cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 4557: Tip110-mediated regulation of NF-κB activity is key to tumorigenesis

HIV-1 Tat-interacting protein (Tip110), also known as squamous cell carcinoma antigen recognized by T cells 3 (SART3), is a multifaceted nuclear protein and has been shown to function in tumor antigenicity. Tip110 protein expression is very low in normal tissues and non-proliferating cells but becomes highly elevated in a number of malignant tumor cell lines and cancerous tissues, pointing to its possible role in tumorigenesis. Our previous studies have shown that Tip110 specifically interacted with oncogenic deubiquitinating enzyme, USP15, and that ectopic expression of the Tip110 protein led to re-distribution of USP15 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. USP15 is known to inhibit TNF-α-induced NF-κB activity by modulation of IκB-α ubiquitination. In the current study, we demonstrated that Tip110 augmented TNF-α-induced transcription activity of NF-κB, and that deletion of the nuclear localization domain in Tip110 obliterated the observed enhancement of TNF-α-induced NF-κB activity, providing the very first evidence to support the specific role of Tip110 in NF-κB activation. In addition, we found that Tip110 expression modulated IκB-α phosphorylation and that activation of NF-κB by Tip110 was mediated through the p38/MAPK pathway. Moreover, we showed that ectopic expression of Tip110 induced translocation of NF-κB p65 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, reminiscent of the aforementioned translocation of USP15, in the absence of direct interaction of Tip110 with either p65 or IκB-α. Taken together, these results indicate that opposing regulation of TNFα-induced NF-κB activity by Tip110 and USP15 could be pivotal for modulation of tumorigenesis. Further delineation of the underlying signaling cascades will likely provide new insights into development of anti-tumor agents. Citation Format: Khalid Amine Timani, Amanda Whitmill, Ying Liu, Johnny J. He. Tip110-mediated regulation of NF-κB activity is key to tumorigenesis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4557.
Image Processing and Manipulation

To make source image sets suitable for serving as tiled images, significant image processing is required. This chapter provides a discussion of the image processing techniques necessary to create a tile-based GIS. It discusses algorithms for manipulating, cutting, and scaling different types of images. Several image interpolation algorithms are given with examples and discussion of the relative benefits of each. In addition, this chapter provides guidance for choosing tile image sizes and file formats.
Demonstration of first 1050 V, 21.7 m cm2 normally-off 4H-SiC junction field-effect transistor with implanted vertical channel

The first demonstration of a normally-off 4H-SiC double-gated, vertical junction field-effect transistor (VJFET) with implanted vertical channel without using epitaxial regrowth is reported. With an 11 µm, 1×1016 cm−3 doped drift layer, over 1000 V VJFETs in the normally-off mode have been fabricated with a specific on-resistance of 21.7 mΩ cm2.
NegAIT: A new parser for medical text simplification using morphological, sentential and double negation

Abstract Many different text features influence text readability and content comprehension. Negation is commonly suggested as one such feature, but few general-purpose tools exist to discover negation and studies of the impact of negation on text readability are rare. In this paper, we introduce a new negation parser (NegAIT) for detecting morphological, sentential, and double negation. We evaluated the parser using a human annotated gold standard containing 500 Wikipedia sentences and achieved 95%, 89% and 67% precision with 100%, 80%, and 67% recall, respectively. We also investigate two applications of this new negation parser. First, we performed a corpus statistics study to demonstrate different negation usage in easy and difficult text. Negation usage was compared in six corpora: patient blogs (4 K sentences), Cochrane reviews (91 K sentences), PubMed abstracts (20 K sentences), clinical trial texts (48 K sentences), and English and Simple English Wikipedia articles for different medical topics (60 K and 6 K sentences). The most difficult text contained the least negation. However, when comparing negation types, difficult texts (i.e., Cochrane, PubMed, English Wikipedia and clinical trials) contained significantly (p
Socially Responsible Surgery: Building Recognition and Coalition.

Importance: Socially Responsible Surgery (SRS) integrates surgery and public health, providing a framework for research, advocacy, education and clinical practice to address the social barriers of health that decrease surgical access and worsen surgical outcomes in underserved patient populations. These patients face disparities in both health and in healthcare, which can be effectively addressed by surgeons in collaboration with allied health professionals. Objective: We reviewed the current state of surgical access and outcomes of underserved populations in American rural communities, American urban communities, and in low- and middle- income countries. Evidence review: We searched PubMed using standardized search terms, and reviewed the reference lists of highly relevant articles. We reviewed the reports of two recent global surgery commissions. Conclusions: There is an opportunity for scholarship in rural surgery, urban surgery and global surgery to be unified under the concept of SRS. The burden of surgical disease and the challenges to management demonstrate that achieving optimal health outcomes requires more than excellent perioperative care. Surgeons can and should regularly address the social determinants of health experienced by their patients. Formalized research and training opportunities are needed to meet the growing enthusiasm among surgeons and trainees to develop their practice as socially responsible surgeons.□
Renal cold storage followed by transplantation impairs expression of key mitochondrial fission and fusion proteins.

Background The majority of transplanted kidneys are procured from deceased donors which all require exposure to cold storage (CS) for successful transplantation. Unfortunately, this CS leads to renal and mitochondrial damage but, specific mitochondrial targets affected by CS remain largely unknown. The goal of this study is to determine whether pathways involved with mitochondrial fusion or fission, are disrupted during renal CS. Methods Male Lewis rat kidneys were exposed to cold storage (CS) alone or cold storage combined with transplantation (CS/Tx). To compare effects induced by CS, kidney transplantation without CS exposure (autotransplantation; ATx) was also used. Mitochondrial function was assessed using high resolution respirometry. Expression of mitochondrial fusion and fission proteins were monitored using Western blot analysis. Results CS alone (no Tx) reduced respiratory complex I and II activities along with reduced expression of the primary mitochondrial fission protein, dynamin related protein (DRP1), induced loss of the long form of Optic Atrophy Protein (OPA1), and altered the mitochondrial protease, OMA1, which regulates OPA1 processing. CS followed by Tx (CS/Tx) reduced complex I, II, and III activities, and induced a profound loss of the long and short forms of OPA1, mitofusin 1 (MFN1), and mitofusin 2 (MFN2) which all control mitochondrial fusion. In addition, expression of DRP1, along with its primary receptor protein, mitochondrial fission factor (MFF), were also reduced after CS/Tx. Interestingly, CS/Tx lead to aberrant higher molecular weight OMA1 aggregate expression. Conclusions Our results suggest that CS appears to involve activation of the OMA1, which could be a key player in proteolysis of the fusion and fission protein machinery following transplantation. These findings raise the possibility that impaired mitochondrial fission and fusion may be unrecognized contributors to CS induced mitochondrial injury and compromised renal graft function after transplantation.
Exact algorithms for the minimum s-club partitioning problem

Graph clustering (partitioning) is a helpful tool in understanding complex systems and analyzing their structure and internal properties. One approach for graph clustering is based on partitioning the graph into cliques. However, clique models are too restrictive and prone to errors given imperfect data. Thus, using clique relaxations instead may provide a more reasonable and applicable partitioning of the graph. An s-club is a distance-based relaxation of a clique and is formally defined as a subset of vertices inducing a subgraph with a diameter of at most s. In this work, we study the minimum s-club partitioning problem, which is to partition the graph into a minimum number of non-overlapping s-club clusters. Integer programming techniques and combinatorial branch-and-bound framework are employed to develop exact algorithms to solve this problem. We also study and compare the computational performance of the proposed algorithms for the special cases of $$s=2$$ and $$s=3$$ on a test-bed of randomly generated instances and real-life graphs.
Learning Is Not Enough: Earning Institutional Trustworthiness Through Knowledge Translation

Precision medicine offers the promise to dramatically improve both individual and population health. The shift from local, disease-specific studies to large-scale, population-based databases holds ...
Integrated Nano-Bio-VLSI Approach for Designing Error-Free Biosensors

The field of nano-biosensors and nano-bioelectronics presents many opportunities as well as challenges. One of the challenges in nano-biosensors is its susceptibility to device and biomolecular artifacts which severely degrades its reliability. In this regard, a bio-silicon integration offers a unique opportunity for designing ultra-reliable biosensors where high degree of sensitivity and specificity offered by biomolecules (antibodies, aptamers, or enzymes) could be exploited in conjunction with high computational reliability offered by silicon circuits. At the core of this integration is a forward error correction (FEC) technique which exploits synthetic redundancy at the biomolecular level to correct for random and systematic errors. In this chapter, we first present the fundamentals behind FEC biosensors followed by an integrated nano-bio-VLSI design flow which is used for designing FEC biosensors. Each of the key concepts of this design flow is illustrated for a model immunoassay which uses antibodies labeled with conductive polyaniline nanowires for biomolecular encoding.
The use of specific cDNA probes to assay Sertoli cell functions.

Spermatogenesis is the complex process whereby relatively undifferentiated germinal cells undergo biochemical and morphological modifications to form spermatozoa. Sertoli cells are the somatic epithelial components of the seminiferous tubules which play fundamental and mandatory roles in this process (for review, see Fawcett, 1975). The close physical association of Sertoli cells with each germinal cell and the organization of this association into a cyclic pattern have been described in detail (Clermont and Perey 1957; Clermont, 1972). The characterization of Sertoli cells as the “nurse” cells of the testis was based originally on the morphological cellular relationships within the testis. This concept of Sertoli cells functioning in a “support” or “regulatory” role has been confirmed by both biochemical and endocrine studies. Current evidence suggests that the Sertoli cells are the testicular target cells for the action of testosterone and FSH, which are the hormones most directly involved in the regulation of spermatogenesis (for review, see Fritz, 1978). Therefore, it is possible to envision a scenario whereby the regulation of spermatogenesis is a result of the biochemical properties of Sertoli cells.
Community-Based Organizations

Every facet of planning and executing a social project is a collective effort, at least from a community-based perspective. After all, participation does not refer to a collection of isolates. Consequently, issues related to the life inside of organizations must be rethought in view of this principle. The crucial question thus becomes: What is a community-based organization? In general, and consistent with this philosophy, community-based organizations are predicated on participation and enable communities to deal with their problems. True enough! But these organizations have unique characteristics.
Basic Functions of Management

We have seen that the concepts of Taylor and Fayol have been very well understood by the Western world. On the other hand we came to the conclusion that the nations not being linked by the way of international scientific cooperation and thus living an isolated life of their own, have reached different stages of developing the science of scientific management. We had to state that the United States had to take over the lead being faced with a rapid growth of industrialization. In the same way Great Britain followed the trend but it could not reach the level of progress attained by the U.S.A. In the past years, however, it seems that the British are coping with the problem in a more efficient way. The reason may be the fact on one side that the country recovered from the war and its aftereffects, on the other the changing attitude may be the result of the activity of the Anglo-American Council on Productivity, discussed in Part IV of this book.
Redox Modification of the Cytoskeleton During Cell Adhesion and Migration

Actin cytoskeleton assembly and organization are modulated by reactive oxygen species and the cellular redox environment. Focal adhesions link the cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix and play an important role in growth and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells. We have previously shown that NADPH oxidase Nox4, a H2O2-producing enzyme, and its binding partner, polymerase delta interacting protein 2 (Poldip2), regulate turnover of focal adhesions. Downstream targets of Nox4 include Hic-5 and Hsp27, as well as the small GTPase, Rho A. Activation of Smad signaling by TGFp, which is known to strengthen focal adhesions, is Nox4-dependent, as is upregulation of Hsp27 and Hic-5 by TGFp. Similarly, overexpression of Poldip2 activates RhoA to prevent focal adhesion dissolution, while dominant-negative RhoA reverses the effects of Nox4/Poldip2 on focal adhesions. More recently, we discovered that H2O2 levels increase during integrin-mediated cell attachment due to activation of NOX4. Attachment induces F-actin oxidation by sulfenylation, and depletion of Poldip2 or NOX4 using siRNA, or scavenging of endogenous H2O2 with catalase, inhibits adhesion-induced F-actin oxidation. Of importance, the binding of F-actin to vinculin, a protein present in focal adhesion complexes that regulates focal adhesion maturation, is inhibited after transfection of an oxidation-resistant actin mutant. Silencing of Poldip2 or NOX4 also impairs actin-vinculin interaction. Taken together, our work has identified a major role for Poldip2/Nox4 in cytoskeletal organization, focal adhesion turnover and smooth muscle cell migration.
Evaluation of postoperative clinical outcomes in Jehovah's Witness patients who receive prothrombin complex concentrate during cardiac surgery.

Background Patients who refuse allogeneic blood transfusions (alloBT) on the basis of religious doctrine, such as Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs), can pose a challenge when undergoing surgical procedures. During cardiac surgery, special considerations regarding surgical techniques and blood loss minimization strategies can lead to improved outcomes. Limited literature exists to guide the use of four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4PCC) in this patient population undergoing cardiac surgery. Study design and methods This retrospective, single-center study evaluated the impact of 4PCC on hemoglobin (Hgb) change from baseline to postoperative nadir within a 7-day period among patients who refused alloBT during cardiac surgery. This study identified patients who refused alloBT from January 2011 to June 2017. Multivariable linear regression was used to control for confounding variables to evaluate the effectiveness of 4PCC. Results During the study timeframe, 79 patients met inclusion criteria, all of whom identified as JWs, and underwent cardiac surgery. Of these, 19 received intraoperative 4PCC. Multivariable linear regression found no difference in Hgb change in patients who received 4PCC vs those who did not. No significant differences were found in mortality, thromboembolic complications, or in-hospital postoperative events. Conclusions In JWs undergoing cardiac surgery who refuse alloBT, intraoperative use of 4PCC was not associated with a difference in Hgb change within 7 days postoperatively when adjusting for confounding variables. In the event of excessive blood loss, the utilization of 4PCC may provide a viable option in JW patients who undergo cardiac surgery where few options exist to mitigate blood loss.
Characterization and Processing of PMMA/SiO 2 Nanocomposite Films and Their Applications

In this work, PMMA/SiO2 nanocomposites films were prepared by solution spinning technique. The aerosil silica weight percentage was varied to investigate the influence of nanoparticles on the polymer nanocomposites. The results showed overall improvement of the properties with the addition of the nanoparticle aerosil silica. The polymer nanocomposite of PMMA/SiO2, were synthesized in two different methods one starting with polymerization of monomer in the presence of silica using a catalyst and another one is to blending a commercial polymer with silica. The percentages of aerosol silica varied between 0 and 5 wt%. This nanocomposite was first manufactured as a thin film along with the commercially obtained PMMA (Lucite). The thermal characterizations revealed that the PMMA/SiO2 with 5 wt% exhibited the highest thermal stability and improvement over the neat PMMA and the Lucite. The tensile analysis also showed that the PMMA with 5 wt% had the best mechanical performance with ductile behavior however, the Lucite exhibited elastic behavior. The difference in mechanical behavior was a result of the commercial PMMA and the lab synthesized PMMA having different molecular weights. This work also shows that the addition of the SiO2 nanoparticle enhances the properties of the nanocomposites, allowing improved performance of the applications so that they may be used more efficiently in their applications such as automotive, protective coatings and biomedical applications.
What Psychology Students Want From Service-Learning

Background:Limited research has examined how service-learning (SL) outcomes align with learning goals proposed for the undergraduate psychology major by the APA Board of Educational Affairs Task Fo...
Abstract 846: Associations of dietary and lifestyle oxidative balance scores with all-cancer, all-CVD, and all-cause mortality risk among older women: The Iowa Women's Health Study

Background: Substantial basic science evidence suggests that oxidative stress may play a role in aging-related health outcomes, including cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and oxidative stress markers were linked with all-cancer, all-CVD, and all-cause mortality in epidemiologic studies. However, the associations of many individual dietary and lifestyle anti-/pro-oxidant exposures with mortality are inconsistent. Oxidative balance scores (OBS) that incorporated multiple dietary and lifestyle factors were previously developed and reported to reflect the collective oxidative effects of multiple exposures. Methods: We investigated associations of 11-component dietary and 4-component (physical activity, adiposity, alcohol, and smoking) lifestyle OBS (higher scores were considered more anti-oxidative) with all-cancer, all-CVD, and all-cause mortality among women 55 - 69 years of age at baseline in the prospective Iowa Women9s Health Study (1986 - 2012). We assessed OBS-mortality associations using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: Of the 34,137 cancer-free women included in the analytic cohort, 18,058 died (4,521 from cancer, and 6,825 from CVD) during a mean/median 22.0/26.1 person-years of follow up. Among participants in the highest relative to the lowest lifestyle OBS quintiles, the adjusted hazards ratios and their 95% confidence intervals for all-cancer, all-CVD, and all-cause mortality were 0.47 (0.43, 0.52), 0.54 (0.54, 0.58), and 0.50 (0.48, 0.53) (all Ptrend Conclusion: Our findings, combined with results from previous studies, suggest that a predominance of antioxidant over pro-oxidant lifestyle exposures may be associated with lower all-cancer, all-CVD, and all-cause mortality risk. Citation Format: Ziling Mao, Anna E. Prizment, DeAnn Lazovich, Boberd M. Bostick. Associations of dietary and lifestyle oxidative balance scores with all-cancer, all-CVD, and all-cause mortality risk among older women: The Iowa Women9s Health Study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 846.
View Point: Disease Modification and Cell Secretome Based Approaches in Parkinson’s Disease: Are We on the Right Track?

The term idiopathic Parkinson's disease describes an entity of various not well-characterized disorders resembling each other. They are characterized by chronic neuronal dying originating from various disease mechanisms. They result in the onset of motor and related non-motor features, both of which respond to administration of personalized drug combinations and surgical therapies. The unmet need is beneficial disease course modification with repair and neurogenesis. Objectives are to discuss the value of cell secretome based treatments including neuronal graft transplantation and to suggest as an alternative the stimulation of an endogenous available approach for neuronal repair. Chronic neurodegenerative processes result from different heterogeneous, but complementing metabolic, pathological cascade sequences. Accumulated evidence from experimental research suggested neuron transplantation, stem cell application and cell secretome-based therapies as a promising future treatment with cure as an ultimate goal. To date, clinical testing of disease-modifying treatments has focused on substitution or repair of the remaining dopamine synthesizing neurons following diagnosis. At diagnosis, many of the still surviving and functioning, but already affected neurons have lost most of their axons and are primed for cell death. A more promising therapeutic concept may be the stimulation of an existing, endogenous repair system in the peripheral and central nervous systems. The abundant protein repulsive guidance molecule A blocks restoration and neurogenesis, both of which are mediated via the neogenin receptor. Inhibition of the physiological effects of repulsive guidance molecule A is an endogenous available repair pathway in chronic neurodegeneration. Antagonism of this protein with antibodies or stimulation of the neogenin receptor should be considered as an initial repair step. It is an alternative to cell replacement, stem cell or associated cell secretome concepts.
Inverting Sea Bed Acoustic Parameters from Reverberation Data

The extraction of sea bed acoustic parameters from measured reverberation is a non linear inverse problem. We present a robust solution to this problem utilizing monostatic sonar geometries to characterize unknown bottoms. Two methods of solution are reported in this paper. The first exploits a priori knowledge about local propagation conditions to obtain special case solutions using algorithms developed for their suitability in real time applications. The second method employs a general non-linear least squares solution with only a small compromise in computational efficiency.
Lung ultrasound in seven children in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit- comparison among chest X ray, chest CT and lung ultrasound.

Background Respiratory failure is one of the most common and critical problems in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). The accurate precise assessment of respiratory failure and precise diagnoses of lung diseases are key issues in PICUs. Assessments by chest X rays (CXR) are common and prevalent for determining the reasons for respiratory failure in children. However, CXRs can be misread. Some patients may require chest Computed Tomography (CCT). CCT is essential for finding the abnormal region. However, in the PICU, the number of children who need CCT is small, and the risk of transporting unstable patients and the possibilities of malignancies are problematic. Lung ultrasound (LUS) has proven useful for detecting lung abnormalities in adults, but its usefulness is not clear in children.
Measuring Brain Activity in Fourth Grade Students Through Biopac Science Lab

Recently the American Physiology Society (APS) has been working to increase learning and making science fun for elementary school students. Physiology Understanding Week (PhUn) is the APS initiative to use interactive experiments to engage school-age children with science and physiology. In this project we used a Biopac MP40 system to measure brain activity of fourth grade students at Dixie Bee Elementary School. The activity was divided in 5 different sessions, one per room, in two different days, reaching 116 elementary school students. Each room was divided in small 4-student groups with the following general activity set-up: 1) brief presentation about brain physiology using a brain model, 2) measuring brain activity during 3 different conditions, 3) analyzing collected data, and 4) discussing obtained results. Three electrodes were placed behind the student's ear, 2 students per group. Brain activity was collected during 4 different activities: 1) resting with eyes closed, 2) doing a math problem, 3)...
Software Engineering for Health Care and Biomedicine

Computer applications that collect, organize, interpret, and/or deliver biomedical data and information have been a critical component of biomedical informatics from the beginning of the field. Software applications are often the mechanism whereby advances in the field become activated. As the variety, complexity and breadth of the software tools have changed, considerations about the process and scope of software development has also evolved. Prominent among this evolution has been the development of electronic health records. With the movement of EHRs to predominantly purchased solutions, software engineering has adapted to new approaches that are supporting continued customized software development.
The Development of General Trading Companies For Export Promotion in Developing Countries: The Cases of Korea and Taiwan

This paper examines and compares the development and performance of general trading companies (GTCs) in Korea and Taiwan, and considers implications for other developing countries. General trading companies are the major force in Korean export drive while GTCs are not a significant element in promoting exports from Taiwan.
Z-machines conference proceeding: Future continuum surveys

A significant population of distant sub-millimeter-selected galaxies (SMGs) with powerful dust continuum emission that matches the luminosity of the brightest QSOs and exceeds that of most extreme local galaxies detected by IRAS, has been known for almost a decade. The full range of powerful ground- and space-based facilities have been used to investigate them, and a good deal of information about their properties has been gathered. This meeting addresses some of the key questions for better understanding their properties. While continuum detection is relatively efficient, a spectrum is always required both to determine a distance/luminosity, and to probe astrophysics: excitation conditions, the total mass, the mass distribution and degree of dynamical relaxation. Once a redshift is known, then the associated stellar mass can be found, and more specialized spectrographs can be used to search for specific line diagnostics. The first generation of submm surveys, have yielded a combined sample of several hundred SMGs. Here we discuss the size and follow-up of future SMG samples that will be compiled in much larger numbers by JCMT-SCUBA2, Herschel, Planck, LMT, ALMA, and a future large-aperture (25-m-class) submm/far-IR wide-field ground-based telescope CCAT, planned to operate at a Chilean site even better than ALMA's. The issues concerning placing SMGs in the context of their environments and other populations of high-redshift galaxies are discussed.
The Devil and the Sacred in English Drama, 1350-1642

List of illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Stage devils and oppositional thinking 2. The devil and the sacred in the English mystery plays 3. Stage devils and sacramental community in non-cycle plays 4. Stage devils and early social satire 5. Protestant devils and the new community 6. The devils of Dr Faustus 7. Reacting to Marlowe 8. The devil and the sacred on the Shakespearean stage: theatre and belief 9. Traditional morality and magical thinking 10. New directions Appendix: devil plays in English, 1350-1642 Notes Index.
Optical Instrumentation for Bioprocess Monitoring

In this chapter the optical sensors for oxygen, pH, carbondioxide and optical density (OD) which are essential for bioprocess monitoring are introduced, their measurement principles are explained and their realization and applications are shown. In addition sensors for ethanol and GFP are presented. With the exception of the optical density sensor all others employ certain fluorophores that are sensitive to the designated parameter. These fluorophores along with their optical properties, the sensing mechanisms and their mathematical formulations are described. An important part of this chapter covers the development of the optoelectronic hardware for low cost systems that are able to measure the fluorescence lifetime and fluorescence intensity ratio. The employment of these probes in the bioprocess monitoring is demonstrated in different fermentation examples.
A standardized soil quality index for diverse field conditions.

Abstract Understanding the nexus between soil quality and productivity is constrained by data artifacts, compounded by limitations of the existing models. Here, we explore the potential of 4 regression methods (i.e., Reduced Regression (RR), SIMPLS, Principal Component Regression (PCR), and Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR)), to synthesize 10 soil physical and chemical properties acquired from 3 major management practices and different soil layers, into an unbiased soil quality index (SQI) capable of evaluating soil functions (e.g., biomass production). The data was acquired from privately owned fields within the state of Ohio, USA, at the following land use and management sites: natural vegetation (NV) or woodlands, conventional till (CT), and no-till (NT). The soils were sampled at similar landscape positions (i.e., summit) at depth intervals of 0–10, 10–20, 20–40 and 40–60 cm, and analyzed for bulk density (ρ b ), carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio, soil organic C (SOC), total N (TN), available water capacity (AWC), pH and electrical conductivity (EC). Preliminary analyses revealed the PLSR method as the most robust. The PLSR Variable Importance of Projection (VIP) was calculated, transformed into the SQI score and compared with yield data. SOC, ρ b, C/N and EC were identified as the major variables influencing soil quality status. The data shows that the quality of Pewamo silty clay loam (P w ) soil was higher than Crosby Celina loams (CtA), Kibbie fine sandy loam (kbA), Glynwood silt loam (GWA) and Crosby silt loam (CrA), respectively. In 2012, the mean SQI was 42.9%, with corn and soybean yields of 7 and 2 Mg/ha. The R 2 of SQI versus yield was 0.74 for corn ( Zea mays L .), and 0.89 for soybean ( Glycine max ( L. ) Merr. ). Future studies will investigate techniques for mapping this SQI.
A Prospective Evaluation of Benzodiazepine Guidelines in the Management of Patients Hospitalized for Alcohol Withdrawal

Our institution adopted guidelines for the selection of benzodiazepines to be administered to patients hospitalized for alcohol withdrawal. We assessed the guidelines' impact on prescribing habits, benzodiazepine dosage requirements and costs, and length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay. A 6-month prospective, observational study was performed in 50 patients who exhibited signs of alcohol withdrawal and received benzodiazepine therapy. Appropriate therapy was defined as lorazepam for patients 60 years and older or those with hepatic dysfunction, and chlordiazepoxide for all other patients. Benzodiazepine costs were calculated based on acquisition cost. Based on our guidelines, 76% of patients were appropriate candidates for a long-acting agent such as chlordiazepoxide; 61% of these candidates actually received such a drug. Using a benzodiazepine conversion to compare doses in chlordiazepoxide equivalents, there was a significant difference in the total mean dose of chlordiazepoxide (1295.5 mg, SD ± 1571) compared with lorazepam (365.5 mg; SD ± 446) (p<0.01). The mean total chlordiazepoxide acquisition cost was $61.74 (range $0.03–585.98) per patient (28 patients); prior to adoption of the guidelines, the mean cost of benzodiazepine therapy was $1008.72 (± $1554.45). For patients receiving chlordiazepoxide, the mean days of ICU and hospital stay were 1.1 days (range 0–9 days) and 5.6 days (range 1–17 days), respectively; before adoption of the guidelines, the mean number of days of ICU stay was significantly greater (4.1 days, p<0.0001). The guidelines resulted in a substantial change in benzodiazepine prescribing patterns. For the management of patients hospitalized for alcohol withdrawal, chlordiazepoxide can be given safely in higher dosages than previously described, is associated with minimal acquisition costs, and in select patients may facilitate non-ICU management compared with alternative therapies, and thus result in significant cost savings for the provider institution and third-party payers.
The Nature and Nurture of Talent: A Bioecological Perspective on the Ontogeny of Exceptional Abilities:

Despite extensive research, questions underlying the nature and nurture of talent remain both numerous and diverse. In the current paper, we present an account that addresses 2 of the primary questions inspired by this debate: (a) the very existence of innate talents and (b) how exceptional abilities are developed. The development of exceptional performance is addressed through a synthesis of recent models that invoke multiplier effects to explain how differences in initial conditions (e.g., different levels of innate abilities), coupled with gene-environment interactions, determine ranges of phenotypic outcomes.
Gaga feminism: Sex, gender, and the end of normal

The name Lady Gaga conjures up images of meat dresses, spike heels, and little monsters, but in J. Jack Halberstam's newest book, Gaga Feminism: Sex, Gender, and the End of Normal, Halberstam argue...
Developmental mercury exposure elicits acute hippocampal cell death, reductions in neurogenesis, and severe learning deficits during puberty

Normal brain development requires coordinated regulation of several processes including proliferation, differentiation, and cell death. Multiple factors from endogenous and exogenous sources interact to elicit positive as well as negative regulation of these processes. In particular, the perinatal rat brain is highly vulnerable to specific developmental insults that produce later cognitive abnormalities. We used this model to examine the developmental effects of an exogenous factor of great concern, methylmercury (MeHg). Seven-day-old rats received a single injection of MeHg (5 μg/gbw). MeHg inhibited DNA synthesis by 44% and reduced levels of cyclins D1, D3, and E at 24 h in the hippocampus, but not the cerebellum. Toxicity was associated acutely with caspase-dependent programmed cell death. MeHg exposure led to reductions in hippocampal size (21%) and cell numbers 2 weeks later, especially in the granule cell layer (16%) and hilus (50%) of the dentate gyrus defined stereologically, suggesting that neurons might be particularly vulnerable. Consistent with this, perinatal exposure led to profound deficits in juvenile hippocampal-dependent learning during training on a spatial navigation task. In aggregate, these studies indicate that exposure to one dose of MeHg during the perinatal period acutely induces apoptotic cell death, which results in later deficits in hippocampal structure and function.
A new representation of magnetic sources in field theory and its relation to Pauli and Fermi couplings

Abstract We show that the standard quantum electrodynamics with an additional Pauli anomalous magnetic moment coupling and a Fermi coupling is equivalent to a field theory with both electric and magnetic monopole sources.
Physician Surveys to Assess Customary Care in Medical Malpractice Cases

OBJECTIVE: Physician experts hired and prepared by the litigants provide most information on standard of care for medical malpractice cases. Since this information may not be objective or accurate, we examined the feasibility and potential value of surveying community physicians to assess standard of care.
THE SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TESTS (S.A.T.'s): A LOGICAL ANALYSIS. DO THE S.A.T.'s PREDICT; DO THEY DISCRIMINATE; ARE THEY IQ TESTS

The true measure of the ability of Scholastic Aptitude Tests, high‐school grades, and other variables (and combinations of variables) to predict college performance would be this: a college would select its students at random, ail selected students would attend the college, and the correlations of the variables with performance at the college would be determined.
The infant who is visually unresponsive on a cortical basis

Abstract Objective To further explain cortical abnormalities in infants without visually guided behaviors with anatomically normal eyes by using a battery of objective visual tests and neuroimaging studies. Design A cohort study. Participants Thirty-one infants with clear ocular media and normal fundi, who were visually unresponsive by clinical examination, and 31 control subjects. Methods Full clinical examinations including Teller Acuity Cards (TAC) and developmental assessment. Infants with reduced acuities and/or developmental delay underwent pattern visual evoked potential (VEP) testing and brain neuroimaging studies. Eye movement recordings were done in individual infants. Main outcome measures Visual acuity, VEPs, eye movement recordings. Results Infants were separated into two groups on the basis of being developmentally normal (DN) or developmentally delayed (DD). Fourteen DN infants had normal acuities for age and three of three infants had normal VEPs. On the basis of having normal visual function, these infants were considered to have visual inattention (VI). Sixteen DD infants had acuities ranging from normal to no visual orienting to the low vision TAC. All 16 DD infants had abnormal VEPs and abnormal neuroimaging studies (brain computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or both) or microcephaly. On the basis of having structural and functional abnormalities of the brain, these infants were diagnosed as having cortical visual impairment (CVI). One additional infant with DD failed to orient to TACs but had a normal VEP and normal magnetic resonance imaging. In this infant and two infants with CVI the inability to "fix and follow" was attributed completely or partially to an oculomotor apraxia (OMA), which was confirmed by eye movement recordings. Conclusions The infant who is visually unresponsive on a cortical basis has either VI or CVI. Infants with OMA can also seem to be visually unresponsive. These disorders can be delineated in infancy on the basis of developmental status and a unique set of responses to visual acuity, VEPs, and oculomotor testing.
Biomolecular Sensing Using Near-Null Single Wavelength Arrayed Imaging Reflectometry

We use reflectivity changes at an interface functionalized with molecular probes to detect label-free biomolecular binding. Attachment of the target molecules to the surface alters the effective thickness of an antireflective coating formed by thermal oxidation of a silicon wafer to remove destructive interference of the reflected waves. The thermal oxide thickness is adjusted for precise interference using electrostatic layer-by-layer self-assembly of polyelectrolytes to which the molecular probes can be bound covalently. Reflectivity increases of over a factor of 100 are observed for binding of 2.5 nm of streptavidin to biotinylated polyelectrolytes, considerably more sensitive than surface plasmon resonance detection. Theoretical modeling is in agreement with the experimentally observed reflectivity increases and suggests the sensitivity is at present limited by the roughness of the oxide.
The Nonoperative Management of Penetrating Abdominal Trauma

The management of penetrating injuries to the abdomen has evolved back to a selective nonoperative approach. Using clinical examination for screening, evaluable patients without hemodynamic instability or peritonitis can safely undergo a trial of nonoperative management. For stab wounds, this involves serial clinical examination with delayed laparoscopic evaluation of the diaphragm for left thoracoabdominal injuries and CT scanning for suspected solid-organ injuries. The same contraindications to nonoperative management apply to gunshot injuries. Gunshot injuries undergoing nonoperative management require detailed trajectory imaging with CT. The presence of peritoneal violation without definite organ injury requires serial clinical examination. Isolated solid-organ injury is not an absolute contraindication to nonoperative management and may benefit from advanced endovascular and percutaneous interventions to facilitate management. Selective nonoperative management of both stab wounds and gunshot injuries is safe and has been shown to decrease the rate of unnecessary laparotomy, length of hospital stay, and management costs.
Probation Violations and Juvenile Justice Decision Making Implications for Blacks and Hispanics

Prior research has cited that probation violations and in particular technical violations are increasing as a justification for increased social control within juvenile justice proceedings. This is...
The Dimensions of Obligatory Exercise

Abstract The Obligatory Exercise Questionnaire (OEQ) is one of several instruments used to measure excessive exercise activity, especially as it relates to eating disorders. This measure was subjected to factor analyses to determine its possible multidimensionality. Two hundred fifty high school students (133 females) completed the OEQ and the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI). Three useful factors emerged from the OEQ: Emotional Element of Exercise; Exercise Frequency and Intensity; and Exercise Preoccupation. Subscales derived from these factors all had higher correlations with the EDI and its subscales than did the total OEQ. These results highlight the complexity of the eating disorder-exercise connection.
Radar: From Hertz to the 21st century

Summary form only given. A review is presented of the major radar applications and the technologies that led to these applications. The significance of radar for civil air-traffic control and military air defense is emphasized. Also discussed is the direction indicated for high-power radar transmitters, large antennas, waveform design, signal processing, data processing, and sensor integration. Mention is made of the basic information available from the radar echo signal and its utility for remote sensing and target recognition, the potential for wide-area surveillance from space, and the capabilities and applications of radar operating outside the usual microwave frequency band. >
What holds in a context

In order to establish that ℒ[A] = ℒ[B] follows from a set of assumptions Γ often one provesA =B and then invokes the principle of substitution of equals for equals. It has been observed that in the ancillary proof ofA =B one is allowed to use, in addition to those assumptions of Γ which are free for ℒ, certain (open) sentencesP which may not be part of Γ and may not follow from Γ, but are related to the context ℒ. We show that in an appropriate formal system there is a closed form solution to the problem of determining precisely what sentencesP can be used. We say that those sentenceshold in the context ℒ under the set of assumptions Γ. We suggest how the solution could be exploited in an interactive theorem prover.
The incorporated aortomitral homograft: A new surgical option for double valve endocarditis

From the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio. Disclosures: J.L.N. serves as a consultant to Cryolife Inc, Kennesaw, Ga. Received for publication May 1, 2009; accepted for publication May 17, 2009; available ahead of print July 13, 2009. Address for reprints: Jose L. Navia MD, FACC, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44195. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2010;139:1077-81 0022-5223/$36.00 Copyright 2010 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery doi:10.1016/j.jtcvs.2009.05.017
Functional expansions for the response of nonlinear differential systems

This paper is concerned with representing the response of nonlinear differential systems by functional expansions. An abstract theory of variational expansions, similar to that of L. M. Graves (1927), is developed. It leads directly to concrete expressions (multilinear integral operators) for the functionals of the expansions and sets conditions on the differential systems which insure that the expansions give reasonable approximations of the response. Similarly, it is shown that the theory of analytic functions in Banach spaces leads directly to conditions which imply uniform convergence of functional series. The main results on differential systems are summarized in a set of theorems, some of which overlap and extend the recent results of Brockett on Volterra series representations for the response of linear analytic differential systems. Other theorems apply to more general nonlinear differential systems. They provide a rigorous foundation for a large body of previous research on Volterra series expansions. The multilinear integral operators are obtained from systems of differential equations which characterize exactly the variations. These equations are of much lower order than those obtained by the technique of Carleman. A nonlinear feedback system serves as an example of an application of the theory.
Inhibition of doxorubicin-induced membrane damage by thiol compounds: Toxicologic implications of a glutathione-dependent microsomal factor

The hypothesis was tested that glutathione exerts its protective actions against doxorubicin-induced oxidative stress through an enzyme-dependent mechanism. Glutathione at biological concentrations decreased doxorubicin-dependent rat hepatic microsomal lipid peroxidation, whereas N-acetylcysteine had no effect. Glutathione was utilized during this inhibition at a rate dependent on the concentration of both doxorubicin and the sulfhydryl. Increasing glutathione concentrations resulted in significant increases in utilization. N-acetylcysteine was also oxidized in the microsomal system; however, the rate of oxidation was not enhanced by doxorubicin. If bovine cardiac microsomes were substituted for the hepatic microsomes, no lipid peroxidation was detected in the presence of doxorubicin, yet significant utilization of glutathione was detected. Microsomes isolated from tocopherol-deficient rats utilized less glutathione in the presence of doxorubicin, and there was no inhibition of doxorubicin-dependent lipid peroxidation. These findings support the conclusion that glutathione inhibits hepatic microsomal lipid peroxidation initiated by the redox-cycling of doxorubicin. Inhibition of doxorubicin-dependent lipid peroxidation appears to be enzyme-mediated and to require tocopherol. A similar mechanism for protection against doxorubicin appears to be present in heart microsomal membranes.