cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hypercholesterolemia blunts the oxidative stress elicited by hypertension in venules through angiotensin II type-2 receptors

Abstract Objective Hypertension and hypercholesterolemia elicit inflammatory and thrombogenic responses in the microvasculature. However, little is known about whether and how risk factor combinations alter microvascular function. We examined how the actions of HTN + HCh on the microvasculature differ from the responses elicited by either risk factor alone. Methods Intravital microscopy was used to monitor the adhesion and emigration of leukocytes and dihydrorhodamine oxidation in cremaster muscle venules of wild type mice that were infused with angiotensin II for 2 weeks (HTN), placed on a high cholesterol diet (HCD), or both. Results Either HTN or HCh alone enhanced the production of reactive oxygen species and promoted the recruitment of leukocytes in venules. However, the combination of HTN and HCh produced changes in ROS production and leukocyte recruitment that were greatly attenuated compared to HTN alone. The inhibitory effects of HCh on the AngII mediated responses were also observed in genetically-induced HCh (ApoE-deficient mice). Treating HCh + HTN mice with an antagonist to AT2r reversed the HCh-dependent protection against oxidative stress and inflammation during HTN. Conclusions These findings indicate that HCh blunts the oxidative stress and inflammatory cell recruitment elicited by hypertension in venules through a mechanism that involves AT2 receptor activation.
Effects of Love and Liking in Premarital Dyads

Abstract Rubin's love-liking scale (1970) is used to investigate the role of love (a concept specific to the Western world's romantic sentiment complex) and liking (a more general concept relating to bases of interpersonal attraction other than love) in premarital dyadic processes. Reinforcement theory (Miller and Siegel, 1972) is used to formulate hypotheses of four kinds of effects of love and liking: (1) Effects on stage of relationship and break-up of it. (2) Subjective effects, i.e., effects of loving and liking one's dating partner in terms of happiness, tension, and communicative agreement. (3) Synergic effects, i.e., effects of being loved and being liked in terms of the same variables. (4) Mutuality, the degree to which loving and liking and other feelings are reciprocated between partners. Love was found related to dating stage for both sexes but not related to break-up for either sex. Liking was found to be related to both dating stage and break-up for males but not for females. Neither subject...
Immunologic Status of Hemophilia Patients Treated With Cryoprecipitate or Lyophilized Concentrate

We evaluated 37 patients with moderate or severe hemophilia A and six patients with severe factor IX deficiency for clinical or laboratory evidence of immune abnormalities. Patients were assigned to one of four groups according to the type of clotting factor replacement. Twenty patients had received only cryoprecipitate during the two years preceding the evaluation (group I); 11 additional patients were treated predominantly with cryoprecipitate but had also received up to nine bottles of factor VIII concentrate (group II); six patients received factor VIII concentrate (group III); six patients received factor IX concentrate (group IV). There was no clinical or laboratory evidence of immunodeficiency among the 43 patients. The mean absolute number of Th cells was normal in all patient groups, but the mean absolute number of Ts cells was increased compared with controls, both in patients treated with cryoprecipitate and in patients treated with factor VIII or factor IX concentrate. There was no correlation between the Th/Ts ratio and patient age, alanine aminotransferase level, hepatitis serology, in vitro lymphocyte function, or amount of clotting factor administered. Our observations demonstrate that the volunteer or commercial origin of clotting factor replacement cannot fully explain the alterations in lymphocyte subset distribution previously described in patients with hemophilia A.
Investigation on the host density and seasonal changes of infection rate of Angiostrongyliasis cantonensis in Nanan City,Fujian Province

Objective To determine host density and seasonal change of infection rate of Angiostrongyliasis cantonensis in Nanan City.Methods The intermediate hosts Achatina fulica and Pila gigas and the definitive host vole of A.cantonensis were collected to examine and analyze infection condition of different seasons.Results The third larvae of A.cantonensis were examined from A.fulica,P.gigas et al.The infection rate of A.fulica was the highest,which was 36.12%(108/299).The infection rate of autumn among season was the highest,which was 63.24%(43/68).The detection rate of perfect insects in the heart and lung of murine whose is the final host was 9.56%(13/136).Conclusion Nanan City is the epidemic focus of A.cantonensis.The infective intensity and infection rate of the intermediary hosts were changed with seasonal variation.
The hypertensive balloon. A beneficial synergism for the salvage of ischemic myocardium.

Intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (IABC) was developed to assist the circulation in pump failure. Its use has recently been suggested to decrease or retard the extent of ischemia in normotensive patients with acute myocardial infarction. In dogs, the combination of IABC and phenylephrine decreased the extent of ischemia after acute coronary occlusion by 76 per cent, far more than IABC alone. The data suggest that increasing coronary perfusion is a more important factor than decreasing left ventricular afterload in this effect of IABC.
Effects of Alum Coagulation on Speciation and Distribution of Trihalomethanes (THMs) and Haloacetic Acids (HAAs)

Abstract The impacts of alum coagulation on the distribution of disinfection by-products (DBPs), trihalomethanes (THMs), and haloacetic acids (HAAs) were evaluated under controlled chlorination conditions using four surface waters. Among the nine HAAs found in waters, dihaloacetic acids (X2AAs) have been found to be the dominant species in all of the raw and alum treated waters. Alum coagulation tends to remove more monohaloacetic acids (XAAs) and trihaloacetic acids (X3AAs) precursors than that of dihaloacetic acids (X2AAs). Alum coagulation treated water had a lower HAA9/TTHM ratio compared with that of the raw water. The increase of THM bromine incorporation factors (BIFα value of alum treated water was statistically significant in comparison with the raw water. On average, BIFα increased by 54% after the alum coagulation process in these four different waters. This indicated that THM speciations shifted in favor of the more brominated compounds. However, alum coagulation treatment process had less eff...
Outside Beringia: Why the Northeast Asian Upper Paleolithic Record Does Not Support a Long Standstill Model

After nearly a century searching for evidence of Pleistocene Americans, in the last decade new methods, data, and ideas have brought us closer to reaching a clearer understanding of Native American...
Use of remote sensing to screen earthen levees

Multi-polarized L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar is investigated for its potential to screen earthen levees for weak points. Various feature detection and classification algorithms are tested for this application, including both radiometric and textural methods such as grey-level co-occurrence matrix and wavelet features.
Polynomial GCDs by Syzygies

We provide a simple method, using Grobner bases over modules, to compute multivariate polynomial greatest common divisors. The approach we show is flexible, adaptable to algebraic extensions of the rationals or prime fields, and is notably faster than prior methods that work with Grobner bases. It can be used in situations where sparse interpolation might be difficult to implement, e.g. when there are few points for interpolation (small prime fields) or in the presence of non-numeric algebraic relations.
New algal lipid extraction procedure using an amphiphilic amine solvent and ionic liquid

Abstract Lipid extraction is a key step in microalgal biofuel production. However, economical microalgal biofuel production is limited by the high energy consumption of the extraction process. Therefore, in this study, we employed N-methylcyclohexylamine (MCHA) as a switchable solvent to directly extract a wet microalgal slurry, and an ionic liquid, [C 4 -mim][PF 6 ] (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate), was used to recover the extracted algal oil through a simple phase separation method. CO 2 was used to trigger the separation of MCHA from [C 4 -mim][PF 6 ], and MCHA was regenerated by heating and purging with N 2 . Our extraction procedure differs from conventional solvent extraction, which requires drying algal slurries before extraction. The new extraction procedure adopted in this study can be used to extract wet algal slurries directly and recycle the solvent by using a low-energy consumption method. In addition, water-soluble MCHA was investigated for DHA(docosahexaenoic acid) wet algal slurries with 85% water content, and the extraction yield could reach 85% at low stirring speeds (200 rpm). Using [C 4 -mim][PF 6 ] to separate algal oil from the crude extraction liquid, algal lipid recovery was approximately 77%. In summary, the results showed the feasibility of utilizing MCHA and [C 4 -mim][PF 6 ] as extracting and separating agents, respectively, for algal oil exaction.
Association of physical activity with cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiac function in cancer survivors with chemotherapy-related heart failure.

9598 Background: Studies have shown that physical activity can have a positive effect on cancer survivors, but there is scant research that addresses whether physical activity is beneficial to surv...
Sensitivity and Limitations of Structures from X-ray and Neutron-Based Diffraction Analyses of Transition Metal Oxide Lithium-Battery Electrodes

Author(s): Liu, Hao; Liu, Haodong; Lapidus, Saul H; Meng, Y Shirley; Chupas, Peter J; Chapman, Karena W
Compatibility of Nuclear Polyhedrosis Viruses and Inherited Sterility for Control of Corn Earworm and Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Inherited sterility has been proposed as a means of suppressing the populations of the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), and the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith). If nuclear...
Isolation of aramid nanofibers for high strength multiscale fiber reinforced composites

Aramid fibers are famous for their high specific strength and energy absorption properties and have been intensively used for soft body armor and ballistic protection. However, the use of aramid fiber reinforced composites is barely observed in structural applications. Aramid fibers have smooth and inert surfaces that are unable to form robust adhesion to polymeric matrices due to their high crystallinity. Here, a novel method to effectively integrate aramid fibers into composites is developed through utilization of aramid nanofibers. Aramid nanofibers are prepared from macroscale aramid fibers (such as Kevlar®) and isolated through a simple and scalable dissolution method. Prepared aramid nanofibers are dispersible in many polymers due to their improved surface reactivity, meanwhile preserve the conjugated structure and likely the strength of their macroscale counterparts. Simultaneously improved elastic modulus, strength and fracture toughness are observed in aramid nanofiber reinforced epoxy nanocomposites. When integrated in continuous fiber reinforced composites, aramid nanofibers can also enhance interfacial properties by forming hydrogen bonds and π-π coordination to bridge matrix and macroscale fibers. Such multiscale reinforcement by aramid nanofibers and continuous fibers results in strong polymeric composites with robust mechanical properties that are necessary and long desired for structural applications.
Excess Off-State Current in InGaAs FinFETs

We present a detailed study of the off-state leakage current in scaled self-aligned InGaAs FinFETs. In long-channel devices, band-to-band tunneling at the drain-end of the channel is shown to be the root cause of excessive off-state current. This conclusion emerges from its characteristic electric field and temperature behavior and the absence of gate length and fin width dependencies. In short-channel devices, off-state current is significantly larger and it increases as the gate length shortens or the fin widens. We attribute this behavior to current multiplication through the gain of a floating-base parasitic bipolar transistor that is present inside the MOSFET. We extract the bipolar current gain which in short-channel devices is found to increase as the gate length shortens and decrease as the fin width narrows. In long channel devices, the current gain drops exponentially due to base recombination. This has allowed us to extract the diffusion length of electrons in the body of the transistor.
Utilizing transesophageal echocardiography for placement of pulmonary artery catheters.

OBJECTIVE Pulmonary artery catheters (PACs) have routinely been positioned by wedging into the pulmonary artery before pulling back 1-2 centimeters or advancing the PAC several centimeters after achieving a pulmonary artery waveform. A rare, major complication is pulmonary artery rupture. This study presents transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for PAC placement by leaving the catheter tip at the one o'clock position, upper window short-axis view of the ascending aorta at the bifurcation of the pulmonary artery (TEE distance). DESIGN Prospective observational cohort study. SETTING Large urban academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS 30 males and 30 females undergoing cardiac surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass. INTERVENTION TEE was utilized to obtain an upper esophageal short-axis view of the aorta with long-axis view of the main and right pulmonary arteries. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS The distance between TEE position and wedge position was recorded along with patients' gender, height, and weight. A correlation was found between TEE and wedge distances (P < .0001). There were significant gender differences in TEE distance, with a mean of 43.6 cm in females and 46.5 cm in males (P = .0004). The mean wedge distance was 47.5 cm in females and 51.9 cm in males (P < .0001). The differences between distances of wedge and TEE positions (5.39 cm, males; 3.93 cm, females) were also significant (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS By securing the PAC at the one o'clock TEE position, physicians are assured of a safety margin of several centimeters. This direct visualization method for PAC placement may decrease the risk for accidental wedging intraoperatively.
Differences in Faculty and Standardized Patient Scores on Professionalism for Second-Year Podiatric Medical Students During a Standardized Simulated Patient Encounter

Background: This study examined the differences between faculty and trained standardized patient (SP) evaluations on student professionalism during a second-year podiatric medicine standardized sim...
Steady Economic Growth: The Cobb-Douglas Case with “Engineering-School” Human Capital

This study is concerned with growth and economic development in a population of boundedly rational learner/investors. The objective is to establish the “constructive sufficiency” of the model to produce behavior like that observed in real economic growth processes, particularly dichotomization. We have seen that dichotomization can be observed, as a long-lasting transient, even in a stationary-state model in which a transient period of economic growth occurs as a result of learning better resource allocation rules. In the next chapter, we will explore parallel simulations of a steady-growth economy. Subsequent chapters will explore some variants.
The β Sliding Clamp of E. coli DNA Polymerase III Holoenzyme Balances Opposing Functions

The β subunit of E. coli DNA polymerase III holoenzyme (pol III holoenzyme) anchors this multiprotein chromosomal replicase to DNA for fast and highly processive replication (Kornberg and Baker 1991; Stukenberg et al. 1991). Its ring shape (Fig. 1) allows it to completely encircle DNA while freely diffusing along the duplex (Stukenberg et al. 1991; Kong et al. 1992). The β “sliding clamp” confers onto pol III holoenzyme a high degree of processivity (50kb; Fay et al. 1981) and a rapid speed of synthesis (750 nucleotides/s; O’Donnell and Kornberg 1985) which results from the continual proximity of the polymerase and DNA through their mutual association with β (Stukenberg et al. 1991).
Strategies for the treatment of enophthalmos.

Post-traumatic enophthalmos is challenging and incompletely understood clinical problem. Careful preoperative planning based on the results of the physical examination and thin-section CT scan should direct the operative reconstruction. A stepwise approach to the management of soft tissue and bony defects is required. Through the application of these principles, the aesthetic and functional sequelae of post-traumatic enophthalmos can be improved greatly with minimal complications.
Thermal Boundary Resistance between Pt and Liquid 3He at Very Low Temperatures

For many materials immersed in either liquid 3He or liquid 4He the low-temperature thermal boundary resistance is found to vary approximately as 1/T 3. This behavior is often discussed in terms of the acoustic mismatch theory1 in which phonons are assumed responsible for transferring thermal energy between the solid and the liquid helium. At least one system has been found for which the phonon resistance is not the limiting low-temperature resistance. That system is cerium magnesium nitrate (CMN) immersed in liquid 3He, for which the very low-temperature thermal boundary resistance is found experimentally to vary linearly with the temperature2 and to decrease in the presence of a small magnetic field.3 This resistance has been discussed4,5 in terms of thermal energy exchange via a surface magnetic coupling between the cerium spins of the CMN and the 3He nuclear spins. In this paper we present data which suggest that the thermal boundary resistance between Pt and liquid 3He is qualitatively different from the phonon and magnetic boundary resistances mentioned above.
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

The incidence of congenital adrenal hyperplasia in Saudi Arabia and the frequency of the carrier rate are not well known. Both figures should be high, considering the commonness of first-degree con...
Research Problem and Literature Review

Getting started is the hardest part of almost any new venture, and research is no exception. You cannot do any significant research until you have identified the area you want to investigate, learned what has been published in that area, and figured out how you are going to conduct the investigation. In this chapter, we will discuss ways by which a person can identify researchable problems, search for literature, and write the literature review.
Ethical, Legal, Practical and Scientific Challenges in Perioperative Medicine

Cost-effective, safe, timely, and socially responsible are the watchwords of accountable, outcome-dependent twenty-first century medical care and its delivery. Requisite physician and allied professional behavioral changes necessary to accommodate new performance standards are most noted in the acute interventional and perioperative specialties because immediacy is associated not only with advanced technology, but also with obvious outcome accountability. Anaesthesiologists, critical care physicians and surgeons are equally accountable in the new paradigm, and the likely direction of change may be predicted in the new publication from the Institute of Medicine, Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century. This is the sequel to the report To Err is Human published in November 1999, and it focuses attention in different but equally difficult areas to change. William Richardson, (President W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Chair, Committee on Health Care in America) preceded the introduction of the report with a widely publicised opening statement and executive summary. He prefaced his remarks noting the “U.S. health care system is in need of fundamental change. Americans ought to be able to count on receiving care that is safe and uses the best scientific knowledge. But there is strong evidence that this is not the case. Health care today harms too frequently, and fails to deliver its potential benefits routinely. ... Between the care we have and the care we could have lies not just a gap, but a wide chasm” [1].
A General Systems Analysis of Goal-Directed Heuristic Computation

The paper delineates dynamic structures in heuristic computation using a general systems approach. A design for goal-directed heuristics is put forward. Distinctions begin with a discussion of the involvement of goals in computation and their differing roles in algorithmic and non-algorithmic heuristics. AI problem solving is used as a paradigm area for justifying a non-algorithmic approach, in particular a goal-directed approach using current rather than a priori control. The main distinction is between goal-directed heuristics and algorithms according to procedural criteria as well as on the guarantee of success. A general systems model of goal-directed heuristics is developed with self-alteration being a key design principle.
Deep echocardiography: data-efficient supervised and semi-supervised deep learning towards automated diagnosis of cardiac disease

Deep learning and computer vision algorithms can deliver highly accurate and automated interpretation of medical imaging to augment and assist clinicians. However, medical imaging presents uniquely pertinent obstacles such as a lack of accessible data or a high-cost of annotation. To address this, we developed data-efficient deep learning classifiers for prediction tasks in cardiology. Using pipeline supervised models to focus relevant structures, we achieve an accuracy of 94.4% for 15-view still-image echocardiographic view classification and 91.2% accuracy for binary left ventricular hypertrophy classification. We then develop semi-supervised generative adversarial network models that can learn from both labeled and unlabeled data in a generalizable fashion. We achieve greater than 80% accuracy in view classification with only 4% of labeled data used in solely supervised techniques and achieve 92.3% accuracy for left ventricular hypertrophy classification. In exploring trade-offs between model type, resolution, data resources, and performance, we present a comprehensive analysis and improvements of efficient deep learning solutions for medical imaging assessment especially in cardiology.
Projection Printing of Ultrathin Structures with Nanoscale Thickness Control

Spatial control of photon energy has been a central part of many light-based manufacturing processes. We report a direct projection printing method for ultrathin structures with nanoscale thickness control by using a patterned evanescent field. The evanescent field is induced by total internal reflection at the interface between the substrate and a prepolymer solution, and it is patterned by a phase-only spatial light modulator. The ultrathin structure is printed on a high-refractive-index glass substrate through photopolymerization. An iterative algorithm is used to calculate the phase pattern for generating arbitrary holography images and making the image plane to coincide with the interface. The thickness of the pattern is limited by the penetration depth of the evanescent field. Experiment results demonstrated that polymer structures as thin as 200 nm can be patterned without significant process optimization. Such fine control in thickness could transform many techniques such as light-based 3D printing and laser direct-write manufacturing.
The Impact of Regulation on Resident International Experiences: A Multispecialty Review of Current ACGME and RRC Standards for International Electives.

Objective Partnerships between industrialized and nonindustrialized institutions have accelerated the growth of surgery and surgical subspecialties in the developing world. The results of these partnerships include qualitive and quantitative clinical benefits as well as unique opportunities for the development of resident clinical and surgical skills. Surveys demonstrate surgical residents have a strong interest in international humanitarian work. Ultimately, the opportunities for residents to participate in international work as a program elective are subject to the regulations of the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the Residency Review Committees (RRC) that govern residency accreditation. The regulations from accreditation bodies serve to ensure resident safety and educational value; however, excessive regulation can be a major hurdle to programs initiating international electives. Though the regulations are publicly available there is no comparison of various subspecialty standards in the literature. Nor is there a review of how standards affect resident education and safety or the ability for individual residencies to initiate international electives. Methods The regulations as defined by the ACGME and RRC of 7 surgical specialties (general, plastics, neurological, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, and urology) were reviewed from the available data on the ACGME website. Results The regulations demonstrate a great deal of diversity in how the specialties regulate international work. On one end of spectrum, 2 programs have robust guidelines and an approval process that ultimately allows residents to claim credit for cases performed internationally. On the other end, the regulations for some programs make little mention of international rotations other than to deny that cases be counted for credit. Conclusions ACGME regulations have a strong effect on resident experiences while training internationally. Ideally, regulations should ensure resident safety and education without being overly cumbersome and preventing smaller programs from developing international electives. This would allow more residents access to the educational benefits available through meaningful international electives. Beyond the educational benefits, resident participation in international training creates a foundation for continued international work throughout their career. This could, in turn, increase the number of surgeons willing to travel internationally and bolster the development and consistency of international humanitarian e`fforts.
Achieving Near MAP Performance With an Excited Markov Chain Monte Carlo MIMO Detector

We introduce a revised derivation of the bitwise Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) detector. The new approach resolves the previously reported high SNR stalling problem of MCMC without the need for hybridization with another detector method or adding heuristic temperature scaling factors. Another common problem with MCMC algorithms is the unknown convergence time making predictable fixed-length implementations problematic. When an insufficient number of iterations are used on a slowly converging example, the output log likelihood ratios can be unstable and overconfident. Therefore, we develop a method to identify rare slowly converging runs and mitigate their degrading effects on the soft-output information. This improves forward-error-correcting code performance and removes a symptomatic error floor in bit error rate plots. Next, pseudo-convergence is identified with a novel way to visualize the internal behavior of the Gibbs sampler. An effective and efficient pseudo-convergence detection and escape strategy is suggested. Finally, the new excited MCMC (X-MCMC) detector is shown to have near maximum-a-posteriori performance even with challenging, realistic, and highly-correlated channels at the maximum MIMO sizes and modulation rates supported by the 802.11ac WiFi specification, $8\times 8$ MIMO 256 quadrature amplitude modulation.
Nutrition, Immunity, and Neurological Diseases

A diverse range of agents, from biological and chemical to mechanical, can be perceived as stressors by the immune system. Even the diet, depending on its components and dosage, can provoke the immune system. Processed foods are acidogenic which lower the pH of the extracellular matrix (ECM), causing an aberrant enzyme activity. The consequent agitated immune system is linked to all pathologies including infections, metabolic disorders, and autoimmune diseases. Disturbed immunity has also been implicated in neuropathologies. Inflammation, which perturbs the neuro-endocrine-immune axis, is the central mechanism related to neural issues. During inflammation, the weapons of the innate immune system, cytokines, produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), which cause damage to the organs. Mapping of disease-specific biomarkers has showed the correlation between the aberrant expression of neural, immune, and metabolic mediators (insulin, leptin, cytokine, angiotensin II, serine protease, aromatase, estrogen, and neurotransmitters) and neural ailments such as multiple sclerosis, depression, autism, and dementia, among others. In this manner, the immunometabolic mechanisms control the neural health through interacting signaling pathways such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). For a clearer picture of these connections, this chapter discusses the nexus between diet, immune system, and neural system.
Environmental applications and recent innovations in single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS)

The accumulation of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) will increase as more applications are discovered for their unique properties and characteristics. Additionally, the presence of nanomaterials in...
Maintaining Quality in Online Learning Environments: Issues and Challenges

The online classroom continues to play an ever increasing role in higher education. There are proven, research-based pedagogical techniques available to instructors who want to create online courses that are both dynamic and engaging. With careful planning, online learning can provide students with a positive learning experience without sacrificing the academic quality of learning. Addressing security issues and challenges is vital to maintaining the desired academic rigor and quality. This paper discusses these important security issues and offers a variety of solutions for facilitating a secure learning environment.
Blood Retinal Barrier

Proper retinal function requires the presence of a well-defined blood-retinal barrier (BRB). In many of the leading causes of medical blindness this BRB is compromised. Indeed, retinopathy of prematurity and age related macular degeneration both include production of aberrant vessels with poor barrier properties. Further, diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in working age adults, involves progressive vision loss and is closely associated with macular edema [117]. Increased fluid accumulation, as well as lipid and albumin deposits, is believed to be the result of the breakdown of the BRB that normally controls the neuronal environment. Barrier dysfunction results in increased permeability which diagnostically indicates progressive retinopathy [32]. This chapter will review the normal physiology of the BRB, the changes that occur through the course of diabetic retinopathy, and the known underlying molecular mechanisms that may lead to barrier dysfunction. Elucidating the mechanisms of barrier dysfunction in diabetic retinopathy will further our understanding of its pathogenesis and provide future therapeutic targets.
Relevance of Information Technology in the Effective Management of Selected SMEs in Lagos State Nigeria

Internet, computers and telecommunication systems have become very important delivery systems and productivity tools of electronic data and information. SMEs in Nigeria are yet to fully harness the potential benefits of adopting information technology to bring about prompt delivery of services, efficiency and the ability of customers to be served in any part of the country without any encumbrance. This study investigated the relevance of information technology in the effective management of selected SMEs in Lagos. The survey involves one hundred and fifty respondents comprising of managers and employees in selected SMEs within Lagos State. Questionnaires were used as a data collection tool. Four hypotheses were formulated and tested using descriptive analysis and regression analysis through the Statistical Package For Social Science (SPSS). Findings from the data analyzed shows that use of information technology by managements of SMEs helps to improve productivity and market shares thereby increasing the effectiveness of management. This study recommends proper education and training for managers and employees to create more awareness and improve the e-literacy of SMEs operators.
Therapies for children with autism spectrum disorders.

What are the effectiveness, benefits, and harms of therapies used to address core and associated symptoms of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in children two to 12 years of age?
The Vital Role of the School Nurse in Managing Asthma.

Since asthma is the most common noncommunicable chronic childhood disease in the United States, school nurses will encounter students with this health condition. The purpose of this article is to p...
Localized Moments and Nonmoments in Metals: The Kondo Effect

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes the experimental situation in the magnetic impurity problem, particularly with respect to the questions of moment formation and the Kondo effect. The discussion given here is not directly applicable to the rare earths except for cases where because of a near instability of a particular valence state an antiferromagnetic covalent s-f exchange dominates and a Kondo effect is observed. The implications of the Kondo effect on the scattering from magnetic impurities in superconductors constitute an area of considerable current activity. There is considerable evidence that simple magnetic ordering and the Kondo effect are competitors. The competition arises simply from the fact that just as large external fields remove the divergence, the indirect RKKY fields responsible for short range order in dilute alloys wipe out the dynamic effects which arise beyond the first Born approximation. Silverstein and Harrison and Klein considered this effect and showed how these internal RKKY fields can quench the logarithmic term and lead to a maximum in R (T) as observed experimentally.
If we are Good Citizens,they Will Recognize us

The combined forces of globalization, the economic crisis and the emphasis on immigration reform have made undocumented immigrants one of the most visible and targeted populations in the United States. Children from undocumented families bear the psychological burden of this visibility, while at the same time remaining quite invisible within their schools (Solis 2003; Abrego 2008).
Entrepreneurial Responses to Poverty and Social Conflict: The Enterprise Africa! Project

The puzzle that is Africa has captured the imagination of scholars, intellectuals and policy-makers. Jeff Sachs, Bono and Bill Gates have become identiﬁed in the public mind with the project to end poverty and disease in Africa. There should be no doubt that the puzzle is real and the situation is tragic. Why has Africa lingered behind the developed world? How can so many suffer from extreme poverty (living on less than $2 a day) and from disease (malaria, TB and HIV)? Far too many Africans face a life of famine, disease, political corruption and war. Africa has more poor countries and more oppressive regimes in power than any other region of the world.address the puzzle of Africa are a modern version of large-scale planning.
Abstract P1-09-03: Prevention of aromatase Inhibitor (AI)-induced joint symptoms with omega-3 fatty acid supplementation: A randomized placebo-controlled pilot study

Introduction: AI-induced joint symptoms negatively impact drug adherence and quality of life. Based on observations that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have anti-inflammatory effects and that the mechanism of AI-induced joint symptoms may be partly due to inflammation, we hypothesized that women taking more n-3 PUFAs are less likely to develop AI-induced joint symptoms. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study comparing n-3 PUFA vs placebo in postmenopausal breast cancer patients starting adjuvant AIs. Participants were randomized to n-3 supplements [2.58 g eicosapentaenoic acid + 1.74 g docosahexaenoic acid/day; Marine Nutriceuticals, Mt. Bethel, PA] vs matched placebo for 24 weeks (wks). Primary endpoints was feasibility; secondary outcomes were self-reported symptoms as assessed by the Brief Pain Inventory short form (BPI-SF), Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment, Breast & Endocrine Symptoms (FACTB-ES), and Stanford9s Health Assessment and Disability Index (HAQ) at baseline prior to AI receipt, 12 and 24 wks. Compliance and toxicity were evaluated monthly. Serial peripheral blood n-3 PUFA levels and inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNFR2, IL-17) were drawn. MRI of hands/wrists was performed in selected patients using a 3 Tesla dedicated wrist coil at baseline and treatment end. Results: Forty-four women were enrolled and randomized to study drug; 42 received ≥1 cycle (4 wks) of treatment; 36 had ≥1 post treatment evaluation at wk 12 or 24. Median age was 59.5 (range 43-76); history of prior taxane (n=15, 34%). The two groups’ baseline characteristics were similar. Overall, 93% and 88% of patients took >80% of the placebo and n-3 PUFA doses, respectively. Baseline erythrocyte n-3 PUFA was similar for both groups (6.6% ± 1.6%, 7.2% ±1.9%, p=0.20), but higher in the n-3 PUFA arm by wk 24 (6.5%±1.0% vs 15.0%±3.3%, p Conclusions: This is the first randomized pilot study to show that n-3 PUFA supplementation to prevent AI-induced joint symptoms is feasible and well tolerated. There is preliminary evidence that this intervention may help reduce the burden of AI-induced arthralgias. OSU Study #11022; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01478477. Grants from the National Cancer Institute (CA037447-26) to the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology supported this pilot study. Citation Format: Maryam B Lustberg, Tonya Orchard, Xueliang Pan, Raquel Reinbolt, Amanda Logan, Joanne Lester, Rachel M Layman, Erin Macrae, Ewa Mrozek, Bhuvaneswari Ramaswamy, Robert Wesolowski, Michael Berger, Michael Knopp, Charles Loprinzi, Charles L Shapiro, Lisa Yee. Prevention of aromatase Inhibitor (AI)-induced joint symptoms with omega-3 fatty acid supplementation: A randomized placebo-controlled pilot study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-09-03.
A Generalized Genetic Random Field Method for the Genetic Association Analysis of Sequencing Data

With the advance of high-throughput sequencing technologies, it has become feasible to investigate the influence of the entire spectrum of sequencing variations on complex human diseases. Although association studies utilizing the new sequencing technologies hold great promise to unravel novel genetic variants, especially rare genetic variants that contribute to human diseases, the statistical analysis of high-dimensional sequencing data remains a challenge. Advanced analytical methods are in great need to facilitate high-dimensional sequencing data analyses. In this article, we propose a generalized genetic random field (GGRF) method for association analyses of sequencing data. Like other similarity-based methods (e.g., SIMreg and SKAT), the new method has the advantages of avoiding the need to specify thresholds for rare variants and allowing for testing multiple variants acting in different directions and magnitude of effects. The method is built on the generalized estimating equation framework and thus accommodates a variety of disease phenotypes (e.g., quantitative and binary phenotypes). Moreover, it has a nice asymptotic property, and can be applied to small-scale sequencing data without need for small-sample adjustment. Through simulations, we demonstrate that the proposed GGRF attains an improved or comparable power over a commonly used method, SKAT, under various disease scenarios, especially when rare variants play a significant role in disease etiology. We further illustrate GGRF with an application to a real dataset from the Dallas Heart Study. By using GGRF, we were able to detect the association of two candidate genes, ANGPTL3 and ANGPTL4, with serum triglyceride.
An evaluation of structural models for the photosynthetic water-oxidizing complex derived from spectroscopic and X-ray diffraction signatures.

Four of the five intermediate oxidation states (S-states) in the catalytic cycle of water oxidation used by O2-evolving photoautotrophs have been previously characterized by EPR and/or ENDOR spectroscopy, with the first reports for the S0, S1, and S3 states available in just the last three years. The first electron density map of the Mn cluster derived from X-ray diffraction measurements of single crystals of photosystem II at 3.8–4.2 A resolution has also appeared this year. This wealth of new information has provided significant insight into the structure of the inorganic core (Mn4O x Ca1Cl1–2), the Mn oxidation states, and the location and function of the essential Ca2+ cofactor within the water-oxidizing complex (WOC). We summarize these advances and provide a unified interpretation of debated structural proposals and Mn oxidation states, based on an integrated analysis of the published data, particularly from Mn X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and EPR/ENDOR data. Only three magnetic spin-exchange models for the inter-manganese interactions are possible from consideration of the EPR data for the S0, S1, S2 and S– N (NO-reduced) states. These models fall into one of three types denoted butterfly, funnel, or tetrahedron. A revised set of eight allowed chemical structures for the Mn4O x core can be deduced that are shown to be consistent with both EPR and XAS. The popular "dimer-of-dimers" structural model is not compatible with the possible structural candidates. EPR data have identified two inter-manganese couplings that are sensitive to the S-state, suggesting two possible bridging sites for substrate water molecules. Spin densities derived from 55Mn hyperfine data together with Mn K-edge energies from Ca-depleted samples provide an internally consistent assignment for the Mn oxidation states of Mn4(3III,IV) for the S2 state. EPR and XAS data also provide a consistent picture, locating Ca2+ as an integral part of the inorganic core, probably via shared bridging ligands with Mn (aqua/hydroxo/carboxylato/chloro). XAS data reveal that the Ca2+ cofactor increases the Mn(1s→4p) transition energy by 0.6–1 eV with minimal structural perturbation versus the Ca-depleted WOC. Thus, calcium binding appears to increase the Mn-ligand covalency by increasing electron transfer from shared ligands to Mn, suggesting a direct role for Ca2+ in substrate water oxidation. Consideration of both the XAS and the EPR data, together with reactivity studies on two model complexes that evolve O2, suggest two favored structure types as feasible models for the reactive S4 state that is precursor to the O2 evolution step. These are a calcium-capped "cuboidal" core and a calcium-capped "funnel" core.
Correlates of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration: Results From a National Epidemiologic Survey

This study presents data on the association of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration and rates of psychiatric disorders, and other correlates. Data were drawn from Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States, 18 years and older, residing in households and group quarters. The sample comprised adults who reported being in a relationship within the past 12 months (N = 25,631). Of these, 1,677 individuals reported perpetrating IPV (4.2% in men, 7.0% in women). Compared to non-IPV perpetrators, IPV perpetrators had greater odds of having any psychiatric disorder, 42.0% and 67.7%, respectively, OR = 2.89, 95% CI [2.51, 3.32]. After adjusting for the effects of nuisance variables, being younger, having an alcohol use disorder, a personality disorder, low levels of social support, and low income were associated with perpetration. Across a wide range of factors, IPV victimization itself had the strongest association with perpetration, AOR = 66.12, 95% CI [55.01, 79.48]. Mental health assessments of IPV perpetrators might offer an opportunity to identify and treat psychiatric disorders and improve the clinical course of conditions that can be affected by ongoing acts of violence.
Difference and Continuity: The Voices of Dalloway

"My party to-night! Remember my party to-night! [Clarissa] cried, having to raise her voice against the roar of the open air, and, overwhelmed by the traffic and the sound of all the clocks striking, her voice . . . sounded frail and thin and very far away." This moment in Virginia Woolf's novel, when Clarissa Dalloway calls after the departing Peter Walsh to remind him of the evening's party, offers a dynamic illustration of the interaction between women and the modern city. In Mrs. Dalloway, as in other female visions of the city, women's voices must contend with the noise of urban space, an arena traditionally defined and experienced as masculine. As Claudine Herrmann has observed, "Physical or mental, man's space is a space of domination, hierarchy and conquest, a sprawling, showy space, a full space" (169). Surprisingly, Woolf's novel may at first appear to recreate just such an approach to space, as its third-person narrator often suggests the teller's vast control, an imposition of uniformity; furthermore, salient linking devices such as the motor car in Bond Street, the skywriting, and the hourly chimes can be criticized as transitions too simple and intrusive, ones that emphasize the narrator's victory over urban complexity-a mastery of both time and space (Rosenberg 212, 217). Nevertheless, even such overt methods of connection and unification point to more crucial concerns of the text: the nature of a social order and women's place(s) in relation to it; the passage of time, with implications of an irretrievable past and inevitable death; ways of reading and interpreting the city, particularly as a bastion of patriarchal institutions (Squier, Women Writers 3-10). Virginia Woolf works with the different voices of her re-created London in two seemingly antagonistic ways, both to unify and to fragment urban time and space. Just as Clarissa's personal voice must contend with the loud presence of the patriarchal city, so must the woman
Previously Reported Unrecognized MLNS

In the September 1974 issue of Pediatrics, Kawasaki et al.1 described the clinical manifestations of acute febrile mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome (MLNS), and Yanagisawa et al.2 described a patient with MLNS who died of aneurysmal dilatation and bilateral obstruction of the coronary arteries. In an editorial in the same issue, Fetterman and Hashida3 suggested that the syndrome had not been recognized in the continental United States. Such a case may have been described but not recognized as a case of MLNS.
Prescription for Teacher Satisfaction: Recognition and Responsibility

(1992). Prescription for Teacher Satisfaction: Recognition and Responsibility. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 65, No. 3, pp. 179-182.