cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Diflubenzuron on Reproduction and Development of Graphognathus peregrinus and G. leucoloma

Reproductive inhibition by diflubenzuron (Dimilin®) was demonstrated in the whitefringed beetles, Graphognathus peregrinus (Buchanan) and Graphognathus leucoloma (Boheman). Direct application to eggs of G. peregrinus caused substantial reduction in hatchability with young eggs (0–14 days old) slightly more susceptible than older eggs (15–28 days old). Application to prepupal larvae of G. peregrinus significantly reduced adult eclosion. Adult G. peregrinus and G. leucoloma fed diflubenzuron-treated foliage in the laboratory produced eggs with greatly reduced or no hatch. In studies using potted plants in the field, larval populations resulting from adults that fed on diflubenzuron treated soybean plants were much lower than those of the untreated checks.
Effect of Gamma Irradiation on Sterility and Longevity of Stable Flies

Ninety-five to 100% of all male and female Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) were sterilized with little or no deleterious effect on survival when irradiated at 2 kR as 6-day-old pupae or as 1- or 5-day-old adults in a 60Cobalt source. At 2.5 kR, sterility improved to 99% for males and 100% in females but a reduction in survival time was observed in all males irradiated as pupae. At comparable doses, male survival was more drastically affected than female survival, whereas females were sterilized more readily than males.
Inflammation and Immunity in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss: A snapshot

Recurrent pregnancy loss or RPL is defined as a failure of two or more clinical pregnancies [1]. The incidence of RPL is estimated to be <5% with about 1 % of reproductive aged women facing three or more consecutive miscarriages. The major etiopathogenesis of RPL is idiopathic in almost 50% of cases while others include anatomic, genetic, autoimmune, endocrine and infections. When the evaluation of the patient in the above known factors is completed, the lesser known factors such as inflammation and coagulation are considered [2]. In many developing countries, anecdotal treatment of idiopathic causes are instituted without any actual evidence of inflammation. Hence, this commentary is focussed towards the role of mediators of inflammation in patients with recurrent miscarriages.
TU-D-209-06: Head and Neck Tissue Dose From X-Ray Scatter to Physicians Performing Cardiovascular Procedures

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to characterize the spatial distribution of scatter radiation to the head and neck of a physician performing an x-ray interventional procedure and assess brain, eye lens, and carotid artery dose. Methods: Radiographic x-ray beams were tuned to match the peak energy (56 to 106 keV) and HVL (3.5 to 6.5 mm Al) of x-ray scatter originating from a patient during a fluoroscopic procedure. The radiographic beam was directed upon a Rando phantom from an inferior-left location to mimic a typical patient-operator geometric relationship. A lead-equivalent protective garment was secured to the phantom. Direct exposure Gafchromic film (XRQA2) was placed between the transverse plane layers of the head and neck region of the phantom and exposed with 4 scatter-equivalent radiographic beams. A 3×3 cm2 film placed at the left collar of the phantom was used to monitor incident dose in the position of a radiation monitoring badge. The films were converted to 2D dose distribution maps using FilmQA Pro software and an Epson 11000-XL scanner. The 2D dose distributions maps were normalized by the left collar dose and the percent of left collar dose (%LCD) was calculated for select tissues. Results: The dose maps had high dynamic range (104) and spatial detail. Considering all transverse planes and 4 scatter beam qualities, the median %LCD values were: whole brain 8.5%, left brain 13%, right brain 5.4%, left eye lens 67%, right eye lens 25%, left carotid artery 72%, and right carotid artery 28%. Conclusion: Scatter radiation dose to an operator can be simulated using a tuned radiographic beam and used to expose a phantom and Gafchromic film, thereby creating detailed 2D dose distribution maps. This work facilitates individualized estimation of dose to select head and neck tissues based on an operator's radiation monitoring badge value.
Two types of systemic lymphatic uptake of macromolecules

1156 Objectives The goal of our studies was to investigate systemic lymphatic uptake of macromolecules to provide the framework for development of systemic (intravenous) antineoplastic preparations for the treatment of lymphatic cancer. Methods Polypeptides glycosylated with poly-α-D-glucose (graft copolymers, developed by our group earlier) and proteins glycosylated with mannose-6-phosphate-rich oligosaccharides were labeled with 89Zr and fluorophores and administered IV to rats and cynomolgus monkeys. Dynamic PET imaging data (0-30 min post injection) and multiple whole-body images (over at least 48 hours) were acquired using a PET/CT imaging system consisting of microPET Focus 220 and CereTom NL 3000 scanners. Images were analyzed to determine the kinetics and patterns of the label accumulation in lymph nodes. Microdistribution of the fluorescence was investigated in rats by fluorescence microscopy in unfixed cryosections. Results The data shows that macromolecules glycosylated with poly-a-D-glucose and mannose-6-phosphate-rich oligosaccharides (type I and II, respectively) have significantly different pharmacokinetics. Type II accumulates in the nodes only after administration at high doses (>10 mg/kg) and the accumulation is fast (complete by ca. 1 hour, up to 6% ID/g). Type I accumulates in the nodes after administration of any doses (10 μg to 10 mg/kg), and the process of accumulation is slower (up to 24 hours, up to 30% ID/g). In rodents, but not in monkeys, type I accumulation is accompanied by edemas. The microdistribution of type I and II macromolecules overlap in some but not all nodes. Conclusions Macromolecules can accumulate in lymph nodes by at least two different mechanisms, depending, most likely, on the specific carbohydrate structures present in the macromolecules. The resultant pharmacokinetics of both types can be useful for development of novel systemic antineoplastic preparations.
European Unification: Policymaking and Policies

The Community’s policymaking powers have evolved considerably over the past four decades. Signatories to the Paris Treaty (1951), Rome Treaty (1957), and Single European Act (1986) transferred significant national policymaking powers to Brussels.1 A federal United States of Europe may not be far off.
A Family of Negative Regulators Targets the Committed Step of De novo Fatty Acid Biosynthesis

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) catalyzes the committed step of de novo fatty acid biosynthesis. In prokaryotes, green algae, and most plants, this enzyme is a heteromeric complex requiring four different subunits for activity. The plant complex is recalcitrant to conventional purification schemes and hence the structure and composition of the full assembly have been unclear. In vivo coimmunoprecipitation using subunit-specific antibodies identified a novel family of proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana annotated as biotin/lipoyl attachment domain containing (BADC) proteins. Results from yeast two-hybrid and coexpression in Escherichia coli confirmed that all three BADC isoforms interact with the two biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP) isoforms of Arabidopsis ACCase. These proteins resemble BCCP subunits but are not biotinylated due to a mutated biotinylation motif. We demonstrate that BADC proteins significantly inhibit ACCase activity in both E. coli and Arabidopsis. Targeted gene silencing of BADC isoform 1 in Arabidopsis significantly increased seed oil content when normalized to either mass or individual seed. We conclude the BADC proteins are ancestral BCCPs that gained a new function as negative regulators of ACCase after initial loss of the biotinylation motif. A functional model is proposed.
Cardiovascular disease in African American women: a health care disparities issue.

Abstract Objectives To review the current status of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in African American women compared to Caucasian women in regards to 4 categories of CVD: coronary artery disease (CAD), hypertension, stroke, and congestive heart failure (CHF), and to call attention to the need to place more emphasis on the need to increase awareness of CVD as the greatest killer of African American females in the United States. Methods A review of the recent literature on the subject of CVD in women over the past several years was conducted with a focus on CVD in African American women. Statistical data on incidence, prevalence, morbidity and mortality of CAD, hypertension, stroke, and CHF in black and white women were compared. Results Statistical data gathered over the past several years indicate that African American women have greater mortality than Caucasian women from CAD, hypertension, stroke, and CHF. The mortality rate from CAD is 69% higher in black women than in white women. Mortality for black females from hypertension is 352% higher than for white females. Age-adjusted stroke death rates are 54% higher in African American than in Caucasian women, and the age-adjusted mortality rate per 100 000 is 113.4 vs 97.5 for black and white women, respectively. Incidence, prevalence, and morbidity figures for CAD, hypertension, stroke, and CHF are all higher for African American females than for Caucasian females. Conclusions African American women are at exceptional risk for CVD, and more recognition of this fact as well as greater awareness of the problem should be promulgated and distributed by means of public education programs. Physicians who treat black patients also need to be encouraged to be more aggressive in their efforts to detect patients at risk and to initiate therapy early on in the course of CVD in this sub-population.
Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction during Central Nervous System Autoimmune Diseases

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) cellular constituents and their molecular interactions critically regulate immune activation within the central nervous system (CNS) such that it is protected from fatal complications of inflammatory processes. While the mechanisms that prevent leukocyte access to the CNS parenchyma were originally ascribed to physical barriers comprised of specialized endothelial cells (ECs) with ensheathing pericytes, astrocyte endfeet, and their basement membranes, it is now established that these walls are, in fact, molecular in nature. Cellular adhesion molecules, chemoattractants, and the receptors that regulate their patterns of expression maintain barrier integrity and function, limiting the entry of leukocytes and their egress into the CNS parenchyma from perivascular spaces. These molecular mechanisms are also critical for neuroinflammatory responses to pathogen invasion within the CNS, promoting immune cell interactions at endothelial barriers that ensure local T cell reactivation, a requirement for their role in pathogen clearance.
Demonstration: MacroBase, A Fast Data Analysis Engine

Data volumes are rising at an increasing rate, stressing the limits of human attention. Current techniques for prioritizing user attention in this fast data are characterized by either cumbersome, ad-hoc analysis pipelines comprised of a diverse set of analytics tools, or brittle, static rule-based engines. To address this gap, we have developed MacroBase, a fast data analytics engine that acts as a search engine over fast data streams. MacroBase provides a set of highly-optimized, modular operators for streaming feature transformation, classification, and explanation. Users can leverage these optimized operators to construct efficient pipelines tailored for their use case. In this demonstration, SIGMOD attendees will have the opportunity to interactively answer and refine queries using MacroBase and discover the potential benefits of an advanced engine for prioritizing attention in high-volume, real-world data streams.
The Grey Areas of Firm Behavior: An Economic Perspective

Firms do some things that are profitable, and some things that contribute to the greater good. Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand is the idea that profitable activities and socially desirable activities are frequently one and the same. It is popular to scoff at the Invisible Hand (e.g., see Hardin, 1968), but Smith’s articulation of it remains one of the most important discoveries in the history of social science. It explains not just how we get our daily bread (which was one of Smith’s examples) and the iPhone (which might be his example today), but more fundamentally, how wealth is created and how humankind has escaped the penury of autarky. Not everything that is profitable for businesses, however, is good for the rest of us. Firms can profit by polluting, defrauding customers or investors, bribing government officials, reneging on contracts with employees, or holding up payments to suppliers. Moreover, there are many socially beneficial things that firms do not do because they are not profitable, such as investing in basic research, giving more to charity, or adhering to stricter environmental guidelines than required. Stated differently, profitability and social desirability are not perfectly correlated. Activities in which profitability and social desirability do not coincide are the grey areas of business behavior. These are the activities that can, and indeed must, be guided by forces other than their apparent profitability to firms. This paper examines these grey areas and the inducements firms have to exploit or avoid them. Recent research offers reasons for both hope and concern. On the hopeful side, it turns out that the Invisible Hand has a longer reach than we might first anticipate, as firms and managers face powerful private inducements to avoid many socially harmful activities such as fraud and misrepresentation. This implies that many “grey activities” are really not so grey, in the sense that firms that act badly end up hurting their bottom lines as well. Of concern, however, are findings that such private market inducements are weak for some types of activities, including environmental harms and bribery. There remain strong financial incentives to pollute or bribe, implying that these harmful activities can be controlled only through moral suasion or legal enforcement. A further concern is the widespread use of the political process to shift costs onto others. This encourages firms to invest resources to make profitable some types of socially harmful activities that they otherwise would not pursue.
Androgen supplementation improves some but not all aspects of immune senescence in aged male macaques.

Aging leads to a progressive decline in immune function commonly referred to as immune senescence, which results in increased incidence and severity of infection. In addition, older males experience a significant disruption in their levels of circulating androgens, notably testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which has been linked to sarcopenia, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Since sex steroid levels modulate immune function, it is possible that the age-related decline in androgen levels can also affect immune senescence. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the pleiotropic effects of physiological androgen supplementation in aged male rhesus macaques (n = 7/group) on immune cell subset frequency and response to vaccination. As expected, frequency of naive CD4 and CD8 T cells declined in aged non-treated macaques, while that of memory T cells increased. In contrast, frequency of naive and memory T cells remained stable in androgen-supplemented males. In addition, levels of inflammatory cytokines increased less steeply in supplemented aged males compared to the aged controls. Despite these changes, androgen-supplemented animals only showed modest improvement in antibody responses following vaccination compared to age non-treated controls. These data indicate that short-term physiological androgen supplementation can improve some but not all aspects of immune senescence.
Spatial and temporal variability of sea level rise hot spots over the eastern United States

Regional sea level rise (SLR) acceleration during the past few decades north of Cape Hatteras has commonly been attributed to weakening Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, although this causal link remains debated. In contrast to this pattern, we demonstrate that SLR decelerated north of Cape Hatteras and accelerated south of the Cape to >20 mm/yr, > 3 times the global mean values from 2011 to 2015. Tide gauge records reveal comparable short-lived, rapid SLR accelerations (hot spots) that have occurred repeatedly over ~1500 km stretches of the coastline during the past 95 years, with variable latitudinal position. Our analysis indicates that the cumulative (time-integrated) effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation determine the latitudinal position of these SLR hot spots, while a cumulative El Nino index is associated with their timing. The superposition of these two ocean-atmospheric processes accounts for 87% of the variance in the spatiotemporal pattern of intradecadal sea level oscillations.
Afterword: The Afterlives of Romantic Paganism

Barnett considers how Mary Shelley’s release of Posthumous Poems of Percy Bysshe Shelley (1824) began to shape Percy Shelley’s reputation as a “classicist” and suggests the debts owed to the second-generation romantics’ idiosyncratic version of paganism by modern neopaganism and the emerging field of ecosexuality. While several critics have made connections between romanticism and current environmental movements, none so far has attempted to make a similar connection between romanticism and environmentalism’s theological expression, modern Paganism. This rapidly spreading religion—sometimes credited with being the fastest-growing in the world today—can trace its modern origins to the experimentations of the Shelley circle and its emphasis on fellowship, joy, and the pagan value of the natural world.
"I Don’t Remember Learning That: An Assessment of Learning in an Integrative Business Course"

This paper describes an assessment of an integrative business course at a large public university. From a 'Scholarship of Teaching/Learning' (SoTL) perspective, we describe the design, execution an...
Point Spectrum: Linear Hamiltonian Systems

Hamiltonian systems are about balance, with the energy and other invariants preserved under the flow. For a spatially localized critical point of a Hamiltonian system, the balance is reflected in the symmetry of the spectrum, which typically pins the essential spectrum to the imaginary axis in unweighted spaces. The mechanism for bifurcation in Hamiltonian systems thus falls upon the point spectrum.
Swift Fox, Vulpes velox , Den Use Patterns in Northwestern Texas

Predator avoidance may be a reason why Swift Foxes ( Vulpes velox ) are one of the most burrow-dependent canids in North America. Typically Swift Foxes have multiple dens, which they frequently move among. As part of a larger study to reduce Coyote ( Canis latrans ) related mortalities on Swift Foxes, we installed artificial escape dens in areas occupied by Swift Foxes on Rita Blanca National Grassland, Dallam County, Texas. For this paper, our objective was to determine the effects of artificial escape dens on Swift Fox den use patterns. From January 2002 to August 2004 we captured, radio-collared, and monitored 55 Swift Foxes. We documented annual number of dens used, rate of den use (fidelity), distance between dens, den area, and den sharing. We compared treated (artificial dens installed) and untreated (no artificial dens) areas but found no differences in annual number of dens ( P = 0.64; mean = 8), rate of den use ( P = 0.96; mean = 35%), mean distance between dens ( P = 0.99; mean = 2,311 m), den area ( P = 0.55; mean = 5.72 km 2 ), or den sharing ( P = 0.46; mean = 42% of time). We did not observe an effect of artificial escape dens on Swift Fox den use patterns probably because artificial escape dens were designed for temporary escape cover rather than diurnal den use.
Towards a Generic Cloud-Based Modeling Environment

This paper is aimed at presenting a concept of a flexible diagramming framework for building engineering and educational applications. The framework was designed to serve as a platform for online services and collaborative environments where users typically work on remotely stored, shared data through a browser-based user interface. The paper summarizes the common requirements towards such services, overviews related approaches and gives insights into some design challenges through the analysis of use-cases. The design problem is examined from a user-centered view: the key motivation of our research is to find innovative, possibly device-independent solutions that enable seamless user experiences. Finally a generic framework based on a HTML-JavaScript library is proposed, which could be employed for implementing wide range of software solutions from e-learning to cloud-based modeling environments.
PRECURSORS IN THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF INSULIN AND OTHER PEPTIDE HORMONES

SUMMARY Recent studies have established that limited intracellular proteolysis may participate at several stages in the biosynthesis of many small polypeptide hormones, as exemplified by insulin. Conversion of proinsulin to insulin by trypsin-and carboxypeptidase B-like enzymes occurs in the pancreatic B cell after the peptide has been sequestered from the cytosolic compartment and transported to the Golgi area. An earlier role for proteolysis concerns the conversion of the initial translation product, preproinsulin, to proinsulin during its compartmentalization in the rough endoplasmic reticulum. Preproinsulin, a methionine-initiated peptide which contains a hydrophobic 24-residue NH 2 -terminal extension, was originally identified as the product of the cell-free translation of insulin mRNA, but more recently it has also been detected in small amounts in intact rat islets. Its rapid formation and disappearance during pulse-chase studies are consistent with its role as a biosynthetic precursor and with the proposal that the prepeptide region serves as a leader sequence in the formation of the ribosome-membrane junction and in the vectorial discharge of the peptide. A model for segregation is presented, based on important structural features and physical properties of the prepeptides which may enable these to enter and span the microsomal membrane. Studies on insulin mRNA obtained from transplantable islet cell tumors indicate that the major component contains approximately 600 nucleotides and possesses a 5′ “cap” structure as well as a 3′ polyadenylate “tail”. A closer examination of the insulin tumor mRNA has also revealed two larger polyadenylated RNA fractions having apparent molecular weights of 280,000 and 360,000. These forms, which hybridize to the rat insulin genes and which were shown by ribonuclease T 1 digests to share nucleotide sequences with the major mRNA component, may represent precursors of the mature template. These results indicate that several sequential stages of macromolecular processing are required in the formation of the secreted hormone.
Biological Innovations and the Sedimentary Record

Biological innovations which are likely to have influenced the evolution of the biosphere and to have been recorded in the sedimentary record include the invention of oxygen-liberating photosynthesis, those of iron oxidation and of the other chemolithotrophic activities of bacteria (nitrogen fixation, nitrate reduction, and sulfate reduction), the development of metazoans, the invention of burrowing, the evolution of calcareous and of siliceous skeletons, the colonization of the lands, the appearance of calcareous skeletons in the plankton, the appearance of siliceous skeletons in the phytoplankton, the invention of flowers, and the evolution of conceptual thought. Some of these are well recorded in sediments, others remain to be identified or seem not to have left the predicted effects. Inventions appeared in batches correlated with events in lithospheric evolution.
Highly Sensitive and Multiplexed Protein Measurements

Proteins are involved in many biological processes. Misfolded, truncated, or mutated proteins as well as over- or underexpressed proteins have been implicated in many diseases. Therefore, detection and quantification of proteins is extremely important. Conventional techniques such as the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western Blot, and mass spectrometry have enabled discovery and study of proteins in biological samples. However, many important proteins are present at low concentrations, rendering them undetectable using conventional techniques. Furthermore, limited ability to simultaneously measure multiple proteins in a sample has constrained our ability to fully study the proteome. In this review, we comprehensively discuss approaches for protein detection. We first discuss the fundamentals of proteins and protein assays, including affinity reagents, surface functionalization, assay formats, signal detection, and multiplexing. We then discuss the challenges with these methods and review existing met...
Chest Binding and Care Seeking Among Transmasculine Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract Purpose: Chest binding, or compressing the chest tissue, is a common practice among transmasculine individuals that can promote mental health, but frequently results in negative physical h...
Occam’s Adaptation: A Comparison of Interpolation of Bases Adaptation Methods for Multi-Dialect Acoustic Modeling with LSTMS

Multidialectal languages can pose challenges for acoustic modeling. Past research has shown that with a large training corpus but without explicit modeling of inter-dialect variability, training individual per-dialect models yields superior performance to that of a single model trained on the combined data [1, 2]. In this work, we were motivated by the idea that adaptation techniques can allow the models to learn dialect-independent features and in turn leverage the power of the larger training corpus sizes afforded when pooling data across dialects. Our goal was thus to create a single multidialect acoustic model that would rival the performance of the dialect-specific models.Working in the context of deep Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) acoustic models trained on up to 40K hours of speech, we explored several methods for training and incorporating dialect-specific information into the model, including 12 variants of interpolation-of-bases techniques related to Cluster Adaptive Training (CAT) [3] and Factorized Hidden Layer (FHL) [4] techniques. We found that with our model topology and large training corpus, simply appending the dialect-specific information to the feature vector resulted in a more accurate model than any of the more complex interpolation-of-bases techniques, while requiring less model complexity and fewer parameters. This simple adaptation yielded a single unified model for all dialects that, in most cases, outperformed individual models which had been trained per-dialect.
Protestant Christianity in China, Urban and Rural: Negotiating the State and Propagating the Faith

Protestant Christianity is one of the fastest growing religions in mainland China today. We begin with an examination of the history of Protestantism in China and then turn to an analysis of contemporary Chinese Protestantism. First, we describe the unique context within which Protestant groups exist in China: churches that are registered and affiliated with the government enjoy legal sanction, but countless unregistered and unofficial churches exist as well, with varying levels of government tolerance. Most Christians in China today attend unofficial churches. Next, we assess the differences between urban and rural churches. In urban areas, both official and unofficial churches tend to have more resources than is the case in rural areas. Nevertheless, for both churches, a critical challenge has resulted from China’s restrictive political context regarding religious groups: church leadership training. This challenge is particularly daunting in rural areas. Some Chinese Protestant churches train their leaders in “guerilla seminaries.” We discuss another solution that has been used by both official and unofficial churches, a Hong Kong-based radio-broadcast ministry and seminary that is run by a group known as the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC). Drawing on roughly 800 letters written by FEBC listeners in China as well as interviews with FEBC students and leaders, this chapter shows how the FEBC has been able to capitalize on Hong Kong’s unique status as a Special Autonomous Region within China, harnessing global resources and utilizing radio and online methods of communication to help leadership needs in China’s Protestant churches. There remains a leadership shortage in China, especially in rural areas. We conclude that as long as China’s ruling CCP continues to control all religious groups and refuses to sanction unofficial worshippers, this shortage is unlikely to be resolved, particularly if Protestants in China continue to grow.
Communication in Neurosurgery-The Tower of Babel.

Clinical neurosurgery is a complex specialty with multiple participants, including a variety of providers, patients, family members, and administrators, who interact in complex fashions. Modern-day patient care requires near-constant team communication of vital, detailed clinical information; any breakdown in this process can result in patient harm. Medical communication practices with patients impact mutual rapport as well as the overall physician–patient relationship. Enhanced relationship-centered communication techniques have been shown to improve patient compliance and may positively influence malpractice litigation rates. Neurosurgeons frequently interact with other health care providers and members of the hospital administration on matters relating to billing, compliance, and quality. Communication among the stakeholders is complicated, however, by the fact that the participants may be speaking a variety of different, mutually unintelligible “languages.” We discuss the details of the various types of information exchanges in neurosurgery, the key players involved, and the vulnerabilities to breakdowns in the system. In addition, we review the multifaceted, systems-level issues in neurosurgical communication and related weaknesses.
Individual and network factors associated with HCV treatment uptake among people who inject drugs.

Abstract Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment uptake among people who inject drugs (PWID), a population with disproportionately high rates of HCV, remains low. Peers have been shown to positively impact a broad range of health outcomes for PWID. There is, however, limited data on the impact of PWID social network members on HCV treatment. Methods HCV-infected PWID enrolled in an ongoing community-based cohort were recruited as “indexes” to complete an egocentric social network survey. The survey elicited from the index PWID a list of their network members and the index's perception of network member characteristics. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to compare individual and network factors associated with HCV treatment in the index PWID. Results Among 540 HCV-infected PWID, the mean age was 55.7 years and the majority were black (87.2%) and male (69.8%). PWID reported a mean of 4.4 (standard deviation [SD] 3.2) network members, most of whom were relatives (mean 2.2 [SD 1.5]). In multivariable analysis, increasing index age and HIV infection were positively associated with HCV treatment, while drug use and homelessness in the preceding 6 months were negatively associated with HCV treatment. From a network perspective, having at least one network member who regularly talked with the index about seeing their doctor for HIV care was associated with HCV treatment (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 2.7; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) [1.3, 5.6]). Conversely, PWID who had at least one network member who helped them understand their HCV care were less likely to have been HCV treated (AOR 0.2; CI [0.1, 0.6). Conclusion HCV treatment uptake in this group of PWID appeared to be positively influenced by discussions with network members living with HIV who were in care and negatively influenced by HCV information sharing within PWID networks. These findings underscore the influence of peers on health seeking behaviors of their network members and emphasizes the importance of well-informed peers.
A bountiful harvest on Ceres

In its second extended mission at Ceres, the Dawn spacecraft returned a harvest of high-resolution data on the intriguing Occator crater, a landmark for understanding the role of impacts in shaping ice-rich bodies, explain Project Scientist Julie Castillo-Rogez and Chief Engineer Marc Rayman.
Investigation of an imported hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome infection in a military unit

Objective To determine the risk factors of a hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) outbreak,in order to provide scientific basis for HFRS prevention and control.Methods Epidemiological data were collected.The mouse density was monitored trap-at-night method.The serum samples of the people who contacted with the patients were acquired.The HFRS antibody was detected by indirect immunofluorescence assay and the virus nucleic acid was tested by RT-PCR.Results The onset time of 2 cases were 12 and 17 days after enlistment,and they were diagnosed as HFRS respectively.The mouse density was 1.00％ around the military camp,and 2 Norway rats were captured.The hantavirus antibody positive rate and virus carried rate of the rats were 0.The serum antibody positive rate of the people who contacted with the patients was 2.04％,and the virus nucleic acid were negative.Conclusions The epidemic is proved to be imported by HFRS cases.It is necessary to reinforce epidemic surveillance to prevent HFRS epidemic. Key words: Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome; Hantavirus; Epidemiology
Microfabricated Fluidic Devices for Cellular Assays

Flow cytometry was demonstrated on a glass microchip fabricated using standard photolithographic techniques. The channel walls were coated to prevent cell adhesion, and the cells were transported electrophoretically by applying potentials to the fluid reservoirs. The sample stream was electrophoretically focused in two dimensions at a cross intersection to enable single cell interrogation. An Escherichia coli sample was labeled on-chip with a membrane permeable nucleic acid stain Syto 15, and coincident light scattering and fluorescence data were obtained from the these labeled cells.
Orphans of Empire: The Fate of London's Foundlings

Helen Berry’s book offers a compelling narrative – at times horrifying, at times heartwarming, always clear and instructive – of the creation and trajectory of London’s Foundling Hospital in the ei...
Retrieving gap-free daily root zone soil moisture using Surface Flux Equilibrium theory

Root zone soil moisture (RZSM) is a dominant control on crop productivity, land-atmosphere feedbacks, and the hydrologic response of watersheds. Despite its importance, obtaining gap-free daily moisture data remains challenging. For example, remote sensing-based soil moisture products often have gaps arising from limits posed by the presence of clouds and satellite revisit period. Here, we retrieve a proxy of daily RZSM using the actual evapotranspiration (ETa) estimates from Surface Flux Equilibrium theory (SFET). Our method is calibration-less, parsimonious, and only needs widely available meteorological data and standard land-surface parameters. Evaluation of the retrievals at Oklahoma Mesonet sites shows that our method, overall, matches or outperforms widely available RZSM estimates from three markedly different approaches, viz. remote sensing data based Atmosphere-Land EXchange Inversion (ALEXI) model, the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model, and the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission RZSM data product. When compared with in-situ observations, Unbiased Root Mean Square Difference (ubRMSD) of retrieved RZSM were 0.03 (m3 m-3), 0.06 (m3 m-3), and 0.05 (m3 m-3) for our method, the ALEXI model, and the VIC model, respectively. Better performance of our method is attributed to the use of both SFET for the estimation of ETa and non-parametric kernel-based method used to relate the RZSM with ETa. RZSM from our method may serve as a more accurate and temporally-complete alternative for a variety of applications including mapping of agricultural droughts, assimilation of RZSM for hydrometeorological forecasting, and design of optimal irrigation schedules.
Primary Cutaneous CD8+ Aggressive Epidermotropic Cytotoxic T-Cell Lymphoma

Primary cutaneous CD8+ aggressive epidermotropic cytotoxic T-cell lymphoma (CD8+ AECTCL) is a rare, aggressive cutaneous T-cell lymphoma with a poor prognosis. Although CD8+ AECTCL typically initially presents on the skin, visceral dissemination is common. Given the rarity of this condition, it is considered a provisional entity in the fourth edition of the World Health Organization/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (WHO/EORTC) classification guidelines. In this chapter we discuss the clinical presentation, prognosis, treatment, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, molecular characteristics, and differential diagnosis of CD8+ AECTCL. The chapter closes with a clinical case.
Overview of Density Functional Theory

In these lectures I will first offer some “warm-up exercises” for density functional theory (DFT), to help prepare the ground for the many interesting papers which will follow. After that I will present some very recent work which promises to allow density functional calculations for systems of very many (103 − 105) atoms.
Quantitative analysis of the heteromeric neuronal nicotinic receptors in the rat hippocampus

The objective of this study was to identify and quantify the heteromeric neuronal nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) in the rat hippocampus. The density of nAChR subtypes was assessed by labeling them with [(3)H]epibatidine ([(3)H]EB) followed by immunoprecipitation with subunit-selective antibodies. Sequential immunoprecipitation assays were used to establish associations between two different subunits, which then allowed the full subunit composition of the receptors to be deduced. Our results show that most of the hippocampal heteromeric nAChRs contain α4 and β2 subunits. In fact, we identified two populations containing these two predominant subunits, the α4β2 and α4β2α5 subtypes which account for ∼ 40% and ∼ 35%, respectively, of the total [(3)H]EB-labeled receptors. An additional heteromeric subtype with the subunit composition of α4β2α3 represented ∼ 10% of the total nAChRs, and another 10% of the immunoprecipitated receptors contained α4 and β4 subunits, with or without the α3 subunit. To determine if α4β2 and α4β2α5 nAChR subtypes differ in their ligand binding affinities, the α3- and β4-containing receptors were first removed by immunoprecipitation and then, competition studies with acetylcholine, nicotine, cytisine and sazetidine-A against [(3)H]EB were carried out on the remaining α4β2 and α4β2α5 subtypes. Results suggested these subtypes have comparable binding affinities for the nicotinic ligands used here.
Lipid oxidation in biological membranes: Electron transfer proteins as initiators of lipid autoxidation

Abstract Biological lipid autoxidation has been studied in a model system composed of sonicated phospholipids as substrate and electron transfer proteins found in membranes as possible catalysts. Heme compounds, flavoproteins, and iron-sulfur proteins were examined for their ability to initiate lipid autoxidation. Among many heme compounds tested, the most active were hematin ⩾microperoxidase ⪢ methemoglobin > cytochrome c. With fresh preparations of phospholipids, reaction rates (nanomoles of oxygen/minute nanomoles of heme) ranged from 5 (cytochrome c) to 350 (hematin). Only the oxidized heme compounds were active as catalysts. Reduced heme compounds, flavoproteins and riboflavin were inactive. In the presence of heme compounds, aged preparations of sonicated phospholipids were much more rapidly oxidized than fresh preparations. They also had a higher content of fatty acid hydroperoxides as judged from their characteristic diene absorption peak at 234 nm. This observation agrees with the postulated mechanism of lipid autoxidation by heme compounds, namely, homolytic scission of preformed fatty acid hydroperoxides. Iron-sulfur proteins were also active as initiators of lipid autoxidation when destabilized in the presence of an appropriate iron chelator (o-phenanthroline or 2,2′-bipyridine) or a chaotropic ion. Oxygen uptake rates (nanomoles of oxygen/minute × milligrams of protein) varied from about 200 for an iron-sulfur protein isolated from complex I to about 5500 for Clostridium pasteurianum ferredoxin. However, per nanomole of labile sulfide, the rates for all active iron-sulfur proteins were 4–7 nmol of oxygen/min × nmol of labile sulfide. Superoxide-generating systems did not initiate lipid autoxidation, nor did erythrocuprein inhibit the autoxidations induced by heme compounds or ferredoxin. However, lipid oxidations induced by two other iron-sulfur proteins were partially inhibited by erythrocuprein. It is concluded that in the above system Superoxide anion is neither an initiator nor an obligatory intermediate of lipid autoxidation.
Ad Exchanges: Research Issues

An emerging way to sell and buy display ads on the Internet is via ad exchanges. RightMedia [1], AdECN [2] and DoubleClick Ad Exchange [3] are examples of such real-time two-sided markets. We describe an abstraction of this market. Based on that abstraction, we present several research directions and discuss some insights.
Orientation and Mobility with Persons Who Are Deaf-Blind: An Initial Examination of Single-Subject Design Research

Persons who are deaf-blind represent a heterogeneous, low-incidence population of children and adults who, at some point in life, regardless of the presence of additional disabilities, may benefit from formal orientation and mobility (OM however, at this point, there has been no comprehensive review of single-subject research with participants who are deaf-blind specifically in O&M interventions. The study presented here sought to answer the following research questions: (1) What types of single-subject research were conducted with participants who are deaf-blind from 1965 to 2007 in the area of increasing O&M skills? and (2) What types of interventions and practices were shown to be effective in building participants' competence in the areas of O&M? METHOD Studies were culled through the following databases: DB-LINK (the National Information Clearinghouse on Children and Youth Who Are Deaf-Blind), Google Scholar, PsycINFO, ERIC, and Academic Search Premier. Search terms included deaf-blind studies, orientation and mobility, dual-sensory impairment, single-subject designs, single-case research, intervention, and research in deaf-blindness. To be considered for evaluation, the studies had to be published in peer-reviewed journals, to include at least one or more deaf-blind persons as participants, to focus on some type of intervention or teaching practice that related to building the person's orientation or mobility skills, and to use single-subject design methodology and not some other type of research design. RESULTS Of the 860 articles I reviewed, I identified 13 studies, published from 1988 to 2007, that met the search requirements. It was striking that all the research within this initial search was conducted by the same lead scholar. …
Systemic antimicrobial treatment of foot infections in diabetic patients.

The pathophysiology, microbiology, and treatment of diabetic foot infections are reviewed. Patients with diabetes mellitus are at risk for developing infections of the lower extremity because of physiological and anatomical changes. The treatment must be aggressive to prevent systemic complications and recurrence. A combination of pathogens is likely to be found at the site of infection, including gram-negative and gram-positive aerobes as well as anaerobes. If preventive and nonpharmacologic treatment methods are not successful, systemic antimicrobial therapy is indicated. The appropriate agent for empirical therapy is chosen on the basis of the patient's medical history and clinical status with consideration to cost and administration issues. Until a specific organism is identified, a single broad-spectrum agent is administered. The duration of i.v. therapy and appropriate role for oral administration is based upon clinical response. Home infusion therapy is an option for medically stable patients. A single, broad-spectrum, i.v. antimicrobial is usually the best choice for empirical treatment of diabetic foot infection. The regimen is then tailored on the basis of the clinical response and culture and susceptibility test results. Aggressive pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatment is needed to avoid possible gangrene and loss of limb.
Robust adaptive identification of dynamic systems by neural networks

This paper is concerned with the use of neural networks for robust and adaptive identification of dynamic systems. Two types of neural identifiers, that are robust to adaptation-unworthy environmental parameters and adaptive to adaptation-worthy ones, are discussed, one requiring online weight adjustment and the other not. Risk-sensitive criteria are proposed for both training neural identifiers off-line and adjusting their weights online. These criteria induce robust performance by emphasising large errors in an exponential manner. A robust adaptive neural identifier without online weight adjustment is a time lagged recurrent network (TLRN) synthesized from input/output data of the dynamic system at with respect to a risk-sensitive criterion. The neural identifier's ability to adapt to the adaptation-worthy environmental parameters is a manifestation of the ability of the TLRN to estimate these parameters internally. A robust adaptive neural identifier with online weight adjustment is a neural network with long- and short-term memories. The long-term memory, which consists of the nonlinear weights of the neural network, is determined in an a priori off-line training in such a way that it is independent of the adaptation-worthy variables. The short-term memory, which consists of the linear weights of the neural network, is adjusted online to adapt to the adaptation-worthy variables. The criteria used for both the off-line determination of the long-term memory and the online adjustment of the short-term memory are risk-sensitive to induce the neural identifier's robust performance.
Compaction Behavior of Spray-Dried Alumina

Compaction behavior and resultant porosity of spray-dried alumina were examined over a range of pressures from 18 to 345 MPa. The variability in pressed density and pore size was measured as a function of spray-dried granule size, binder concentration, and powder moisture content. An exponential behavior was found between pressed density and compaction pressure, density increasing with the logarithm of the compaction pressure. Pore size also displays an exponential behavior, pore diameter decreasing with the log of increasing pressure. The distribution width about the median pore size was noted to decrease approximately in a log-log response to increasing compaction pressure. The behavior of the compaction and porosity curves is related to the degree to which the polymer binder is plasticized which, in turn, affects the pressure at which the spray-dried granules begin to crush. This apparent yield pressure, although dependent on amount of binder and powder moisture, is intrinsically dependent on the water/binder ratio. Finally, by analogy to soil mechanics, an empirical equation relating compact density, yield pressure, and slope is presented.