cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temporal Trends in Chorioamnionitis by Maternal Race/Ethnicity and Gestational Age (1995–2010)

Objective. To characterize trends in chorioamnionitis (CAM) by maternal race/ethnicity and gestational age. Study Design. We examined trends in CAM from 1995-2010 among singleton births in all Kaiser Permanente Southern California hospitals (n = 471,821). Data were extracted from Perinatal Service System and clinical utilization records. Gestational age- and race/ethnicity-specific biannual diagnosis rates were estimated using the Poisson regression after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Results. Overall diagnosis rates of CAM increased from 2.7% in 1995-1996 to 6.0% in 2009-2010 with a relative increase of 126% (95% confidence intervals [CI] 113%-149%). From 1995-1996 to 2009-2010, CAM increased among the Whites (1.8% to 4.3%, P-value for trend <.001), Blacks (2.2% to 3.7%, P-value for trend <.001), Hispanics (2.4% to 5.8%, P-value for trend <.001), and Asian/Pacific Islanders (3.6% to 9.0%, P-value for trend <.001). The adjusted relative percentage change in CAM from 1995-1996 to 2009-2010 was for Whites [preterm 21% (9%-78%), term 138% (108%-173%)], for Blacks [preterm 24% (-9%-81%), term 62% (30%-101%)], for Hispanics [preterm 31% (3%-66%), term 135% (114%-159%)], and for Asian/Pacific Islanders [preterm 44% (9%-127%), term 145% (109%-188%)]. Conclusion. The findings suggest that CAM diagnosis rate has increased for all race/ethnic groups. This increase is primarily due to increased diagnosis at term gestation.
Trapping the P+BL− Initial Intermediate State of Charge Separation in Photosynthetic Reaction Centers from Rhodobacter capsulatus†

The short-lived (<1 ps) initial intermediate state P+BL− in the photoinduced charge separation process of the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center has been trapped in two DLL-based Rhodobacter capsulatus mutants that have Tyr at position M208 and lack the bacteriopheophytin electron acceptor HL. Transient state P+BL− is characterized by a 1017 nm bacteriochlorophyll anion absorption band and decays by charge recombination with a lifetime of several hundred picoseconds at 295 K. P+BL− is not observed in an otherwise identical mutant that has Phe at M208, which appears to make the state thermodynamically inaccessible from the excited primary electron donor P*.
Removal of stacking-fault tetrahedra by twin boundaries in nanotwinned metals

Stacking-fault tetrahedra are detrimental defects in neutron- or proton-irradiated structural metals with face-centered cubic structures. Their removal is very challenging and typically requires annealing at very high temperatures, incorporation of interstitials or interaction with mobile dislocations. Here we present an alternative solution to remove stacking-fault tetrahedra discovered during room temperature, in situ Kr ion irradiation of epitaxial nanotwinned Ag with an average twin spacing of ~8 nm. A large number of stacking-fault tetrahedra were removed during their interactions with abundant coherent twin boundaries. Consequently the density of stacking-fault tetrahedra in irradiated nanotwinned Ag was much lower than that in its bulk counterpart. Two fundamental interaction mechanisms were identified, and compared with predictions by molecular dynamics simulations. In situ studies also revealed a new phenomenon: radiation-induced frequent migration of coherent and incoherent twin boundaries. Potential migration mechanisms are discussed.
Effect of the Brush Structure on the Degradation Mechanism of Polystyrene–Clay Nanocomposites

Pyrolysis-GC-MS and TGA-FT-IR methods have been used to perform a comparative degradation study of polystyrene and a polystyrene-clay composite. An abnormally high yield of α-methylstyrene has been detected for the composite. This and other differences in degradation products have been explained by enhanced intermolecular interaction of the grafted PS chains, forming a brush structure. A conceptual model of the process has been suggested.
Urban microbiomes and urban ecology: How do microbes in the built environment affect human sustainability in cities?

Humans increasingly occupy cities. Globally, about 50% of the total human population lives in urban environments, and in spite of some trends for deurbanization, the transition from rural to urban life is expected to accelerate in the future, especially in developing nations and regions. The Republic of Korea, for example, has witnessed a dramatic rise in its urban population, which now accounts for nearly 90% of all residents; the increase from about 29% in 1955 has been attributed to multiple factors, but has clearly been driven by extraordinary growth in the gross domestic product accompanying industrialization. While industrialization and urbanization have unarguably led to major improvements in quality of life indices in Korea and elsewhere, numerous serious problems have also been acknowledged, including concerns about resource availability, water quality, amplification of global warming and new threats to health. Questions about sustainability have therefore led Koreans and others to consider deurbanization as a management policy. Whether this offers any realistic prospects for a sustainable future remains to be seen. In the interim, it has become increasingly clear that built environments are no less complex than natural environments, and that they depend on a variety of internal and external connections involving microbes and the processes for which microbes are responsible. I provide here a definition of the urban microbiome, and through examples indicate its centrality to human function and wellbeing in urban systems. I also identify important knowledge gaps and unanswered questions about urban microbiomes that must be addressed to develop a robust, predictive and general understanding of urban biology and ecology that can be used to inform policy-making for sustainable systems.
Condensation processes in a motoring engine

Abstract Condensation phenomena occurring in the combustion chamber of a motoring engine were investigated using a single-fluid approach by applying the Peng–Robinson equation of state to both the vapor and liquid phases. The phase transition process is modeled through thermodynamic equilibrium calculations that are based on an entropy maximization principle. The simulations show that condensation of pure nitrogen is not possible as it can only experience condensation through an expansion process. However, condensation was possible in the compression stroke for example cases of pure n-heptane and two selected binary mixtures. This is because the compression moves the fluid into the two-phase region, and when the fluid crosses the dew point line, condensation occurs with spontaneous heat release. The amount of liquid phase is found to increase as the compression continues. In the expansion stroke, the continuous relaxation leads to evaporation of the two-phase mixture, and hence the liquid phase is continuously depleted. For pure species, condensation is first observed in the bulk flow regions and then the extend of the two-phase mixture grows. After the whole charge is two-phase, the maximum liquid volume fraction and hence minimum entropy are found in the wall regions due to heat transfer effects. Similar observations were seen for mixtures. Finally, thermodynamic analysis of binary mixtures of pure n-alkane species with nitrogen shows that condensation was only possible in the diesel engine operation range if the fuel surrogate is n-dodecane or a heavier species.
A Structure Based Constitutive Model for Bat Wing Skins, A Soft Biological Tissue

Bat wing skin is a soft biological tissue that is used to enable flight (amongst other physiological roles) in bats such as the Glossophaga Soricina. To describe and predict wing behavior during flight, a high fidelity constitutive model validated by rigorous experimentation is required. Understanding the role that the tissue microstructure plays in achievable flight patterns and maneuverability will bring closer understanding of adaptations between species that yield specific flight behaviors and will also provide a template for developing synthetic skins for biomimicry in unmanned micro air vehicles. A structural continuum model that incorporates principal structural features of the wing skin can potentially provide a link between structure and functionality. Mesoscopic elastin fiber bundles on the order of hundreds of microns are the key constituents in the structure of bat wing. They are embedded in a base matrix composed by elastic ground substance and randomly oriented collagen fibers. The wing sweeps through very large deformations during flight and the fiber bundles undergo finite strains and large rotations presumed affine in the current treatment. To date, all the biological materials studied and modeled are comprised of stiff collagen fibers. The wing skin, on the other hand, is modeled as hyperelastic with distributed elastin fiber bundles with orientations belonging to two disparate families. Two families of fiber bundles have shown prominent difference in mechanical properties. More importantly, the bundle diameters vary dramatically with respect to bundle orientation even within each family. A mathematical treatment is formulated in this paper to capture the overall effect of distribution of diameters and distribution of orientations of fiber bundles based on the framework of Gasser et al [1]. This formulation is suitable in a general case when two fiber properties both vary spatially and they can be described using distribution functions such as Von Mises distribution.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Psychotherapy for Complicated Bereavement: A Meaning-Oriented Approach

The challenges confronting the bereaved are profound, often requiring them to re-establish a changed sense of self and world at the same time that they struggle with the emotional devastation of th...
Actions of pyridostigmine and organophosphate agents on chick cells, mice, and chickens

Gulf War veterans were given pyridostigmine bromide (PB) tablets to enhance the therapeutic effect of antidotes to nerve agents in the event of exposure. The goal of this research is to examine whether combined exposure to PB and sarin (agent GB) is more neurotoxic to sensitive surrogate animals, mice and chickens, than if given separately. Scoping trials were performed to establish appropriate dose-response ranges for sarin and control chemicals. IC50 values were determined in chickens and mice for in vitro inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and neuropathy target esterase (NTE). The results indicated PB neither inhibits NTE nor does it spare sarin’s inhibition of AChE. Chick embryo nerve cells in vitro showed more inhibition of AChE activity and no faster recovery when PB treatment was followed by DFP treatment than the other way around. Experiments on chickens also indicated that PB treatment did not inhibit NTE and that it crossed the blood brain barrier inhibiting brain AChE although to a lesser extent than it inhibited blood cholinesterases. Other experiments determined multiple dose levels in chickens for sarin and DFP that inhibited >80% of NTE,
Relation of resting heart rate to risk for all-cause mortality by gender after considering exercise capacity (the Henry Ford exercise testing project).

Whether resting heart rate (RHR) predicts mortality independent of fitness is not well established, particularly among women. We analyzed data from 56,634 subjects (49% women) without known coronary artery disease or atrial fibrillation who underwent a clinically indicated exercise stress test. Baseline RHR was divided into 5 groups with
Structure and Oil Possibilities of the West Flank of the Denver Basin: ABSTRACT

A seismic survey was conducted by members of the geology and geophysical departments of the Colorado School of Mines in the summer of 1951 along the west flank of the Denver basin. Its purpose was to determine the subsurface structure and relate it to surface features. Most of the work was correlation reflection shooting with some refraction work near the mountain front. A number of pertinent structural data were obtained. The Golden fault, a major reverse fault cutting across the steep west flank of the basin is a low angle overthrust, and not a high angle upthrust as commonly believed. The diagonal and en echelon plunging folds common along the mountain front north of Denver are present in the underthrust block of the fault. At least two lines of folding exist parallele to the axis of the Front Range, one of which is effectively concealed by thrust faulting. The deepest part of the Denver basin lies just southeast of the Denver city limits with the lowest closing contour on the Dakota sandstone at about -4,900 feet, or roughly 10,000 feet deep. End_of_Article - Last_Page 966------------
Perceptions of genetic risk assessment and education among first-degree relatives of colorectal cancer patients and implications for physicians

Todora HMS, Skinner CS, Gidday L, Ivanovich JL, Rawl S and Whelan AJ. Perceptions of geneticrisk assessment and education among first-degree relatives of colorectal cancer patients andimplications for physicians. Family Practice2001; 18: 367–372.Background. Genetic risk assessment and education is a clinical service that provides anopportunity for individuals with a strong family history of cancer to understand their risk better,identify a screening regimen and discuss benefits and limitations of genetic testing. Objectives. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge of and attitudes to genetic riskassessment and education among first-degree relatives of patients with colorectal cancer.Methods. We conducted focus groups among first-degree relatives of patients with colorectalcancer to assess perceptions of genetic risk assessment and education. In the groups, we elicitedreactions using two definitions of genetic risk assessment and education—one brief and onemore detailed—that might be used by a health practitioner during the referral process. Results. Findings revealed a number of misconceptions and concerns including: (i) what isrequired to prepare for a session and a lack of desire to collect a family history; (ii) what isinvolved in a session (including assuming that genetic testing is always included in a session); (iii) distrust over accuracy and possible subjectivity of information provided; and (iv) fear of theeffect that participation in a session might have on insurance status. Conclusions. The findings suggest that health practitioners should educate individuals aboutgenetic risk assessment and education during the initial referral process. Further studies shouldexplore how best to do this.Keywords. Colorectal cancer, education, genetics, risk communication.
Refractory residues, condensates and chondrules from solar furnace experiments

Vertical access solar furnace experiments have produced refractory residues, condensates and chondrules that are similar to components of chondritic meteorites. In particular, Ca-Al-rich refractory residues similar in chemistry to inclusions in carbonaceous chondrites have been produced by partial evaporation of basaltic bulk rock samples. Fe-Mg-Si-rich condensates with distinctive microbotryoidal morphology have been collected from the same sample runs. Particle coatings and aggregates with virtually identical microbotryoidal morphology and major element chemistry have been identified in both the Allende and Murchison meteorites. Spattered drops from melt beads undergoing heating and partial evaporation resemble some meteoritic chondrules in their mineralogies, textures, grain size, and sorting. The spatter mechanism is highly efficient in the production of chondrules. If any of the refractory inclusions in chondrites are, in fact, partial evaporation residues, many meteoritic fluid drop chondrules must have been formed by this process. The hot central portion of the solar nebula, acting on a cloud of dust and gas, is the probable source of heat required to produce the fractionated chemistry and physical state of many of the components of chondritic meteorites.
Predictive Controllers for Feedback Stabilization

Predictive control is a strategy where the current control action is based on a prediction of the system response at some number of time steps into the future. This approach allows one to work directly with an input ‐output model of the system, in contrast to a state-space based approach where the state variable is involved explicitly in thecontrollerdesignandimplementation. Aconnection isprovided betweenthetwodesign approachesbyshowing that simple predictive controllers can be thought of as generalizations of the observer-based deadbeat (minimumtime)controllersin discrete-timestate-spacetheory.Theexcessiveand, hence, impracticalcontroleffortdemanded by the standard deadbeat controllers is removed in this predictive extension. By varying the prediction horizon, controllers that range from those exhibiting the extreme deadbeat behavior to those approximating the minimumenergy solution are subsumed in a common framework. Although these predictive controllers can be understood as observer based, no explicit observer is actually involved in the implementation. Instead, these controllers can be deriveddirectlyfromthecoefe cientsofanidentie edinput ‐outputmodel,whichhasbeenrecentlyshowntosubsume an implicit observer. It is also shown that the two primary parameters of a predictivecontroller can be understood in the state-space framework as those governing the speed of an implicit observer and the speed of an implicit state-feedback controller. This understanding allows oneto select optimal choices fortheseparameters in practice.
Comparison of mobile phone user interface design preferences: perspectives from nationality and disability culture

This research study explores cross-cultural differences and similarities of user preferences of mobile phone features. Product interactive focus groups were conducted in India and in the United States; groups included users without any apparent disabilities and users with a visual disability of legal blindness. The analysis of the focus group sessions and post-task usability questionnaires provided an insight to the preferences of mobile phone interface components and gave a deeper understanding of the mobile culture in the two countries. These results are summarized to provide guidelines for designing cross-cultural user interfaces which are nationality specific and disability specific. A pyramid model for a holistic process of designing cell phones for users with disabilities is proposed which integrated the findings of this study and Jordan's [1] pleasurability framework
Maxwell-Lorentz equations in general Frenet-Serret coordinates

We consider the trajectory of a charged particle in an arbitrary external magnetic field. A local orthogonal coordinate system is given by the tangential, curvature, and torsion vectors. We write down Maxwell's equations in this coordinate system. The resulting partial differential equations for the magnetic fields fix conditions among its local multipole components, which can be viewed as a generalization of the usual multipole expansion of the fields of magnetic elements.
A Special Web Service Mechanism: Asynchronous .NET Web Services

The purpose of this paper is to propose an asynchronous service-oriented approach for B2B applications integration for web services. Currently, most web services are synchronous since their interaction protocol SOAP is based upon a synchronous transport protocol HTTP. However, synchronous web services presents limitations for integrating applications across businesses if one of the applications fails or the application needs longer interaction time due to its business requirements. For the asynchronous service-oriented approach, an asynchronous web service message handling middleware using existing email servers and .NET web services is developed since the existing email servers are ubiquitous and have a natural queuing mechanism and an asynchronous mechanism for .NET web services are not available contrary to the open source web service engine, AXIS. Creating such a middleware allows service providers to deploy asynchronous web services with as much easy as synchronous web services.
Vapor–Solid–Solid Growth of NiSi $_2$ Nanocrystals for Memory Application

NiSi2 nanocrystals were synthesized by vapor-solid-solid process, introducing SiH4 onto Ni catalyst dots on a SiO2 substrate, for nonvolatile memory applications. Electron microscopy was used to characterize the morphology and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization confirmed the nature of these NiSi2 nanocrystals. mosfet memory with NiSi2 nanocrystal as floating gate was fabricated and fast programming/erasing speed, long retention, and 105 times of operation endurance performances were demonstrated.
Clear cell sarcoma: The Roswell Park experience

Background and Objectives: Clear cell sarcoma of the tendons and aponeuroses (CCSTA) is an aggressive, rare soft-tissue tumor with approximately 300 reported cases. Although it appears to be histogenetically related to melanoma, its clinical behavior resembles soft tissue sarcoma with a propensity for lymph node metastases. We report our experience at a tertiary cancer center. Methods: Eight cases of CCSTA evaluated at Roswell Park Cancer Institute between 1970 and 1998 were reviewed retrospectively. Patient data analyzed included patient age, gender, anatomic location, size of tumor, development of local, regional and distant recurrence, and patient status at last follow up. Results: Six of eight patients were alive at 2 years, while three of seven patients were alive at 5 years. Of the patients alive with no evidence of recurrence, two had tumors of less than 2 cm, and the remaining patient had incomplete information regarding tumor size. Five patients recurred within 2 years of definitive surgical management. Four had tumors > 5 cm. All five patients progressed to metastatic disease at a median follow up of 20 months (range 1–108 months) following definitive surgical management and all eventually died of their disease at a median of 3 months (range 0–24 months) from presentation with metastatic disease. Four of five patients with lesions > 5 cm received adjuvant chemotherapy with intent to cure, but all eventually died of disease at 4, 22, 34, and 41 months from initial presentation. Conclusions: CCSTA is an aggressive tumor of the soft tissues. Early recognition and management are associated with an excellent long-term prognosis. Tumors greater than 5 cm warrant aggressive surgical management and treatment, and are at high risk of the development of distant disease. Aggressive multiagent chemotherapy appeared to have no impact on outcome. Other adjuvant therapeutic options including immunotherapy should be investigated. J. Surg. Oncol. 2001; 77:16–20. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Predictive Modeling of Risk Factors and Complications of Cataract Surgery

PurposeCataract surgery is generally safe; however, severe complications exist. Preexisting conditions are known to predispose patients to intraoperative and postoperative complications. This study...
Unintended consequences of the Global Positioning System: Regular Papers

This article describes a framework for characterizing unintended consequences, especially in terms of the vernacular “Law of Unintended Consequences” as applied to the known and potential consequences of the Global Positioning System (GPS). It is shown that a subset of the unintended consequences related to the GPS belongs to the larger class of general locator devices. The risk of vulnerability of GPS is characterized in terms of impact of unavailability. The general usage or misuse effects are considered in the category of human factors. Privacy is treated in a legal context, and the potential losses of privacy from general locator devices are discussed. Also, legal devices to limit loss of privacy are described, as well as the use of locator devices by law enforcement agencies. The general framework of the article is to describe GPS as a particular case of the larger need to consider secondary consequences in the development and socialization of technology. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 7: 217–228, 2004The opinions stated in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the NAVOCEANO or the United States Government. The inclusion of any specific commercial product, commodity, or service in this publication is for informational purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the Navy or NAVOCEANO.This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.
Structured sparse canonical correlation analysis for brain imaging genetics: an improved GraphNet method.

Motivation: Structured sparse canonical correlation analysis (SCCA) models have been used to identify imaging genetic associations. These models either use group lasso or graph-guided fused lasso to conduct feature selection and feature grouping simultaneously. The group lasso based methods require prior knowledge to define the groups, which limits the capability when prior knowledge is incomplete or unavailable. The graph-guided methods overcome this drawback by using the sample correlation to define the constraint. However, they are sensitive to the sign of the sample correlation, which could introduce undesirable bias if the sign is wrongly estimated. Results: We introduce a novel SCCA model with a new penalty, and develop an efficient optimization algorithm. Our method has a strong upper bound for the grouping effect for both positively and negatively correlated features. We show that our method performs better than or equally to three competing SCCA models on both synthetic and real data. In particular, our method identifies stronger canonical correlations and better canonical loading patterns, showing its promise for revealing interesting imaging genetic associations. Availability and implementation: The Matlab code and sample data are freely available at http://www.iu.edu/∼shenlab/tools/angscca/. Contact: ude.ui@ilnehs Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Pink Bollworm (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae): Effects of Soil Moisture on Behavior of Diapausing Larvae and Adult Emergence from Bolls

Diapause pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), larvae in cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., bolls buried in soil during March exited the bolls and tunneled to within 0 to 1.7 cm of the soil surface under laboratory conditions. Higher percentages of the larvae exhibited this behavior when bolls were buried in moist (11 to 15%soil moisture)than in dry (2% soil moisture) soil or when bolls were left on the soil surface. Higher percentages of the exited larvae pupated as compared with pupation of larvae remaining in the bolls. Adult emergence occurred more rapidly when larvae in bolls was buried in moist soil (12% soil moisture) than when larvae in bolls were buried in dry soil (4% soil moisture). In an outdoor insectary (1979), the first pupa from diapause pink bollworm larvae was obtained between 15 and 22 March 1980. Pupation increased thereafter to 95% during 24 to 31 May. Adult emergence was first observed 5 to 12 April, and 92% emergence occurred from 24 to 31 May. In 1981, adult emergence began on 20 April, with 100% emergence occurring by 23 June.
Climatic and Environmental Trends Observed During Epidemic and Non-epidemic Years of Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome in Iowa

Abstract Soybean yield losses due to sudden death syndrome (SDS) have varied from year to year in Iowa since the disease was first reported in 1993. An SDS epidemic in 2010 resulted in significant ...
Novel Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury (S47.004)

Objective: We hypothesized that targeting ETrA could mitigate the deleterious effects of TBI. Background Traumatic brain injury results in multiple pathologies, including significant reduction in cerebral blood flow. Our laboratory have shown that endothelin-1 plays a major role in the induction of hypoperfusion. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the endothelin receptor A (ETrA) is upregulated as early as 4 hours post TBI and maintains upregulation up to 48 hours, thus temporally corresponding with the state of hypoperfusion. Design/Methods: Using a rodent model of diffuse traumatic brain injury (acceleration impact in Sprague-Dawley rats), we tested the effects of IV administration of a selective ETrA antagonist, Clazosentan administered at various times post TBI on CBF (as measured up to 48 hours post injury using arterial spin labeling MRI, n=6 per group) and behavioral outcome (measured up to 20 days post injury using a radial arm maze-spatial learning task, n=12-15 per group) following injury. Results: Our results indicate that when Clazosentan is administered at 30 minutes, 2 hours, or 4 hours after TBI there is a marked decrease in the extent of TBI-induced hypoperfusion. However, administration at 12 hours post-TBI resulted in variable effects (i.e., some animals improved, some worsened, and some remained the same). The most effective paradigm was a dual-administration approach in which drug was given at 2 and 24 hours post-TBI. Behavioral results recapitulated the blood flow results, showing that there was a trend towards improved behavioral outcome when Clazosentan was administered at 2 hours, however a significant improvement was seen when given at 2 and 24 hours. Conclusions: These results suggest that selective ETrA antagonism may be effective in mitigating the deleterious effects of TBI. Furthermore, it appears that our results help to define the “window of opportunity of drug delivery”. Supported by: NIH-NS064976(CK,PI), VARR&D-RX000224(CK, PI), and American Academy of Neurology(MK). Disclosure: Dr. Kaufman has nothing to disclose. Dr. Tiesma has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kreipke has received research support from Veterans Administration and National Institute of Health.
Reminiscenses of nutrition research with Dr. Clive McCay at the close of World War II.

One day in 1945 at the close of World War 11, patrician, a soft-spoken Naval Commander with short-cropped black hair, high bones, slightly stooped, toured the Protein Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, with the then acting department chairman, David Greenberg. Mrs. Brown and I had enrolled in Dr. Greenberg's course in physical chemistry of proteins while waiting for my ship, a supply vessel, delayed by a Pacific typhoon. After introductions we talked, Dr. Mc Cay and i, of Mendel and later Vickery's work with proteins and their structure. We Cound many thoughts in common and soon I was assigned to the Nutrition Unit of the Naval Medical Research Institute at the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda where he was chief of the nutrition section with the late Ross Gortner. He has been in charge also of nutrition for the Naval forces in the Pacific.
Ascorbic acid levels in phagocytic cells.

SummaryThe concentration of ascorbic: acid was determined in guinea pig peritoneal PMNL, normal rabbit alveolar macrophages, BCG-induced rabbit alveolar macrophages, rabbit peritoneal PMNL, and human circulating PMNL. The high levels of ascorbate seen in all cell types examined are consistent with a role for this compound in the bactericidal activity of the phagocytes. No significant differences from normal were observed in leukocytes from patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia, polycythemia vera, or in one patient with chronic granulomatous disease.
The relative influence of arterial pressure versus intraoperative distention on lipid accumulation in primate vein bypass grafts.

Atherosclerotic degeneration has been well documented to be the limiting factor for long-term function of aortacoronary vein bypass grafts. Injury, including that induced by pressure distention in preparation for grafting, is thought to play a role in this degeneration. Injury can be minimized by limiting the distending pressure, but vein grafts are chronically subjected to arterial pressures that far exceed native venous pressure. We evaluated the relative influence of arterial pressure and of higher pressure of distention on cholesterol and apolipoprotein-B accumulation by grafts in our established animal model of graft atherogenesis. Grafts were interposed in the femoral arteries of eight normolipemic stump-tailed macaque monkeys. Before insertion, each vein was distended at 125 mm Hg (arterial pressure) for 1 minute with autologous blood, followed by distention of one half of the vein at 350 mm Hg for 1 additional minute. Grafts and ungrafted control vein were removed 3 months later. Cholesterol concentration in grafts distended at 125 mm Hg was 213 % (p
Transdermal and Topical Delivery to the Skin

Topical delivery systems involve localized administration of the drug to the human body via various routes such as epithelium, rectal, vaginal, skin, etc. These have many applications in the cosmetic and dermatological fields. There are two types of topical products, external topical and internal topical [1]. The external topical products are spread, sprayed or dispersed directly to the affected area of the skin. The internal topical products are applied to the mucous membrane rectally, vaginally, etc. Microemulsions have been used to encapsulate hydrophobic active ingredients to enhance topical delivery. Microemulsions contain oil, water, and are stabilized by a surfactant or co-surfactants. Topical use of microemulsions may sometimes result in irritation, allergic reactions, poor penetration, etc.
A Moderate Manifesto: Mormon Feminism, Agency, and Internet Blogging

ABSTRACTThe recent excommunication of Utah feminist-activist Kate Kelly demonstrates the precariousness of activism within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS/Mormon). This article performs a textual analysis of a popular blog post written by an influential LDS employee, women’s activist, and blogger: Neylan McBaine. I argue that McBaine’s separation of doctrine from culture and her use of strategic ambiguity construct an effective argument applicable to a broad range of Mormon readers and leaders. The technological affordances of Internet blogging are also considered, in particular, how such affordances enable McBaine to embody her Manifesto by linking it to her personal and professional life, establishing her ethos as a mediator of differing women’s voices, offering a promising path to positive policy and cultural change for Mormon women. This analysis demonstrates the utility of calls to unity in light of increasing tensions surrounding Mormon women’s visibility, decision-making, and p...
Induced and Evoked Human Electrophysiological Correlates of Visual Working Memory Set-Size Effects at Encoding

The ability to encode, store, and retrieve visually presented objects is referred to as visual working memory (VWM). Although crucial for many cognitive processes, previous research reveals that VWM strictly capacity limited. This capacity limitation is behaviorally observable in the set size effect: the ability to successfully report items in VWM asymptotes at a small number of items. Research into the neural correlates of set size effects and VWM capacity limits in general largely focus on the maintenance period of VWM. However, we previously reported that neural resources allocated to individual items during VWM encoding correspond to successful VWM performance. Here we expand on those findings by investigating neural correlates of set size during VWM encoding. We hypothesized that neural signatures of encoding-related VWM capacity limitations should be differentiable as a function of set size. We tested our hypothesis using High Density Electroencephalography (HD-EEG) to analyze frequency components evoked by flickering target items in VWM displays of set size 2 or 4. We found that set size modulated the amplitude of the 1st and 2nd harmonic frequencies evoked during successful VWM encoding across frontal and occipital-parietal electrodes. Frontal sites exhibited the most robust effects for the 2nd harmonic (set size 2 > set size 4). Additionally, we found a set-size effect on the induced power of delta-band (1–4 Hz) activity (set size 2 > set size 4). These results are consistent with a capacity limited VWM resource at encoding that is distributed across to-be-remembered items in a VWM display. This resource may work in conjunction with a task-specific selection process that determines which items are to be encoded and which are to be ignored. These neural set size effects support the view that VWM capacity limitations begin with encoding related processes.
Using Formal Concept Analysis to Examine Water Disclosure in Corporate Social Responsibility Reports

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) water disclosures vary in content, leading to concern about the quality and extent of such disclosures. This paper employs formal concept analysis (FCA) to examine water reporting of selected companies in the US food and beverage industry that have followed the water guidelines set forth by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and in the disclosure guidelines of the CEO Water Mandate. Assessments of water consumption and water withdrawal were cited more often in our sample firms' CSR reports. FCA results also identify the major focus of our sample firms as setting sustainable water management goals and water quality strategy. Other important issues included leadership, partnership, and employee involvement. While the FCA text mining tool is demonstrated using water-related behaviors here, it can be used to identify continuous improvement opportunities and examine many other issues of interest to corporate stakeholders in other industries and communities worldwide. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment
Effects of monoaminergic drugs on training-induced motor cortex plasticity in older adults.

Primary motor cortex (M1) plasticity is involved in motor learning and stroke motor recovery, and enhanced by increasing monoaminergic transmission. Age impacts these processes but there is a paucity of systematic studies on the effects of monoaminergic drugs in older adults. Here, in ten older adults (age 61+4years, 4 males), we determine the effects of a single oral dose of carbidopa/levodopa (DOPA), d-amphetamine (AMPH), methylphenidate (MEPH) and placebo (PLAC) on M1 excitability and motor training-induced M1 plasticity. M1 plasticity is defined as training related long lasting changes in M1 excitability and kinematics of the trained movement. At peak plasma level of the drugs, subjects trained wrist extension movements for 30min. Outcome measures were motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation at increasing intensity (stimulus response curve, SRC) and peak acceleration of the trained wrist extension movements. Measures were obtained before and after completion of training. The curve parameters plateau (MEPmax), inflection point, and slope were extracted from SRC. At baseline drugs had a differential effect on curve parameters, while kinematics remained unchanged. Training alone (PLAC) increased MEPmax but did not improve kinematics. Drugs affected training-related changes of the curve parameters differently, but did not enhance them or kinematics when compared to PLAC. The results demonstrate that in the older adults, MEPH, DOPA, or AMPH have differential effects on baseline M1 excitability and training-related M1 plasticity but fail to enhance them above the naive level.
C. elegans SMA-10 regulates BMP receptor trafficking

Signal transduction of the conserved transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) family signaling pathway functions through two distinct serine/threonine transmembrane receptors, the type I and type II receptors. Endocytosis orchestrates the assembly of signaling complexes by coordinating the entry of receptors with their downstream signaling mediators. Recently, we showed that the C. elegans type I bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) receptor SMA-6, part of the TGFβ family, is recycled through the retromer complex while the type II receptor, DAF-4 is recycled in a retromer-independent, ARF-6 dependent manner. From genetic screens in C. elegans aimed at identifying new modifiers of BMP signaling, we reported on SMA-10, a conserved LRIG (leucine-rich and immunoglobulin-like domains) transmembrane protein. It is a positive regulator of BMP signaling that binds to the SMA-6 receptor. Here we show that the loss of sma-10 leads to aberrant endocytic trafficking of SMA-6, resulting in its accumulation in distinct intracellular endosomes including the early endosome, multivesicular bodies (MVB), and the late endosome with a reduction in signaling strength. Our studies show that trafficking defects caused by the loss of sma-10 are not universal, but affect only a limited set of receptors. Likewise, in Drosophila, we find that the fly homolog of sma-10, lambik (lbk), reduces signaling strength of the BMP pathway, consistent with its function in C. elegans and suggesting evolutionary conservation of function. Loss of sma-10 results in reduced ubiquitination of the type I receptor SMA-6, suggesting a possible mechanism for its regulation of BMP signaling.
Lattice dynamics of BaO

Abstract The frequency-wave vector dependence of the normal modes of vibration have been measured for BaO at room temperature. A total of 99 phonons were examined in the high symmetry directions using coherent inelastic neutron scattering techniques on the triple axis diffractometer at the Missouri University Research Reactor. Very good fits to the data were possible, both with a normal shell model and with a three body force shell model. The normal shell model produced a slightly better fit but required a total of 15 adjustable parameters; the three body force shell model was fit with 8 adjustable parameters. The phonon density of states was calculated and used to determine the temperature dependence of the Debye Temperature.
Frankia Diversity in Host Plant Root Nodules Is Independent of Abundance or Relative Diversity of Frankia Populations in Corresponding Rhizosphere Soils

Actinorhizal plants form nitrogen-fixing root nodules in symbiosis with soil-dwelling actinobacteria within the genus Frankia, and specific Frankia taxonomic clusters nodulate plants in corresponding host infection groups. In same-soil microcosms, we observed that some host species were nodulated (Alnus glutinosa, Alnus cordata, Shepherdia argentea, Casuarina equisetifolia) while others were not (Alnus viridis, Hippophae rhamnoides). Nodule populations were represented by eight different sequences of nifH gene fragments. Two of these sequences characterized frankiae in S. argentea nodules, and three others characterized frankiae in A. glutinosa nodules. Frankiae in A. cordata nodules were represented by five sequences, one of which was also found in nodules from A. glutinosa and C. equisetifolia, while another was detected in nodules from A. glutinosa Quantitative PCR assays showed that vegetation generally increased the abundance of frankiae in soil, independently of the target gene (i.e., nifH or the 23S rRNA gene). Targeted Illumina sequencing of Frankia-specific nifH gene fragments detected 24 unique sequences from rhizosphere soils, 4 of which were also found in nodules, while the remaining 4 sequences in nodules were not found in soils. Seven of the 24 sequences from soils represented >90% of the reads obtained in most samples; the 2 most abundant sequences from soils were not found in root nodules, and only 2 of the sequences from soils were detected in nodules. These results demonstrate large differences between detectable Frankia populations in soil and those in root nodules, suggesting that root nodule formation is not a function of the abundance or relative diversity of specific Frankia populations in soils.IMPORTANCE The nitrogen-fixing actinobacterium Frankia forms root nodules on actinorhizal plants, with members of specific Frankia taxonomic clusters nodulating plants in corresponding host infection groups. We assessed Frankia diversity in root nodules of different host plant species, and we related specific populations to the abundance and relative distribution of indigenous frankiae in rhizosphere soils. Large differences were observed between detectable Frankia populations in soil and those in root nodules, suggesting that root nodule formation is not a function of the abundance or relative diversity of specific Frankia populations in soils but rather results from plants potentially selecting frankiae from the soil for root nodule formation. These data also highlight the necessity of using a combination of different assessment tools so as to adequately address methodological constraints that could produce contradictory data sets.
Predicting glycosaminoglycan surface protein interactions and implications for studying axonal growth

Cell-surface carbohydrates play important roles in numerous biological processes through their interactions with various protein-binding partners. These interactions are made possible by the vast structural diversity of carbohydrates and the diverse array of carbohydrate presentations on the cell surface. Among the most complex and important carbohydrates are glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which display varied stereochemistry, chain lengths, and patterns of sulfation. GAG–protein interactions participate in neuronal development, angiogenesis, spinal cord injury, viral invasion, and immune response. Unfortunately, little structural information is available for these complexes; indeed, for the highly sulfated chondroitin sulfate motifs, CS-E and CS-D, there are no structural data. We describe here the development and validation of the GAG-Dock computational method to predict accurately the binding poses of protein-bound GAGs. We validate that GAG-Dock reproduces accurately (<1-A rmsd) the crystal structure poses for four known heparin–protein structures. Further, we predict the pose of heparin and chondroitin sulfate derivatives bound to the axon guidance proteins, protein tyrosine phosphatase σ (RPTPσ), and Nogo receptors 1–3 (NgR1-3). Such predictions should be useful in understanding and interpreting the role of GAGs in neural development and axonal regeneration after CNS injury.
Salvaging the Ischemic Heart: Gi-Coupled Receptors in Mast Cells Activate a PKCε/ALDH2 Pathway Providing Anti-RAS Cardioprotection

Background Excessive norepinephrine (NE) release in the ischemic heart elicits severe and often lethal arrhythmias. Resident cardiac mast cells synthesize and store active renin, which is released upon degranulation, causing the activation of a local cardiac renin-angiotensin system (RAS) responsible for NE release and consequent arrhythmias. Toxic aldehydes, known to be formed by lipid peroxidation in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), have been shown to degranulate mast cells and activate a local RAS. Objective To provide an up-to-date description of the roles of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) and Gicoupled receptors in anti-RAS cardioprotection. Methods Ex-vivo I/R models in cavian and murine hearts, and human and murine mast cell lines in vitro. Results IPC not only drastically reduces the injury subsequent to a prolonged ischemic event, but also decreases mast cell renin release, thus affording anti-RAS cardioprotection. Similarly, activation of Gicoupled receptors, such as histamine-H4, adenosine-A3 and sphingosine-1-phosphate-S1P1 receptors, all expressed at the mast cell surface, mimic the cardioprotective anti-RAS effects of IPC. The mechanism of this action depends on the sequential activation of a specific isoform of protein kinase C, PKCe, and mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase-type 2 (ALDH2). Increased ALDH2 enzymatic activity exerts a pivotal role in the sequential inhibition of aldehyde-induced mast-cell renin release, prevention of RAS activation, reduction of NE release and alleviation of reperfusion arrhythmias. Conclusion These recently discovered protective pathways indicate that activation of mast-cell Gicoupled receptors and subsequent ALDH2 phosphorylation/activation represent a novel therapeutic target for the alleviation of RAS-induced cardiac dysfunctions, including ischemic heart disease and congestive heart failure.