cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Calcium levels in rat submandibular gland and saliva after sympathetic nerve stimulation in the presence of α, β1 and β2-adrenergic antagonists

Calcium concentration was reduced by 51 per cent compared with unstimulated contralateral glands after 60-min of electrical stimulation to the sympathetic nerve. When the alpha-adrenergic antagonists, phentolamine or phenoxybenzamine, were given 20 min before stimulation, the decrease in glandular calcium concentration (45-47 per cent) was similar to that after nerve stimulation alone; with the selective beta 2-adrenergic antagonist added to the phentolamine, the percentage decrease was similar to that found after phentolamine and sympathetic nerve stimulation only. When atenolol, a beta 1-adrenergic antagonist, was given with phentolamine, there was no secretion after subsequent nerve stimulation, nor was calcium concentration different from that of unstimulated glands. When propranolol (3 mg/kg, body wt), or atenolol + butoxamine (3 mg/kg, body wt), was given prior to stimulation there was a decrease of 21-22 per cent in gland-calcium concentration. Calcium concentration of nerve-stimulated saliva was nearly 6 m-equiv./l, and twice as high with phentolamine prior to stimulation; for butoxamine together with phentolamine the change was similar to that with phentolamine alone. When beta-adrenergic antagonists were given prior to nerve stimulation, concentration of the saliva was either unchanged (propranolol) from that with nerve stimulation alone or somewhat decreased (atenolol + butoxamine). Thus sympathetic stimulation results in activation of alpha and beta 1-adrenoceptors; calcium secretion is principally regulated by the beta-adrenoceptors, and beta 1-receptors have the principal role.
Transforming a maintenance ground station

Diagnostics information from the V-22 Osprey aircraft is processed using the aircraft maintenance event ground station (AMEGS). Afterward, this information is debriefed with the aircrew and maintainers to determine if any gripes should be written to repair, service, or inspect the aircraft. Early in development, the downloaded maintenance data was rarely used because of numerous built-in-test (BIT) false alarms, and AMEGS was not integrated with the Naval Aviation Logistics Command Management Information System Optimized Organization Maintenance Activity (NALCOMIS-OOMA). Today, AMEGS is an integral part of the V-22's automated maintenance environment (AME) providing the capability to generate work orders from the aircraft's BIT and vibration, structural life and engine diagnostics (VSLED). Furthermore, AMEGS has taken the first step towards establishing a link to the Interactive Electronic Technical Manual (IETM) by displaying a cross-reference from a Fault ID to IETM code so the maintainer has a starting point to begin troubleshooting once a work order is generated. This paper discusses how the AMEGS displays were transformed from an engineering tool into a user-friendly format for maintenance and how AMEGS became an instrumental aspect of the V-22's AME in the fleet
Time’s crooked arrow : optimal foraging and rate-biased time perception

Time perception is critical to animal behaviours requiring anticipation of future events based on present information about the environment. Most models of animal foraging assume that animals are capable of measuring absolute time despite evidence that animals measure time with predictable biases in mean and variance. We incorporate the evidence for a rate-biased subjective time perception into a classic model of optimal foraging, the marginal value theorem. If acceleration of the clock rate is proportional to food intake rate and time is perceived similarly when in transit between patches as it is while waiting in a patch following eating, organisms are predicted to follow the predictions of the marginal value theorem exactly. However, a nonlinear relationship between clock rate and food intake rate, unequal wait and transit time perception, or any lag in the clock predicts characteristic suboptimal behaviour. We discuss how this mechanism for suboptimal behaviour compares with others in the literature and how it can be recognized in experiments.  2002 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
Too Korean to be White and Too White to Be Korean: Ethnic Identity Development Among Transracial Korean American Adoptees

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore how lived experiences affect ethnic identity development of transracial Korean American adoptees raised by White parents with the intent of informing higher education practice. Participants included 12 recently college-graduated transracial Korean American adoptees who were raised in the Midwest, rural south, and on the west coast. A theoretical model that surfaced from data collection is presented, demonstrating the complexity of transracial Korean adoptee identity.
Fat Fuels the Flame: Triglyceride-Rich Lipoproteins and Arterial Inflammation

See related article, pages 381–390 Recent reviews duly recite the prevailing concept of the mechanisms of atherogenesis.1–5 According to this model, a surfeit of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) favors accumulation and retention of these particles in the arterial intima. There, LDL undergoes oxidative modification. Lipid mediators derived from this oxidized LDL stoke the inflammation now widely deemed a critical culprit in the formation and complication of atheroma.6 This oft repeated schema rests on a firm experimental foundation. Clinical and human pathological observations corroborate this view. Yet, the “oxidized LDL” hypothesis may not explain all aspects of atherogenesis. Most laboratory experiments with oxidized LDL use mixtures of products of incubation of LDL with transition metals. The Fenton chemistry used to generate oxidized LDL in the laboratory may have little to do with the oxidative processes at work in the atherosclerotic arterial wall. Biochemical studies have however begun to identify the structures of components oxidized LDL that do elicit proinflammatory effect on cells involved in atherogenesis.3,4 The lack of clinical benefit of antioxidant vitamin supplements does not alone vitiate a pathogenic role for oxidized LDL.7,8 Antioxidant vitamins may well not distribute to the proper compartments or may be chemically inappropriate agents for the oxidation chemistry that pertains to lipoproteins entwined with the intimal extracellular matrix during atherogenesis. The clinical trials of antioxidant vitamins may have enrolled patients at a stage of their disease too advanced to show a benefit of the antioxidant strategy. LDL lowering does consistently confer clinical benefit, even in trials in which antioxidants have failed …
Functional redundancy of stream macroconsumers despite differences in catchment land use

SUMMARY 1. The conversion of forested landscapes to agriculture and, increasingly, to suburban and urban development significantly affects the structure and function of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. While a growing body of research is examining how biotic communities change in response to human alteration of landscapes, less is known about how these changes in community structure affect biotic interactions. 2. The objective of this study was to examine top-down control by macroconsumers (fish and crayfish) across a human-impacted landscape. We predicted that changes in stream macroconsumers and physicochemical characteristics associated with increased catchment development (e.g. decreased abundance of fish that are obligate benthic invertivores, increased sedimentation) would diminish top-down control of benthic insects. We expected that effects on algal assemblages would be more variable, with increased top-down control at sites dominated by algivorous fish and diminished control elsewhere. To test these predictions, we experimentally excluded fish and crayfish from areas of the bed of five streams whose catchments ranged from 100% to <50% forested, and examined the effects of exclusion on benthic insects and algae. 3. Despite cross-site differences in physical, chemical and biological characteristics, the outcome of our experiments was consistent across five sites representing a range of catchment development. Across all sites, macroconsumers reduced total insect biomass, largely due to decreases in Chironomidae and Hydropsychidae larvae. Macroconsumers also affected algal assemblages, reducing chlorophyll-a and the proportion of upright and filamentous diatoms (e.g. Melosira, Cymbella) but increasing the proportion of adnate diatoms (e.g. Achnanthes) across all sites. 4. We expected that differences in factors such as macroconsumer assemblage composition, nutrient and light availability and sedimentation would result in variable responses to macroconsumer exclusion in the five streams. Contrary to these expectations, only one response variable (ash-free dry mass) showed a statistically significant interaction (i.e. site · exclusion) effect. Most responses to exclusion were relatively consistent, suggesting functional redundancy in assemblages of macroconsumers among the sites despite differences in catchment land use.
Compiled Query Execution Engine using JVM

A conventional query execution engine in a database system essentially uses a SQL virtual machine (SVM) to interpret a dataflow tree in which each node is associated with a relational operator. During query evaluation, a single tuple at a time is processed and passed among the operators. Such a model is popular because of its efficiency for pipelined processing. However, since each operator is implemented statically, it has to be very generic in order to deal with all possible queries. Such generality tends to introduce significant runtime inefficiency, especially in the context of memory-resident systems, because the granularity of data commercial system, using SVM. processing (a tuple) is too small compared with the associated overhead. Another disadvantage in such an engine is that each operator code is compiled statically, so query-specific optimization cannot be applied. To improve runtime efficiency, we propose a compiled execution engine, which, for a given query, generates new query-specific code on the fly, and then dynamically compiles and executes the code. The Java platform makes our approach particularly interesting for several reasons: (1) modern Java Virtual Machines (JVM) have Just- In-Time (JIT) compilers that optimize code at runtime based on the execution pattern, a key feature that SVMs lack; (2) because of Javas continued popularity, JVMs keep improving at a faster pace than SVMs, allowing us to exploit new advances in the Java runtime in the future; (3) Java is a dynamic language, which makes it convenient to load a piece of new code on the fly. In this paper, we develop both an interpreted and a compiled query execution engine in a relational, Java-based, in-memory database prototype, and perform an experimental study. Our experimental results on the TPC-H data set show that, despite both engines benefiting from JIT, the compiled engine runs on average about twice as fast as the interpreted one, and significantly faster than an in-memory
Eine konvergente Route zur Totalsynthese der Eleutheside

Eine Sequenz aus Ringerweiterung und Ringverengung ist einer der Schlusselschritte bei der stereoselektiven Synthese des tricyclischen Eleuthesid-Grundgerusts 2 ausgehend von α-Phellandren 1. Eleutheside sind Naturstoffe, die aus unterschiedlichen marinen Quellen isoliert wurden und von denen einige taxolahnliche Wirkung haben.
Active interference cancellation technique for MB-OFDM cognitive radio

Ultra Wideband transmit power (in-band) is regulated to be -41.25 dBm/MHz (in the United States), but in the future, it may be flexibly relaxed subject to the cognitive-radio spectrum policy. However, in close proximity of a protected radio service, transmission at the relaxed power might inflict an excessive degradation on the service quality. Applying the general analog or digital notch filter in the UWB transmitter (baseband) is the simplest but not a favorable approach due to the increased cost and the power consumption of the device. In OFDM, turning off the interfering tones has been studied as the alternative solution, but the inter-carrier interference may limit the notch depth to 5-10 dB. This paper discusses a new approach that enables the accurate notch bandwidth and depth control for the general OFDM transmitter. The technique demonstrates the fundamental advantage of the OFDM-based UWB solution[l] for the future cognitive ratio.
Selecting and sorting waxy wheat kernels using near-infrared spectroscopy.

ABSTRACT An automated single kernel near-infrared (NIR) sorting system was used to separate single wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) kernels with amylose-free (waxy) starch from reduced-amylose (partial waxy) or wild-type wheat kernels. Waxy kernels of hexaploid wheat are null for the granule-bound starch synthase alleles at all three Wx gene loci; partial waxy kernels have at least one null and one functional allele. Wild-type kernels have three functional alleles. Our results demonstrate that automated single kernel NIR technology can be used to select waxy kernels from segregating breeding lines or to purify advanced breeding lines for the low-amylose kernel trait. Calibrations based on either amylose content or the waxy trait performed similarly. Also, a calibration developed using the amylose content of waxy, partial waxy, and wild-type durum (T. turgidum L. var durum) wheat enabled adequate sorting for hard red winter and hard red spring wheat with no modifications. Regression coefficients indicated that...
GM-CSF induces eosinophilic cell growth-promoting activity on human fetal liver cells.

Human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) has been described as a multi-lineage growth factor that induces in vitro colony formation of bone marrow erythroid burst-forming units (BFU-E), multipotential colony-forming units (CFU-GEMM), granulocyte-macrophage CFU (CFU-GM), granulocyte CFU (CFU-G), macrophage CFU (CFU-M), as well as eosinophil colony-forming units (CFU-Eo). Because of the preeminent role of the liver in fetal hematopoiesis, the effect of human recombinant GM-CSF (hrGM-CSF) on hematopoietic cells isolated from human fetal liver was tested in liquid cultures and in semisolid colony assays. hrGM-CSF induced a significant increase in the number of mature eosinophils in liquid culture and to a lesser extent in semisolid cultures when compared to untreated culture controls. The kinetics of this effect on eosinophils reached its peak on day 21 of culture. When GM-CSF and erythropoietin (Ep) were added simultaneously to the cultures, no significant change in the number of eosin...
Individualized therapy for growth hormone deficiency

The use of human growth hormone to treat children with short stature resulting from growth hormone deficiency or insufficiency has now accrued over 40 years of clinical experience with a satisfactory safety and efficacy record. Growth hormone deficiency is the primary indication for growth hormone treatment in childhood. It is basically a clinical diagnosis, based upon auxologic features, and confirmed by biochemical testing. For assurance of compliance, dosing and, perhaps, safety considerations, a dosing algorithm based upon insulin-like growth factor-I response seems to be appropriate. Current data suggest that such algorithms reflect the true growth hormone needs of a patient, and allow optimization of growth hormone treatment. For patients who display a suboptimal growth response or in whom the insulin growth factor levels remain low with assurance of adherence to the injection schedule, it is reasonable to increase the growth hormone dose. The availability of recombinant human insulin-like growth fa...
Distributed Alamouti Transmit Diversity Technique for Co-Operative Communications

A simple algorithm to implement a distributed version of the Alamouti diversity scheme is presented and its performance is studied. It is observed that the algorithm provides quick convergence, and a bit error rate (BER) performance quite close to the Alamouti's original localized scheme. The proposed algorithm has potential applications in providing diversity in co-operative communications, in poor scattering environments, and in hybrid channels consisting of optical and radio links.
Ineffectiveness of Over-the-Counter Total-Release Foggers Against the Bed Bug (Heteroptera: Cimicidae)

Field-collected bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) showed little, if any, adverse effects after 2-h direct exposure to the aerosolized pyrethroid(s) from three over-the-counter total-release foggers (Obug bombsO or OfoggersO); Hotshot Bedbug and Flea Fogger, Spectracide Bug Stop Indoor Fogger, and Eliminator Indoor Fogger. One Þeld-collected population, EPM, was an exception in that there was signiÞcant mortality at 5Ð7 d when bugs out in the open had been exposed to the Spectracide Fogger; mortality was low when these bugs had access to an optional harborage, a situation observed for all Þeld-collected populations when exposed to the three foggers. Even the Harlan strain, the long-term laboratory population that is susceptible to pyrethroids and that served as an internal control in these experiments, was unaffected if the bugs were covered by a thin cloth layer that provided harborage. In residences and other settings, the majority of bed bugs hide in protected sites where they will not be directly contracted by the insecticide mist from foggers. This study provides the Þrst scientiÞc data supporting the position that total-release foggers should not be recommended for control of bed bugs, because 1) many Þeld-collected bed bugs are resistant to pyrethroids, and they are not affected by brief exposure to low concentrations of pyrethrins and/or pyrethroids provided by foggers; and 2) there is minimal, if any, insecticide penetration into typical bed bug harborage sites. This study provides strong evidence that Hotshot Bedbug and Flea Fogger, Spectracide Bug Stop Indoor Fogger, and Eliminator Indoor Fogger were ineffective as bed bug control agents.
Mitek Anchor–Augmented Static Facial Suspension

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of the Mitek minianchor suture system as an adjunctive procedure for static facial suspension and assess its ability to improve functional and aesthetic outcomes in patients with complete facial paralyses. Methods A retrospective review of 5 patients who underwent adjunctive static facial suspension with the Mitek GII minianchor suture system at a tertiary care academic center. A bone anchor in the maxilla connected to 2 suture arms was used. One suture arm elevated the oral commissure on the paralyzed side. The second suture arm adjusted for upper lip segment asymmetry and Cupid's bow deviation, or lateralized the external nasal valve. Outcome was evaluated by photodocumentation and clinical examination. Results There was an average of 76.9% improvement in vertical symmetry of the oral commissure (range, 43%-100%), an average of 65.0% improvement in horizontal deviation of the Cupid's bow (range, 50%-100%), and an average of 85.3% improvement in symmetry of upper lip segments (range, 67%-100%). All patients experienced improvement in oral-nasal competency. Conclusions The Mitek minianchor suture system is a safe and effective adjunctive method to improve facial symmetry and oral-nasal competency in patients with facial paralyses. Its multivector design approximates the ideal positions of key anatomical points of the midface during static facial suspension surgery.
Preparing for the primary care clinic: an ambulatory boot camp for internal medicine interns.

Introduction : Internal medicine (IM) interns start continuity clinic with variable ambulatory training. Multiple other specialties have utilized a boot camp style curriculum to improve surgical and procedural skills, but boot camps have not been used to improve interns’ ambulatory knowledge and confidence. The authors implemented and assessed the impact of an intern ambulatory boot camp pilot on primary care knowledge, confidence, and curricular satisfaction. Methods : During July 2014, IM interns attended ambulatory boot camp. It included clinically focused case-based didactic sessions on common ambulatory topics as well as orientation to the clinic and electronic medical records. Interns anonymously completed a 15-question pre-test on topics covered in the boot camp as well as an identical post-test after the boot camp. The interns were surveyed regarding their confidence and satisfaction. Results : Thirty-eight interns participated in the boot camp. Prior to the boot camp, few interns reported confidence managing common outpatient conditions. The average pre-test knowledge score was 46.3%. The average post-test knowledge score significantly improved to 76.1% ( p< 0.001). All interns reported that the boot camp was good preparation for clinics and 97% felt that the boot camp boosted their confidence. Conclusions : The ambulatory boot camp pilot improved primary care knowledge, and interns thought it was good preparation for clinic. The ambulatory boot camp was well received and may be an effective way to improve the preparation of interns for primary care clinic. Further assessment of clinical performance and expansion to other programs and specialties should be considered. Keywords: boot camp; resident continuity clinic; ambulatory training; internal medicine residency training; resident primary care clinic (Published: 24 November 2015) Citation: Med Educ Online 2015, 20: 29702 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/meo.v20.29702
Effect of Selenium-treated Alfalfa on Development, Survival, Feeding, and Oviposition Preferences of Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

We examined the effect of irrigating alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) with selenium- contaminated water on the oviposition response, larval feeding preference, development and survival of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua Hubner, a generalist herbivore. Alfalfa was grown in sand cultures under three levels of sodium selenate irrigation: (1) control with no Se added; (2) a low rate of 0.0066 g sodium selenate/60 liters water; (3) and a high rate of 0.20 g sodium selenate/60 liters water. The low concentration treatment resulted in 2.88 0.52 g Se/g plant dry weight and did not affect percent survival to adult eclosion compared with the control at 1.26 0.11 g Se/g dry weight. The high rate generated 305.81 52.14g Se/g dry weight of alfalfa and signiÞcantly fewer insects survived compared with insects fed control alfalfa at 1.11 0.12 g Se/g dry weight. High Se levels, but not low levels, decreased the relative growth index for larvae. In two-choice bioassays (treated/control) neonate larvae did not discriminate between control and Se-treated plants at high or low levels. Fourth instars did not discriminate between plants with low Se levels and control plants, but preferred to consume plants with high, usually lethal concentrations of Se. Females preferred ovipositing on plants with low Se concentrations over control plants, but did not discriminate between plants with high Se levels and untreated controls. This indicates that although females and late instars may be able to differentiate between Se-treated and control alfalfa they do not avoid plants containing high con- centrations of Se. Thus, alfalfa with high Se-treatment levels is resistant to S. exigua, and may serve as a population "sink," where females oviposit and few offspring survive to reproduce.
Resistance: Do the Ends Justify the Means?

Has the time come for a massive wave of direct action resistance to accelerating rates of environmental degradation around the world—degradation that is only getting worse due to climate change? Is a new wave of direct action resistance emerging, one similar but more widespread than that sparked by Earth First!, the first avowedly “radical” environmental group?
Clinically occult primary fallopian tube carcinoma presenting as a malignant pleural effusion.

We report the first known case of malignant pleural effusion (MPE) as the sole presenting feature of clinically occult primary fallopian tube carcinoma (PFTC). A 57-year-old healthy woman was admitted with dyspnea. Evaluation demonstrated a right pleural effusion, fluid of which was malignant. The immunohistochemical profile, including negative calretinin, favored metastatic adenocarcinoma over mesothelioma but could not identify the primary tumour site. Pleural biopsy was not pursued as it would not have helped localize the primary. Chest, abdomen and pelvic computed tomography (CT) demonstrated only borderline lymphadenopathy in the left para-aortic lymph node chain that was hypermetabolic on positron emission tomography. Ultrasound and CT showed normal adnexal anatomy. These findings, coupled with an elevated serum CA-125, prompted empiric neoadjuvant chemotherapy targeting epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) followed by surgery, which revealed a tiny left PFTC with negative peritoneal washings. Sampled left para-aortic lymph nodes were positive. The pleural effusion resolved after chemotherapy. Malignant pleural disease without peritoneal involvement is more characteristic of PFTC than of EOC, in which MPE is common but almost always accompanies peritoneal carcinomatosis. The extensive lymphatic supply of the fallopian tube promotes distant metastasis of small, seemingly localized tumours. This case is a reminder that the clinician should not be dissuaded from considering carcinoma of Mullerian origin, especially PFTC, as the cause of a MPE even in the face of normal gynecologic imaging. Appropriately broad immunohistochemical staining and careful attention to even minimal lymphadenopathy can be invaluable in pinpointing the primary tumour site in such patients.
Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping in Endometrial Cancer: An Update

UNLABELLED : Lymph node removal for staging, as part of the initial surgical management of patients with endometrial carcinoma, remains a controversial topic in gynecologic oncology. There is currently wide variability among clinical practices, with surgical approaches ranging from no nodal evaluation to comprehensive pelvic and aortic lymphadenectomy. Lymphatic mapping has emerged as an increasingly popular option over the past few years, with several attractive features in its concept, innovative surgical approach, and encouraging preliminary results. At this time, however, several different techniques have been described and used for lymphatic mapping in endometrial cancer, incorporating a variety of mapping agents and injection sites. Although recently published results are encouraging, they are limited to single-institution series or multi-institutional collaborations undertaken without the aegis of a prospective randomized controlled trial. However, the surgical staging of endometrial cancer with lymphadenectomy was historically established based not on randomized trial data but on prospective clinicopathologic studies. Another evolving field in endometrial cancer staging is the interpretation of pathologic ultrastaging of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs), which can identify low-volume metastases for which the clinical significance and the ideal management remain uncertain. This is particularly an issue with extremely low-volume nodal metastasis and isolated tumor cells. Furthermore, it has become apparent that applying a predefined SLN algorithm can decrease false-negative rates. The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center SLN algorithm can be used as a checklist to ensure standardization of care and to reduce the chance of missing nodal disease. Prospective trials are under way at many institutions to help establish the definitive role of SLN mapping for staging of endometrial cancer. The objective of this study was to provide an update on the latest clinical data related to lymphatic mapping for the staging and management of endometrial cancer and its role in clinical practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Lymphatic mapping is an increasingly popular option in the surgical treatment of endometrial cancer. The aim of using this tool is to target the lymph nodes that are the most likely to be involved with metastatic cancer cells (sentinel lymph nodes) and thereby limit the extent of surgery needed and decrease surgical complications and long-term side effects associated with extensive lymph node removal. By examining a limited number of sentinel lymph nodes, a more detailed examination of the node can be done (ultrastaging). This allows for the detection of a small number of cancer cells (low-volume metastasis) that can be missed with standard techniques.
Phenethyl isothiocyanate and indole‐3‐carbinol from cruciferous vegetables, but not furanocoumarins from apiaceous vegetables, reduced PhIP‐induced DNA adducts in Wistar rats

cope We previously showed that apiaceous but not cruciferous vegetables reduced DNA adducts formed by 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4, 5-b]pyridine (PhIP) in rats. Here, we report the effects of the putative chemopreventive phytochemicals from these vegetables on PhIP metabolism and DNA adduct formation. Methods and results Rats received three supplemented diets: P + I (phenethyl isothiocyanate and indole-3-carbinol), furanocoumarins (FC, 5-methoxypsoralen, 8-methoxypsoralen, and isopimpinellin), and combination (P + I and FC). Phytochemical supplementation matched the levels in vegetables fed in our previous study. After 6 days, rats were injected with PhIP (10 mg/kg body wt) and killed after 24-h urine collection. Compared to the control, P + I increased activity of hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1 (10.1-fold), CYP1A2 (3.62-fold), and sulfotransferase 1A1 (2.70-fold). The combination diet also increased CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 activity. Urinary metabolomics revealed that PhIP metabolite profiles generally agreed with biotransformation enzyme activities. P + I and combination diets reduced PhIP-DNA adducts by 43.5 and 24.1%, respectively, whereas FC had no effect on adducts, compared to the control diet. Conclusion Effects of phytochemicals on metabolic outcomes and markers of carcinogenesis might differ from fresh vegetables, thus limiting the inferences that one can draw from the effects of purified phytochemicals on the health benefits of the vegetables from which they derive.
Photonic Removal of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products From Wastewater

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products( PPCPs) have attracted much recent attention as widespread emerging environmental contaminants,both due to their near ubiquitous detection in surface waters adjacent urban areas,but also their potential to generate endocrine modulating responses at low concentrations in exposed organisms. Although usually being detected in environmental matrices only atμg /L or ng /L ranges,the adverse effects in exposed aquatic organisms have been widely reported and prompted concerns over the potential for human health effects. Consequently,there has been increasing research attention paid to cost-effectively removing PPCPs. Numerous studies have examined the occurrence and fate of PPCPs in wastewater and adjacent receiving environments,focusing on their removal by conventional and advanced treatment processes at varying scales ranging from the lab to bench experiments to full treatment plant manipulations. This review will discuss various photonic assisted advanced oxidization treatments such as photocatalytic degradation, photolysis, ozonation and photoelectrolysis with advantages and limitations of each treatment approach( or combinations thereof) in removing PPCPs. Elucidating the fate and effects of PPCPs in the environment,and the potential of recent technologies to limit their environmental contamination,are the key elements in protecting future ecosystem and human health.
Long-range transport of hydrothermal dissolved Zn in the tropical South Pacific

Abstract Zinc (Zn) is one of the essential micronutrients that can regulate oceanic primary productivity due to its central roles as a co-factor in carbonic anhydrase and alkaline phosphatase. However, the sources of dissolved Zn to the ocean are poorly understood, mainly because of the difficulties of sample collection and analysis for Zn at very low concentrations in oceanic waters. The prevailing view considers rivers as the major source of dissolved Zn to the ocean. Here we report the dissolved Zn section along a ~ 4500-km transect at approximately 15°S in the tropical South Pacific Ocean along the western segment of the US GEOTRACES EPZT cruise (the GP16 transect). Dissolved Zn exhibits a substantial enrichment emanating from the hydrothermal vents at the axis of the East Pacific Rise to the central South Pacific, ~ 4000 km away. Total dissolved Zn and mantle-derived 3He show a correlation with R2 = 0.71 at depths 2300–2800 m along the transect. It is likely that this correlation can be improved by accounting for the non-uniformity in the non-hydrothermal background of dissolved Zn. After subtracting the non-hydrothermal Zn imprint using Zn Si relationship in the North Pacific, the correlation between “excess” dissolved Zn and mantle-derived 3He improves significantly (R2 = 0.87). The correlation leads to a global hydrothermal Zn flux of 1.75 ± 0.35 g mol yr− 1 that is many-fold higher than the input fluxes estimated by other studies. These results suggest that mantle-derived dissolved Zn dominates the oceanic Zn inventory and that dissolved Zn residence time is much shorter (3000 ± 600 years) than previous input-based estimates (11,000 and 50,000 years) and more consistent with previous removal-based estimate (3000–6000 years). The shorter residence time, the dominance of hydrothermal input and the negligible contribution of dust to the oceanic dissolved Zn inventory imply that changes in the efficiency of particle-associated removal according to changes in oceanic productivity through time may change the oceanic dissolved Zn inventory rapidly. This, in turn, may lead to a divergence between Zn and the nutrients whose oceanic inventories are more affected by dust which can change dramatically on glacial/interglacial timescales.
Defective newborns and government intermeddling.

Whenever a genetically defective infant is born, a triptych of interests is challenged directly. For such a case not only tests the extent of the natural rights of the parents in making decisions regarding the infant's capacity for qualitative life, but the personal needs or the welfare of the child itself and the nature of the responsibilities of the State in ensuring the welfare of its citizens regardless of age or infirmity. Aggressive posturing by the United States government, through a complex regulatory scheme designed to assure protection of handicapped newborns, has in fact wreaked havoc on the whole decision-making process and assaulted the integrity and privacy of the family decisional unit. While lacking a similar governmental regulatory process of protection in England, the judiciary, nevertheless, has given a strong indication that circumstances may merit respect of parental decisions which preclude aggressive efforts being undertaken to maintain life for such infants. What would be helpful t...
Interface for querying and data mining for the IMDb dataset

This paper describes the design and implementation of a tool to extract the IMDb dataset files and import them into a database. This approach differs from other published tools or research in that the previous work used relational databases. This tool uses document oriented data structures, and allows others to augment the code to change structures based on their needs. The project development required the use of technologies currently in demand for web developers and software engineers, which allows other developers to fork a copy of the work and utilize in their own work. In addition, it provided the project team an opportunity to develop additional marketable skills. Finally, a web interface to perform queries against the import data to validate the import process was also developed. These queries include searching by people's names, searching by movie/tv titles, or viewing specific data on an individual person or movie/tv title‥
Design Graphs for Activated Sludge Process

Engineers involved with the preliminary design of an activated sludge waste treatment system must efficiently evaluate the economic impact of many alternative process schemes. Optimization of aeration and final settling tank sizes requires that proper consideration be given to the thickening function of the final settler. Design graphs are presented to facilitate a rational determination of process unit sizes taking into account the performance interaction between the aeration and final settling tanks. The graphs for aeration tank performance are based upon mean cell residence time as the main biological process parameter, while those describing final settler operation incorporate the solids flux concept with the subsidence velocity expressed as a logarithmic function of the solids concentration. In order to aid the engineer in the use of the charts, values of the parameters characterizing microbial growth and sludge settling, as found in the literature for various industrial and municipal wastes, are presented in tabular form.
Monoaminergic Innervation in a Hemipteran Nervous System: A Whole-Mount Histofluorescence Survey

A variety of monoamines known to function as neurotransmitters in vertebrate nervous systems have been identified in homogenates of insect ganglia (for reviews see Evans 1980; Robertson and Juorio 1976; Smyth 1977; Walker and Kerkut 1978). The cellular distribution of several of these has been described from formaldehyde vapor-treated sections of insect brains (Klemm 1976; Klemm and Sundler 1983). Considerable differences in neuroanatomical design and monoaminergic patterning, in particular, have been noted among brains of different insect species and no conserved pattern of monoaminergic innervation of the insect brain has yet been detected.
Coupling functionalized cobalt ferrite nanoparticle enrichment with online LC/MS/MS for top-down phosphoproteomics

Phosphorylation plays pivotal roles in cellular processes and dysregulated phosphorylation is considered as an underlying mechanism in many human diseases. Top-down mass spectrometry (MS) analyzes intact proteins and provides a comprehensive analysis of protein phosphorylation. However, top-down MS-based phosphoproteomics is challenging due to the difficulty in enriching low abundance intact phosphoproteins as well as separating and detecting the enriched phosphoproteins from complex mixtures. Herein, we have designed and synthesized the next generation functionalized superparamagnetic cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) nanoparticles (NPs), and have further developed a top-down phosphoproteomics strategy coupling phosphoprotein enrichment enabled by the functionalized CoFe2O4 NPs with online liquid chromatography (LC)/MS/MS for comprehensive characterization of phosphoproteins. We have demonstrated the highly specific enrichment of a minimal amount of spike-in β-casein from a complex tissue lysate as well as effective separation and quantification of its phosphorylated genetic variants. More importantly, this integrated top-down phosphoproteomics strategy allows for enrichment, identification, quantification, and comprehensive characterization of low abundance endogenous phosphoproteins from complex tissue extracts on a chromatographic time scale.
Managing Digital Technologies in Writing Programs: Writing Program Technologists & Invisible Service

Abstract As institutions that include Writing Studies (Rhetoric and Composition, Business, Technical and Professional Writing) in their curriculum at various levels increasingly move to include more digital technology infrastructural support for classes, faculty who have scholarly expertise in various technologies are often being called upon, through either necessity to complete their own agendas or because of additional departmental and college needs, to do service work beyond required committee work. Oftentimes, this work is invisible. This article reports the results on interviews collected from 23 faculty members regarding types of technologically-related service being done. It discusses the changing nature of the types of service done by faculty we term Writing Program Technologists (WPTs). It also discusses the connections between shifts in technology and infrastructure at various institutions and the varying ways that compensation of the WPT occurs depending upon personal as well as institutional needs, desires, and constraints. Making visible this often invisible labor can provide information for faculty who are trying to develop arguments for more equitable compensation for this work that in terms of time expended and intellectual labor involved goes beyond other forms of service expectations.
Abstract 2230: Luteolin selectively inhibits EZH2 and blocks H3K27 methylation in prostate cancer cells

The histone methyltransferase enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is the catalytic subunit of the polycomb repressive complex (PRC2) and is involved in chromatin remodeling and gene silencing through its methylation of histone H3 on lysine 27 (H3K27). Specifically, trimethylation of H3K27 is associated with gene silencing and plays critical role in cancer initiation and progression. Therefore, blocking EZH2 catalytic activity may present a valid preventive and/or therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cancers with EZH2 overexpression including prostate cancer. Our multistep approach of molecular modeling and direct binding has led to the identification of plant flavone luteolin (3’, 4’, 5, 7-tetrahydroxyflavone) as a specific inhibitor of EZH2 with preferential blocking of its catalytic site. Here we report luteolin, in micro molar range, inhibits EZH2 catalytic activity, demonstrates anti-proliferative and anti-invasive activities in functional cell based assays. Treatment of human prostate cancer DU145 and 22Rv1 cells, which possess high constitutive EZH2 expression, with 5-20 μM luteolin significantly inhibits EZH2 and SUZ12 protein expression in dose and time dependent manner, although luteolin treatment did not affect protein expression of EED and RbAp46/48 protein, other members of PRC2 complex. Treatment of both cell lines with luteolin also reduced H3K27me3 and H3K27me2 protein and its enzymatic activity in dose and time dependent manner without affecting total H3 protein. In addition, luteolin was also effective in suppressing in vitro methylation performed using recombinant PCR2 complex. These events led to increase in the expression of downstream tumor suppressor genes including E-cadherin, SLIT2 and TIMP3, respectively. Interestingly, treatment of cells with proteasome inhibitor, MG132 together with luteolin did not prevent EZH2 degradation indicating that proteasomal degradation might not contribute to EZH2 inhibition. Taken together, our study suggest that luteolin acts on the catalytic binding site of EZH2 to exhibit downregulation of histone H3 methylation and could be developed as a potential promising agent for the prevention and/or treatment of various human cancers including prostate cancer with EZH2 overexpression. Citation Format: Rajnee Kanwal, Xiaoping Yang, Eswar Shankar, Sanjay Gupta. Luteolin selectively inhibits EZH2 and blocks H3K27 methylation in prostate cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2230. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2230
Repurchase Intentions of Information Technology: An Emotion Process Perspective

Research has examined information technology (IT) discontinuance within organizational and consumer contexts with various explanations for this phenomenon. Unfortunately, these explanations are based on the assumption of stability of technology usage, and, therefore, not applicable for explaining the behavior of technology users who have experienced interruptions during technology usage. This study explicates the repurchase intentions of consumers using an emotion process model. A virtual ethnography methodology is employed for data collection and analysis. The investigative context is two online consumer forums that are designed to address a variety of technical issues after the sale of a product. The results suggest that the customers are influenced by their own IT problem appraisals and affective experiences for their given intentions. Yet such appraisals and affective experiences are shaped through the interactions with the social groups and regulations. The customer’s emotion process shows two different patterns depending on whether the customers have obtained satisfactory outcomes.
Honoring the Paradox of Education

This essay calls for academics to engage in a more publicly-focused, community-centered intellectualism. Highlighting James Baldwin’s role as a public intellectual in the civil rights movement of t...
Entry into the anterior cul-de-sac during vaginal hysterectomy

We present a video reviewing the key steps involved in safe anterior cul-de-sac entry during vaginal hysterectomy, including tips for troubleshooting difficult cases such as: uterine procidentia, cervical elongation, and multiple prior cesarean sections. Anterior cul-de-sac entry is a critical step in performing a vaginal hysterectomy. In this video, we review our approach to anterior entry in patients with normal anatomy, followed by a discussion of techniques that may be useful in cases with challenging anatomy. To start, we drain the bladder, set up exposure with Deaver retractors, and make a circumferential incision at the cervicovaginal junction. In cases with normal anatomy, using sharp, followed by broad blunt finger dissection, the vesicocervical space is opened, and the peritoneal reflection is identified and sharply entered. If this is not possible, additional techniques such cystoscopic bladder illumination, posterior entry first, securing pedicles with extraperitoneal ties, or additional sharp dissection may be utilized. With all techniques, proper intraperitoneal entry should be verified by the visualization of small bowel or fat. This video reviews technical considerations for anterior cul-de-sac entry during vaginal hysterectomy in patients with normal anatomy and provides tips for troubleshooting challenging cases.
Eyelid Necrosis and Periorbital Necrotizing Fasciitis: Report of a Case and Review of the Literature

Necrotizing fasciitis is an uncommon and severe soft tissue infection characterized by cutaneous gangrene, suppurative fasciitis, and vascular thrombosis. The disease is usually preceded by trauma in patients that have systemic problems, most commonly diabetes and alcoholism. Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus are the most frequent bacterial etiologies; however, combinations of numerous facultative and anaerobic organisms have also been isolated. Involvement of the face and periocular region is rare. A case is presented here, as well as a review of the clinical features of 15 other patients previously described, in whom eyelid necrosis due to periorbital necrotizing fasciitis developed. Early surgical debridement and drainage of necrotic tissues and appropriate parenteral antibiotics are the mainstay of therapy. The mortality rate in patients with periorbital spread was 12.5%, with the prognosis known to be adversely affected by delay in diagnosis and treatment and/or extension of infection from the face to the neck. Reconstruction of the eyelids with skin grafts was necessary in most cases to avoid such complications as cicatricial lid retraction, lid malpositions, and lagophthalmos.