cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The importance of corticosterone in mediating restraint-induced weight loss in rats.

I. J. Scherer, P. V. Holmes, R. B.S. Harris. The importance of corticosterone in mediating restraint-induced weight loss in rats. PHYSIOL BEHAV 00 (0) 000-000, 2010. Rats restrained for 3 h/day for 3 days (RR) lose weight and do not return to the weight of non-restrained controls once restraint has ended. This study tested the importance of restraint-induced corticosterone release in mediating the change in body weight by injecting ADX rats with 2.0 mg corticosterone/kg before each restraint to replicate the restraint-induced surge in circulating corticosterone. Restrained adrenalectomized (ADX) rats injected with corticosterone had the same initial weight loss as intact restrained rats, whereas corticosterone injection in non-restrained ADX rats and restraint of ADX rats injected with saline each produced only half as much initial weight loss. Sustained weight loss, measured for 14 days after the end of RR, was the same for restrained intact rats and restrained ADX rats injected with corticosterone whereas restrained ADX rats injected with saline achieved the same weight gain as their controls. Corticosterone injections had no effect on weight gain of non-restrained intact rats. In situ hybridization showed that corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) mRNA expression in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) was increased by the same degree in ADX rats and restrained intact rats and was not modified by corticosterone injections. There was no significant effect of restraint, ADX or corticosterone injection on PVN arginine vasopressin (AVP) mRNA expression. These data indicate that a surge in corticosterone causes sustained weight loss in ADX rats through a mechanism that can be compensated for in intact rats and is independent of changes in PVN CRF or AVP mRNA expression.
Benefit vs. risk of oral aluminum forms: antacid and phosphate binding vs. absorption.

ABSTRACTOral consumption of aluminum (Al) compounds to neutralize stomach acid and bind phosphate can result in Al absorption and potential Al accumulation and toxicity. Selecting an effective antacid/phosphate binder would optimize the benefit/risk of therapy. It has been suggested that Al solubilization would predict oral Al bioavailability, and therefore risk. The acid neutralizing and phosphate binding capacity of eight representative Al forms was determined. The results were compared to the oral bioavailability, solubility and octanol/water partitioning coefficient of each compound. The results fail to confirm Al solubilization as an indicator of Al absorption, and presumably, Al toxicity. Acid neutralizing and phosphate binding capacities did not correlate with bioavailability, solubility or the partitioning coefficient.
ZrB2–SiC/Ti6Al4V joints: wettability studies using Ag- and Cu-based braze alloys

In this paper, a study is presented on the wettability of ZrB2 ceramics (pure ZrB2 and ZrB2–SiC composite) and of the Ti6Al4V alloy by pure Cu and Ag and their alloys with Ti to be used in subsequent brazing processes. Wettability tests aimed at elucidating the interfacial interactions and the role of active metal additions (i.e. Ti) in the brazing procedure, performed in a temperature range between 950 and 1150 °C, showed that Cu wets pure ZrB2 quite well (contact angle θ = 70°), while Ag does not. The composite was wetted in a similar way by Cu, while for Ag a θ = 97° was found. The addition of Ti improved the wetting (θ between ~0° and 20°) and segregation at the metal–ceramic interface occurred. As expected, both Cu(Ti) and Ag(Ti) wetted the Ti6Al4V alloy very well. In particular, it was shown that Cu can already produce a liquid phase at 950 °C with partial dissolution of the solid phase. These results are discussed in terms of interfacial reactions and taking into account the sintering aids used for the ceramic body. This study is aimed at defining a brazing process that leads to reliable metal–ceramic joints as a result of chemical interactions of the liquid phase with and diffusion into the adjoining solids. Exploratory joining tests were performed that showed, by means of shear tests coupled with microstructural and microchemical description of the interfaces, the possibility to design sound ZrB2–SiC/Ti6Al4V joints.
Propylene carbonate as a nonaqueous solvent for capillary electrophoresis: mobility and ionization constant of aliphatic amines.

The two properties of aliphatic amines were investigated in propylene carbonate as solvent that are decisive for capillary electrophoretic migration: the actual mobilities and the pKa* values. Solutes were eight primary, secondary, and tertiary amines. Roughly, the actual ionic mobilities of the ammonium ions are inversely proportional to the solvent viscosity, fairly obeying Walden's rule. The pKa* values of the cation acids, HB+ (the corresponding acids of the amines, B), were related to the conventional pH* scale of the buffers. Determined from the effective mobilities as a function of the pH*, they are increased by ∼7 units compared to water. This increase was interpreted based on the concept of the standard free energy of transfer of the individual species in the acid−base equilibrium. The corresponding medium effect on the proton, log mγH+ (the logarithm of the transfer activity coefficient mγH+) is ∼+8. The medium effect on the free base, B, was obtained from solubility data; it is about −1 and sm...
Comparison of triangular and squared ITO nano-grating of GaN LEDs

We study nano-scale ITO top transmission gratings to improve light extraction efficiency using finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. Our study deals with a LED model with triangular-gratings and square-gratings. We achieve a 165.67% improvement for triangular ITO grating. Our study for square-gratings shows that it also can improve the total light extraction efficiency. Thus far, we have only achieved a 7.16% improvement with an ITO layer thickness of 230nm, a 230nm grating width and 10% duty cycle. We will present our comparison in further detail which will include various ITO layer thicknesses, grating widths and duty cycles.
BUSINESS CYCLES AND STREET CRIME

This study examines the influence of business cycle fluctuations on street crime in the conceptual framework of Cantor and Land's(1985) seminal work distinguishing between opportunity and motivation effects. The analysis contributes to the literature three ways. First, we use cross-section/time series data, which has several important advantages over simple time-series or cross-section data of previous studies. Second, it introduces a new and broader measure of business cycle conditions, one that more faithfully captures the logic of Cantor and Land's framework than previous measures do. Third, it focuses on the large decline in street crime of the 1990s, a central issue facing criminologists. Statistical models indicate that the strong economy of the 1990s reduced all four index property crimes and robbery by reducing criminal motivation. Business cycle growth produced no significant opportunity effect for any of the crimes studied.
Purchasing Power: Consumer Empowerment and Adaptation to the Free Market in Russia

This article explores adaptations in Russian consumer behavior to market capitalism, impediments to that process, and the effects citizens’ survival strategies may have on Russia’s continued political and social evolution. Capitalism not only brought Russians a market economy of unenforced legislation, insufficient regulatory institutions, and widespread corruption, but also new ideas including individual rights, self-reliance, and increased expectations for market transactions, which contribute to public mobilization and legal reform designed to protect and empower consumers. Despite the ambivalence many citizens feel toward the market and the difficulties associated with the struggling economy and widespread mafia influence, emerging consumer advocacy groups have begun holding businesses and the government accountable. Evidence suggests that consumer concerns are serving as a vehicle for public mobilization in areas that are broadly significant to Russia’s lingering problems. Finally, though the focus of this paper is on Russian consumers, it is believed that many of the conclusions generated could be extended to other countries with emerging markets.
Dermoid inclusion cysts and early spinal cord tethering after fetal surgery for myelomeningocele.

In utero surgery for myelomeningocele has been proposed to reduce neurologic dysfunction that may result from exposure of the spinal cord to amniotic fluid; approximately 220 such surgeries have been performed to date. The authors report on three girls under one year of age who had loss of motor function in the legs or loss of bladder function after in utero repair of myelomeningocele at 22 to 24 weeks of gestation. All three had dermoid cysts with associated spinal cord tethering, which required surgery.
Investigation of the DBA Algorithm Design Space for EPONs

The implications of the main components of dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA) algorithms in ethernet passive optical networks, namely grant scheduling framework, grant sizing, and grant scheduling, have to date been examined in isolation. In contrast, we conduct a comprehensive throughput-delay comparison study of the three main DBA components; whereby, for each of the DBA components, we consider a range of common mechanisms. Our comparison study considers a number of novel combinations of mechanisms for the individual DBA algorithms, such as the double-phase polling (DPP) scheduling framework combined with limited with excess distribution grant sizing, and shortest propagation delay (SPD) first scheduling. We find that this (DPP, Limited with excess, SPD) combination in conjunction with a novel excess sharing mechanism outperforms previously studied DBA algorithms.
Complementation of mutations in the LDL pathway of receptor-mediated endocytosis by cocultivation of LDL receptor-defective hamster cell mutants.

Abstract We have previously isolated Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell mutants that do not express low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors. When one mutant clone was cocultivated with other receptor-defective clones, it was induced to express receptors that could mediate normal endocytosis. These LDL receptor-defective clones defined two classes of mutations: cbc (complemented by cocultivation) and icc (inducer cells in cocultivation). The induction and short-term (18 hr) stability of LDL receptors in cbc cells did not require protein synthesis by icc cells. Receptor activity could not be induced by DMSO, 5-azacytidine, phosphatidylcholine liposomes, dibutyryl cAMP, compactin, soybean trypsin inhibitor, low temperature (30°C), or conditioned medium, but could be induced by cocultivation with parental CHO cells and normal and LDL receptor-negative human fibroblasts. Complementation by cocultivation only occurred when the cbc and inducing cells were in close proximity, suggesting that an unstable diffusible factor or intimate cell-to-cell association was required for complementation.
Automatic form-feature recognition using neural-network-based techniques on boundary representations of solid models

Abstract A new technique for performing form-feature recognition using the principles of neural networks is discussed. Neural nets require parallel input of data, which, in this case, are B-rep solid models of parts. An input format has been developed which includes face descriptions and face-face relationships. An algorithm for recognition using neural-net-based techniques has been developed, and a suitable net architecture, which is similar to the multilayer perceptron in function and which implements the algorithm, has been designed. The net architecture is described, and a few examples are presented which highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the recognition algorithm.
Use of Quality Indicators in Patient Care: A Senior Primary Care Physician Trying to Take Good Care of His Patients

Dr A is a senior primary care physician who recently moved from a small private practice to a larger group-model practice. He believes he was able to provide higher-quality and more individualized care for his patients in his small practice. As Dr A has discovered, quality measurement and improvement activities in primary care have evolved from a focus on an individual patient in an examination room to a systems approach that incorporates population management. Although many frustrations remain with physicians' ability to measure and influence the quality of care received by populations of patients, quality measures and monitoring have improved and should continue to improve. However, the perspective of patients and experienced physicians like Dr A also should be incorporated into quality measurement and management systems. Dr A clearly has the welfare of his patients at heart, and his experience and perspective could help improve his organization's systems of care and identify resources to deliver the best care.
Carbon isotope relationships between sulfide-bound steroids and proposed functionalized lipid precursors in sediments from the Santa Barbara Basin, California

Abstract In this study, molecular and isotopic analyses were used to evaluate relationships between sulfide-bound compounds and their proposed lipid precursors in surficial sediments from the Santa Barbara Basin (SBB), California. The hydrocarbons released from the polar total lipid extract fraction from sediments by reaction with Raney nickel were dominated by phytane with a lesser amount of 5α(H) and 5β(H) C 27 , C 28 and C 29 steranes. The steroidal hydrocarbons released were compared with extractable steroidal alcohols from the same depth. Wide and systematic variations were discovered in the range of isotopic compositions of extracted steroidal alcohols and their sulfide-bound analogs with the same carbon skeleton. The isotopic data offer no clear delineation of the product/precursor relationship but do demonstrate that concentration alone does not determine the extent to which a steroidal alcohol is sulfurized. Compound-specific isotope analyses of extractable 24-ethylcholesterols and S-bound 24-ethylcholestane suggest that C 29 steroidal alcohols of terrestrial origin are more susceptible to sulfurization than those that are derived from marine organisms. This investigation of the early diagenetic sulfurization process shows that the amount of steranes released by Raney nickel from the SBB sediments accounts for between 0.2 and 3.0% of the available 4-desmethyl steroidal alcohol precursor pool with a similar carbon skeleton over the first 12 cm; also that the C 27 steroidal alcohols were consistently more reactive to sulfurization than the C 28 steroidal alcohol pool. The 4-methyl steroidal alcohols were unreactive toward sulfurization. The preservation of steroidal biomarkers by the sulfurization process, as revealed by Raney nickel treatment of the polar total lipid extract, indicates that sulfur incoporation does occur to a minor extent at this very early stage of diagenesis and is quite variable among different steroidal alcohol groups.
A comparative analysis of using trip-based versus link-based traffic data for regional mobile source emissions estimation

The current method used for calculating vehicle emissions integrates travel data and associated vehicle emission factors. Travel data from traditional travel demand models are normally link-based (e.g., volumes on roadway segments), while California emission factors are trip-based (i.e., average emission factors over an entire trip), creating a mismatch in the modeling interface. Using dynamic simulation for trip assignment, we present a new modeling framework that consistently provides both trip-based and link-based VMT-speed distributions. Using the Sacramento Metropolitan Area and Kern County in California, we demonstrate the feasibility of this new method and quantify the effects of using trip-based versus link-based travel data on regional peak period emission inventories. The comparison results indicate that for the base scenario in both studied regions, the link-based method generally results in higher emissions than the trip-based method. The sensitivities of the link and trip-based methods to road network variations also appear dissimilar. The link-based emissions are more sensitive to facility-related changes, while the trip-based emissions are more sensitive to demand-related changes. This suggests that greater care may need to be taken to specify the effects of this modeling interface issue within the transportation conformity process and subsequent mobile emissions analysis.
Community integration of the mentally III in residential facilities

Much of the empirical research on the social adjustment of the mentally ill has focused on client variables. More recently, recognition of environmental factors as influences on behavior has led to attempts to determine environmental factors that may play a role in former mental patients' community integration. The secondary data analysis of 87 former state hospital patients in residential facilities suggests that while client characteristics are important in explaining community integration, facility, and community characteristics, particularly the level of skills training offered in the facility, size of city, and level of depersonalization of residents, have a significant impact. Results indicating the major importance of informal interactions between staff and clients are discussed, with implications for facility staff noted.
The androgen-binding protein gene is expressed in CD1 mouse testis

Androgen-binding protein (ABP) is a testicular Sertoli cell secretory protein that acts as a carrier of androgen in the male reproductive tract. ABP has been characterized from a wide range of animal species, including man, rabbit and rat. However, it has been widely accepted that mice do not produce testicular ABP. We have used immunological and molecular biological techniques to demonstrate that the ABP gene is expressed in the CD1 mouse. Steroid-binding, radioimmunoassay and immunocytochemical studies demonstrated that ABP is present in mouse testis and epididymis, but at 1/50 to 1/25 the level of rat epididymis. A 1.7 kilobase mRNA, homologous with rat ABP cDNA, was identified in mouse testis and Sertoli cells by Northern blot hybridization, but at a much lower level than in the rat. An ABP cDNA was isolated from a mouse testis cDNA library and encoded a protein (403 residues) with 89% of the amino acid residues identical to rat ABP, including a signal peptide. Our results indicate that ABP is expressed in the mouse and past failures to detect androgen-binding activity were due to the low level of ABP protein.
Filament Disassembly and Loss of Mammary Myoepithelial Cells after Exposure to λ-Carrageenan

Carrageenans are naturally occurring sulfated polysaccharides, widely used in commercial food preparation to improve the texture of processed foods. Because of their ubiquity in the diet and their observed preneoplastic effects in intestinal cells, their impact on human mammary myoepithelial cells in tissue culture was studied. At concentrations as low as 0.00014%, λ-carrageenan was associated with disassembly of filaments with reduced immunostaining for vimentin, α-smooth muscle-specific actin, and gelsolin; increased staining for cytokeratin 14; and cell death. The absence of mammary myoepithelial cells is associated with invasive mammary malignancy; hence, the destruction of these cells in tissue culture by a low concentration of a widely used food additive suggests a dietary mechanism for mammary carcinogenesis not considered previously.
Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake and the Risk of Type I and Type II Endometrial Cancer among Postmenopausal Women

Background: Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake has been associated with an increased risk of obesity and type II diabetes. However, its association with endometrial cancer is unclear. Methods: We evaluated dietary intake of SSB, fruit juice, sugar-free beverages, sweets/baked goods, starch, and sugars among 23,039 postmenopausal women in the Iowa Women's Health Study. Incident estrogen-dependent type I and estrogen-independent type II endometrial cancers were identified via linkage with the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Registry. Risks of type I and type II endometrial cancers were separately compared by energy-adjusted dietary intake in Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: From 1986 to 2010, 506 type I and 89 type II incident endometrial cancers were identified. An increased risk of type I endometrial cancer was observed with increasing SSB intake after adjustment for body mass index (BMI) and other cofounders ( P trend = 0.0005). Compared with nondrinkers of SSB, the risk was 78% higher [95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.32–2.40] among women in the highest quintile of SSB intake. The observed association was not modified by BMI, physical activity, history of diabetes, or cigarette smoking. Higher risk of type I endometrial cancer was also observed with higher intake of sugars. None of the dietary items included in the analysis was associated with type II endometrial cancer risk. Conclusion: Higher intake of SSB and sugars was associated with an increased risk of type I, but not type II, endometrial cancer. Impact: SSB intake may be a risk factor for type I endometrial cancer regardless of other lifestyle factors. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 1–11. ©2013 AACR .
Epinephrine stimulates IL-6 expression in skeletal muscle and C2C12 myoblasts: role of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase and histone deacetylase activity

Although an individual's genetic makeup is a major determinant of muscle mass, other influences, such as hormones, cytokines, nutrition, and exercise can also modulate muscle size. IL-6 is an impor...
Cross-layer resilience challenges: metrics and optimization

With increasing sources of disturbances in the underlying hardware, a key challenge in design of robust systems is to meet user expectations at required cost. Cross-layer resilience techniques, implemented across multiple layers of the system stack and designed to work together, can help system designers build effective robust systems at the desired cost point. This paper brings to the forefront two major cross-layer resilience challenges: 1. Quantification and validation of the effectiveness of a cross-layer resilience approach to robust system design in overcoming hardware reliability challenges. 2. Global optimization of a robust system design using cross-layer resilience techniques.
Nonlinear optical properties of conjugated polymer charge transfer composites

Processing methods for optical-quality conjugated polymer charge-transfer composite films have been investigated. These materials exhibited strong energy-suppression characteristics in the near infrared regime for nanosecond pulses and show potential as efficient optical limiters for sensor protection.
Limbic Circuitry in Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorders Studied With Positron Emission Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging

OBJECTIVE: Cytoarchitectonic changes in the anterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus, subiculum, entorhinal cortex, amygdala, mammillary bodies, and septum were reported in a postmortem study of autism. Previously, the authors found smaller cingulate volume and decreased metabolism of the cingulate in seven autistic patients. In this study, they measured the volume and glucose metabolism of the amygdala, hippocampus, and cingulate gyrus in an expanded group of 17 patients with autism spectrum disorders (autism [N=10] or Asperger’s disorder [N=7]) and 17 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. METHOD: Subjects performed a serial verbal learning test during 18F-deoxyglucose uptake. The amygdala, hippocampus, and cingulate gyrus were outlined on magnetic resonance imaging scans, volumes of the structures were applied to matching coregistered positron emission tomography scans, and three-dimensional significance probability mapping was performed. RESULTS: Significant metabolic reductions in both the anterior a...
Teaching the structured design of interactive information systems

An approach to structured analysis and design that has been found useful in teaching students to apply these techniques to the development of interactive information systems (IIS) is presented. The problems that arise for the students may be solved by showing them how to develop a conversational view of an IIS. This view expresses the students' spontaneous way of looking at the system. However, the conversational view cannot serve adequately as a basis for the development of a design. To become the basis for a design, the conversational view must be translated into the global view that displays the standard tripartite division into afferent, transform, and efferent flows. >
Radiology Residency Call: Residents’ Perceptions of the On-Call Experience

Purpose This paper focuses on specific resident perceptions of call, including the compliance of training programs with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's (ACGME) resident work rules and the level of comfort residents have in contacting out-of-house staff radiologists for help during on-call hours. Methods The authors designed a Web-based survey to examine radiology residents' perceptions about call conditions with input from the 2003-2004 ACR Resident and Fellow Section Executive Council. The survey instrument was distributed to chief residents in the United States and Canada with the help of the ACR. Results Eighty-five percent of respondents felt that the amounts of work and responsibility required for call were appropriate to their levels of training. Ninety-eight percent of US respondents felt that their programs were in complete compliance with the ACGME's resident work guidelines. Eighty-nine percent were comfortable contacting the staff physicians on call when those staff physicians were out of the hospital. Respondents who felt uncomfortable calling their staff physicians were more likely to feel that the work and responsibility of call were excessive to their levels of training (χ 2 = 11.301, P = .0033). Conclusions The majority of residents indicated that they were adequately trained for call. Most residents were on call without in-house staff coverage but felt comfortable contacting on-call staff physicians if needed. Residents who felt uncomfortable contacting on-call staff physicians were more likely to feel that their training had not prepared them for call. A high percentage of radiology resident programs are in compliance with the ACGME's resident work guidelines.
Long-distance dispersal by a parasitoid (Anagrus delicatus, Mymaridae) and its host

We demonstrate that an egg parasitoid, Anagrus delicatus (Mymaridae, Hymenoptera) and its host, Prokelesia marginata (Delphacidae, Homoptera) regularly disperse 1 km or more in a north Florida saltmarsh. Anagrus delicatus were caught on yellow sticky traps on offshore islets and oyster bars throughout the spring, summer, and fall, whereas P. marginata were caught during one pulse in the spring. Parasitism rates were higher on offshore islets than at mainland sites, even though egg densities were higher at the mainland sites. The majority of parasitoids caught offshore were females. Long-distance dispersal by A. delicatus may be a cause of inverse density-dependent or density-independent spatial patterns of parasitism and may represent a risk-spreading strategy.
Emotional Intelligence: An Integral Part of Positive Psychology

Both “emotional intelligence” and “positive psychology” are rapidly becoming very visible, popular and important areas within psychology. This article suggests that emotional intelligence should be...
Modulation of Receptor Phosphorylation Contributes to Activation of Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor α by Dehydroepiandrosterone and Other Peroxisome Proliferators

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a C19 human adrenal steroid, activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) in vivo but does not ligand-activate PPARα in transient transfection experiments. We demonstrate that DHEA regulates PPARα action by altering both the levels and phosphorylation status of the receptor. Human hepatoma cells (HepG2) were transiently transfected with the expression plasmid encoding PPARα and a plasmid containing two copies of fatty acyl coenzyme oxidase (FACO) peroxisome-proliferator activated receptor responsive element consensus oligonucleotide in a luciferase reporter gene. Nafenopin treatment increased reporter gene activity in this system, whereas DHEA treatment did not. Okadaic acid significantly decreased nafenopin-induced reporter activity in a concentration-dependent manner. Okadaic acid treatment of primary rat hepatocytes decreased both DHEA- and nafenopin-induced FACO activity in primary rat hepatocytes. DHEA induced both PPARα mRNA and protein levels, as well as PP2A message in primary rat hepatocytes. Western blot analysis showed that the serines at positions 12 and 21 were rapidly dephosphorylated upon treatment with DHEA and nafenopin. Results using specific protein phosphatase inhibitors suggested that protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is responsible for DHEA action, and protein phosphatase 1 might be involved in nafenopin induction. Mutation of serines at position 6, 12, and 21 to an uncharged alanine residue significantly increased transcriptional activity, whereas mutation to negative charged aspartate residues (mimicking receptor phosphorylation) decreased transcriptional activity. DHEA action involves induction of PPARα mRNA and protein levels as well as increased PPARα transcriptional activity through decreasing receptor phosphorylation at serines in the AF1 region.
Agreement between self-report and prescription data in medical records for pregnant women

BACKGROUND Clinical teratology studies often rely on patient reports of medication use in pregnancy with or without other sources of information. Electronic medical records (EMRs), administrative databases, pharmacy dispensing records, drug registries, and patients' self-reports are all widely used sources of information to assess potential teratogenic effect of medications. The objective of this study was to assess comparability of self-reported and prescription medication data in EMRs for the most common therapeutic classes. METHODS The study population included 404 pregnant women prospectively recruited from five prenatal care clinics affiliated with the University of New Mexico. Self-reported information on prescription medications taken since the last menstrual period (LMP) was obtained by semistructured interviews in either English or Spanish. For validation purposes, EMRs were reviewed to abstract information on medications prescribed between the LMP and the date of the interview. Agreement was estimated by calculating a kappa (κ) coefficient, sensitivity, and specificity. RESULTS In this sample of socially-disadvantaged (i.e., 67.9% high school education or less, 48.5% no health insurance), predominantly Latina (80.4%) pregnant women, antibiotics and antidiabetic agents were the most prevalent therapeutic classes. The agreement between the two sources substantially varied by therapeutic class, with the highest level of agreement seen among antidiabetic and thyroid medications (κ ≥0.8) and the lowest among opioid analgesics (κ = 0.35). CONCLUSIONS Results indicate a high concordance between self-report and prescription data for therapeutic classes used chronically, while poor agreement was observed for medications used intermittently, on an 'as needed” basis, or in short courses. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Phormidium Hendersonii Howe: Identity And Significance of a Modern Stromatolite Building Microorganism

ABSTRACT Populations of a modern, stromatolite-building microorganism have been studied in the subtropical Atlantic and the Caribbean area. In four geographically distinct populations, growing under different ecological conditions (exposed to protected, subtidal to intertidal) the same nocti-diurnal rhythm in filament orientation and growth dynamics was maintained. This resulted in the formation of characteristic finely laminated stromatolitic domes. High degree of similarity and overlap in morphometric properties leads to the conclusion that all populations studied belong to the same microbial species. An historic confusion concerning the taxonomic identity of this microorganism has now been resolved and its valid name established: Phormidium hendersonii Howe 1918 (Oscillatoriaceae, Cyanophyta). Stromatolite morphology in this case is determined by the biological (genetic) properties of the organism irrespective of differences in environmental conditions within the range of its distribution. This conclusion bears relevance to the interpretation of ancient stromatolitic structures.
Differential Expression of Immunobiological Mediators by Immortalized Human Cervical and Vaginal Epithelial Cells

We have recently generated human papillomavirus (HPV) 16/E6E7 immortalized epithelial cell lines from the human vagina, ectocervix, and endocervix to use in studies on the role of these cells in reproduction and immune defense. The cell lines maintain the differentiation characteristics of their tissues of origin: the endocervical cell line expresses characteristics of simple columnar epithelium, whereas the ectocervical and vaginal cell lines express characteristics of stratified squamous nonkeratinizing epithelia. As a first step in elucidating the role of these cells in immune defense, we have studied the expression of immunological mediators in nonstimulated and stimulated cultures. Without stimulation, all three lines consistently produced the cytokines macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and transforming growth factor beta1, the chemokine interleukin (IL)-8, prostaglandin E2, the secretory leukoproteinase inhibitor, and the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor. The endocervical cell line, but not the others, also produced the lymphopoietic cytokines IL-6, IL-7, and consistently detectable levels of the chemokine known as "regulated-upon-activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted" (RANTES). Stimulation with the exogenous cytokines interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha induced or significantly up-regulated expression of several of the cytokines and chemokines (i.e., IL-6, IL-8, RANTES, and M-CSF), as well as major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigens, and membrane expression and shedding of the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in all three cell lines. These data provide further evidence that epithelial cells in the lower human female genital tract participate in immunological functions, that their activity is up-regulated by proinflammatory/immune cytokines, and that epithelial cell immunological functions vary at different anatomical sites in the genital tract.
New neotropical species of the genus Phlugis (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae)

Abstract Seventeen new species of the predaceous katydid genus Phlugis Karny (Meconematinae) are described and figured. All of these species were collected from rainforests in northern Peru. Three of them — along with the already described species, P. teres (DeGeer) — regularly were captured along trails at ground level; the remaining 14 were collected from treetop canopies 10 to 30 m above ground level, using pesticide fogging methods. Based on the numbers of new forms collected from tree canopies, it is probable that many species of this already large genus are yet to be discovered as this niche is explored more thoroughly.
André Michaux's Travels and Plant Discoveries in the Carolinas

Abstract Andre Michaux was a trained botanist who visited North America for eleven years (1785–96) as royal botanist specifically sent to collect plants for France. His explorations resulted in a large collection housed today in the Museum National D'Histoire Naturelle, Laboratoire de Phanerogamie (P), Paris. Michaux collected thousands of specimens for cultivation in his Charleston garden and shipment to France. In addition, he pressed many examples of his collections for inclusion in his herbarium and kept an extensive journal of his activities while in North America. This study concentrates on his activities in the Carolinas. His plant names and descriptions were published as Flora Boreali-Americana in 1803, the year after his death. This publication was not only the first North American flora but also unique in that all the plants described were collected personally by Michaux.
The high incidence of vascular thromboembolic events in patients with metastatic or unresectable urothelial cancer treated with platinum chemotherapy agents

BACKGROUND The current study compared the incidence of vascular thromboembolic events (VTEs) in patients with metastatic or unresectable urothelial carcinoma (UC) who were treated with gemcitabine and carboplatin (GCb); gemcitabine, carboplatin, and bevacizumab (GCbBev); or gemcitabine and cisplatin (GCis). METHODS Patients with UC who were treated with GCbBev on protocol were analyzed prospectively and 2 contemporary control cohorts receiving GCb or GCis were evaluated retrospectively. VTE was defined as either venous or arterial (myocardial infarctions or cerebral vascular accidents) thrombosis. VTEs were considered to be related to treatment if they occurred during treatment or within 4 weeks of the completion of treatment. Associations with chemotherapy regimen were tested using either the Fisher exact test or Kruskal-Wallis test. Clinical factors associated with VTEs were analyzed using conditional logistic regression stratified by treatment regimen. RESULTS Among 198 patients, VTEs occurred in 13 of 51 patients treated with GCbBev (26%), 22 of 92 patients treated with GCb (24%), and 8 of 55 patients treated with GCis (15%). Patient characteristics were significantly different between the treatment cohorts in terms of age, prior cystectomy, tumor location near pelvic vessels, Khorana risk group, and receipt of antiplatelet therapy. The incidence of VTE and type of VTE (arterial vs venous) did not differ by type of chemotherapy. Prior cystectomy was associated with an increased risk of VTE (odds ratio, 2.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-4.9 [P = .047]). CONCLUSIONS The incidence of VTE in Cis-treated patients was similar to prior reports. However, the VTE rate in Cb-treated patients was > 20%, a figure not previously defined in patients with UC and higher than expected. This high incidence of both Cis-related and Cb-related VTEs warrants greater awareness by treating physicians and deserves further study. Cancer 2015. © 2015 American Cancer Society.
Impact of frailty on complications in patients undergoing common urological procedures: a study from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement database

Objectives To evaluate the association of frailty, a measure of diminished physiologic reserve, with both major and minor surgical complications among patients undergoing urologic surgery.
Keynote lecture 1: Plasticity following split-brain surgery

Dr. Michael Gazzaniga is the Director of the Sage Center for the study of Mind at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 1964 he received a Ph.D from the California Institute of Technology, where he worked under the guidance of Roger Sperry, with primary responsibility for initiating human split-brain research. In his subsequent work he has made important advances in our understanding of functional lateralization in the brain and how the cerebral hemispheres communicate with one another. He has published many books accessible to a lay audience, such as The Social Brain, Mind Matters, Nature's Mind, The Ethical Brain, Human and Who's in Charge? Free Will and the science of the brain. Dr. Gazzaniga's teaching and mentoring career has included beginning and developing Centers for Cognitive Neuroscience at Cornell University Medical Center, University of California-Davis, and Dartmouth College He founded the Cognitive Neuroscience Institute and the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, of which he is the Editor-in-Chief Emeritus. Dr. Gazzaniga is also prominent as an advisor to various institutes involved in brain research, and was a member of the President's Council on Bioethics from 2001–2009. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Science, the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences. His new book is Tales from Both Sides of the Brain.
A Connected Topology for the Integers

(1959). A Connected Topology for the Integers. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 66, No. 8, pp. 663-665.
Quantitation of leukemia clone-specific antigen gene rearrangements by a single-step PCR and fluorescence-based detection method.

PCR-based detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) in children with precursor B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pre-B ALL) by amplification of clone-specific antigen gene rearrangements has been labor-intensive. In this study we present a simpler, yet accurate, method to assess and quantitate MRD in pediatric pre-B ALL that utilizes these markers. From the sequence of the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) and T cell receptor (TcR) gene rearrangements characterized at the time of diagnosis or relapse, primers were designed and tested in a clone-specific, single-round PCR assay, then analyzed by fluorescence staining of the PCR products. The most critical step involved an adherence to a new set of guidelines for the design of clone-specific primers. Application of this method to 54 IgH and 13 TcR (nine Vδ2Dδ3 and four Dδ2-Dδ3) gene rearrangements in 47 patients resulted in an intense band within the region of the predicted molecular weight, confirming the reproducibility of the assay. Quantitative applications of the approach were examined by performing a 10-replicate limiting dilution clone-specific PCR on six diagnostic samples and an asymptotic response model of the Von Krogh form was found to fit the data well. From this model, estimation of leukemic cells of remission bone marrow samples was achieved at a detection sensitivity of 2 × 10 -6 . The method is demonstrated on 18 patients whose marrows were prospectively analyzed during therapy. We conclude this methodology is useful in the quick and accurate assessment of MRD in children with pre-B ALL, and could be applied to other DNA quantitation assays.
Quantitative analysis of unconjugated and conjugated bile acids in duodenal fluid by densitometry after paper electrophoresis

A new paper electrophoretic method for the separation of bile acids into five groups, (1) unconjugated, (2) glycine conjugates and (3) taurine conjugates, and (4) and (5) the respective monosulfates, is described. Rapid and accurate qualitative and quantitative estimations of each group are obtained by densitometry after internal standardization and phosphomolybdate color development. The technique can be done in the routine clinical laboratory and is useful for the detection of diseases affecting the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids.
Species and Media Effects on Soil Carbon Dynamics in the Landscape.

Three woody shrub species [cleyera (Ternstroemia gymnanthera Thunb. ‘Conthery’), Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica L.) and loropetalum (Loropetalum chinensis Oliv.‘Ruby’)] were container-grown for one growing season in 2008 using either pinebark (industry standard), clean chip residual or WholeTree (derived by-products from the forestry industry) as potting substrates and then transplanted into the landscape in 2008. An Automated Carbon Efflux System was used to continually monitor soil CO2 efflux from December 2010 through November 2011 in each species and substrate combination. Changes in soil carbon (C) levels as a result of potting substrate were assessed through soil sampling in 2009 and 2011 and plant biomass was determined at study conclusion. Results showed that soil CO2-C efflux was similar among all species and substrates, with few main effects of species or substrate observed throughout the study. Soil analysis showed that plots with pinebark contained higher levels of soil C in both 2009 and 2011, suggesting that pinebark decomposes slower than clean chip residual or WholeTree and consequently has greater C storage potential than the two alternative substrates. Results showed a net C gain for all species and substrate combinations; however, plants grown in pinebark had greater C sequestration potential.
Wuling Hongguang Washer Failure Causes Analysis and Countermeasures

The thesis elaborates the structure and working principle of the vehicle window washing device. The key causes of the washing device failure are found and solutions are made according to the comparison analysis of the devices on different models. The result of the study is valuable to the structure design, type selection and layout of the related washing devices during new model development.
The Therapeutic Efficacy of Environmental Enrichment and Methylphenidate Alone and in Combination after Controlled Cortical Impact Injury.

Abstract Environmental enrichment (EE) and methylphenidate (MPH) independently confer significant benefit to behavioral recovery after controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury. Given that combinational therapies may be more clinically translatable than monotherapies, the aim of the current study was to test the hypothesis that a combined treatment regimen of EE and MPH would provide greater therapeutic efficacy than either one alone. Anesthetized adult male rats received either a CCI of moderate severity or sham injury and were then randomly assigned to EE or standard (STD) housing where they received either intraperitoneal (ip) MPH (5 mg/kg) or vehicle (VEH; 1.0 mL/kg; ip) beginning 24 h after injury and once daily for 19 days. Motor and cognitive assessments were conducted on post-injury days 1–5 and 14–19, respectively. No differences were observed in sham controls regardless of treatments, and thus their data were pooled. The traumatic brain injury (TBI)+EE+VEH and TBI+EE+MPH groups exhibited enhanced ...
Measuring Photoelastic Constants with Schaefer-Bergmann Diffraction

Abstract We present a new method for measuring the ratios of photoelastic coefficients using Schaefer-Bergmann diffraction. We demon- strate our technique for isotropic fused silica and the trigonal crystal α -BaB2O4. The measured results for fused silica agree with the known values to within 0.4%. For α -BaB2O4, we compare our Schaefer-Bergmann diffraction results by measuring the photoelastic coefficients with the established Dixon method.
Treatment Failure and Leg Amputation Among Patients With Foot Osteomyelitis.

We sought to identify factors associated with treatment failure and leg amputations among those patients who presented with foot osteomyelitis. Characteristics, treatments, and outcomes for all patients treated for probable or definite foot osteomyelitis (per consensus definition) between January 2011 and March 2015 were reviewed. Multivariate Cox regression models were used to identify risk factors for treatment failure (unanticipated resection of additional bone or leg amputation) and of leg amputation alone. A total of 184 episodes of foot osteomyelitis met inclusion criteria. Treatment failure occurred in 53 (28.8%) and leg amputation in 21 (11.4%). Risk factors for treatment failure included severe/unaddressed peripheral artery disease, homelessness, Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Escherichia coli bone isolates, serum albumin <2.8 mg/dL, hallux involvement, insulin therapy, 60 or more pack-years smoking, and <7 days of directed antibiotic therapy for a positive bone margin. Delayed primary wound closure (...