cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lack of detectable interaction between HSV-1 and integrins or tachykinins.

SummarySeveral viruses are known to utilize cellular integrin molecules to gain entry into cells. Because of the ability of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) to disrupt cellular adhesio
Direct Determination of MCPD Fatty Acid Esters and Glycidyl Fatty Acid Esters in Vegetable Oils by LC–TOFMS

Analysis of MCPD esters and glycidyl esters in vegetable oils using the indirect method proposed by the DGF gave inconsistent results when salting out conditions were varied. Subsequent investigation showed that the method was destroying and reforming MCPD during the analysis. An LC time of flight MS method was developed for direct analysis of both MCPD esters and glycidyl esters in vegetable oils. The results of the LC–TOFMS method were compared with the DGF method. The DGF method consistently gave results that were greater than the LC–TOFMS method. The levels of MCPD esters and glycidyl esters found in a variety of vegetable oils are reported. MCPD monoesters were not found in any oil samples. MCPD diesters were found only in samples containing palm oil, and were not present in all palm oil samples. Glycidyl esters were found in a wide variety of oils. Some processing conditions that influence the concentration of MCPD esters and glycidyl esters are discussed.
Specialty changes made by young physicians from graduate training to practice.

In the United States, physicians self-designate the specialties they practice. Specialties practiced can differ from those in which physicians were trained. To what extent do physicians change specialties after completing graduate medical training? What specialties gain and what lose physicians? What is the effect on primary care? This study addressed these questions by examining a national sample of young physicians regarding the specialties doctors practiced and the specialties in which they were trained.
Physiological and morphological effects of poly- L -lysine on the toad bladder

Studies were carried out on the morphological and physiological effects of the binding of poly-L-lysine (polylysine; mol wt≊120,000) to the apical surface membrane of the toad bladder epithelium. Paired hemibladders were mounted in chambers and exposed to polylysine concentrations of 2, 8, or 80 μg/ml in the mucosal medium for periods of up to 2 hr. Radioautographs prepared after addition of3H-polylysine showed that the polymer was localized to the apical surface of the epithelium and in dense subapical masses in lysed cells. No significant morphological changes were seen in the epithelium by light or electron microscopy at polymer concentrations of 2 and 8 μg/ml. Exposure to 80 μg/ml lysed many epithelial cells, i.e., converted them to slightly swollen ghosts with pycnotic nuclei and empty cytoplasm, except for remnants of mitochondria and vesicular fragments of the endoplasmic reticulum. All of the superficial epithelial cells were lysed in stretched hemibladders. The plasma membranes of the lysed cells were uniformly thickened, and their intercellular attachments remained intact. In contracted hemibladders, lysed and normal-appearing cells were interspersed, and the number of lysed cells in the epithelium was proportional to the duration of exposure to high concentrations of the polycation. In parallel experiments, the effects of varying concentrations of polylysine on active Na+ transport and osmotic flow of water were measured with and without vasopressin, aldosterone, or amphotericin B in the media. At a concentration of 2 μg/ml of polylysine in the mucosal bathing solutions, no change in the basal rate of Na+ transport was seen, and the response to vasopressin was unimpaired. At a concentration of 8 μg/ml, there was a significant but small fall in electrical potential difference (PD) and in short-circuit current (SCC) and no interference with the response to vasopressin. At a concentration of 80 μg/ml, there was a rapid curvilinear fall in SCC to 54±4% of the baseline value and in PD to 21±3% of the baseline value in a 2-hr period. Simultaneous unidirectional isotope flux studies with22Na and24Na showed a more than twofold increase in the serosal to mucosal flux but no discrepancy between net flux and SCC. Despite the inhibitory action of the polymer, the stimulatory response in Na+ transport to vasopressin, aldosterone, and amphotericin B was relatively preserved in that the percentage increase in SCC was the same in the polymer-treated and control hemibladders. The polycation produced a small but significant increase in osmotic water flow, and striking and irreversible inhibition of the water-flow response to vasopressin.
CLINICAL PREDICTORS OF INJURIES NOT IDENTIFIED BY FOCUSED ABDOMINAL SONOGRAM FOR TRAUMA (FAST) EXAMINATIONS

This study's objective was to identify clinical characteristics of patients with a blunt traumatic injury that increased the risk of peritoneal or pericardial fluid collections and abdominal organ injuries not identified by a bedside focused abdominal sonogram for trauma (FAST) examination. This observational study used a retrospective chart review of a cohort of patients identified through a query of the University of Nebraska Medical Center's trauma registry, a tertiary referral center for portions of Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri. Adult patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) for an evaluation of blunt traumatic injury from September 1996 to December 2002 were eligible if their ED course included admission to the trauma service after completion of a bedside FAST examination (US) and a confirmatory study (Conf) such as an abdominopelvic computed tomography scan or exploratory laparotomy within 12 h of completion of the ED FAST examination. The medical records of those patients with a US+/Conf+ or US-/Conf+ examination were reviewed. Clinical characteristics were recorded on a standard data collection form. Statistically significant predictors of a US-/Conf+ examination were found using a stepwise logistic regression procedure. A query of the trauma registry for the study period revealed 1453 adult individuals with blunt abdominal trauma, with 458 patients meeting the inclusion criteria. The clinical characteristics of the 79 US+/Conf+ examinations were compared to those of the 53 US-/Conf+ examinations. The presence of a radiographically proven pelvic fracture (odds ratio 3.459; 95% confidence interval of 1.308-9.157) and a radiographically or operatively proven renal injury (odds ratio 3.667; 95% confidence interval of 1.013-13.275) were found to be significant predictors. The presence of a pelvic fracture or renal injury in adult victims of blunt abdominal trauma increases the likelihood of a US-/Conf+ examination. Patients with a negative FAST examination and pelvic fracture may benefit from additional radiographic or operative evaluations for occult injuries.
Demographic uncertainty in ecological risk assessments

Abstract We built a Ricker's model incorporating demographic stochasticity to simulate the effects of demographic uncertainty on responses of gray-tailed vole ( Microtus canicaudus ) populations to pesticide applications. We constructed models with mark-recapture data collected from populations in 1998 and 1999. We ran 30 simulations of a single pesticide application for small (∼30 voles), medium (∼50 voles), and large (∼100 voles) population sizes for 1998 data. Significantly less uncertainty in detecting pesticide effects was exhibited at large population sizes. Fifty percent of the simulations for small or medium population sizes suggested no differences between control and treatments. Due to population fluctuations resulting from demographic stochasticity and small population sizes, we detected no significant differences in the simulations using 1999 data. Population sizes may affect the recovery ability of vole populations following pesticide-induced mortality. Vole population-size declines were significant for pesticide applications at large population sizes, but greater uncertainty existed in the simulations of low and medium population sizes. Our results suggested that the Quotient Method (QM), an ecological risk assessment model, should differentiate the short-term risk of a chemical to small and large populations. The QM uses the ratio of the expected environmental concentration to the median lethal dose or concentration of chemicals for a species to assess the risk of chemicals to nontarget wildlife. Our results also suggested that the QM could not predict or may underestimate the long-term extinction risk of rare or endangered wildlife species from contamination by pesticides.
Use of the Vascular Diagnostic Laboratory in Improving the Success of Angioaccess Procedures

The goal of hemodialysis access placement is long-term patency with as few revisions as possible. Autogenous fistulas have superior performance compared with prosthetic grafts, but up to 70% fail to mature sufficiently for dialysis. Accurate preoperative evaluation of arterial and venous anatomy can increase the successful use of autogenous fistulas, thereby increasing long-term access patency. Duplex ultrasonography has an important role in identifying usable autogenous conduit and detecting venous outflow disease, another important cause of access failure. The use of the vascular diagnostic laboratory in preoperative planning can increase the percentage of autogenous fistulas placed, increase the percentage that mature, and reduce the rate of negative explorations for vein at the time of surgery.
Perioperative outcomes with laparoscopic radical cystectomy: "pure laparoscopic" and "open-assisted laparoscopic" approaches.

OBJECTIVES Techniques for laparoscopic radical cystectomy are rapidly evolving. The entire procedure can be performed completely intracorporeally by pure laparoscopic techniques or by open-assisted laparoscopic techniques in which the urinary diversion is constructed extracorporeally by way of a minilaparotomy incision. We retrospectively evaluated the outcomes of these two techniques with a focus on perioperative outcomes and associated morbidity. METHODS From December 1999 to March 2006, 54 patients underwent laparoscopic radical cystectomy for muscle invasive (n = 35) or high-risk non-muscle-invasive (n = 19) bladder cancer. The mean follow-up was 25 months (range, 1 to 66 months). RESULTS Of the 54 patients, 17 underwent a pure laparoscopic (group 1, 8 conduit and 9 neobladder) and 37 underwent an open-assisted laparoscopic (group 2, 18 conduit and 19 neobladder) procedure. No significant differences were noted between the groups in patient age, comorbidities, or pathologic stage of malignancy. Group 2 was superior with regard to operative time, blood loss, transfusion rate, time to oral intake, time to ambulation, and postoperative complications (P <0.05 for all comparisons). Anastomotic leak, bowel obstruction, or sepsis requiring reexploration developed in 5 patients (29%) in group 1 and 4 patients (11%) in group 2. A "learning curve" was observed for both procedures, but it was particularly steep for the pure laparoscopic technique, and this approach was eventually abandoned. CONCLUSIONS Laparoscopic radical cystectomy is associated with a learning curve, with morbidity largely resulting from the urinary diversion procedure. Our experience suggests that the open-assisted laparoscopic approach is technically more efficient and associated with a quicker recovery profile and decreased complication rates compared with the pure laparoscopic approach.
Function classes defined from local approximations by solutions to hypoelliptic equations

We describe anisotropic function classes of the Campanato—Morrey type in terms of local approximations by solutions to the equation P(D)f = 0 in integral metrics, where P(D) is a quasihomogeneous hypoelliptic linear differential operator with constant coefficients.
Radioimmunoassay of rat prolactin comparing prolactin obtained from anterior pituitary organ culture with that distributed by the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases.

Abstract Rat prolactin was purified by preparative disc gel electrophoresis from anterior pituitary organ culture medium. Rabbit antiserum to rat prolactin was absorbed with serum from hypphysectomized rats to increase its specificity. A double antibody radioimmunoassay was developed using the above hormone and its antiserum, and also using the rat prolaction and antiserum distributed by National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases. Standard curves over the range of 0.1 to 20 ng/ml were established with various combinations of rat prolactin and its antisera from the two different sources. When the two prolactin preparations were used as reference standards in an assay utilizing the same labeled prolactin and antiserum, the standard curves were paralled to each other. However, prolactin obtained from National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases was bound to the antiserum to a greater extent that was the prolactin obtained from culture medium, indicating a difference in specific immunoreactivity between the two preparations. Thus, for an unknown sample the standard curve using prolactin from organ cultures gave a value 2 to 3 timmes higher than the standard curve using the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases prolactin. Rat growth hormone, follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone up to 100 ng/ml did not interfere with the assay, indicating the specificity of the system. Measured with a radioimmunoassay system using the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Disease prolactin as the standard, and the antiserum to prolactin in the medium, the following prolactin levels (ng/ml) were obtained: hypophysectomized, 9 ± 1; diestrus, 29 ± 7; proestrus, 70 ± 25; fro 6 h were probably due to the lack of ovarian estrogens. Low prolactin levels in non-suckled lactating rat have also been reported by other workers 6,16 . The dramatic 13-to 14-fold increase following suckling for 30 min was in good agreement with the results of Amenomori et al . 6 and Amenomori and Meites 16 . The rapid effect of the suckling stimulus on elevating serum prolactin levels has also been demonstrated in the cow and goat 17 . An increase in serum prolactin content of pituitary-grafted ovariectomized rats was related to the number of grafts and confirmed similar observation by Chen et al. 18 in hypophysectomized-ovariectomized animals. The known effect of estrogen in stimulating prolaction secretion 5 was also observed in the present study.
Ordinary and Z-mode emissions from the Jovian polar region

Abstract The Ulysses Unified Radio and Plasma (URAP) experiment has detected a new component of Jupiter's radio spectrum in the frequency range from about 10 to 30 kHz. This component is emitted in the magnetoionic ordinary mode from a localized corotating source in the northern polar region. The source is centered at system III longitude 208°, near the meridian containing the North magnetic dipole axis, at a distance of nearly 4RJ from the planet and near the last closed field line. The emission frequency is somewhat above the electron plasma frequency in the source region, but well below the electron gyrofrequency. Accompanying this O-mode emission at lower frequencies is intense Z-mode emission, which is likely to play a significant role in the generation of the O-mode.
Spontaneous hemothorax caused by a chest wall chondrosarcoma

A 48-year-old man who presented with chest pain was found to have a spontaneous hemothorax caused by a large grade II chondrosarcoma. This was diagnosed on the basis of the findings from thoracotomy. After chest tube drainage of the hemothorax, the tissue obtained by two computed tomography—guided biopsies of a residual mass did not yield findings that allowed diagnosis of the tumor. This unusual case illustrates the importance of a systematic workup whenever a spontaneous hemothorax is encountered.
Effects of Dogmatism and Anxiety during Computer-Assisted Learning

60 female college students were selected on the basis of extreme scores on the Dogmatism Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Trait Anxiety (A-Trait) Scale to work on a computer-assisted learning task of difficult mathematical problems. Contrary to expectations, high and low dogmatic subjects, when controlled for A-Trait, did not differ in the level of state anxiety (A-State) displayed during the learning task. As hypothesized, high A-Trait subjects had significantly higher levels of A-State during the experiment than low A-Trait subjects. Neither A-Trait nor dogmatism was related to errors on the task. However, a significant interactive effect of mathematical ability and A-State on performance was observed. Consistent with drive theory, high A-State resulted in more errors for subjects of low mathematical ability but had no effect on the performance of subjects of high mathematical ability.
Solitary Waves on a Continuous Wave Background

A class of exact solutions of some nonlinear envelope equations is derived by the Hirota bilinear method. These solutions reduce to a plane wave in the far field but generally are not dark solitons. In one asymptotic regime they simplify to solitary waves on a continuous wave background.
Dark line resonance in Rb 87 for auto-stabilization of the repetition rate

We demonstrate dark resonance spectroscopy by scanning solely the repetition rate of the laser, without a need to control the random mode frequency fluctuations. This properties opens the possibility of stabilization without electronics.
Locus coeruleus modulation of the motor thalamus: inhibition in nuclei ventralis lateralis and ventralis anterior.

Abstract Single-cell recordings were made from 693 cells in thalamic nuclei ventralis lateralis and ventralis anterior (VL-VA). Cells were identified as thalamocortical projection cells by antidromic firing from motor cortex or classified according to responsiveness to stimulation of the brachium conjunctivum (BC), entopeduncular nucleus, and motor cortx. Only 14% of the cells tested responded to entopeduncular nucleus stimulation, whereas BC and motor cortex (orthodromic) stimulation each evoked responses in 31% of the VL-VA cells tested. The most common sources of convergent input to VL-VA cells were motor cortex and BC. In 30% of the VL-VA population tested, spontaneous firing was inhibited by stimulation of the locus coeruleus (LC). This inhibition had a long latency to onset which varied from cell to cell (100 to 1000 ms or more) and a long duration (mean = 1183 ms). The inhibition of spontaneous firing by LC was associated with a variable effect upon BC-evoked excitatory responses in VL-VA cells. In some cases, BC evoked responses were suppressed, but not abolished. In other cells, the excitatory response to BC was unaffected despite complete cessation of VL-VA cell spontaneous firing after LC stimulation. The inhibitory action of LC was not limited to any class of VL-VA cells, but occurred most frequently in neurons receiving an input from the BC. The LC inhibition of VL-VA is not related to changes in systemic blood pressure or an action at the level of the cerebellar cortex. However, LC also produces inhibitory and excitatory effects in centrum medianum neurons, which could account for some of the long-latency responses observed in VL-VA. This electrophysiological study of the action of locus coeruleus upon cellular activity in the motor thalamus argues against involvement in phasic movement and associated postural adjustments. Rather, the locus coeruleus projection to thalamus has properties which suggest a role in longer-term tonic regulation of motor activity.
Adaptive beamforming measurements using four-element portable and mobile arrays

Results of an experimental investigation of adaptive beamforming in the presence of interferers are presented. Measurements at 2.05 GHz were performed using six different four-element array configurations. Data were collected in urban and suburban environments with line-of-sight (LOS) and obstructed multipath channels for mobile (vehicular) and pedestrian speeds. Interference rejection performance is determined based on the increase in mean signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) using adaptive beamforming at 10% and 1% outage levels. Experimental results are presented for vehicle-mounted arrays to illustrate the dependence of interference rejection on: the separation of interferer in azimuth, orientation with respect to the array axis, vehicular speed, and the array element spacing. Interference cancellation of 24 to 28 dB was measured in urban and suburban LOS channels. Vehicle mounted arrays driven at a speed of 32-40 km/hr offered 15 to 28 dB interference rejection in the urban obstructed environment. The multitarget least-squares constant modulus beamforming algorithm (MT-LSCMA) used to process the measured data provided a progressive increase in interference rejection of 16, 26, and 35.2 dB, for update intervals of 10, 5, and 2.5 ms, respectively, for the vehicle-mounted arrays in suburban LOS scenario.
Cross-sectional pregnancy survey on fertility trends and pregnancy knowledge in Singapore.

Aim: Desire for children is a pertinent national health concern for Singapore due to the falling pregnancy rate. There is an urgent need to conduct a pregnancy survey for our local population to look into our local women's desire for pregnancy and family size, as well as their knowledge of the need for pregnancy supplements, fertility and pregnancy risks with the advanced age of mothers. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was mailed to 300 women in a random sample of the female population in the South West region of Singapore. Results: Three hundred women were invited to participate in our survey. Two hundred and sixty eight women (89.3%) responded. The mean age was 30.7 years (range 16–60). 41.8% were married. One in five women (21.8%) in the reproductive age group (below age 40) did not intend to have children. 70.5% of the women with tertiary education wanted children, compared to 56.4% of women with below-secondary education. Most of the respondents were aware of the risks of pregnancy with increasing maternal age, as well as the importance of folic acid, iron and calcium supplements in pregnancy. Conclusion: The present study helps clinicians and policymakers gain an insight into pregnancy issues in Singapore. This is important in formulating population policies and public education programs.
Routability-driven technology mapping for lookup table-based FPGAs

An algorithm for technology mapping of lookup-table-based field-programmable gate arrays is presented. It has the capability of producing slightly more compact designs than some existing mappers, and it offers the flexibility of trading routability with compactness of a design. The algorithm is implemented in the Rmap program and routability is compared with that of two other mappers. It is found that Rmap can produce mappings with better routability characteristics, and it produces routable mappings when other mappers do not. >
Detection of Single Intermittent Faults in Sequential Circuits

Testing for intermittent faults in digital circuits has been given significant attention in the past few years. However, very little theoretical work was done regarding their detection in sequential circuits.
Self-incompatibility in the genus Arabidopsis: characterization of the S locus in the outcrossing A. lyrata and its autogamous relative A. thaliana.

As a starting point for a phylogenetic study of self-incompatibility (SI) in crucifers and to elucidate the genetic basis of transitions between outcrossing and self-fertilizing mating systems in this family, we investigated the SI system of Arabidopsis lyrata . A. lyrata is an outcrossing close relative of the self-fertile A. thaliana and is thought to have diverged from A. thaliana z 5 million years ago and from Brassica spp 15 to 20 million years ago. Analysis of two S (sterility) locus haplotypes demonstrates that the A. lyrata S locus contains tightly linked orthologs of the S locus receptor kinase ( SRK ) gene and the S locus cysteine-rich protein ( SCR ) gene, which are the determinants of SI specificity in stigma and pollen, respectively, but lacks an S locus glycoprotein gene. As described previously in Brassica , the S haplotypes of A. lyrata differ by the rearranged order of their genes and by their variable physical sizes. Comparative mapping of the A. lyrata and Brassica S loci indicates that the S locus of crucifers is a dynamic locus that has undergone several duplication events since the Arabidopsis‐Brassica split and was translocated as a unit between two distant chromosomal locations during diversification of the two taxa. Furthermore, comparative analysis of the S locus region of A. lyrata and its homeolog in self-fertile A. thaliana identified orthologs of the SRK and SCR genes and demonstrated that self-compatibility in this species is associated with inactivation of SI specificity genes.
Researching Adults with Learning Disabilities From an Adult-Development Perspective

As the field of learning disabilities begins to discover the manifold issues of adulthood, there is a need for a framework for studying adults with learning disabilities. Currently, the research on adults focuses primarily on service delivery systems. If a life-span developmental perspective is utilized as a conceptual approach in future research, then the knowledge gained will be more meaningful. Considerations for incorporating such essential concepts as mediating variables, context, and age-span phases into research on adults with learning disabilities are discussed.
A TDC-less ADPLL with 200-to-3200MHz range and 3mW power dissipation for mobile SoC clocking in 22nm CMOS

Mobile SoC designs demand a low-power clocking system to maximize battery life. The host PLL is critical since it must remain enabled to support always-on, always-connected operation. In addition, the host PLL should offer wide frequency range, low area, flexible bandwidth, scalability to future manufacturing processes, negligible lock time compared to the power-state-cycling time, and acceptable period jitter for clocking digital logic.
Cerebellar mutism after spontaneous intratumoral bleeding involving the upper cerebellar vermis: a contribution to the physiopathogenic interpretation

Background Transient mutism as a consequence of posterior fossa surgery is a well-known phenomenon. However, it has rarely been reported after focal nonsurgically induced cerebellar damage.
The Evolution of Regional Human Rights Mechanisms: A Focus on Africa

Considerable research has already been done on the role of the United Nations in promoting human rights; however, the work of regional organizations is just beginning to be explored in greater depth. This article compares the regional evolution of human rights instruments, focusing particularly on Africa, and examines different explanations for regional variance. The impact of domestic conditions, regional and international pressures, and cultural concerns on the instrumental calculations of state actors are explored revealing that international and regional factors played a key role in early adoption of protection mechanisms, and that domestic pressures have grown increasingly important.
A simple equation for estimating reliability of an N+1 redundant array of independent disks (RAID)

This paper develops an equation that provides a good approximation of the expected number of double-disk failures (data losses) in an (N+1) redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID) as a function of time. This paper includes the statistical bases for the equation, sources of error and inaccuracies due to approximations, and limitations of its use. The equation is simple and can be evaluated using a hand held calculator or basic spreadsheet. Accuracy depends on four input distributions, which include operational failures, operational failure restorations, latent defects, and data scrubbing. Failure and restoration distributions may represent non-homogeneous Poisson processes and, therefore, not have constant rates. Results of the equations are compared to two other hand calculation methods, to a highly accurate Monte Carlo simulation, and to actual field data for more than 10,000 RAID groups composed of 14 drives.
Query suggestions in the absence of query logs

After an end-user has partially input a query, intelligent search engines can suggest possible completions of the partial query to help end-users quickly express their information needs. All major web-search engines and most proposed methods that suggest queries rely on search engine query logs to determine possible query suggestions. However, for customized search systems in the enterprise domain, intranet search, or personalized search such as email or desktop search or for infrequent queries, query logs are either not available or the user base and the number of past user queries is too small to learn appropriate models. We propose a probabilistic mechanism for generating query suggestions from the corpus without using query logs. We utilize the document corpus to extract a set of candidate phrases. As soon as a user starts typing a query, phrases that are highly correlated with the partial user query are selected as completions of the partial query and are offered as query suggestions. Our proposed approach is tested on a variety of datasets and is compared with state-of-the-art approaches. The experimental results clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach in suggesting queries with higher quality.
Postoperative pulmonary embolism: timing, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes

Background: Postoperative pulmonary embolism (PE) remains a major health concern. The purpose of our study was to evaluate our experience with postoperative PE. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who had a postoperative PE at our institution. Results: Our study included 115 patients. Prophylaxis was administered preoperatively in 31% of patients and postoperatively in 56% of patients. The diagnosis was obtained by computed tomography scan in 74 patients (64%), ventilation-perfusion scan in 24 patients (21%), angiogram in 8 patients (7%), and other modalities in 9 patients (8%). The time elapsed between surgery and the diagnosis of PE varied significantly by patient age (<40 y: 3 d, compared with 40-60 y: 11 d; P =.02). The majority of patients with PE were treated with anticoagulation (83%). Morbidity and mortality rates both were 9%. Conclusions: Age has a significant impact on the timing of postoperative PE, with the majority of cases being diagnosed with a computed tomography scan, and treated with anticoagulation.
Weight loss amelioration of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis linked to shifts in hepatic ceramide expression and serum ceramide levels

Aim: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is associated with increased hepatic insulin resistance. Ceramides and other toxic sphingolipids promote inflammation, lipotoxicity and insulin resistance; however, the role of ceramides in the pathogenesis of NASH has not been determined. This study characterizes expression of ceramide-related genes in human livers with NASH and examines the effects of weight loss on NASH and pro-ceramide gene expression in liver. Methods: Liver biopsies were obtained to assess the histopathological status of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/NASH prior to and following completion of a 1-year course of implementing either lifestyle changes or a standard enrichment protocol designed to encourage weight loss. Liver biopsy samples were used to measure pro-ceramide gene expression by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis (qRT–PCR), and serum was used to measure ceramide immunoreactivity. Results: At baseline, serine palmitoyltransferase (SPTLC)2 (P = 0.02) and ceramide synthase (CER)1 (P = 0.001) mRNA transcripts were less abundantly expressed in livers with NASH relative to normal controls. After weight loss (average 9.3%), SPTLC1 (P = 0.005) and uridine diphosphate glucose ceramide glucosyltransferase (UGCG) (P = 0.001) expression significantly declined while CER1 increased (P = 0.001) among subjects randomized to the lifestyle change subgroup. Reductions in calorie and fat consumption were significantly correlated with changes in ceramide-related gene expression. Finally, both net and relative reductions in serum ceramide levels were significantly greater in the lifestyles compared with the standard enrichment (control) protocol group (both P < 0.005). Conclusion: NASH is associated with increased insulin resistance and altered ceramide gene expression in liver. Weight loss-mediated reversal of NASH is associated with reduced pro-ceramide gene expression in liver.
Automated Risk Assessment for Sources and Targets of Vulnerability Exploitation

Abstract We extend existing work on security metrics by proposing a method to monitor the state of system entities in real-time. The primary focus is assessing the risk to and from access control request sources and targets. This process is critical in building effective dynamic access control methods that utilize assessment data for policy enforcement. Information on vulnerability exploitation attempts is used to derive risk assessments for entities in the system. To validate the approach, we demonstrate the use of our assessment method on analyzing the sources and targets in a widely used intrusion detection data set.
Indolent lymphadenopathic Kaposi's sarcoma

Kaposi's sarcoma is usually an indolent skin neoplasm. Diffuse lymph node and visceral involvement have been described in young African patients and in patients who are immunosuppressed; in such patients the disease is usually rapidly progressive. We describe the case of a 64-year-old man of Italian ancestry with diffuse lymph node involvement by Kaposi's sarcoma in the absence of any skin lesions. The patient had no evidence of immunosuppression. The course has been indolent, with no disease progression over 2 years of follow-up on no therapy.
Air pollution and climate gradients in western Oregon and Washington indicated by epiphytic macrolichens.

Human activity is changing air quality and climate in the US Pacific Northwest. In a first application of non-metric multidimensional scaling to a large-scale, framework dataset, we modeled lichen community response to air quality and climate gradients at 1416 forested 0.4 ha plots. Model development balanced polluted plots across elevation, forest type and precipitation ranges to isolate pollution response. Air and climate scores were fitted for remaining plots, classed by lichen bioeffects, and mapped. Projected 2040 temperatures would create climate zones with no current analogue. Worst air scores occurred in urban-industrial and agricultural valleys and represented 24% of the landscape. They were correlated with: absence of sensitive lichens, enhancement of nitrophilous lichens, mean wet deposition of ammonium >0.06 mg l � 1 , lichen nitrogen and sulfur concentrations >0.6% and 0.07%, and SO2 levels harmful to sensitive lichens. The model can detect changes in air quality and climate by scoring re-measurements. 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Visualizing Biodiversity with Voronoi Treemaps

Introduced in 2005, the Voronoi treemap algorithm is an information visualization technique for displaying hierarchical data. Voronoi treemaps use weighted, centroidal Voronoi diagrams to create a nested tessellation of convex polygons. However, despite appealing qualities, few real world examples of Voronoi treemaps exist. In this paper, we present a multi-touch tabletop application called Involv that uses the Voronoi treemap algorithm to create an interactive visualization for the Encyclopedia of Life. Involv is the result of a year-long iterative development process and includes over 1.2 million named species organized in a nine-level hierarchy. Working in the domain of life sciences, we have encountered the need to display supplemental hierarchical data to augment information in the treemap. Thus we propose an extension of the Voronoi treemap algorithm that employs force-directed graph drawing techniques both to guide the construction of the treemap and to overlay a supplemental hierarchy.
The governmentality of suicide: Peuchet, Marx, Durkheim, and Foucault

This essay develops a remark Foucault made in passing at the end of the first volume of The History of Sexuality (1976), linking the emergence of bio-power and the nineteenth-century sociological fascination with suicide. Foucault traced the origins of bio-power in his College de France courses of 1977—1978 and 1978—1979, but never returned to the relationship between the sociological appropriation of suicide and this uniquely modern form of power. Using the recently published lectures from these courses, this essay interprets two nineteenth-century sociological treatises on suicide as historical examples of the development of ‘governmentality.’ The first text is a commentary on suicide from the Memoires (1838) of Parisian police administrator Jacques Peuchet, which the young Marx translated and published in 1846. This proto-sociological text is interpreted as an early manifestation of governmentality, while the second text, Durkheim’s Le Suicide (1897), is presented as a classic of sociology and governme...
Model parameter estimation with imprecise and unpaired data

This article presents statistical approaches for model parameter estimation when the input and output measurements are imprecise in nature. Several types of imprecision are discussed: (1) In classical parameter estimation problems, paired input–output data points are used for model calibration. In reality, point data may be available at the input and output levels but they may not be paired, i.e. input and output measurements are independent of each other and there is no correspondence between them. (2) Data available for calibration may be in the form of intervals (range of values) rather than point values. This article investigates both least squares-based and likelihood-based approaches for model calibration in the presence of such imprecise and unpaired data. The likelihood-based approach makes fewer assumptions than the least squares-based approach, especially when aggregating information from multiple interval data. Though the likelihood-based approach is more expensive, it can compute the entire pr...
Evaluation of an Imputed Pitch Velocity Model of the Auditory Kappa Effect.

Three experiments evaluated an imputed pitch velocity model of the auditory kappa effect. Listeners heard 3-tone sequences and judged the timing of the middle (target) tone relative to the timing of the 1st and 3rd (bounding) tones. Experiment 1 held pitch constant but varied the time (T) interval between bounding tones (T = 728, 1,000, or 1,600 ms) in order to establish baseline performance levels for the 3 values of T. Experiments 2 and 3 combined the values of T tested in Experiment 1 with a pitch manipulation in order to create fast (8 semitones/728 ms), medium (8 semitones/1,000 ms), and slow (8 semitones/1,600 ms) velocity conditions. Consistent with an auditory motion hypothesis, distortions in perceived timing were larger for fast than for slow velocity conditions for both ascending sequences (Experiment 2) and descending sequences (Experiment 3). Overall, results supported the proposed imputed pitch velocity model of the auditory kappa effect.
Internalization of caveolin-1 scaffolding domain facilitated by Antennapedia homeodomain attenuates PAF-induced increase in microvessel permeability

We demonstrated previously that inhibition of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS), using pharmacological inhibitors, attenuated the ionomycin- and ATP-induced increases in microvessel permeabil...
Recent developments in high Curie temperature perovskite single crystals

The temperature behavior of various relaxor-PT piezoelectric single crystals was investigated. Owing to a strongly-curved morphotropic phase boundary, the usage temperature of these perovskite single crystals is limited by T/sub R-T/- the rhombohedral to tetragonal phase transformation temperature - which occurs at the significantly lower temperatures than the Curie temperature T/sub c/. Attempts to modify the temperature usage range of Pb(Zn/sub 1/3/Nb/sub 2/3/)O/sub 3/-PbTiO/sub 3/ (PZNT) and Pb(Mg/sub 1/3/Nb/sub 2/3/)O/sub 3/-PbTiO/sub 3/ (PMNT) rhombohedral crystals (T/sub c/ /spl sim/ 150-170/spl deg/C, T/sub R-T/ /spl sim/ 60-120/spl deg/C) using minor dopant modifications were limited, with little success. Of significant potential are crystals near the morphotropic phase boundary in the Pb(Yb/sub 1/2/Nb/sub 1/2/)O/sub 3/-PbTiO/sub 3/ (PYNT) system, with a T/sub c/ > 330/spl deg/C, even though T/sub R-T/ was found to be only half the value at /spl sim/160/spl deg/C. Single crystals in the novel BiScO/sub 3/-PbTiO/sub 3/ system offer significantly higher T/sub c/s > 400/spl deg/C, while exhibiting electromechanical coupling coefficients k/sub 33/ > 90% being nearly constant till the T/sub R-T/ temperature around 350/spl deg/C, which greatly increases the temperature range for transducer applications.
Identifying Growth Indicators for Low-Achieving Students in Middle School Mathematics

The purpose of this study was to explore the technical adequacy of potential indicators of growth in mathematics at the middle school level. Correlation and regression analyses were used to investigate the reliability and criterion validity of four measures in mathematics. One hundred students from a racially and socioeconomically diverse urban middle school completed 4 measures (1 involving basic facts and 3 involving estimation) twice in a 1-week period. Criterion measures included grades in school, standardized test scores, and teacher ratings. Results indicated the measures are reliable and possess acceptable levels of criterion validity; thus, they may prove to be useful as indicators of mathematics proficiency for middle school students.
P1 Ref Endonuclease: A Molecular Mechanism for Phage-Enhanced Antibiotic Lethality

Ref is an HNH superfamily endonuclease that only cleaves DNA to which RecA protein is bound. The enigmatic physiological function of this unusual enzyme is defined here. Lysogenization by bacteriophage P1 renders E. coli more sensitive to the DNA-damaging antibiotic ciprofloxacin, an example of a phenomenon termed phage-antibiotic synergy (PAS). The complementary effect of phage P1 is uniquely traced to the P1-encoded gene ref. Ref is a P1 function that amplifies the lytic cycle under conditions when the bacterial SOS response is induced due to DNA damage. The effect of Ref is multifaceted. DNA binding by Ref interferes with normal DNA metabolism, and the nuclease activity of Ref enhances genome degradation. Ref also inhibits cell division independently of the SOS response. Ref gene expression is toxic to E. coli in the absence of other P1 functions, both alone and in combination with antibiotics. The RecA proteins of human pathogens Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Staphylococcus aureus serve as cofactors for Ref-mediated DNA cleavage. Ref is especially toxic during the bacterial SOS response and the limited growth of stationary phase cultures, targeting aspects of bacterial physiology that are closely associated with the development of bacterial pathogen persistence.
Efforts to Improve Immunization Coverage during Pregnancy among Ob-Gyns.

Background. Influenza and Tdap vaccines are vital factors for improving maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Methods. A prospective, longitudinal study was conducted to determine whether the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' (ACOG's) efforts to increase ob-gyn use of their immunization toolkits and vaccination administration were successful. Pre- and postintervention questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of 1,500 ACOG members between August 2012 and July 2015. Results. Significantly more postintervention survey ob-gyns reported that they received the immunization toolkits than preintervention survey ob-gyns (84.5% versus 67.0%, p < .001). The large majority of ob-gyns from both surveys (76.9% versus 78.9%) reported that they offered or planned to offer influenza vaccinations to their patients for the 2012-2013 and 2014-2015 flu seasons. Postintervention survey respondents were significantly more likely than preintervention survey participants to report that they routinely offer Tdap vaccinations to all patients during pregnancy (76.8% versus 59.3%, p < .001). Conclusion. ACOG's efforts to improve ob-gyn use of immunization toolkits and vaccine administration appear to have been successful in several ways. ACOG's toolkits are an example of an effective intervention to overcome barriers to offering vaccines and help improve influenza and Tdap immunization coverage for pregnant women.
A novel 5HT2C-specific agonist/5HT2A-2B antagonist attenuates psychomotor behaviors induced by methamphetamine, oxycodone, and their combination

p< .001), trouble staying asleep (69.6% vs. 58.8%; X2 =32.96, p< .001), and taking something to help them sleep (41.8% vs.31.4%; X2 =36.64, p< .001). Conclusions: Findings support a link between heavy/problem substance use and sleep problems in primary care patients, though further research is needed to clarify the direction of causality. Careful screening of patients with sleep problems for alcohol/drug use is warranted as well as education about the role substance usemay play as a potential contributing factor in sleep disturbance. Financial support: RO1 DA026091.
Characterization of Bistre Pigment Samples by FTIR, SERS, Py-GC/MS and XRF

A combination of FTIR, normal Raman, SERS, Py-GC/MS and XRF was used to analyze commercial bistre samples to determine specific biomarkers that will allow for a rapid identification of the pigment in works of art. The results of the XRF analysis showed that potassium, calcium and iron are the main elements present. Characteristic bands belonging to phenolic components of lignin were observed in the FTIR spectra. The SERS analysis provided a fingerprint that may originate in the polymerization of the phenolic components catalyzed by the presence of the nanostructured silver surface under alkaline conditions. The Py-GC/MS analysis revealed the presence of lignin and cellulose biomarkers and a series of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The similarities observed between the commercial samples studied suggest that both originate in the same raw material, hardwood. The results demonstrate the potential of the multi-technique approach used for the characterization of this complex black-brown pigment.