methods Among U.S. Women with Physical or Sensory Disabilities.

CONTEXT Women with disabilities experience a higher rate of adverse pregnancy outcomes than women without disabilities. Preventing or delaying pregnancy when that is the best choice for a woman is a critical strategy to reducing pregnancy-related disparities, yet little is known about current contraceptive use among women with disabilities. METHODS A cohort of 545 reproductive-age women with physical disabilities (i.e., difficulty walking, climbing, dressing or bathing) or sensory disabilities (i.e., difficulty with vision or hearing) was identified from among participants in the 2011–2013 National Survey of Family Growth. Those at risk for unplanned pregnancy were categorized by whether they were using highly effective reversible contraceptive methods (IUD, implant), moderately effective ones (pill, patch, ring, injectable), less effective ones (condoms, withdrawal, spermicides, diaphragm, natural family planning) or no method. Multinomial regression was conducted to examine the association between disability and type of contraceptive used. RESULTS Some 39% of women with disabilities were at risk of unplanned pregnancy, and 27% of those at risk were not using contraceptives. The presence of disability was associated with decreased odds of using highly effective methods or moderately effective methods, rather than less effective ones (odds ratio, 0.6 for each), but had no association with using no method. CONCLUSION There is a significant need to reduce contraceptive disparities related to physical or sensory disabilities. Future research should explore the extent to which contraceptive use differs by type and severity of disability, as well as identify contextual factors that contribute to any identified differences.
Comparative ultrastructure of fruit plastids in three genetically diverse genotypes of apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) during development

Comparative ultrastructural developmental time-course analysis has identified discrete stages at which the fruit plastids undergo structural and consequently functional transitions to facilitate subsequent development-guided understanding of the complex plastid biology. Plastids are the defining organelle for a plant cell and are critical for myriad metabolic functions. The role of leaf plastid, chloroplast, is extensively documented; however, fruit plastids—chromoplasts—are poorly understood, especially in the context of the diverse metabolic processes operating in these diverse plant organs. Recently, in a comparative study of the predicted plastid-targeted proteomes across seven plant species, we reported that each plant species is predicted to harbor a unique set of plastid-targeted proteins. However, the temporal and developmental context of these processes remains unknown. In this study, an ultrastructural analysis approach was used to characterize fruit plastids in the epidermal and collenchymal cell layers at 11 developmental timepoints in three genotypes of apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.): chlorophyll-predominant ‘Granny Smith’, carotenoid-predominant ‘Golden Delicious’, and anthocyanin-predominant ‘Top Red Delicious’. Plastids transitioned from a proplastid-like plastid to a chromoplast-like plastid in epidermis cells, while in the collenchyma cells, they transitioned from a chloroplast-like plastid to a chloro-chromo-amyloplast plastid. Plastids in the collenchyma cells of the three genotypes demonstrated a diverse array of structures and features. This study enabled the identification of discrete developmental stages during which specific functions are most likely being performed by the plastids as indicated by accumulation of plastoglobuli, starch granules, and other sub-organeller structures. Information regarding the metabolically active developmental stages is expected to facilitate biologically relevant omics studies to unravel the complex biochemistry of plastids in perennial non-model systems.
Metabolic Bone Lesions: Imaging Pitfalls

Metabolic conditions may result in a variety of osseous and soft tissue manifestations. It is important to recognize how these metabolic conditions may present and be able to distinguish them from a variety of similar-appearing mimics. Entities which may mimic aggressive lesions include regional osteoporosis, hyperparathyroidism, tumoral calcinosis, and others. This chapter will discuss what clinical features and imaging characteristics can be useful to distinguish these entities from their mimics.
Women's Legislative Representation in Authoritarian Regimes

Recent research finds that legislatures in authoritarian regimes co-opt potential adversaries (e.g., Gandhi 2008; Gandhi and Przeworski 2007; Malesky and Schuler 2010) or provide regime loyalists with access to better monitor regime elites (e.g., Jensen, Malesky, and Weymouth 2014; Magaloni 2008; Svolik 2012). These two strains of thought suggest that membership in an authoritarian legislature tells us something about the nature of the authoritarian regime. For gender scholars, this is significant, since we there is substantial variation in the percentage of women in authoritarian legislatures. I argue that this variation in women’s legislative representation is the result, in part, of differences in women’s positions within civil society. As the role of women in civil society expands and the openness of civil society in general increases, women’s legislative representation increases. I test this argument with a dataset of 114 authoritarian regimes from 1972-2010. The empirical results support my argument.
Oncentra brachytherapy planning system.

In modern cancer management, treatment planning has progressed as a contemporary tool with all the advances in computing power in recent years. One of the advanced planning tools uses 3-dimensional (3D) data sets for accurate dose distributions in patient prescription. Among these planning processes, brachytherapy has been a very important part of a successful cancer management program, offering clinical benefits with specific or combined treatments with external beam therapy. In this chapter, we mainly discussed the Elekta Oncentra planning system, which is the main treatment planning tool for high-dose rate (HDR) modality in our facility and in many other facilities in the United States. HDR is a technically advanced form of brachytherapy; a high-intensity radiation source (3.6 mm in length) is delivered with step motor in submillimeter precision under computer guidance directly into the tumor areas while minimizing injury to surrounding normal healthy tissue. Oncentra planning is the key component to generate a deliverable brachytherapy procedure, which is executed on the microSelectron V3 remote afterloader treatment system. Creating a highly conformal plan can be a time-consuming task. The development of Oncentra software (version 4.5.3) offers a variety of useful tools that facilitate many of the clinical challenging tasks for planning, such as contouring and image reconstruction, as well as rapid planning calculations with dose and dose volume histogram analysis. Oncentra Brachy module creates workflow and optimizes the planning accuracy for wide varieties of clinical HDR treatments, such as skin, gynecologic (GYN), breast, prostate, and many other applications. The treatment file can also be transferred to the afterloader control station for speedy delivery. The design concept, calculation algorithms, and optimization modules presented some key characteristics to plan and treat the patients effectively and accurately. The dose distribution and accuracy of several clinical sample cases were discussed to illustrate the effectiveness and clinical efficacy. The American Association of Physicists in Medicine brachytherapy reports of TG-43 and TG-186 were also described and compared in evaluations of fundamental calculation methodologies.
Understanding Time-variable Gravity due to Core Dynamical Processes with Numerical Geodynamo Modeling

On decadal time scales, there are three major physical processes in the Earth’s outer core that contribute to gravity variations: (i) the mass redistribution due to advection in the outer core, (ii) the mantle deformation in response to (i), and (iii) the (core) pressure loading on the core-mantle boundary. Except the last one, they cannot be evaluated from surface observations. In this paper we use MoSST core dynamics model and PREM model to understand the gravity anomalies from the three processes. Our numerical results show that, the gravity anomalies are comparable in magnitude, though that from the process (i) is in general the strongest. The gravity anomalies from the first two processes tend to offset each other (“mantle shielding”). Consequently the pressure loading effect contributes more to axisymmetric part of the net gravity variation, while the net effect from the first two processes is more important to non axisymmetric components.
Local Connectedness, Continua, and X *

A space is connected if it is not the union of two disjoint non-empty closed sets. An equivalent condition is that there does not exist a continuous mapping of the space onto the discrete space having two points. From the latter condition it is easy to see that a space X is connected if and only if βX is connected.
Iron precipitation kinetics in synthetic acid mine drainage

To evaluate the design and operation of a new active treatment system for acid mine drainage (AMD), the behavior of ferric iron solutions after the addition of bicarbonate ions was investigated. The effects of various other factors common to AMD on the precipitation rate of iron were also studied. It was found that the rate of Fe III precipitation in synthetic AMD was not affected by the presence of Al or Mn, within the concentration ranges investigated (for Al, 0-0.01 M, for Mn, 0-0.002 M). Our experiments showed that the induction time (tmd),i.e., the time elapsed between the addition of base ions and the detection of iron precipitation, decreased with increasing iron concentration and pH but increased with increasing sulfate concentration: log tind=6.7(±0.30)−1.29 (±0.10) pH+0.94(±0.07) log [SO4]−0.36 (±0.05) log [Fe] Our results suggested that sulfate sorbed to the surface of growing iron oxyhydroxides, inhibiting their growth. This effect offers an important tool that can be used to control the precipitation of iron in AMD treatment facilities.
Conclusions: The Value of Deaf Children as a Natural Experiment for Understanding IQ Differences between Groups

Deafness is a natural experiment condition that can offer much to the study of IQ differences between groups. Research regarding the causes of IQ differences between groups has been plagued by confounds of environment and genotype since its inception. As I have argued in this book and elsewhere (Braden, 1988), the study of intelligence in deaf people offers a fresh perspective to address the question of why groups have different distributions of IQ. However, the research regarding deaf people is by no means free from problems and controversies associated with studies of between-group differences in IQ, and so it is worthwhile to review the strengths and limitations of this line of inquiry.
International Law in Crisis: A Qualitative Empirical Contribution to the Compliance Debate

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Professors Jack Goldsmith and Eric Posner published The Limits of International Law, a potentially revolutionary book that employs rational choice theory to argue that international law is really just “politics” and does not render a “compliance pull” on State decisionmakers. Critics have pointed out that Goldsmith and Posner’s identification of the role of international law in each of their case studies is largely conjectural, and that what is needed is qualitative empirical data that identifies the international law-based arguments that were actually made and the policy-makers’ responses to such arguments. In an effort to fill this gap, with the support of a Carnegie Corporation grant, the author convened a series of meetings and exchanges with the ten living former State Department Legal Advisers to discuss the influence of international law in the formulation of foreign policy during times of crisis. This Article reviews the scholarly debate about the nature of international legal obligation, presents the results of the Legal Advisers’ meetings, and provides an in depth examination of a modern case study involving the treatment of detainees in the war on terror which highlights the importance of these findings.
Creativity as a Motivation for Provider Knowledge Sharing and the Moderating Effect of Gender

This study examines the motivation for creativity as a factor that contributes to provider engagement in knowledge sharing. Also examined is the moderating effect of gender on the relationship betw...
Intracellular Membrane Trafficking: Modeling Local Movements in Cells

Cells constantly exchange material and information with their environment through a variety of trafficking mechanisms. Membrane trafficking encompasses a broad range of biological processes, all of which are characterized by the local deformation and movement of the plasma membrane. These movements are orchestrated by a complex protein machinery and cytoskeletal rearrangements. While different membrane trafficking pathways use different sets of proteins, mathematical and computational models have been used with great success to identify some of the governing physical principles. Here, we review the different theoretical and computational models of local movements in cells and the insights obtained from them. We will also highlight the challenges in the field and discuss future directions.
The impact of perfectionism, performance feedback, and stress on affect and depressive symptoms

Abstract This investigation examined the effects of perfectionism (perfectionistic concerns, perfectionistic strivings) on negative affect and depressive symptoms for 125 university students. The study consisted of a laboratory session and a four-week follow-up. In the laboratory session, individuals with higher perfectionistic concerns experienced increases in negative affect during a mock intelligence test. Further, perfectionistic concerns interacted with experimentally manipulated feedback (success vs. failure) such that perfectionistic concerns were highly associated with negative affect in the context of failure. At follow-up, perfectionistic concerns were associated with higher depressive symptoms and interacted with life stress such that perfectionistic concerns were highly associated with depression in the context of greater life stress. Theoretical and clinical implications are also discussed.
Focus on Epithelialized Palatal Grafts. Part 3: Methods to Enhance Patient Comfort at Palatal Donor Sites.

Introduction Postoperative discomfort is a documented complication of the epithelialized palatal graft (EPG) procedure, and the expectation of an unpleasant patient experience may cause some practitioners to avoid EPG altogether. However, EPG affords distinct advantages in a variety of clinical situations, and the postoperative discomfort associated with the procedure can be minimized. Case series Three generally and periodontally healthy patients with gingival recession defects and minimal zones of attached gingiva received mandibular anterior EPG procedures. In all cases, collagen membranes were trimmed to fit the palatal donor sites and sutured in place. Two patients reported minimal donor site discomfort at any time point. One patient with large bilateral donor sites reported moderate palatal discomfort limited to the first postoperative week. All patients reported overall positive treatment experiences. Conclusions Placement of a resorbable collagen membrane at large EPG harvest sites appears to limit topical irritation of the wound and may substantially improve patient comfort postoperatively. Combining local and systemic measures to minimize patient discomfort may render EPG procedures very tolerable for patients. Controlled clinical trials comparing patient-centered outcomes following EPG harvest with and without collagen membrane placement appear warranted.
ERP Evidence for Co-Activation of English Words during Recognition of American Sign Language Signs.

Event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to investigate co-activation of English words during recognition of American Sign Language (ASL) signs. Deaf and hearing signers viewed pairs of ASL signs and judged their semantic relatedness. Half of the semantically unrelated signs had English translations that shared an orthographic and phonological rime (e.g., BAR–STAR) and half did not (e.g., NURSE–STAR). Classic N400 and behavioral semantic priming effects were observed in both groups. For hearing signers, targets in sign pairs with English rime translations elicited a smaller N400 compared to targets in pairs with unrelated English translations. In contrast, a reversed N400 effect was observed for deaf signers: target signs in English rime translation pairs elicited a larger N400 compared to targets in pairs with unrelated English translations. This reversed effect was overtaken by a later, more typical ERP priming effect for deaf signers who were aware of the manipulation. These findings provide evidence that implicit language co-activation in bimodal bilinguals is bidirectional. However, the distinct pattern of effects in deaf and hearing signers suggests that it may be modulated by differences in language proficiency and dominance as well as by asymmetric reliance on orthographic versus phonological representations.
Regulatory effects of curcumin on FOXO3a in human THP-1 monocytes/macrophages

An increased risk for atherosclerosis in the elderly is associated with inflammation and increased oxidative- and lipid-mediated stress in the vascular system. At the molecular level, aging is asso...
Peer observation to develop resident teaching.

Background Developing teaching skills is a fundamental part of physician postgraduate training. Although resident-as-teacher curricula are proliferating, there is no clear consensus on how best to train resident physicians as clinical teachers. Peer observation has been shown to be effective in other settings, including faculty development, and could be adopted for resident teaching skill development. Methods The authors developed a 5-day resident-as-teacher training programme, founded on three principles: (i) focused seminars; (ii) authentic teaching experiences; and (iii) peer observation. To provide genuine teaching experiences, course participants taught regularly scheduled curricular sessions. Residents were partnered with a peer; each delivered two teaching sessions and provided two peer observations. Results Evaluations revealed the course had a 'major impact' on participants' teaching. Significant improvements were observed in self-reported comfort and confidence with teaching and in providing feedback. Peer observation was cited as the most effective component of the course. Nearly all residents were both comfortable receiving and providing peer-observed feedback. A majority of residents reported that they were more likely to seek feedback as a result of the course. The faculty member time required was limited to 1-2 hours per individual. Discussion Peer observation can be used effectively to engage residents and advance clinical teaching skills. Residents were generally comfortable giving and receiving feedback in peer-observer dyads. Employing peer observation also reduced the amount of faculty member time needed to deliver resident-as-teacher programming, thereby facilitating the scalability of the programme. Allowing participants to teach during regular conference time allowed for smooth integration into the pre-existing schedule for the training programme.
Bottom-Up Meets Top-Down: The Crossroads of Multiscale Chromatin Modeling.

Chromatin can be viewed as a hierarchically structured fiber that regulates gene expression. It consists of a complex network of DNA and proteins whose characteristic dynamical modes facilitate compaction and rearrangement in the cell nucleus. These modes stem from chromatin's fundamental unit, the nucleosome, and their effects are propagated across length scales. Understanding the effects of nucleosome dynamics on the chromatin fiber, primarily through post-translational modifications that occur on the histones, is of central importance to epigenetics. Within the last decade, imaging and chromosome conformation capture techniques have revealed a number of structural and statistical features of the packaged chromatin fiber at a hitherto unavailable level of resolution. Such experiments have led to increased efforts to develop polymer models that aim to reproduce, explain, and predict the contact probability scaling and density heterogeneity. At nanometer scales, available models have focused on the role of the nucleosome and epigenetic marks on local chromatin structure. At micrometer scales, existing models have sought to explain scaling laws and density heterogeneity. Less work, however, has been done to reconcile these two approaches: bottom-up and top-down models of chromatin. In this perspective, we highlight the multiscale simulation models that are driving toward an understanding of chromatin structure and function, from the nanometer to the micron scale, and we highlight areas of opportunity and some of the prospects for new frameworks that bridge these two scales. Taken together, experimental and modeling advances over the last few years have established a robust platform for the study of chromatin fiber structure and dynamics, which will be of considerable use to the chromatin community in developing an understanding of the interplay between epigenomic regulation and molecular structure.
Powdery Mildew of Strawberries

Powdery mildew occurs in most areas of the world where strawberries are grown, infecting leaves, flowers, and fruit. Infected transplants are normally the primary source of inoculum for fruiting fields in Florida, but even disease-free fields can become infected by conidia blown in from neighboring fields. Fields with susceptible cultivars should be surveyed regularly for powdery mildew, especially early in the season. Usually, controlling foliar infection helps to prevent fruit infection. This 4-page fact sheet was written by N. A. Peres and J. C. Mertely, and published by the UF Department of Plant Pathology, May 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp129
Porn as a Threat to the Mythic Social Order: Christian Nationalism, Anti-Pornography Legislation, and Fear of Pornography as a Public Menace

We propose contemporary support for sweeping anti-pornography legislation is driven, in large part, by Christian nationalism―an ideology seeking to politically enforce a mythic Christian sexual ord...
Thermal emission measurements of ordinary chondrite mineral analogs in a simulated asteroid environment: 2. Representative mineral mixtures

Abstract We investigate a suite of synthetic mineral mixtures designed to act as bulk mineralogical analogs to H, L, and LL ordinary chondrite meteorites in order to probe how the thermal emission characteristics of such materials change between ambient and simulated asteroid environmental conditions. Due to the parent body link with certain S-type asteroids, studying these analog mixtures in an environment that is relevant to actual asteroid surfaces advances our understanding of the thermal emission properties of one of the most common regolith types among the main-belt and near-Earth asteroid populations. The observed changes in spectral emissivity features due to cold, vacuum conditions are not as large as previously observed for single mineral (silicate) samples. We interpret this difference to be the result of metallic and opaque components weakening near-surface thermal gradients in the mixtures. As such, we predict that near-surface thermal gradients on ordinary chondrite parent bodies (e.g., S-type asteroids) are likely much weaker than would be inferred from cold, vacuum measurements of individual mineral components. We tested whether the increased spectral contrast observed in fine-grained (
Can You Hear Me Now? Helping Faculty Improve Feedback Exchange for Internal Medicine Subspecialty Fellows

Introduction Feedback is an important tool that describes an individual's performance in a specific activity. Trainees at all levels grow from feedback exchanges to develop knowledge, skills, and a...
Chapter 30. Cytochrome P-450 Monoxygenases and Drug Metabolism

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the chemistry of mammalian P-450 monoxygenases with emphasis on their role in drug metabolism. .In higher organisms the P-450 enzymes are membranal proteins and display a wide spectrum of oxidative activity toward drugs, pesticides, and other xenobiotic compound. High levels of P-450 are found in microsomal fractions from liver and adrenal cortex and in mitochondria1 fractions from the latter tissue. These hemoproteins have also been implicated in the biosynthesis of cholesterol, steroid hormones, and bile acids. Liver microsomal fractions contain two major hemoproteins, cytochrome b and cytochrome P-450. Both exhibit an absorption maximum near 420 nm, but the latter hemoprotein is atypical in that the spectrum of the reduced carbon monoxide-complexed pigment shows a strong absorbance band at 450 nm. Criteria for the involvement of the P-450 system in the metabolism of specific drugs or xenobiotic compounds include enhancement of metabolism after pretreatment of animals with phenobarbital and in some instances after treatment with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Cytochrome P-450 monoxygenases have also been implicated in the reduction of nitro- and azo-functions under anaerobic conditions.
An Imaging Approach to Bone Tumors

When evaluating a bone tumor, a systematic approach should be used taking into consideration the clinical and laboratory findings along with the imaging appearance to arrive at a differential diagnosis. Attention should be paid to the age of the patient and the location of the lesion, and comparison with prior examinations should be made when possible. Awareness of the spectrum of non-neoplastic reactive, metabolic, inflammatory, and infectious as well as iatrogenic and developmental lesions must also be taken into account as these can mimic a primary bone tumor. Radiographs are the mainstay and most cost-effective imaging modality for the evaluation of bone tumors. CT and MRI are particularly useful in areas of complex anatomy and for staging.
Ribonuclease V of Escherichia coli: IV. Exonucleolytic cleavage in the 5′ to 3′ direction with production of 5′-Nucleotide monophosphates

Abstract Ribonuclease V degrades polyuridylic acid and bacteriophage T4-specific messenger RNA to 5′-mononucleotides as the only detectable products. When polynucleotides detectably labeled at both ends were used as substrates, the 5′ sequences were selectively released first (the polynucleotides included one that began with 10 to 20 residues of 3 H-labeled (Up) and continued with 40 to 60 residues of 14 C-labeled (Ap), and another that started with 10 to 15 unlabeled (Up) residues and continued with 50 to 60 3 H-labeled (Up) residues.) Thus degradation of messenger RNA by RNase V is exonucleolytic in the same sense as transcription and translation, consistent with the properties expected for messenger RNase in vivo .
Cluster detection methods applied to the Upper Cape Cod cancer data

A variety of statistical methods have been suggested to assess the degree and/or the location of spatial clustering of disease cases. However, there is relatively little in the literature devoted to comparison and critique of different methods. Most of the available comparative studies rely on simulated data rather than real data sets. We have chosen three methods currently used for examining spatial disease patterns: the M-statistic of Bonetti and Pagano; the Generalized Additive Model (GAM) method as applied by Webster; and Kulldorff's spatial scan statistic. We apply these statistics to analyze breast cancer data from the Upper Cape Cancer Incidence Study using three different latency assumptions. The three different latency assumptions produced three different spatial patterns of cases and controls. For 20 year latency, all three methods generally concur. However, for 15 year latency and no latency assumptions, the methods produce different results when testing for global clustering. The comparative analyses of real data sets by different statistical methods provides insight into directions for further research. We suggest a research program designed around examining real data sets to guide focused investigation of relevant features using simulated data, for the purpose of understanding how to interpret statistical methods applied to epidemiological data with a spatial component.
Analysis of B-cell antigens in normal reactive lymphoid tissue using four B-cell monoclonal antibodies

Lymph nodes from 13 cases of reactive hyperplasia were examined with four different monoclonal antibodies to B cells. B-1 recognizes an antigen of 30,000 daltons on B cells. CB-2 was prepared with normal spleen and binds to a glycolipid. BA-1 labels surface immunoglobulin-positive cells, but not T lymphocytes or monocytes. B-532 recognizes an antigenic determinant of 45,000 daltons. Using the immunoperoxidase method on frozen sections of reactive lymph nodes, the staining patterns of these four unique antibodies showed dramatic differences. B-1 labeled 80%-90% of the germinal center cells and 10%-50% of the mantle region. Few interfollicular cells were positive. CB-2 stained predominantly in the mantle area (50%-90% positive cells), with moderate staining in the germinal center as well and less than 1% positive cells in the diffuse cortex. BA-1 exhibited predominant labeling in the mantle (50%-90%), with little staining in the germinal center. A large number of cells in the interfollicular, subcapsular, and medullary regions expressed the BA-1 antigen. The B-5 antibody demonstrated intense staining in the follicle (50%-95%). This staining often appeared to be polarized within the germinal center. The mantle zone demonstrated staining of 30%-50% of the cells. The different staining patterns of the B-cell antibodies, as demonstrated by the in situ distribution of positive cells within the lymph node, may reflect stages of development or activation of the B-cell population.