cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MECHANISMS OF PROSTANOID SYNTHESIS IN HUMAN SYNOVIAL CELLS : CYTOKINE-PEPTIDE SYNERGISM

Bradykinin (BK)2 and interleukin-1 (IL-1) interact synergistically to stimulate prostaglandin synthesis in human synovial fibroblast-like cells. The effect of BK is rapid and correlates with its capacity to elevate cytosolic levels of calcium ([Ca2+]i), while IL-1's effect is slow and s dependent upon de novo protein synthesis. The mechanism of this synergistic interaction was investigated. In the basal state, high levels of arachidonic acid (AA) were spontaneously released from synovial cells but near absent levels of cyclooxygenase activity prevented metabolism of AA to prostanoid. BK was a potent stimulus for elevating AA, but not prostaglandins, above basal levels. IL-1, in contrast, increased prostaglandins but not AA, above basal levels. IL-1 treatment was not associated with a loss or redistribution of AA among phospholipid classes. These results are consistent with high basal phospholipase activity in synovial cells and demonstrate the ability of BK, presumably via its ability to raise [Ca2+]i, to further elevate this activity(ies). Metabolism of AA to prostanoid is minimal in resting and BK-stimulated synovial cells, however, without the concomitant induction of cyclooxygenase activity by IL-1. These studies clarify the different, but synergistic, mechanisms of action of a peptide and cytokine in stimulating prostanoid synthesis in synovial cells. In addition, these data extend the results of previous investigations in demonstrating that basal phospholipase activity provides sufficient AA substrate for IL-1 induced prostanoid synthesis without invoking the concomitant induction of phospholipase activity by IL-1.
Postsecondary education and dementia risk in older Jesuit priests.

Lack of early childhood education has been implicated as a risk factor for dementia in late life. It is unclear whether dementia risk is also associated with less education in the adult years. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether amount of postsecondary education (i.e., education beyond the high school or 12th-grade level) is associated with dementia after age 60. Cognitive function (assessed by a neuropsychological test battery) and the prevalence of dementia (assessed by clinical criteria) were determined in 86 Jesuit priests (age 60 to 98) who had from 0 to 23 years of postsecondary education. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of dementia as a function of postsecondary education. The risk of dementia was increased in those with less postsecondary education (odds ratio = 3.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 10.0) after adjustment for age, IQ, and depression. These findings support an association between amount of postsecondary education and risk of dementia in late life.
Listing Price, Time on Market, and Ultimate Selling Price: Causes and Effects of Listing Price Changes

Information about price changes during a home’s marketing period is typically missing from data used to investigate the listing price, selling price, and selling time relationship. This paper incorporates price revision information into the study of this relationship. Using a maximum-likelihood probit model, we examine the determinants of list price changes and find evidence consistent with the theory of pricing behavior under demand uncertainty. Homes most likely to undergo list price changes are those with high initial markups and vacant homes, while homes with unusual features are the least likely to experience a price revision. We also explore the impact of missing price change information on estimating a representative model of house price and market time. Our results suggest that mispricing the home in the initial listing is costly to the seller in both time and money. Homes with large percentage changes in list price take longer to sell and ultimately sell at lower prices.
Depression of the intestinal uptake of radio-vitamin B 12 by cholestyramine.

SummaryCholestyramine decreased the intestinal absorption of radio–B12 as measured by the double label hepatic uptake test in 10 consecutive normal adult volunteers, and in a patient with pernicious anemia. The mechanism of this inhibition was explored in vitro using the guinea pig intestinal mucosal homogenate assay. The in vitro studies suggested that cholestyramine decreased intrinsic factor–mediated B12 absorption probably by binding to a portion of the same binding sites on the intrinsic factor molecule which normally bind B12. This would impair the formation of the intrinsic factor–B12 complex.
Analysis of the acceptance of autonomous planetary science data collection by field of inquiry

The acceptance of autonomous control technologies in planetary science has met significant resistance. Many within this scientific community question the efficacy of autonomous technologies for making decisions regarding what data to collect, how to process it and its processing. These technologies, however, can be used to significantly increase the scientific return on mission investment by removing limitations imposed by communications bandwidth constraints and communications and human decision making delays. A fully autonomous mission, in an ideal case, could be deployed, perform most of the substantive work itself (possibly relying on human assistance for dealing with any unexpected or unexplained occurrences) and return an answer to a scientific question along with data selected to allow scientists to validate software performance. This paper presents the results of a survey of planetary scientists which attempts to identify the root causes of the impediments to the use of this type of technology and identify pathways to its acceptance. Previous work considered planetary science as a single large community. This paper contrasts the differences in acceptance between component fields of planetary science.
Confidence in Spacecraft Software: Continuous process improvement in requirements verification

The Space Department's (SD) Embedded Applications Group at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) continues to apply its experience with independent requirements verification to achieve high confidence levels in the quality of Spacecraft Software. NASA's Van Allen Probes observatory, which was launched in August 2012, provides another stepping stone for continuous improvement of our independent software requirements verification process to support future spacecraft missions.
Retrieval of Reading Materials for Vocabulary and Reading Practice

Finding appropriate, authentic reading materials is a challenge for language instructors. The Web is a vast resource of texts, but most pages are not suitable for reading practice, and commercial search engines are not well suited to finding texts that satisfy pedagogical constraints such as reading level, length, text quality, and presence of target vocabulary. We present a system that uses various language technologies to facilitate the retrieval and presentation of authentic reading materials gathered from the Web. It is currently deployed in two English as a Second Language courses at the University of Pittsburgh.
Dynamic cloud service topology adaption for minimizing resources while meeting performance goals

Even in the cloud computing era, meeting service-level agreements (SLAs) of a computing service or application while significantly reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO) remains a challenge. Cloud and software defined environments (SDEs) are offering new opportunities for how resources can be utilized to an even higher degree than before--which leads to a reduced TCO for service providers and customers of a service. The traditional method of meeting an SLA is to assess peak workloads and size a system accordingly. This still leads to very low average compute resource utilization rates. This paper presents a novel dynamic and cost-efficient orchestration approach of multitenant capable, software defined system topologies based on a monitor-analyze-plan-execute (MAPE) concept. We present the mechanism involved in creating and applying these heuristics and show the results for a cloud-based enterprise content management (ECM) solution. Our approach allows the cloud provider to minimize its resource requirements while staying in compliance with SLAs.
Self-Awareness and Constructive Functioning: Revisiting “the Human Dilemma”

Self-awareness-the capacity to focus attention on oneself, and thus to self-evaluate-has a bad reputation in social-clinical psychology because of its ties to negative affect, depression, suicide, and dysfunction. Using Rollo May's (1967) analysis of "the human dilemma," we outline self-awareness's beneficial contributions to psychological functioning. Without self-awareness, people could not take the perspectives of others, exercise self-control, produce creative accomplishments, or experience pride and high self-esteem. Research suggests that the positive and negative facets of self-awareness are reconciled when people have reasonable self-standards and when they are optimistic about meeting their standards.
Teaching nursing students to assess and intervene for domestic violence.

Domestic violence is recognized as a priority women's health issue. Despite its prevalence, the majority of accredited nursing schools in the United States has yet to adequately integrate violence assessment and intervention content and planned clinical experiences into their curriculum. Therefore, the author has developed a theoretically based one-day domestic violence immersion activity to enhance the teaching of domestic violence assessment and intervention skills to baccalaureate nursing students. Language: en
The bounded weak star topology and the general strict topology

Let B be a Banach algebra with an approximate identity (eα) such that sup ∥eα∥ = 1, let X be a left Banach B-module with ∥x∥ = sup {∥bx∥: b ϵ B, ∥b∥ ⩽ 1}, and let β denote the strict topology induced on X by B. We show that every linear subspace of X having β-compact unit ball is a conjugate Banach space whose bounded weak star topology coincides with β. This result is applied to some common conjugate Banach spaces, namely Banach spaces with boundedly complete bases, and the spaces Lp(G) (1 < p ⩽ ∞), G a compact Abelian group. As a by-product we obtain a new representation for the strict topology on the space of bounded analytic functions on the open unit disk.
Landslide faults and tectonic faults, analogs?: The Slumgullion earthflow, Colorado

Recent geophysical observations of landslide movement support the hypothesis that processes involved in landslide faulting are analogous to those that operate in crustal-scale faulting. Relative to crustal faulting studies, quantitative seismic, geodetic, and creep measurements of landslide deformation may be made in a very short time with readily available instrumentation and at relatively minimal expense. Our results indicate that the displacement of landslide material occurs along discrete faults exhibiting a combination of brittle failure, indicated by slide quakes and creep events, and as stable sliding observed as steady-state creep. Although slide quakes were observed, a more steady-state failure process of relieving accumulating strain is indicated.
Teaching and Evaluating Writing as a Communicative Skill

The writing tasks that we have our students carry out are often nothing more than academic exercises that have little or no communicative content or purpose. It is incumbent upon us to integrate writing as a communicative act into our present use of writing as a support skill for ensuring student preparation of “traditional” homework assignments and for the purpose of evaluation on paper-and-pencil tests. This article presents (1) the purposes of writing in a second-language classroom, (2) types of writing tasks, (3) proficiency levels in writing, (4) content of writing activities, (5) sample writing activities, (6) evaluating writing samples using both holistic and analytical scoring techniques, and (7) a sample evaluation of student writing.
Ring-Closing Metathesis Strategies to Cyclic Sulfamide Peptidomimetics

Abstract Ring-closing metathesis (RCM) strategies toward the synthesis of a number of constrained sulfamides are discussed. This approach exploits the inherent chemistry of sulfamides and sulfonyl carbamates to generate both symmetric and unsymmetric cyclic sulfamides. Two strategies are revealed, one centers on the RCM reaction of allylated sulfamides 9a–e to generate the C2-symmetric cyclic sulfamides 4a–e in high yields. A second RCM strategy utilizes the known sulfonyl carbamate 15 to prepare unsymmetric cyclic sulfamides 16 and 6 in two four-step sequences. Overall, the routes described are applicable to the synthesis of a variety of constrained dipeptidal sulfamides representing novel peptidomimetic scaffolds.
Does Maternal Birth Outcome Differentially Influence the Occurrence of Infant Death Among African Americans and European Americans

The United States continues to have one of the highest infant mortality rates (IMR). Although studies have examined the association between maternal and infant birth outcomes, few studies have examined the impact of maternal birth outcome on infant mortality. This study was designed to examine the influence of maternal low birth weight and preterm birth on infant mortality. The 1997–2007 Virginia birth and infant death registry was analyzed. The infant birth and death data was linked to maternal birth registry data using the mother’s maiden name and date of birth. From the mother’s birth registry data, the grandmother’s demographic and pregnancy history was obtained. Logistic regression modeling was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals. There was a statistically significant association between maternal birth outcome and subsequent infant mortality. Infants born from a mother who was low birth weight were 2.3 times more likely to have an infant die within the first year of life. Similarly, infants born from a mother born preterm were 2.2 times more likely to have an infant die. Stratification by race showed that there was no statistical association between maternal birth weight and infant death among Whites. However, a strong association was observed among Blacks. Maternal birth outcomes may be an important indicator for infant mortality. Future longitudinal studies are needed to understand the underlying cause of these associations.
On the volatility of stock prices : an exercise in quantitative theory

This paper examines the issues of volatility at the aggregate level. Rather than studying individual securities we focus on volatility utilizing aggregate stock market values and aggregate after-tax net cashflow as a ratio of national income. Our approach is in the tradition of the infinitely-lived classical growth model of Solow, where the behaviour of capital, consumption and investment are studied as shares of output. For the period 1946–1993 both the cashflows to equity and consumption as a share of national income were fairly constant. Yet there was significant movement in the value of the stock market as a share of national income. Our analysis suggests that these large movements cannot be rationalized within the context of the decentralized stochastic growth paradigm.
Error-Correction during Oral Reading: A Comparison of Three Techniques:

Recent investigations of instructional effectiveness have identified a core of teacher behaviors that result in increased student academic performance. One such behavior, correction of student erro...
Practical application of control theory to Web services

This tutorial describes experiences with applying a control theoretical approach to achieving performance guarantees in Web servers, with emphasis on delay control. A model for the server is formulated and translated into a control problem formulation. Limitations of the control theoretic approach is identified that arise due to system non-linearities and modeling inaccuracies. Solutions are proposed that augment the feedback control framework with elements of scheduling and queueing theory. The theoretical results and QoS control loops presented by the authors are implemented in a middleware package, called ControlWare, which provides the software mechanisms and interfaces that allow control of real server performance. Implementation and performance of ControlWare is described.
Environmental website production: a structuration approach

The World Wide Web has excited much speculation, and a growing body of scholarship, about its potential to advance the communicative power of social movement organizations. As a medium that enables online publishing, and selected features and functions, websites could be important in this regard. Yet, studies of social movement websites have documented these groups’ modest uses of the medium, and few scholars have studied the organizational factors shaping social movement website production. In this study, I examine US environmental group website production practices. Drawing on structuration theory, I consider how organizational priorities, processes and resources limit and constrain website production. I use structuration theory to analyse environmental group website production practices as gleaned from semi-structured interviews with 28 environmental group webmasters. I conclude that despite their awareness of the Web’s capabilities, webmasters experience production constraints related to organizationa...
Needle-shaped polymeric particles induce transient disruption of cell membranes

Nano- and microparticles of various shapes have recently been introduced for various drug-delivery applications. Shape of particles has been shown to have an impact on various processes including circulation, vascular adhesion and phagocytosis. Here, we assess the role of particle geometry and surface chemistry in their interactions with cell membranes. Using representative particles of different shape (spheres, elongated and flat particles), size (500 nm– 1 mm) and surface chemistry ( positively and negatively charged), we evaluated the response of endothelial cells to particles. While spherical and elliptical disc-shaped particles did not have an impact on cell spreading and motility, needle-shaped particles induced significant changes in the same. Further studies revealed that needle-shaped particles induced disruption of cell membranes as indicated by the release of lactate dehydrogenase and uptake of extracellular calcein. The effect of needle-shaped particles on cells was transient and was reversed over a time period of 1 – 48 h depending on particle parameters.
An Audience–Channel–Message–Evaluation (ACME) Framework for Health Communication Campaigns:

Recent reviews of the literature have indicated that a number of health communication campaigns continue to fail to adhere to principles of effective campaign design. The lack of an integrated, org...
Automotive applications of materials prepared by ceramic precursor and sol-gel routes

The promise of new applications continues to drive research on ceramic precursor and sol-gel routes to materials preparation. These routes offer flexibility in the fabrication of materials in forms such as films, coatings, fibers, foams, and powders, etc. Our interest in ceramic precursors stems from their potential in the low cost fabrication of films. Such films can be employed in a variety of new automotive applications. In this article, we summarize our efforts to prepare soluble ceramic precursors and their conversion to group IV metal nitrides. A comparison of some properties of electrically conducting titanium nitride films prepared by dipcoat-fire cycle and low pressure CVD is presented. We also describe the fabrication of indium tin oxide films by a sol-gel process. These films are candidates in the low cost fabrication of electrically heatable catalyst devices.
Continuous determination of cardiac output using a flow-directed doppler pulmonary artery catheter

Abstract A newly developed, flow-directed, Doppler pulmonary artery catheter that uses multiple ultrasonic transducers to measure instantaneous and continuous cardiac output was evaluated in 20 patients undergoing cardiac and vascular surgical procedures. Cardiac output was determined using the product of the average velocity and the area of the main pulmonary artery. Pulmonary artery area was obtained from measurements of diameter via ultrasound transit time, and average velocity of blood flow was determined from the Doppler shift frequency. Two hundred thirty-eight simultsneous Doppler catheter and thermodilution cardiac output measurements were obtained preoperatively, intraoperatively, and during postoperative recovery. Catheter indwelling time varied from 18 through 94 hours (mean ± SD, 40 ± 19 hours) with 2 to 26 (mean ± SD, 12 ± 6) sets of triplicate cardiac output measurements obtained per patient. Doppler catheter cardiac output correlated well with thermodilution (r = 0.76, slope or m = 0.87, and SEE = 0.05 with P = 0.0001) and mean predictive error (bias) appeared clinically insignificant (bias ± SD, −0.13 ± 0.79 Umin). Accurate, continuous monitoring of instantaneous and mean cardiac output appears possible with use of this Doppler pulmonary artery catheter system.
Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid monoamine metabolism in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: Preliminary findings

The syndrome of chronic fatigue, feverishness, diffuse pains, and other constitutional complaints, often precipitated by an acute infectious illness and aggravated by physical and emotional stressors, has a lengthy history in the medical literature. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently formulated a case definition, renaming the illness "chronic fatigue syndrome." Nevertheless, there remain few biological data that can validate the existence of this syndrome as distinct from a wide variety of other, largely psychiatric disorders, and little understanding of its pathogenesis. In the present study, basal plasma and cerebrospinal fluid levels of the monoamine metabolites, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), and homovanillic acid (HVA) were determined in 19 patients meeting CDC research case criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome and in 17 normal individuals. Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome showed a significant reduction in basal plasma levels of MHPG and a significant increase in basal plasma levels of 5-HIAA. Although the functional significance of these findings has not been definitively elucidated, they are compatible with the clinical presentation of a syndrome associated with chronic lethargy and fatigue, and with evidence of persistent immune stimulation, and lend support to the idea that chronic fatigue syndrome represents a clinical entity with potential biological specificity.
Diet and Feeding Ecology of the Red Diamond Rattlesnake, Crotalus ruber (Serpentes: Viperidae)

Abstract Studies of diet are central to our understanding of organismal biology. We describe the diet of the Red Diamond Rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber) using data collected from museum specimens, live specimens from a field study, road kills, opportunistic behavioral observations, and existing literature. Dietary samples were collected from across the species' range, including Southern California (USA) and Baja Norte and Baja Sur (Mexico). Examination of 272 individuals resulted in 227 prey items recorded from 219 snakes. The diet of C. ruber consisted largely of mammals (91.6%), but also included lizards (7.5%) and birds (0.9%). No ontogenetic shift in prey type was evident, with mammals consumed by all snake size classes. However, adults fed on larger prey than juveniles. Sexual dimorphism existed in snake length, with adult males averaging longer than adult females. Juvenile males consumed larger prey than females, but no sexual differences in prey mass existed for adults when controlling for snake body ...
Enhancement of Bleomycin Activity against Lewis Lung Tumors in Mice by Local Hyperthermia

The cytotoxicity of the drug bleomycin in vitro has previously been shown to be enhanced by hyperthermia. This report demonstrates in vivo a more than additive interaction between local tumor hyperthermia (43°, 60 min) and bleomycin (15 mg/kg s.c.) against s.c.-implanted Lewis lung carcinomas in mice. Local hyperthermia was produced by the application of 2450-MHz microwaves to the region of the tumor without induction of significant whole-body hyperthermia. The combined drug and heat treatments were applied to tumors on Days 4, 7, and 10 following implantation. The response of the tumors to simultaneous treatment was a 17-day growth delay compared with controls, whereas the local hyperthermia and bleomycin individually resulted in only 3- and 4-day growth delays, respectively. If the two treatments were given either 4 or 24 hr apart only an additive effect on growth delay was observed.
Postexcitatory Inhibition of the Crayfish Lateral Giant Neuron: A Mechanism for Sensory Temporal Filtering

Crayfish escape from threats by either giant neuron-mediated "reflex" tail flexions that occur with very little delay but do not allow for much sensory guidance of trajectory or by "nongiant" tail flexion responses that allow for sensory guidance but occur much less promptly. Thus, when a stimulus occurs, the nervous system must make a rapid assessment of whether to use the faster reflex system or the slower nongiant one. It does this on the basis of the abruptness of stimulus onset; only stimuli of very abrupt onset trigger giant-mediated responses. We report here that stimuli which excite the lateral giant (LG) command neurons for one form of reflex escape also produce a slightly delayed postexcitatory inhibition (PEI) of the command neurons. As a result, only stimuli that become strong enough to excite the command neurons to firing threshold before the onset of PEI, within a few milliseconds of stimulus onset, can cause giant-mediated responses. This inhibition is directed to distal dendrites of the LG neurons, which allows for some location specificity of PEI within the sensory field of a single hemisegment.
Den Use by Arctic Foxes in Northern Alaska

Den use by arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) was examined near the Prudhoe Bay oil field and on a nearby undisturbed area on the Colville River Delta in northern Alaska. The density of dens at Prudhoe Bay (1 den/12 km/sup 2/) was approximately three times that on Colville Delta (1 den/34 km/sup 2/). Thirty-three percent of the Prudhoe Bay dens appeared to be of recent origin compared to 11% on the Colville Delta. Survival or production of juvenile foxes decreased on both study areas in 1977 when densities of lemmings (Dicrostonyx torquatus and Lemmus sibiricus) were low, but the decrease was less pronounced at Prudhoe Bay. Foxes that raised young at Prudhoe Bay in 1977 were those living near petroleum development facilities. The utilization of garbage by Prudhoe Bay foxes probably accounted for many of the observed differences between study sites. Common features of spring and summer den use by arctic foxes included a selection of historically preferred den sites, splitting litters into multiple dens, and the fidelity of some adult and juvenile foxes to dens in successive years. Winter use of dens was common at Prudhoe Bay. 24 references, 2 tables.
Comparative analysis of state requirements for the training of substance abuse and mental health counselors.

Data on minimum state requirements for drug and alcohol counselors and mental health counselors in all 50 states and Washington, DC, suggest that training as a mental health counselor is primarily structured through formal education, whereas training as a substance abuse counselor resembles an apprentice model. Fewer states offer or require certification or licensure of substance abuse counselors, compared to mental health counselors. States that do offer such credentials for substance abuse counselors generally require more hours of supervised work experience and continuing education, but fewer hours of formal coursework and practicum courses, and a lower level of formal education. Although these different models for training are valid, they each have different implications for clinical practice, dissemination of research findings to practice, and management within the service delivery model.
Effects of thermal acclimation on transcriptional responses to acute heat stress in the eurythermal fish Gillichthys mirabilis (Cooper)

The capacities of eurythermal ectotherms to withstand wide ranges of temperature are based, in part, on abilities to modulate gene expression as body temperature changes, notably genes encoding pro...
Racial Prejudice, Partisanship, and White Turnout in Elections with Black Candidates

How does racial prejudice affect White turnout in elections with Black candidates? Previous research, which largely focuses on the relationship between prejudice and vote choice, rarely examines the relationship between prejudice and turnout, leading to an incomplete picture of the impact of prejudice on the fate of Black candidates. In this project, we examine a key condition under which partisanship and partisan strength moderate the effect of prejudice on electoral behavior. Specifically, we argue that when a prejudiced strong partisan shares the partisanship of a Black candidate, she is likely to experience a decision conflict—prejudice and partisanship point in opposing directions—increasing the likelihood that she stays home on Election Day. We test this argument through observational analyses of the 2008 presidential election. Our findings illuminate an additional barrier to Black electoral representation: racial prejudice undermines Black candidates’ efforts to mobilize strong partisans.
On the usage of derived quantities in tracking: Energy and other estimators

Typically, the tracking and estimation community has been concerned with the direct problem of tracking a threat in a near optimal fashion. The usage of secondary quantities or derived quantities from state estimates that can be used for other purposes than tracking have been ignored. An example of a derived quantity that is useful directly for tracking and classification is the energy associated with the threat. We discuss a number of such informative priors that can be useful to pure tracking applications as well as how dissipation of energy and ballistic coefficients can be estimated indirectly.
Conditional Mating Strategy in a Long-Lived Vertebrate: Ontogenetic Shifts in the Mating Tactics of Male Slider Turtles (Trachemys scripta)

Abstract Intrasexual variation in courtship behavior is common but the potential for such variation within turtles has not been considered. Forty-seven behavioral trials with wild-captured slider turtles (Trachemys scripta) were conducted throughout the local season of activity for this species (April–October). The frequency of occurrence, seasonality, and directionality of courtship behaviors (i.e., biting, chasing, and titillation) performed by melanistic and nonmelanistic males were examined. I tested the hypotheses that the expression of these behaviors during the mating season (late August to mid-October) would differ between melanistic and nonmelanistic male T. scripta and that melanistic and nonmelanistic males would differ with respect to their precopulatory display rates. Biting, chasing, and titillation directed toward females by melanistic and nonmelanistic male T. scripta during the mating season were significantly different. Courtship behaviors (i.e., precopulatory displays) were not always p...
Asian Crisis: Causes and Remedies

Once upon a time and far away, a litter of little tiger cubs was born. And foreigners came from far and wide to admire the cubs, and comment upon the growth potential in their sturdy limbs and the irresistible allure of their shiny coats. The keepers were proud of their small charges, and set up open zoos with no restrictions and invited everyone to come. Foreign visitors rushed in bearing a formula of milk fortified with vitamins and growth hormones for the cubs, and clamored for the privilege of filling their bowls which, fashioned for a trickle, cracked and leaked under the sudden surge. The cubs grew at an astounding rate, and newspapers and scholarly journals marveled at the miracle of their growth. Before long, the cubs were tigers, and still they grew until they burst out of their flimsy cages and roamed unfettered through the streets, howling for the surfeit of milk and hormones on which they had come to depend. Seeing the tigers at such close range, the visitors began to criticize their less-than-perfect coats, their tendency to purr, their unorthodox values. The food, which had flowed like a river, began to dry up. The keepers, in their confidence that the flow was endless, had not repaired the bowls to safeguard the milk they still had, and watched helplessly as the tigers sickened and gnashed their teeth. Then the IMF doctors were called in to wean the tigers off their rich diet and offer alternative lifestyles. As the tigers limped back into their shattered cages, a rowdy crowd of professors gathered to denounce the cruelty of international civil servants in white coats.
tRNA is a new target for cleavage by a MazF toxin

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems play key roles in bacterial persistence, biofilm formation and stress responses. The MazF toxin from the Escherichia coli mazEF TA system is a sequence- and single-strand-specific endoribonuclease, and many studies have led to the proposal that MazF family members exclusively target mRNA. However, recent data indicate some MazF toxins can cleave specific sites within rRNA in concert with mRNA. In this report, we identified the repertoire of RNAs cleaved by Mycobacterium tuberculosis toxin MazF-mt9 using an RNA-seq-based approach. This analysis revealed that two tRNAs were the principal targets of MazF-mt9, and each was cleaved at a single site in either the tRNA(Pro14) D-loop or within the tRNA(Lys43) anticodon. This highly selective target discrimination occurs through recognition of not only sequence but also structural determinants. Thus, MazF-mt9 represents the only MazF family member known to target tRNA and to require RNA structure for recognition and cleavage. Interestingly, the tRNase activity of MazF-mt9 mirrors basic features of eukaryotic tRNases that also generate stable tRNA-derived fragments that can inhibit translation in response to stress. Our data also suggest a role for tRNA distinct from its canonical adapter function in translation, as cleavage of tRNAs by MazF-mt9 downregulates bacterial growth.
Neuromodulator threading: revisiting an approach to neurotoxin delivery.

Neuromodulator toxins are traditionally delivered to facial muscles via a depot technique using a 32g needle. This article revisits the threading technique, which was used more commonly in the 1990s and early 2000s prior to the introduction of the 32g x ½" gamma ray sterilized needle. A description of the threading technique, illustrated by diagrams and patient photos, is presented for the orbicularis oris and corrugator supercilii injection sites. In contrast to the depot technique in which the needle enters the skin at a 90-degree angle, the threading technique enters the skin at a 20- to 30-degree angle. Specifically, for the orbicularis oris, onabotulinum toxin A injections are performed 2 to 5mm beyond the “white roll” of the vermillion border. After the needle punctures the skin, the toxin is injected while withdrawing in a threading manner parallel to the vermillion border. This method is repeated along the entire length of the orbicularis oris muscle. For the corrugator supercilii muscles, the injection technique differs slightly. A depot injection is given at the most medial point of the muscle, targeting the body of the muscle. The tail of the corrugator supercilii is injected using the threading technique as described for the orbicularis oris, in which the needle inserts at a 20- to 30-degree angle. This paper revisits the threading injection technique for neurotoxin treatment of the orbicularis and corrugator supercilii sites.
Dead to Rights: A Father's Struggle to Secure Mental Health Services for His Son

This Article analyzes the gap between children's statutory rights and their actual access to services within the educational, medical and juvenile justice systems by focusing on the experience of a father, Mr. Patrick Martinez, who sought services for his son, Jesse, suffering from mental illness and a mental disability. This Article lays out the strong statutory rights and protections in the areas of special education and contrasts them with Mr. Martinez's actual experience in trying to secure appropriate education for Jesse. Medicaid is then addressed in a similar manner, describing the strong legal protections and revealing how Jesse was denied necessary treatment and services. The Article then tracks father and son as they experienced the juvenile justice system: from probation to juvenile detention to adult jail. The Article concludes that the agencies responsible for administering federal law must not be permitted to continue to avoid compliance with clear statutory mandates.
An openly available online tool for implementing the ACMG/AMP standards and guidelines for the interpretation of sequence variants.

An openly available online tool for implementing the ACMG/AMP standards and guidelines for the interpretation of sequence variants
Some quantitative temporal characteristics of carrageenin-induced pleurisy in the rat.

SummaryThe intrapleural injection of 500 μg of carrageenin produces an acute inflammatory reaction in the rat in which it is possible to recover quantitatively the inflammatory cells that are mobilized and the exudate. The time courses of exudate formation and neutrophil mobilization strongly suggest that these phenomena are related. Both curves are sigmoid, and increase sharply between the first and third hours. Aspirin at 90 mg/kg, p.o., produced 83% inhibition of exudate formation at three hours but by the seventh hour the inhibition was only 31%. Neutrophil mobilization was only slightly inhibited by aspirin at three hours. However, the neutrophil mobilization which occurred between the third and seventh hours was completely blocked by aspirin. Monocyte mobilization started two hours after injection of the carrageenin and continued at a fixed rate through the seventh hour. There was no mobilization of monocytes in the aspirin-treated animals for the first five hours. Thereafter the rate of mobilizatio...
Influence of the drug DDD on adrenal cortical function in adult rats.

SummaryAdult rats fed the drug DDD rapidly develop signs of some adrenal dysfunction; decreased eosinophil response, decreased uric acid/creatinine ratio, increased insulin sensitivity and decreased response to stress of cold. The urinary and plasma Na and K are not affected.
A comparison of metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors in Filipino women and Filipino American women: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in women of Filipino ethnicity. The objective of our work was to determine if metabolic syndrome (MetS), a modifiable CVD risk factor, differs in women as a function of country of residency and to determine if, CVD prevention strategies need to differ for these groups of Filipino women. DESIGN: Data were collected in community-based health screenings for this cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS were recruited at places of worship in southeast United States (n=60) and Central Visayas, Philippines (n=56). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of MetS and its component factors as defined by the International Diabetes Federation criteria. RESULTS: The prevalence of MetS in Filipino women (FW) and Filipino American women (FAW) groups was similar (52% vs 55%, P=.08) although the prevalence of elevated waist circumference was greater for FAW (78% vs 59%, P=.03). Conversely, the percentage of FW women with risk-associated high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels was higher than the FAW group (84% vs 42%, P<.001). Other MetS component factors (blood pressure, glucose and triglycerides) did not significantly differ between groups. CONCLUSION: Similar high rates of MetS were observed in Filipino women regardless of the country of residency although the FAW tended to have higher rates of central obesity while the FW tended to have higher rates of risk-associated HDL levels. Further research should examine the cause of these differences in order to develop better cardiovascular screening and intervention strategies. Ethn Dis. 2012;22[4]:404–409)
Coping by crossdressing: an exploration of exercise clothing for obese heterosexual women

Over the past decade participation in physical activity for adult women has decreased while body size has increased. Overweight and obese individuals are considered the majority demographic in the United States; however, plus-sized clothing sales are minimal in comparison to other segments. Furthermore, there is little known about the clothing practices of obese women who engage in physical activity. The current study addresses this research gap by exploring obese heterosexual women’s clothing practices for exercise, with an emphasis on what women wear, their perceived choices, alternatives, and satisfaction. Lowe and Anspach’s (Home Econ Res J 7(2):121–127, 1978) notion of freedom of dress was the guiding conceptual framework for in-depth interviews with (n = 56) obese women. A majority of the women perceived having limited freedom in dress, and reported crossdressing in men’s clothing to engage in physical activity, which resulted in a perceived lack of gender expression. Crossdressing is wearing clothing of the opposite sex and gender expression is a way in which a person acts to communicate gender within a given culture. Women in this study indicated and the authors discuss that as clothing size increases, perceived freedom in dress decreases. In order to increase freedom in dress, our participants tended to believe it is their personal responsibility to lose weight.
Digoxin's effect on mortality and hospitalization in heart failure: implications of the DIG study. Digitalis Investigation Group.

Results of the world’s largest clinical trial resting the utility of digoxin in treating heart failure.
Economic Inequality, Food Insecurity, and the Erosion of Equality of Capabilities in the United States:

This article explores how economic inequality in the United States has led to growing levels of poverty, food insecurity, and obesity for the bottom segments of the economy. It takes the position t...
Environmental Pseudomonads Inhibit Cystic Fibrosis Patient-Derived Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen which is evolving resistance to many currently used antibiotics. While much research has been devoted to the roles of pathogenic P. aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, less is known of its ecological properties. P. aeruginosa dominates the lungs during chronic infection in CF patients, yet its abundance in some environments is less than that of other diverse groups of pseudomonads. Here, we sought to determine if clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa are vulnerable to environmental pseudomonads that dominate soil and water habitats in one-to-one competitions which may provide a source of inhibitory factors. We isolated a total of 330 pseudomonads from diverse habitats of soil and freshwater ecosystems and competed these strains against one another to determine their capacity for antagonistic activity. Over 900 individual inhibitory events were observed. Extending the analysis to P. aeruginosa isolates revealed that clinical isolates, including ones with increased alginate production, were susceptible to competition by multiple environmental strains. We performed transposon mutagenesis on one isolate and identified an ∼14.8-kb locus involved in antagonistic activity. Only two other environmental isolates were observed to carry the locus, suggesting the presence of additional unique compounds or interactions among other isolates involved in outcompeting P. aeruginosa. This collection of strains represents a source of compounds that are active against multiple pathogenic strains. With the evolution of resistance of P. aeruginosa to currently used antibiotics, these environmental strains provide opportunities for novel compound discovery against drug-resistant clinical strains. IMPORTANCE We demonstrate that clinical CF-derived isolates of P. aeruginosa are susceptible to competition in the presence of environmental pseudomonads. We observed that many diverse environmental strains exhibited varied antagonistic profiles against a panel of clinical P. aeruginosa isolates, suggesting the presence of distinct mechanisms of inhibition among these ecological strains. Understanding the properties of these antagonistic events offers the potential for discoveries of antimicrobial compounds or metabolic pathways important to the development of novel treatments for P. aeruginosa infections.
Active Learning and Student Engagement via 3D Printing and Design: Integrating Undergraduate Research, Service Learning, and Cross-Disciplinary Collaborations

In order to provide students with the training required to meet the substantial and diverse challenges of the 21st Century, effective programs in engineering, science, and technology must continue to take the lead in developing high-impact educational practices. Over the past year, faculty across several departments collaborated in the establishment of a campus 3D printing and fabrication center. This facility was founded to offer opportunities for exploring innovative active learning strategies in order to enhance the lives of Wabash College students and serve as a model to other institutions of higher education. This campus resource provides the infrastructure that will empower faculty and staff to explore diverse and meaningful cross-disciplinary collaborations related to teaching and learning across campus. New initiatives include the development of courses on design and fabrication, collaborative cross-disciplinary projects that bridge courses in the arts and sciences, 3D printing and fabrication-based undergraduate research internships, and entrepreneurial collaborations with local industry. These innovative approaches are meant to open the door to greater active learning experiences that empower and prepare students for creative and practical problem solving. Furthermore, service learning projects, community-based opportunities, and global outreach initiatives provide students with a sense of social responsibility, ethical awareness, leadership, and teamwork. This paper shares initial successes of this effort and goals for future enrichment of student learning.
Mechanism of Action of Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty and Predictors of Response.

Purpose This study was designed to evaluate the changes in aqueous humor dynamics (AHD) produced by selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) and to explore if baseline AHD parameters are predictive of IOP response to SLT. Methods Thirty-one consecutive subjects diagnosed with ocular hypertension or primary open-angle glaucoma scheduled to undergo SLT as their primary IOP-lowering therapy were enrolled in this prospective observational study. Subjects underwent baseline assessment of AHD in both eyes. Variables assessed were IOPs at 9 AM and noon, aqueous humor flow rate (fluorophotometry), episcleral venous pressure (EVP, venomanometry), outflow facility (pneumatonography and fluorophotometry) and uveoscleral outflow (calculated using modified Goldmann equation). All subjects underwent 360 degrees SLT and AHD measurements were repeated 3 months later. Results Compared with baseline, IOPs after SLT were significantly lower at 9 AM (22.9 ± 5.1 vs. 19.7 ± 3.0 mm Hg; P = 0.001) and noon (23.4 ± 4.6 vs. 20.0 ± 3.5 mm Hg; P Conclusions The IOP-lowering effect of SLT is mediated through an increase in outflow facility. There is no contralateral effect. Higher aqueous flow and lower outflow facility may be predictive of better response to SLT.