cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental Studies on the Developing Perch (Perca flavescens Mitchill)

The records of experimental analyses of the embryogenic processes in the Teleost are comparatively meagre. The results of defect-experiments performed on Fundulus eggs by Morgan,1 Lewis,2,3 and Hoadley4 indicate that the ultimate limitation of cellular potencies occurs during gastrulation, but they supply no conclusive evidence concerning the nature of the mechanisms whereby the limitation is accomplished. The time is now ripe for experimental investigation and analysis of Teleost development in the light of the modern concepts of experimental embryology.The eggs of the yellow perch were used for experimental material in the present research. Transplantation of the tissue corresponding to the dorsal lip of the amphibian blastopore induces the formation of a secondary embryo; the experiment and results are comparable to those of Spemann5 on the egg of Triton.The cytoplasm of the perch egg is large in amount in comparison with the yolk. The germ-ring forms and gastrulation commences when almost one-half the...
Assessment of Future Coast Land Loss Along the Upper Texas Gulf Coast to the Year 2050

Tidal gauge data from stations along the Texas Gulf Coast document high long-term rates of relative sea-level rise. Shoreline retreat and loss of coastal land in Texas have also been documented, and attributed to a combination of erosion and submergence. Submergence is caused by relative sea-level (RSL) rise: a combination of eustatic sea-level (ESL) rise and subsidence caused both by man9s withdrawal of pore fluids and natural consolidation. The Texas coastline is regressing at present and will continue into the future. We anticipate future accelerated loss of land in response to accelerated sea-level rise. Three scenarios (baseline, low-rise, and high-rise) for shoreline retreat and resulting loss of land to the year 2050 are developed for the Upper Texas Gulf Coast, north of Galveston Bay. The scenarios integrate projections of future RSL rise with empirical relations between RSL rise and shoreline retreat over a historical baseline period. The projections of future RSL rise combine estimates of eustatic sea-level rise derived from a delphic analysis with an assumed constant rate of land-surface subsidence. RSL rises of 0.49 m, 0.63 m, and 1.87 m are computed for the year 2050 in the baseline, low-rise, and high-rise scenarios, respectively. These rises correspond to losses of land of 17.1 km 2 (4,224 acres), 22.4 km 2 (5,533 acres), and 68.5 km 2 (16,920 acres) within the study area. Although the loss of land varies considerably throughout the study area, shoreline retreats of up to 1.85 km by 2050 are predicted in the worst-case (high-rise) scenario. Our assessment indicates that the Upper Texas Coast will experience significant loss of land in the future. Although this analysis contains much uncertainty, we believe it provides useful projections that should influence the future development and use of coastal resources. Such projections should be considered in geotechnical analysis, site investigations, and land-use planning.
An improved sealing wax for temporary smear preparations.

A mixture of polyethylene glycol 40002 and gum mastic as an improvement over the classic paraffin-mastic seal for temporary slides offers the following advantages: no stratification of components; delayed solidification permitting effective application of weights for flattening cells; solubility in 3:1 ethanol-acetic acid, thereby eliminating scraping for removal and so reducing the number of broken cover slips and paraffin artifacts. Hardness may be varied by using other grades of polyethylene glycol. Gum mastic is purified by treatment with acetone and hot water, after which it is mixed with molten polyethylene glycol. The author calls the product “Glycomastic”.
The subtle body: an interoceptive map of central nervous system function and meditative mind–brain–body integration

Meditation research has begun to clarify the brain effects and mechanisms of contemplative practices while generating a range of typologies and explanatory models to guide further study. This comparative review explores a neglected area relevant to current research: the validity of a traditional central nervous system (CNS) model that coevolved with the practices most studied today and that provides the first comprehensive neural-based typology and mechanistic framework of contemplative practices. The subtle body model, popularly known as the chakra system from Indian yoga, was and is used as a map of CNS function in traditional Indian and Tibetan medicine, neuropsychiatry, and neuropsychology. The study presented here, based on the Nalanda tradition, shows that the subtle body model can be cross-referenced with modern CNS maps and challenges modern brain maps with its embodied network model of CNS function. It also challenges meditation research by: (1) presenting a more rigorous, neural-based typology of contemplative practices; (2) offering a more refined and complete network model of the mechanisms of contemplative practices; and (3) serving as an embodied, interoceptive neurofeedback aid that is more user friendly and complete than current teaching aids for clinical and practical applications of contemplative practice.
Evaluating the impacts of small impoundments on stream salamanders

Large dams have been repeatedly implicated in declines of riverine species, but the impacts of small dams are largely understudied. The placement of small dams (< 5 m high) on headwater streams, their density, and lack of regulation suggests that these dams may also have significant adverse impacts on headwater biota. The objective of this study was to determine whether small impoundments affect downstream salamander abundance and water quality. Salamanders were identified and counted from 10 paired catchments draining either a small impoundment (< 0.8 ha) or a free-flowing stream. A binomial mixture model was used to estimate abundance after accounting for incomplete detection. Estimated abundance of larval Desmognathus conanti, Eurycea wilderae, and Pseudotriton ruber was 3.9, 19.6, and 9.8 times greater downstream of small impoundments than in unaltered streams. Iron concentrations and pH had positive effects on salamander abundance while conductivity was negatively associated with salamander abundance. Increases in abundance may be due to increased hydrologic stability below dams, different geomorphology, and altered water quality. Despite their small size, small impoundments can have localized, downstream effects on water chemistry and species abundance and may create high quality habitat for some stream species in a heterogeneous landscape. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Academia, Journalism, and Politics

For three decades I have been interested in the area where the academic world meets the world of journalism and the world of politics. On several occasions I have had the opportunity to study how political opinions are passed off as science or scholarship. Some people have said—or “charged”!—that I am “politically motivated.” Of course I am politically motivated! But in what sense? I define “politics” to mean in the broad sense how society is organized, how one deals with social organizations, our relationship to government, how we arrive at decisions affecting the country and the world, the way ideas and information are disseminated in the media, the role of education, the way ideas are taught in schools and the universities, how information is processed (by the press, by individuals, by the educational system, by the government, etc.). I understand politics in that broad sense, and in that sense I am politically motivated. But my concern for politics does not mean that I support some faction, or some wing over another wing, say the left wing over the right wing; or that I support some “ism” ideology such as socialism, communism, or capitalism. I totally reject such factionalism.
Insomnia in Patients with Comorbid Medical Problems

Almost every medical disease can be associated with insomnia. Insomnia may result directly from the pathophysiology of the illness, as a consequence of pain or other disease symptoms, as an unintended side effect of treatment, or as a manifestation of the anxiety and uncertainty attached to the diagnosis. Improving sleep quality often requires optimally managing other disease symptoms and selecting medications that minimize adverse side effects. Importantly, many medical conditions and medications alter the risks and symptoms of intrinsic sleep disorders that can present as insomnia and sleep fragmentation. Conversely some hypnotics can affect medical conditions. As patients with medical comorbidities tend to be older and take multiple medications, they are also at an increased risk for adverse drug reactions. Non-pharmacologic treatments for insomnia should be given special consideration in this population.
The difference between traditional experiments and CFD validation benchmark experiments

Abstract Computation Fluid Dynamics provides attractive features for design, and perhaps licensing, of nuclear power plants. The most important of these features is low cost compared to experiments. However, uncertainty of CFD calculations must accompany these calculations in order for the results to be useful for important decision making. In order to properly assess the uncertainty of a CFD calculation, it must be “validated” against experimental data. Unfortunately, traditional “discovery” experiments are normally ill-suited to provide all of the information necessary for the validation exercise. Traditionally, experiments are performed to discover new physics, determine model parameters, or to test designs. This article will describe a new type of experiment; one that is designed and carried out with the specific purpose of providing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) validation benchmark data. We will demonstrate that the goals of traditional experiments and validation experiments are often in conflict, making use of traditional experimental results problematic and leading directly to larger predictive uncertainty of the CFD model.
Prevalence of Sickle Cell Anemia In Eastern India

Abstract 4822 Background: Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder of hemoglobin synthesis. This is due to replacement of Valine for Glutamic Acid in position six of the Beta globin chain of hemoglobin. This genetic alteration yields unstable RBC which lasts for 10–20 days. In stressful conditions the cells become sickle shaped and get lysed. There are about 20 million people with sickle cell disease in India. During January 2009- May2010 camps were held in various parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh. Along with various mutations of thalassemia, we also observed sickle cell anemia among them. This triggered our interest to study the spectrum of the sickle mutation co-inheritant with different mutations such as Homozygous Sickle Cell, Sickle Cell-Beta0 Thalassemia, Sickle Cell-Beta+ Thalassemia, Severe β+ thalassemia genes, Moderate β+ thalassemia genes, Mild β+ thalassemia genes Sickle cell-HbE Thalassaemia, Sickle cell-HPFH Thalassaemia, in said part of India. Since Indian patients with SS disease had higher hemoglobin, red cell counts and higher HbF levels and lower HbA2, MCHC, MCV, and reticulocyte counts, hence a high hemoglobin is a risk factor for painful crises and may also be a risk factor for avascular necrosis of the femoral head, proliferative sickle retinopathy, and acute chest syndrome. Methods: We have screened 332 individuals in eastern part of India during the period January 2009- May 2010. 3ml of peripheral blood was collected in EDTA vial from each individual. NESTROFT (Naked Eye Single Tube Red Cell Osmotic Fragility Test) was performed on spot. Then Complete Blood Count was done within 24 hours of collection. HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) was performed to identify the samples for confirmation. In our observation in case of sickle cell anaemia HbF (Fetal haemoglobin), Hb (haemoglobin), MCV (mean corpuscular volume) values ranges between 0–10 %, ≤7-10g/dl, 65–90fl respectively. ARMS (Amplification Refractory Mutation System) PCR (polymerase chain reaction) was done to confirm the mutation. Result: Conclusion: Of the total samples collected in the camps held at various places of Jharkand, Chattisgarh & West Bengal 87 of them was carriers of sickle cell anemia. There was 7 homozygous (SS), 14 sickle beta, 12 double heterozygous for HPFH (High Persistance of Fetal Hemoglobin) & sickle cell anemia. In conclusion, the manifestations of sickle cell disease are influenced by a variety of other genetic and environmental factors. The occurrence of the disease against different genetic and environmental backgrounds provides experimental models that contribute to understanding the variability in clinical and hematological expression of the disease. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Ineffective Erythropoiesis and Production of Normoblasts with a Beta Thalassemia Major Phenotype Using CD34+ Cells From Healthy Donors

Abstract Abstract 1085 Reversal of anemia is the major target of thalassemia research, but studies of the molecular and cellular basis of the ineffective erythropoiesis of thalassemia are limited by access to donor progenitor cells. Here we demonstrate that thalassemic erythropoiesis may be recapitulated ex vivo by reducing the expression of hemoglobin in cultured CD34+ cells. Using lentiviral transduction of progenitor cells obtained from three healthy adult human donors, shRNA molecules were screened for their ability to reduce beta-globin gene and protein expression over 21 days in culture. Cells transduced with a scrambled vector served as donor-matched controls. Among the screened shRNA, one named HBB caused a consistent and significant reduction in beta-globin mRNA and protein. Beta-globin mRNA was reduced to levels Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Predictors of emotional and physical dating violence in a sample of serious juvenile offenders

Aim We estimate group-based dating violence trajectories and identify the adolescent risk factors that explain membership in each trajectory group. Method Using longitudinal data from the Pathways to Desistance Study, which follows a sample of 1354 serious juvenile offenders from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Phoenix, Arizona between mid-adolescence and early adulthood, we estimate group-based trajectory models of both emotional dating violence and physical dating violence over a span of five years in young adulthood. We then estimate multinomial logistic regression models to identify theoretically motivated risk factors that predict membership in these groups. Results We identified three developmental patterns of emotional dating violence: none (33%), low-level (59%) and high-level decreasing (8%). The best-fitting model for physical dating violence also had three groups: none (73%), low-level (24%) and high-level (3%). Race/ethnicity, family and psychosocial variables were among the strongest predictors of both emotional and physical dating violence. In addition, delinquency history variables predicted emotional dating violence and relationship variables predicted physical dating violence. Conclusions Dating violence is quite prevalent in young adulthood among serious juvenile offenders. Numerous predictors distinguish between chronic dating violence perpetrators and other groups. These may suggest points of intervention for reducing future violence. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optical stealth communication for smart sensor networks

The principle and performance of optical stealth communication technique is summarized and its applications to smart sensor networks are proposed. Optical stealth communication, which is also known as optical steganography, hides information in wide band analog noise. The wide band and fast changing noise protects the stealth information from being detected and recorded by an eavesdropper. If the matching condition cannot be achieved when receiving the stealth information, the information is permanently lost and cannot be recovered by post-processing techniques. The optical stealth communication technique is proposed to protect the sensing information in smart sensor networks. Private information in both the fronthaul connections and the communications between the sensor nodes and the wireless stations can be hidden in the optical stealth communication channels.
Anthocyanins from Purple Corn Ameliorated Tumor Necrosis Factor-α-Induced Inflammation and Insulin Resistance in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes via Activation of Insulin Signaling and Enhanced GLUT4 Translocation.

cope The aim was to compare the effect of an anthocyanin-rich extract from purple corn pericarp (PCW) and pure anthocyanins on adipogenesis, inflammation, and insulin resistance in 3T3-L1 adipocytes on basal and inflammatory conditions. Methods and results Preadipocytes (3T3-L1) were treated during differentiation with or without PCW. Differentiated adipocytes were treated either individually or in combination with tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and PCW, or pure C3G, Pr3G, P3G. PCW reduced preadipocyte differentiation (IC50 = 0.4 mg/mL). PCW and pure anthocyanins including C3G reduced fatty acid synthase enzymatic activity. PCW reduced TNF-α-dependent inflammatory status increasing adiponectin (39%), and decreasing leptin (−79%). PCW and C3G increased glucose uptake and reduced reactive oxygen species generation in insulin resistant adipocytes. An increase in phosphorylation was observed in AKT, IKK, and MEK, and a decrease in IRS and mTOR activating the insulin receptor-associated pathway. PCW (7.5-fold) and C3G (6.3-fold) enhanced GLUT4 membrane translocation compared to insulin resistant adipocytes. Conclusion Anthocyanins from colored corn prevented adipocyte differentiation, lipid accumulation, and reduced PPAR-γ transcriptional activity on adipocytes in basal conditions. Ameliorated TNF-α-induced inflammation and insulin resistance in adipocytes via activation of insulin signaling and enhanced GLUT4 translocation suggesting a reduced hyperglycemia associated with the metabolic syndrome.
DelPhiForce web server: electrostatic forces and energy calculations and visualization.

Summary Electrostatic force is an essential component of the total force acting between atoms and macromolecules. Therefore, accurate calculations of electrostatic forces are crucial for revealing the mechanisms of many biological processes. We developed a DelPhiForce web server to calculate and visualize the electrostatic forces at molecular level. DelPhiForce web server enables modeling of electrostatic forces on individual atoms, residues, domains and molecules, and generates an output that can be visualized by VMD software. Here we demonstrate the usage of the server for various biological problems including protein-cofactor, domain-domain, protein-protein, protein-DNA and protein-RNA interactions. Availability and implementation The DelPhiForce web server is available at: http://compbio.clemson.edu/delphi-force. Contact delphi@clemson.edu. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Tipping the (Im)balance: Capital inflows, financial market structure, and banking crises

An emerging consensus among scholars and policy‐makers identifies foreign capital inflows as one of the primary determinants of banking crises in developed countries. We challenge this view by arguing that external imbalances are destabilizing only when banks face substantial competition from securities markets in the process of financial intermediation. We assemble a dataset of banking crises covering the advanced industrialized countries from 1976 to 2011 and find evidence of a conditional relationship between capital inflows, a well‐developed securities market, and the incidence of banking crises. We further explore the impact of capital inflows on banks’ actual risk taking as indicated by their capital adequacy levels and measures of insolvency risk. Our results demonstrate that prudential capital cushions tend to decline with the combination of capital inflows and prominent securities markets. We highlight the political decisions—often made during the early days of a country's financial development—that determine the relative prominence of banks vs. non‐bank financial institutions and conclude with policy recommendations.
Wide cantilever stiffness range cavity optomechanical sensors for atomic force microscopy

We report on progress in developing compact sensors for atomic force microscopy (AFM), in which the mechanical transducer is integrated with near-field optical readout on a single chip. The motion of a nanoscale, doubly clamped cantilever was transduced by an adjacent high quality factor silicon microdisk cavity. In particular, we show that displacement sensitivity on the order of 1 fm/(Hz)1/2 can be achieved while the cantilever stiffness is varied over four orders of magnitude (≈0.01 N/m to ≈290 N/m). The ability to transduce both very soft and very stiff cantilevers extends the domain of applicability of this technique, potentially ranging from interrogation of microbiological samples (soft cantilevers) to imaging with high resolution (stiff cantilevers). Along with mechanical frequencies (> 250 kHz) that are much higher than those used in conventional AFM probes of similar stiffness, these results suggest that our cavity optomechanical sensors may have application in a wide variety of high-bandwidth AFM measurements.
Gastric Neuroendocrine Neoplasia

The enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cell is the best-characterized neuroendocrine cell in the gastric mucosa and constitutes one type of at least seven different neuroendocrine cell types (approximately 1%–2% of total mucosal cells) that comprise the fundic mucosa. The ECL cell, however, is the predominant endocrine cell population of the gastric fundus and accounts for approximately 35%–65% of the gastric endocrine cell mass (Figure 7.1). The ECL cell is a pivotal regulator of acid secretion via a mechanism that involves its activation by circulating gastrin produced by antral G cells. Activation of the ECL CCK2R elicits the release of histamine which acts in a paracrine manner to initiate parietal cell secretion of protons into the gastric lumen (Figure 7.2). Low acid states engendered by acid suppression or loss of parietal cell mass (atrophic or autoimmune gastritis) results in diminution of acid secretion, elevated luminal pH, activation of antral G cells, hypergastrinemia, and endoscopic and histopathologic evidence of ECL cell hyperplasia and neoplasia variously recognized under the terminology of gastric neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) or gastric carcinoids. The latter term should be discarded as archaic and confusing because it embraces at least three different tumor types and does not indicate the specific cell type or malignant phenotype of the lesion. Gastric NETs have, in recent times, become the subject of substantial clinical and investigative interest. This reflects global concerns regarding the consequences of prolonged hypochlorhydria, longstanding hypergastrinemia (increased use of acid-suppressive pharmacotherapeutic agents), as well as the proposed putative relationship between gastric adenocarcinoma and gastric NETs. These tumors were previously considered rare lesions, overall representing less than 2% of all gastrointestinal NETs and less than 1% of all gastric neoplasms. The misconception of rarity is redundant because current cancer databases indicate that gastric NETs are increasing in incidence/prevalence and that the current figures are closer to 5%. Whether this represents increased clinical awareness, more accurate pathologic identification, or more thorough endoscopic surveillance is debatable, but nevertheless, provides a far larger group of patients whose disease requires
Minority student persistence in clinical laboratory education programs.

The objective of this study was to characterize minority student persistence in clinical laboratory scientist (CLS) and clinical laboratory technician (CLT) education programs and relate persistence to student characteristics and involvement in academic and social dimensions of college programs. A prospective, longitudinal study was done using written survey and follow-up data collection. Participants were 2,426 CLS and CLT students in academic-based educational programs across the United States. The participants completed a forced-choice survey eliciting demographic information and determining their interactions with social and academic dimensions of college and the clinical laboratory education program. Program outcome groups, i.e., graduates, voluntary withdrawals, and academic dismissals, were compared on each of 14 variables. Of the 2,426 participants, 80.7% graduated, 10.8% voluntarily withdrew, and 8.5% were dismissed for academic reasons. The outcome groups differed significantly on seven of eight academic involvement measures and five of six measures of social involvement. Student persistence behaviors varied by ethnic group, with African Americans more likely to leave for academic reasons than others. Graduation rates varied among the five ethnic groups. Differences were found among ethnic groups on five of eight measures of academic involvement and on two of six measures of social involvement. The results suggest that ethnic groups may differ in their levels of involvement in aspects of social and academic programs, thus explaining their different persistence behaviors. Understanding why some students are unsuccessful may form the basis for effective retention efforts.
Traps and Pitfalls: Practical Problems in System Call Interposition Based Security Tools.

System call interposition is a powerful method for regulating and monitoring application behavior. In recent years, a wide variety of security tools have been developed that use this technique. This approach brings with it a host of pitfalls for the unwary implementer that if overlooked can allow his tool to be easily circumvented. To shed light on these problems, we present the lessons we learned in the course of several design and implementation cycles with our own system call interposition-based sandboxing tool. We first present some of the problems and pitfalls we encountered, including incorrectly replicating OS semantics, overlooking indirect paths to resources, race conditions, incorrectly subsetting a complex interface, and side effects of denying system calls. We then present some practical solutions to these problems, and provide general principles for avoiding the difficulties we encountered.
Multidimensional assessment of impulsivity-related measures in relation to externalizing behaviors.

Background Trait impulsivity is thought to play a key role in predicting behaviors on the externalizing spectrum, such as drug and alcohol use and aggression. Research suggests that impulsivity may not be a unitary construct, but rather multidimensional in nature with dimensions varying across self-report assessments and laboratory behavioral tasks. Few studies with large samples have included a range of impulsivity-related measures and assessed several externalizing behaviors to clarify the predictive validity of these assessments on important life outcomes. Methods Community adults ( N = 1295) between the ages of 30 and 54 completed a multidimensional assessment of impulsivity-related traits (including 54 self-report scales of personality traits implicated in impulsive behaviors, and four behavioral tasks purporting to assess a construct similar to impulsivity) and reported on five externalizing behavioral outcomes (i.e. drug, alcohol, and cigarette use, and physical and verbal aggression). We ran an exploratory factor analysis on the trait scales, and then a structural equation model predicting the externalizing behaviors from the three higher-order personality factors (i.e. Disinhibition v. Constraint/Conscientiousness, Neuroticism/Negative Emotionality, and Extraversion/Positive Emotionality) and the four behavioral tasks. Results Relations between the self-report factors and behavioral tasks were small or nonexistent. Associations between the self-report factors and the externalizing outcomes were generally medium to large, but relationships between the behavioral tasks and externalizing outcomes were either nonexistent or small. Conclusions These results partially replicate and extend recent meta-analytic findings reported by Sharma et al. (2014) to further clarify the predictive validity of impulsivity-related trait scales and laboratory behavioral tasks on externalizing behaviors.
International Review of Pending U.S. Design Legislation: Is it on the Right Track?

This paper reviews the results of surveys and other research conducted on design protection in the Federal Republic of Germany (hereinafter FRG) and compares them with developments in the EC and U.S. Surveys can be helpful in many ways. They may indicate the level of satisfaction in national design protection systems and possible improvements. Other timely uses for this information include formulating a strategy for a separate BC design protection system, harmonization of design laws. The pending U.S. industrial design legislation is anlayzed in relation to these results. Design owners around the world seeking to market a product have essentially thesame needs.Following this introduction, there is a brief review of the research sources used in preparing this paper. The next section presents the findings from the surveys concerning improvements design owners want in design protection. Their recommendations are incorporated into an integrated, two-stage design protection system (see Figure 1). A feature of this system improves the scope of infringement for patent-type protection. This system is compared with pending U.S. design protection legislation, to see whether the U.S. approach satisfies the needs identified in the surveys. In other words, whether it is one the right tract. The last section contains a summary of the surveys on which the recommendations are based.
Optimal Timing for Lung Transplantation: Why Not Include RVEF As an Indicator?

One of the most challenging questions to answer in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is: “When is the optimal time to proceed with lung transplantation?” The current lung allocation scoring (LA...
Obesity-Induced Adipose Tissue Inflammation as a Strong Promotional Factor for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is expected to soon become the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States. This may be due to the rising obesity prevalence, which is a recognized risk factor for PDAC. There is great interest in deciphering the underlying driving mechanisms of the obesity–PDAC link. Visceral adiposity has a strong correlation to certain metabolic diseases and gastrointestinal cancers, including PDAC. In fact, our own data strongly suggest that visceral adipose tissue inflammation is a strong promoter for PDAC growth and progression in a genetically engineered mouse model of PDAC and diet-induced obesity. In this review, we will discuss the relationship between obesity-associated adipose tissue inflammation and PDAC development, with a focus on the key molecular and cellular components in the dysfunctional visceral adipose tissue, which provides a tumor permissive environment.
Stonehenge: the story of a sacred landscape

Stonehenge is an ‘icon of Britishness’ (Bender 1998) and as befits this most famous of national monuments, there has been a long history of archaeological investigation complemented by an extensive...
A Preliminary Report on the Fish and Herpetofauna of Grasshopper Ruin

Excavations at Grasshopper Ruin, Arizona, have yielded remains of fish and amphibians which indicate the presence of a permanent water supply near the pueblo during its occupation.
Effectiveness and safety of droperidol in a United States emergency department.

Abstract Background Droperidol is a dopamine receptor antagonist that functions as an analgesic, sedative, and antiemetic. In 2001, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required a black box warning in response to case reports of QT prolongation and potential fatal arrhythmias. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of droperidol in patients presenting to a United States Emergency Department (ED). Methods Observational cohort study of all droperidol administrations from 1/1/2012 through 4/19/2018 at an academic ED. The primary endpoint was mortality within 24 h of droperidol administration. Secondary endpoint included use of rescue analgesics. Results A total of 6,881 visits by 5,784 patients received droperidol of whom 6,353 visits authorized use of their records for research, including 5.4% administrations in children and 8.2% in older adults (≥65). Droperidol was used as an analgesic for pain (N = 1,387, 21.8%) and headache (N = 3,622, 57.0%), as a sedative (N = 550, 8.7%), and as an antiemetic (N = 794, 12.5%). No deaths secondary to droperidol administration were recorded within 24 h. Need for rescue analgesia occurred in 5.2% of patients with headache (N = 188) and 7.4% of patients with pain (N = 102); 1.1% of patients with headache received rescue opioids (N = 38) after droperidol, as did 5.4% of patients with pain other than headache (N = 75). No patients had fatal arrhythmias. Akathisia occurred in 2.9%. Conclusion No fatalities were seen among this large cohort of patients who received droperidol in the ED. Our findings suggest droperidol's effectiveness and safety when used as an analgesic, antiemetic and/or sedative.
Characterizing components of and attendance at resident‐driven Housing First programming in the context of community‐based participatory research

AIMS This secondary study characterized components of and engagement in the life-enhancing alcohol-management program (LEAP), which is resident-driven housing first programming. METHODS We used a process akin to conventional content analysis to operationalize the LEAP according to its component activities. We used generalized linear modeling to identify predictors of LEAP activity participation and to predict alcohol and quality-of-life outcomes from participation in specific LEAP activities categories. RESULTS Overall, 86% of participants attended at least one LEAP activity, which comprised three categories: administrative leadership opportunities, meaningful activities, and pathways to recovery. Employment status alone predicted LEAP activity attendance: Employed residents attended 88% fewer LEAP activities than unemployed residents. Participants who sought out more pathways to recovery activities were more likely daily drinkers and more impacted by alcohol-related harm. Those engaging in administrative leadership opportunities were overall less impacted by alcohol use and had a higher quality of life generally, and their alcohol outcomes further improved over time. CONCLUSIONS Programming developed with Housing First residents was well-attended but could be made more inclusive by including evening programming to accommodate residents employed full time and engaging more severely impacted participants in administrative leadership activities, where the greatest benefits of programming were seen.
Segmentation of the Urothelium in Optical Coherence Tomography Images with Dynamic Contrast

Significance: Speckle variations induced by intracellular motion (IM) in the urothelium was observed in optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. It is feasible to use the IM as a dynamic contrast to segment the urothelium with only two sequential OCT images. This new method opens the possibility of tracking the distribution of the urothelial cells to identify the microinvasion of bladder tumors. Approach: With fresh porcine bladder tissue, IM was analyzed by tracking speckle variations using autocorrelation function, then quantified with CONTINE algorism to identify the decorrelation time (DT) of the speckle variations. Variance analysis is conducted to show IM amplitude and distribution in the urothelium. The segmentation of the urothelium is demonstrated using tissue samples with and without significantly stretching. Results: Significant speckle variations induced by IM exists in the urothelium. However, the distribution of the IM is heterogeneous. The DTs are majorly distributed between 1ms to 30ms. Using the IM as a dynamic contrast, the urothelium can be accurately and exclusively segmented, even the layer structure of the bladder is invisible. Conclusions: With fresh porcine bladders, we show that IM can be used as a dynamic contrast to exclusively segment the urothelium. This contrast may provide a new mechanism for OCT to diagnosis the invasion of urothelial cancerous cells for the better staging of bladder cancer.
Continuity equations for many-body systems

The four-divergence of a generalized current is related to the Green’s function formulation of the many-body problem. The relations obtained take the form of continuity equations, with an extra source term corresponding to the creation or annihilation of particles allowed by the second-quantization formalism. With the aid of these many-body continuity equations, a connection between the two types of conservation laws for Green’s function in the literature, the generalized Ward identity and the conserving approximations of Baym and Kadanoff is derived.
The question of anomalies in the friedel-crafts acylation of haloalkylbenzenes : Acetylation of the isomeric bromo-m-xylenes

Abstract The fact that Friedel-Crafts acylation in bromoalkylaromatics usually proceeds para to the bromine substituent has been considered to be an anomaly. The acetylation of the isomeric bromo- m -xylenes has been carried out, and product identification has confirmed this type of orientation. However, by a consideration of partial rate factors and competitive reactions, it is shown that these results may be quite acceptable.
Evaluation of blood–brain barrier thiamine efflux using the in situ rat brain perfusion method

Thiamine is an essential, positively charged (under physiologic conditions), water-soluble vitamin requiring transport into brain. Brain thiamine deficiency has been linked to neurodegenerative disease by subsequent impairment of thiamine-dependent enzymes used in brain glucose/energy metabolism. In this report, we evaluate brain uptake and efflux of [3H]thiamine using the in situ rat brain perfusion technique. To confirm brain distribution was not related to blood-brain barrier endothelial cell uptake, we compared parenchymal and cell distribution of [3H]thiamine using capillary depletion. Our work supports previous literature findings suggesting blood-brain barrier thiamine uptake is via a carrier-mediated transport mechanism, yet extends the literature by redefining the kinetics with more sensitive methodology. Significantly, [3H]thiamine brain accumulation was influenced by a considerable efflux rate. Evaluation of the efflux mechanism demonstrated increased stimulation by the presence of increased vascular thiamine. The influx transport mechanism and efflux rate were each comparable throughout brain regions despite documented differences in glucose and thiamine metabolism. The observation that [3H]thiamine blood-brain barrier influx and efflux is regionally homogenous may have significant relevance to neurodegenerative disease linked to thiamine deficiency.
Reasoning About Functional Programs in Nuprl

There are two ways of reasoning about functional programs in the constructive type theory of the Nuprl proof development system. Nuprl can be used in a conventional program-verification mode, in which functional programs are written in a familiar style and then proven to be correct. It can also be used in an extraction mode, where programs are not written explicitly, but instead are extracted from mathematical proofs. Nuprl is the only constructive type theory to support both of these approaches. These approaches are illustrated by applying Nuprl to Boyer and Moore's “majority” algorithm.
Axioms of Probability

One often thinks of probability as a limiting relative frequency; if a balanced coin is tossed often enough, the fraction of heads will be close to one half. The simple notion belies the nature and depth of mathematics that is required to make it rigorous, namely, the Kolmogorov axioms of probability and the Borel strong law of large numbers. Once the notion of long-run relative frequency is made precise through measure theory, it can be used to build practical probability models for real-world systems. Measure theory gives probability its rigor; repeated experimentation gives it its application and inspiration. Keywords: probability; random; relative frequency; strong law of large numbers; Kolmogorov; Borel
Laser Damage in Porous-Silica Antireflection Films

We used 355-nm, 0.6-ns pulses to measure laser-damage thresholds of porous-silica antireflection coatings deposited from a polymer solution onto fused silica substrates. For 118 coatings with optical thickness of 500 to 600 nm, the median threshold was less than 2 J/cm/sup 2/, and thresholds were not systematically dependent on either the level of filtration of the coating solution or the procedure used to clean the substrates. For coatings 87 to 90 nm in optical thickness, thresholds were as large as 9 J/cm/sup 2/, which is the threshold of the bare polished surfaces of the fused silica substrates. The data suggests that carbon residues from the coating solution are responsible for damage in the thicker coatings.
Phone behaviour and its relationship to loneliness in older adults

Objectives: Loneliness and social isolation are two important health outcomes among older adults. Current assessment of these outcomes relies on self-report which is susceptible to bias. This paper reports on the relationship between loneliness and objective measures of isolation using a phone monitoring device.Method: Phone monitors were installed in the homes of 26 independent elderly individuals from the ORCATECH Life Laboratory cohort (age 86 ± 4.5, 88% female) and used to monitor the daily phone usage for an average of 174 days. Loneliness was assessed using the 20-item University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness scale. A mixed effects negative binomial regression was used to model the relationship between loneliness and social isolation, as assessed using the total number of calls, controlling for cognitive function, pain, age, gender, and weekday. A secondary analysis examined the differential effect of loneliness on incoming and outgoing calls.Results: The average UCLA Loneliness score ...
The Age Of Technology And Its Impact On Employee Wages

This paper examines the relationship between wages and the ‘age’ or ‘newness’ of technology using pooled cross-sectional industry-level data and several alternative indicators of the age of technology. Our main finding is that industries with relatively young or immature technologies pay higher wages to workers of given age and education than industries with mature technologies. A one standard deviation decrease in the mean age of the industry's equipment leads to a three-percent increase in wages within demographic groups. This is consistent with the notion that the demand for employee learning is a decreasing function of the age of the technology, that learning is a function of employee ability and effort, and that increases in wages are required to elicit increases in ability and effort. A related finding is that the wages of highly educated workers (especially recent graduates) relative to those of less educated workers are highest in industries using the newest technology; this is consistent with the...
Measurement of outcomes, mediators, and moderators in behavioral obesity prevention research

Abstract Background. Measurement enables intervention scientists to determine whether their interventions had the intended outcome effects and the expected pathways of effects across mediating variables. Low reliability of measurement (i.e., substantial random error) attenuates the relationships of these measures to other variables, including treatment effects. This attenuation may indicate that interventions were not effective, when in truth they were. There has been little assessment of the quality of measurement in obesity prevention trials. Method. A brief review is provided of measurement issues within classical test theory. Seventeen obesity prevention trials were then identified in the literature. The extent to which the reliability and validity of the measures were reported in the articles was assessed. Results. With few exceptions reliability coefficients of measures were not reported in the obesity prevention literature. When they were reported, there was evidence that low reliability attenuated reported intervention outcome relationships. Conclusions. The quality of measurement is important in intervention science and consequently should be clearly presented in scientific reports of outcomes. Better measures are needed in obesity prevention to provide appropriate tests of state of the art interventions. A brief overview is provided of each of the articles in this special issue on measurement in the Girls health Enrichment Multisite Studies (GEMS).
Changes in Limb Striking Pattern: Effects of Speed and Accuracy

This study investigated the changes in an arm striking pattern as a result of practice and the effects of speed and accuracy requirements on such changes. The task was to strike a baseball-size foam ball from a batting tee adjusted to the height of each subject's iliac crest. Ten righthanded subjects, initially displaying an inefficient striking pattern, volunteered for this study. All subjects performed the task according to the following conditions: (1) speed, (2) accuracy, and (3) speed and accuracy. Each subject completed 10 trials in each condition (randomly ordered) for five consecutive days. A high-speed camera (64 fps) was used to photograph subjects' striking patterns for each condition over the 5-day period. Analysis of variance of joint angles at arm reversal and contact and velocity of hand relative to the glenohumeral axis at contact revealed that subjects initially constrained limb segments to act in a unitary fashion; then, with practice, a more efficient pattern was developed. The requirement of speed was found to enhance a change in limb configuration, whereas the requirement of accuracy, and subsequent reduction in speed, impeded the development of a more efficient striking pattern. Analysis of radial error revealed no differences in accuracies to the target by either condition or day of practice. A graphic analysis of segmental angular momentum versus relative time showed that joint angle changes allowed subjects to transfer angular momentum and thereby increase the velocity of the hand at contact.