cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abnormal Shell Shapes in Northern Map Turtles of the Juniata River, Pennsylvania, USA

Abstract Northern Map Turtles, Graptemys geographica, are a long-lived riverine species of conservation concern. We examined carapace morphology of Northern Map Turtles at Mount Union, a major turtle nesting area and former industrial site along the Juniata River in central Pennsylvania, USA. Among 535 reproductive adult female G. geographica, 29% exhibited abnormal shell shape, often in the form of an indentation in one or both sides of the carapace. Older females had a higher incidence of abnormalities than younger females. We quantified variation in shell shape, compared morphology among life history stages, and assessed thermal incubation environments of embryos to determine the magnitude and potential source of shell shape abnormalities. Geometric morphometric analysis showed significant differences among several carapace shape categories of adult turtles. No shell shape abnormalities were observed among 703 hatchlings collected from nests, and no shell shape abnormalities were observed among seven o...
Patient-Centered Medical Home Care for Adolescents in Need of Mental Health Treatment.

Abstract Purpose The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) has emerged as an optimal primary care model for all youth; however, little is known about the extent to which adolescents in need of mental health (MH) treatment receive care consistent with the PCMH. This study assessed (1) 10-year trends in PCMH care among U.S. adolescents according to MH need and (2) variations in PCMH care and its subcomponents among adolescents with MH need, by individual and family characteristics. Methods This was a secondary analysis of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data (2004–2013). The sample included adolescents aged 12–17 years with ≥1 office-based visits in the past year (N = 18,717). Questions assessing a usual source of care and care that is accessible, comprehensive, family-centered, and compassionate were used to define PCMH care. For adolescents with MH needs, multivariable logistic regression was used to describe the association between PCMH care and sample characteristics. Results Fifty percent of adolescents experienced PCMH care, with little change between 2004 and 2013. Adolescents with MH need (N = 3,794) had significantly lower odds of experiencing PCMH care compared with those without MH need (odds ratio, .78; 95% confidence interval, .69–.87). Among adolescents with MH needs, being uninsured and living with a parent who did not graduate high school were negatively associated with PCMH care, whereas parental usual source of care was positively associated (odds ratio, 1.69; 95% confidence interval, 1.28–2.22). Conclusions Increasing care accessibility, integrating MH services into primary care settings, and targeting socioeconomically disadvantaged subgroups could improve rates of PCMH care among adolescents with MH needs.
Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference: With a New Introduction

This book is a history, an indictment, a lament, and an appeal, focusing on the messianic trend in Lubavitch hasidism. It records the shattering of one of Judaism's core beliefs and the remarkable equanimity with which the standard-bearers of Orthodoxy have allowed it to happen. This is a development of striking importance for the history of religions, and it is an earthquake inthe history of Judaism. David Berger describes the unfolding of this historic phenomenon and proposes a strategy to contain it.
NDE data fusion using phenomenological approaches

Data fusion techniques are beginning to attract considerable attention. In the NDE context, such techniques can be used to combine information from two or more NDE test methods to improve the probability of detection and enhance characterization results. An example of such an application involves the fusion of eddy current and ultrasonic NDE data. The eddy current phenomena relies on the diffusion process to propagate energy. Ultrasonic phenomena, in contrast, rely on wave propagation. The manner in which the energy interacts with the material under test is fundamentally different. It can therefore be argued that each test method provides a different perspective and consequently approaches that allow data from the two test methodologies to be fused have the potential for offering an improved understanding of the condition of the material. This dissertation presents an incremental step towards the development of a very novel phenomenological approach to data fusion. The method involves mapping of the wave field to a diffusion field using Q-transforms. The transformed and diffusion fields are then combined to synthesize the fused image. A systematic study of the issues involved in fusion and the registration of the data was conducted. The study was accomplished by developing and using a two-dimensional analytical model that includes both the diffusion and wave propagation contributions. The ultrasonic tests were simulated using an existing finite element model. The dissertation presents results obtained by transforming the ultrasonic data into the diffusion domain. The effect of Q-transform properties, especially its time shift property, on data registration is analyzed. A modified version of the Q-transform is also ix presented to overcome the problems associated with large differences in the values of the underlying partial differential equation coefRcients. Theoretical results obtained using the approach together with a discussion on additional work that needs to be undertaken are presented.
A System for Image Registration in Digital Subtraction Angiography

In the diagnosis of coronary atherosclerosis radio-opaque dye is injected into the interior of the coronary arteries to make them visible in X-ray images. Because of the confusing presence of overlying or underlying soft tissue and bone and because of the small size of the coronary arteries, large dye concentrations are required to render the arteries sufficiently visible for diagnosis. Because of its increased contrast sensitivity, digital subtraction angiography (DSA) has the potential for providing diagnostic images of the coronary arteries with significantly reduced dye concentrations (Levin, 1984; Tobis et al., 1983; Riederer and Kruger, 1983). In DSA a series of images is acquired during the time period which begins before the injection of dye and continues until the arteries are opacified. These images are then combined into a final processed image in which the change in opacity of the arteries leads to enhanced arterial contrast. A particularly useful and commonly applied DSA technique, “temporal subtraction”, involves the subtraction of a “mask” image, acquired before opacification, from a “contrast” image, acquired after opacification. Ideally, temporal subtraction produces an image in which nothing appears except those arteries in which the amount of dye present has changed, but its usefulness in practice is limited by the image degradation caused by patient motion during image acquisition. The rigid motion of bones and the elastic motion of soft tissue in the field of view cause changes in X-ray opacity which are unrelated to the influx of contrast material. When the two images are subtracted these changes appear as ghost-like artifacts which obscure the arteries to be examined.
Audit committee director-auditor interlocking, audit pricing and industry specialisation

This study examines the relation between audit committee director-auditor interlocking and audit fees, as well as the effect of auditor industry specialisation on this relation. Using a sample of S&P 1,500 firms in the USA during the years 2004-2014, we find a positive relation between audit committee director-auditor interlocking and audit fees only for firms that select industry specialist auditors. Firms that select non-industry specialist auditors pay lower audit fees compared to the control firms which do not have either interlocked audit committees or interlocked audit committees through director-auditor links. The findings are robust after controlling for sample selection bias and unobserved omitted variables and using alternative measures of audit committee director-auditor interlocking. Additional analyses show that firms with audit committee director-auditor interlocking are more likely to select industry specialist auditors. These results indicate that audit committees with director-auditor interlocking demand high quality audits and extensive audit coverage due to reputation effects only when the selected auditors have higher reputational cost and more bargaining power.
Gonadotropin and kisspeptin gene expression, but not GnRH, are impaired in cFOS deficient mice

cFOS is a pleiotropic transcription factor, which binds to the AP1 site in the promoter of target genes. In the pituitary gonadotropes, cFOS mediates induction of FSHβ and GnRH receptor genes. Herein, we analyzed reproductive function in the cFOS-deficient mice to determine its role in vivo. In the pituitary cFOS is necessary for gonadotropin subunit expression, while TSHβ is unaffected. Additionally, cFOS null animals have the same sex-steroid levels, although gametogenesis is impeded. In the brain, cFOS is not necessary for GnRH neuronal migration, axon targeting, cell number, or mRNA levels. Conversely, cFOS nulls, particularly females, have decreased Kiss1 neuron numbers and lower Kiss1 mRNA levels. Collectively, our novel findings suggest that cFOS plays a cell-specific role at multiple levels of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, affecting gonadotropes but not thyrotropes in the pituitary, and kisspeptin neurons but not GnRH neurons in the hypothalamus, thereby contributing to the overall control of reproduction.
Dr. Butendieck, et al, reply.

We read with great interest the response of Dr. Besse, et al 1, to our letter, “Unusual presentation … Address correspondence to Dr. R.R. Butendieck Jr., 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32224, USA. E-mail: Butendieck.ronald{at}mayo.edu
Blood in the Mainstream: Kālī Pūjā and Tantric Orthodoxy in Early Modern Bengal

A consideration of how Kālī Pūjā enters festival contexts in early modern Bengal can suggest new ways of thinking about blood sacrifice in Hinduism. In this case, it appears that we may have underappreciated the impact of sectarian conflict. Through an exploration of the traditional origins of public Kālī Pūjā, I argue that its promotion with the attendant sacrifice by Brāhmaṇa aristocrats such as Rāja Kṛṣṇacandra Rāya of Nadīyā (1710–1782) can be read as a claim on public space for the Tantric yet socially and theologically conservative Smārta Hinduism favored by the upper castes over and against the comparatively egalitarian, sacrifice-averse ethos of the local Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava movement.
Social Entrepreneurship and the Challenge of Collaborative Governance of Civic Events: Brazil, Korea, and the United States

Civic events are held in cities around the world. These activities add substantial value to the host community, but also pose significant management challenges, due to the substantial collaboration required. These events represent a unique form of organization since they require the collaboration of organizations from all sectors. However, they also have varying levels of regime formality and a reliance on voluntary action to achieve economic and social capital goals similar to hybrid organizations found in the social entrepreneurship literature. We use comparative case analysis of Brazil, Korea, and the U.S., to test the degree to which these events fit with existing models of collaborative governance and social entrepreneurship. We find a good fit, but also identify several factors of these events that are underdeveloped by or omitted from the models.
Phenolic and tocopherol content of autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellate) berries.

Abstract The objectives of this work were to characterize polyphenols and α- and γ-tocopherols in several commercial cultivars of Elaeagnus umbellate (autumn olive) berry. Acidic aqueous acetone extraction yielded the highest total phenol recovery, ranging from 190 to 275 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 g fresh weight among berry cultivars. Berries were found to contain proanthocyanidins by reaction with 4-(dimethylamino)cinnamaldehyde. Normal phase HPLC analysis confirmed that the total proanthocyanidin content of berries ranged from 68 to 225 catechin equivalents/100 g dry weight. Proanthocyanidins were composed of 64 to 89% polymers with degree of polymerization >10, with lesser amounts of monomers through 5-mers. Total α- and γ-tocopherol ranged between 9 and 23 mg/100 g oil. The ratio of α- to γ-tocopherol varied from ~3:1 to 10:1 among autumn olive cultivars. Thus, the presence of highly polymerized proanthocyanidins and tocopherols should be considered in formulating functional foods with autumn olive berry.
Varieties of Self-Care: A Qualitative Look at Children's Experiences in the After-School Hours.

In studies of the implications of unsupervised after-school time for children, consis tent outcomes are not reported, perhaps because important variations among self care arrangements are overlooked. A 4-year longitudinal interview study of 53 children and their employed parents explored variation among self-care arrange ments and children's reactions to these arrangements. The children (31 girls, 22 boys) ranged in age at the start of the study from 7 to 12 years. Families were diverse in socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and family structure. Variations occurred along many dimensions, including the range of activities and settings accessible to children, the extensiveness of children's after-school responsibilities, the availability of social supports, and children's interpretations of objectively similar after-school arrangements.
Training rhesus macaques to take daily oral antiretroviral therapy for preclinical evaluation of HIV prevention and treatment strategies.

Background Macaque models of simian or simian/human immunodeficiency virus (SIV or SHIV) infection are critical for the evaluation of antiretroviral (ARV)-based HIV treatment and prevention strategies. However, modelling human oral ARV administration is logistically challenging and fraught by limited adherence. Here, we developed a protocol for administering daily oral doses of ARVs to macaques with a high rate of compliance. Methods Parameters of positive reinforcement training (PRT), behavioral responses and optimal drug delivery foods were defined in 7 male rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Animals were trained to sit in a specified cage location prior to receiving ARVs, emtricitabine (FTC) and tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), in a blended food mixture, which was followed immediately with a juice chaser. Consistency of daily oral adherence was evaluated in 4 trained macaques receiving clinically equivalent doses of FTC and TAF (20 and 1.5 mg/kg, respectively) in a short-term (1 month) and an extended (6 month) trial. Adherence was monitored using medication diaries and by quantifying intracellular FTC-triphosphate (FTC-TP) and tenofovir-diphosphate (TFV-DP) concentrations in peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMCs). Results Trained macaques quickly and consistently took daily oral ARVs for 1 month with an average 99.8% observed adherence. Intracellular concentrations of TFV-DP (median = 845.8 fmol/million cells [range, 620.8–1031.3]) and FTC-TP (median = 367.0 fmol/million cells [range, 289.5–413.5) in PBMCs were consistent with high adherence. Extended treatment with select subjects yielded similar observations for three months (99.5% adherence, 352/356 complete doses taken), although a sudden drop in adherence was observed after splenic biopsy surgery. Conclusions We demonstrate that trained macaques reliably adhere to a daily oral ARV regimen, although unexpected adherence issues are possible. Our approach, using clinical doses of oral FTC and TAF daily, further refines macaque models of HIV treatment and prevention by mimicking the human route and timing of ARV administration.
Sedation selection to reduce delirium risk: Why dexmedetomidine may be a better choice.

ABSTRACT In 2018, the Society of Critical Care Medicine published the Pain Agitation Delirium Immobility and Sleep Disruption guidelines that recommend protocol assessment-based pain and sedation management. Since the publication of these guidelines, multiple studies and meta-analyses have been conducted comparing sedative options in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) setting including dexmedetomidine and propofol. Sedatives are on a continuum when it comes to delirium risk. Propofol, like benzodiazepines, causes changes in sleep patterns by suppressing the rapid eye movement sleep stage not seen with dexmedetomidine, worsening the ICU patient's already poor sleep quality. This reduction in sleep quality increases the risk of delirium. As patient advocates, advanced practice nurses play a vital role in minimizing risk of patient harm. Sedative use and management are areas of opportunity for nurses to minimize this risk. When sedatives are needed, daily sedation vacations should be conducted to re-evaluate the minimum required dose. These practices can reduce sedation risks for delirium and allow for bedside screening and early detection.
Light attenuation by periphyton on Vallisneria americana

Abstract Human activities continue to alter the world’s aquatic systems, with increases in nuisance algae being a common problem arising from a suite of anthropogenic activities. In particular, increases in epiphytic algae and associated periphyton on the leaves of submersed macrophytes cause shading that is implicated in the loss of these higher-order plants, along with the refuge, foraging habitat and other ecosystem services they provide. For example, increases in periphytic loads were temporally concordant with losses of important macrophytes, such as Vallisneria americana, in the Chassahowitzka River, a spring-fed system in Florida. For these reasons, we explored the relationship between periphytic loads and light attenuation by measuring light transmission through different loads found on V. americana leaves. Periphytic loads dominated by filamentous algae ranged from 0.21 mg dry mass (DM) cm−2 of leaf to 16.66 mg DM cm−2 of leaf, resulting in light being attenuated by 12.8–95.5%. An exponential decay model with two parameters explained over 80% of the variation in data documenting light attenuation at different periphytic loads. The results suggested that relatively low loads of periphyton reduce available light to a level below reported light requirements for a variety of submersed macrophytes. The model predicted a critical threshold of approximately 6 mg DM cm−2 of leaf for periphytic loads that will cause detrimental ecological effects on V. americana, with this load reducing incident light by 85%. This threshold provides an early warning of degradation, a measure of successful restoration, and a complement to metrics currently used to document the health of Florida’s spring-fed systems and other systems where V. americana is important.
Oxidative stress and inflammation in osteoarthritis pathogenesis: Role of polyphenols

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent joint degenerative disease leading to irreversible structural and functional changes in the joint and is a major cause of disability and reduced life expectancy in ageing population. Despite the high prevalence of OA, there is no disease modifying drug available for the management of OA. Oxidative stress, a result of an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and their clearance by antioxidant defense system, is high in OA cartilage and is a major cause of chronic inflammation. Inflammatory mediators, such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are highly upregulated in OA joints and induce ROS production and expression of matrix degrading proteases leading to cartilage extracellular matrix degradation and joint dysfunction. ROS and inflammation are interdependent, each being the target of other and represent ideal target/s for the treatment of OA. Plant polyphenols possess potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and can inhibit ROS production and inflammation in chondrocytes, cartilage explants and in animal models of OA. The aim of this review is to discuss the chondroprotective effects of polyphenols and modulation of different molecular pathways associated with OA pathogenesis and limitations and future prospects of polyphenols in OA treatment.
Resilient Leadership: The Impact of a Servant Leader on the Resilience of their Followers:

The ProblemBusinesses and their leaders regularly face disruptive change, uncertain economic futures and the pressure of improving employee well-being. To not only withstand these crises but to reb...
Terumo spectra optia leukapheresis of cynomolgus macaques for hematopoietic stem cell and T cell collection.

Macaques are physiologically relevant animal models of human immunology and infectious disease that have provided key insights and advanced clinical treatment in transplantation, vaccinology, and HIV/AIDS. However, the small size of macaques is a stumbling block for studies requiring large numbers of cells, such as hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) for transplantation, antigen-specific lymphocytes for in-depth immunological analysis, and latently-infected CD4+ T-cells for HIV cure studies. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for collection of large numbers of HSCs and T-cells from cynomolgus macaques as small as 3 kg using the Terumo Spectra Optia apheresis system, yielding an average of 5.0 × 109 total nucleated cells from mobilized animals and 1.2 × 109 total nucleated cells from nonmobilized animals per procedure. This report provides sufficient detail to adapt this apheresis technique at other institutions, which will facilitate more efficient and detailed analysis of HSCs and their progeny blood cells.
Access to Students and Parents and Levels of Preparedness of Educators during the COVID-19 Emergency Transition to e-Learning

In response to the COVID-19 school closures and the emergency transition to eLearning, faculty at Chicago State University organized a series of nine professional development webinars centered on the subject of eLearning. 3,428 educators attended the nine webinars. This study consisted of an exploratory research reporting on the participants’ answers to the polls questions administered during the webinars, in an attempt to identify levels of preparedness of educators during the COVID-19 Emergency Transition to eLearning and their access to students and parents. The study revealed low levels of preparedness in relation to teaching remotely in general, teaching students with disabilities in particular, and using technology tools. The study also revealed challenges of educators reaching students and parents. The study concludes with a number of recommendations to address these identified challenges.
Real-time Prediction for Mechanical Ventilation in COVID-19 Patients using A Multi-task Gaussian Process Multi-objective Self-attention Network

We propose a robust in-time predictor for in-hospital COVID-19 patient's probability of requiring mechanical ventilation. A challenge in the risk prediction for COVID-19 patients lies in the great variability and irregular sampling of patient's vitals and labs observed in the clinical setting. Existing methods have strong limitations in handling time-dependent features' complex dynamics, either oversimplifying temporal data with summary statistics that lose information or over-engineering features that lead to less robust outcomes. We propose a novel in-time risk trajectory predictive model to handle the irregular sampling rate in the data, which follows the dynamics of risk of performing mechanical ventilation for individual patients. The model incorporates the Multi-task Gaussian Process using observed values to learn the posterior joint multi-variant conditional probability and infer the missing values on a unified time grid. The temporal imputed data is fed into a multi-objective self-attention network for the prediction task. A novel positional encoding layer is proposed and added to the network for producing in-time predictions. The positional layer outputs a risk score at each user-defined time point during the entire hospital stay of an inpatient. We frame the prediction task into a multi-objective learning framework, and the risk scores at all time points are optimized altogether, which adds robustness and consistency to the risk score trajectory prediction. Our experimental evaluation on a large database with nationwide in-hospital patients with COVID-19 also demonstrates that it improved the state-of-the-art performance in terms of AUC (Area Under the receiver operating characteristic Curve) and AUPRC (Area Under the Precision-Recall Curve) performance metrics, especially at early times after hospital admission.
EMI Propagation Path Modeling of 3-Level T-type NPC Power Module with Stacked DBC Enabled EMI Shielding

3-level T-type neutral point clamped (NPC) topology is more popular than its 2-level counterparts in energy conversion systems due to their higher efficiency, lower harmonics (THD), and reduced voltage stress on the switches. Wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors have become the ultimate choice for future high-performance power electronics energy conversion due to their superior material properties compared to traditional silicon power devices. As a wide-bandgap device, while SiC’s faster-switching speed improves overall efficiency by reducing switching loss, the faster voltage and current gradient (dv/dt and di/dt) generate electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise, requiring larger and complicated filter design. A stacked DBC (direct bonded copper) based T-type NPC power module has been proposed, designed, and tested where additional DBC will be acting as an EMI shield. The EMI noise propagation path has been modeled and compared to a traditional power module. A 21 dB reduction of CM (common mode) noise has been observed.
Newtonian Flow Theory for Slender Bodies

As an aid to the aerodynamicist in the design of air frames for hypersonic speeds (speeds faster than about Mach 5), Newtonian flow theory is examined from the point of view of gas dynamics and hypersonic small-disturbance theory. The usual theory is shown to result as the first approximation of an expansion valid for small X = (7 — 1 ) / ( Y + 1). A basic similarity parameter N = (7 + l ) / ( 7 — l)ikfo0 5 is introduced. A general solution of the first approximation for the flow past slender bodies (bodies which cause only a small disturbance to the stream) a t zero angle of attack is given. An important condition which limits the application of the theory is noted—namely, that the pressure coefficient on the surface not fall to zero. The theory is then applied to cones and to bodies whose shape is r = x.
Automatic music tagging with time series models

Author(s): Coviello, Emanuele | Abstract: As music distribution has evolved form physical media to digital content, tens of millions of songs are instantly available to consumers through several online services. In order to help users search, browse and discover songs from these extensive collections, music information retrieval systems have been developed to assist in automatically analyzing, indexing and recommending musical content. This dissertation proposes machine learning methods for content -based automatic tagging of music, and evaluates their performance on music annotation and retrieval tasks. The proposed methods rely on time-series models of the musical signal, to account for longer term temporal dynamics of music in addition to timbral textures, and allow to leverage different types of models and information at multiple time scales in a single system. Efficient algorithms for estimation and deployment are proposed for all the considered methods
Overview of Guidelines and Appropriate Use Criteria

Cardiac radionuclide imaging (RNI) provides critical diagnostic information, data for risk stratification and might be the key element in medical decision-making. Advances in imaging technology, in addition to expanded clinical applications along with possible financial incentives to the imager, have led to explosive growth of imaging, raising concerns about over-utilization. Inappropriate use of RNI may be harmful to patients and generate unwarranted cost to the healthcare system, whereas appropriate procedures should likely improve patients’ clinical outcomes. As a response to a rational use of imaging services, different guidance documents have been developed. These publications strive to help to eliminate unnecessary testing and promote increased awareness of health care costs.
Protein I, a translocatable ion channel from Neisseria gonorrhoeae, selectively inhibits exocytosis from human neutrophils without inhibiting O2- generation.

Protein I, the major outer membrane protein of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, is a voltage-dependent anion channel which can translocate from the gonococcus into human cells. Since granule exocytosis from neutrophils is regulated by ion fluxes, we examined the effect of protein I on neutrophil activation. Pretreatment with protein I (250 nM) impaired degranulation from neutrophils: beta-glucuronidase release decreased to 27 +/- 6% S.E. of cells treated with N-f-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP, 0.1 microM) and to 13 +/- 4% of cells treated with leukotriene B4 (LTB4, 0.1 microM); lysozyme release decreased to 52 +/- 17% of fMLP-treated cells and 22 +/- 9% of LTB4-treated cells. Morphometric analysis was consistent: control neutrophils increased their surface membrane after fMLP (43.3 +/- 5.6 microns relative perimeter versus 71.4 +/- 3.7 microns) while protein I-treated neutrophils did not (29.4 +/- 2 (S.E.) microns relative perimeter versus 34 +/- 4 microns). Enzyme release after exposure to phorbol myristate acetate was not affected (lysozyme: 86 +/- 27% of control). Cell/cell aggregation in response to fMLP was inhibited by treatment with protein I. However, generation of O2 was not affected. Protein I altered the surface membrane potential (Oxonol V): protein I evoked a transient membrane hyperpolarization which was not inhibited by furosemide. After exposure to fMLP, protein I-treated neutrophils underwent a furosemide-sensitive hyperpolarization rather than the usual depolarization. Protein I did not alter increments in [Ca]i (Fura-2) stimulated by fMLP (460 +/- 99 nM (S.E.) versus 377 +/- 44 nM) nor decrements in [pH]i (7.22 +/- 0.04 S.E. versus 7.22 +/- 0.02, bis-(carboxy-ethyl)carboxyfluorescein). The results suggest that degranulation and O2 generation have separate ionic requirements and that protein I interrupts the activation sequence proximal to activation of protein kinase C.
Effects of gender and depressive symptoms on quality of life among colorectal and lung cancer patients and their family caregivers

Objective Cancer patients and their family caregivers often report elevated levels of depressive symptoms, along with poorer mental and physical health (quality of life: QOL). Although the mutuality in distress between patients and their caregivers is relatively well known, unknown are the degree to which caregivers' depressive symptoms independently predict their patient's QOL and vice versa, and whether the relations vary by cancer type or gender. Methods Colorectal or lung cancer patients and their caregivers (398 dyads) provided complete data for study variables (212 colorectal cancer patient dyads, 186 lung cancer patient dyads; 257 male patient dyads, 141 female patient dyads). Patients' depressive symptoms and QOL were measured approximately 4 and 12 months post-diagnosis; caregivers' depressive symptoms and QOL were measured approximately 5 months post-diagnosis. Results The actor–partner interdependence model confirmed that each person's depressive symptom level was uniquely associated with his/her own concurrent QOL. Female patients' depressive symptoms were also related to their caregivers' poorer physical and better mental health, particularly when the pair's depressive symptoms were at similarly elevated level. On the other hand, male patients' elevated depressive symptoms were related to their caregivers' poorer mental health. Conclusions Findings suggest that QOL among patients and their family caregivers is interdependent. In light of this interdependency, psychosocial interventions for managing depressive symptoms should target both patients and their family caregivers, from which both may benefit by not only alleviating depressive symptoms but also improving QOL. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Efficient estimation of the Hurst parameter in high frequency financial data with seasonalities using wavelets

S&P 500 Index data taken at one-minute intervals over the course of 11.5 years (January 1989- May 2000) is analyzed, and in particular the Hurst parameter over segments of stationarity (the time period over which the Hurst parameter is almost constant) is estimated. (The segments of stationarity are a byproduct of our analysis, no prior assumption about it is made.) An asymptotically efficient estimator using the log-scale spectrum is employed. This estimator is robust to additive non-stationarities, and it is shown to be robust to multiplicative non-stationarities, i.e. seasonalities, as well. Analyzing cumulative sums of returns, rather than the returns themselves, is essential in removing the effect of seasonalities. It is shown that it is necessary to use wavelets with at least two vanishing moments for the analysis in order to achieve this robustness. This analysis shows that the market has become more efficient since 1997.
National practice patterns of sentinel lymph node dissection for breast carcinoma

Abstract Background: The sentinel node is the first regional lymph node to receive tumor cells that metastasize through the lymphatic channel from a primary tumor. The tumor status of the sentinel node should reflect the tumor status of the entire regional node basin. Sentinel lymph node dissection (SLND) has recently been investigated for use in patients with early breast carcinoma to avoid the sequelae of complete axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Published studies of SLND in breast cancer patients identify marked variations in technique, and there are few guidelines for credentialing surgeons to perform SLND. Study Design: The purpose of this study was to assess the current practice of SLND for breast cancer in the United States. A 27-item questionnaire was mailed to 1,000 randomly selected Fellows of the American College of Surgeons. Responses were anonymous. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS software (SAS Institute, Cary, NC). Results: Response rate was 41% (n = 410), and 77% of those who responded performed SLND for breast cancer. The majority (60%) of surgeons responding routinely ordered preoperative lymphoscintigraphy. Of those who did lymphoscintigraphy, 28% removed internal mammary lymph nodes when lymphoscintigraphy showed drainage to these nodes. Ninety percent of surgeons used both blue dye and radiocolloid. Eighty percent of centers responding performed routine immunohistochemistry on sentinel lymph nodes, and 15% performed reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Ninety-six percent of surgeons performed SLND for primary tumors 5 cm or smaller, and 95% performed SLND for an excisional cavity 6 cm and smaller. Twenty-eight percent performed SLND for high-grade ductal carcinoma in situ, and 28% of respondents performed 10 or fewer SLND procedures with subsequent ALND before performing SLND alone. Surgeons learned SLND through courses (35%), oncology fellowships (26%), observation of other surgeons (31%), or were self-taught (26%). Conclusions: The majority of surgeons in the United States use similar technique for SLND breast cancer. But, there was marked variation in the number of SLND cases validated by an ALND before performing SLND only.
Regulation of protein synthesis in developing mouse brain tissue. Alteration in ribosomal activity.

Abstract Translational control of polypeptide synthesis was measured with ribosomal preparations obtained from brain tissue from mice of various ages. Ribosomal cell-free reaction mixtures were employed to measure the relative activities of the monomeric ribonucleoprotein particles during early neural development. Cell-free protein synthesis was markedly reduced during the first few days after birth and by 18 days of age the incorporation of amino acids was diminished by 10-fold. This over-all loss in protein synthesis was shown to be the result of an alteration of both the pH 5 enzyme fractions and the ribosomes themselves. The relative inability of ribosomes from more mature brain tissue to participate in polypeptide synthesis was independent of available template RNA or ribonuclease activity. Despite the loss in synthetic activity, RNA to protein ratios and sucrose gradient profiles of young and more mature ribosomal preparations were very similar.
2,3-Dimethoxycinnamic Acid †

2,3-Dimethoxycinnamic acid product: 2,3-Dimethoxycinnamic acid Keywords: condensation, carbonyl-active methylene condensations
Lipopolysaccharidelike immunological properties of cell wall glycoproteins isolated from Cytophaga johnsonae.

Glycoproteins (GP) previously shown to be involved in the gliding motility of Cytophaga johnsonae were examined for biological activities characteristic of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). These integral membrane proteins activated 70Z/3 pre-B cells to synthesize immunoglobulin M, induced B cells to synthesize non-antigen-specific polyclonal immunoglobulin, induced macrophages to produce tumor necrosis factor, and modulated the antibody response to type III pneumococcal polysaccharide in the absence of thymus-derived (T) lymphocytes. Except for the GP activity in the 70Z/3 assay, all activities of the GP were comparable to or greater than those of LPS. No LPS was detected in the preparations of GP used or in the phenol-water extracts of C. johnsonae. The mechanism by which these GP exerted their biological activities was distinct from that of LPS, since LPS-resistant C3H/HeJ mice responded to GP. Furthermore, biologically inactive diphosphoryl lipid A obtained from nontoxic LPS of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides (an analog of toxic lipid A), which is an antagonist of LPS, did not block the induction of tumor necrosis factor by GP in macrophages. These results showed that the cell surface GP from C. johnsonae are potent LPS-like activators of B cells and macrophages. We suggest that these GP might be good candidates for use in developing an effective adjuvant system. Images
What’s the Hardest Part of edTPA?

The idea for my edTPA unit came to me while watching the news. Diane Sawyer was interviewing Malala Yousafzai on ABC's 20/20 and I immediately realized that this paralleled perfectly to the book we had just begun in my third grade ESL self-contained class. A text-to-world connection! I thought to myself, “If this idea doesn't persuade edTPA that I am worthy of being a teacher, then I don't know what they want.” Then again, at the time, none of us knew (or know now) what edTPA wants from us. Despite the endless depths of knowledge questions we bombarded our professors with, who did their best to negotiate the meaning of the new and vague edTPA, there was no way to prepare for the unit I was about to design. I saw the news. I made the connection. I immediately began planning for the next day’s lesson.
The occurrence and possible significance of parthenogenesis in eggs of mated turkeys

A study, involving a genetic color marker, was conducted to establish whether parthenogenesis occurs in unfertilized eggs of mated turkeys. One hundred and forty-eight Beltsville Small White turkey hens, representing a strain selected for a high incidence of advanced parthenogenetic development, were inseminated with semen from Dark Cornish chickens. Sixteen other selected turkey hens were inseminated with partially inactivated semen from homozygous New Jersey Buff turkey males. Plumage color of both Dark Cornish chickens and New Jersey Buff turkey males is dominant to the recessive white of the Beltsville Small White turkey hens.
Ocean Heat Uptake in Eddying and Non-Eddying Ocean Circulation Models in a Warming Climate

AbstractOcean heat uptake is explored with non-eddying (2°), eddy-permitting (0.25°), and eddy-resolving (0.125°) ocean circulation models in a domain representing the Atlantic basin connected to a southern circumpolar channel with a flat bottom. The model is forced with a wind stress and a restoring condition for surface buoyancy that is linearly dependent on temperature, both being constant in time in the control climate. When the restore temperature is instantly enhanced regionally, two distinct processes are found relevant for the ensuing heat uptake: heat uptake into the ventilated thermocline forced by Ekman pumping and heat absorption in the deep ocean through meridional overturning circulation (MOC). Temperature increases in the thermocline occur on the decadal time scale whereas, over most of the abyss, it is the millennial time scale that is relevant, and the strength of MOC in the channel matters for the intensity of heat uptake. Under global, uniform warming, the rate of increase of total heat...
Development of an automated algorithm for tracking and quantifying Barnacle cyprid settlement behavior

Abstract Research focused on the development of environmentally benign antifouling technologies, novel coatings, and surfaces requires new tools for quickly and accurately evaluating these materials. Barnacle cyprid settlement assays are indispensable for estimating the fouling management potential of a coating. As coating technologies evolve to include topographies, surface active chemistries, and ligands, relying on settlement assays alone will not be enough. Understanding larval interactions and behavior with the coatings in real time is important for predicting antifouling efficacy of the coating and in turn its effects on the larvae. Manually quantifying cyprid-surface interactions from a video sequence can be laborious, highly subjective, and not amenable to high-throughput workflow requirements. Here we describe development of an automated tracking algorithm for analyzing the settlement behavior of Balanus amphitrite cyprid larvae with the aid of a lateral-view microscope equipped with a video camera. The automated algorithm uses elliptical shape models for detecting the position and orientation of larvae in the field of view and a Kalman filter based approach to automatically track the motion of the larvae over many hours of video. Behavioral heuristics are used to analyze and qualify the interaction between larvae and the surfaces. The algorithm, in an unoptimized MATLAB implementation, processes images at 11 frames per second at low median errors of 2.3 pixels and 8° for position and orientation of the cyprid respectively. The results support the use of computer vision techniques in inference and analysis of marine invertebrate larval settlement behavior.
Iron accumulation in the striatum predicts aging-related decline in motor function in rhesus monkeys

Changes in the nigrostriatal system may be involved with the motor abnormalities seen in aging. These perturbations include alterations in dopamine (DA) release, regulation and transport in the striatum and substantia nigra, striatal atrophy and elevated iron levels in the basal ganglia. However, the relative contribution of these changes to the motor deficits seen in aging is unclear. Thus, using the rhesus monkey as a model, the present study was designed to examine several of these key alterations in the basal ganglia in order to help elucidate the mechanisms contributing to age-related motor decline. First, 32 female rhesus monkeys ranging from 4 to 32 years old were evaluated for their motor capabilities using an automated hand-retrieval task. Second, non-invasive MRI methods were used to estimate brain composition and to indirectly measure relative iron content in the striatum and substantia nigra. Third, in vivo microdialysis was used to evaluate basal and stimulus-evoked levels of DA and its metabolites in the striatum and substantia nigra of the same monkeys. Our results demonstrated significant decreases in motor performance, decreases in striatal DA release, and increases in striatal iron levels in rhesus monkeys as they age from young adulthood. A comprehensive statistical analysis relating age, motor performance, DA release, and iron content indicated that the best predictor of decreases in motor ability, above and beyond levels of performance that could be explained by age alone, was iron accumulation in the striatum. This suggests that striatal iron levels may be a biomarker of motor dysfunction in aging; and as such, can be monitored non-invasively by longitudinal brain MRI scans. The results also suggest that treatments aimed at reducing accumulation of excess iron in the striatum during normal aging may have beneficial effects on age-related deterioration of motor performance.
Erratum to: Controversies in the Management of Hepatic Colorectal Metastases

The educational review series ‘‘Controversies in the Management of Hepatic Colorectal Metastases’’ published in the September 2009 issue of the Annals of Surgical Oncology was supported by educational grants from sanofiaventis U.S., Bristol-Myers Squibb, and ImClone Systems Inc. Following is the list of articles that comprise this Educational Series. Controversies in the Management of Hepatic Colorectal Metastases
Effects of collisional cooling on ion detection in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer

Abstract The effects of collisional cooling on the storage and detection of ions in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer are examined. Four parameters that affect the storage of ions are evaluated: the pressure of the buffer gas: the qz value which establishes the ion trapping environment; the cooling time during which ions may collapse to the center of the trap; and the supplementary a.c. voltage used to kinetically excite selected ions. The ion trap may be operated effectively at a low helium pressure (0.1 mTorr) if a sufficient delay period is added to allow the diffuse ion cloud to collapse to the center of the trap prior to detection. For a typical experiment, this modified operation at low pressures involves allowing the ions to undergo approximately 30–100 collisions (i.e. in a ≈30 ms interval at 0.1 mTorr). At low helium pressures (≈0.1 mTorr), more ions may be trapped at higher qz values. Collision-activated dissociation (CAD) at low helium pressures indicates that the average internal energy deposition is higher, and sensitivity is not lost, if a collisional cooling delay is added. This latter result potentially has great analytical relevance for CAD of biomolecules which require greater internal energy deposition to induce fragmentation.
Do molecular signals from the conceptus influence endometrium decidualization in rodents

A critical period in establishing pregnancy occurs after the onset of implantation but before placental development. Evidence strongly suggests that abnormalities occurring during this period can result in pregnancy termination or in pre-eclampsia; the latter may lead to small-for-gestational-weight offspring that are likely to be unhealthy. Clearly, events occurring in the endometrium during the implantation process are crucial for proper fetal development and for optimal offspring health. In several mammalian species bi-directional communication between the conceptus and endometrium during implantation is required for successful pregnancy. Although different implantation and placentation modes occur in different mammalian species, common aspects of this bi-directional signaling may exist. The molecular signals from the trophoblast cells of the conceptus, which direct endometrial changes during implantation progression, are well known in some nonrodent species. Currently, we know little about such signaling in rodents during implantation progression, when the endometrium undergoes decidualization. This review focuses on data that support the hypothesis that paracrine signals from the rodent conceptus influence decidualization. Where possible, these findings are compared and contrasted with information currently known in other species that exhibit different implantation modes.