cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sugar and bone: a not-so sweet story.

I predict that most readers of the article by Moyer-Mileur and colleagues in this month’s Journal of Bone and Mineral Research will be challenged not just by the results of their study, but also by the long term implications of their findings. In this relatively small, but well done CRU (Clinical Research Unit) investigation, several indices of the growth hormone- IGF-I axis in adolescent girls with at least 5 years of Type I diabetes mellitus (TIDM), were compared to appropriately age and tanner staged- matched controls (1). These parameters were then regressed against measures of skeletal size and content using areal and volumetric bone mass measurements. On first inspection, the results are not surprising, and are consistent with earlier studies from this group and others; i.e. adolescent girls with long standing TIDM have lower serum IGF-I, higher IGFBP-1, and greater growth hormone concentrations than their age-matched controls. Moreover, those girls with poor metabolic control had the lowest circulating IGF-I and highest IGFBP-1 concentrations. In respect to skeletal structure, increased urinary magnesium in the diabetic girls predicted a smaller, lighter skeleton, and overall disease duration accounted for the greatest variability in bone mineral content and cross sectional area. Higher blood glucoses and greater urinary magnesium were also associated with measures of increased bone resorption. Low serum IGF-I was a major predictor of tibial bone strength, as determined by pQCT.
Inelastic Contact Behavior of Crystalline Asperities in rf MEMS Devices

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), particularly those with radio frequency (rf) applications, have demonstrated significantly better performance over current electromechanical and solid-state technologies. Surface roughness and asperity microcontacts are critical factors that can affect contact behavior at scales ranging from the nano to the micro in MEMS devices. Recent investigations at the continuum level have underscored the importance of microstructural effects on the inelastic behavior of asperity microcontacts. Hence, a microstructurally based approach that accounts for the inhomogeneous deformation of the asperity microcontacts under cyclic loading and that is directly related to asperity physical scales and anisotropies can provide a detailed understanding of the deformation mechanisms associated with asperity microcontacts so that guidelines can be incorporated in the design and fabrication process to effectively size critical components and forces for significantly improved device durability and performance. A physically based microstructural representation of fcc crystalline materials that couples a multiple-slip crystal plasticity formulation to dislocation densities is used in a specialized finite-element modeling framework. The asperity model and the loading conditions are based on realistic service conditions consistent with rf MEMS with metallic normal contacts. The evolving microstructure, stress fields, contact width, hardness, residual effects, and the localized phenomena that can contribute to failure initiation and evolution in the flattening of single crystal gold asperity microcontacts are characterized for a loading-unloading cycle. It is shown that the nonuniform loading conditions due to asperity geometry and contact loading and the size effects due to asperity dimensions result in significant contribution of the geometrically necessary dislocation densities to stress, deformation, and microstructural evolution of crystalline asperities. This is not captured in modeling efforts based on von Mises continuum plasticity formulations. Residual strains and stresses are shown to develop during the cyclic loading. Localized tensile stress regions are shown to develop due to stress reversal and strain hardening during both loading and unloading regimes. Hardness predictions also indicate that nano-indentation hardness values of the contact material can overestimate the contact force in cases, where a rigid flat surface is pressed on a surface roughness asperity.
Miscibility limits in poly(vinylethylene) isotopic mixtures

The interaction parameter for isotopic mixtures of poly(vinylethylene) was determined from small angle neutron scattering measurements to vary from 6.6×10−4 to 5.7×10−4 over a temperature range of from just above Tg to 71°C. The phase behavior of these blends differs significantly from the predictions of Flory-Huggins theory, indicating that, in addition to their non-ideality, polymer isotopes do not form simple mixtures. This phase behavior, however, was found to be congruent with the symmetrical model of mixtures.
Ecotone displacement trends on a highly dynamic barrier Island: Hog Island, Virginia

Aerial photographs, recording 12 positions of the shoreline and vegetation line over a 50-yr period, were used to investigate long-term ecotone displacement trends and the relationship between ecotone displacement and shoreline migration on Hog Island, Virginia. A robust regression modeling technique, originally developed for shoreline trend detection analyses, enabled examination of the direction, magnitude, and timing of changes in long-term ecotone displacement. Measurements were obtained at 277 shore normal transects spaced 50 m apart. The results show that long-term trends in ecotone displacement and shoreline movement are nonlinear for over three-fourths of the Hog Island coast. On average, the shoreline and vegetation line experienced reversals in 1972 and 1974, respectively. Rarely did the ecotones and shorelines move in tandem or synchronously. Concavity tests indicate that most of the shoreline and ecotone are currently moving seaward and the distance between the shoreline and vegetation line is decreasing through time. Evidence exists for a decennial time lag between the reversal of the shoreline and the ecotone and vice versa. The ecotone and shoreline trends apparently correspond to tidal inlet dynamics, individual storm events, storm climate, inherited topography (e.g., dune), and vegetation type.
A unified cause for adrenal Cushing's syndrome

In the cartoon adventure Falling Hare , aviator Bugs Bunny is vexed by a series of aerial mishaps, causing his airplane to crash. After spending the episode trying to understand the origin of his problem, Bugs hits on the obvious solution: a gremlin. Four papers—two on pages 913 and 917 in this issue of Science ( 1 , 2 ), a third in the New England Journal of Medicine ( 3 ), and a fourth in Nature Genetics ( 4 ), all from different groups—describe the use of whole exome sequencing (WES) to reach similar conclusions regarding the molecular origin of cortisol-producing adrenocortical adenomas. Just like Bugs' sudden recognition of the gremlin's underlying role in his predicament, the surprisingly consistent answer to the question of the underlying cause of these tumors is no longer obscure; rather, it is a mutation in the catalytic subunit of the signaling subunit of the cyclic-AMP (cAMP)–dependent protein kinase, protein kinase A (PKA).
Imaging of the outer planets and satellites.

Imaging is the most widely applicable single means of exploring the outer planets and their satellites and also complements other planet-oriented instruments. Imaging generally is more effectively carried out from a three-axis stabilized spacecraft than from a spinning one. Both specific experimental and broader exploratory goals must be recognized. Photography of Jupiter from terrestrial telescopes has revealed features which were neither predictable or predicted. Close-up imaging from fly-bys and orbiters affords the opportunity for discovery of atmospheric phenomena on the outer planets forever beyond the reach of terrestrial laboratories and intuition. On the other hand, a large number of specific applications of close-up imaging to study the giant planets are suggested by experience in photography from Earth and Mars orbit, and by ground-based telescopic studies of Jupiter and Saturn. Photographic observations of horizontal and vertical cloud structure at both global and finer scale, and motions and other time changes, will be essential for the study of atmospheric circulation. Size and composition of cloud particles also is a credible objective of fly-by and orbiter missions carrying both imaging and photo-polarimeter experiments. The satellites of the outer planets actually constitute three distinct classes: lunar-sized objects, asteroidal-sized objects, and particulate rings. Imaging promises to be the primary observational tool for each category with results that could impact scientific thinking in the late 70's and 80's as significantly as has close-up photography of Mars and the Moon in the last 10 yr. Finally, it should be recognized that photography occupies a unique role in the interaction between science and the popular mind. This popular, educational aspect of imaging constitutes a unique aspect of 20th Century culture. Imaging therefore is not only a primary basis for scientific discovery in the exploration of the outer planets, but an important human endeavor of enduring significance.
Toxicological assessment of biotransformation products of pentachlorophenol : Tetrahymena population growth impairment

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a widespread contaminate of soils and ground water throughout North America. Earlier studies have indicated that microbial biodegradation leads to the formation of intermediate metabolites which are more toxic than the parent compound. Microbial degradation is by three general pathways: dechlorination, methylation, and oxidation. The relative toxicity of PCP and 25 of its identified intermediates of microbial transformation was evaluated in the static Tetrahymena pyriformis population growth assay. Dechlorination of chlorophenols resulted in a decrease in toxicity because of a decrease in both hydrophobicity and reactivity. Moreover, dechlorination of chloroanisoles resulted in a decrease in toxicity due to a decrease in hydrophobicity. Since there was a decrease in reactivity, methylation of chlorophenols resulted in a decrease in toxicity. Oxidation of chlorophenols resulted in enhanced toxicity owing to increased reactivity and concomitant decreased hydrophobicity.
Medical termination of pregnancy in cynomolgus macaques

Background Although pregnancy is expected during studies of novel contraceptives in nonhuman primates, gestation, delivery and lactation remove females from groups for prolonged intervals. Since the macaque cervix does not facilitate transcervical surgical termination of pregnancy, we sought to establish a medical termination protocol.
Mixed integer nonlinear programming using interior-point methods

In this paper, we outline an algorithm for solving mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problems. The approach uses a branch-and-bound framework for handling the integer variables and an infeasible interior-point method for solving the resulting nonlinear subproblems. We report on the details of the implementation, including the efficient pruning of the branch-and-bound tree via equilibrium constraints, warmstart strategies for interior-point methods, and the handling of infeasible subproblems, and present numerical results on a standard problem library. Our goal is to demonstrate the viability of interior-point methods, with suitable modifications, to be used within any MINLP framework, and the numerical results provided are quite encouraging.
How many times has the human population doubled? Comparisons with cancer

Along with decreasing doubling times as a function of increasing rates of population growth over the past several thousand years, the human species has shown striking parallels with a malignant growth. Some cancers also display decreasing doubling times of cell proliferation during the most rapidly growing phase. At 6 billion, the number of doublings reached by the human population as of 1998 is 32.5, with the 33rd doubling (8.59 billion) expected early in the next century. In terms of total animal biomass, including that of domestic animals under human control, the 33rd doubling of human-related biomass has been passed. In terms of energy use, which is a more accurate, index of the global ecological impact of humans, the human species has passed its 36th doubling. These calculations are important because, in addition to the number of doublings, the human population is showing several important similarities with a malignant organismic tumor, which results in death of the host organism at between 37 and 40 doublings. At current growth rates, the number of individual humans will reach those levels within 200–400 years from the present, but the ecological impact will be felt much sooner since the number of doublings of energy consumed will pass 37 early in the next century. These observations support the hypothesis that the human species has become a malignant process on the planet that is likely to result in the equivalent, for humans, of ecosystem death, or at least in a radical transformation of the ecosystem, the early phases of which are being observed.
Using special-purpose hardware to achieve a hundred-fold speedup in molecular dynamics simulations of proteins

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation has long been recognized as a potentially transformative tool for understanding the behavior of proteins and other biological macromolecules, and for developing a new generation of precisely targeted drugs. Many biologically important phenomena, however, occur over timescales that have previously fallen far outside the reach of MD technology. We have constructed a specialized, massively parallel machine, called Anton, that is capable of performing atomic-level simulations of proteins at a speed roughly two orders of magnitude beyond that of the previous state of the art. The machine has now simulated the behavior of a number of proteins for periods as long as a millisecond -- approximately 100 times the length of the longest such simulation previously published -- revealing aspects of protein dynamics that were previously inaccessible to both computational and experimental study. The speed at which Anton performs these simulations is the result of a tightly coupled codesign process in which novel algorithms and architectural features were developed in concert, guided in large part by an iterative process of performance analysis and optimization.
Chronic infection with hepatitis C virus in patients with elevated or persistently normal serum alanine aminotransferase levels: comparison of hepatic histology and response to interferon therapy.

Ninety-five patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, 35 with persistently normal serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, were randomized to treatment with daily interferon (IFN) for 3 months, followed by IFN 3 times weekly (TIW) for 12 months (group A) or TIW for 18 months (group B). Patients with elevated versus normal ALT levels had similar demographic and virologic characteristics but significantly ( ) more advanced P ! .05 liver histology (bridging fibrosis and cirrhosis, 37.9% vs. 11.4%). After 3 months of treatment, 38.3% of patients in group A were HCV RNA negative versus 18.8% in group B ( ). P ! .05 When the IFN dose was reduced from daily to TIW in group A, the percentage of patients who remained HCV RNA negative declined; sustained virologic response was similar in both groups (10.6% vs. 8.3%). Response to treatment was similar in patients with elevated or normal ALT levels. Persons with chronic HCV infection and persistently normal serum ALT levels have milder liver disease than, and respond to IFN therapy similarly to, persons with elevated ALT levels. An estimated 20%‐33% of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have persistently normal values for serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) [1‐6]. Previous study results have suggested that these patients have only mild hepatitis and that they may either not progress to cirrhosis at all or progress at a much slower rate than persons with elevated serum ALT levels [5‐9]. Some investigators have referred to such persons as healthy HCV carriers [2, 3]. In a recent large case-controlled trial that compared the virologic and histologic features of such patients with those of a matched population with elevated serum ALT levels [7], persons with persistently normal ALT levels
Single-lung transplantation in the United States: What happens to the other lung?

Background This study assessed treatment patterns and examined organ utilization in the setting of single-lung transplantation (SLT). Methods The United Network for Organ Sharing database was queried for all SLTs performed from 1987 to 2011. Trends in utilization of the second donor lung were assessed, both from recipient and donor perspectives. Donors were stratified into 2 groups: those donating both lungs and those donating only 1 lung. Independent predictors of using only 1 donor lung were identified using multivariable logistic regression. Results We identified 10,361 SLTs originating from 7,232 unique donors. Of these donors, both lungs were used in only 3,129 (43.3%), resulting in more than 200 second donor lungs going unused annually since 2005, with no significant increase in use over time ( p = 0.95). After adjustment, donor characteristics predicting the second donor lung going unused included B/AB blood groups (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.69 and 2.62, respectively; p p = 0.02), lower donor partial pressure of arterial oxygen (AOR, 0.90 per 50 mm Hg increase; p p = 0.04), extended criteria donor status (AOR, 1.66; p p p = 0.001). Conclusions Among donors for SLT, less than half of all cases led to use of the second donor lung. Although anatomic, infectious, or other pathophysiologic issues prohibit 100% utilization, more aggressive donor matching efforts may be a simple method of increasing the utilization of this scarce resource, particularly for less common blood types.
Developmental Mechanisms of Topographic Map Formation and Alignment

Brain connections are organized into topographic maps that are precisely aligned both within and across modalities. This alignment facilitates coherent integration of different categories of sensory inputs and allows for proper sensorimotor transformations. Topographic maps are established and aligned by multistep processes during development, including interactions of molecular guidance cues expressed in gradients; spontaneous activity-dependent axonal and dendritic remodeling; and sensory-evoked plasticity driven by experience. By focusing on the superior colliculus, a major site of topographic map alignment for different sensory modalities, this review summarizes current understanding of topographic map development in the mammalian visual system and highlights recent advances in map alignment studies. A major goal looking forward is to reveal the molecular and synaptic mechanisms underlying map alignment and to understand the physiological and behavioral consequences when these mechanisms are disrupted at various scales.
ENDOTHELIAL-CARDIOMYOCYTE INTERACTIONS IN CARDIAC DEVELOPMENT AND REPAIR

Communication between endothelial cells and cardiomyocytes regulates not only early cardiac development but also adult cardiomyocyte function, including the contractile state. In the normal mammalian myocardium, each cardiomyocyte is surrounded by an intricate network of capillaries and is next to endothelial cells. Cardiomyocytes depend on endothelial cells not only for oxygenated blood supply but also for local protective signals that promote cardiomyocyte organization and survival. While endothelial cells direct cardiomyocytes, cardiomyocytes reciprocally secrete factors that impact endothelial cell function. Understanding how endothelial cells communicate with cardiomyocytes will be critical for cardiac regeneration, in which the ultimate goal is not simply to improve systolic function transiently but to establish new myocardium that is both structurally and functionally normal in the long term.
The fate of sperm middle-piece mitochondria in the rat egg.

Mitochondria of rat sperm tail middle-piece remain associated with the flagellum after penetration of the egg by the spermatozoon and during the time of the first cleavage. During two- to four-cell stages the middle-piece mitochondria gradually swell while they separate in large clusters from the axial filament. The swelling of the male mitochondrial elements becomes more extreme during the cleavage divisions, and they finally seem to disintegrate. Thus all mitochondria found in the developing rat embryo may originate from the egg.
Binding and transcriptional regulation by 14-3-3 (Bmh) proteins requires residues outside of the canonical motif.

ABSTRACT Evolutionarily conserved 14-3-3 proteins have important functions as dimers in numerous cellular signaling processes, including regulation of transcription. Yeast 14-3-3 proteins, known as Bmh, inhibit a post-DNA binding step in transcription activation by Adr1, a glucose-regulated transcription factor, by binding to its regulatory domain, residues 226 to 240. The domain was originally defined by regulatory mutations, ADR1c alleles that alter activator-dependent gene expression. Here, we report that ADR1c alleles and other mutations in the regulatory domain impair Bmh binding and abolish Bmh-dependent regulation both directly and indirectly. The indirect effect is caused by mutations that inhibit phosphorylation of Ser230 and thus inhibit Bmh binding, which requires phosphorylated Ser230. However, several mutations inhibit Bmh binding without inhibiting phosphorylation and thus define residues that provide important interaction sites between Adr1 and Bmh. Our proposed model of the Adr1 regulatory domain bound to Bmh suggests that residues Ser238 and Tyr239 could provide cross-dimer contacts to stabilize the complex and that this might explain the failure of a dimerization-deficient Bmh mutant to bind Adr1 and to inhibit its activity. A bioinformatics analysis of Bmh-interacting proteins suggests that residues outside the canonical 14-3-3 motif might be a general property of Bmh target proteins and might help explain the ability of 14-3-3 to distinguish target and nontarget proteins. Bmh binding to the Adr1 regulatory domain, and its failure to bind when mutations are present, explains at a molecular level the transcriptional phenotype of ADR1c mutants.
New Algorithm for Selecting Meniscal Allografts that Best Match the Size and Shape of the Damaged Meniscus

Procedures used by tissue banks in selecting meniscal allografts that will best restore normal contact pressure at the time of surgical implantation into a recipient's knee should be improved. Our objective was to develop regression equations that use dimensions measured from magnetic resonance (MR) images of the contralateral knee to predict values of important meniscal parameters of the injured knee. Another objective was to incorporate these equations into an algorithm for selecting allografts that best match the size and shape of the damaged meniscus (either medial or lateral). In each of 10 knee specimens, four transverse and six cross-sectional parameters of the medial and lateral menisci were quantified from measurements obtained using a laser-based, noncontacting, 3-D coordinate digitizing system. In each of 10 contralateral knee specimens, six transverse and 24 cross-sectional (i.e., perpendicular to transverse plane) dimensions were measur- ed for the medial and lateral menisci from MR images of each knee specimen. Simple linear regres- sion equations related these 10 parameters to each of 38 predictor variables determined from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) dimensions and the best regression equation for each parameter was identified. Requiring only 9 of the 30 dimensions as predictor variables, the best regression equations predicted 8 of 10 and 10 of 10 medial and lateral menisci parameters, respectively, withR 2 values >0.500. The algorithm for selecting meniscal allografts involves: collecting an inventory of meniscal allografts and determining the 10 meniscus parameter values for all allografts in the inventory; measuring the dimensions as required from MRI scans of the uninjured knee; using the dimensions as inputs to the regression equations to predict values of meniscal parameters; and selecting the meniscal allograft from the inventory that best matches the predicted values of meniscal parameters. Selecting meniscal allografts using our new algorithm may enable allografts to better meet the clinical objectives of meniscal transplantation, which are to reduce pain in some patients following meniscal resection and to inhibit the degeneration of the articular cartilage. 2006 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 24:1535- 1543, 2006
Literature review regarding the methodology of assessing third nerve paresis associated with non-ruptured posterior communicating artery aneurysms

The association of third cranial nerve palsy subsequent to an enlarging posterior communicating artery (P-Com A) aneurysm has been well described. In our current communication, we review the relevant literature and propose a classification system for the severity of the third cranial nerve palsy, correlating it to the postoperative recovery. Our four grade scale (I-IV) included the degree of the levator palpebrae muscle paresis, the presence of pupillary reaction and the impairment of the third nerve mediated extraocular muscle movement. We evaluated five patients with third nerve palsy secondary to non-ruptured, P-Com A aneurysm. Patients were re-evaluated at 2, 4, 8, 24 weeks postoperatively. Four of the five patients had complete recovery within 4-8 weeks after surgery. One patient had grade II third nerve paresis and complete resolution of the third nerve symptoms within 4 weeks, whereas three patients with grade III and IV had complete resolution 4-8 weeks after surgery. The fifth patient, with grade IV paresis, had minimal (grade III) improvement 6 weeks after surgery, and incomplete recovery (grade I) 6 months postoperatively. Our simple grading system of third nerve palsy associated with P-Com A aneurysms, can be a helpful tool for the initial evaluation and for the monitoring of recovery in these patients.
Evidence for Four Cytoplasmic Dynein Heavy Chain Isoforms in Rat Testis

Recent studies have revealed the expression of multiple putative cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain (DHC) genes in several organisms, with each gene encoding a separate protein isoform. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that different isoforms do different things, as is the case for the axonemal dyneins. Furthermore, the large number of tasks ascribed to cytoplasmic dynein suggests that there may be additional isoforms not yet identified. Two of the mammalian cytoplasmic dynein heavy chains are DHC1a and DHC1b. DHC1a is conventional cytoplasmic dynein and is found in all organisms examined. DHC1b is expressed in organisms that have multiple dyneins, and has been implicated in the intracellular trafficking of molecules in unciliated and ciliated cells. In the present study, we examined the DHC1b protein from rat testis. Testis cytoplasmic dynein contains a large amount of dynein heavy chain reactive with an antibody raised against a peptide sequence of rat DHC1b. The testis anti-DHC1b immunoreactive protein is slightly smaller than testis DHC1a, as assessed by SDS-PAGE. In Northern blots, the DHC1b mRNA is smaller than the DHC1a mRNA. In sucrose gradients made in low ionic strength, DHC1a sedimented at approximately 20S, and the anti-1b immunoreactive heavy chains sedimented in a broad band centered at approximately 14S. The V1-photolysis reaction of individual sucrose gradient fractions revealed three distinct patterns of photolysis, suggesting that there are at least three separate 1b-like heavy chain isoforms in testis. Using a high-stringency Western blotting protocol, the anti-1b antibody and the anti-DHC2 antibody recognized the same heavy chain and specifically bound to one of the three 1b-like heavy chains. We conclude that rat testis contains three 1b-like dynein heavy chains, and one of these is the product of the DHC1b/DHC2 gene previously identified.
Older adolescents' views regarding participation in Facebook research.

Purpose: Facebook continues to grow in popularity among adolescents as well as adolescent researchers. Guidance on conducting research using Facebook with appropriate attention to privacy and ethics is scarce. To inform such research efforts, the purpose of this study was to determine older adolescents’ responses after learning that they were participants in a research study that involved identification of participants using Facebook. Methods: Public Facebook profiles of older adolescents aged 18 –19 years from a large state university were examined. Profile owners were then interviewed. During the interview, participants were informed that they were identified by examining publicly available Facebook profiles. Participants were asked to discuss their views on this research method. Results: A total of 132 participants completed the interview (70% response rate); the average age was 18.4 years (SD .5); and our sample included 64 male participants (48.5%). Participant responses included endorsement (19.7%), fine (36.4%), neutral (28.8%), uneasy (9.1%), and concerned (6.1%). Among participants who were uneasy or concerned, the majority voiced confusion regarding their current profile security settings (p .00). Conclusions: The majority of adolescent participants viewed the use of Facebook for research positively. These findings are consistent with the approach taken by many U.S. courts. Researchers may consider these findings when developing research protocols involving Facebook. 2012 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. All rights reserved.
Temperature dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation times of Fe++ and Ni++ in MgO

Abstract Measurements of the spin-lattice relaxation times of MgO:Fe++ and MgO:Ni++ are found to be in fair agreement with calculations for the direct process at liquid helium temperatures. At higher temperatures, a Raman process is dominant for Ni++ while both Raman and Orbach processes are present for Fe++.
Antenatal sonographic diagnosis of congenital clubfoot: A possible indication for amniocentesis

Eighteen cases of congenital clubfoot were diagnosed sonographically between 16 and 38 weeks. The method of diagnosis, associated anomalies, karyotypes, and obstetric outcomes are described. Fifteen of the 18 fetuses had other major congenital anomalies, and of these, four had abnormal karyotypes. Only three had uncomplicated clubfoot as the only abnormality. Because of the significant incidence of abnormal karyotypes in our series, confirmed in other reported cases, identification of a clubfoot on prenatal sonography may be considered an indication for amniocentesis, particularly when other anomalies are present.
Combined Endoscopic Mucosal Resection and Photodynamic Therapy for High-Grade Dysplasia and Early Cancer in Barrett’s Esophagus

The treatment of early neoplastic lesions in Barrett’s esophagus may require a combination of therapies. Although both photodynamic therapy and mucosal resection have been demonstrated to have efficacy in treating early cancers and high dysplasia, the difficulty has been that removal of the most neoplastic visible lesions still permits unstable mucosa behind that may be histologically more benign. Although it is assumed that nondysplastic Barrett’s mucosa has very little risk of further evolution to high-grade dysplasia or cancer, this has been taken in the context of patients who have never developed high-grade lesions. Multiple case series have shown that leaving behind Barrett’s mucosa with or without dysplasia after removal of an early cancer leaves patients at increased risk of re-development of cancer. The treatment of these lesions is controversial. Further ablation of this residual tissue has been the preferred strategy by several experts with the use of extensive mucosectomy techniques or combining mucosectomy techniques with ablative strategies such as photodynamic therapy. Extensive mucosectomy would seem to have the theoretical advantage of completing eliminating neoplastic tissue, although this is difficult to achieve with current techniques. Photodynamic therapy can also be used in conjunction with mucosectomy with good results in small case series. Other possible combination therapies might include the use of chemoprevention agents, which is appealing but unproven at the present time.
A neurologist looks at mind and brain: "the enchanted loom".

For a long time, before we developed an appreciation of the neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of the brain, there was uncertainty as to the nature and source of the human mind. Philosophers linked the mind to mythical “humors” that controlled the human body, and others speculated that the mind was associated with “life-force” or soul. Few felt that there was a relation between the human mind and brain, but they had to wait for the Age of Enlightenment and scientific discovery in the 18th and 19th centuries to establish a clear association between the two. Three centuries ago Rene Descartes described the mind as an extracorporeal entity that was expressed through the pineal gland. Descartes was wrong about the pineal, but the debate he set off regarding the relationship between mind and brain rages on. This review looks at the history of speculation on the mind and the development of ideas that have led to our present understanding of this phenomenon. The basic anatomy and physiology of the brain is reviewed to help us understand the brain's association with the complex function we call mind. This is followed by a look at some syndromes that may result when part of the brain is damaged-the parietal lobe is arbitrarily selected as an example-and the resulting effect on the subject's mind. This assists us in understanding the association of mind and brain, and also to better understanding its components, behavior, function and dysfunction.
Spatial and temporal patterns of range expansion of white‐winged doves in the USA from 1979 to 2007

Aim The geographical expansion of white-winged doves (Zenaida asiatica) in North America has attracted the attention of biologists and sportsmen because of their recreational and aesthetic value; however, data on factors driving the spatial spread of this species are lacking. We examined spatial and temporal patterns of range expansion for white-winged doves along the northern edge of their geographical range from 1979 to 2007 and used a dynamic occupancy model to estimate when and where doves would be found along an expansion gradient. Location Southern half of the USA. Methods We modelled spatial variation in the range expansion of white-winged doves from 1979 to 2007 using data from the North American Breeding Bird Surveys (BBS) and distance from initial population centre, area of urban land cover, and ecoregion. We used a robust design occupancy analysis to estimate species expansion rate based on a model set grounded in broad-scale conditions likely to drive dove distribution. We evaluated our best fitting model (using Akaike's information criterion adjusted for small sample size) by comparing estimates to actual observations in 1993 and 2007 using area under the curve (AUC) metrics from receiver-operating characteristic plots. Results Our spatial distribution model indicated that range expansion of white-winged doves was primarily influenced by distance from the core population centre, with additive effects of ecoregion and land cover. In 1979, white-winged doves were present in 12% of survey locations, whereas presence increased to 41% by 2007. Across all ecoregions, urban land cover was positively related to probability of occupancy. We evaluated our model for 1993 and 2007 by comparing derived occupancy estimates to sightings of white-winged doves within our sample hexagons using BBS survey data. Based on high AUC statistics (> 0.85), we concluded that our model was useful for accurately predicting range expansion. Main conclusions Estimating occurrence and range expansion of white-winged doves and other expanding/invasive avian species at large spatial scales can be effectively conducted using BBS data. Using these nationwide, long-term survey data to relate expansion to a suite of conditions likely to drive population dynamics is an effective approach to developing predictive models of range expansion.
Cancer Metastasis: A Search for Therapeutic Inhibition

Failure of cancer treatment is often due to the growth of secondary, metastatic lesions in distant organs. Because initiation of metastasis is an early event in malignancy, patients often present not only with a primary tumor but also with occult metastases. Treatment of these metastases requires aggressive, systemic chemotherapy, since surgical removal of all metastatic foci is normally not feasible. However, drug toxicity caused by many of the currently used anticancer agents often limits chemotherapeutic approaches to malignant disease. In contrast, the development and use of novel cytostatic, antimetastatic agents could be less toxic and more applicable for long-term treatment in combating latent and/or residual disease. Practical intervention with such nontoxic agents has been envisioned as maintenance therapy after cytoreduction of a tumor or as a prophylactic treatment after the removal of a precancerous tumor exhibiting a genetic predisposition to a carcinomatous state. In this review, we discuss targets of the metastatic cell that may be potentially exploitable with chemotherapy, and present the current status of several novel, antimetastatic agents. Clinical evaluation of such agents will require new and appropriate clinical models for evaluating their antimetastatic efficacy. The recent successes achieved with certain proteinase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer are paving the way for the development of other therapeutic agents of this type, aimed at unique biochemical pathways associated with oncogenic behavior.
3D Printing in Instructional Settings: Identifying a Curricular Hierarchy of Activities

A report of a year-long study in which the author engaged in 3D printing activity in order to determine how to facilitate and support skill building, concept attainment, and increased confidence with its use among teachers. Use of 3D printing tools and their applications in instructional settings are discussed. A hierarchy of 3D printing activities of increasing complexity, consisting of print trials, design experiments, and engineering tests, is identified and described. An iterative model that includes the development and refinement of 3D printing tools, geared specifically toward engineering settings is also described.
Harada disease versus central serous corioretinopathy

Harada’s disease is an acute inflammatory, immune-mediated disorder that typically affects both eyes of middle aged adults. Melanocyte-containing organs such as the skin, ear, meninges, and eye can be involved. Acute exudative panuveitis occurs in both eyes causing multifocal serous detachment of the retina. A large dose of systemic corticosteroids is a rewarding treatment for a rapid resolution of exudative lesions. Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is a chorioretinal disorder characterized by serous detachment of the neurosensory retina. It can be triggered by steroids. We present two cases of challenging differential diagnosis between Harada disease and CSCR.
Effects of Social Comparisons on Subjective QOL

This chapter describes the effects of social comparisons on subjective well-being. Social comparison is the process by which people compare themselves with others in relation to a particular behavior or outcome. Such comparison may cause feelings of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Specifically, downward comparisons (comparing one’s situation to another person’s situation that is worse than one’s own) tend to generate feelings of satisfaction, whereas upward comparisons (comparing one’s situation to another person’s situation that is better than one’s own) are associated with dissatisfaction. This is the very simplified version of social comparisons. The psychological reality of social comparisons and their effect on subjective well-being is highly complex. Let us read further.
Emotion in Context: Exploring the Interaction between Emotions and Legal Institutions

This is a brief introduction to the symposium "Emotion in Context: Exploring the Interaction between Emotions and Legal Institutions," published in the Vermont Law Review. The conference that led to this symposium took place at the University of Chicago Law School in May 2008, exactly a decade after the first University of Chicago Law School conference on law and emotion. Significant progress has been made during those ten years. The inquiry has shifted from whether emotion plays a role in legal reasoning to how emotion and legal reason interact, and to which emotions ought to play a role in particular legal contexts. We design our institutions based on assumptions about human behavior, and the interdisciplinary study of emotion has offered valuable insights into whether these assumptions are well grounded. The next step is to explore how generalizable these insights are: that is, whether emotional dynamics remain stable across institutional contexts. The papers in this volume explore the complex interaction between emotion and social structure to consider both how institutional context affects the experience and expression of emotion, and how emotion norms affect the shape and operation of a range of legal institutions. The volume includes articles by Scott Anderson, Susan Bandes, Mary Anne Case, Kevin Claremont, Christoph Engel, Richard Epstein, Oliver Goodenough, and Cass Sunstein.
Three-dimensional optical tomography of fluorescent proteins in the visible

We present a new modality for three-dimensional tomographic imaging of fluorescence activity in the visible, which employed a multi-angle, multi-projection illumination scheme. Reconstruction is based on novel photon propagation models developed for visible light.
From Shadows to Hope: Shared Experiences of Emerging Adults Who Grew Up with a Depressed Parent in the Home.

Depression has the highest prevalence of all mental illnesses or approximately 19 million adults report suffering from depression in the United States (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2...
Emerging technologies at Towson University The hat trick

Carrie Bertling Disclafani, David Dahl, and Carissa Tomlinson began as Emerging Technologies Librarians (ETLs) at Cook Library during summer 2008. All are recent LIS graduates (2007 and 2008) and are currently in their fi rst post-LIS professional positions. Their job descriptions are newly created and were designed to bring fresh skills and ideas into the library. However, Bertling Disclafani, Dahl, and Tomlinson don’t want others to misunderstand their newfound jobs. “Being an ETL doesn’t necessarily mean you are a programming computer geek,” says Bertling Disclafani. The positions fall within the purview of reference and instruction, meaning that all three librarians must balance liaison activities, information literacy instruction, collection development, and reference service. Additionally, their investigations of emerging technologies are primarily intended to im-
A Method for Comprehensive Glycosite-Mapping and Direct Quantitation of Serum Glycoproteins

A comprehensive glycan map was constructed for the top eight abundant glycoproteins in plasma using both specific and nonspecific enzyme digestions followed by nano liquid chromatography (LC)-chip/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. Glycopeptides were identified using an in-house software tool, GPFinder. A sensitive and reproducible multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) technique on a triple quadrupole MS was developed and applied to quantify immunoglobulins G, A, M, and their site-specific glycans simultaneously and directly from human serum/plasma without protein enrichments. A total of 64 glycopeptides and 15 peptides were monitored for IgG, IgA, and IgM in a 20 min ultra high performance (UP)LC gradient. The absolute protein contents were quantified using peptide calibration curves. The glycopeptide ion abundances were normalized to the respective protein abundances to separate protein glycosylation from protein expression. This technique yields higher method reproducibility and less sample loss when compared with the quantitation method that involves protein enrichments. The absolute protein quantitation has a wide linear range (3-4 orders of magnitude) and low limit of quantitation (femtomole level). This rapid and robust quantitation technique, which provides quantitative information for both proteins and glycosylation, will further facilitate disease biomarker discoveries.
External threat and the limits of democratic pacifism

Scholars widely recognize that democratic dyads are associated with lower hazards of armed conflict and more efficient conflict resolution. Many attempts have been made to challenge the notion of d...
Royal Ambassadors: Monarchical Public Diplomacy and the United States

Royal connections were an integral part of European diplomacy, but as the United States became increasingly important in international relations, its republican structure left it outside this system. One way to develop stronger links with the American republic was for the European powers to make use of their royal families, as part of their ‘public diplomacy’. Visits to the United States were made by the heir to the British throne, the Prince of Wales, as well as senior members of the French Orleanist dynasty, the Russian, Austrian and German imperial families, as well as representatives of other European monarchies. Some of these visits were great successes, some less so, and at least one was counter-productive.
Low-rank canonical-tensor decomposition of potential energy surfaces: application to grid-based diagrammatic vibrational Green's function theory

ABSTRACTA new method is proposed for a fast evaluation of high-dimensional integrals of potential energy surfaces (PES) that arise in many areas of quantum dynamics. It decomposes a PES into a canonical low-rank tensor format, reducing its integral into a relatively short sum of products of low-dimensional integrals. The decomposition is achieved by the alternating least squares (ALS) algorithm, requiring only a small number of single-point energy evaluations. Therefore, it eradicates a force-constant evaluation as the hotspot of many quantum dynamics simulations and also possibly lifts the curse of dimensionality. This general method is applied to the anharmonic vibrational zero-point and transition energy calculations of molecules using the second-order diagrammatic vibrational many-body Green's function (XVH2) theory with a harmonic-approximation reference. In this application, high dimensional PES and Green's functions are both subjected to a low-rank decomposition. Evaluating the molecular integrals ...
Justifications for Audits of Financial Statements

This chapter reviews the justifications for voluntary and mandatory audits of financial statements. There is a clear economic rationale for the existence of voluntary audits, but the case for mandated audits is less clear. We review the history of mandatory audits, and explore how the early competitive environment for audit firms after the introduction of mandatory audits shaped the direction of the development of financial statement audits globally. The series of audit-related business scandals in the early 2000s led to the passage of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 in the USA. While it is possible that Sarbanes–Oxley will be deemed a successful reform, there remain proposals for even more fundamental reform. Companies could purchase financial statement insurance, which would result in insurance companies hiring the auditors, or exchanges could be the entities that select auditors for companies on behalf of shareholders. Another direction reform could take would be to end the requirements for audits