cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biomonitoring for exposure to multiple trace elements via analysis of urine from participants in the study of metals and assisted reproductive technologies (SMART).

Humans are exposed to concentrations of multiple trace elements through a variety of background sources; many are suspected reproductive toxicants. Prior to investigating associations between trace elements and human reproductive health, potential biomarkers of exposure should be characterized by sources of variability in the population at risk. Factors influencing elemental exposure should also be identified to ensure their consideration as potential confounding variables. The principal aim of this study is to characterize sources of variability for 19 trace elements measured in urine specimens collected from 55 women and 36 male partners completing a 1st cycle of in vitrofertilization (IVF). Urine specimens were analyzed using a biomonitoring method based on inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP–MS). Randomly selected urine specimens (∼6%) were analyzed in duplicate, and these data were used to characterize sources of variability. Nine trace elements including As, Ba, Cd, Cs, Co, Cu, Mn, Mo, and Zn, were quantified in most specimens, indicating their utility in future epidemiologic studies of trace elements exposure and IVF outcomes. With few exceptions, normalizing urine using the traditional creatinine-correction procedure, or an alternative approach based on a linear regression model, increased residual variability only slightly. Sex and race appear to be important factors to consider in epidemiologic studies conducted in this population. Urine concentrations for most elements are similar to those reported in the 2005–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES); however, differences in others may indicate regional trends or a unique exposure history for this infertile study population.
Diabetes Management in the Hospital

Hyperglycemia is an increasingly common and often complex condition to manage in the inpatient setting. Numerous clinical trials have demonstrated associations between uncontrolled diabetes and poor clinical outcomes in a number of inpatient settings. Insulin remains the treatment of choice for the majority of hyperglycemic hospitalized patients and should be prescribed in a physiologic manner, employing basal and bolus insulin. Intravenous insulin should be used liberally in the ICU setting where randomized studies have demonstrated improved outcomes. Recommendations for insulin use in the inpatient setting are provided.
Wrinkling and fractalization of curves in an interface model of diffusionally unstable flames

Abstract An equation of interface evolution modeling flame fronts and solid-liquid interfaces is studied numerically. The solutions exhibit two distinct types of behavior. In the first scenario, the curves develop chaotic cellular pattern and accelerate while embedding is sustained. In the second, self-intersections occur and equation gives birth to fractal-like structures with exponentially increasing length and only linearly increasing diameter, which results in dense covering of the plane.
The Use of Fiber Optics to Study Objects on a Vibration Table

In the past the photographic industry has been unable to synchronize a recording camera to photograph random vibration tests. An optical system with coherent fiber optics has been designed to transfer to the camera the image of the part under test. The distal end of the fiber optics is rigidly affixed to the text fixture, with the proximal end attached to the camera. In this way, the lens vibrates with the part and provides the opportunity to record in real time. The entire random sequence test is photographically documented for engineering evaluation.
Key Articles Relative to Cardiovascular Pharmacogenomics

Significant progress has been made in the field of cardiovascular pharmacogenomics over the past 10 years. As a result, important pharmacogenomic literature is now available for most major cardiovascular disease states. In addition, the results of some studies have prompted inclusion of pharmacogenomic information into the package inserts of specific cardiovascular agents such as warfarin. This compilation provides annotated bibliographies of high-impact cardiovascular pharmacogenomics articles.
An analysis of the relations of the coronary constrictor and dilator nerves in the cervical vagosympathetic of the dog

Abstract 1. 1. Vagosection was performed above the ganglion nodosum. The animals were allowed to recover and the nerves to undergo a variable period of degeneration and repair after which functional tests were applied. 2. 2. Dogs with vagosection exhibit a total, or almost total, loss of coronary constriction in response to cervical vagosympathetic stimulation. Two animals have shown a mild degree of coronary constriction after cervical dilator control was reduced by injections of nicotine into the cervical sympathetic ganglia. 3. 3. These more distally placed coronary constrictor neurones have only a moderate total effect and are not always present. A satisfactory explanation of this occasional type of animal is that some few neuroblasts have migrated distally in early embryonic development. 4. 4. The loss of coronary constriction after vagotomy and degeneration indicates that the vagus is the sole pathway of the efferent coronary constrictor nerves. 5. 5. After the coronary constrictors are degenerated, stimulation of the cervical vagosympathetic produces coronary dilation of variable amount. 6. 6. Coronary dilation from stimulation of the cervical vagosympathetic trunk after vagal degeneration does not occur in all animals, and varies in amount from nothing to a medium degree of dilation among those animals in which it is present. 7. 7. There is greater reaction to stimulation of the lower cervical region just above the inferior cervical ganglion. A definite palpable middle cervical ganglion is rarely present in the dog. Histological sections, however, show that strands of nerve cells may be present among the bundles of axones of the vagosympathetic trunk at approximately the region of the middle cervical ganglion. These cells function as links in the chain of efferent coronary dilator pathways. 8. 8. Cardiac inhibitory fibers were completely absent from the degenerated vagi of the animals reported in this series.
Experimental development of reflection-absorption spectroscopy: Infrared spectrum of carbon monoxide adsorbed on copper and copper oxide☆

Abstract The reflection-adsorption technique is used to obtain the infrared spectrum of a monolayer or less of carbon monoxide adsorbed on an evaporated copper film. The band is located at 2105 cm −1 and is obtained with a signal-to-noise ratio in the range 5 to 15. In this technique, the infrared beam is multiply reflected between two closely-spaced parallel metal surfaces covered with the adsorbed layer. The CO band is used to investigate the dependence of the signal-to-noise ratio on the spacing of the metal surfaces. The existence of an optimum value of the spacing is demonstrated. The contribution to the absorption band of infrared rays with different angles of incidence is investigated and explained in terms of an optimum number of reflections and its variations with angle of incidence. After the copper surface is progressively exposed to oxygen, a slight shifting of the CO band to 2113 cm −1 is observed. Further exposure gives rise to a new band of adsorbed CO at 2135 cm −1 , interpreted as CO adsorbed on copper oxide.
Does childhood sexual abuse set in motion a cycle of violence against women? What we know and what we need to learn

This article reviews evidence for the deleterious effects of childhood sexual abuse on female development in both the acute and long-term phases. Taken in aggregate, there is evidence to suggest a persistent cycle of violence perpetrated against women that begins in childhood in the form of sexual abuse, reemerges later in adolescence and early adulthood in the form of physical assault or sexual revictimization, and ultimately places the next generation at considerable risk for victimization. The differential effect of the characteristics of sexual abuse and the wide variation in the onset and developmental course of symptoms are underscored. The need for adequate models elucidating mechanisms behind this continued cycle of violence is discussed.
Species Invasions Exceed Extinctions on Islands Worldwide: A Comparative Study of Plants and Birds

Abstract: Species richness is decreasing at a global scale. At subglobal scales, that is, within any defined area less extensive than the globe, species richness will increase when the number of nonnative species becoming naturalized is greater than the number of native species becoming extinct. Determining whether this has occurred is usually difficult because detailed records of species extinctions and naturalizations are rare; these records often exist, however, for oceanic islands. Here we show that species richness on oceanic islands has remained relatively unchanged for land birds, with the number of naturalizations being roughly equal to the number of extinctions, and has increased dramatically for vascular plants, with the number of naturalizations greatly exceeding the number of extinctions. In fact, for plants, the net number of species on islands has approximately doubled. We show further that these patterns are robust to differences in the history of human occupation of these islands and to th...
Brain metabolite alterations and cognitive dysfunction in early Huntington’s Disease

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by early cognitive decline that progresses at later stages to dementia and severe movement disorder. HD is caused by a cytosine-adenine-guanine triplet-repeat expansion mutation in the Huntingtin gene, allowing early diagnosis by genetic testing. This study aimed to identify the relationship of N-acetylaspartate and other brain metabolites to cognitive function in HD-mutation carriers by using high-field-strength magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) at 7 Tesla. Twelve individuals with the HD mutation in premanifest or early-stage disease versus 12 healthy controls underwent (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (7.2 mL voxel in the posterior cingulate cortex) at 7 Tesla, and also T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging. All participants received standardized tests of cognitive functioning including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and standardized quantified neurological examination within an hour before scanning. Individuals with the HD mutation had significantly lower posterior cingulate cortex N-acetylaspartate (-9.6%, P = .02) and glutamate (-10.1%, P = .02) levels than did controls. In contrast, in this small group, measures of brain morphology including striatal and ventricle volumes did not differ significantly. Linear regression with Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores revealed significant correlations with N-acetylaspartate (r(2) = 0.50, P = .01) and glutamate (NAA) (r(2) = 0.64, P = .002) in HD subjects. Our data suggest a relationship between reduced N-acetylaspartate and glutamate levels in the posterior cingulate cortex with cognitive decline in the early stages of HD. N-acetylaspartate and glutamate magnetic resonance spectroscopy signals of the posterior cingulate cortex region may serve as potential biomarkers of disease progression or treatment outcome in HD and other neurodegenerative disorders with early cognitive dysfunction, when structural brain changes are still minor.
Energy-saving mechanisms in muscle: the minimization strategy

SUMMARY Many mechanisms reduce the cost of muscle activity. Here, we describe a set of specializations that reduce the cost of contraction in the high-frequency twitches that are used by a wide variety of animals for either sound production or flight. Minimizing the cost of these contractions means that cellular ATP production can meet ATP demand and sustain the high contractile rate. Two classes of specialization are found that minimize the contractile cost. The first class reduces the muscle work required per contraction. Light appendages such as rattles, insect limbs and membranous wings that require little work for movement are used in high-frequency contractions. The second set of specializations involves processes that minimize energy use. High-frequency muscles tend to have a lower cross-bridge content, fewer attached cross-bridges and shorter length changes per contraction. The result is low muscle-specific forces (stress), small length changes (strain) and rapid contraction times that suggest that these muscles push the lower limit of contractile function. The consequence of function at this lower extreme of contraction is to minimize the contractile cost of high-frequency muscles. Thus, specializations that permit rapid contractions at a low rate of ATP use per twitch are the basis of a minimization strategy for energy saving in muscles contracting at high frequency.
Comparison of three commercial immunoassays for detection of herpes simplex virus type 2 antibodies in commercial sex workers in Yunnan Province, China

Five hundred commercial sex workers in China were tested for herpes simplex virus type 2 by three immunoassays and Western blotting. Sensitivities for the Focus, Kalon, and Biokit assays were 86.7%, 82.3%, and 34.9%, respectively, and specificities were 91.8%, 94.2%, and 60.1%, respectively. The Focus assay performed optimally at an index of 1.5 (95.2% sensitivity and 93.4% specificity), and the Kalon assay performed optimally at an index of 1.2 (93.3% sensitivity and 95.2% specificity).
Use of pH-zone-refining countercurrent chromatography to separate 2- and 6-nitro-4-chloro-3-methoxybenzoic acid

A rapid, efficient separation of multigram quantities of 2- and 6-nitro-4-chloro-3-methoxybenzoic acid was achieved by pH-zone-refining CCC.
Attitude measurement: Judging the emotional intensity of likert‐type science attitude statements

Emotional intensity, that readiness of a teacher to respond favorably or unfavorably toward such psychological objects as science or the teaching of science, is the quality that distinguishes the attitude concept from other related psychological concepts. It would seem, then, that valid attitude statements, if they are to reflect the definition of attitude, would evoke emotional intensity, responses in both a favorable and unfavorable direction by a group of teachers on each item on a science attitude scale. Science educators who design or modify science attitude scales should continue using item-total correlations and other quantitative techniques to test for emotional intensity, but qualitative judgments are necessary, too. In addition, the frequency distribution of data generated by each statement should be examined for skewness and high percentages of neutral responses, both of which can impair the emotional intensity of an item.
Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor Neutron Source Strength Measurements Instrumentation and Results

The Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) at Princeton University has been designed 1) to reach power break-even, Q approx. = 1 (Q = fusion power/heating power), in neutral-beam-injected, two-energy-component D-T plasmas, where the density confinement time requirement is less stringent than that for maxwellian, one-energy-component plasmas, and 2) to provide the physics understanding of reactor-like plasmas required for the development of tokamak reactors. TFTR has now been in operation for more than two years. Nearly 15,000 individual high power plasma discharges have been produced. Deuterium plasmas with ohmic heating currents up to 2.5 MA, deuterium neutral beam injection (NBI) with beam powers up to 6.3 MW (28 MW projected for 1986) and 80 KeV energy (120 KeV projected), deuterium pellet injection and adiabatic deuterium plasma compression have been investigated. The neutron source strength of a fusion plasma is a direct indicator of the fusion power generated. However, its measurement is complicated for a number of reasons. 1) The neutron source is extended and time varying. 2) It is surrounded by large, fixed scatterers near both source and detectors. 3) The dynamic range of interest in present experiments covers some ten orders of magnitude. In Section II the authors discuss brieflymore » the plasma, its properties, the detectors, their useful ranges and limitations and their calibration. Section II contains some of the neutron measurement results obtained so far.« less
Sociolinguistic nostalgia and the authentication of identity

Sociolinguistic nostalgia and the authentication of identity 1 Mary Bucholtz University of California, Santa Barbara INTRODUCTION Although sociolinguistics has become a fragmented ®eld since its initial broad conceptualization in the 1960s (e.g. Bright 1966; Gumperz and Hymes 1972), the now-divergent strands of sociolinguistic research continue to share a concern with something that has been called `real language.' Against the idealism of the Chomskyan paradigm, sociolinguistics positioned itself as an empirical discipline in which language was taken to mean the systematic use of language by social actors in social situations. I employ the term sociolinguistics here in its original wide reference to include not only the disparate quantitative and qualitative approaches that claim this name but also linguistic anthropo- logy, conversation analysis, and other socially and culturally oriented forms of discourse analysis. For despite the many dierences that divided these research traditions, `real language' remains central to each. And although methods of data collection and analysis vary widely across these approaches, what is meant by real language (or by some more theoretically elaborated equivalent term) has remained for the most part remarkably consistent: real language ± that is, authentic language ± is language produced in authentic contexts by authentic speakers. For this reason, authenticity underwrites nearly every aspect of sociolinguis- tics, from our identi®cation of socially meaningful linguistic phenomena, to the de®nition of the social groups we study, to the methods we use to collect our data, to the theories we draw on in our analysis. Yet despite its pervasiveness in the ®eld, this pivotal concept is rarely a topic of investigation in its own right. In addition, because researchers frequently assume some notion of authenticity in the sociolinguistic study of identity, the latter concept too remains theoretically underdeveloped within sociolinguistics. In the following discussion, I consider the sociolinguistic investment in authenticity as an implicit theory of identity. I then explore the original reasons for this investment and discuss some of the problems and limitations associated with it in the current context of socio- linguistic research. Finally, I oer an alternative vision for the sociolinguistic study of authenticity ± one that, rather than presupposing the authentic as an # Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2003
A revision of the genus Ocotea Aubl. (Lauraceae) in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands

A revision of the genus Ocotea Aubl. in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands is presented. 35 species are recognized, all endemic to the region. Five species are described as new. A key to the species, descriptions, distribution maps and a list of specimens studied are presented.
The Effects of Sex Dialects and Sex Stereotypes on Speech Evaluations

Two studies examined the effects of male and female 'dialects' and sex stereotypes on speech evaluations. Although sex-linked language effects have explained more evaluative variance than stereotypes, the persistence of these effects across a range of conversational contexts is uncertain. Study 1 supported the dialect hypothesis across two stimulus conversations but did not support the stereotype hypothesis. Study 2 found dialect and stereotype effects to be conversation-specific. Men's speech was rated higher in dynamism and socio-intellectual status than women's speech in only one of four conversations. Attributed male speakers were rated as more dynamic than attributed female speakers in two work settings. The conversation-specific nature of dialect and stereotype effects suggested a reconceptualisation of men's and women's speech as interactional achievements and a need for research on contextual cues in work environments that evoke stereotyping.
Six-degree-of-freedom haptic rendering using incremental and localized computations

We present a novel six-degree-of-freedom haptic rendering algorithm using incremental and localized contact computations. It uses an incremental approach for contact and force computations and takes advantage of spatial and temporal coherence between successive frames. As part of a preprocess, we decompose the surface of each polyhedron into convex pieces and construct bounding volume hierarchies to perform fast proximity queries. Once the objects have intersected, we compute the penetration depth (PD) in the neighborhood of the contact between each pair of decomposed convex pieces using a new incremental algorithm. Moreover, we cluster different contacts based on their spatial proximity to speed up the force computation. We have implemented this algorithm and applied it to complex contact scenarios consisting of multiple contacts. We demonstrate its effectiveness on electronic prototyping of complex mechanical structures and virtual exploration of a digestive system.
A microscopic study of transport in thin base silicon bipolar transistors

A comprehensive study of electron transport within silicon bipolar transistors with varying base widths is conducted using a rigorous microscopic model, the scattering matrix approach. Results are presented for the base transit time, current, and the velocity and concentration profiles as a function of basewidth. Unlike previous analyses which artificially impose boundary conditions for the distribution function at the edges of the base, this study rigorously treats transport through both the emitter and collector space charge regions. The results are then compared with other transport models and reveal that even for very thin bases a properly modified drift-diffusion expression gives surprisingly good agreement with the rigorous model for the transit time and current. Finally, an analysis of the distribution function at the collector edge of the base shows that the electron velocity can exceed the thermal velocity (2k/sub B/T//spl pi/m*) in a zero-field region, contrary to the assumptions of several authors. >
Range of motion after total hip arthroplasty: experimental verification of the analytical simulator

Dislocation following total hip replacement surgery represents a significant cause of early failure, incurring additional medical costs. The causes of dislocation are multifactorial and are related to surgical approach, soft tissue tension, prosthetic design, and most important, orientation of components. This paper describes experimental verification of our analytical approach for predicting implant impingement and dislocation. Once fully developed and tested, this analytical methodology could be used as a preoperative simulation tool that will present surgeons with information about the “safe” range of motion and chance of dislocation based on selected component positions, allowing for the surgical plan to be optimized based on this criterion. Coupled with a computer-assisted clinical system for precise implant positioning, this approach could significantly reduce the postoperative risk of dislocation, maximize “safe” range of motion and minimize impingement.
Innovative Approaches to Teaching Residential Design

In order to generate a more real istic and up-to-date approach to residential design, an interior design educator and environmental design researcher teamed up to teach a senior level residential design class. This course emphasized innovative departures from previous teaching practice. Content innovations included energy conscious design, spec-built rather than custom designed housing, and multi-family residential design. Innovative teaching approaches included role playing by students as members of design development teams, preparation of programming documents by students who analyzed behavioral aspects and activity patterns in response to environmental factors, and project review by staff of a design development firm in the process of building a multi-family passive solar development.
Photoperiod and Testosterone Regulate Androgen Receptor Immunostaining in the Siberian Hamster Brain

Day length regulates the effects of gonadal steroids on gonadotropin secretion and behavior in seasonal breeders. To determine whether this influence of photoperiod results from changes in androgen receptor expression in Siberian hamster brain regions that regulate neuroendocrine function, androgen receptor immunostaining was examined in castrated animals given either no androgen replacement or one of three doses of testosterone (T) resulting in physiological serum concentrations. Half of the animals were housed under inhibitory photoperiod conditions, and immunostaining was quantified 11 days later. Measurement of serum gonadotropin and prolactin concentrations confirmed that androgen exerted graded effects on pituitary function but that the animals were killed before photoperiodic influences had fully developed. T significantly increased the numbers of androgen receptor-immunoreactive cells in every brain region examined. Photoperiod exerted no significant influence on androgen receptor-immunoreactive cell number in the arcuate nucleus, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), medial preoptic nucleus, or in medial amygdala. An interaction between T and photoperiod was observed in the BNST and in the rostral and middle portions of the arcuate nucleus. Although increasing concentrations of T resulted in more intense cellular immunostaining in the BNST and arcuate, this effect was not influenced by day length. These results indicate that relatively short-duration (11 days) exposure to inhibitory photoperiod triggers localized and regionally specific changes in androgen receptor expression.
Two Is Better Than One: Combining IGF1R and MEK Blockade as a Promising Novel Treatment Strategy Against KRAS-Mutant Lung Cancer

A small-molecule inhibitor screen on a panel of human lung cancer cell lines has uncovered an unexpected sensitivity of cells expressing oncogenic KRAS toward insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) inhibition. Combining IGF1R and MAP-ERK kinase blockade led to significant effects on viability in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines and in 2 mouse models of oncogenic KRAS-driven lung cancer. The mechanistic basis for this effect seems to be an increased baseline activation of IGF1R-mediated activation of AKT in cells that express oncogenic KRAS. The studies thus point to a novel approach for treatment of KRAS-driven NSCLC, a particularly difficult subset of patients to treat with existing approaches.
The Importance of the Storyteller in the Unfolding of Experience

This issue of Departures in Critical Qualitative Research asks us to attend to the importance of the practice of storytelling and the storyteller in our scholarship and in our lives. Walter Benjamin's prescient 1936 essay “The Storyteller” presents an argument for the role of the storyteller in communicating and meaningfully understanding experience in the age of “information.” Benjamin contrasts the relational and collaborative craft of the storyteller against the individualized, isolated, and ultimately untranslatable work of the novelist, noting that the storyteller “takes what he [sic] tells of experience—his own or that reported by others. And he in turn makes it the experience of those who are listening to his tale.”1 The co-constitutive force of storytelling and Benjamin's storyteller are beautifully illustrated and enacted in each of the essays in this issue. In “ Stranger Than Fiction ,” William K. Rawlins addresses the notion of offering counsel in the unfolding story of a life/our lives through a consideration of Mikhail Bakhtin's relational ethics of answerability. Answerability insists on the embrace of otherness and difference as essential to our ability to perceive ourselves and the attendant necessity of making choices in telling the stories that constitute and narrate a well-lived life. Rawlins locates his articulation of the importance of this ethics of answerability in the art of storytelling—of storytellers—through an analysis of Marc Forster's film Stranger Than Fiction .2 The analysis points to the importance of storytellers as craftspersons who approach life from “outside” human experience in order to render it useful to readers and listeners. The author's task is not to provide data to readers, but rather to fashion experience into something meaningful for and in the living of life—to seek …
Guyed Towers Under Arbitrary Loads

A new method for the static analysis of guyed towers has been developed. The tower and guy cables may be loaded by arbitrary distributed or concentrated forces, or both, and there are no a priori assumptions about cable shape (such as the usual catenary assumption). Effect of axial forces as well as shear deformation in the tower are taken into account. The base of the tower may be in any support condition between clamped and hinged including either extreme. Cables are handled by the Method of Imaginary Reactions. For the tower, integration algorithms for the nonlinear beam-column equations are demonstrated by comparison with the exact solution for the classical problem of the Elastica. The technique is then applied to a two-dimensional demonstration problem of a guyed tower. Extension to three dimensions is straightforward and will be reported later.
FIFTY YEARS OF INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDIZATION: GENETICS AND MORPHOMETRICS OF A CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT ON THE LAND SNAIL CERION IN THE FLORIDA KEYS.

An unusually well documented case of secondary hybridization and introgression involving two morphologically dissimilar species of land snails is described. In 1915, 55 Bahamian Cerion casablancae were established on Bahia Honda Key, Florida. The introduced snails thrived, bred true to form, and the colony grew until about 1928 when it began to hybridize with C. incanum, the unrelated Florida species. In 1977, morphological hybrids occupied an area of about 3.5 ha. Spatial and temporal aspects of the interaction were characterized morphologically (18 shell characters were studied in source populations, founders, and hybrids sampled in 1933 and 1977) and genetically (variation at 17 allozyme loci in relevant populations sampled in 1977). In addition, special circumstances permitted us to discern the genetics of the founders: C. incanum is isogenic locally, C. casablancae is variable (Po = 0.29-0.35), and the two species are well-differentiated (Nei's D = 0.27). Hybrid intermediacy of form and continued enhanced variation appeared in characters from three covariance sets, while some unique hybrid morphologies resulted from characters in a fourth set. Comparison of 1933 with 1977 samples showed that the hybrids are gradually approaching C. incanum in phenotype. Regardless of phenotype, the snails on Bahia Honda Key were panmictic and outbreeding. There was no evidence for strong selection against hybrids, and by 1977 introduced alleles had spread over 5 ha. However, no pure C. casablancae remain; low (m = 0.026/generation) but persistent gene flow has brought about a 30% diminution of the introduced genome. These observations are useful in interpreting Cerion's remarkable variability as colonization following hurricane dispersal has undoubtedly played a role in the group's complex evolution. More generally, the results are relevant to the problem of interpreting hybrid zones of unknown origin, and the differences in the generally concordant patterns of morphological and genetic introgression reveal constraints on the way components of different coadapted genomes interact.
Exposing ACE up the Sleeve

All uncertainty is fruitful…so long as it is accompanied by the wish to understand. Antonio Machado There is unequivocal evidence that an excess of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), a transmembrane dipeptidyl peptidase enzyme that generates angiotensin II and increases bradykinin and other
Microbiota and caspase-1/caspase-8 regulate IL-1β-mediated bone disease

A leucine-to-proline missense mutation at residue 98 in the proline-serine-threonine phosphatase interacting protein 2 (Pstpip2) gene leads to autoinflammatory disease that is characterized by splenomegaly, necrosis, and spontaneous development of osteomyelitis in mice (Pstpip2cmo). Disease progression in these mice resembles that of chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis in humans. Our group and others have shown that disease progression in Pstpip2cmo mice is mediated by the cytokine IL-1β, independently of inflammasomes or IL-1α. Our recent publication highlighted herein establishes that diet-induced changes in intestinal microbiota provide protection against the development of osteomyelitis in Pstpip2cmo mice. Moreover, the proteases caspase-1 and caspase-8 have redundant roles in cleaving IL-1β and promoting disease. This addendum reviews the current literature on the Pstpip2cmo murine disease model and the clinical significance of the role of PSTPIP2 in regulating autoinflammatory osteomyelitis, which is mediated by innate components of immune cells.
Effects of ursodeoxycholic acid on proinflammatory cytokines in children with infantile hepatitis syndrome

AIM: To observe the effect of ursodeoxycholic acid( UDCA) on the treatment of infantile hepatitis syndrome( HIS) and to investigate its mechanism. METHODS: The children with infantile hepatitis syndrome were divided into conventional treatment group and the UDCA treatment group. Twenty healthy children were selected as normal control. The children in conventional therapy group were given antiviral and hepatoprotective treatments. The children in UDCA treatment group were given ursodeoxycholic acid( 10 mg·kg- 1·d- 1) in addition to the conventional treatment group for 2 to 3 weeks. The levels of total bilirubin( TBIL),direct bilirubin( DBIL),alanine aminotransferase( ALT),glutamyltransferase( GGT),total bile acids( TBA) and TNF-α,IL-6 were detected before admission and 2 weeks later. RESULTS: The levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly higher in the children with IHS than those in the normal control( P 0. 01). The levels of TBIL,DBIL,ALT,GGT,TBA,TNF-α and IL-6 in conventional treatment group were reduced after therapy( P 0. 01). All the above index in UDCA treatment group were decreased compared with conventional treatment group( P 0. 01). CONCLUSION: On the basis of conventional therapy,ursodeoxycholic acid effectively alleviates the systemic inflammatory response in the children with IHS,reduces the liver damages.
Pattern of life analysis for diverse data types

SRI has developed a system to automatically analyze the Pattern of Life (PoL) of ports, routes and vessels from a large collection of AIS data. The PoL of these entities are characterized by a set of intuitive and easy to query semantic attributes. The prototype system provides an interface to ingest other types of information such as WAAS (Wide Area Aerial Surveillance) and GDELT (Global Database of Events, Language, and Tone) to augment knowledge of the Area of Operations. It can interact with users by answering questions and simulating what-if scenarios to keep human in the processing loop.
Attitudes and policies about continuing education among Wisconsin hospital pharmacy directors

Pharmacy directors in Wisconsin hospitals were surveyed to determine their attitudes toward continuing professional education and to assess the status of policies and procedures regarding continuing education (CE) and funding for CE activities. A two-page questionnaire was sent to all pharmacy directors in the state. A total of 151 questionnaires were delivered and 103 (68.2%) usable responses were returned. Written policies and procedures regarding CE were available in 47.6% of pharmacy departments. Most directors (84.5%) had formal mechanisms for documenting staff participation in CE activities but few (19.6%) reported having criteria for determining who would attend CE programs. Only 64% of directors used a formal system of budgeting for CE activities, although 88% provide financial support for CE activities outside the institution. The types of CE activities considered to be most desirable were programs sponsored by pharmacy organizations, programs sponsored by schools of pharmacy, and journal reading. Many directors (72.8%) believed that CE is necessary if pharmacists are to remain competent, but few (5.9%) believed that their budgets were adequate to meet the costs of all CE activities in which their pharmacists might be interested, and few expected their budgets to increase. Based on this survey, Wisconsin pharmacy directors in both small and large hospitals believe that CE is important and that the pharmacy department should support it.
CALCIUM ANTAGONISTS IN THE OLFACTORY BULBECTOMY ANIMAL MODEL OF DEPRESSION: EFFECT ON THE CORTICAL NMDA RECEPTOR COMPLEX

Voltage-dependent calcium channel (VDCC) antagonists are active in the forced swim test and in learned helplessness behavioral paradigms, suggesting their antidepressant efficacy. In fact, some clinical reports show that VDCC antagonists are useful in a treatment of affective disorders. Because none of the VDCC antagonists has been tested in the olfactory bulbectomy (OB) model of depression, we examined the efficacy of chronic treatment with verapamil and diltiazem to reduce OB-induced hyperactivity. We also observed the effect of these treatments on OB-induced alterations in the NMDA receptor complex in rat cortex. We report that chronic administration of verapamil (20 mg/kg) and diltiazem (10 mg/kg) did not reduced OB-induced hyperactivity, although these drugs reduced the potency of glycine to inhibit [3H]5,7-dichlorokynurenic acid (DCKA) binding to strychnine-insensitive glycine sites of the NMDA receptor complex. OB also reduced the potency of glycine to inhibit [3H]5,7-DCKA binding, and this reduction was slightly attenuated by chronic treatment with both drugs. These data indicate that: 1) verapamil and diltiazem are not effective in OB model of depression, 2) VDCC antagonists'-induced effect in the glycine sites of the NMDA receptor complex is not species-specific, and 3) there is no direct relationship between OB-induced hyperactivity and alterations in strychnine-insensitive glycine sites of the NMDA receptor complex.
Cognitive Policy Engines

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the application of policy management to cognitive radio technology in general and to spectrum management for frequency-agile radios. It also focuses on what lessons can be learned from prior applications of policy management to network resource problems. The chapter reviews and leverages previous standards, research, and commercial implementations for policy engines and applies them to the architecture and design of policy engines for cognitive radios. The concept of automatic policy management of resources has its commercial roots in the administration of information systems and networks. The policy management refers to a particular approach for automating network management activities by specifying organizational objectives that can be interpreted and enforced by the network itself. The automatic application of management policies provides flexibility to change the configuration of network devices at run-time to satisfy administrative goals and constraints regarding security, resource allocation, application priorities, or quality of service (QoS). A “policy engine” is a program or process that is able to ingest machine-readable policies and apply them to a particular problem domain to constrain the behavior of network resources.
Wave breaking in the surf zone and deep-water in a non-hydrostatic RANS model. Part 1: Organized wave motions

Abstract We examine wave-breaking predictions ranging from shallow- to deep-water conditions using a non-hydrostatic σ -coordinate RANS model NHWAVE as described in Derakhti et al. (2016a), comparing results both with corresponding experiments and with the results of a volume-of-fluid (VOF)/Navier-Stokes solver (Ma et al., 2011; Derakhti and Kirby, 2014a,b). Our study includes regular and irregular depth-limited breaking waves on planar and barred beaches as well as steepness-limited unsteady breaking focused wave packets in intermediate and deep water. In Part 1 of this paper, it is shown that the model resolves organized wave motions in terms of free-surface evolution, spectral evolution, organized wave velocity evolution and wave statistics, using a few vertical σ -levels. In addition, the relative contribution of modeled physical dissipation and numerical dissipation to the integral breaking-induced wave energy loss is discussed. In steepness-limited unsteady breaking focused wave packets, the turbulence model has not been triggered, and all the dissipation is imposed indirectly by the numerical scheme. Although the total wave-breaking-induced energy dissipation is underestimated in the unsteady wave packets, the model is capable of predicting the dispersive and nonlinear properties of different wave packet components before and after the break point, as well as the overall wave height decay and the evolution of organized wave velocity field and power spectrum density over the breaking region. In Part 2 (Derakhti et al., 2016b), model reproduction of wave-breaking-induced turbulence and mean circulation is examined in detail. The same equations and numerical methods are used for the various depth regimes, and no ad-hoc treatment, such as imposing hydrostatic conditions, is involved in triggering breaking. Vertical grid resolution in all simulated cases is at least an order of magnitude coarser than that of typical VOF-based simulations.
Management of Poplar Twiggall Fly on Nursery-grown Aspen

Abstract The poplar twiggall fly (PTGF), Hexomyza schineri (Giraud) (Diptera: Agromyzidae), makes smoothly rounded galls on current season twigs of aspen that persist and continue to expand into large swellings years after insect emergence. Early season observations noted that adults make feeding puncture wounds in foliage with their ovipositor that are good indicators of early season activity. Oviposition in twigs results in an observable swelling of tissues within days. However, full development of galls does not occur until approximately two months following oviposition. Adults typically were active for a period of about two to three weeks subsequent to bud break and its primary parasitoid, the eurytomid Eurytoma contractura Bugbee, was trapped at the end of the PTGF flight period. Efforts to prevent adult emergence by painting galls two weeks prior to adult emergence with either sealants (shellac, polyurethane) or insecticides (imidacloprid, abamectin) did not reduce adult emergence. Soil drench treat...
Pastoralist societies in flux: A conceptual framework analysis of herding and land use among the Mukugodo Maasai of Kenya

Pastoral livelihoods are evolving rapidly. The emergence of globalized markets and the integration of globalized production in developing countries have forced many pastoralists, along with the rest of the world’s consumers, to shift their economic strategies of production to accommodate these evolving markets. The objective of this paper is to illustrate the relationship between globalization and apparent transformations in pastoralist behaviour in recent years. We specifically focus on the links among climate, land use, and herding in rural northern Kenya. To do this, we use a novel conceptual framework that incorporates both traditional interactions between pastoral ecology and resource generation and modern opportunities by linking pastoral families via their pastoral production and other economic activities to the cash economy, modern diets and nutritional status (health), and public and private assistance and programmes (such as food aid).
Comorbid Anxiety and Substance Use Disorders

The relationship between symptoms of anxiety, anxiety disorders and substance use, abuse and dependence is complex. Converging evidence from epidemiologic studies as well as studies of treatment-seeking individuals indicates that anxiety disorders, symptoms of anxiety, and substance use disorders (SUDs) commonly co-occur, and the interaction is not unidirectional, but multifaceted and variable. Anxiety symptoms often emerge during the course of chronic intoxication and withdrawal. Anxiety disorders may be a risk factor for the development of SUDs. Anxiety disorders modify the presentation and treatment outcome for SUDs. Substance use, abuse and SUDs modify the presentation and treatment outcome for anxiety disorders. In this chapter, recent findings on co-occurring SUDs and anxiety disorders will be reviewed including prevalence, diagnostic, and treatment issues.
Melt Rheology of Blends of Semi-Crystalline Polymers; Part II, Dynamic Properties of Poly(Ethylene Terephtalate) — Poly(Amide — 6,6) Molten Blends

Melt rheology of poly(ethylene terephthalate) , PET, poly(amide -6,6), PA, and their blends were investigated at 240, 260, 280 and 300°C on Rheometrics Mechanical Spectrometer in a dynamic mode within the frequency range from 10-1 to 102 (rads/sec). Dynamic viscosity, storage and loss shear moduli were recorded.
The relationship of obesity to the metabolic syndrome.

Obese patients with the metabolic syndrome generally have a visceral (apple-shaped) fat distribution and are at an increased risk of macrovascular disease, while those with peripheral (pear-shaped) obesity tend not to have metabolic abnormalities and are at less risk. This difference appears to be related to the differing metabolic functions (and secretory products) of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), as well as the fact that VAT drains directly into the liver. Thus, it appears that increased VAT, but not SAT, is associated with both hepatic and peripheral biochemical abnormalities leading to insulin resistance and the associated metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance is associated with VAT products, such as free fatty acids and their metabolites, as well as cytokines, such as tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). These factors may activate components of the inflammatory pathway such as nuclear factor kappa-B (NFkappaB), and inhibit insulin signalling. Insulin resistance is further associated with decreased levels of another tissue product, adiponectin. The incidence and prevalence of obesity is increasing at an unprecedented rate. The classic treatment of obesity is weight loss via lifestyle modification. However, prevention of obesity comorbidity can also be achieved by modifying the mechanisms by which obesity causes these comorbid conditions. For instance, it is now known that the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) family of transcriptional regulators are crucial in regulating adipose tissue development and metabolism; this helps explain why compounds with PPARgamma agonist activity, e.g. thiazolidinediones, increase insulin action through their effects in regulating adipose tissue metabolism.