cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Youth Subgroups who Receive John F. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program Services

To date over two billion dollars have been invested in the John F. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP) to help youth who are transitioning out of foster care to achieve self-sufficiency through an array of independent living services. Although states are required to report CFCIP service provision to the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), the degree of heterogeneity of the aging out population from the service receipt perspective and state implementation is unknown. The CFCIP calls for a deeper understanding of the underlying patterns of services receipt to prepare for youth’s successful transition to adulthood. Based on the population of 68,057 first-time youth who received CFCIP services in FY2011-FY2013 from the NYTD, we used multi-level latent class analysis (MLCA) to identify underlying combinations of service receipt that may be influenced by youth-level and state-level characteristics. We identified the most preferred model based on interpretability, fit statistics, and split-half replication. The optimal model was a three-class, MLCA solution characterized by a high-service receipt profile, an independent living assessment and academic support receipt profile, and a limited service receipt profile. Among male and female youth, age, education level, and whether states serve youth aged 18 or above were significant characteristics associated with LCA profile membership. States could benefit from understanding existing service receipt patterns and gaps to optimize decisions on service delivery in order to meet youth needs and to identify specific services that may prepare youth aging out of foster care towards positive outcomes.
Physical activity is associated with changes in knee cartilage microstructure

Summary Objective The purpose of this study was to determine if there is an association between objectively measured physical activity and longitudinal changes in knee cartilage microstructure. Methods We used accelerometry and T 2 -weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative, restricting the analysis to men aged 45–60 years, with a body mass index (BMI) of 25–27 kg/m 2 and no radiographic evidence of knee osteoarthritis. After computing 4-year changes in mean T 2 relaxation time for six femoral cartilage regions and mean daily times spent in the sedentary, light, moderate, and vigorous activity ranges, we performed canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to find a linear combination of times spent in different activity intensity ranges (Activity Index) that was maximally correlated with a linear combination of regional changes in cartilage microstructure (Cartilage Microstructure Index). We used leave-one-out pre-validation to test the robustness of the model on new data. Results Nineteen subjects satisfied the inclusion criteria. CCA identified an Activity Index and a Cartilage Microstructure Index that were significantly correlated ( r = .82, P 2 changes, whereas light activity was associated with smaller differences. Conclusions Physical activity is better associated with an index that contrasts microstructural changes in different cartilage regions than it is with univariate or cumulative changes, likely because this index separates the effect of activity, which is greater in the medial loadbearing region, from that of patient-specific natural aging.
Repair phenotype in corneal fibroblasts is controlled by an interleukin-1 alpha autocrine feedback loop.

PURPOSE To explore the role of autocrine interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) as a central regulator of the repair phenotype in corneal fibroblasts. METHODS Disruption of the actin cytoskeleton with cytochalasin B (CB), which mimics changes in shape that occur in repair tissues, was used to stimulate repair gene expression in early-passage fibroblasts. Changes in expression of IL-1 alpha, IL-8, collagenase, and ENA-78 were determined by Northern blot analysis, radioimmunoassay, and an enzyme-amplified sensitivity immunoassay (EASIA). Expression of repair genes was also examined in repair fibroblasts, isolated from healing, penetrating keratectomy wounds in rabbits. RESULTS Blocking IL-1 alpha activity prevented both constitutive and stimulated increases in synthesis of IL-8 and collagenase in early-passage cultures of corneal fibroblasts, demonstrating the role of IL-1 alpha as a necessary intermediate for expression of these genes. Evidence is also presented that the IL-1 alpha autocrine controls expression of an IL-8 related factor, ENA-78. Unlike early-passage fibroblasts, fibroblasts freshly isolated from the uninjured cornea did not express IL-1 alpha. However, fibroblasts freshly isolated from remodeling corneal repair tissue 3 weeks after injury were found to express substantial levels of IL-1 alpha, regulated through an autocrine feedback loop. Neutralization experiments demonstrated that the IL-1 alpha autocrine is largely responsible for controlling both collagenase and IL-8 synthesis in repair fibroblasts, as it is in early-passage fibroblasts. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide evidence that activation of an autocrine IL-1 alpha feedback loop is an important mechanism by which fibroblasts adopt a repair phenotype during remodeling of the cornea.
Clofarabine Plus Low-Dose Cytarabine For The Treatment Of Patients Withhigher-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) Who Have Been Relapsing After, Or Are Refractory To, Hypomethylator Agent Therapy

![Graphic][1] Background Treatment with hypomethylating agents (HMA) such as azacitidine and decitabine has changed the overall outcome of patients with MDS. Failure to responed to or relapse from treatment with HMA carries a poor outcome and no approved therapy for these patients exists. Clofarabine is a second generation nucleoside analog with single agent activity in MDS. Aim This is a phase II trial to evaluate the safety and activity of the combination of clofarabine and low dose cytarabine in the treatment of patients with high risk MDS who failed prior HMA therapy. Material and Method Eligible were adults older than 18 years with MDS who have had no response, progressed, or relapsed following at least 4 cycles of therapy with either azacitidine and/or decitabine. Patients were required to have an ECOG performance status of </=2 at the time of study entry. Responses were defined according to IWG 2006 criteria. Induction therapy consisted of clofarabine 15 mg/m2 IV daily X 5 days (days 1-5) and cytarabine 20 mg SC twice daily X 7 days (days 1-7). Patients could receive up to 3 induction cycles as long as they tolerated the therapy and had stable disease. Responding patients proceeded with consolidation therapy with clofarabine 15 mg/m2IV daily X 3 days (days 1-3) and cytarabine 20 mg SC twice daily X 5 days (days 1-5) for a maximum of 12 cycles. Cycles were repeated every 4 to 8 weeks depending on hematopoietic recovery and resolution of toxicities. Results Between January 2012 and March 2013, 29 patients were enrolled. The clinical characteristics are summarized in [Table 1][2]. Twenty four patients were evaluable for response (5 patients were too early for response). The overall response rate (ORR) was 50% (8 [33%] achieved complete remission (CR)/ complete remission with incomplete platelets recovery (CRp)/marrow CR, and 4 [17%] had stable disease with hematological improvement). With a median follow up of 4.9 months (range, 1.9-16.7), the median overall survival (OS) was 4.8 months (range, 0.5-13.5). Most toxicities were grade /= 3 toxicities included: elevated liver enzymes (3%) and elevated bilirubin (3%). Four-week mortality was 12%. View this table: Table 1 Patient characteristics Conclusion The combination of clofarabine and low-dose cytarabine has an ORR of 50% in patients with MDS who failed prior therapy with HMA. The study continues to accrue and updated results with longer follow up will be presented at the meeting. Disclosures: Off Label Use: Clofarabine use in MDS. Faderl: Sanofi-Aventis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-2.gif [2]: #T1
What the Child Brings to Language

To the question “What does the child bring to language?” the best answer in our time is “The developmental theories of Jean Piaget.” Piaget has so restructured the way that psychologists think about children and so dominated theoretical discourse in the United States over the last 15 years that when we come together to talk about children, we find ourselves inevitably and appropriately talking about them in his language. Even when there are mild demurrers or reservations about the Geneva canon, they sound a bit like the English philosopher’s comment on the Gospels: “Jesus was somewhat muddled on this point.” We will not, therefore, pause to list and to praise the Genevan transformations of developmental psychology; rather, we will attempt to build out a short way from the platform of observation and speculation that Piaget has provided for us all.* In so doing, we will inevitably call attention to the changes in theoretical attitude that have been wrought in the fields of language development and early concept formation by the pressure of the Genevan critique. Of course, it would be a moment of memorial grandeur to assert as well that Piaget’s critique had at last and forever chased abstraction theory—in its classical and in its modern modes—off the psychological field, but the dragon still limps around, still breathing out obfuscating smoke. We hope to honor Piaget by striking anotherblow or two at that monster that has misled and stupified us for almost three centuries.
SPACE-CHARGE-LIMITED VOLTAGE NOISE IN THE PRESENCE OF TRAPS IN SiC

Current-voltage measurements on a 16 μm nitrogen-doped n + n − n + α -SiC sample indicate single-carrier space-charge-limited current flow in the presence of shallow traps. At T = 77K a low bias Ohmic, a low bias quadratic, a fast-rising trap-filling, and a quadratic Mott-Gurney regime are clearly observed. Generation-recombination dominates the noise spectrum in the frequency range from 10 Hz to 10 MHz. The experimental results are in excellent agreement with calculations based on a model which accounts for the n + n − interface properties and the effect of diffusion on charge transport and noise.
An APOBEC3A-Cas9 base editor with minimized bystander and off-target activities

Base editor technology, which uses CRISPR-Cas9 to direct cytidine deaminase enzymatic activity to specific genomic loci, enables the highly efficient introduction of precise cytidine-to-thymidine DNA alterations. However, existing base editors create unwanted C-to-T alterations when more than one C is present in the enzyme's five-base-pair editing window. Here we describe a strategy for reducing bystander mutations using an engineered human APOBEC3A (eA3A) domain, which preferentially deaminates cytidines in specific motifs according to a TCR>TCY>VCN hierarchy. In direct comparisons with the widely used base editor 3 (BE3) fusion in human cells, our eA3A-BE3 fusion exhibits similar activities on cytidines in TC motifs but greatly reduced editing on cytidines in other sequence contexts. eA3A-BE3 corrects a human β-thalassemia promoter mutation with much higher (>40-fold) precision than BE3. We also demonstrate that eA3A-BE3 shows reduced mutation frequencies on known off-target sites of BE3, even when targeting promiscuous homopolymeric sites.
Operative time and cost variability for functional endoscopic sinus surgery.

BACKGROUND Understanding the variation in costs of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is critical to defining value. Current published costs of ESS have not identified potential sources of variation. Our objective was to analyze ESS costs to identify sources of variance that could guide value-improving decisions. METHODS ESS cases (n = 1739) performed between 2008 and 2016 were identified from a database of 22 rural to tertiary facilities. Cost and time data were extracted from the database. Medical records were reviewed to confirm procedures. Three bilateral groupings were examined (n = 895 cases from 13 facilities): (1) full ESS (all sinuses); (2) intermediate ESS (total ethmoid, maxillary); and (3) anterior ESS (anterior ethmoid, maxillary). Cost and operative time were analyzed using multivariable gamma regression. RESULTS Median costs for full, intermediate, and anterior ESS were $4281, $3716, and $2549 U.S. dollars (p < 0.001). Median durations were 87, 60, and 58 minutes (p < 0.001). Among patients with no additional procedures, those with full ESS had operative duration, total cost, and supply costs that were 1.37 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17 to 1.61), 1.52 (95% CI, 1.32 to 1.75), and 2.40 (95% CI, 1.76 to 3.25) times greater than anterior ESS, respectively (all p < 0.001). Intermediate ESS duration at community urban facilities was 1.87 (95% CI, 1.74 to 2.02) times that of community rural facilities (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Duration of surgery, extent of surgery, and location of surgery are sources of significant variation in the cost of ESS. These findings will assist healthcare policy makers, hospitals, and surgeons in optimizing the value of ESS.
Advancing Dental Education in the 21st Century: Developing the Phase 2 Strategic Analysis and Recommendations.

The dental care delivery system is undergoing a fundamental transition, and it is driving changes in dental education. The traditional practice model for the past 180 years, based on owner-operated solo dental practices, is now moving to large group practices owned by corporations, health
Hunter-Gatherers as Optimal Foragers

As detailed in the preceding chapters, students of hunter-gatherers have historically chosen to present and interpret their subject matter in materialist perspective. The current interest in optimal foraging theory is a logical extension of this tradition. Such research is viewed by many as an alternative to middle-range theory that is both more solidly grounded in formal theory and more directly related to the basic materialist concerns of subsistence and settlement that have traditionally dominated anthropological treatments of hunter-gatherers. At the moment, optimal foraging theory seems to command a stronger following than middle-range theory among ethnographers whereas among archaeologists the reverse is true. Apart from certain historical quirks of fate having to do, largely, with the personalities involved, the basis for these preferences is not altogether clear. In theory, at least, neither approach confers undue interpretive or methodological advantage where the matter of research context alone is concerned: The range of potential ethnographic and archaeological applications for both optimal foraging theory and what is called middle-range theory are virtually unlimited.
Autoimmunity: A case of mistaken identity.

The interleukin-12 protein has been implicated in autoimmunity, but one complication is that it shares a subunit with a related protein. New work looks at the contribution of these proteins to autoimmunity in mice.
The corrective actions organizations pursue following misconduct: A review and research Agenda

Organizational misconduct has substantial effects on the well-being of a firm and its stakeholders. As this body of work has grown, organizational scholars have devoted considerable research attent...
An Efficient Visual-Based Method for Classifying Instrumental Audio using Deep Learning

In this paper, an efficient method for classifying and identifying instrumental audio is proposed via utilizing a deep learning image classification algorithm. The method of classification will involve analyzing the visual equivalent of an audio sample with a neural network to identify the generating musical instrument. Audio samples are converted into a logarithmic spectrogram format, which allows visual classifiers to attempt the identification of the audio source. The primary focus is on developing an efficient method for analyzing audio spectrograms using various forms of neural networks and analysis techniques. The use of deep learning convolutional neural networks in analyzing visually formatted audio data provides an enhanced classification method over traditional schemes. A classification accuracy of 73.7% was achieved with a limited data set and minimal manipulation of network architecture.
Doorpler: A Radar-Based System for Real-Time, Low Power Zone Occupancy Sensing

Many homes today are logically or physically "zoned" based on properties such as HVACs, activities, or physical layouts. Accurately sensing the occupancy of these zones can yield energy savings, aid in automatic heating and lighting control, energy disaggregation, etc. Existing systems that attempt to sense occupancy are power consuming, non real-time, pet unfriendly and/or sensitive to ambient heat, light and air flow. In this paper, we address these by building Doorpler, a time, space and power-aware radar-based system that detects occupancy at zone transition points by sensing crossings and their direction. It detects a crossing via the Doppler Principle, and infers the direction of crossing by measuring the angle-of-arrival of the human reflection. We evaluate Doorpler by conducting a scripted study and two in-situ studies for 200 hours, collecting over 1600 doorway crossings. We obtain a precision, recall and direction accuracy of over 99% in the scripted studies, and over 95% in the in-situ studies. Our results estimate that Doorpler can fall in the energy-harvestable range of indoor environments with an average power consumption of 6.1mW. With an execution time of 13.8ms, Doorpler has the potential to enable several real-time smart home applications like smart-lighting and HVAC control.
Ho:YAG Laser Lithotripsy

This chapter provides an in-depth summary of the application of the holmium:YAG laser in ureteroscopy. First, the basic physics of laser lithotripsy is reviewed. Laser generators and the peculiarities of laser fibers are then discussed, with a special focus on their application in flexible ureteroscopy. Finally, some of the studies evaluating the outcomes and safety profile of holmium laser lithotripsy are reviewed.
Laser-induced porous graphene gas sensing platform toward the electronic nose

Measurements from the gas-sensitive nanomaterials typically involve the use of interdigitated electrodes. A separate heater is often integrated for fast recovery. However, their use increases fabrication complexity. Here, a novel gas sensing platform based on a highly porous laser-induced graphene (LIG) pattern is reported. The LIG gas sensing platform consists of a sensing region and a serpentine interconnect region. A thin film of metal coated in the serpentine interconnect region significantly reduces its resistance, thereby providing localized healing in the sensing region. Dispersing nanomaterials with different selectivity results in an array to potentially deconvolute various components in the mixture. Systematic investigations of various nanomaterials demonstrate the feasibility of the LIG gas sensing platform. Taken together with the stretchable design in the serpentine interconnects, the demonstrated system could open new opportunities in bio-integrated electronics.
How nanoparticles have ameliorated the challenges in drilling operations

Abstract The reduction in the ease with which oil and gas reservoirs are discovered is a factor propelling the oil and gas technologies to depths that involve very complex and complicated methods of execution and environments. The increasing frequency of deviated, horizontal and multilateral wells, among others, are the evidence of the growing need to be able to efficiently explore more potentially resourceful areas. However, the ability to delve into mentioned prospects does not come posing no difficulty. These more complicated environments and techniques increase the risks already associated with conventional procedures. Therefore, the opportunity to mitigate these risks while meeting the demands and providing equal or even more satisfying results would be a huge step forward. That is where the application of nanotechnology comes in. This stems from the capability of nanomaterials to possess enhanced properties for accomplishing specific tasks as compared to their bulk counterparts, leading to breakthroughs in the evolution of the oil and gas industry. This paper discusses how nanotechnology can be economically used in the oil and gas industry to solve challenges being faced at the various phases in the drilling operation. Also, currently, the selection of cost-efficient methods would be prudent in overcoming the challenges in the field otherwise, the production of oil and gas will be of no use if net returns are not positive. The applications of nanotechnology in these operations are so delicate that, an insufficient addition would render the nanoparticles unable to properly effect the desired changes and an extreme addition would lead to further complications in drilling operations. Many of the review articles available in the literature focus on the usage of nanoparticles in one aspect of the drilling operation, e.g. drilling fluid, while this article focuses on the usage and benefits of nanoparticles in the different aspects of the drilling industry. That is the motive behind the need for a further extensive review of more papers and how they can and should be applied in the drilling industry. Furthermore, more attention needs to be directed towards financial investigation, execution at repository circumstances, cross-connecting and congregation properties, wettability modifications and properties between the surfaces involved. This paper focuses on the various ways in which nanotechnology can help improve various drilling aspects as compared to the conventional methods of accomplishing the same goal.
Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibition Improves Pulmonary Artery Reactivity and Nitric Oxide-Mediated Relaxation in Sugen-Hypoxia Model of Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious disease with pulmonary arterial fibrotic remodeling and limited responsiveness to vasodilators. Our data suggest that mild acidosis induced by carbonic anhy...
THE MEASURE AND MISMEASURE OF THE TIBIA : IMPLICATIONS FOR STATURE ESTIMATION

Trotter and Gleser's stature estimation formulae, based on skeletons of the Terry collection and on WWII casualties, have been widely used in forensic work. Our work with the Terry and WWII data yielded tibia lengths too short compared to other data sets. Using Trotter's original measurements, we discovered that she consistently mismeasured the tibia. Contrary to standard practice and her own definitions, she omitted the malleolus from the measurement. Trotter's measurements of the tibia are 10 to 12 mm shorter than they should have been, resulting in stature estimations averaging 2.5 to 3.0 cm too great when the formulae are used with properly measured tibia. We also examined tibia lengths of Korean War casualties, which were measured by technicians rather than by Trotter. Korean tibia measurements are also too short, but by a smaller amount than Terry and WWII. Since the Korean tibia are unavailable for restudy, it is unclear how they were measured. Estimation of stature from Trotter and Gleser's tibia formulae is to be avoided if possible. If necessary, the 1952 formulae could be used with tibia measured in the same manner that Trotter measured, excluding the malleolus.
Microchemical urinalysis: IV. Determination of total urinary 17-ketosteroids in the microliter range☆

Abstract A procedure is described for the quantitative determination of total 17-ketosteroids in 10–100 μl of urine. The method compares favorably with conventional procedures requiring 5–10 ml of urine. The micromethod has the additional advantage in that it is considerably faster. The extracted steroids appear to be water clear compared to extracts resulting from 5 ml or more of urine.
Animated Cladograms: Interpreting Evolution from Diagrams

Misconceptions of evolution are well-documented and may be attributed to features of its diagrammatic representations. For example, embodied space, the tendency to structure experiences through narrative, and base perceptual processes interact in people's interpretation of cladograms, a diagram used to reason about species' evolutionary relationships. Clinical interviews with students indicate an effect of animation on the interpretation of the depicted narrative of evolution. Implications are in the design of diagrams for teaching evolution.
Getting in shape: habitat-based morphological divergence for two sympatric fishes

Freshwater fishes often show large amounts of body shape variation across divergent habitats and, in most cases, the observed differences have been attributed to the environmental pressures of living in lentic or lotic habitats. Previous studies have suggested a distinct set characters and morphological features for species occupying each habitat under the steady–unsteady swimming performance model. We tested this model and assessed body shape variation using geometric morphometrics for two widespread fishes, Goodea atripinnis (Goodeidae) and Chirostoma jordani (Atherinopsidae), inhabiting lentic and lotic habitats across the Mesa Central of Mexico. These species were previously shown to display little genetic variation across their respective ranges. Our body shape analyses reveal morphometric differentiation along the same axes for both species in each habitat. Both possess a deeper body shape in lentic habitats and a more streamlined body in lotic habitats, although the degree of divergence between habitats was less for C. jordani. Differences in the position of the mouth differed between habitats as well, with both species possessing a more superior mouth in lentic habitats. These recovered patterns are generally consistent with the steady–unsteady swimming model and highlight the significance of environmental forces in driving parallel body shape differences of organisms in divergent habitats. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 114, 152–162.
Transforming growth factor-β-induced regulatory T cells referee inflammatory and autoimmune diseases

Naturally occurring CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells mediate immune suppression to limit immunopathogenesis associated with chronic inflammation, persistent infections and autoimmune diseases. Their mode of suppression is contact-dependent, antigen-nonspecific and involves a nonredundant contribution from the cytokine transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. Not only can TGF-β mediate cell–cell suppression between the regulatory T cells and CD4+CD25- or CD8+ T cells, but new evidence also reveals its role in the conversion of CD4+CD25- T cells, together with TCR antigen stimulation, into the regulatory phenotype. Elemental to this conversion process is induction of expression of the forkhead transcription factor, Foxp3. This context-dependent coercion of naive CD4+ T cells into a powerful subset of regulatory cells provides a window into potential manipulation of these cells to orchestrate therapeutic intervention in diseases characterized by inadequate suppression, as well as a promising means of controlling pathologic situations in which excessive suppression dominates.
Facilitating employee creativity in the library environment: An important managerial concern for library administrators

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide library administrators, library researchers and practitioners with an in‐depth review of the conceptual and practical tools required to engage the creative potential of their staff members.Design /methodology/approach – The paper reviews the important concepts involving employee creativity and its successful management in the organizational setting. This is accomplished by reviewing the relevant literature assembled from the social, psychological, management, organizational and library sciences.Findings – Intrinsic motivation is the primary driver of individual creativity and drives organizational learning, transformation and innovation. Library administrators are directly responsible for creating and sustaining an organizational culture that facilitates the intrinsic‐motivation of all library staff members. Organizational democracy and employee participation may increase and sustain intrinsic‐motivation while coercive management behaviors tend to reduce t...
Some Old Problems in a Modern Guise

LUMLEY V. WAGNER,' like most novel doctrines, has drawn after it a chain of consequences. Not the least interesting of these are found when it crosses the path of the administrative rules of equitable relief, and in particular the so-called "mutuality rule." Litigation over the contracts of baseball players, a form of pastime recently engaging the interest of the devotees of this sport almost as much as the actual game itself, has given rise to a number of interesting questions of this type.2 The fundamental character of some of the questions raised may justify a review of these cases even for those who are not accustomed to rely upon legal periodicals for their sporting information. The American game of baseball long since became one of the most profitable of commercial enterprises. Organization of its business management became so complete and efficient that, in the year I913, practically all of the professional ball clubs of the United States were component members of a single system known as "Organized Baseball," governed by what is called the "national agreement," and solving its own problems and difficulties through a "national commission" consisting of some five men. These clubs are grouped in some forty separate leagues known as "major" and
Bayesian Analysis of the Stochastic Switching Regression Model Using Markov Chain Monte Carlo Methods

This study develops Bayesian methods for estimating the parameters of a stochastic switching regression model. Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, data augmentation, and Gibbs sampling are used to facilitate estimation of the posterior means. The main feature of these methods is that the posterior means are estimated by the ergodic averages of samples drawn from conditional distributions, which are relatively simple in form and more feasible to sample from than the complex joint posterior distribution. A simulation study is conducted comparing model estimates obtained using data augmentation, Gibbs sampling, and the maximum likelihood EM algorithm and determining the effects of the accuracy of and bias of the researcher's prior distributions on the parameter estimates.
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Acutely Decreases Protein Carbonylation and Increases Expression of Mitochondrial Biogenesis Genes in Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue

Background Mitochondrial dysfunction in adipose tissue has been implicated as a pathogenic step in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In adipose tissue, chronic nutrient overload results in mitochondria driven increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to carbonylation of proteins that impair mitochondrial function and downregulation of key genes linked to mitochondrial biogenesis. In patients with T2DM, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery leads to improvements in glycemic profile prior to significant weight loss. Consequently, we hypothesized that improved glycemia early after RYGB would be paralleled by decreased protein carbonylation and increased expression of genes related to mitochondrial biogenesis in adipose tissue.
Osteoporotic fractures: a brain or bone disease?

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder that predisposes individuals to increased risk of fracture. However, most osteoporotic fractures occur in women who do not meet criteria for osteoporosis. Hence, bone density, by itself, is a relatively poor predictor of fracture. Age and age-related factors are now recognized as increasingly important in determining fracture risk. Osteoporotic fractures are associated with increased disability and mortality, suggesting that osteoporosis may be a clinical manifestation of an underlying disease process affecting multiple systems. The systems affected, the musculoskeletal system and the central nervous system, are shared in many respects with the frailty syndrome. Vitamin D deficiency is a major contributor to the frailty syndrome, osteoporosis, and osteoporotic fractures. Its effects are mediated by the development of cerebrovascular disease, postural instability, muscle weakness, and bone fragility. Thus, osteoporotic fractures result from both a bone and brain disease.
Pathophysiology of oligoasthenoteratozoo-spermia: are we improving in the diagnosis?

Male infertility is one of the most common identifiable causes of human reproductive failure. Although considerable progress has been made toward understanding sperm physiology and the biology of gamete interaction, still more work is needed to achieve objectivity and standardization of some of the andrological diagnostic methods used in the clinical setting. More information is needed to definitively establish which tests are more accurate predictors of sperm performance and how they correlate with pregnancy potential following in-vivo and in-vitro interventions. Infertile men can be successfully treated with defined urological and medical therapies or with assisted reproductive technologies. Among the latter, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has become a validated means to overcome multiple sperm deficiencies. However, male infertility remains idiopathic in a large proportion of cases. As a consequence, it is expected that simplified and more cost-efficient therapeutic modalities will be developed as additional basic (cellular–molecular) and pathophysiological/clinical knowledge is gained.
Changes in glucose and energy metabolism in Vivo in developing retinae from visually-competent (DBA-1J) and mutant (C3H-HeJ) mice.

— The distribution in vivo of glucose and lactate between the complete or sub- divided retina and the blood has been evaluated in DBA and C3H mice during postnatal development. Levels in vivo of several intermediates of glucose and energy metabolism were measured by enzyme-linked fluorometric assays of freeze-dried retinae; glucose and lactate were determined in freshly-drawn plasma. DBA retinae. During the first 20 days of postnatal life, the level of glucose in the plasma rose slightly while that in the retina declined: during this period the level of lactate in the plasma rose and became nearly equal to that in the retina. Changes during development in levels of glucose and glycogen were consistent with the interpretation that the rate of utilization of glucose in vivo is enhanced during early postnatal life. C3H retinae. The levels of glucose and glycogen in vivo were abnormally high throughout the developmental period, whereas levels of lactate were normal. The rise in levels of glucose after the 15th postnatal day was not related to an increase in blood levels of glucose but rather to a decreased utilization of glucose during this period. For the first 10 postnatal days the content of glucose, lactate, ATP and P-creatine within the photoreceptor layer of C3H retinae were within normal limits. Then, biochemical changes occurred which were secondary to ultrastructural pathology in the photoreceptors. This observation suggested that glucose metabolism and energy production are not involved in the primary aetiology of the inherited disease.
Requirements for D-D tandem mirror reactors

Requirements for D-D barrier tandem mirror reactors are calculated from an equilibrium power balance model. To obtain adequate plasmaQ and reasonable power density, axisymmetric configurations are required to decrease barrier length and radial transport and to increase central cell beta. We find that for a reactor producing 900 MW net electric power from aQ=6.5 plasma, a central cell length of 225 m, maximumB of 15 T, and neutral beam injection energy of 700 keV are necessary. In addition to high central cell beta (∼70%), high barrier beta (∼40%) is needed to allow the ECRH power required to reduce the barrier potential. Using too much barrier ECRH power results in a decrease inQ. Nuclear elastic scattering of fusion products plays an important role in the overall plasma power balance. When nuclear scattering and coulomb scattering are included, the plasmaQ value is increased by more than 40% compared to the case when coulomb scattering alone is considered.
Soil properties affecting volatilization of ammonia from soils treated with urea

The effects of various soil properties on ammonia (NH3) volatilization from soils treated with urea were studied by measuring the NH3 evolved when 20 soils selected to obtain a wide range in proper...
Online and Offline Social Networks: Investigating Culturally-Specific Behavior and Satisfaction

Research shows that people from different cultural backgrounds and gender roles behave and communicate in systematically different ways. The current research utilized a survey (N=452) of young adults to examine the occurrence of culturally- and gender-influenced differences in online behavior, offline networks, and satisfaction. Results show that participants who identify with more individualistic cultural backgrounds have larger networks of friends on social network sites (SNSs), have a greater proportion of these friends not actually met face-to-face, and share more photos online opposed to participants who identify with less individualistic cultural backgrounds. Social support network size was a significant predictor of satisfaction with life, while SNS network size was not. Findings suggest that participants who identify with more individualistic cultural backgrounds tend to self-promote and are better connected and more satisfied with their social lives. It seems offline networks are more important than mediated networks in terms of psychological well-being.
A learning program which plays partnership dominoes

A learning program has been written in BASIC to play four-player partnership dominoes. Because dominoes is a game of incomplete information, the program uses somewhat different principles of artificial intelligence from those used in programs for games of complete information, such as checkers, chess, and go. The program was constructed to use a “strategy signature table” which classifies board situations through the interactions of game parameters. Each entry in the table contains adaptively determined weights indicating the advisability of various strategies. Once chosen, a strategy then employs probability analysis and linear polynomial evaluation to choose a move. Our program wins approximately two-thirds of its games in tournament situations, and has defeated championship players.
Thyroid Hormone Elevations During Acute Psychiatric Illness: Relationship to Severity and Distinction from Hyperthyroidism

Acute psychiatric illness may be accompanied by transient hyperthyroxinemia. The mechanism of this phenomenon was examined by determining the role of thyrotropin (TSH) in the genesis of this state. Serial measurements of TSH, thyroxine (T4), free T4 index (FT4I), triiodothyronine (T3), and free T3 index (FT3I) were performed in 45 acutely hospitalized patients with major psychiatric disorders. Twenty-two (49%) patients exhibited significant elevations (greater than or equal to 2 SD above mean value of controls) of one or more thyroid hormone (or index) levels. Among depressed patients with elevated FT4I, TSH was higher (p less than .05) on the day of the peak FT4I than on the day of the FT4I nadir. There were significant positive correlations between psychiatric symptom severity and levels of FT4I among both depressed (p less than .01) and schizophrenic (p less than .025) patients. These data show that elevations of T4, FT4I, T3, and FT3I are common among psychiatric inpatients, especially early in their hospitalization, and that levels of thyroid hormones are correlated with severity of psychiatric symptomatology. TSH is higher early in the acute phase of illness and is not suppressed in the face of elevated thyroid hormone levels, a finding that distinguishes this phenomenon from ordinary hyperthyroidism. Elevations of peripheral thyroid hormone levels, particularly among depressed patients, may result from a centrally-mediated hypersecretion of TSH.
Thermoelectric properties of copper selenide with ordered selenium layer and disordered copper layer

Abstract Thermoelectric figure-of-merit (ZT) of ∼1.6 at 700 °C is achieved in β-phase copper selenide (Cu2Se) made by ball milling and hot pressing. The β-phase of such material possesses a natural superlattice-like structure that combines ordered selenium (Se) and disordered copper (Cu) layers in its unit cell, resulting in a low lattice thermal conductivity of 0.4–0.5 W m−1 K−1. A λ-shaped specific heat peak indicates a phase transition from cubic β-phase to tetragonal α-phase at around 140 °C upon cooling and vice versa. An abnormal decrease in specific heat with increasing temperature was also observed due to the increased random motion of disordered Cu atoms. These features indicate that β-phase Cu2Se could be potentially an interesting thermoelectric material, competing with other conventional thermoelectric materials.
Chiral-Induced Polarization at a Tilted Nematic—Substrate Interface

An ac electric field at frequency ω is applied to a chiral nematic liquid crystal whose director is tilted by an angle θ i with respect to the substrate normal. The nematic director is observed to oscillate at frequency ω azimuthally about the substrate normal, indicating the existence of a component of polarization Pi at the substrate that is perpendicular to the director and parallel to the substrate. Pi, the anchoring strength coefficient, and the bulk viscosity are obtained by measurements of the oscillation amplitude as a function of ω. In particular, it is found that the interfacial polarization, when scaled to a volumetric value, is two orders of magnitude smaller than in the same material in the smectic-C* phase.
The overlapping host responses to bacterial cyclic dinucleotides

Abstract Macrophages respond to infection with Legionella pneumophila by the induction of inflammatory mediators, including type I Interferons (IFN-Is). To explore whether the bacterial second messenger cyclic 3′-5′ diguanylate (c-diGMP) activates some of these mediators, macrophages were infected with L. pneumophila strains in which the levels of bacterial c-diGMP had been altered. Intriguingly, there was a positive correlation between c-diGMP levels and IFN-I expression. Subsequent studies with synthetic derivatives of c-diGMP, and newly described cyclic 3′-5′ diadenylate (c-diAMP), determined that these molecules activate overlapping inflammatory responses in human and murine macrophages. Moreover, UV crosslinking studies determined that both dinucleotides physically associate with a shared set of host proteins. Fractionation of macrophage extracts on a biotin-c-diGMP affinity matrix led to the identification of a set of candidate host binding proteins. These studies suggest that mammalian macrophages can sense and mount a specific inflammatory response to bacterial dinucleotides.
THE DETERMINATION OF MANY‐COMMODITY PREFERENCES SCALES BY TWO‐COMMODITY COMPARISONS*

Abstract : It is the purpose of the paper to show that, under the assumptions usually made in economic literature, the determination of a preference scale relating to many commodities can always be accomplished by means of comparisons involving the variation of only two commodities at a time.
Adrenalectomy-induced alterations of calmodulin-dependent hippocampal adenylate cyclase activity : role of guanine nucleotide-binding proteins

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent processes are altered by manipulations of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. In particular, adrenalectomy (ADX) attenuates hippocampal, but not cortical, calmodulin-dependent adenylate cyclase activity measured during the active (waking) phase of rats. The involvement of calmodulin- and guanine nucleotide (G)-binding proteins in the effects of ADX on the activity of calmodulin-dependent adenylate cyclase were investigated. In hippocampal membranes, inclusion of the GTP antagonist guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) (250 microM) caused pronounced inhibition of calmodulin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. Guanosine 5(1)-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) had much smaller effects on calmodulin-independent (basal and forskolin-stimulated) enzyme activity. Substitution of Mn2+ for Mg2+ in the assay medium increased basal and forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity, but abolished calmodulin-dependent activation of this enzyme in both hippocampal and cortical membranes. These treat...
Problem-solving skills and attributional styles of agoraphobics

Recent formulations of agoraphobia have emphasized the potential role of misattributional processes and dysfunctional problem solving in the development and maintenance of phobic anxiety and avoidance. The present study examined problem-solving skills and attributional styles as a function of experimentally induced success and failure experiences. Twenty-three female agoraphobics and 20 normals solved three sets of anagrams that differed in task difficulty. Subjects also completed an assessment battery that included measures of psychiatric symptomatology, interpersonal problem solving, and general attributional style. Analyses revealed that agoraphobics did not differ statistically from normals on cognitive problem-solving measures of anagram performance. Interpersonal problem-solving deficits were, however, exhibited for generating effective alternative solutions and selecting effective behavioral preferred responses. Moreover, agoraphobics differed from normals for globality attributions, perceived significance, anticipated future outcomes, and performance appraisals toward experimentally induced failure experiences. Conceptual, clinical, and research implications of these findings are discussed.
Gene-centromere mapping of bovine DYA, DRB3, and PRL using secondary oocytes and first polar bodies: evidence for four-strand double crossovers between DYA and DRB3.

A genetic map consisting of three loci anchored at the centromere of bovine chromosome 23 was constructed by genotyping secondary oocytes (SO) and first polar bodies (PB1) using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based approach. Primary oocytes arrested in prophase of meiosis I were stimulated in vitro to resume division and extrude PB1. Sixty SO and their matched PB1 were collected from 14 cows by micromanipulation, subjected to amplification of the whole genome by primer extension preamplification, and genotyped independently for the linked genes PRL, DRB3, and DYA by PCR-RFLP analysis. Single-locus analysis of gene-centromere recombination rates were θcen-DYA = 0.042, θcen-DRB3 = 0.113, and θcen-PRL =0.166. The most likely order is cen-DYA-DRB3-PRL. Analysis of typing data from 3 cows revealed three meiotic divisions consistent with "linkage phase exchange" between DYA and DRB3 or PRL. One of the three linkage phase exchanges was confirmed by complementary genotypes in a matched secondary oocyte-first polar body pair. Such linkage phase exchanges could result from four-strand double crossovers between homologous chromosomes. Because all four gametes produced by four-strand double crossovers will be recombinant, more frequent occurrence of such events in females may explain the sexual dimorphism in genetic maps. Alternatively, four-strand crossovers could represent a type of recombination hotspot between DYA and DRB3, suggesting a mechanism for the high recombination frequency (15%) between these two class II genes of the bovine major histocompatibility complex.
Gabor meets Littlewood-Paley: Gabor expansions in $L^{p}(ℝ^{d})$

It is known that Gabor expansions do not converge unconditionally in L p and that L p cannot be characterized in terms of the magnitudes of Gabor coecien ts. By using a combination of Littlewood{Paley and Gabor theory, we show that L p can nevertheless be characterized in terms of Gabor expansions, and that the partial sums of Gabor expansions converge in L p -norm.