cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Seasonal Temperature Fluctuations in the Water Column on Sediment Compressional Wave Speed Profiles in Shallow Water

In shallow water areas, the temperature of the water column undergoes large fluctuations during the course of a year. In the Gulf of Mexico, for example, temperature fluctuations of as much as twelve degrees Centigrade have been observed. These seasonal variations in water column temperature affect the pore water temperature of the bottom sediments which, in turn, affects the compressional wave speed profile. Using Biot theory, it is shown that the sediment compressional wave speed varies approximately linearly with pore water temperature and this effect is, to first order, independent of the porosity and sediment type. It is also shown that the velocity ratio (ratio of sound speeds in the water and the sediment at the sediment/water interface) is independent of the temperature but dependent on sediment type. These effects are demonstrated using two experimental measurements made at the same site in the Gulf of Mexico but during different seasons. In both cases, perturbative inversion techniques were used to infer the sound velocity profiles in the bottom. The differences between the two profiles fall within the error bounds predicted by linear inverse theory everywhere except the top 10 m of sediment, where the differences are attributed to the seasonal temperature fluctuation phenomenon. The experimental results suggest that the influence of the water column extends to greater depths than those predicted by theory.
Food commercials do not affect energy intake in a laboratory meal but do alter brain responses to visual food cues in children

Abstract Food commercials promote snack intake and alter food decision-making, yet the influence of exposure to food commercials on subsequent neural processing of food cues and intake at a meal is unclear. This study tested whether exposing children to food or toy commercials altered subsequent brain response to high- and low-energy dense food cues and influenced laboratory intake at a multi-item, ad libitum meal. Forty-one 7-9-year-old children (25 healthy weight; 16 with overweight/obesity) completed five visits as part of a within-subjects design where they consumed multi-item test-meals under three conditions: no exposure, food commercial exposure, and toy commercial exposure. On the fourth and fifth visits, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed while children viewed low- and high-energy dense food images following exposure to either food or toy commercials. Linear mixed models tested for differences in meal energy intake by commercial condition. A whole-brain analysis was conducted to compare differences in response by commercial condition and child weight status. Meal intake did not differ by commercial condition (p = 0.40). Relative to toy commercials, food commercials reduced brain response to high-energy food stimuli in cognitive control regions, including bilateral superior temporal gyri, middle temporal gyrus, and inferior frontal gyrus. Commercial condition * weight status interactions were observed in orbitofrontal cortex, fusiform gyrus, and supramarginal gyrus. Children with overweight/obesity showed increased response in these regions to high-energy stimuli following food commercials. Food commercial exposure affected children's subsequent processing of food cues by reducing engagement of the prefrontal cortex, a region implicated in cognitive control. Even though food commercial exposure did not increase intake at a meal, the effect of reduced prefrontal cortical engagement on a broader range of consumption patterns warrants investigation.
Interval cytoreduction for advanced ovarian cancer: is minimally invasive surgery ready for the next prospective randomized trial?

A number of centers have adapted a laparoscopic approach as a tool in triaging patients with advanced ovarian cancer to primary cytoreductive surgery or neoadjuvant chemotherapy.[1][1] The role of laparoscopy has also been explored in the setting of tumor reduction in select patients with complete
Weighty decisions: How symptom severity and weight impact perceptions of bulimia nervosa.

Objective The current study examined whether variations in patient weight and eating-disorder behavior frequency influenced the recognition of bulimia nervosa (BN) and the perception that it is a serious mental health concern. Method Participants (N = 320) were randomly assigned to one of six conditions in which they read a vignette describing a young woman with BN. Each vignette was identical except for the variables of interest: weight status (underweight, healthy-weight, and overweight), and symptom frequency (daily or weekly binge-eating episodes and purging). Results Participants were more likely to have negative attitudes toward and blame the patient with overweight. Participants were less likely to believe that the patient with overweight was experiencing mental illness and that her problems were too serious to handle on her own. There were no significant differences by symptom frequency. Discussion Findings suggest the presence of weight stigma and that overweight might impede the recognition of eating disorders.
Open Access and the Serials Crisis: The Role of Academic Libraries

Open Access (OA) has been a prominent topic over the past two decades as varied models have evolved and been implemented. This paper examines the evolution of OA funded by article processing charge...
Effects of a chemical additive on the fermentation, microbial communities, and aerobic stability of corn silage with or without air stress during storage

We evaluated the effects of a chemical additive on the microbial communities, fermentation profile, and aerobic stability of whole-plant corn silage with or without air stress during storage. Whole-plant corn was either untreated or treated with a chemical additive containing sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, and sodium nitrite at 2 or 3 liters/t of fresh forage weight. Ten individually treated and replicated silos (7.5 liters) were made for each treatment. Half of the silos remained sealed throughout a 63-d storage period, and the other half was subjected to air stress for 2 h/wk. The composition of the bacterial and fungal communities of fresh forage and silages untreated or treated with 2 liters/t of fresh forage weight was analyzed by Illumina Miseq sequencing. Treated silage had greater (P < 0.05) aerobic stability than untreated, even when subjected to air stress during storage, but the numbers of yeasts culturable on selective agar were not affected. However, the additive reduced the relative abundance (RA) of the lactating-assimilating yeast Candida tropicalis (P < 0.01). In air-stressed silages, untreated silage had a greater (P < 0.05) RA of Pichia kudriavzevii (also a lactate assimilator) than treated silage, whereas treated silage was dominated by Candida humilis, which is usually unable to assimilate lactate or assimilates it slowly. The additive improved the aerobic stability by specifically preventing the dominance of yeast species that can consume lactate and initiate aerobic spoilage. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that identifies the specific action of this additive on shifting the microbial communities in corn silage.
Mapping valence electron distributions with multipole density formalism using 4D-STEM

Abstract Recent advancement in aberration correction and detector technology opened a door to various applications using 4D-STEM, which yields a diffraction pattern for each scanning position within a crystal unit-cell in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and generates incredible amounts of data in momentum space. Currently 4D-STEM analysis relies on the center-of-mass of the diffraction patterns in electric field and charge density mapping. It only derives the total projected charge density and is limited to phase objects, e.g. extremely thin samples. Here, we propose a new analytical method to accurately map aspherical valence electron distributions with atom-centered multipolar functions formalism using the whole 4D-STEM dataset. We demonstrate that, with the full dynamical calculations for various sample thicknesses, the method is sensitive not only to the miniscule charge transfer, but also to the atomic site symmetry and aspherical electron orbitals. The process of the refinement is much more robust and reliable than quantitative convergent beam electron diffraction.
What aspects of their child's primary care do mothers value? A qualitative analysis of perspectives of women in treatment for opioid use disorder

BACKGROUND Preventive paediatric healthcare is essential for infant and child health. Current research, however, suggests that the delivery of routine well child care (WCC) for children affected by maternal opioid use disorder (OUD) could be improved. How mothers perceive interactions with healthcare providers may help identify ways to modify the experience of WCC, which could ultimately improve healthcare utilization, patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes. The objective of this qualitative study was to assess perceptions of WCC among mothers in treatment for OUD. METHODS Four focus group sessions of 4-8 participants each (N = 22) were conducted. All study participants were receiving comprehensive behavioural and physical health support and care plus pharmacotherapy for OUD from a single outpatient treatment centre. Focus groups were semi-structured, with a standardized set of open-ended questions and follow-up prompts to engage participants in a fluid discussion. Participants were asked to identify and discuss important aspects of their youngest child's WCC and what they liked and disliked about their child's WCC. Grounded theory analysis was used to identify themes. RESULTS Several aspects of WCC were identified as important to the mothers. Main themes identified included (1) mother-provider relationship, (2) communication with healthcare team and (3) support for mother's OUD treatment. Participants discussed their desire to be heard and understood and wanted the entire healthcare team and clinic staff to see them as mothers first and foremost, not merely as individuals with OUD. CONCLUSION Future attempts to refine care may consider healthcare models that highlight open communication and personalized care and offer strong support and ongoing encouragement for the mother's OUD treatment and recovery process.
Peer Support for Chronic Medical Conditions

Relying on non-hierarchical, often reciprocal relationships, peer support for chronic medical conditions can be defined by its five key functions: (1) being there, (2) assistance in daily management, (3) social and emotional support to promote disease self-management and coping with negative emotions, (4) linkage to clinical care and community resources, and (5) ongoing support because chronic disease is for the rest of one’s life. Relying on multi-level inputs and producing multi-level outcomes, peer support fits within a socioecological framework. It has been shown to be effective across a wide variety of health problems, health behaviors, and populations and can be implemented in a range of strategies and settings. Peer support has the ability to engage people too often hardly reached by organized health-care services and to extend the reach of traditional clinical services. The inclusion of peer supporters in health-care teams promotes implementation of and adherence to the Chronic Care Model.
Collecting Dissertation Data during COVID 19

This essay describes my personal experience as a doctoral candidate collecting data for my dissertation during the COVID-19 pandemic. After providing the context for my own study, I lay out three main ideas that emerged while collecting data. These main ideas involve including participants in the decision-making process, sharing one another’s challenging contexts to understand and connect, and the importance of teacher learning communities in times of isolation. My essay highlights some of the challenges and opportunities of collecting data during difficult circumstances and discusses the importance of professional learning communities to assist teachers with long-term coping within an unexpected context.
Experimental and Analytical Delay-Adaptive Control of a 7-DOF Robot Manipulator

We study the analytical and experimental trajectory-tracking control of a 7-DOF robot manipulator with an unknown long actuator delay. In order to compensate for this unknown delay, we formulate a delay-adaptive prediction-based control strategy in order to simultaneously estimate the unknown delay while driving the robot manipulator towards the desired trajectory. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first to present a delay-adaptive approach for a nonlinear system with multiple inputs. Through Lyapunov analysis, we first obtain a local asymptotic stability result of the proposed controller. Then, through the results of both our simulation and experiment, we demonstrate that the proposed controller is capable of tracking the desired trajectory with desirable performance despite a large initial delay mismatch, which would cause non-adaptive prediction based controllers to become unstable.
Secondary Cases of Delta-Variant COVID-19 Among Vaccinated Healthcare Workers with Breakthrough Infections is Rare.

A retrospective cohort study at four academic medical centers with high COVID-19 vaccination rates evaluated breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) infections in vaccinated healthcare workers. Few work-related secondary cases were identified. Breakthrough cases were largely due to unmasked social activities outside of work.
Designing and evaluating clinical cutpoints for childhood obesity

Background: To date, several studies have been published outlining reference percentiles for body mass index in children and adolescents. In contrast, there is limited reference data on percent body fat (%BF). Objective: The purpose of this study was to derive smoothed percentile curves for %BF in a nationally-representative sample of U.S. children and adolescents. Design: Percent fat was derived from the skinfold thicknesses of 5 to 18 year olds from 3 cross-sectional waves (1999-2000, 2001-2002, 2003-2004) of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (N = 8269). The LMS regression method was used to create age-, sex-, and ethnicity-specific smoothed centile curves of %BF. Results: Growth curves are similar between males and females through early childhood. However, as %BF peaks for males at about age 11, it continues to increase for females throughout adolescence. Median %BF at age 18 is 16.8%, 13.5%, and 19.7% for white, black, and Mexican American males, respectively. Median %BF at age 18 is 27.5%, 27.3%, and 29.5% for white, black, and Mexican American females, respectively. At age 18, females have approximately 1.5 to 2 times greater %BF than males. Conclusions: Current information on the pediatric obesity epidemic using %BF is available based on a nationally-representative sample of U.S. children and adolescents. Using %BF instead of body mass index may offer additional information in epidemiological research and
The shunt pathway of mevalonate metabolism in the isolated perfused rat kidney.

The shunt pathway of mevalonate metabolism (Edmond, J., and Popjak, G. (1974) J. Biol. Chem. 249, 66-71) has been studied in isolated kidneys from rats perfused with physiological concentrations of variously labeled [14C]- and [3H]mevalonates. The rate of operation of the shunt pathway was quantified by the production of either 14CO2 or 3H2O from the tracers. The measured rates of 14CO2 production from [14C] mevalonate were converted to rates of mitochondrial acetyl-CoA production by methods which take into account underestimations of metabolic rates derived from 14CO2 production. We have shown that the sex difference in renal shunting of mevalonate (Wiley, M. H., Howton, M. M., and Siperstein, M. D. (1979) J. Biol. Chem. 254, 837-842) occurs at physiological levels of substrate. The shunt pathway diverts up to 17% of the flux of mevalonate entering the cholesterol synthesis pathway in the kidney. It may, therefore, play a role in the long term regulation of cholesterol synthesis in this organ, as had been hypothesized by Edmond and Popjak.
The Virtual Haptic Back: Detection of Compliance Differences

The ability of human subjects to distinguish small compliance differences in adjacent regions was tested with the Virtual Haptic Back (VHB), a simulation of human backs designed to aid in teaching medical palpatory diagnosis. The VHB uses two PHANToM 3.0 haptic interfaces (SensAble Technologies, Inc.). The contours and compliance properties of the backs are represented graphically and haptically. Medical students practiced 8 times over 2 weeks on the VHB, finding regions of altered compliance, the locations of which varied randomly. Baseline compliance was 2.52 mm/N; compliance in the abnormal regions ranged from 2.45 to 0.97 mm/N. Following the practice session the threshold of detection is 2.25 mm/N, an 11% difference from baseline.
Enzymatic Synthesis of Cytidine Diphosphate 3,6-Dideoxyhexoses VI. PURIFICATION TO HOMOGENEITY AND SOME PROPERTIES OF CYTIDINE DIPHOSPHATE-d-GLUCOSE OXIDOREDUCTASE, ENZYME E1 AND ENZYME E3

Abstract A procedure is described for the purification of CDP-d-glucose oxidoreductase which catalyzes formation of CDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-d-glucose and for enzymes E1 and E3 which catalyze the further reduction to CDP-4-keto-3,6-dideoxy-d-glucose. All three enzymes have been purified to homogeneity as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. CDP-d-glucose oxidoreductase has been shown to consist of two identical subunits of molecular weight of about 43,000 per subunit. Enzymes E1 and E3 consist of simple polypeptide chains of molecular weight of about 61,000 and 41,000, respectively. Preliminary studies on the mechanism of the reaction suggest that enzyme E1 binds the substrate and that pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate is essential for the binding. Enzyme E3 has been shown to possess NADH oxidase activity and may be the reductase. A mechanism involving participation of the essential cofactor, pyridoxamine-5'-phosphate, is discussed.
What Are Older Gay Men Like

Summary Although the authors recognize that the question “What are older gay men like?” is impossible to answer conclusively, they endeavor to provide a better understanding of older gay men by making comparisons to the general older male population. The authors dispel a number of myths about older gay men and suggest that they adjust to the stigma of aging and achieve independence more easily than their straight counterparts.
Selection probability of data channels in Bluetooth Low Energy

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is a ubiquitous technology allowing applications in healthcare, wellness and house-hold sensors to have wireless functionality. Even though a frequency hopping mechanism is employed by BLE to combat fading and interference in the 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band, a noticeable probability of collision is expected to arise when the number of communicating BLE devices in the same vicinity increases. In this paper, an analytical model to find the selection probability of each of the 37 BLE data channels is presented. The results, which are confirmed by brute-force simulation, are then used to find the probability of collision between collocated BLE pairs and their maximum achievable aggregate throughput.
Elucidating RETA (Reform of Electricity Trading Arrangement) (Panel on evolution of electricity market structures)

In the late 1980s the British Government embarked on the privatisation of the electricity industry. This culminated in March 1990 with the vesting of the former public electricity supply industry into the newly created successor companies, most of which were to be floated on the stock exchange during the subsequent months. Also created in March 1990, as part of the privatisation process, was the Electricity Pool of England and Wales-the new wholesale market for electricity which lay at the heart of the competitive trading arrangements. Competition in generation was an immediate feature of the new regime, whilst competition in supply was scheduled to be phased in over an eight year period. In October 1997, the British Government invited the electricity regulator, the Director General of Electricity Supply (DGES), to undertake a review of the Pool trading arrangements to examine whether there was scope to make changes which would benefit the industry and its customers. In July 1998, following wide ranging consultation, the DGES announced a set of proposals for the Reform of Electricity Trading Arrangements (RETA) which were then endorsed by the Government in their White Paper on energy policy in October 1998. This paper aims to elucidate the RETA initiative by recapping on the underlying objectives, setting out the key features of the July 1998 proposals, and explaining the process through which the implementation of the proposals is being carried out.
Gaps and Our Understanding

The binding of electrons in pairs within superconductors gives rise to energy gaps. Two studies of gaps may shed light on mechanisms underlying high-temperature superconductivity.
Integrated furfural production as a renewable fuel and chemical platform from lignocellulosic biomass

Furfural is a natural precursor to furan-based chemicals and has the potential to become a major renewable platform chemical for the production of biochemicals and biofuels. However, current industrial furfural production relies on relatively old and inefficient strategies that have hindered its capacity, and low production yields have strongly diminished its competitiveness withpetroleum-basedalternativesintheglobalmarket.Thismini-reviewprovidesacriticalanalysisofpastandcurrentprogress to enhance furfural production from lignocellulosic biomass. First, important chemical and fuel products derived from the catalytic conversion of furfuralare outlined.Wethen discuss theimportanceof developingintegratedproductionstrategies to co-producefurfuralwithothervaluablechemicals.Furfuralformationandlosschemistriesareexploredtounderstandeffective methods to improve furfural yields from pentosans. Finally, selected relevant commercial and academic technologies that promise to improve lignocellulosic furfural production are discussed. c � 2013 Society of Chemical Industry
Choice of law, jurisdiction, and judgment issues in interstate adoption cases

The purpose of this article is to describe the choice-of-Iaw (or conflict-of-laws), jurisdiction, and judgments problems in "interstate" adoption cases. In the subject of conflict-of-Iaws, adoption is a' sub-topic within the area of domestic relations. As explained below, domestic relations cases have always presented curious problems in multi-state situations-that is, in situations where people cross state and international lines and find that their domestic relationships are affected by the existence of different laws in the states from which they have come and into which they have migrated. Often multi-state domestic relations controversies are produced by parties moving from one state or country to another in order to accomplish legal results that they could not achieve in the places from which they have come and with which they perhaps have their most permanent relationships. Other cases arise in the normal course of life, during which members of a mobile population migrate from state to state in the normal course of events and are (perhaps) surprised to find that the laws fomiedy regulating their relationship are not the same in the places to which they have moved.
High Speed Decoding of Entropy Codes in H.264/AVC Based on a Symbol Prediction

H.264/AVC is adopted as a next generation moving picture compression standard. Context-based Adaptive Binary Arithmetic Coding (CABAC) is the major entropy coding algorithm employed in H.264/AVC. Although the performance gain of H.264/AVC is mostly resulted from CABAC, it is difficult to implement a high-throughput decoder due to its decoding complexity. Although CABAC excludes a multiplication, the algorithm is basically sequential and needs large computations to compute some important variables, which are range, offset and context variables. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve fast decoding performance. In this paper, a prediction scheme is proposed to decode maximally two bits at a time and thus to reduce overall decoding time. A CABAC decoder based on the proposed prediction scheme reduces total cycles by 24% compared to conventional decoders.
Occurrence of Stainable Lipoid Material in Renal Epithelium of Animals Falling in Different Age Segments.

Conclusions1. Microchemically demonstrable lipoid material is not present in the epithelium of the cells of the proximal convolution of the nephron in puppies varying in age from 6 weeks to 4 months. Young adult animals under 1 year of age have rarely shown such material as fine dust-like granules. 2. As the dog ages, stainable lipoid makes its appearance in the cells of the proximal convoluted segment and increases in amount in this location as the animal advances in years. 3. In nephritic senile animals that have repaired the epithelial injury in the proximal segment by the formation of an atypical, flattened order of epithelial structure stainable lipoid material cannot be demonstrated by the use of a similar technic which does demonstrate its presence in cells of a normal order in this location. 4. Such variations in the occurrence of stainable lipoid material are not due to qualitative variations in the food intake. 5. Intracellular chemical manipulations would appear to become so modified by the fac...
Heavy unstable particles produced in the high energy pion beam of the Berkeley Bevatron

Stacks of 600 μm pellicles were exposed to the 4.6 and 3.0 GeV pion beam of the Berkeley Bevatron. A number of heavy unstable particles and hyperfragments were obtained. The ratio of the frequency of occurrence of K+ and K--mesons has been found to be approximately unity in contrast to the large positive excess in the proton beam. As a possible explanation, it is suggested that the K--meson is produced in conjunction with a K+-meson according to the following reaction: π-+p → K++K-+N. Two hyperfragment decays of hydrogen have been fo nd in which the π--meson stops. One of the hyperfragments was identified as a 1 4 H* produced by a ⌆--hyperon; the other one is a 1 3 H* produced directly by the high energy pion. The range of all the charged particles was accurately determined which yielded a reliable value of the binding energy. The value of the binding energy (B.E.) for 1 3 H* was found to be 1.2 ±0.6 and for 1 4 H* B.E.(∧0) = 3.3 ±1. The mean free path for nuclear collisions was determined for 5.7 GeV protons and 3 GeV π-mesons. The results yielded for protons 37.6 ±5.3 cm and for π--mesons 35.5 ±5.0 cm. Both mean free paths are longer than the geometrical mean free path for nuclear collisions in the emulsion, which is 25 cm.
Anomalous acoustic behavior of KH2PO4 at high pressure

Abstract The pressure dependences of the elastic constants C 11 , C 33 , C 44 and C 66 of KH 2 PO 4 have been measured to 20 kbar at room temperature. A monotonic increase with pressure is found for C 11 and C 33 , while C 44 and C 66 first increase then decrease with increasing pressure. This behavior of C 44 and C 66 may be associated with the high pressure (∼ 40 kbar) phase transition suggested by the data of Rapoport.
Polymerization of Bis(triethoxysilyl)ethenes. Impact of Substitution Geometry on the Formation of Ethenylene- and Vinylidene-Bridged Polysilsesquioxanes

Preparation of organically-bridged polysilsesquioxanes has been achieved by polymerizing organic monomers with two or more trialkoxysilyl groups per monomer repeat unit. The nature of the organic bridging group has been shown to strongly impact the final properties (surface area, pore size, and thermal stability) of the end product. For example, rigid arylene bridging groups have been shown to give rise to materials with high surface areas with a relatively large contribution from micropores (< 20 {angstrom}). The length of alkylene-bridging groups can be used to control the size and dispersity of pores in hydrocarbon-bridged xerogels. In this study, the authors have examined the preparation of ethylene-bridged polysilsesquioxanes from the E-(1) and Z-(2) isomers of 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethene and vinylidene-bridged polysilsesquioxanes from 1,1-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethene-(3). This study was intended to determine the effects of substitution geometry about the carbon-carbon double bond on the condensation chemistry of the monomers and on the resulting architectures of the final materials.
BASKET DESIGNS OF THE POMO INDIANS1

The following is a preliminary account of the basket designs of the Pomo Indians of California and is intended to show only the more important features of the subject. It is based chiefly on in vestigations carried on during 1904 for the Department of Anthropology of the University of California. Among the seven dialects of the Pomo linguistic stock there are but three, the Northern, Central, and Eastern, all in central Mendocino and central Lake counties, that are now spoken by any considerable number of Indians, and with the people in this particular region the art of basket making is, at present, on the whole more highly perfected than with the people of the remaining Pomo area. Consequently it is chiefly from the people of these three dialectic groups that information concerning basketry was obtained. In technique Pomo basketry shows great variety. Of coiling there are two forms: single-rod and three-rod foundation. Of twining there are, exclusive of those used for border finish only, five forms: plain-twined, diagonal-twined, lattice-twined, threestrand twined, and three-strand braided. Of these twined weaves the first three are in common use, the fourth is rarely used as the weave of an entire basket, and the fifth is very rarely so used. The lattice-twined weave seems to be confined entirely to the Pomo and adjacent Indians of other linguistic .stocks but of similar culture. The following fact concerning manipulation is noteworthy: As one looks at the outer surface of the bottom of a basket, coiling always progresses in a counterclockwise direction, twining always in a clockwise direction. In form also a very great diversity is shown, there being all shapes from cylindrical, through globose and conical, to the flat
The glycosphingolipid globotriaosylceramide in the metastatic transformation of colon cancer

The most devastating aspect of cancer is the emergence of metastases. Thus, identification of potentially metastatic cells among a tumor cell population and the underlying molecular changes that switch cells to a metastatic state are among the most important issues in cancer biology. Here we show that, although normal human colonic epithelial cells lack the glycosphingolipid globotriaosylceramide (Gb3), this molecule is highly expressed in metastatic colon cancer. In addition, a subpopulation of cells that are greatly enriched in Gb3 and have an invasive phenotype was identified in human colon cancer cell lines. In epithelial cells in culture, Gb3 was necessary and sufficient for cell invasiveness. Transfection of Gb3 synthase, resulting in Gb3 expression in noncancerous polarized epithelial cells lacking endogenous Gb3, induced cell invasiveness. Furthermore, Gb3 knockdown by small inhibitory RNA in colon cancer epithelial cells inhibited cell invasiveness. Gb3 is the plasma membrane receptor for Shiga toxin 1. The noncatalytic B subunit of Shiga toxin 1 causes apoptosis of human colon cancer cells expressing Gb3. Injections of the B subunit of Shiga toxin 1 into HT29 human colon cancer cells engrafted into the flanks of nude mice inhibited tumor growth. These data demonstrate the appearance of a subpopulation of Gb3 containing epithelial cells in the metastatic stage of human colon cancer and suggest their possible role in colon cancer invasiveness.
The problem with BEAUTY: a medical librarian’s perspective

I strongly disagree with one of Pottegard and colleagues’ BEAUTY criteria for the standardised assessment of acronym quality: five points if the acronym is a real word.1 From a medical librarian’s point of view, real words as clinical trial names—especially real words commonly used in medicine—make clinical trials very difficult to find in Medline and other databases. Take, for …
Abstract 5405: Self-emulsifying nanoemulsions target intracranial glioblastoma tumors:In vivooptical imaging and fluorescence microscopy evidences

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Introduction: As the most aggressive form of brain tumor, glioblastoma has limited treatment options due to highly invasive nature, the largely impermeable blood-brain barrier (BBB) and presence of efflux transporters at BBB. We aimed to investigate the ability of self-emulsifying nanoemulsions to delivery BBB-impermeable molecules to the brain of orthotopic U87-luc human glioblastoma xenografts. Methods: Oil-in-water nanoemulsions containing medium-chain triglycerides oil and co-surfactants (polysorbate-80:transcutol 6:4 w/w) were prepared by a spontaneous self-emulsification method. Luciferase transfected U87-luc human glioblastoma cells were injected intracranially as well as subcutaneously to Nu/Nu mice and tumor growth was monitored by bioluminescence imaging. Seventeen days after tumor implantation, near infrared dye DiD labeled nanoemulsions and size matched pegylated stealth liposomes were injected intravenously in U87-luc xenografts and the real-time biodistributions of formulations were monitored by whole animal imaging. Results: Nanoemulsions had a mean particle size ∼120 nm with slightly negative charge (-10 mV). It is biocompatible with no hemolysis in vitro. In orthotopic U87-luc xenograft tumor model, intravenous administration of DiD labeled nanoemulsions revealed enhanced accumulation of the nanoemulsions in the brain and subcutaneous tumor at 1-9 hours post injection, comparing to that of the free dye and pegylated liposomes. The brain accumulations of nanoemulsions were persistent till 96 hours. The ex vivo fluorescence microscopy analysis showed that the DiD-nanoemulsions specifically accumuolated at the U87-luc tumor region, not at the surrounding normal brain tissue. In the normal CD-1 mice with intact BBB, the nanoemulsions accumulation in the brain was still significantly higher than the free dye, albeit lower than the brain level achieved in the U87-luc xenografts. The nanoemulsions were non-toxic to both CD-1 and Nu/Nu mice after daily repeated doses for three weeks. Conclusion: Our data indicates that nanoemulsion is a promising nanocarrier to deliver imaging or therapeutic agents for the diagnosis or systemic treatment of GBM. Citation Format: Xinli Liu, Hussaini Syed Sha Qhattal, Tanvirul Hye. Self-emulsifying nanoemulsions target intracranial glioblastoma tumors: In vivo optical imaging and fluorescence microscopy evidences. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5405. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5405
Polycystin Signaling Is Required for Directed Endothelial Cell Migration and Lymphatic Development

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease is a common form of inherited kidney disease that is caused by mutations in two genes, PKD1 (polycystin-1) and PKD2 (polycystin-2). Mice with germline deletion of either gene die in midgestation with a vascular phenotype that includes profound edema. Although an endothelial cell defect has been suspected, the basis of this phenotype remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that edema in Pkd1- and Pkd2-null mice is likely to be caused by defects in lymphatic development. Pkd1 and Pkd2 mutant embryos exhibit reduced lymphatic vessel density and vascular branching along with aberrant migration of early lymphatic endothelial cell precursors. We used cell-based assays to confirm that PKD1- and PKD2-depleted endothelial cells have an intrinsic defect in directional migration that is associated with a failure to establish front-rear polarity. Our studies reveal a role for polycystin signaling in lymphatic development.
Hydrothermal transformation of Chinese privet seed biomass to gas-phase and semi-volatile products

Hydrothermal (HT) treatment of seeds from Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense), a non-native and invasive species in the southeastern United States, was examined with respect to the generation of gas-phase and semi-volatile organic chemicals of industrial importance from a lipid-rich biomass resource. Aqueous seed slurries were transformed into biphasic liquid systems comprised of a milky aqueous phase overlain by a black organic layer. Present in the headspace were elevated levels of CO2 and acetic acid. Analysis of the semi-volatiles by GC-MS showed the formation of alkyl substituted benzenes, oxygenated cyclic alkenes, phenol, substituted phenolics, and alkyl substituted pyridines. Compared to immature seeds, mature seeds gave high relative amounts of oxygenated cyclic alkenes (cyclopentenones) and alkyl pyr- idines. The presence of fatty acids in the HT products likely resulted from both lipid hydrolysis reactions and the inherent stability of fatty acids under HT treatment conditions. Estimates of lignin and protein contents showed no definite trend that could be linked to the HT data. The proportion of aromatic HT products appeared to derive primarily from the proportion of extractives. Thus, variations in extractives yields impact HT product yields and thereby demonstrate the importance of timing in feedstock collec- tion to favor targeted HT products. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
AIDS: Its Effects on Sexual Practices among Homosexual and Heterosexual College Students

Abstract This study assesses high risk/low risk safer sex behaviors among a selected sample (n = 403) of homosexual and heterosexual college students on a campus in northern Texas. An 18-item validated questionnaire was administered to 75 students from a homosexual student association, 85 heterosexual fraternity/sorority members, and 243 heterosexual non-fraternity/sorority members from a sample of college classes. Seven items on the questionnaire requested demographic information, one item related to HIV status, and 10 items identified safer sex behaviors practiced by respondents in the past six months because of their fears of contracting HIV. These 10 items formed a Safer Sex Scale (SSS). Homosexual subjects were more likely to report being HIV negative, whereas heterosexual subjects were more uncertain about their HIV status (x2 = 14.43, p<.001). Females (M = 2.22) more than males (M = 2.71) (t = 8.08, p<.001), heterosexuals (M = 2.42) more than homosexuals (M = 2.59) (t = 2.46, p<.05), and non-whites...
Exploring formal learning groups and their impact on recruitment of women in undergraduate CS

As percentages of women in computing jobs and university programs decline, recruiting and retaining women in the field of Computer Science (CS) becomes increasingly important. Undergraduate CS programs, and more specifically, introductory-level CS courses, offer an opportunity to introduce women to CS studies. Furthermore, learning experiences in introductory CS courses can be pivotal in shaping female students' perceptions of CS. Collaborative learning, in various forms, is an instructional construct that has been shown to be effective in recruiting and retaining women in undergraduate CS programs. In this paper we present an exploratory study on formal learning groups and their potential to attract and maintain female students' interest in CS studies.
Monoclonal antibodies to HSV-infection-related antigens cross-react with tumor cell lines and tumor tissue sections

The purpose of our study was to evaluate a possible association between herpes simplex virus (HSV) and various tumors, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). To this end, we tested the binding of appropriate monoclonal antibodies to a panel of cell lines and tumor sections. The 25 monoclonal antibodies were reactive with HSV-infected cells but not with uninfected cells. Of these antibodies, three bound to several SCC cell lines and to one non-SCC cell line (K562). One of these three antibodies also reacted with sections of oral SCC tumors, the adjacent mucosa, and normal esophageal epithelium. In contrast, it did not bind to sections of kidney, spleen, esophageal smooth muscle, and skin. To evaluate whether the observed antibody binding could reflect an actual infection by HSV, hybridization experiments between K562 DNA and HSV DNA were performed. HSV DNA sequences were found in K562 DNA at a ratio of 0.1 genome-equivalents/cell. Although these data do not characterize the nature of the relationship, they clearly confirm the postulated association of HSV with some tumors (in particular oral SCC).
Comparing insertion schemes used to update 3-2 trees

Abstract A set of difference equations which represents transformations that occur to classes of subtrees of 3-2 trees under random insertions is developed. A solution of these equations represents the average relative frequency of subtree occurrence. These results are used in estimating average storage and insertion costs. A technique is presented for estimating an implementation parameter (the probability of a key shifting to a neighboring node under insertion) which allows comparison of various insertion strategies.
Upstaging and Improved Survival of Early Breast Cancer Patients after Implementation of Sentinel Node Biopsy for Axillary Staging

Background Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has become a standard for axillary staging for early breast cancer patients. Prior studies suggest that SLNB may be more sensitive for the identification of lymph node disease than axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). We hypothesized that SLNB use increases the incidence of node-positivity in early breast cancer patients compared to ALND. Furthermore, survival improves due to more accurate staging (stage migration).
Layered Von Kármán's swirling flow

Abstract Existence of an exact solution of the Navier–Stokes equations representing swirling flow consisting of two fluid layers is proven. It is assumed that the fluid in the bottom layer is injected into the swirl from a rotating disk. This describes the case when a disk melts in an ambient fluid and the melted fluid is removed by rotation of the disk.
Effect of N-Ethyl maleimide on the delay of onset of the ERG a-wave after light adaptation

Abstract The delay in the onset of the ERG a -wave that occurs during the recovery from light adaptation is decreased when N -ethyl maleimide, (NEN), (a sulfhydryl reactor) dissolved in saline solution is injected into the vitreous humor immediately after the adapting light is turned off. Control experiments show that injection of NEM into the dark adapted eye had very little effect on the a -wave. Repositioning the eye and electrode, insertion of an empty needle, or injection of saline solusion into the eye after light adaptation did not affect the delay of onset of the a -wave. It is suggested therefore that the opsin-based sulfhydryl group liberated in the light reaction serves as an inhibitor of the reactions leading to the generation of the a -wave.
Geometric error coupling in instrument ball bearings

Instrument ball bearings are used in pairs, loaded against each other, mounted on a shaft, and contained in a housing. Their most important function is to define a spin axis. We develop a vector manufacturing error characterization for each bearing component. We calculate the combined misalignment of a loaded bearing pair, coupled by shaft/housing elasticity, to give a time-dependent resultant displacement/direction of the spin axis with respect to a spin reference axis. Effects of initial placement, contact angle mismatch, and total rotation angle are considered. We suggest that selective assembly with error cancellation is possible for some applications.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Review of “PRACTICAL THERMOFORMING: PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS” by J. Florian Consulting Design Engineering Bakersfield, CA 384 pages, 1987 by Marcel Dekker, Inc., $99. 75 (U.S. and Canada), $119.50 (all other countries)

(1989). Review of “PRACTICAL THERMOFORMING: PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS” by J. Florian Consulting Design Engineering Bakersfield, CA 384 pages, 1987 by Marcel Dekker, Inc., $99. 75 (U.S. and Canada), $119.50 (all other countries) Materials and Manufacturing Processes: Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 159-160.
Partitioned Exhaled Nitric Oxide to Non-Invasively Assess Asthma

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lungs, characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness. Chronic repetitive bouts of acute inflammation lead to airway wall remodeling and possibly the sequelae of fixed airflow obstruction. Nitric oxide (NO) is a reactive molecule synthesized by NO synthases (NOS). NOS are expressed by cells within the airway wall and functionally, two NOS isoforms exist: constitutive and inducible. In asthma, the inducible isoform is over expressed, leading to increased production of NO, which diffuses into the airway lumen, where it can be detected in the exhaled breath. The exhaled NO signal can be partitioned into airway and alveolar components by measuring exhaled NO at multiple flows and applying mathematical models of pulmonary NO dynamics. The airway NO flux and alveolar NO concentration can be elevated in adults and children with asthma and have been correlated with markers of airway inflammation and airflow obstruction in cross-sectional studies. Longitudinal studies which specifically address the clinical potential of partitioning exhaled NO for diagnosis, managing therapy, and predicting exacerbation are needed.
The relaxation and deformational properties of a carbon‐black filled elastomer in biaxial tension

Biaxial stress relaxation data acquired for a carbon-black-filled elastomer are analyzed. Consistent with previously published simple-tension and pure-shear results for this elastomer, the biaxial relaxation behavior is also found to be a separable function of time and strain effects. A departure from separability is observed at the larger strain; this might be a manifestation of strain-induced crystallization. An analysis of the biaxial results together with the earlier reported simple-tension and pure-shear data reveals that the deformational dependence of this elastomer obeys the Valanis—Landel hypothesis up to moderate deformations. The Ogden strain energy function is found to be an excellent analytical representation of all of the multiaxial data. Large relative errors found at small tensile strains between the data and the Ogden fit are attributed to carbon black structural effects.
Cilia of adult canine articular chondrocytes.

The incidence and morphology of canine chondrocytic cilia were studied using serial sections and transmission electron microscopy. Of the 111 chondrocytes available for study, 104 cells had one cilium. In each of the other seven cells, although no cilium was observed, one of the centrioles appeared to contact the plasma membrane. The structure of a chondrocytic basal body included rootlets, a striated basal foot, nine alar sheets, and A-C and A-A linkers. The outside diameter, inside diameter, and triplet angle gradually decreased from base to apex. The basic axonemal structure consisted of nine peripheral doublets. Arms, radial spokes, and central microtubules typical of motile cilia appeared to be absent. Toward the base of the ciliary shaft certain doublets bent toward the center of the shaft and terminated. The remaining peripheral doublets also terminated one doublet at a time along the length of the shaft. Three potential functions of chondrocytic cilia are discussed.