cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
National Toxicology Program Position Statement on Informed (“Nonblinded”) Analysis in Toxicologic Pathology Evaluation:

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) uses histopathological evaluation of animal tissues as a key element in its toxicity and carcinogenicity studies. The initial histopathological evaluations are...
Sex differences in adult famine mortality in medieval London

Objectives Recurrent famine events during the medieval period might have contributed to excess mortality during the Black Death in London, England (c. 1349-1350). Previous research using conventional methods of age estimation revealed that adult males experienced lower risks of mortality under "normal" (attritional) but not famine mortality conditions following the Black Death. However, given the biases inherent in conventional age estimation methods, this study reassesses sex differences in risks of medieval adult famine mortality using ages estimated via transition analysis, which avoids some of the limitations of conventional age estimation methods. Materials and methods We apply hazards analysis (the Gompertz model of adult mortality) to ages estimated for human skeletal remains (n = 1245) from London cemeteries dated to the pre-Black Death (c. 1000-1250 CE) and post-Black Death (c. 1350-1540 CE) periods. Results The results reveal no sex differences in risks of mortality before the Black Death but indicate that adult males faced lower risks of mortality after the Black Death during conditions of normal and famine mortality. Conclusions These findings largely support those of our previous research, which suggested that selective mortality during the Black Death or sex-biased improvements in standard of living following the epidemic reduced risk of mortality for adult males in the post-Black Death period under normal mortality conditions. However, the use of transition analysis age estimates also revealed a reduced risk of mortality for post-Black Death adult males under famine conditions.
Development of a novel severe mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress type 1: FVB-nmd.

Abstract Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Respiratory Distress type 1 (SMARD1) is an autosomal recessive disease that develops early during infancy. The gene responsible for disease development is immunoglobulin helicase μ-binding protein 2 (IGHMBP2). IGHMBP2 is a ubiquitously expressed gene but its mutation results in the loss of alpha-motor neurons and subsequent muscle atrophy initially of distal muscles. The current SMARD1 mouse model arose from a spontaneous mutation originally referred to as neuromuscular degeneration (nmd). The nmd mice have the C57BL/6 genetic background and contain an A to G mutation in intron 4 of the endogenous Ighmbp2 gene. This mutation causes aberrant splicing, resulting in only 20–25% of full-length functional protein. Several congenital conditions including hydrocephalus are common in the C57BL/6 background, consistent with our previous observations when developing a gene therapy approach for SMARD1. Additionally, a modifier allele exists on chromosome 13 in nmd mice that can partially suppress the phenotype, resulting in some animals that have extended life spans (up to 200 days). To eliminate the intrinsic complications of the C57BL/6 background and the variation in survival due to the genetic modifier effect, we created a new SMARD1 mouse model that contains the same intron 4 mutation in Ighmbp2 as nmd mice but is now on a FVB congenic background. FVB-nmd are consistently more severe than the original nmd mice with respect to survival, weigh and motor function. The relatively short life span (18–21 days) of FVB-nmd mice allows us to monitor therapeutic efficacy for a variety of novel therapeutics in a timely manner without the complication of the small percentage of longer-lived animals that were observed in our colony of nmd mice.
Watching You Watch: The Tracking Ecosystem of Over-the-Top TV Streaming Devices

The number of Internet-connected TV devices has grown significantly in recent years, especially Over-the-Top ("OTT") streaming devices, such as Roku TV and Amazon Fire TV. OTT devices offer an alternative to multi-channel television subscription services, and are often monetized through behavioral advertising. To shed light on the privacy practices of such platforms, we developed a system that can automatically download OTT apps (also known as channels), and interact with them while intercepting the network traffic and performing best-effort TLS interception. We used this smart crawler to visit more than 2,000 channels on two popular OTT platforms, namely Roku and Amazon Fire TV. Our results show that tracking is pervasive on both OTT platforms, with traffic to known trackers present on 69% of Roku channels and 89% of Amazon Fire TV channels. We also discover widespread practice of collecting and transmitting unique identifiers, such as device IDs, serial numbers, WiFi MAC addresses and SSIDs, at times over unencrypted connections. Finally, we show that the countermeasures available on these devices, such as limiting ad tracking options and adblocking, are practically ineffective. Based on our findings, we make recommendations for researchers, regulators, policy makers, and platform/app developers.
Up-to-date role of the dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane (AMNIOFIX) for wound healing.

Chronic wounds pose a significant burden on patients, society, and the health-care setup. Higher costs, protracted clinical course, and increased risk of complications necessitate identifying novel...
Robust Revocable Anonymous Authentication for Vehicle to Grid Communications

Electric vehicles can place a significant load on the power grid due to their unscheduled charging events. One way of improving power grid stability is to schedule electric vehicle charging in advance. Before a charging visit, the electric vehicle provides necessary information to request for charging at a charging station, which prepares and reserves the energy before the visit. However, the reported information can cause privacy leakage of the electric vehicle user. Anonymous information reporting can protect user privacy, but also enables attacks on the charging station by unauthorized users. An anonymous authentication system can address these issues, but cannot detect misbehaviors by authenticated users. One remedy to this is revocable anonymity-based authentication, which can revoke the anonymity of malicious users after their misbehaviors. However, we show that such a system is still vulnerable to application-level Denial of Service attacks, where a malicious user requests for large amounts of energy simultaneously from many charging stations, preventing these stations from serving other users. To address this, we improve upon an existing revocable anonymity-based authentication framework. We propose a permit-based mechanism, where each electric vehicle is only issued with one blind signature-based permit at a time. A request is valid only if it contains a valid and unused permit, which protects the system from the application-level Denial of Service attacks. Security analysis and experiments demonstrate that our framework, while ensuring user anonymity and being robust to the aforementioned attack, is also scalable and lightweight.
Expanding our understanding of sensory gating in children with autism spectrum disorders.

Abstract Objective This study examined sensory gating in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Gating is usually examined at the P50 component and rarely at mid- and late-latency components. Methods Electroencephalography data were recorded during a paired-click paradigm, from 18 children with ASD (5–12 years), and 18 typically-developing (TD) children. Gating was assessed at the P50, N1, P2, and N2 event-related potential components. Parents of all participants completed the Short Sensory Profile (SSP). Results TD children showed gating at all components while children with ASD showed gating only at P2 and N2. Compared to TD children, the ASD group showed significantly reduced gating at P50, N1, and P2. No group differences were found at N2, suggesting typical N2 gating in the ASD group. Time-frequency analyses showed reduced orientation and neural synchronization of auditory stimuli. P50 and N1 gating significantly correlated with the SSP. Conclusion Although children with ASD have impaired early orientation and filtering of auditory stimuli, they exhibited gating at P2 and N2 components suggesting use of different gating mechanisms compared to TD children. Sensory deficits in ASD may relate to gating. Significance The data provide novel evidence for impaired neural orientation, filtering, and synchronization in children with ASD.
Mild Anemia As a Single Independent Predictor of Mortality in Patients with COVID-19

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to an unprecedented international health crisis. COVID-19 clinical presentations cover a wide range from asymptomatic to severe illness and death. Given the limited therapeutic resources and unexpected clinical features of the disease, readily accessible predictive biomarkers are urgently needed to improve patient care and management. We asked the degree to which anemia may influence the outcome of patients with COVID-19. To this end, we identified 3777 patients who were positively diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 1 and April 1 2020 in New York City. We evaluated 2,562 patients with available red blood cell, hemoglobin, and related laboratory values. Multivariable cox proportional hazards regression showed that anemia was a significant independent predictor of mortality (hazard ratio (HR): 1.26, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.06-1.51), independent of age, sex, and comorbidities. There was a direct correlation between the degree of anemia and the risk of mortality when hemoglobin was treated as a continuous variable (HRadj 1.05; [CI]: 1.01-1.09). The hemoglobin level that was maximally predictive of mortality, was 11.5 g/dL in males and 11.8 g/dL in females. These findings identify a routinely measured biomarker that is predictive of disease outcomes and will aid in refining clinical care algorithms and optimize resource allocation. Mechanisms of impacts of anemia on COVID-19 outcome are likely to be multiple in nature and require further investigation.
Identification of the enzymes responsible for m2,2G and acp3U formation on cytosolic tRNA from insects and plants

Posttranscriptional modification of tRNA is critical for efficient protein translation and proper cell growth, and defects in tRNA modifications are often associated with human disease. Although most of the enzymes required for eukaryotic tRNA modifications are known, many of these enzymes have not been identified and characterized in several model multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present two related approaches to identify the genes required for tRNA modifications in multicellular organisms using primer extension assays with fluorescent oligonucleotides. To demonstrate the utility of these approaches we first use expression of exogenous genes in yeast to experimentally identify two TRM1 orthologs capable of forming N2,N2-dimethylguanosine (m2,2G) on residue 26 of cytosolic tRNA in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We also show that a predicted catalytic aspartate residue is required for function in each of the proteins. We next use RNA interference in cultured Drosophila melanogaster cells to identify the gene required for m2,2G26 formation on cytosolic tRNA. Additionally, using these approaches we experimentally identify D. melanogaster gene CG10050 as the corresponding ortholog of human DTWD2, which encodes the protein required for formation of 3-amino-3-propylcarboxyuridine (acp3U) on residue 20a of cytosolic tRNA. We further show that A. thaliana gene AT2G41750 can form acp3U20b on an A. thaliana tRNA expressed in yeast cells, and that the aspartate and tryptophan residues in the DXTW motif of this protein are required for modification activity. These results demonstrate that these approaches can be used to study tRNA modification enzymes.
Policing as Unequal Protection

This Article proposes a constitutional framework for resistance to police violence that is informed by the history of the Fourteenth Amendment and of policing, as well as the vision of a radical social movement: the Movement for Black Lives (“M4BL”). Central to the Article’s analysis is the concept of policing. “Police” usually calls to mind either (a) individual law-enforcement officials; or (b) the institutional body of which those officials are a part. But the term originally referred to a mode of governance — one that was hierarchical, discretionary, and largely unaccountable to the law. It will be argued that the institutional police in the United States have engaged in policing-as-governance since the Founding; that the design of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment was informed by the policing of Black Americans before and after the Civil War; and that the Clause was designed to prevent subjugation — the forcible control of some people by unaccountable others — of a kind that is inherent to policing, though not to law enforcement. The Article then uses the frame of anti-subjugation to analyze particular proposals that have been advanced and modes of resistance to police violence that have been used by M4BL activists and allied scholars. These include “cop-watching,” community bail funds, the contestation of police budgets, the BREATHE Act, disparate-impact-based regulation of policing, and legal challenges to Fourth Amendment and Equal Protection doctrines that have enabled police violence. Finally, the Article argues that critical engagement with the strengths and weaknesses of the historical Equal Protection Clause could not only help reduce the harms of oppressive systems in the present but be generative of ideas about future constitution-building.
Residual Effects of Cannabis Use on Effort-Based Decision-Making.

Objective: Acute Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) administration in humans (Lawn etal., 2016) and rats (Silveira, Adams, Morena, Hill, & Winstanley, 2016) has been associated with decreased effort allocation that may explain amotivation during acute cannabis intoxication. To date, however, whether residual effects of cannabis use on effort-based decision-making are present and observable in humans have not yet been determined. The goal of this study was to test whether prolonged cannabis use has residual effects on effort-based decision-making in 24-hr abstinent cannabis using adults. Method: We evaluated performance on the Effort Expenditure for Reward Task (EEfRT) in 41 adult cannabis users (mean age = 24.63 years, 21 males) and 45 nonusers (mean age = 23.90 years, 19 males). A mixed 2x3x3 ANOVA with age as a covariate was performed to examine the effect of group, probability of winning, and reward amount on EEfRT performance. EEfRT performance was operationalized as % of trials for which the hard (vs. easy) condition was chosen. Pearson’s correlations were conducted to test the relationship between EEfRT performance and measures of cannabis use, anhedonia and motivation. Results: We found that cannabis users selected hard trials significantly more than nonusers regardless of win probability or reward level. Frequency of cannabis use was positively correlated with amount of % hard trials chosen. There were no significant correlations between % hard trials chosen, self-reported anhedonia, or motivation. Conclusions: These results suggest that unlike acute effects, residual effects of cannabis following 24 hrs of abstinence are associated with greater effort allocation during effort-based decision-making.
Changes over the Study Period

This chapter focuses on the spatial stability and change in terms of poverty and affluence over the study period. The question of relative poverty and affluence is addressed, specifically whether there has been any economic convergence of divergence between the richest and poorest counties. County data for each state is used to explore changes in relative poverty and affluence. Changing inequality in each state is explored using the poorest county INDEX as a percentage of the most affluent county INDEX, and the percentage gap of the richest and poorest counties with respect to the state average. Inequality in 1980, as well as changes from 1980 to 1990, 1990 to 2000, 2000 to 2010, and 1980 to 2010 are discussed. Graphs displaying where each state is positioned in terms of inequality for these periods are provided.
Electrocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide for the Paris goals

Electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 into useful products can contribute to the Paris goals on the basis of abundant low-carbon power and technological advances. From R&D to policy, areas are highlighted in which coordinated efforts can support commercialization of such capture and catalytic technologies while deploying the required infrastructure.
Toward dual therapy for EGFR-dependent non-small cell lung cancer: A role for MAPK inhibitors?

AACR Centennial Conference: Translational Cancer Medicine-- July 20-23, 2008; Monterey, CA A22 Acquired drug resistance is a major roadblock to the use of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in EGFR-dependent NSCLC. Identifying downstream mechanisms of EGFR-dependency could identify additional effectors that can be targeted concomitantly with EGFR, to enhance responses and prevent acquired resistance. Indeed, combinatorial therapies have historically led to improved outcomes in cancer treatment, albeit often at the cost of patient safety. However, toxicity associated with many TKIs is not severe, and therefore such a strategy may result in drastic improvements in benefit to risk ratios. We have evaluated the role of the MAPK pathway, which lies downstream of EGFR, in lung cancer cell lines and tumors. Cell lines derived from EGFR-dependent tumors display constitutively active ERK1/2, even in the absence of exogenous growth factors. Cell viability and apoptosis assays following treatment with MEK inhibitors indicate that the MAPK pathway is required for growth and survival of EGFR-dependent NSCLC cell lines, including those harboring the T790M lesion, the most commonly observed mechanism of acquired EGFR TKI resistance. These data suggest that combining EGFR TKI with MAPK inhibitors may remove the selective pressure for the growth of tumors harboring the T790M mutation. The activity the MAPK cascade may contribute to EGFR-dependency in some lung cancer cell lines through regulation of autocrine activity and stability of the EGFR receptor. MAPK inhibition in H1975 cells (EGFR L858R, T790M) decreased gene expression of several EGFR ligands and subsequently down-regulated EGFR expression through enhanced proteosomal degradation prior to inhibition of cell viability. A similar phenotype was partially induced following either antibody neutralization of HB-EGF or EGFR through inhibition of the ligand binding domain or with treatment with TAPI-1, a peptide inhibitor of TACE. We have concluded that the MAPK pathway supports EGFR signaling, and therefore a rationale is provided to evaluate dual use of EGFR and MAPK TKI in EGFR-dependent NSCLC to enhance response rates and minimize resistance.
Moment-Based Estimation of Latent Class Models of Event Counts

This paper develops and implements a GMM estimator for latent class models suitable for count data. The estimator uses conditional moment restrictions derived from standard count models. Both the efficient and consistent variants are considered. The implementation of optimal GMM based on semiparametric estimates of the weighting matrix appears to be problematic as the matrix is not guaranteed to be positive definite. A suboptimal variant which ensures positive definiteness is found to work well in computer simulations. The paper compares maximum likelihood and GMM estimators for Poisson based mixtures in two applications to U.S. health utilization data for the elderly from the National Medical Expenditure Survey.
Source parameter estimation of atmospheric pollution using regularized least squares

This paper presents a regularized least squares method to estimate the location and release rate of atmospheric pollution. We assume that measured pollution concentration at different ground locations and meteorological conditions such as wind speed are available so that one can solve the advection-diffusion equation for a non-steady point source. However, even finding linear parameters related to the release rate is an ill-posed problem and one has to impose certain regularization technique to avoid potential overfit. We propose to use lscrp-regularization (0 les p les 1) and discuss its advantage over the popularly used lscrp-regularization. The accuracy of source parameter estimation is examined for the cases where the number of sources and the corresponding locations are unknown.
Venoarterial shunting from inferior vena cava to left atrium in atrial septal defects with normal right heart pressures: Report of two cases

Abstract Two unusual cases of atrial septal defect are presented with right to left shunting occurring from functional drainage of the inferior vena cava into the left atrium. The first had been unrecognized in a teenage boy who previously had undergone successful closed pulmonary valvotomy for congenital pulmonary valvular stenosis. The second occurred following a right pneumonectomy for bronchogenic carcinoma in a man with a previously undetected atrial septal defect. The respiratory embarrassment developing postoperatively was related to dislocation of the heart resulting in an anatomic shift of the atrial septum so that the inferior cava emptied directly into the septum secundum defect. Both patients had normal right heart pressures, and in each the diagnosis was established by selective dye-dilution curves and confirmed by selective cineangiography. Blood gas studies were instrumental in the second case in pointing toward a right to left shunt subsequently confirmed by dye-dilution studies. The importance of blood pH, pCO 2 , and pO 2 studies and selective indicator-dilution studies in the evaluation of patients with unexplained cyanosis or respiratory distress is emphasized.
Rapid shifts in multiple life history traits in a population of threespine stickleback

Measurement of the rate of phenotypic or genetic change provides data bearing on many questions of fundamental interest to biologists, including how fast changes can proceed, whether shifts occur gradually or in bursts and how long high rates of change can be sustained. Because traits exist in functionally and genetically correlated suites, studies tracking many traits are likely to be the most informative. We quantify very rapid phenotypic changes in egg size (now smaller), clutch size (larger) and the age/size of both breeding females and males (younger, smaller) in an Alaskan population, with these traits shifting at rates from 0.13 to 0.30 haldanes over a 10-year period. In contrast, female reproductive effort and the allometric relationship of clutch size to body size changed little. These shifts appear to be caused by an altered selective landscape, with the presumed selective agent being increasing lake productivity. Some of the traits undoubtedly have at heritable component and thus represent genetic evolution as well as phenotypic.
Parameter Estimation for Treasury Notes

In this work we apply the maximum likelihood method to find the parameter estimations for the Vasicek short term interest model. To run the experiment, the historical data of 10-year treasury notes from 1966 to 2006 are used. The unbiasedness and biasedness of the estimation are discussed.
A Booth-like modulo operator

In this paper, a Booth-like modulo algorithm is proposed. A hardware architecture that implements the proposed algorithm is also suggested. The proposed algorithm can calculate the modulo of positive and negative numbers in a varying number of clock cycles that is always less than or equal to the number of clock cycles used by traditional techniques such as binary dividers. Hardware simulation results on randomly generated 32-bit data show that the highest average number of clock cycles is less than 14.
Hydrodynamic simulations of a combined hydrogen, helium thermonuclear runaway on a 10-km neutron star

We have used a Lagrangian, hydrodynamic stellar evolution computer code to evolve a thermonuclear runaway in the accreted hydrogen rich envelope of a 1.0M, 10 km neutron star. Our simulation produced an outburst which lasted about 2000 sec and peak effective temperature was 3 kev. The peak luminosity exceeded 2 x 105 L . A shock wave caused a precursor in the light curve which lasted 10–5 sec.
Extracting source characteristics and dynamics of the August 2010 Mount Meager landslide from broadband seismograms

[1] Seismic methods can substantially improve the characterization of the dynamics of large and rapid landslides. Such landslides often generate strong long-period seismic waves due to the large-scale acceleration of the entire landslide mass, which, according to theory, can be approximated as a single-force mechanism at long wavelengths. I apply this theory and invert the long-period seismic waves generated by the 48.5 Mm3 August 2010 Mount Meager rockslide-debris flow in British Columbia. Using data from five broadband seismic stations 70 to 276 km from the source, I obtain a time series of forces the landslide exerted on the Earth, with peak forces of 1.0 × 1011 N. The direction and amplitude of the forces can be used to determine the timing and occurrence of events and subevents. Using this result, in combination with other field and geospatial evidence, I calculate an average horizontal acceleration of the rockslide of 0.39 m/s2 and an average apparent coefficient of basal friction of 0.38 ± 0.02, which suggests elevated basal fluid pressures. The direction and timing of the strongest forces are consistent with the centripetal acceleration of the debris flow around corners in its path. I use this correlation to estimate speeds, which peak at 92 m/s. This study demonstrates that the time series recording of forces exerted by a large and rapid landslide derived remotely from seismic records can be used to tie post-slide evidence to what actually occurred during the event and can serve to validate numerical models and theoretical methods.
Planar Visualization of Treelike Structures

We present a novel method to create planar visualizations of treelike structures (e.g., blood vessels and airway trees) where the shape of the object is well preserved, allowing for easy recognition by users familiar with the structures. Based on the extracted skeleton within the treelike object, a radial planar embedding is first obtained such that there are no self-intersections of the skeleton which would have resulted in occlusions in the final view. An optimization procedure which adjusts the angular positions of the skeleton nodes is then used to reconstruct the shape as closely as possible to the original, according to a specified view plane, which thus preserves the global geometric context of the object. Using this shape recovered embedded skeleton, the object surface is then flattened to the plane without occlusions using harmonic mapping. The boundary of the mesh is adjusted during the flattening step to account for regions where the mesh is stretched over concavities. This parameterized surface can then be used either as a map for guidance during endoluminal navigation or directly for interrogation and decision making. Depth cues are provided with a grayscale border to aid in shape understanding. Examples are presented using bronchial trees, cranial and lower limb blood vessels, and upper aorta datasets, and the results are evaluated quantitatively and with a user study.
Engineering Education: Innovation Through Integration

The several reports and papers of the past decade suggesting paradigm shifts in engineering education are shown to reveal a common theme, to wit: engineering is an integrative process and thus engineering education, particularly at the baccalaureate level, should be designed toward that end. Suggesting a change in intellectual culture, the roots of contemporary collegiate education in the United States are traced to their origin and attention is given to discussing the current emphasis on reductionism vis-a-vis integration or, said another way, a course-focused education compared to a more holistic approach in which process and knowledge are woven throughout the curriculum. A new construct for systemic change in baccalaureate engineering education is suggested in terms of a taxonomy of intellectual components connected holistically with a core focus on developing human potential, as opposed to the present system in which students are passed serially through course filters.
Curriculum and the Role of Research: Report of the ICME 12Survey Team

The survey team collected information on the development and use of curriculum from 11 diverse countries around the world. The data shows that a common set of mathematics learning goals are established in almost all countries. However, only a few countries report a substantial role for research in designing and monitoring the development of their curriculum. The data also suggests great variation among countries at the implementation level.
IMPROVED LOAD COUPLING IS THE MAIN DETERMINANT OF THE INCREASE IN LV OUTPUT DURING BIRTH SIMULATION IN FETAL SHEEP. • 120

IMPROVED LOAD COUPLING IS THE MAIN DETERMINANT OF THE INCREASE IN LV OUTPUT DURING BIRTH SIMULATION IN FETAL SHEEP. • 120
Delayed ovulation in rats exposed to continuous light: influence of the level of illumination.

In rats in which precocious puberty was induced by PMS, the timing of precocious ovulation on the day of its occurrence was delayed if the rats were exposed to continuous light with levels of illumination of 153 lux or 1 lux. If the level of illumination was decreased to 0.2 lux, the delay in the onset of ovulation was significantly less. These results support the hypothesis that the timing of the ovulatory surge of gonadotrophin secretion in rats is controlled by an endogenous circadian rhythm, the period of which is lengthened by exposure to continuous light.(Endocrinology 95: 638, 1974)
Primary Lung Adenocarcinomas in Children and Adolescents Treated for Pediatric Malignancies

Introduction: Primary lung adenocarcinoma is extremely rare in the pediatric age group. There have been anecdotal reports of lesions that are histologically indistinguishable from adult-type pulmonary adenocarcinoma in young patients after treatment for nonpulmonary cancers. Herein, we present clinical, histopathologic, and molecular data on eight such cases. Methods: Histopathologic evaluation of the tumors was performed according to the World Health Organization classification. Molecular studies for EGFR and KRAS mutations were performed on six patients with sufficient material. Results: All eight patients were never smokers, four males and four females. Median age at nonpulmonary cancer diagnosis was 14 years (range, 3–23 years). Pulmonary adenocarcinomas were diagnosed at a median age of 15 years (range, 10–24 years); tumors were 0.1 to 2.0 cm in size and in some cases coexisted with metastases from the original cancer. Retrospective review showed that in at least three patients, the nodules were radiographically present before chemotherapy. Of six patients whose tumors were tested for common EGFR and KRAS mutations, two were positive for the former and one for the latter. At a median follow-up of 11 months (range, 2–29 months), six patients remained well without lung nodules and two had additional small, peripheral lung nodules that have not been biopsied. Conclusions: Pulmonary lesions found in young patients with pediatric cancers can be histologically indistinguishable from lung adenocarcinoma seen in adults, may display typical adenocarcinoma-associated mutations of EGFR and KRAS , and may precede the administration of cytotoxic chemotherapy.
Dynamic response of transparent ceramic MgAl2O4 spinel

The quasistatic and dynamic compressive strengths of transparent spinel (MgAl2O4) specimens with grain sizes of 0.4 and 1.4 μm are measured. The measured strengths and rate sensitivities of the spinel specimens are compared with another transparent ceramic material, AlON, with significantly coarser grains. The observed trends in rate sensitivities are consistent with micromechanical models that describe the dynamic failure of brittle solids under compression. Differences in observed crack speeds are also related to microstructural differences including grain size.
Citrulline evaluation in bowel transplantation.

Abstract Introduction The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation of plasma citrulline and rejection episodes in intestinal transplantation. Methods From January 2007 until present, we performed citrulline assays on our small bowel patients. We investigated the correlation of these assays with the rejection status of the patients. The rejection status of the graft was defined based on graft biopsies. Results Of 5195 citrulline samples, average serum citrulline levels decreased significantly when the patients presented a rejection episode. We found the following: no rejection, 17.38 μm/L; mild rejection, 13.05 μm/L; moderate rejection, 7.98 μm/L; and severe rejection, 6.05 μm/L. Our current emphasis is to determine the predictive power of citrulline with other biomarkers versus as a separate and isolated measurement. Conclusions In our study, citrulline levels correlated significantly with the rejection status of the graft. Serial follow-up of the patients using this assay may alert us to the possibility of increased alloreactivity and rejection episodes.
Complete hydatidiform mole with a coexistent embryo

We describe a case of a complete hydatidiform mole with a coexistent embryo. A 19-year-old Hispanic woman presented with an intrauterine pregnancy at 7 weeks gestational age. An ultrasound evaluation at that time showed a gestational sac and fetal heart activity was observed. Four weeks later, subsequent ultrasound study revealed no evidence of an embryo, and a pattern consistent with a hydatidiform mole. Dilation and curettage was subsequently performed that showed a classic hydatidiform mole on histological examination. Chromosome analysis revealed a normal 46,XX karyotype. DNA was extracted from the placental tissue, as well as maternal and paternal blood. Molecular genetic analysis was performed with four variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) probes and showed the placental tissue to consist of only paternal DNA with two genomic copies of each allele studied. These findings are consistent with the diagnosis of complete hydatidiform mole and its origin from an empty ovum fertilized by a single sperm. This is the first reported case of a living embryo coexistent with a complete hydatidiform mole documented by genetic analysis.
Democratizing Rural Economy: Institutional Friction, Sustainable Struggle and the Cooperative Movement*

Abstract Sustainable development demands institutions manage the conflicts and struggles that inevitably arise over material and ideal interests. While current cooperative theory privileges the economic element, a political economy of cooperation emphasizes cooperatives' tentative bridging of economic and political spheres with a democratic ethos. The cooperatives' democratic political structure exists in tension with a capitalist economic structure and other sites of friction. These contradictions are: in the realm of social relations, between production and consumption; in the realm of spatial relations, between the local and the global; and in the realm of collective action, between cooperatives as both traditional as well as new social movements. Where neo-classical economic models seek to eliminate or reduce these tensions, political economy views these tensions as functional to sustainability by creating an “institutional friction” that facilitates innovation, flexibility and long-term adaptability. This political economy of cooperation is intended as a step toward the development of a multidimensional sociology of cooperation.
Hulthen transform functions for the 2s orbitals of atoms

Hulthen transforms of hydrogen-like 2s orbitals are defined and used to calculate single determinant wave functions and energies for the ground states of Li and Be. The wave functions obtained closely resemble the Hartree-Fock wave functions.
The preparation of aromatic amidino esters and their reaction with primary amines

Abstract A series of aromatic amidino esters were prepared from the respective anthranilic acids by reaction with DMF acetal. These amidino esters were then condensed with a variety of primary amines to give the corresponding 3-substituted quinazolin-4-ones. Based on substituent effects, and the application of acid catalysis, a unifying mechanism is proposed.
The optimization of variable cross-section spines with temperature dependent thermal parameters

Abstract An optimization method based on a temperature correlated profile is expanded upon for the optimization of pin fins with variable cross-sections including the temperature dependence of thermal parameters. The application of this method to optimization of fin arrays is discussed. The validity of the optimization method for a single fin is demonstrated by comparison to analytical results of a special case. An example demonstrates the importance of considering temperature dependence of thermal parameters when optimizing a heat sink.
Development and Characterization of a Mouse Model for Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever

The lack of a mouse model has hampered an understanding of the pathogenesis and immunity of Marburg hemorrhagic fever (MHF), the disease caused by marburgvirus (MARV), and has created a bottleneck in the development of antiviral therapeutics. Primary isolates of the filoviruses, i.e., ebolavirus (EBOV) and MARV, are not lethal to immunocompetent adult mice. Previously, pathological, virologic, and immunologic evaluation of a mouse-adapted EBOV, developed by sequential passages in suckling mice, identified many similarities between this model and EBOV infections in nonhuman primates. We recently demonstrated that serially passaging virus recovered from the liver homogenates of MARV-infected immunodeficient (SCID) mice was highly successful in reducing the time to death in these mice from 50 to 70 days to 7 to 10 days after challenge with the isolate MARV-Ci67, -Musoke, or -Ravn. In this study, we extended our findings to show that further sequential passages of MARV-Ravn in immunocompetent mice caused the MARV to kill BALB/c mice. Serial sampling studies to characterize the pathology of mouse-adapted MARV-Ravn revealed that this model is similar to the guinea pig and nonhuman primate MHF models. Infection of BALB/c mice with mouse-adapted MARV-Ravn caused uncontrolled viremia and high viral titers in the liver, spleen, lymph node, and other organs; profound lymphopenia; destruction of lymphocytes within the spleen and lymph nodes; and marked liver damage and thrombocytopenia. Sequencing the mouse-adapted MARV-Ravn strain revealed differences in 16 predicted amino acids from the progenitor virus, although the exact changes required for adaptation are unclear at this time. This mouse-adapted MARV strain can now be used to develop and evaluate novel vaccines and therapeutics and may also help to provide a better understanding of the virulence factors associated with MARV.
Scale-Dependent Effects of a Heterogeneous Landscape on Genetic Differentiation in the Central American Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii)

Landscape genetic studies offer a fine-scale understanding of how habitat heterogeneity influences population genetic structure. We examined population genetic structure and conducted a landscape genetic analysis for the endangered Central American Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii) that lives in the fragmented, human-modified habitats of the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. We analyzed non-invasively collected fecal samples from 244 individuals from 14 groups for 16 microsatellite markers. We found two geographically separate genetic clusters in the Central Pacific region with evidence of recent gene flow among them. We also found significant differentiation among groups of S. o. citrinellus using pairwise FST comparisons. These groups are in fragments of secondary forest separated by unsuitable “matrix” habitats such as cattle pasture, commercial African oil palm plantations, and human residential areas. We used an individual-based landscape genetic approach to measure spatial patterns of genetic variance while taking into account landscape heterogeneity. We found that large, commercial oil palm plantations represent moderate barriers to gene flow between populations, but cattle pastures, rivers, and residential areas do not. However, the influence of oil palm plantations on genetic variance was diminished when we restricted analyses to within population pairs, suggesting that their effect is scale-dependent and manifests during longer dispersal events among populations. We show that when landscape genetic methods are applied rigorously and at the right scale, they are sensitive enough to track population processes even in species with long, overlapping generations such as primates. Thus landscape genetic approaches are extremely valuable for the conservation management of a diverse array of endangered species in heterogeneous, human-modified habitats. Our results also stress the importance of explicitly considering the heterogeneity of matrix habitats in landscape genetic studies, instead of assuming that all matrix habitats have a uniform effect on population genetic processes.
Antioxidant metabolite levels in ozone‐sensitive and tolerant genotypes of snap bean

Ozone-sensitive and tolerant genotypes of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were compared for differences in leaf ascorbic acid (vitamin C), glutathione and α-tocopherol (vitamin E) content to determine whether antioxidant levels were related to ozone tolerance, Seven genotypes were grown in pots under field conditions during the months of June and July. Open top chambers were used to establish either a charcoal filtered (CF) air control (36 nmol mol -1 ozone) or a treatment where CF air was supplemented with ozone from 8:00 to 20:00 h with a daily 12 h mean of 77 nmol mol -1 . Fully expanded leaves were analyzed for ascorbic acid, chlorophyll, glutathione, guaiacol peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7) and α-tocopherol. Leaf ascorbic acid was the only variable identified as a potential factor in ozone tolerance. Tolerant genotypes contained more ascorbic acid than sensitive lines, but the differences were not always statistically significant. Genetic differences in glutathione and α-tocopherol were also observed, but no relationship with ozone tolerance was found. Guaiacol peroxidase activity and leaf α-tocopherol content increased in all genotypes following a one week ozone exposure, indicative of a general ozone stress response. Ozone had little effect on the other variables tested. Overall, ozone sensitive and tolerant plants were not clearly distinguished by differences in leaf antioxidant content. The evidence suggests that screening for ozone tolerance based on antioxidant content is not a reliable approach.
Aqueous infrared carboxylate absorbances: aliphatic di-acids

Abstract Aqueous attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectra of 18 aliphatic di-carboxylic acids are reported as a function of pH. The spectra show isosbestic points and intensity changes which indicate that Beer's law is obeyed, and peak frequencies lie within previously reported ranges for aqueous carboxylates and pure carboxylic acids. Intensity sharing from the symmetric carboxylate stretch is evident in many cases, so that bands which are nominally due to alkyl groups show increased intensity at higher pH. The asymmetric stretch of the HA − species is linearly related to the microscopic acidity constant of the H 2 A species, with σ p K − species only when the two acid groups are well separated (>2 intervening atoms). The results suggest that aqueous ATR-FTIR may be able to estimate `intrinsic' p K a values of carboxylic acids, in addition to providing quantitative estimates of ionization.
The orbitofrontal cortex is not necessary for acquisition or remote recall of socially transmitted food preferences.

A role for prefrontal cortex has been proposed in systems consolidation of memory. The current study examined the effects of excitotoxic lesions of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in rats on acquisition and remote recall of socially transmitted food preferences (STFP). Subjects received excitotoxic lesions of the OFC, and they were trained on two food preferences. They were tested 1 h after the first training session to determine the effect of the lesion on acquisition. The following day, they were trained on a second preference and tested 10 days later to determine the effect of the lesion on remote recall. OFC lesions did not impair either STFP acquisition or remote recall in comparisons with sham-operated animals. In addition, a subset of animals underwent odor discrimination and reversal training. Consistent with previous reports, subjects with OFC lesions required more trials to reach criterion and made more errors during reversal training than did sham-operated animals. Taken together, the results of the present study indicate that the orbitofrontal cortex is not necessary for acquisition or systems consolidation of socially transmitted food preferences.
High-resolution and Wide Field-of-view Fourier Ptychographic Microscopy

I will report on a new computational method for microscopy, Fourier Ptychographic Microscopy. This method performs phase retrieval through illumination angle diversity and allows us to transform a standard microscope with a 0.08 NA objective into a high-performance gigapixel microscope with 0.8 micron resolution, field-of-view of 120 mm2 and a long depth-of-field of 0.3 mm. This method transform the general challenge of standard microscopy from one coupled to the physical limitations of the system's optics to one that is computationally solvable. The method can significantly simplify digital pathology procedures. Article not available.
Rotatory Dispersion Behaviour of Carbohydrates: a Cotton Effect in D -Glucose, D -Xylose and Various Related Saccharides

ALTHOUGH investigations of sugars played a key part in the development of concepts of optical activity as related to molecular structure, the optical rotatory dispersion behaviour of carbohydrates has proved relatively uninteresting. Frequently plain dispersion curves have been obtained1, that is, curves which can be fitted over the accessible wave-length range by a single term Drude expression with a very low λc of the order of 150 mµ. Moderate deviations from simple dispersion were observed for a number of methyl-glycosides and acetylated methyl -glycosides by Harris, Hirst and Wood2, who concluded that complex dispersion is more usual than simple dispersion in such compounds.
Magnetic nanoparticle carrier for targeted drug delivery: perspective, outlook and design

The primary challenge in the delivery of a drug to a tumour site is to target the anticancer drug specifically into and around tumours at concentrations that will decrease their growth and/or viability. Excellent vehicles to achieve targeted drug delivery are magnetic nanocarriers. A approach to accomplish this objective is to fabricate a novel temperature and pH-responsive magnetic nanocarrier that combines tumour targeting and controlled release. In addition to controlled release, these carriers simultaneously offer the possibility of imaging the delivery process by magnetic resonance imaging. The novel aspect of this approach is the combination of thermal and pH sensitivity of the drug containing shell with magnetic properties of the core in a single unit. Furthermore, application of an external magnetic field will heat the nanoparticles and thus nanoparticle containing cells. The targeted heat will aid in the killing of tumour cells.