cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maternal diet and risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

OBJECTIVE Intrauterine environmental factors, including maternal diet, may play an etiologic role in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a common childhood cancer. Expanding on previous findings from phase 1 of the Northern California Childhood Leukemia Study (NCCLS), a population-based case-control study, we sought to further elucidate and replicate the relationships between maternal diet and ALL risk. METHODS We matched 282 case-control sets of children (205 pairs and 77 triplets) from phases 1 and 2 of the NCCLS on sex, date of birth, mother's race, Hispanic racial/ethnic status, and county of residence at birth. We used an interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire to obtain information on maternal dietary intake in the 12 months prior to pregnancy. RESULTS Risk of ALL was inversely associated with maternal consumption of vegetable (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.50, 0.84); protein sources (AOR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.32, 0.96); fruit (AOR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.65, 1.00); and legume food groups (AOR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.59, 0.95). The risk reduction was strongest for consumption of the protein sources and vegetable food groups, independent of the child's diet up to age 2 years, and consistent across phases 1 and 2 of data collection for vegetable consumption. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that it may be prudent for women to consume a diet rich in vegetables and adequate in protein prior to and during pregnancy as a possible means of reducing childhood ALL risk in their offspring.
The Dodge City Tornadoes on 24 May 2016: Damage Survey, Photogrammetric Analysis Combined with Mobile Polarimetric Radar Data

AbstractPolarimetric measurements recorded by a mobile X-band radar are combined with photographs of the Dodge City, Kansas, tornado to quantitatively document the evolving debris cloud. An inner a...
Self-reported health and access to care among cancer caregivers: Analysis of the 2015 behavioral risk factor surveillance system (BRFSS).

6573Background: Caregivers play a vital role in the support and treatment of cancer patients. Caregiver well-being can impact patient-perceived quality of care. The study objectives were to compare...
Managerial Learning and Coaching Through Organizational Change

This qualitative case study was designed to explore perceptions of how managers learned to coach their employees during a period of significant organizational change in a workplace context strongly...
Predicting Dengue Incidence in Brazil Using Broad-Scale Spectral Remote Sensing Imagery

Infectious disease burden is continuing to increase around the globe. These diseases have increased, in part, due to globalization, human behavior, and environmental changes. There is an urgent need for improved prediction of their spread so that mitigation techniques and treatments can be administered proactively rather than just reactively. One of the challenges is that many regions of interest are in hard-to-reach locations, and as such, clinical surveillance data (reliant upon self-reporting) can be both sparse and lagging. Remote sensing imagery is an attractive data source to exploit for this application as it provides real-time information without having to physically be on the ground. Here, we derive standard indices from multispectral imagery, and explore how predictive they are for forecasting dengue incidence in Brazil. This is done on broad spatial and temporal scales, covering all of Brazil for multiple years. Results will show that the normalized difference vegetation index is a leading predictor for dengue incidence.
The effects of cash assistance on refugee outcomes

Abstract The United States receives tens of thousands of refugees per year, many of whom arrive with few resources. The federal refugee resettlement program aims to rapidly move refugees into employment and self-sufficiency. This causes refugees to undergo a search and matching process upon arrival that may be affected by cash assistance generosity. This paper exploits variation in cash benefit levels for welfare programs available to refugees after resettlement to identify the effects of welfare generosity on long-term labor market outcomes. I find that an additional $100 in TANF maximum monthly benefits is associated with a 5–8% increase in wages, but no significant change in the probability of employment. The effects are the largest among the highly educated.
Descriptive study of drug-drug interactions attributed to prescriptions written upon discharge from the emergency department

Abstract Objective The primary purpose of this study was to identify the most common drug-drug interactions (DDI'S) in patients prescribed medications upon discharge from the emergency department. Methods We conducted a respective chart review of patients discharged home with a prescription from an academic emergency department. The study period was from August 1, 2015 to August 31, 2015. Patients will be excluded if they meet the following criteria: age under 20 years; discharge home without a prescription; inpatient hospital admission; transfer to another inpatient facility; or sign out against medical advice. The primary endpoint is the identification and characterization of drug-drug interactions caused by discharge prescriptions written by the treating physician. Results A total of 500 patient charts were included, with 38% having at least one DDI. Overall, there were 429 DDIs among 858 prescriptions written. 15.6% (n = 67) of the DDI's were classified as B, no modification of therapy needed. 60% (n = 260) of the DDIs were risk-rating category C, requiring monitoring of therapy. 22% (n = 95) of the DDI's identified were category D, which are consider modification of therapy. Lastly, we identified 1.6% (n = 7) category X DDI's. The top 3 most commonly associated drugs were oxycodone/acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and ciprofloxacin. Conclusion DDIs are occurring upon discharge from a large, urban, tertiary care, academic medical center. Many of the DDI's identified do not require any modification to therapy. However, 23.6% of identified DDI's required modification or were contraindicated. A majority of the category X drug interactions involved QT prolongation.
Opinion: What does AI's success playing complex board games tell brain scientists?

In research, it sometimes happens that advances in one field unexpectedly inform another in a fundamental way. A case in point may be what computer-generated gameplay suggests about how brains operate. Spearheaded by Demis Hassabis, David Silver, and their colleagues at the artificial intelligence (AI) company Google DeepMind, a series of articles published over the past several years has reported ongoing improvement of a computational strategy (1⇓–3) that now beats all players in complex board games (4). Beginning in 2015 with a computer program that beat human opponents at all 49 games in the Atari 2600 suite (challenges that include Pong, Space Invaders, and Pac-Man) (1), the group progressed to a program called AlphaGo that beat the European and world champions at Go (2, 3), a territorial board game far more complicated than chess. The latest version in this effort, called AlphaZero (4), now beats the best players—human or machine—in chess and shogi (Japanese chess) as well as Go. Fig. 1. The search space of the territorial board game Go is intractable using logical algorithms. Image credit: Shutterstock/Saran Poroong. That machines can beat expert human players in board games is not news. The achievement of this long-standing goal in computer science first attracted widespread attention in 1997 when IBM's program “Deep Blue” beat Garry Kasparov, then the world champion chess player (5). Human players have since been shown to be weak opponents in such games compared with a variety of machine programs. What is different about Google DeepMind’s AlphaZero is that the system operates by learning on a wholly empirical (trial and error) basis. Previous game-playing machines, including earlier versions in the AlphaGo series, used a combination of brute force logic, tree search, successful moves made by experts in response to specific board positions, and other “hand-crafted” expedients. … [↵][1]1Email: purves{at}neuro.duke.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
GP75 Case of a lifetime – how mosaicism may mislead

A patient was referred in consequence of an abnormal microarray finding. The background history was of Left Congenital Diaphragmatic hernia, coarctation of Aorta and PDA. Examined at 5 weeks by Consultant Clinical Geneticist, she was non-dysmorphic, her head circumference was on 25th percentile. Neurological examination was age appropriate. ACGH showed a mosaic chromosomal imbalance involving chromosome 2q in the form of a ∼46.7Mb gain of 2q26.1–q31.2 and a ∼17.6Mb loss of 2q36.2–qter, which was estimated to be present in approximate 50% of cells. In contrast G-band karyotype analysis of phytohaemoglutinin stimulated and cultured cells showed no evidence of the abnormal cell line, with only apparently normal female 46, XX metaphases seen. So, there was a data mismatch. Parental karyotypes were both normal. Due to the peripheral blood karyotype result a skin biopsy was taken for culture and karyotyping, together with a buccal smear for FISH analysis. In addition, a second peripheral blood sample was taken to allow FISH analysis on non-cultured cells. These FISH analyses indicated the presence of an abnormal cell line in 19% (buccal smear) and 35% (whole blood) of the 200 cells analysed. Conversely cultured fibroblasts only resulted in cells with a normal female karyotype. Hence, these results indicate that the level of mosaicism varies dramatically between different cell lineages. The absence of the abnormal cell line in the cultured cells would support that this cell line is not present in the T-lymphocytes. A FBC and film showed normal white cell counts and morphology. The findings with the cultured fibroblasts may be reflective of either the absence or scarcity of the abnormal cell line in the biopsy. This most unusual case illustrates that the understanding of how test results are generated and potential limitations of each test is crucial when considering the clinical features of the patient. Further it demonstrates how mosaicism may be unequally distributed between cell types or indeed absent in the actual cell type that is being tested. It is reassuring that the patient is neurologically age appropriate. The management with clinical and developmental observation are warranted to monitor her progress.
Effect of the fictive temperature on the modulus, hardness, yield strength, dynamic mechanical and creep response of Zr44Ti11Cu10Ni10Be25 metallic glasses

Abstract Characterizing the dependence of the mechanical properties and structure of metallic glasses on processing parameters and thermal history is of significant importance to understand the nature of glass. One way of defining a specific structural state of a glass is by means of its fictive temperature Tf at which the supercooled liquid falls out of a metastable equilibrium and forms a glass. Since the metastable equilibrium state before quenching is assumed to be well defined, Tf is ultimately thought of as a quantity that describes a specific, reproducibly obtainable structural state. In this research, the effect of systematic variations of an alloy’s structural state, achieved through purposefully setting its Tf, on a range of mechanical properties like modulus, hardness, yield strength, and creep response is studied. Towards this end, amorphous Zr44Ti11Cu10Ni10Be25 samples with different Tf’s were produced and subsequently examined using nanoindentation, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, and density measurements. It is observed that the lower fictive temperatures directly result in a higher the packing efficiency, i.e., a lower available (‘free’) volume in the glass. The resulting denser atomic packing manifests in increased values for hardness, modulus, and yield strength. These effects were found to be substantial despite the fact that all samples featured the exact same chemical composition and phase.
A Matter of Fact: Hostile Environments and Summary Judgments

This paper notes a trend in the district courts to grant summary judgment too readily in sexual harassment cases by deciding fact-intensive issues: whether the totality of the circumstances the plaintiff experienced is a hostile environment and whether the employer's response has been sufficient. The author argues that this tendency frustrates enforcement of gender anti-discrimination norms by preventing juries, the most diverse and most experienced, in the workplace, actors in the legal system, from participating in the development of these norms and assisting American society to reach consensus on gender issues.
12.19 – Developmental Neurotoxicology

Developmental neurotoxicology, also known as behavioral teratology, is the study of adverse effects on the structure or function of the nervous system resulting from exposure to a toxicant at any time during the period of central nervous system (CNS) development and maturation (i.e., prior to birth through adolescence). This chapter will outline the scope of developmental toxicology, as well as the many factors involved in the study of functional consequences of toxic insults to the CNS, including behavioral, anatomical, biochemical, and systems biology approaches. Because of its protracted development and the numerous outcomes of toxic insults, the CNS represents a distinctive challenge for toxicologists and is an active area of research.
Staining and Quantification of β-Amyloid Pathology in Transgenic Mouse Models of Alzheimer’s Disease

Studies of Alzheimer's disease (AD) using experimental systems most often involve transgenic mouse models that are characterized by neural accumulation of β-amyloid protein (Aβ), which is widely hypothesized to have a key role in AD pathogenesis. Quantification of Aβ in transgenic mice typically is accomplished through both biochemical and histochemical approaches. In this chapter, we describe two techniques for the histological detection of Aβ, immunostaining with Aβ antibodies and staining with the amyloid dye thioflavin S, and its quantification using digital imaging.
Gender differences in mothers' spatial language use and children's mental rotation abilities in Preschool and Kindergarten.

Mental rotation has emerged as an important predictor of success in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). By the age of 4.5 years, boys outperform girls in these abilities. Because parents use less spatial language with girls at this age (Pruden and Levine, 2017), the amount of spatial language that children are exposed to at home is believed to be one potential contributor to this disparity in preschool age children. To date, it is unclear if this gender difference continues when children enter school. To address this question in this study, children not yet in kindergarten (PreK) and kindergarten and first grade children (K+) were recorded playing with their mothers using magnetic tile toys followed by children's completion of a mental rotation task. As expected, mothers used more spatial language with PreK boys than girls; however, this relationship reversed in K+, with mothers using significantly more spatial language with girls than boys. Surprisingly, despite this, boys outperformed girls on the mental rotation task. These findings suggest that although girls' exposure to spatial language is higher after entry into school, this language difference is not reflected in increases in mental rotation abilities. Thus, earlier exposure to spatial language may be vital for the development of mental rotation abilities.
Tobacco exposure as a major modifier of oncologic outcomes in Human PapillomaVirus (HPV) associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

The incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) in the US is rapidly increasing, driven largely by the epidemic of human papillomavirus (HPV)-mediated OPSCC. Although survival for patients with HPV mediated OPSCC (HPV+ OPSCC) is generally better than that of patients with non-virally mediated OPSCC, this effect is not uniform. We hypothesized that tobacco exposure remains a critical modifier of survival for HPV+ OPSCC patients. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 611 OPSCC patients with concordant p16 and HPV testing treated at a single institute (2002–2013). Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression. Recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) was used to define tobacco exposure associated with survival (p 30 PY patients didn’t differ significantly from HPV- patients (p = 0.72, p = 0.27, respectively). HPV+ > 30 PY patients had substantially lower 5-year OS when compared to their ≤30 PYs counterparts: 78.4% vs 91.6%; p = 0.03, 76% vs 88.3%; p = 0.07, and 52.3% vs 74%; p = 0.05, for stages I, II, and III (AJCC 8th Edition Manual), respectively. Tobacco exposure can eliminate the survival benefit associated with HPV+ status in OPSCC patients. Until this effect can be clearly quantified using prospective datasets, de-escalation of treatment for HPV + OPSCC smokers should be avoided.
Integrating Equity: Curricular Development and Student Experiences in an Intermediate-Level College Physics Major Course

When Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts asked in the 2016 affirmative action case Fisher v. University of Texas, “what unique perspective does a minority student bring to the physics classroom?” the Equity and Inclusion in Physics and Astronomy group replied by rejecting the premise of the question itself. Instead, they asked why diversity and the presence of minority students need to be justified when de facto segregation and the presence of White students is assumed to be the status quo. This question and its response point to an ongoing challenge: despite decades of effort to diversify the field of physics, national and institution-specific research continues to demonstrate that Students of Color, White women, and other minoritized students experience feelings of disbelonging and unwelcoming or hostile climates in physics classrooms. Instead, these classrooms remain largely centered on the experiences and needs of the historic majority: White male students. In this work, we describe the implementation and assessment of a semester-long, pro-equity curriculum integrated into an intermediate-level physics course aimed at disrupting these structural barriers.
THE ECONOMIC PAMPHLETEER: Local foods: Seeds for social change

First paragraph: The local food movement has grown in direct response to the industrialization of the agri-food system—and more recently in response to the industrialization of organic foods. Locavores seem to have an intuitive understanding that the enviro­nmental and public health problems associated with industrial food production must be solved within the socioeconomic context of local commu­nities. Similarly, the problems of social justice can­not be solved without addressing the larger envi­ronmental and public health problems of society. Systemic problems require systemic change, which is rarely quick and never easy. However, local community-based food systems can provide fertile seedbeds of systemic social change. . . .
Diversity and Pathogenicity of Pectobacterium Species Responsible for Causing Soft Rot and Blackleg of Potato in the Columbia Basin

Pectobacterium and Dickeya species cause soft rot and blackleg diseases of potato which result in yield losses throughout the United States. The bacterial species involved in this disease complex have not been recently determined in the Columbia Basin. In 2018 and 2019, 145 plant samples with symptoms of soft rot were analyzed for the bacterial species causing disease. Soft rot bacteria species were detected in 51 samples using PCR, including P. carotovorum (74.1%), P. atrosepticum (20.4%), and Dickeya species (5.6%). However, additional phylogenetic assessment of three gene sequences detected several isolates of P. parmentieri and P. brasiliense, originally identified as P. carotovorum. Pathogenicity was assessed by inoculation of tubers and stems. P. parmentieri and P. carotovorum caused high incidence of tuber rot and severity which was enhanced when co-inoculated with other species. P. atrosepticum caused high incidence of stem rot. Pectobacterium spp. were the predominant soft rot pathogens of Columbia Basin potato, and their diversity has implications for accurate diagnostics.
Expansion of Pharmacy Services During COVID-19: Pharmacists and Pharmacy Extenders Filling the Gaps Through Telehealth Services:

Purpose: The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created a significant disruption in healthcare. In our health-system located in New York City, the provision of care in the ambulatory care setting...
Ghost Resonance Spectroscopy

We show the recently discovered ghost waves, a special class of non-uniform waves in biaxial anisotropic media, can offer a new approach to optical sensing, that employs simple planar geometry and low-cost dielectric materials, and provides a high figure of merit for sensor performance.
The Producer's Apology to the Spectators

We are not such optimists as were our teachers and parents. We do not have to equate “progress” with every δf(t) if δt > 0, t being the time. In discussing the interplay between mathematics and physics1 I feel myself permitted, therefore, to select instead of fields of brilliant success like hydrodynamics, elasticity, and electromagnetism, one accursed by misunderstanding, irrelevance, retreat, and failure. Thus I write of thermodynamics in the nineteenth century. No-one will be surprised, consequently, by my use of a delta to define progress, since thermodynamics is the kingdom of deltas. However, the single 8 just used will suffice. In return, I bring the time back into its rightful, central place—a place it occupied at the start but from which it was wrongly driven by late authors who confused dynamics with statics.
Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): A Systematic Review

Early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) is one of the most widely used treatments for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of our review was to examine the research on EIBI. We found a total of five studies that compared EIBI to generic special education services for children with ASD in schools. Only one study randomly assigned children to a treatment or comparison group, which is considered the 'gold standard' for research. The other four studies used parent preference to assign children to groups. We examined and compared the results of all five studies. A total of 203 children (all were younger than six years old when they started treatment) were included in the five studies. We found that children receiving the EIBI treatment performed better than children in the comparison groups after about two years of treatment on tests of adaptive behavior (behaviors that increase independence and the ability to adapt to one's environment), intelligence, social skills, communication and language, autism symptoms, and quality of life. The evidence supports the use of EIBI for some children with ASD. However, the quality of this evidence is low as only a small number of children were involved in the studies and only one study randomly assigned children to groups.
Strategies for Effective Hospital Pharmacy Staff Development

An active staff development program (SDP) for pharmacists has been associated with provision of higher levels of pharmaceutical care within health-care institutions. Adequate support from pharmacy management, institutional administration, the medical staff, and the pharmacy staff itself is necessary for a successful, ongoing SDP. A SDP run concurrently with implementation of clinical pharmacy services allows pharmacists to immediately apply new skills and knowledge. Such a SDP should emphasize not only information necessary for performance of the clinical service, but also should develop drug information retrieval, problem solving, and organizational skills. A SDP should use a variety of media and methods, with an emphasis on interactive and active learning formats. The staff pharmacists should occasionally make some of the presentations themselves. Continuing education credit should be provided through the SDP. Feedback regarding the success of the newly implemented clinical services should be supplied t...
16 - An Innovative Separation Platform: Electrophoretic Microchip Technology

Miniaturization in the separation sciences has been prevalent in recent years with the goal to reduce the consumption of samples, chemicals, and organic solvents, while gaining high speed and high-throughput separation without compromising resolution and detection sensitivity. Analyses of a wide variety of molecules have been demonstrated with this new and innovative technology. Microchip electrophoresis evolved from capillary electrophoresis, which is regarded as a hybrid form of electrophoresis and chromatography, and is a promising miniaturization technology. The potential to integrate many functions into a single device, minute consumption of sample and reagent, and the capability to analyze a wide variety of molecules have made microchip electrophoresis an ideal candidate for the future generation of separation technology that has impacts on various aspects including the pharmaceutical industry. Interdisciplinary collaborations at this point are essential and critical to turn it into a mature technique, a valuable member of the separation science family. However, there are serious engineering obstacles to be overcome for the full potential of this technology to be realized; these will be resolved through multidisciplinary approaches via collaborations between engineers, chemists, and biologists.
'Formation of the Client-Lawyer Relationship, Competence and Diligence' and 'Communications and Shared Decision-Making'

Ethical codes and general law in Europe and the United States recognize the formation of lawyer-client relationships and the obligation of competency.
States on Orthomodular Posets of Decompositions

In Harding (Transactions of American Mathematical Society (1996) 348(5), 1839–1862), it was shown that the direct product decompositions of a set X naturally form an orthomodular poset Fact X. Here it is shown that Fact X has a state if and only if X is finite. An example is also given of a finite orthomodular poset that can be embedded into Fact X for X countable, but not for X finite.
Lee distance, Gray codes, and the torus

The torus is a topology that is the basis for the communication network of several multicomputers in use today. This paper briefly explores several topological characteristics of a generalized torus network using concepts from Coding theory and Graph theory. From Coding theory, the Lee distance metric and Gray codes are extended to mixed radix numbers. Lee distance is used to state the number and length of disjoint paths between two nodes in a torus. In addition, a function mapping a sequence of mixed radix numbers to a mixed radix Gray code sequence is described; and, provided at least one radix is even, this sequence is used to embed in the torus a cycle of any even length, including a Hamiltonian cycle. The torus is defined both as a cross product of cycles and using Lee distance. The graph-theoretic definition of a torus leads to a simple single node broadcasting algorithm, which is described in the last section.
Intracellular Signaling Mechanisms and Activities of Human Herpesvirus 8 Interleukin-6

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8)-encoded viral interleukin-6 (vIL-6) has been implicated as a key factor in virus-associated neoplasia because of its proproliferative and survival effects and also in view of its angiogenic properties. A major difference between vIL-6 and human IL-6 (hIL-6) is that vIL-6, uniquely, is largely retained and can signal intracellularly. While vIL-6 is generally considered to be a lytic gene, several reports have noted its low-level expression in latently infected primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) cultures, in the absence of other lytic gene expression. Thus, intracellular autocrine signal transduction by the viral cytokine may be of particular relevance to the growth and survival of latently infected cells and to pathogenesis. Here we report that most intracellular vIL-6 is located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), signals via the gp130 signal transducer in this compartment, and does so independently of the gp80 α-subunit of the IL-6 receptor, required for hIL-6 signal transduction. Signaling and biological assays incorporating ER-retained vIL-6 and hIL-6 confirmed vIL-6 activity, specifically, in this compartment. Knockdown of vIL-6 expression in PEL cells led to markedly reduced cell growth in normal culture, independently of extracellular cytokines. This could be reversed by reintroduction via virus vector of exclusively ER-retained vIL-6. These data indicate that in virus biology vIL-6 may act to support the growth and survival of cells latently infected with HHV-8 in an autocrine manner via intracrine signaling and that these activities may contribute to the maintenance of latently infected cells and to virus-induced neoplasia.
The self-consistent structure of light nuclei (II)

Abstract Using methods developed in an earlier work, the ground state structures of a number of light nuclei A ≦ 40 are studied. All calculations are based on the Reid soft-core potential from which a local density-dependent nuclear-matter approximation to the Brueckner-Bethe-Goldstone reaction matrix has been calculated by Siemens. The Kuo and Brown approximation to the effective interaction is found not to produce sufficient saturation. Both the exact and an effective charge approximation effect of the static Coulomb interaction are studied. Binding energies which are in agreement with the experimental results are obtained (except for the very light nucleus 4 He); however, the density distributions are considerably more compact than those currently predicted by electron scattering experiments unless the density dependence of the reaction matrix is included self-consistently.
Existence and uniqueness results for a nonlinear differential equation arising in stagnation point flow in a porous medium

We establish existence and uniqueness results over the semi-infinite interval [0, ∞) for a class of nonlinear third-order ordinary differential equations arising in the stagnation point flow in a porous medium.
Liquid crystalline phase of G-tetrad DNA for NMR study of detergent-solubilized proteins

The liquid crystalline phase consisting of the potassium salt of the dinucleotide d(GpG) is compatible with detergents commonly used for solubilizing membrane proteins, including dodecylphosphocholine, the lysolipid 1-palmitoyl-2-hydroxy-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, and small bicelles consisting of dihexanoyl phosphatidylcholine and dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine. The chiral nematic liquid crystalline phase of d(GpG) consists of long columns of stacked G-tetrad structures and carry a net negative charge. For water-soluble systems, the protein alignment induced by d(GpG) is very similar to that observed for liquid crystalline Pf1 bacteriophage, but of opposite sign. Alignment of the detergent-solubilized fusion domain of hemagglutinin is demonstrated to be homogeneous and stable, resulting in high quality NMR spectra suitable for the measurement of residual dipolar couplings.
X-linkage does not account for the absence of father-son similarity in plasma uric acid concentrations.

Plasma uric acid concentration aggregates in families, and this similarity has been suggested to be due, in part, to multiple shared genes. Men have higher plasma uric acid concentrations than women and are affected with gout nine times more frequently. Rare forms of hyperuricemia and gout are due to mutations of X-linked genes (HPRT1 and PRPS1). Given these observations, we tested the hypothesis that normal variation in plasma uric acid levels would display a pattern of familial similarity consistent with X-linkage in 892 individuals from 196 obese but otherwise healthy families. As predicted by X-linked inheritance, fathers and sons showed no resemblance in plasma uric acid concentration (r = 0.013, NS), while all other pairings showed moderate-to-strong familial resemblance (ranging from 0.167, P 0.05). We conclude that variation in genes on the X chromosome contribute little to normal variation in plasma uric acid concentrations.
The effect of home construction on indoor radon in Virginia and Maryland

Abstract The levels of indoor radon in approximately 500 homes located in two contiguous counties of northern Virginia and southern Maryland have been measured during four consecutive, three month seasonal intervals using alpha-track detectors. These two counties represent an area of about 700 square miles. Results from the winter period show that the indoor radon levels were about twice as high as anticipated. In some areas, more than 50% of the homes had winter indoor radon levels above 4 pCi/liter, the EPA's recommended action level. For the spring and fall periods, indoor radon levels showed a considerable drop with approximately 35% of the homes above 4 pCi/L. Summer values were even lower with approximately 25% of the homes above 4 pCi/L. Indoor radon can be related to the weather, but home construction demonstrably determines indoor radon levels.
Social adaptability, cognitive abilities, and other predictors for children's reactions to surgery.

Abstract Study Objective: To examine the relationship between social adaptability, cognitive abilities, and other personality characteristics to perioperative anxiety. Study Design: Prospective cohort investigation. Patients: 60 children ASA physical status I and II, age 3 to 10 years. Setting: Tertiary care children's hospital. Measurements: Temperament (EASI), cognitive abilities (KABC), and adaptive behavior (Vineland) were evaluated in a group of children undergoing surgery. Parental coping style (MBBS) and parental state (STAI-S) and trait (STAI-T) anxiety were assessed as well. On the day of surgery, anxiety of the child was measured at the preoperative holding area and during induction of anesthesia (m-YPAS). Main Results: Univariate correlational analysis demonstrated that young age (r = –0.27), poor social adaptability (Vineland) (r = –0.38), shy and inhibited personality (EASI; temperament) (r = –0.33), higher intelligence (KABC) (r = 0.29), increased parental anxiety (r = 0.44), and parental high-monitoring coping style (r = –0.25) are all associated with higher levels of perioperative anxiety. Stepwise multivariate regression analysis has demonstrated that controlling for the variables above, parental anxiety ( p = 0.004), child's social adaptive capabilities ( p = 0.04), and child's temperament (sociability) ( p = 0.04) are independent predictors for increased perioperative anxiety (R 2 = 0.38, F=5.5, p = 0.003). Conclusions: Anesthesiologists need to pay close attention to the families of pediatric surgical children who are socially maladjusted, shy and inhibited, and have anxious parents.
Stratigraphic Evidence for Catalina Schist Basement North of Channel Islands, California

Sedimentological studies of the Miocene San Onofre Breccia, which contains blueschist clasts of Catalina Schist facies in abundance, suggest that Catalina-type basement rocks may underlie part of the Santa Barbara Basin north of the Channel Islands. The San Onofre Breccia exposed on Santa Cruz Island was derived from the northeast; this conclusion is based on paleocurrent indicators and a north-eastward increase in blueschist clast size. On Santa Rosa Island, San Onofre Breccia is restricted to the northern tip and the sea floor north of the island; rocks of the same age to the south are of a finer grained, deeper water facies. The size and angularity of San Onofre clasts suggest that the southern margin of the Catalina basement block was near the Santa Cruz Island fault.
Genetics and conservation

Abstract The basic sciences of genetics and ecology have long played a vital role in agriculture. New technologies spawning a gene revolution promise to revolutionize agricultural genetics. The opportunities to utilize these new techniques, along with standard methods of animal and plant breeding, are great for agriculture, conservation biology, and their synergism. Biological diversity is inextricably linked to human welfare. Genetic engineering is viewed as having both promise and risk to agricultural and natural biological systems, suggesting that its application must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. In order to adequately manage genetic resources, patterns of genetic variation must be documented and their relationship to the life-histories of species and the functioning of ecosystems understood. To achieve this goal, species to receive attention must be prioritized, possibly based on their usefulness as indicator species in defining genetic management strategies for biological groups of species. Particular attention should be given to invasive species, to the phenotypic plasticity of species, and the organizational complexity of populations, communities, and ecosystems. A return to greater scientific emphasis at the organismal and ecosystem level obviously is essential.
Transcriptomic responses to heat stress in invasive and native blue mussels (genus Mytilus): molecular correlates of invasive success.

SUMMARY Invasive species are increasingly prevalent in marine ecosystems worldwide. Although many studies have examined the ecological effects of invasives, little is known about the physiological mechanisms that might contribute to invasive success. The mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis , a native of the Mediterranean Sea, is a successful invader on the central and southern coasts of California, where it has largely displaced the native congener, Mytilus trossulus . It has been previously shown that thermal responses of several physiological traits may underlie the capacity of M. galloprovincialis to out-compete M. trossulus in warm habitats. To elucidate possible differences in stress-induced gene expression between these congeners, we developed an oligonucleotide microarray with 8874 probes representing 4488 different genes that recognized mRNAs of both species. In acute heat-stress experiments, 1531 of these genes showed temperature-dependent changes in expression that were highly similar in the two congeners. By contrast, 96 genes showed species-specific responses to heat stress, functionally characterized by their involvement in oxidative stress, proteolysis, energy metabolism, ion transport, cell signaling and cytoskeletal reorganization. The gene that showed the biggest difference between the species was the gene for the molecular chaperone small heat shock protein 24, which was highly induced in M. galloprovincialis and showed only a small change in M. trossulus . These different responses to acute heat stress may help to explain – and predict – the invasive success of M. galloprovincialis in a warming world.
Studies with B-cell allo- and hetero-antisera: parallel reactivity and special properties.

The expression of B-cell antigens on various cell populations was studied through the use of human alloantisera and with heteroantisera raised to preparations of the alloantigen bearing molecules isolated from B-cell lines. The allo- and heteroantisera competed with each other in blocking experiments and gave closely parallel results, reacting with normal and leukemic B lymphocytes, monocytes, K-rosette-negative acute lymphatic leukemias, all acute and certain chronic myclogenous leukemias, and a minor population of cells in fetal spleen and liver. These highly immunogenic surface components appeared to comprise the dominant B-cell-specific plasma membrane determinants. Neither type of antiserum reacted with any but a minor population of normal or pokeweed-mitogen-transformed T cells, fetal thymic lymphocytes, E-rosette-positive acute lymphatic leukemias, or Sezary-cell leukemia. Through the use of these antisera evidence was obtained that Fc-receptor-bearing Ig-negative lymphocytes were divisible into two groups according to the presence or absence of the B-cell antigens. Both hetero- and allo-antisera blocked binding of immune complexes or antibody-coated ox erythrocytes to Fc receptors on B cells. F(ab')2, fragments of the hetero-antibodies strongly inhibited antibody-dependent cell-mediated killing.
Does SES explain more of the black/white health gap than we thought? Revisiting our approach toward understanding racial disparities in health.

Abstract Studies of racial health gaps often find that disparities persist even after adjusting for socioeconomic status (SES). We contend that the persistent residual variation may, in part, be the result of conceptual and methodological problems in the operationalization of SES. These include inadequate attention to the content validity of SES measures and insufficient adjustments for SES differences across racial groups. Using data from the 1997–2007 U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics ( N = 9932), we use longitudinal and multi-level measures of SES and apply a propensity score adjustment strategy to examine the black/white disparity in self-rated health. Compared to conventional regression estimates that yield unexplained racial health gaps, propensity score adjustment accounts for the entire racial disparity in self-rated health. Results suggest that previous studies may have inadequately adjusted for differences in SES across racial groups, that social factors should be carefully and conscientiously considered, and that acknowledgment of the possibility of incomplete SES adjustments should be weighed before any inferences to non-SES etiology can be made.
Efficacy and Degradation of Fipronil Applied to Cotton for Control of Anthonomus grandis grandis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Fipronil was applied to cotton by ground sprayer at ultralow volume and conventional spray rates. Boll weevil mortality and residue analysis of fipronil and its metabolites at 0,1, 2, 3, and 6 d after application were used to evaluate treatments. An evaluation of the toxicity of fipronil and metabolites to boll weevils also was conducted. The order of toxicity (LD 50 ) of fipronil metabolites at 48 h was sulfide > fipronil > sulfone > desulfinyl. Differences in percentage of mortality between treatments did not occur until 3 d after application when the ultralow volume application had higher mortality (98%) than the conventional (85%) spray rate. There were no differences in mortality between treatments at 6 d after application. Fipronil residues were present on the leaf surface longer and in higher amounts when applied in cottonseed oil at 1.17 liter/ha than when applied in water as a conventional application at 97 liter/ha.
In Search of Self: Teaching and Practice.

(1980). In Search of Self: Teaching and Practice. The Educational Forum: Vol. 44, No. 3, pp. 339-347.
Development of a multicomponent candidate vaccine for HIV-1

Nucleic acid or DNA immunization represents a novel approach to both vaccine and immune therapeutic development. DNA vaccination induces antigen-specific cellular and humoral immune responses through the delivery of non-replicating transcription units which drive the synthesis of specific foreign proteins within the inoculated host. We have previously reported on the potential use of DNA immunization as a novel vaccine strategy for HIV-1. We found that both antigen-specific cellular and humoral immune responses could be induced in vivo with various DNA vaccine constructs against different antigenic targets within HIV-1. In order to enhance the DNA vaccine's ability to elicit cell-mediated immune responses, we co-delivered plasmids encoding costimulatory molecule B7 and interleukin-12 genes with DNA vaccine for HIV-1. We observed a dramatic increase in both antigen-specific T helper cell proliferation and CTL response. Eventual development of successful vaccines for HIV-1 would likely involve targeting multiple antigenic components of the virus to direct and empower the immune system to protect the host from viral infection. We present here the utility of multicomponent DNA immunization to elicit specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses against different antigenic targets of HIV-1 as well as the ability of this immunization strategy to achieve significant enhancements of antigen-specific cellular immune responses.
Mammalian target of rapamycin inhibition as therapy for hematologic malignancies

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a downstream effector of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt (protein kinase B) signaling pathway, which mediates cell survival and proliferation. mTOR regulates essential signal-transduction pathways, is involved in the coupling of growth stimuli with cell cycle progression, and initiates mRNA translation in response to favorable nutrient environments. mTOR is involved in regulating many aspects of cell growth, including membrane traffic, protein degradation, protein kinase C signaling, ribosome biogenesis, and transcription. Because mTOR activates both the 40S ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70s6k) and the eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1, its inhibitors cause G1-phase cell cycle arrest. Inhibitors of mTOR also prevent cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) activation, inhibit retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation, and accelerate the turnover of cyclin D1, leading to a deficiency of active CDK4/cyclin D1 complexes, all of which may help cause G1-phase arrest. It is known that the phosphatase and tensin homologue tumor suppressor gene (PTEN) plays a major role in embryonic development, cell migration, and apoptosis. Malignancies with PTEN mutations, which are associated with constitutive activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway, are relatively resistant to apoptosis and may be particularly sensitive to mTOR inhibitors. Rapamycin analogs with relatively favorable pharmaceutical properties, including CCI-779, RAD001, and AP23573, are under investigation in patients with hematologic malignancies. Cancer 2004;100:657–66. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Strength and elasticity of ringwoodite at upper mantle pressures

The differential stress supported by a natural iron-bearing ringwoodite was determined using energy-dispersive synchrotron x-ray diffraction in a radial geometry in a diamond anvil cell. The yield strength of ringwoodite was found to increase nearly linearly from 5.8(5) GPa at a pressure of 6.2 GPa to 10.2(9) GPa at a pressure of 27.0 GPa. When scaled by the shear modulus, silicate yield strengths are systematically higher than metals, oxides, and halides at pressures up to 30 GPa. For silicates, the yield strength is 5–7% of the shear modulus in this pressure range, whereas for the other classes of solids the yield strength is typically less than 2% of the shear modulus. The results show that ringwoodite has a small postive elastic anisotropy over this pressure range.
Strategic planning: balancing short-run performance and longer term prospects.

Abstract Strategic planning activities can, to varying degrees be anticipatory or hindsight in orientation. Anticipatory activities prepare the firm for future strategic surprises and enhance the firm's effectiveness in dealing with turbulence and unpredictability in the external environment. Hindsight activities on the other hand, rely greatly on ex-post analysis (of information on past events), emphasize efficiency in key processes and operations, and are predicted on reasonable continuity and stability in the external environment. While both sets of activities are necessary to maintain the balance between effectiveness and efficiency, a relatively greater emphasis on one set or the other is crucial under different degrees of environmental turbulence and unpredictability. Informed implementation of the appropriate degrees of anticipatory and hindsight orientations through differentially emphasizing separate sets of strategic planning activities should enable managers to exercise better strategic control and optimize the firm's short-run performance as well as long-term prospects.