cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Current views of pediatric B cell precursor acute leucoyteic leukemia.

Abstract The most common type cancer prevailing in pediatric patients worldwide is acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The characteristic feature of this cancer is the accumulation of immature lymphoid cell in the bone marrow. Further a subtype of ALL namely B-cell precursor (BCP)-ALL has raised in the recent years and is the most common subtype of ALL prevalent in children worldwide. The present review article will put light on the current aspects of BCP ALL including etiology, causative factors, diagnostic and treatment.
What we can learn from families experiences of family therapy in an adolescent mental health day program setting

Objective: Over the past 50 years Family Therapy has become a widely used treatment approach for emotional and behavioural problems in children and within families [Sargent, 1997. Family therapy in...
Effect of Bud3 phosphorylation site mutations on bud site selection and cell cycle progression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the protein Bud3 is important in bud site selection. It localizes to the mother-bud neck, where it promotes the axial pattern of budding, wherein a new bud forms next to the bud scar left by the previous cell division. It also localizes the cyclin protein Clb2 to the bud neck, which is important for normal cell cycle progression, including mitotic exit and cytokinesis. We studied the effects of Bud3 phosphorylation site mutations on bud site selection and cell cycle progression. Our study included both alanine mutants, which are nonphosphorylatable, and aspartate/glutamate mutants, which constitutively mimic phosphorylation. To observe bud site selection, we used calcofluor white staining and fluorescence microscopy to visualize bud scars for single, double, and triple mutants. For cell cycle progression, we arrested the cells in G1 using alpha-factor mating pheromone, released them from the arrest, and analyzed budding state over time from 0-180 min using brightfield microscopy. Our results indicate that phosphorylation of Bud3 has a small, but statistically significant effect on bud site selection. The triple alanine mutation combination resulted in decreased axial budding, while aspartate/glutamate mutants showed no significant change in budding pattern. Additionally, we found that phosphorylation does affect cell cycle progression: the triple alanine mutant strain had a delay in budding after release from G1 arrest that persisted through the following cell cycle; in contrast, the triple aspartate/glutamate phosphomimetic mutant strain budded with normal timing and actually progressed more quickly through the cell cycle than the wildtype (WT) strain, possibly indicating division at a smaller-than-normal cell size.
Psychological correlates of interest in genetic testing among Korean American adoptees and their parents

Adopted persons increasingly have turned to genetic testing to obtain health information or to search for birth family. The present study investigated psychological factors that may contribute to interest among adoptees and their parents in genetic testing for the adoptee, including adoptees' ethnic identity development, their thoughts or curiosity about birth family (birth family thoughts), and the interaction of these two factors. Data were drawn from the second wave of a longitudinal study, conducted in 2014, on transracially, transnationally adopted Korean American adolescents and their adoptive parents. In a sample of 106 adolescent-parent dyads, 2 adolescents (1.89%) had undergone genetic testing. Among the dyads in which adolescents had not sought genetic testing, 47.12% of adolescents and 43.27% of parents indicated interest in genetic testing for the adolescent adoptee. Adolescents' interest in genetic testing was independent from parents' interest. Neither adolescent psychological adjustment nor physical health was related to interest in genetic testing in either adolescents or parents. Adolescents' birth family thoughts were related to adolescents' interest in genetic testing, but not to parents' interest in genetic testing for their child. This study showed ethnic identity exploration and resolution moderated the relationship between birth family thoughts and adolescents' interest in genetic testing. Results point to the relevance of birth family thoughts and identity development to genetic testing in transnational and transracial adolescent adoptees.
The Medicinal Value of Gold and Silver

On the basis of extensive study of literature,we summed up the medicinal value and pharmacological functions of gold and silver,and put forward our views on the further research and development of these metals. Key words: Gold; Silver; Medicinal Value
Buying Buddha, Selling Rumi: Orientalism and the Mystical Marketplace: by Sophia Rose Arjana, London, Oneworld, 2020, x + 306 pp, US$25 (paperback), ISBN 1-78607-771-4

Did you know that there is a self-styled “Sufi order” that revolves around the poetry of William Blake and other Western writers? Members of this secretive order are said to read poetry in the nude...
Measuring the Worth of Social Good: Valuation in an Emergent Non-profit Social Enterprise

Non-profit social enterprises address social problems with business models. This paper examines the founding years of an early non-profit social enterprise in the United States to highlight the rol...
PIM kinases mediate resistance to cisplatin chemotherapy in hepatoblastoma.

Despite increasing incidence, treatment for hepatoblastoma has not changed significantly over the past 20 years. Chemotherapeutic strategies continue to rely on cisplatin, as it remains the most active single agent against hepatoblastoma. However, chemoresistance remains a significant challenge with 54–80% of patients developing resistance to chemotherapy after 4–5 cycles of treatment. Stem cell-like cancer cells (SCLCCs) are a subset of cells thought to play a role in chemoresistance and disease recurrence. We have previously demonstrated that Proviral Integration site for Moloney murine leukemia virus (PIM) kinases, specifically PIM3, play a role in hepatoblastoma cell proliferation and tumor growth and maintain the SCLCC phenotype. Here, we describe the development of a cisplatin-resistant hepatoblastoma xenograft model of the human HuH6 cell line and a patient-derived xenograft, COA67. We provide evidence that these cisplatin-resistant cells are enriched for SCLCCs and express PIM3 at higher levels than cisplatin-naive cells. We demonstrate that PIM inhibition with AZD1208 sensitizes cisplatin-resistant hepatoblastoma cells to cisplatin, enhances cisplatin-mediated apoptosis, and decreases the SCLCC phenotype seen with cisplatin resistance. Together, these findings indicate that PIM inhibition may be a promising adjunct in the treatment of hepatoblastoma to effectively target SCLCCs and potentially decrease chemoresistance and subsequent disease relapse.
Towards enabling unmanned aerial vehicles as a service for heterogeneous applications

The increasing use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in various commercial applications, such as precision agriculture and aerial remote sensing, is fast contributing to a significant growth in the UAV market. Also, it is crucial to provide continuous coverage after failures of wireless network components or additional bandwidth in high traffic situations. By introducing the concept of UAVs as a service (UaaS), we propose a novel framework, dubbed D 3 S, consisting of four phases: Demand, decision, deployment, and service. The main objective of this framework is to provide a realistic and streamlined approach to support the implementation of the UaaS paradigm. The technical problems involved include determining the type and number of UAVs to be deployed and their final locations (e.g., hovering or on-ground). They also include the trajectory planning, possibly several times, between charging stations and deployment locations. We present the application of the D 3 S framework to two case studies with the goal of providing wireless connectivity services to (i) static users after failures of wireless network components, including long-term and short-term failures, and (ii) dynamic users in wireless relaying systems.
The Coyote Project: Framework for Multi-party E-Commerce

The Internet provides the opportunity for quickly setting up deals between businesses for promoting each other's products, and to jointly offer new services. Specification and enforcement of such deals stretch traditional transaction processing concepts in several directions since they involve independent businesses with their own internal processes. First, the greater variability in response time in business to business interaction creates a need for asynchronous and event-driven processing, in which correct handling of reissued and cancelled requests is critical. Second, a new transaction processing paradigm is required that supports different views of a unit of business for all participants, i.e., service providers as well as end consumers. Between any two interacting parties, there may be several related interactions dispersed in time, creating a long running conversation. This paper describes our approach (Coyote) to solving these problems including use of a service contract for specifying the rules of interaction across businesses, and directly generating code for enforcement of the contract. We finally describe the architecture and a prototype of a system which implements the Coyote concepts.
Phylogeny of xanthopygine rove beetles (Coleoptera) based on six molecular loci

The rove beetle subtribe Xanthopygina (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Staphylinini) is a species-rich group of 27 neotropical genera that contains some of the largest and most brightly coloured of all staphylinid beetles. The monophyly of the subtribe has never been tested before, using a large dataset of taxa and genes. Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses are used on individual genes (COI, 28S rDNA, wingless, arginine kinase, CAD and topoisomerase I) and the partitioned concatenated dataset to test for monophyly and examine the relationships among Xanthopygina genera. Xanthopygina (excluding Philothalpus) are shown to be a monophyletic group with strong support values. The genus Philothalpus is removed from Xanthopygina and placed in the tribe Staphylinini as incertae sedis. Four distinct clades of Xanthopygina genera are recognized. The origin of Xanthopygina is hypothesized to be in the Late Cretaceous or later and the origin of myrmecophilous adaptations is discussed.
EFFECT OF THE TEMPERATURE OF GROWTH OF ESCHERICHIA COLI ON THE FORMATION OF β-GALACTOSIDASE

Marr, Allen G. (University of California, Davis), John L. Ingraham, and Craig L. Squires. Effect of the temperature of growth of Escherichia coli on the formation of β-galactosidase. J. Bacteriol. 87:356–362. 1964.—The synthesis of β-galactosidase was measured during exponential growth of Escherichia coli in a succinate-minimal medium over a temperature range of 10 to 43 C for the following: (i) a constitutive strain, and (ii) an inducible cryptic strain, induced maximally with isopropyl-thio-β-d-galactopyranoside (IPTG), or induced submaximally with IPTG. The differential rates of synthesis of β-galactosidase were identical for the constitutive strain and for the fully induced strain; the rates were constant from 20 to 43 C, and decreased progressively with a decrease in temperature below 20 C. Thus, in the absence of specific repression, the ability of E. coli to produce β-galactosidase decreases at low temperature. The differential rate of the submaximally induced culture was minimal between 20 and 30 C, and increased progressively with temperature both above 30 C and below 20 C. That the repressor concentration is maximal at 20 C was established by measuring the rate of induced synthesis of β-galactosidase as a function of the concentration of IPTG; the relative concentrations of repressor were 1.00:3.28:0.25 at 40, 20, and 10 C, respectively. After an abrupt change in temperature, the differential rate of a submaximally induced culture changed gradually to the rate of the steady state, which is in agreement with the proposal that the effect of temperature is on the concentration of repressor and not on the equilibrium between repressor and its site of action. The effect of temperature on catabolic repression was determined by comparing the differential rate of synthesis of β-galactosidase by a constitutive strain grown in succinate-minimal medium with the rate in glucose-minimal medium at various temperatures; the ratio of the rates in the two media decreased progressively and approached 2.0 as the temperature of growth was increased.
ABLATION OF VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA DUE TO A POSTINFARCT VENTRICULAR SEPTAL DEFECT : IDENTIFICATION AND TRANSECTION OF A BROAD REENTRY LOOP

Outer Loop Tachycardia. Introduction: Ventricular tachycardia (VT) alter postinfarct ventricular septal defect (VSD) repair has not been well characterized. Methods and Results: A 55-year-old man developed refractory VT after inferior wall infarction and VSD repair. Entrainment demonstrated a broad reentry circuit path (outer loop) between the tricuspid annulus and VSD patch. A series of radiofrequency (RF) lesions transected this path, abolishing VI’ and producing conduction block between the inferior and superior aspects of the basal right ventricular septum. Conclusion: Some VTs have broad reentry loops requiring ablation by a series of RF lesions across the path to create a line of block. This approach is analogous to that for atrial flutter.
Segmentation of images of skin lesions using color and texture information of surface pigmentation

Abstract Image segmentation algorithms extract regions on the basis of similarity of a predefined image feature such as gray-level value. In many applications, images that exhibit a variety of structure or texture cannot be adequately segmented by gray-level values alone. Additional features related to the structure of the image are needed to segment such images. Images of skin lesions exhibit significant variations in color hues as well as geometrical appearance of local surface structure. For example, images of cutaneous malignant melanoma exhibit a rich combination of color and geometrical structure of pigmentation. In these images, the local repetition of the geometrical surface structure provides the basis for the appearance of a texture pattern in the neighborhood region. For obtaining meaningful segmentation of images of skin lesions, a multichannel segmentation algorithm is proposed in this paper which uses both gray-level intensity and texture-based features for region extraction. The intensity-based segmentation is obtained using the modified pyramid-based region extraction algorithm. The texture-based segmentation is obtained by a bilevel shifted-window processing algorithm that uses new generalized co-occurrence matrices. The results of individual segmentations obtained from different channels, representing the complete set of color and texture information, are analyzed using heuristic merging rules to obtain the final color- and texture-based segmentation. Simulated as well as real images of skin lesions, representing various color shades and textures, have been processed,. We show that using contrast link information in the pyramid-based region extraction process, and using the absolute magnitude and directional information in the generalized co-occurrence matrices (GCM) method, significant improvement in image segmentation can be obtained. Further, by incorporating the merging rules better results are obtained than those obtained using the gray-level intensity feature alone.
Poincaré-invariant Lee model.

A relativistic generalization of the Lee model is developed within the framework of light-front dynamics. The model describes three particles {ital V}, {ital N}, and {theta} interacting through the virtual process {ital V}{r reversible}{ital N}+{theta}, with no antiparticles present. The model consists of ten generators which satisfy the commutation relations of the Poincare group. The Lorentz invariance of the {ital S}-matrix elements that arise is demonstrated. The dressed {ital V}-particle state is given, and the integral equations that arise in the {theta}{ital V}-{theta}{theta}{ital N} sector are derived. The interacting spin operator for the model is analyzed in some detail. The integral equations for the {theta}{ital V}-{theta}{theta}{ital N} sector are transformed to a new picture and a partial-wave analysis of the transformed equations is carried out. It is shown that the {theta}{ital V} elastic scattering amplitudes can be obtained from the solution of uncoupled, one-dimensional integral equations. The model has many of the features of few-particle systems involving pions and nucleons and moreover provides insight into dealing with the interacting angular momentum operators of light-front dynamics.
Interphotoreceptor contacts at the inner segment level in primate retinas

Just sclerad to the external limiting membrane of the retina of the monkey (M. fasciculata), short processes from some foveolal and foveal cone inner segments made dense contacts with each other and at the same level of peripheral human retina similar rod-cone and rod-rod contacts were observed.
Gender and Sexuality in Modern Chinese History: Sexuality and the Other

The People's Government is really something No longer do we comb up our hair but wear it in a bun With our headdress removed, we are free and easy With flowers in our hair, oh so pretty. Local customs are really no good The headdress and long vest, no sleeves for one's arms In this new era we must change our style Three bamboo sticks inside the headdress A headscarf made from an array of colors It's unattractive and must be reformed. Propaganda folksong, Hui’an, Fujian (Sara Friedman 2006:259–260) His clothing was crisply ironed and neat from top to bottom, and he’d applied lots of hair gel, too, so he looked like a brand-new, furled umbrella. Those eyes of his seemed like the epicenter of his body and all his energy emanated from there. A white man's eyes. Wei Hui, Shanghai Baby (2001:29–30) Encountering an unfamiliar culture, the outsider looks for difference. Nowhere is difference more easily apprehended than in the arenas of gender and sexuality. In any cross-cultural encounter, gender roles and sexuality supply a medium for clarifying and symbolizing the essential cultural differences that separate “us” from “them.” So sex – that most intimate of acts – is ironically one of the first things we think of when we imagine the remote Other. Imperial expansion aimed at economic or political conquest therefore also, and inevitably, negotiates gender relations (Stoler 1991). In the history of Western colonialism, the gender models at the civilizing center were binary and heteronormative. Encountering Chinese culture, Europeans asked: What makes women women, and what makes men men, in this place? The civilizing projects of China's own late imperial government, and of China's contemporary Communist state, posed the same questions on the borderlands and in China's heartland itself. The effect of civilizing projects, in general, has been to masculinize the dominant metropole and feminize the colonized Other, as in Wei Hui's Shanghai Baby , quoted above. But gender bending and confusion can also arise. Who is liberated, who is modern, who is moral, who is perverse? Cross-cultural encounters also pose these questions and demand answers.
Inversion of integral transforms associated with a class of perturbed heat equations

Abstract Let Lx be the Sturm-Liouville differential operator L x = −d 2 dx 2 + q(x); x ϵ (0, ∞) . We assume that Lx has either a purely discrete spectrum that is bounded from below by zero or a continuous spectrum that fills up the interval (0, ∞) with, possibly, a finite number of negative eigenvalues. The W-transform ψ of ψ(y) ϵ L2(0, ∞) is defined by ϵ (x) = ∫ 0 ∞ ϵ(y) g(x,y;1)dy , where g(x, y; t) is a function associated with the fundamental solution of the perturbed equation −L x u(x, t) = ∂u(x, t) ∂t . The main purpose of this paper is to derive an inversion formula for the W-transform. This inversion formula generalizes the known inversion formulae for the Weierstrass, Weierstrass-Hankel convolution, and Weierstrass-Laguerre transforms. The results of this paper are easily extended to the case where Lx is considered over the entire line (−∞, ∞).
Role of assessment in behavior modification.

The recent introduction of a broad range of behavior modification techniques has brought into focus several questions and issues of concern to clinicians and researchers. The particular problem dis...
Culturally Focused Batterer Counseling for African American Men

According to clinical observations and research findings in other fields, cultural issues may explain the poor outcomes associated with African American men in conventional batterer counseling. Practitioner-researchers recommend culturally focused batterer counseling as an appropriate response to these issues. Culturally focused counseling includes a curriculum that identifies specific cultural topics, counselors that respond to emergent cultural issues, and racially homogeneous groups that encourage disclosure. The outcome research on culturally sensitive counseling and racially homogeneous counseling in general is, however, very limited and offers only tentative support for culturally focused batterer counseling. Only some very preliminary research has been conducted on culturally focused batterer counseling. Clinical trial evaluations that control for cultural identification are therefore needed to substantiate the effectiveness of culturally focused batterer counseling. Other components, such as speci...
Passing a small-bore nasogastric feeding catheter.

Excerpt To the editor: We read with interest the letter "Simple Method for Passage of Small-Bore Nasogastric Feeding Catheter" in the October issue (1). Because a closed endoscopic biopsy forceps i...
An Assessment of the Cerebral Protective Effects of Etomidate in a Model of Incomplete Forebrain Ischemia in the Rat

The cerebral protective effects of etomidate were evaluated in a model of incomplete forebrain ischemia. Fourteen Wistar-Kyoto rats were anesthetized with halothane. After preparation, the rats were alloted to either the control group (halothane anesthesia, n = 7) or the etomidate group (n = 7). In the etomidate group, immediately before and during the period of ischemia, the animals received etomidate in sufficient concentration to achieve electroencephalogram burst suppression (loading dose, 7.5 mg/kg; infusion, 0.3-0.5 mg/kg/min). Both groups were subjected to a 10-minute ischemic insult accomplished by bilateral carotid artery occlusion and simultaneous hypotension (mean arterial pressure, 35 mm Hg). Histological evaluation of the brain was performed after a 4-day recovery period. Injury was evaluated in coronal brain sections in five structures: neocortex, striatum, reticular nucleus of the thalamus, and the CA1 and CA3 areas of the hippocampus. The location of the sections in the rostral-caudal axis was chosen to encompass anterior areas within the core of the ischemic territory as well as more posterior regions within the anticipated "watershed" zone between the occluded anterior and the intact posterior circulations. In the animals that received etomidate, statistically significant (P less than 0.05) reduction in the severity of the ischemic injury was observed in the CA3 area and in the ventral portion of the CA1 area of the hippocampus in the more posterior sections. There was an apparent trend toward protection in other structures in both rostral and caudal sections, but these changes were not statistically significant.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Subboreal aridity and scytonemin in the Holocene Black Sea

Abstract Many species of cyanobacteria tolerate exposure to harmful levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation by producing photoprotective pigments. Scytonemin, found in extracellular polysaccharide sheaths, is produced in abundance when terrestrial or benthic cyanobacteria are exposed to direct sunlight, such as in desert soil crusts and intertidal mats. It is exclusive to cyanobacteria and therefore can serve as a diagnostic biomarker, particularly for UV-exposure growth conditions. Here we report that it is preserved in abundance in mid-Holocene sedimentary intervals in the Black Sea, a novel deep sea occurrence that demonstrates that scytonemin is resistant to degradation during erosion and transport. C and N isotopic compositions support the interpretation that scytonemin was derived from cyanobacteria in cryptobiotic desert soil, suggestive of expanding aridity during the Subboreal Phase in the Black Sea region. Scytonemin has potential for preservation in black shales, where it may serve as an important biomarker for tracing the evolution and expansion of cyanobacterial populations, especially in association with elevated UV stress.
Exact factorization technique for numerical simulations of incompressible Navier–Stokes flows

Abstract Splitting techniques break an ill-conditioned indefinite system resulting from incompressible Navier–Stokes equations into well-conditioned subsystems, which can be solved reliably and efficiently. Apart from the ambiguity regarding numerical boundary conditions for the pressure (and for intermediate velocities, whenever introduced), splitting techniques usually incur splitting errors which reduce time accuracy. The discrete approach of approximate factorization techniques eliminates the need of numerical boundary conditions and restores time accuracy by an approximate inversion of some matrix in the case of semi-implicit time schemes. For linear implicit, non-linear implicit, and higher-order semi-implicit time schemes, however, approximate factorization techniques are laborious. In this paper, we systematically present a new and straightforward exact factorization technique. The main contributions of this work include: (1) the idea of removing the splitting error or the idea of restoring time accuracy for fully discrete systems, (2) the introduction of the pressure-update type and the pressure-correction type of exact factorization techniques for any time schemes, and (3) an analysis of several established techniques and their relations to the exact factorization technique. The exact factorization technique is implemented with a standard second-order finite volume method and is verified numerically.
Improving the visible transparency of silica aerogels

Abstract Silica alcogels have been prepared in two steps, first in an acid and then in a base to control the relative rates of hydrolysis and condensation of TEOS. Increasing the H2O/TEOS ratio in the base-catalyzed step was the most important factor in reducing light scattering of the alcogel. The two-step gel could be practically made with H2O/TEOS = 30, achieving a scattering intensity less than 1 5 that of the best one-step gel. Lower scattering of the gel results in an aerogel with improved visible transparency and more homogeneous microstructure. TEM observation reveals that the two-step aerogel has a microstructure containing both linear polymers and colloidal particles that are cross-linked to a gel network.
Identification of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against tissue plasminogen activator in the antiphospholipid syndrome.

Objective To test the hypotheses that some plasmin-reactive anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) may bind to tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and that some of the tPA-reactive aCL may inhibit tPA activity. Methods We studied the reactivity of 8 patient-derived monoclonal aCL with tPA and examined the presence of IgG anti-tPA antibodies in patients with the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). The effects of the reactive monoclonal aCL on the activity of tPA were also examined. Results Six patient-derived plasmin-reactive monoclonal aCL bound to tPA. Analysis of plasma samples revealed that 10 of 80 APS patients (12.5%) and 1 of 81 systemic lupus erythematosus patients (1.2%) had antibodies against fibrin-associated tPA, based on a cutoff value equal to the mean + 2SD of the level in 28 normal subjects. Of the 6 tPA-reactive monoclonal aCL, 2 of them (CL1 and CL15) inhibited tPA activity. Conclusion Some of the plasmin-reactive aCL in APS patients may bind to tPA. Of the tPA-reactive aCL, some (such as CL1 and CL15) may inhibit tPA activity and, thus, may be prothrombotic in the host.
What people know about Alzheimer's disease: A study of public knowledge

Given the frequent attention and focus on Alzheimer's disease by the mass media over the recent decades, it is assumed that the American public is fairly well-informed and knowledgeable about the disease. However, what the public actually knows about Alzheimer's disease and the characteristics of those persons most informed have generally remained a mystery as only afew aspects of disease awareness have been sporadically measured. Thus, this study explicitly explores the level of overall public knowledge about Alzheimer's disease measured through survey research based on a nationally representative sample of 1498 persons age 45 and over. The Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Test (ADAT) was developed and utilized with 17 items dealing with disease etiology, symptoms, and misconceptions. While almost everyone (91 percent) has heard of AD, there are wide gaps in disease knowledge among a significant portion of the public. Two tiers of knowledge arefound to exist indicating the different types of information kno...
Concerns about appearing prejudiced get under the skin: Stress responses to interracial contact in the moment and across time

Abstract Many White Americans are concerned about appearing prejudiced. How these concerns affect responses during actual interracial interactions, however, remains understudied. The present work examines stress responses to interracial contact—both in the moment, during interracial interactions (Study 1), and over time as individuals have repeated interracial contact (Study 2). Results of Study 1 revealed that concerns about appearing prejudiced were associated with heightened stress responses during interracial encounters (Study 1). White participants concerned about appearing prejudiced exhibited significant increases in cortisol “stress hormone” levels as well as increases in anxious behavior during interracial but not same-race contact. Participants relatively unconcerned about appearing prejudiced did not exhibit these stress responses. Study 2 examined stress responses to interracial contact over an entire academic year. Results revealed that White participants exhibited shifts in cortisol diurnal rhythms on days after interracial contact. Moreover, participants' cortisol rhythms across the academic year, from fall to spring, were related to their concerns about appearing prejudiced and their interracial contact experiences. Taken together, these data offer the first evidence that chronic concerns about appearing prejudiced are related to short- and longer-term stress responses to interracial contact. Implications for life in diverse spaces are discussed.
Novel solution processing of high efficiency earth abundant CZTSSe solar cells

We present a novel solution-based approach to process CZTSSe absorbers with molecular-level homogeneity. These devices have achieved 8.08 % power conversion efficiency using fully dissolved hydrazine-based CZTS precursor complexes in which each of the elemental constituents are mixed on the molecular level. The nature of the newly developed hydrazine precursor complexes enables a kinetically favorable reaction route to form kesterite CZTS at temperatures as low as 250 °C. Structural and optoelectronic characterization of the as-prepared CZTS films indicates the robustness of this approach in forming single phase Kesterite CZTS with the flexibility to tailor the band gap between 1.0 to 1.5 eV. The low processing temperatures and excellent film homogeneity imply that with further development this technology may be suitable for the large-scale manufacturing of uniform films and high performance devices.
Shields M., Carroll M.D., Ogden C.L. Adult Obesity Prevalence in Canada and the United States. NCHS Data Brief no. 56, Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2011

This brief report provides for the first time important data characterizing obesity rates (and changes thereof) for American and Canadian residents over the past 2 decades. Key findings are: 1) current prevalence of obesity is lower in Canada than in the United States, especially among non-Hispanic white individuals; 2) obesity rates have increased in both countries; and 3) obesity rates among young and middle-aged Canadian women are now similar to those observed in U.S. women 20 y ago. Clearly, preventing Canadian obesity prevalence rates from reaching those of the United States and reversing unhealthy U.S. obesity trends will continue to be major public health priorities in the decades to come.
An acquired B antigen associated with Proteus vulgaris infection.

. A group A1 patient was found to have a weak B antigen present on his cells with an anti-B in his serum. Another weaker T-like antigen was also present on the cells. Both these antigens were transient and associated with a Proteus vulgaris bacteremia. The acquired B antigen was shown to react with a specific fraction of anti-B which was missing from the patient's anti-B. The relevance of this and the theories of B antigen acquisition through bacteria are discussed.
Three-Dimensional Nanostructure Construction via Nanografting: Positive and Negative Pattern Transfer

Three-dimensional nanostructures can be constructed using scanning probe lithography in combination with selective surface reactions. This letter introduces a successful approach using AFM-based nanografting to produce two-dimensional nanopatterns within self-assembled monolayer resists. These nanopatterns serve as an anchor to construct nanostructures in the third dimension via surface reactions. In this way, the nanometer-scale 2D pattern is transferred to chemically distinct 3D nanostructures. This approach offers the advantages of high spatial precision and selectivity in pattern transfer.
Overnight rostral fluid shift in obstructive sleep apnea: does it affect the severity of sleep-disordered breathing?

Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder with multifactorial pathogenesis. It has been proposed that rostral fluid displacement contributes to the pathogenesis of OSA. We hypothesized that if fluid shift is an important factor in OSA, then it would be more severe during the second one-half of the night when there is maximally displaced fluid rostrally. Methods We prospectively enrolled 135 patients who underwent polysomnography. Neck and leg circumferences were measured to determine rostral fluid shift in recumbent position before and after sleep study. Breathing disturbance index (BDI) was derived for non-rapid eye movement sleep during the first and second one-half of the night in the same position. Results Sixty-five patients with demonstrable rostral fluid shift overnight were included in the analyses. Thirty-two (age, 52.5 ± 2.2 years) had OSA with a mean BDI of 27 ± 3/h (range, 5-80/h), whereas the other 33 with mainly upper airway resistance syndrome (age, 48.7 ± 2.4 years) had a BDI of 13 ± 2/h. Patients in both groups were obese. There was a statistically significant increase in neck circumference in patients with OSA (41.5 ± 0.8 to 42.6 ± 0.7 cm, P Conclusions There is a significant fluid shift rostrally to the neck overnight in patients with and without OSA. However, this fluid shift is not associated with worsening of OSA, thus making it unlikely that fluid displacement is a contributing factor in the pathogenesis or severity of OSA.
Holographic Twyman-Green interferometer

A dichromated gelatin off-axis Fresnel zone plate (OFZP) was designed, fabricated, and used in a new type of interferometer for optical metrology. This single hologram optical element combines the functions of a beam splitter, beam diverger, and aberrated null lens. Data presented show the successful application for an interferometric test of an f/6, 200-mm diam parabolic mirror.
MISHANDLING OF COPPER BY ALBUMIN: ROLE IN REDOX-CYCLING AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN PREECLAMPSIA PLASMA

Objective. To test the hypothesis that enhanced oxidative stress during pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia is associated with improper copper (Cu) binding by plasma albumin, resulting in enhanced Cu redox-cycling activity and that altered Cu binding, in turn, is caused by interactions of excessive amounts of free fatty acids with albumin.Study Design. We studied binding and redox-cycling activity of Cu in 17 normal pregnancy and 17 preeclampsia plasma samples. Binding of exogenous Cu in plasma samples was quantified indirectly using spectrophotometric measurements of its complex with a specific chelator of Cu(I), bathocuproine disulfonate. Redox-cycling activity of Cu in plasma samples was estimated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of ascorbate radicals formed during one-electron oxidation of ascorbate by redox-active catalytic Cu. Formation of Cu/albumin complexes in model systems in the presence and absence of fatty acids was studied using EPR spectroscopy of Cu(II)/albumin.Res...
Treatment with rituximab in benign and malignant hematologic disorders in children

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have had a major impact on the diagnosis and treatment of many disorders. First discovered in the 1980s, the original monoclonal antibodies were composed entirely of mouse protein which resulted in the development of human anti-mouse antibodies (HAMA) preventing repeated use. Advances in antibody engineering resulted in chimeric antibodies, with both human and mouse components, and more recently humanized antibodies comprised of almost all human protein (>90%)1. The reduction in the mouse components of monoclonal antibodies has allowed for these treatments to be repeated by lessening or eliminating development of human anti-mouse antibodies. Tens of thousands of monoclonal antibodies have been produced but less than 20 have been licensed for use in patients in the United States. Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody specific for CD20, an antigen expressed on B cells. In 1997, it was the third monoclonal antibody approved by the FDA following OKT3 and abciximab. The efficacy of rituximab for the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s B cell lymphoma and its relative lack of toxicity lead to its incorporation in most standard treatment protocols for B cell lymphomas and its use in a wide spectrum of B cell disorders, including autoimmune diseases and other malignancies2. Over 540,000 patients have been treated with rituximab worldwide, primarily for B cell lymphomas3. There are only two monoclonal antibodies that have been more widely used, both of which are also chimeric: abciximab, an anti-integrin used in more than one million cardiac patients, and infliximab, an anti-TNF-alpha used in approximately 770,000 patients with Crohn disease and rheumatoid arthritis4. Although rituximab has been widely used in adults for 10 years, studies in the pediatric population are limited and include primarily case reports, small retrospective and small prospective cohort studies. Specifically, there have been no randomized controlled studies of the safety or efficacy of rituximab in children. The package insert states that rituximab has not been studied in children, however, rituximab has been explored in children for a number of hematologic conditions including autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), antibodies to factors VIII and IX, post transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD), pre B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and B cell non Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL). This paper will review the current literature on these uses of rituximab in children including articles and abstracts through July 2006.
Effect of helium on swelling and microstructural evolution in ion-irradiated V-15Cr-5Ti alloy

Abstract The effect of helium implantation on the swelling and microstructural evolution in the V-15Cr-5Ti alloy was determined from TEM observations of the alloy after either single-ion irradiation, dual-ion irradiation, or helium implantation followed by single-ion irradiation. In addition to the TEM observations of the irradiated alloy, the effect of helium implantation on the dependence of the RIS of solute atoms was determined by use of the AES, EDXS, and EELS techniques. The swelling of the alloy was negligible (
Mosquito control pesticides and sea surface temperatures have differential effects on the survival and oxidative stress response of coral larvae

The declining health of coral reefs is intensifying worldwide at an alarming rate due to the combined effects of land-based sources of pollution and climate change. Despite the persistent use of mosquito control pesticides in populated coastal areas, studies examining the survival and physiological impacts of early life-history stages of non-targeted marine organisms are limited. In order to better understand the combined effects of mosquito pesticides and rising sea surface temperatures, we exposed larvae from the coral Porites astreoides to selected concentrations of two major mosquito pesticide ingredients, naled and permethrin, and seawater elevated +3.5 °C. Following 18–20 h of exposure, larvae exposed to naled concentrations of 2.96 µg L−1 or greater had significantly reduced survivorship compared to controls. These effects were not detected in the presence of permethrin or elevated temperature. Furthermore, larval settlement, post-settlement survival and zooxanthellae density were not impacted by any treatment. To evaluate the sub-lethal stress response of larvae, several oxidative stress endpoints were utilized. Biomarker responses to pesticide exposure were variable and contingent upon pesticide type as well as the specific biomarker being employed. In some cases, such as with protein carbonylation and catalase gene expression, the effects of naled exposure and temperature were interactive. In other cases pesticide exposure failed to induce any sub-lethal stress response. Overall, these results demonstrate that P. astreoides larvae have a moderate degree of resistance against short-term exposure to ecologically relevant concentrations of pesticides even in the presence of elevated temperature. In addition, this work highlights the importance of considering the complexity and differential responses encountered when examining the impacts of combined stressors that occur on varying spatial scales.
Statistical models for classification and synthesis of textures

Cumulants are employed for classification and synthesis of textured images because they suppress additive Gaussian noise of unknown covariance and are capable of resolving phase and causality issues in stationary non-Gaussian random fields. Their performance is compared with existing autocorrelation-based approaches that offer sample estimates of smaller variance and lower computational complexity. Nonlinear matching techniques are better than linear equation methods in estimating parameters of non-Gaussian random fields especially under model mismatch. Seasonal 1-D sequences allow for semistationary 2-D models, and their performance is illustrated on synthetic spacevariant textures. The potential of prolate spheroidal basis expansion is also described briefly for parsimonious nonstationary modeling of spacevariant textured images.
Is there progression from irritability/dyscontrol to major depressive and manic symptoms? A retrospective community survey of parents of bipolar children.

Background: Although previous studies have discussed age-related changes in the presentation of early onset bipolar illness, the developmental progression of early symptoms remains unclear. The current study sought to trace parents’ retrospective report of yearly occurrence of symptoms in a sample of children with and without a diagnosis of bipolar disorder in the community. Methods: Parents retrospectively rated the occurrence of 37 activated and withdrawn symptoms causing dysfunction for each year of their child’s life (mean age 12.6±6.9). Children were divided into three groups based on parent report of diagnosis by a community clinician: bipolar (n=78); non-bipolar diagnosis (n=38); and well (no psychiatric diagnosis) (n=82). Principal components analysis was performed to understand the relationship among the symptom variables and their potential differences among the three groups as a function of age. Results: Four symptom components were derived and these began to distinguish children with bipolar disorder from the other groups at different ages. Component II (irritability/dyscontrol), which included temper tantrums, poor frustration tolerance, impulsivity, increased aggression, decreased attention span, hyperactivity and irritability, began to distinguish bipolar children from the others the earliest (i.e., from ages 1 to 6). The other components (I, III, and IV) which included symptoms more typical of adult depression (I), mania (III), and psychosis (IV), distinguished the children with a bipolar diagnosis from the others much later (between ages 7 and 12). Limitations: The data were derived from retrospective reports by parents of their children’s symptoms on a yearly symptom check list instrument which has not been previously utilized. Parents’ ratings were not validated by an outside rater. Moreover, the children were diagnosed in the community and a formal diagnostic interview was not given. Conclusions: By parental report, the cluster of symptoms in the irritability/dyscontrol component may characterize the earliest precursors to an illness eventually associated with more classic manic and depressive components that are diagnosed and treated as bipolar disorder in the community. These retrospective survey data suggesting a longitudinal evolution of symptom clusters in childhood bipolar-like illness identify a number of areas for prospective research and validation.
Effect of lead speciation on toxicity.

Limnologists and aquatic toxicologists generally ignore the interactions between metals and ligands in aqueous systems. Chemical considerations often overlooked in metal toxicity bioassays and biogeochemical analyses of aquatic systems include ligand concentrations, pH, oxidation state, complex formation, precipitation and reaction kinetics. Although hardness and alkalinity are occasionally implicated indirectly in some toxicity assays such considerations usually fail to incorporate the metal-ligand reaction mechanisms. Since the biological activity and availability of metals and ligands may be altered by chemical interactions and water systems may have unique chemical constituents, estimates of chemical speciation that incorporate general reaction mechanisms are necessary for accurate assessments of biogeochemical activity. Chemical equilibrium analysis of the interactions of all constituents in the bioassay mixture provides a relatively rapid and inexpensive method for examination of theoretical chemical speciation. If it is assumed that free or uncomplexed forms of the elements are the biochemically active species, experiments can be designed to fit the most important chemical boundary conditions of the reacting mixture. The efficacy of this approach was demonstrated in out experiments on the toxicity of lead in a synthetic medium.
Photochemistry of Coumarin laser dyes: the role of singlet oxygen in the photo-oxidation of Coumarin 311

Abstract Coumarin 311 was shown to sensitize the formation of singlet oxygen, a reactive intermediate proposed to be responsible for degradation of coumarin dyes in dye lasers. The reactivity of Coumarin 311 and various oxidized states of Coumarin 311 with both the 1Δ and 1Σ states of molecular oxygen was determined. Both singlet states of oxygen react predominantly at the dimethylamino substituent. Although singlet oxygen is formed in coumarin dye lasers and oxidizes the dyes, the products resulting from singlet-oxygen oxidation do not interfere with stimulated emission.