cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MiR-153 targets the nuclear factor-1 family and protects against teratogenic effects of ethanol exposure in fetal neural stem cells

Ethanol exposure during pregnancy is an established cause of birth defects, including neurodevelopmental defects. Most adult neurons are produced during the second trimester-equivalent period. The fetal neural stem cells (NSCs) that generate these neurons are an important but poorly understood target for teratogenesis. A cohort of miRNAs, including miR-153, may serve as mediators of teratogenesis. We previously showed that ethanol decreased, while nicotine increased miR-153 expression in NSCs. To understand the role of miR-153 in the etiology of teratology, we first screened fetal cortical NSCs cultured ex vivo, by microarray and quantitative RT-PCR analyses, to identify cell-signaling mRNAs and gene networks as important miR-153 targets. Moreover, miR-153 over-expression prevented neuronal differentiation without altering neuroepithelial cell survival or proliferation. Analysis of 3'UTRs and in utero over-expression of pre-miR-153 in fetal mouse brain identified Nfia (nuclear factor-1A) and its paralog, Nfib, as direct targets of miR-153. In utero ethanol exposure resulted in a predicted expansion of Nfia and Nfib expression in the fetal telencephalon. In turn, miR-153 over-expression prevented, and partly reversed, the effects of ethanol exposure on miR-153 target transcripts. Varenicline, a partial nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist that, like nicotine, induces miR-153 expression, also prevented and reversed the effects of ethanol exposure. These data collectively provide evidence for a role for miR-153 in preventing premature NSC differentiation. Moreover, they provide the first evidence in a preclinical model that direct or pharmacological manipulation of miRNAs have the potential to prevent or even reverse effects of a teratogen like ethanol on fetal development.
The effect of plate luting on reduction accuracy and biomechanics of acetabular osteotomies stabilized with 2.7-mm reconstruction plates

Objective— To compare the accuracy of reduction and biomechanical characteristics of acetabular osteotomies repaired with luted and nonluted reconstruction plates. Study Design— In vitro study. Animals— Pelves removed from 12 adult greyhounds. Methods— Acetabular osteotomies were created and repaired with a 6-hole, 2.7-mm reconstruction plates in 24 cadaver hemipelves. Ten hemipelves each were assigned to group I and group II. An impression cast of each acetabulum in group I was made before luting (preluting cast). Group I plates were then elevated, luted, and replaced. A second cast of each acetabulum in group I was then made (postluting cast). Step, gap, and total areas of articular osteotomy incongruence were determined from the casts. Group I (luted plate repairs) and group II (nonluted plate repairs) hemipelves were loaded ventral-to-dorsal using a materials-testing machine. Stiffness, yield load, and maximal load sustained were determined. Results— Mean gap and total area of articular osteotomy incongruence for group I preluted plate repairs (7.1 mm2 and 8.6 mm2, respectively) were significantly greater than for group I postluted plate repairs (4.1 mm2 and 5.1 mm2, respectively). Mean stiffness and maximal load for group I (681 N/mm and 2,555 N, respectively) were significantly greater than for group II (360 N/mm and 1,730 N, respectively). Mean step area and mean load at yield values were not significantly different between groups. Conclusions— Luted plate repairs of osteotomized acetabulae result in improved reduction and are stiffer and stronger than nonluted plate repairs. Clinical Significance— Plate luting may improve the accuracy of reduction of acetabular fractures where anatomic reduction is required. Plate luting may also increase the stiffness and strength of fracture repairs and arthrodeses.
Available Light: Anthropological Reflections on Philosophical Topics

Available Light: Anthropological Reflections on Philosophical Topics. Clifford Geertz. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000. 27 lpp.
Hope or Hype?: Five Obstacles to Mobile Money Innovations for Youth Financial Services

cial inclusion has galvanized support and activity all over the world, garnering attention from policymakers, the financial sector, practitioners, and researchers. At the same time, technology, particularly the mobile phone, is increasingly seen as a potential tool to bridge gaps in information, products, and services to poor people worldwide. Services like M-PESA in Kenya have sparked interest and attention around the mobile phone’s potential to accelerate the pace toward global financial inclusion. As a result, there is growing consensus that mobile solutions are an important, effective development strategy. Mobile-enabled solutions to financial access and capability bring hope to those working in youth financial inclusion at a time when existing tools are proving less effective and sustainable than envisioned. Classroom-based financial education has not catalyzed changes in behavior effectively, nor have we yet found a way to make youth financial services sustainable. Inspired by many of the mobile financial service successes for adults, including mobile wallets, mobile payments, and account access for deposits and withdrawals, the youth financial inclusion field sees a way forward. Theoretically, mobile solutions should allow the field to leapfrog many existing hurdles to financial access and experiment with delivery
A 2-D filtering scheme for stereo image compression using sequential orthogonal subspace updating

Stereo image compression involves estimating the disparity vectors that represent the amount of binocular parallax. The mismatching problems between the left and right images greatly impact the accuracy of the reconstructed image, and hence the visual effects of the reproduced 3-D image. This paper presents a new method for compensating the mismatching effects in stereo image pairs. This 2-D filtering-based scheme uses a sequential orthogonal subspace updating (SOSU) process to project an image block onto a subset of best-basis vectors. The basis vectors are selected one by one from the neighboring blocks, as well as some typical edge blocks, forming an image-dependent set of basis vectors. This leads to the optimal representation of an image block with fewer coefficients. Simulation results on two different image pairs demonstrate the effectiveness of the SOSU scheme when compared to those of the standard least squares 2-D filtering and the hybrid disparity-compensated discrete cosine transform residual encoding schemes.
A Self-Calibration Method for Robotic Measurement System

Robot calibration plays an increasingly important role in manufacturing. For robot calibration on the manufacturing floor, it is desirable that the calibration technique be easy and convenient to implement. This paper presents a new self-calibration method to calibrate and compensate for robot system kinematic errors. Compared with the traditional calibration methods, this calibration method has several unique features. First, it is not necessary to apply an external measurement system to measure the robot end-effector position for the purpose of kinematic identification since the robot measurement system has a sensor as its integral part. Second, this self-calibration is based on distance measurement rather than absolute position measurement for kinematic identification; therefore the calibration of the transformation from the world coordinate system to the robot base coordinate system, known as base calibration, is not necessary. These features not only greatly facilitate the robot system calibration, but also shorten the error propagation chain, therefore, increase the accuracy of parameter estimation. An integrated calibration system is designed to validate the effectiveness of this calibration method. Experimental results show that after calibration there is a significant improvement of robot accuracy over a typical robot workspace.
Psychometric problems and issues involved with creating and using ipsative measures for selection

Data are described as ipsative if a given set of responses always sum to the same total. However, there are many properties of data collection that can give rise to different types of ipsative data. In this study, the most common type of ipsative data used in employee selection (forced-choice ipsative data; FCID) is discussed as a special case of other types of ipsative data. Although all ipsative data contains constraints on covariance matrices (covariance-level interdependence), FCID contains additional item-level interdependencies as well. The psychological processes that give rise to FCID and the resultant psychometric properties are discussed. In addition, data from which both normative and ipsative responses were provided by job applicants illustrate very different patterns of correlations as well as very different selection decisions between normative, FCID and ipsatized measures.
Pharmacology of nicotine: addiction and therapeutics

Nicotine maintains tobacco addiction and has therapeutic utility to aid smoking cessation and possibly to treat other medical diseases. Nicotine acts on nicotinic cholinergic receptors, which demonstrate diversity in subunit structure, function, and distribution within the nervous system, presumably mediating the complex actions of nicotine described in tobacco users. The effects of nicotine in people are influenced by the rate and route of dosing and by the development of tolerance. The metabolism of nicotine is now well characterized in humans. A few individuals with deficient C-oxidation of nicotine, unusually slow metabolism of nicotine, and little generation of cotinine have been described. Nicotine affects most organ systems in the body, although its contribution to smoking-related disease is still unclear. Nicotine as a medication is currently available as a gum, a transdermal delivery device, and a nasal spray, all of which are used for smoking cessation. Nicotine is also being investigated for therapy of ulcerative colitis, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Tourette's syndrome, sleep apnea, and attention deficit disorder.
Postural Hypotension and Anhidrosis

Orthostatic hypotension (OH) occurs in 10–20% of patients seen in diabetic practice. Patients can be asymptomatic or manifest symptoms of cerebral hypoperfusion, such as lightheadedness or weakness, or less common symptoms of sympathetic overactivity. Syncope can occur. Symptoms correlate with autonomic deficits. Autonomic laboratory evaluation demonstrates early impairment of cardiovagal and distal postganglionic sudomotor function, eventually leading to generalized autonomic failure. Treatment of OH consists nonpharmacological and pharmacological therapy. The former involves patient education, management of salt, fluids, sleeping with head of the bed elevated, compression garments, and physical countermaneuvers. Pharmacological therapy with midodrine is efficacious but aggravates supine hypertension. Pyridostigmine will improve OH without aggravating supine hypertension although its effects are the modest. Sudomotor failure is the rule, manifests initially as distal anhidrosis followed by regional, multifocal, and other patterns of sweat loss. Sudomotor symptoms include regional hyperhidrosis and heat intolerance.
Non Semper Fidelis: Adultery & the United States Military

Cases like General Petraeus, General Allen, General Byrnes and Lt. Flinn light a spark in the civilian world. Civilians with no military experience criticized the military for interfering and investigating the “off-base, off-duty conduct” of these two officers. The civilian community and politicians felt that the government has no right to enter the private bedrooms of consenting adults, whether they were civilians or members of the military. The military was criticized for enforcing “outdated moral standards.” The public was unable to comprehend how the extramarital relationships affected the military’s mission and felt that the laws needed to be repealed because of constitutional guarantees of privacy. Yet, numerous members of the military are disciplined each year for consensual adulterous relationships. Some put the number at over 900 service members as of 1998. Service members who commit adultery face a dishonorable discharge and up to a year in prison. At a time when the country is at war, is there any justification for disciplining service members for their private sex lives? The simple answer - yes. The reason is the need to instill discipline and good order in the military, for those who enter military life sacrifice some of their personal liberties and constitutionally protected privacy rights in order to defend the rights of others.
Increasing Detection & Tracking Performance of Orbiting Objects in Space

The detection and tracking of orbiting space clutter is imperative for satellite longevity and spacecraft safety. The United States Air Force Space Surveillance System (AFSSS) uses a continuous wave (CW) multiple-static site radar system (MSRS) designed to detect, catalog, & track objects as they pass over the continental United States. Object position data collected by the MSRS stations is categorized by the operation center and sent to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to issue aerospace warnings. A system-wide performance report, or Snapshot of data (commonly known as SNAP) is also generated and sent to all AFSSS stations. SNAP reports list the number of known, unknown, and rejected objects detected for the last four hours in 15-min intervals. SNAP reports lack any statistical analysis and the sheer amount of data often overwhelms operators, leading to decreased work performance and unnoticed AFSSS system degradation. Syntactic analysis or parsing software, extracts key pieces of information from large amounts of data for analysis and decision making. Here we discuss the design and implementation of a LabView-based software program (SNAPPER) for the automated analysis and display of data parsed from SNAP reports. We show that the automated analysis and display of SNAP reports leads to better detection of system degradation and an increase in receiver’s performance evaluation. In addition, this work: 1) warns operators of poor transmitter/receiver performance, 2) plots unknowns & rejected daily observations, 3) generates Visual Basic for Application (VBA) code, producing a plot rich comprehensive report in an Excel spreadsheet with monthly tallies in 24-hr intervals. This makes SNAPPER a valuable tool for evaluating and troubleshooting AFSSS performance detection and tracking of orbiting objects.
Assessment of potential confounders when imaging pectus excavatum with chest radiography alone

Abstract Background Chest radiography (CXR) has emerged as an attractive alternative imaging option for objective pre-operative assessment of pectus excavatum (PE) with comparable accuracy, reduced cost, and less radiation exposure when compared to computed tomography (CT). This study asked whether image quality, scoliosis, and asymmetry of the PE deformity would decrease the accuracy of CXR as compared to CT. Methods A database of PE patients receiving preoperative CXR and CT was created, and Haller-indices (HI) and correction-indices (CI) were calculated using each imaging modality. Each potential confounding variable were analyzed using Spearman correlations the Fisher r-to-z transformation test. Results The database was comprised of 77 patients. Image quality, scoliosis and the ‘eccentric type’ of asymmetry did not demonstrate any significant worsening of measurement accuracy. However, the correlation coefficients for CIs for those with and without the ‘unbalanced type’ of asymmetry were 0.593 and 0.890, respectively, with a Fisher r-to-z of 2.16 (p = .031). Conclusions The accuracy of CXR-derived pectus indices remains quite favorable despite the heterogeneity from radiographic quality, scoliosis and chest wall asymmetry. Nonetheless, the unbalanced type of chest wall asymmetry did emerge as a significant confounder. As such, use of CXR alone in cases of gross chest wall asymmetry should be cautioned.
The effect of pyrite on Escherichia coli in water: proof-of-concept for the elimination of waterborne bacteria by reactive minerals

We present proof-of-concept results for the elimination of waterborne bacteria by reactive minerals. We exposed Escherichia coli MG1655 suspended in water to the reactive mineral pyrite (FeS2) at room temperature and ambient light. This slurry eliminates 99.9% of bacteria in fewer than 4 hours. We also exposed Escherichia coli to pyrite leachate (supernatant liquid from slurry after 24 hours), which eliminates 99.99% of bacteria over the same time-scale. Unlike SOlar water DISinfection (SODIS), our results do not depend on the presence of ultraviolet (UV) light. We confirmed this by testing proposed SODIS additive and known photo-catalyst anatase (TiO2) for antibacterial properties and found that, in contrast to pyrite, it does not eliminate E. coli under our experimental conditions. Previous investigations of naturally antibiotic minerals have focused on the medical applications of antibiotic clays, and thus have not been conducted under experimental conditions resembling those found in water purification. In our examination of the relevant literature, we have not found previously reported evidence for the use of reactive minerals in water sanitization. The results from this proof-of-concept experiment may have important implications for future directions in household water purification research.
Metal Cation Dependence of Interactions with Amino Acids: Bond Dissociation Energies of Rb+ and Cs+ to the Acidic Amino Acids and Their Amide Derivatives

Metal cation-amino acid interactions are key components controlling the secondary structure and biological function of proteins, enzymes, and macromolecular complexes comprising these species. Determination of pairwise interactions of alkali metal cations with amino acids provides a thermodynamic vocabulary that begins to quantify these fundamental processes. In the present work, we expand a systematic study of such interactions by examining rubidium and cesium cations binding with the acidic amino acids (AA), aspartic acid (Asp) and glutamic acid (Glu), and their amide derivatives, asparagine (Asn) and glutamine (Gln). These eight complexes are formed using electrospray ionization and their bond dissociation energies (BDEs) are determined experimentally using threshold collision-induced dissociation with xenon in a guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometer. Analyses of the energy-dependent cross sections include consideration of unimolecular decay rates, internal energy of the reactant ions, and multiple ion-neutral collisions. Quantum chemical calculations are conducted at the B3LYP, MP2(full), and M06 levels of theory using def2-TZVPPD basis sets, with results showing reasonable agreement with experiment. At 0 and 298 K, most levels of theory predict that the ground-state conformers for M(+)(Asp) and M(+)(Asn) involve tridentate binding of the metal cation to the backbone carbonyl, amino, and side-chain carbonyl groups, although tridentate binding to the carboxylic acid group and side-chain carbonyl is competitive for M(+)(Asn). For the two longer side-chain amino acids, Glu and Gln, multiple structures are competitive. A comparison of these results to those for the smaller alkali cations, Na(+) and K(+), provides insight into the trends in binding energies associated with the molecular polarizability and dipole moment of the side chain. For all four metal cations, the BDEs are inversely correlated with the size of the metal cation and follow the order Asp < Glu < Asn < Gln.
Axenic Rearing of Larvae and Adults of the Boll Weevil on Defined Diets: Additional Tests with Amino Acids and Vitamins

Studies of the requirements of Anthonomus grandis Boheman for the indispensable amino acids were extended. Semiquantitative requirements for histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine were established for weevils grown on an amino acid diet that had proved satisfactory previously. Tryrosine neither replaced nor spared phenylalanine when it was substituted for all or part of the phenylalanine. The boll weevil was found to require dietary biotin when it was fed an amino acid diet, but no requirement for vitamin B12 was observed for a single generation. Four generations of boll weevils were reared under aseptic conditions when both larvae and adults were fed a sterile defined diet.
Mixed polymer brushes with locking switching.

Mixed polymer brushes, made of two different kinds of polymers randomly grafted to the same solid substrate, were introduced as switchable interfaces for a number of promising applications. The switching properties of the mixed polymer brushes are substantially dependent on grafting density, molecular weight, compatibility of two distinct grafted polymers, and their interaction with the solvent. This work reports the mixed polymer brushes with the property of locking switching. The wetting properties of such a mixed brush can be switched between the wetting properties of individual constituting polymers by appropriate selection of solvent. However, the mixed polymer brushes wetting behavior can be locked in the hydrophobic state. This kinetically frozen methastable state, however, can be unlocked via treatment by proper “unlocking” solvent. This locking and unlocking of the hydrophobic state of the mixed brush with specific solvents could find useful applications for the development of functional materials.
Methodological implications of Marxian praxis in action research

When considering Karl Marx’s conception of praxis, numerous relations between it and action research come to the surface. These relations are not only important for understanding the roots of actio...
Epidemiology of Pulmonary Hypertension: From Quaternary Referral Centre to the Community

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in its classic form is a rare progressive disease affecting predominantly young women. The first clinical classification system for pulmonary hypertension (PH) was put forth in Evian, France in 1998 in order to categorize alternate forms of pulmonary vascular disease, including PH as the result of chronic heart, lung, and systemic conditions. Over the past several decades, even the classic idiopathic (previously primary) PAH description has evolved as we have come to understand epidemiology in the modern treatment era. In all forms, PH and PAH cause significant morbidity and mortality from progressive right heart failure. A number of observational studies are now available, spanning PH population-based cohorts and PAH center-based registries. Reviewing the epidemiology of all subtypes of PH may elucidate commonalities along the spectrum of pulmonary vascular disease and identify critical areas for future study.
Carbohydrate metabolism in the primate fetus. Studies of the placental gradient for glucose and insulin in response to intravenous saline, glucose, and glucagon injections.

Abstract Plasma insulin and blood glucose were measured in the mother and fetus of Macaca mulatta at 150 to 156 days of gestation. The physiologic acute preparation included placement of polyvinyl catheters within the inferior vena cava of both mother and fetus under pentobarbital anesthesia. In 27 fasting maternal-fetal paired samples, there was a significant correlation for glucose but none for insulin. With intravenous fetal injections the data show that the fetal pancreatic beta cells are unresponsive to saline and glucose and, apparently, unresponsive to glucagon.
Exploration of Empirical Calculation Method About Tailwater Level in Gezhouba Hydropower Station

Aiming at guiding reasonable scheduling of TGP-GP step power station,with giving thorough consideration to the asynchrony between tailwater level and storage outflow,this paper puts forward a recursive empirical method for the calculation of tailwater level,which is based on the regulation of tailwater level decreasing in exponential order and takes outflow as input factor.The results show that the empirical method can improve accuracy and precision by 20.8% and 36.8% in calculation of tailwater level.In addition,it is superior to tailwater level hydrograph method in the following fields: probability of minimum error occurs,duration of big error,and occurring times of extreme big error.
Medial Patella Subluxation: Diagnosis and Treatment

Medial patella subluxation is a disabling condition typically associated with previous patellofemoral instability surgery. Patients often describe achy pain with painful popping episodes. They often report that the patella shifts laterally, which occurs as the medial subluxed patella dramatically shifts into the trochlear groove during early knee flexion. Physical examination is diagnostic with a positive medial subluxation test. Nonoperative treatment, such as focused physical therapy and patellofemoral stabilizing brace, is often unsuccessful. Primary surgical options include lateral retinacular repair/imbrication or lateral reconstruction. Prevention is key to avoid medial patella subluxation. When considering patellofemoral surgery, important factors include appropriate lateral release indications, consideration of lateral retinacular lengthening vs release, correct MPFL graft placement and tension, and avoiding excessive medialization during tubercle transfer. This review article will analyze patient symptoms, diagnostic exam findings and appropriate treatment options, as well as pearls to avoid this painful clinical entity.
Effects of nitrogen fertilization and maturity of bromegrass on nitrogen and amino acid utilization by cows.

Four nonlactating Holstein cows (593 kg) with ruminal cannulas were fed bromegrass hay that was fertilized with 0 or 89 kg of N/ha and harvested in the late-boot or full-head stage of maturity. Total tract apparent digestibility of N was less for full-head than for late-boot bromegrass (48 vs 64%; P less than .01) and was greater for N-fertilized than for unfertilized bromegrass (60 vs 52%, P less than .01). True N digestibility was greater (P less than .01) by cows fed late-boot hay than by those fed full-head bromegrass (85 vs 81%). Maturity did not affect N retention. Nitrogen fertilization increased N retained, both grams per day (70 vs 20; P less than .01) and as a percentage of N intake (P less than .01). Nitrogen and amino acid disappearance kinetics were determined in situ. Rate constants for N disappearance within rapidly and slowly degraded pools were not different among treatments, but because late-boot had a larger proportion of N in the rapidly degraded pool, overall disappearance rate for N was faster (P less than .05) for late-boot than for full-head bromegrass (12.0 vs 7.1 %/h). Treatment effects observed for individual amino acids were similar to those found for N. Both composition and kinetic data were needed to explain differences in N digestion and balance. Distribution of N within the forage had profound effects on the N economy of the cows.
Expanded Porphyrins as Two-Dimensional Porous Membranes for CO2 Separation.

Porphyrin-based two-dimensional polymers have uniform micropores and close to atom-thin thicknesses, but they have not been explored for gas separation. Herein we design various expanded porphyrin derivatives for their potential application in membrane gas separation, using CO2/N2 as an example. Pore sizes are determined based on both van der Waals radii and electron density distribution. Potential energy curves for CO2 and N2 passing through are mapped by dispersion-corrected density functional theory calculations. The passing-through barriers are used to evaluate CO2/N2 separation selectivity. Promising subunits for CO2 separation have been selected from the selectivity estimates. 2D membranes composed of amethyrin derivatives are shown to have high ideal selectivity on the order of 106 for CO2/N2 separation. Classical molecular dynamics simulation yields a permeance of 104–105 GPU for CO2 through extended 2D membranes based on amethyrin derivatives. This work demonstrates that porphyrin systems could o...
PATHWAYS FOR OPTIMIZATION-BASED DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS AND DEVICES

Abstract Drug synthesis and discovery represents today one of the most rapidly evolving scientific areas. This is primarily due to the interdisciplinary collaboration between chemists, pharmacologists, molecular biologists, and biochemists. A direct implication of the developments in drug discovery is the need for novel drug delivery systems and devices. Considering the advances in engineering disciplines and micro/nano technology the potential for producing new drug delivery devices is substantial. Notably, so is the necessity of these devices in creating solid commercial value propositions for the medical markets. In this work we present research results related to embedding optimization-based control on-a-chip for drug delivery applications.
Regional Distribution of Some Cretaceous Rotaliporidae and Globotrucanidae (Foraminiferida) within North America

A comparison of Upper Cretaceous planktonic Foraminifera from the Pacific Coast with those of the Atlantic Coast and Gulf-Caribbean regions provides new information on the stratigraphic and paleographic distribution of Praeglobotruncana, Hedbergella, Globotruncana and Rugoglobigerina. Late Cretaceous planktonic Foraminifera were neither universally nor ubiquitously distributed. Genera ranged widely during the Turonian to early Maestrichtian but some species were restricted geographically. Many early Upper Cretaceous taxa were cosmopolitan but apparently did not extend into high latitudes. On the West Coast endemism within the Coniacian faunas is marked among the Globotruncanidae and less pronounced in the Rotaliporidae. Campanian to early Maestrichtian planktonic faunas in North America contain many cosmopolitan globotruncanids. Late Maestrichtian planktonic index Foraminifera become increasingly restricted to the Tethyan region suggesting a retreat of the tropics. Faunas of this age are not recognized in the Pacific Coast. Planktonic Foraminifera provide an excellent basis for stratigraphic correlations between the Pacific Coast and the Gulf-Caribbean region for strata of Cenomanian Turonian and Campanian-early Maestrichtian age. Thirty-two species of the families Rotaliporidae and Globotruncanidae from California are systematically described and illustrated.
Net Health Benefit: Positive for CAC Scanning

![Figure][1] ![Figure][1] ![Figure][1] Detecting unrecognized coronary artery disease (CAD) and estimating its risk of adverse events is a major responsibility for clinicians, and differentiating asymptomatic subjects at risk for atherosclerosis from those not at risk accounts
Deciphering functional glycosaminoglycan motifs in development

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) such as heparan sulfate, chondroitin/dermatan sulfate, and keratan sulfate are linear glycans, which when attached to protein backbones form proteoglycans. GAGs are essential components of the extracellular space in metazoans. Extensive modifications of the glycans such as sulfation, deacetylation and epimerization create structural GAG motifs. These motifs regulate protein-protein interactions and are thereby repsonsible for many of the essential functions of GAGs. This review focusses on recent genetic approaches to characterize GAG motifs and their function in defined signaling pathways during development. We discuss a coding approach for GAGs that would enable computational analyses of GAG sequences such as alignments and the computation of position weight matrices to describe GAG motifs.
International Trade Patterns in the Global Electronics Industry

In Chapter 2, we observed a clear trend in world economic development in the 1980s. This trend was characterized by the increasing economic power of Japan, Germany, and the newly industrialized countries of Asia, and by the eroding economic strength of the United States and the countries of Western Europe. The world’s changing economic conditions were also reflected in changes of national competitive positions in the high-technology industries, including the global electronics industry. In Chapter 3, we will examine global market challenges to the electronics industry in the United States and Western Europe.
On the modeling of dispersed particulate flows using a multified model

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the selected computational and modeling issues associated with the usage of multifield modeling framework to perform computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of multiphase flows. An approach is proposed to resolve an apparent multifield modeling inconsistency of an induced shear–stress correction term. The implementation of this correction term and other convergence improving algorithms into the NPHASE solver is also discussed. The range of applications and accuracy of predictions of the multifield model strongly depend on the degree to which the closure laws. The results of model testing are shown for dispersed particulate flows in a variety of geometries, such as straight pipes, a U-bend, and a helical tube.
The Cellular Actions of Glucocorticoids in Relation to Human Neoplasms

Two fundamental concepts concerning the actions of steroid hormones seem to be generally agreed upon. The first is that steroids are inducers, inducers of various specific macromolecules in appropriate target cells. To cite but a few examples, in liver and in certain cultured hepatoma cells, glucocorticoids induce increased synthesis of specific enzymes, such as tryptophan oxygenase and tyrosine aminotransferase (1–3). In immature chicks, estrogens provoke growth, as well as increased specific RNA and protein synthesis (ovalbumin) in target cells (4,5). In rat uterus overall increased growth and specific protein synthesis are induced by estrogen (4,5). Dihydrotestosterone induces several enzymes in rat kidney (6), and progesterone induces avidin in estrogen-primed chick oviduct (7). The list is long (8), and the point seems clear. Steroids are inducers of proteins, DNA, and all the various major classes of RNA. Not all effects are seen in all tissues, of course. The differentiated nature of various cell types defines whether they respond at all to steroids, and if so, to which steroids with which responses. The elements responsible for such specificity and differentiation raise the second fundamental concept in steroid hormone action.
Mechanical Stretch Rapidly Activates Multiple Signaling Pathways in Cardiac Myocytes

In living animals, many types of cells are normally exposed to a variety of internal and external forces. Although it is well known that mechanical forces cause a variety of effects on the structure and function of the cells, little is known as to how mechanical stimuli are converted into intracellular signals of gene regulation (reviewed in Ingber, 1991; Vandenburgh, 1992).
Immune response gene control of T dependent reactivity to collagen in man.

T dependent reactivity controlled by immune response (Ir) genes in rodents exhibits the following three characteristics. (1–3) First, it is dependent on interactions between T cells and antigen presenting accessory cells (conveniently referred to here as MO). Second, the reactivity is directed against determinants inherent in either synthetic polypeptides or limited regions of globular proteins. Third, the reactivity is controlled by genes present in the immune response (Ir) locus of the major histocompatibility complex.
Preparation of Structurally Diverse Compounds from the Natural Product Lycorine

The synthesis of a 52-member compound collection from the natural product lycorine is reported, highlighted by divergent cross-coupling and substitution strategies and an unusual ring rearrangement induced by reaction with aryne intermediates.
Emerging evidence linking the gut microbiome to neurologic disorders

The gut microbiome contributes to the development and function of the immune, metabolic, and nervous systems. Furthermore, commensal bacteria modulate symptoms and pathology in mouse models of neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental diseases. Uncovering mechanisms that are utilized by the microbiome to mediate gut–brain connections may provide novel opportunities to target therapies to the gut in order to treat neurologic disorders.
Parent-Adolescent Agreement About Adolescent's Suicidal Thoughts: A Divergence.

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for adolescents.1–3 Much recent research has been focused on our understanding of risk and protective factors. Central to suicide prevention is recognizing those at the greatest risk and implementing targeted interventions. To help identify risk, we often rely on what parents tell us.4 How valid are these reports? That is the question that Jones et al5 address in their study “Parent-Adolescent Agreement About Adolescent’s Suicidal Thoughts” in this issue of Pediatrics . Previous studies have identified a lack of parental awareness about youth suicidal ideation6–10 or knowledge of their overall psychopathology7,11; however, small sample numbers limit the generalizability of these earlier studies. In their study, Jones et al5 help expand these findings in a cohort of 5137 adolescents from 11 to 17 years of age recruited from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort nonclinical sample. Concordance among parent and adolescent responses to questions such as, “Have you ever thought about killing yourself?” and “Have you ever thought a lot … Address correspondence to Jacqueline Grupp-Phelan, MPH, MD, Division of Emergency Medicine, University of California, San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital, 550 16th St #5152, San Francisco, CA 94158. E-mail: jacqueline.grupp-phelan{at}ucsf.edu
Influence of 3d transition-metal substitution on the oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalysis of ternary nitrides in acid

The development of non-precious, acid-stable, oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts can significantly aid the commercialization of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). We report a survey of the ORR electrocatalysis on 3d metal substituted (M = Mn, Fe, Co) molybdenum and tungsten nitrides in acidic environments. We find that molybdate catalysts are more active than tungstates, with the specific activity depending on the chemistry of the substituted 3d metal. In both families, more electronegative 3d metals led to higher ORR activity (i.e., Co > Fe > Mn). We attribute this result to the ability of the more electronegative 3d metal to withdraw electrons from the Mo- or W-based active sites, effectively oxidizing the metal centers of the catalysts. Based on our observation, future nitride ORR electrocatalysts can be further optimized by oxidizing the Mo sites further by, for example, adding even more electronegative dopant metals or incorporating anion vacancies.
Social marketing meets interactive media

Advertisers involved with social marketing are beginning to recognise the sea change that is coming due to the spread of interactive media usage throughout many subpopulations of interest. Unfortunately, models of how social marketing theory and practice shold evolve have not been forthcoming, severely limiting the development of appropriate media usage strategies. This paper seeks to resolve this dilemma, in part, via discussion of how social marketing goals and objectives are challenged and advanced in this new environment. Advertisers must face inherent opportunities and challenges, as failure to do so will leave social agendas unfinished or unresolved, particularly as new and younger generations become principal targets.
Fan cooling after cardiovascular drift does not reverse decrements in maximal oxygen uptake during heat stress

Cardiovascular (CV) drift, the progressive increase in heart rate (HR) and decrease in stroke volume (SV) during constant rate, moderate intensity exercise, is related to reduced maximal oxygen upt...
County-level associations between tobacco retailer density and smoking prevalence in the USA, 2012

Abstract We examine whether county-level tobacco retailer density and adult smoking prevalence are positively associated in the United States and determine whether associations differ in metropolitan vs. nonmetropolitan counties. We merged a list of likely tobacco retailers from the 2012 National Establishment Time-Series with smoking prevalence data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for 2828 US counties, as well as state tobacco policy information and county-level demographic data for the same year. We modeled adult smoking prevalence as a function of tobacco retailer density, accounting for clustering of counties within states. Average density in US counties was 1.25 retailers per 1000 people (range = 0.3–4.5). Smoking prevalence was 0.86 percentage points higher in the most retailer-dense counties, compared to the least. This association, however, was only significant for metropolitan counties. Metropolitan counties in the highest tobacco retailer density quartile had smoking prevalence levels that were 1.9 percentage points higher than metropolitan counties in the lowest density quartile. Research should examine whether policies limiting the quantity, type and location of tobacco retailers could reduce smoking prevalence.
Clinician Use and Payments by Medical Specialty for Audiometric and Vestibular Testing Among US Medicare Beneficiaries

Importance Variations in diagnostic test use may indicate that there are opportunities for quality improvement in vestibular health care. To date, the extent to which clinician acquisition of tests varies nationwide by region and specialty of the clinician is unknown. Objective To quantify variation in clinician use and payments for audiograms and vestibular tests across all geographic regions of the United States and by specialty of practice. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study used a population-based sample of 1 307 887 audiovestibular test claims from fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years or older in the Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Public Use File from January 1 through December 31, 2014. The analysis was completed from January 2 through June 1, 2019. Exposures Diagnostic audiograms, caloric testing, and rotary chair testing. Main Outcomes and Measures Test utilization was analyzed by hospital referral region, medical specialty, and total payments. Results In 2014, clinicians performed 1 213 328 audiograms, 317 880 caloric tests (ie, single caloric irrigations), and 62 779 rotary chair tests, for a total of $38 647 350.21 in Medicare payments from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. No patient or clinician demographic characteristics were available. Across health care referral regions, rates of testing per 100 000 beneficiaries varied from 166 to 12 021 for audiograms, 15 to 4271 for caloric tests, and 13 to 3556 for rotary chair tests between the lowest-use and highest-use regions. Most audiograms and caloric tests were billed by audiologists (797 957 audiograms [65.8%]; 112 485 caloric tests [35.4%]) and otolaryngologists (376 728 audiograms [31.0%]; 70 567 caloric tests [22.2%]). In contrast, primary care physicians (18 933 [30.2%]) and neurologists (15 254 [24.3%]) billed the largest proportion of rotary chair tests compared with other specialists, including audiologists (7253 [11.6%]) and otolaryngologists (6464 [10.3%]). Conclusions and Relevance Substantial geographic and clinician-level variation may have been observed in use of audiovestibular tests. Quality improvement efforts in vestibular health care may need to target a range of clinicians, including primary care physicians to be successful.
Cooperation and Cheating through a Secreted Aminopeptidase in the Pseudomonas aeruginosa RpoS Response

The global stress response controlled by the alternative sigma factor RpoS protects enteric bacteria from a variety of environmental stressors. The role of RpoS in other, nonenteric bacteria, such as the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is less well understood. Here, we employed experimental social evolution to reveal that cooperative behavior via secreted public goods is an important function in the RpoS response of P. aeruginosa Using whole-genome sequencing, we identified rpoS loss-of-function mutants among isolates evolved in a protein growth medium that requires extracellular proteolysis. We found that rpoS mutants comprise up to 25% of the evolved population and that they behave as social cheaters, with low fitness in isolation but high fitness in mixed culture with the cooperating wild type. We conclude that rpoS mutants cheat because they exploit an RpoS-controlled public good produced by the wild type, the secreted aminopeptidase PaAP, and because they do not carry the metabolic costs of expressing PaAP and many other gene products in the large RpoS regulon. Our results suggest that PaAP is an integral part of a proteolytic sequence in P. aeruginosa that permits the utilization of protein as a nutrient source. Our work broadens the scope of stress response functions in bacteria.IMPORTANCE Bacterial stress responses are generally considered protective measures taken by individual cells. Enabled by an experimental evolution approach, we describe a contrasting property, collective nutrient acquisition, in the RpoS-dependent stress response of the opportunistic human pathogen P. aeruginosa Specifically, we identify the secreted P. aeruginosa aminopeptidase (PaAP) as an essential RpoS-controlled function in extracellular proteolysis. As a secreted "public good," PaAP permits cheating by rpoS mutants that save the metabolic costs of expressing RpoS-controlled genes dispensable under the given growth conditions. Proteolytic enzymes are important virulence factors in P. aeruginosa pathogenesis and constitute a potential target for antimicrobial therapy. More broadly, our work contributes to recent findings in higher organisms that stress affects not only individual fitness and competitiveness but also cooperative behavior.
Possible association of sialolithiasis with HIV infection and highly active antiretroviral therapy: A case report

Although there appears to be an overall trend of diminishing oral manifestations of HIV infection, evidence is emerging on the increased incidence of concomitant parotid gland enlargement and xerostomia. Furthermore, several case narrations and a limited series have suggested a possible association of sialolithiasis with highly active antiretroviral therapy, mostly involving the parotid gland. The aim of this report is to present a patient with a giant sialolith of the submandibular gland following a 27-year intake of various antiretrovirals for HIV infection and review the relevant literature.