cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract IA24: Applying epidemiology to prevention

Within the last decade, for the first time in human history, deaths from chronic diseases have exceeded mortality from acute causes worldwide. These chronic diseases encompass a spectrum of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, neurologic diseases, and the emerging consequences of obesity and overnutrition. Further, there are more people today who are cancer survivors as well as people who are afflicted with multiple chronic diseases. This results in an emerging new group of susceptible populations. Since environmental exposures have a profound impact, from the etiology of disease through progression and response to therapeutic and preventive interventions, a new appreciation of the role of environmental health has emerged. This talk will attempt to provide a global perspective on the transitions that have occurred in environmental health over the last 200 years and how these transitions are impacting diverse populations globally. The extraordinary advances in our understanding of the biology of normal development and the molecular progression of disease processes has created unprecedented opportunities for the translation of basic science to therapy and prevention. The need to integrate findings from the biologic, physical, engineering, social, and behavioral sciences, sometimes called convergence, points to an imperative to develop new team science approaches to address the health consequences of environmental exposures. Finally, as it is increasingly recognized that disease outbreaks in one part of the world are no longer isolated from global impacts, there is a need to assure that our next generations of trained scientists have grounding in global collaborations. Citation Format: John D. Groopman. Applying epidemiology to prevention [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Environmental Carcinogenesis: Potential Pathway to Cancer Prevention; 2019 Jun 22-24; Charlotte, NC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2020;13(7 Suppl): Abstract nr IA24.
Standing on the shoulders of Giants: a citation analysis of the paediatric congenital heart disease literature.

OBJECTIVE The citation history of a published article reflects its impact on the literature over time. We conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to identify the most cited papers on CHD in children. METHODS One-hundred and ninety journals listed in Journal Citation Reports were accessed via Web of Science. Publications with 250 or more citations were identified from Science Citation Index Expanded (1900-2020), and those relating to structural CHD in children were reviewed. Articles were ranked by citation count and the 100 most cited were analysed. RESULTS The number of citations ranged from 2522 to 309 (median 431, IQR 356-518), with 35 published since 2000. All were written in English, most originated from the United States (74%), and were published in cardiovascular journals, with Circulation (28%) the most frequent. There were 86 original research articles, including 50 case series, 14 cohort studies, and 10 clinical trials. The most cited paper was by Hoffman JI and Kaplan S on the incidence of CHD. Thirteen authors had 4 or more publications in the top 100, all of whom had worked in Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, or Dallas, and the most prolific author was Newburger JW (9 articles). CONCLUSIONS Citation analysis provides a historical perspective on scientific progress by assessing the impact of individual articles. Our study highlights the dominant position of US-based researchers and journals in this field. Most of the highly cited articles remain case series, with few randomised controlled trials in CHD appearing in recent years.
Customer segmentation by web content mining

Abstract This article introduces a new dimension, Interpurchase Time (T), into the existing RFM (Recency, Frequency, and Monetary) model to form an expanded RFMT model for parsing consumers' online purchase sequences in a long period to implement customer segmentation. The proposed RFMT model can track and discern changes in customer purchasing behaviors during their whole shopping cycle. Firstly, a web content retrieving system was developed to fetch publicly available customer data on a retailer's website, including demographic information (gender, age, location, etc.) and product information (name, price, date, etc.) of each purchase in a period from 2008 to 2019. The RFMT values of a customer were then computed from the retrieved data and subsequently analyzed by the hierarchical clustering to derive seven homogeneous clusters with specific customer profiles. Subsequently, demographic features and product preferences were identified for each cluster with business insights that can help the retailer to improve customer relationships and to implement targeted recommendation strategies.
Hepatitis C treatment outcomes among patients treated in co-located primary care and addiction treatment settings.

Abstract Background Persons with substance use disorders face major barriers to hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment. Co-location of addiction and HCV treatment is appealing, yet there are limited data on outcomes using this model. This study evaluated HCV outcomes of patients treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) by primary care providers in two sites of co-located addiction/HCV care. Methods The study conducted a retrospective chart review for all patients receiving DAA treatment from 2016 to 2018 at 1) a hospital-based primary care clinic with an office-based buprenorphine program, and 2) a primary care clinic within an opioid treatment program (i.e. methadone clinic). The study classified patients into 3 groups according to treatment status: buprenorphine maintenance, methadone maintenance, or neither. Descriptive analyses compared patient demographics, clinical characteristics, adherence to monitoring and treatment, and the primary outcome of sustained virologic response at 12 weeks (SVR12), defined as an undetectable HCV viral load at least 12 weeks after completing treatment. Results This study included 50 patients who initiated DAA treatment. The majority of patients were unemployed (74.0%), did not smoke tobacco (54.0%), and had psychiatric comorbidities (80.0%). Many also experienced homelessness during treatment (22.0%) and experienced previous incarceration (36.0%). Only a few had recently injected drugs (4.0%). Seven of 7 (100%) patients were treated with buprenorphine, 21 of 24 (87.5%) patients were treated with methadone, and 17 of 19 (89.5%) patients receiving no opioid addiction treatment fully completed HCV DAA treatment. When including patients with missing SVR12 data with the cohort that did not achieve cure, we observe that 44 of 50 patients (88.0%) achieved SVR12. Excluding patients missing SVR12 data, we observed that 44 of 46 patients (95.7%) achieved SVR12. Conclusion Persons with substance use disorders treated with DAAs in co-located primary care and addiction treatment settings can achieve high rates of cure despite significant comorbidities and barriers. DAA treatment should be expanded to co-located HCV and addiction settings.
Interpersonal and spiritual resources in late-life adaptation and well-being: a study of elderly men and women religious residing within monastic religious communities

The purpose of this research study was to investigate how interpersonal and spiritual resources influence well-being in a sample of older men and women residing in religious monastic communities. Participants for this study included 235 (164 women and 71 men) individuals, age 64 and older, from the Religious Order of St. Benedict. Two (Age) X Two (Gender) Analyses of Variance were used to analyze mean differences. Young-old persons had higher mean scores on close friendship, coping behaviors, and personal growth than did old-old individuals. However, old-old individuals had higher average scores on religious coping behaviors and depression than did young-old persons. Women had higher mean scores on coping behaviors, life satisfaction, and personal growth. Men had higher average scores on depression in comparison to women. Multiple regression was then used to investigate direct and moderating effects of interpersonal and spiritual resources relative to stress and well-being. Lower levels of friendship and attachment to God were directly related to greater loneliness and depression, and higher levels of friendship and attachment to God were directly associated with greater personal growth. High friendship moderated the relationship between stress and loneliness. In addition, the effects of stress on depression were reduced in the presence of less friendship in combination with less attachment to God. Structural equation modeling was used in a final analysis. A religious (CEI = 1.00) and a secular (CFI = .98) model of well-being were established. Based on the secular model of well-being, multiple group comparison was performed. Greater stress was a predictor of less attachment to others in old-old persons. In addition, close friendship and less attachment to others were associated with greater socioemotional coping behaviors. For young-old individuals, greater attachment to others and greater socioemotional coping behaviors associated with more personal growth.
A global method for burning plasma stability

A code developed for studying a field reversed configuration that can be used to study burning plasmas is discussed. The code uses the formalism of Lewis et al. (1988) to solve the linearized Vlasov-Poisson system globally. Some preliminary results justifying the model are examined. The code has been applied to some model problems and has given fair agreement with known solutions. This code can be very useful in studying the physics of plasmas with an energetic alpha component. It is necessary to use a global model in studying these plasmas because the alpha particles and gradients cause the local approximation to break down. >
Selection for S107-V11 gene expression by peritoneal B cells in adult mice.

Peritoneal B-1 cells in adult mice express a restricted repertoire of V genes. To determine the basis for the nonrandom expression of one VH gene (the V11 gene in the S107 family), and to determine if this gene is nonrandomly expressed early in development, we amplified rearranged S107 genes in adult and neonatal tissues taken from B10.H-2aH-4bp/Wts (2a4b) mice. In adult peritoneal B cells, the S107-V11 gene was found to be productively rearranged up to five times more frequently than V1, another member of the S107 VH gene family. This did not occur in adult spleen, or in neonatal spleen or liver. In these three tissues the productive S107-V11/V1 rearrangement ratios ranged from 0.5 to 0.9. This difference suggests that S107-V11-expressing peritoneal B cells in adult mice have been selected and clonally expanded. Clonal expansion is further suggested by the differing ratios of productive to nonproductive rearrangements. In adult peritoneal B cells, the S107-V11 productive/non-productive ratio is higher than that of V1, consistent with the clonal expansion of S107-V11-expressing cells but not of V1-expressing cells. Analysis of the VHDJH junctional sequences in the productive S107-V11 rearrangements reveals that there are no predominant restrictions in the lengths or sequences of the third complementarity determining regions (CDR3). Selection is therefore independent of CDR3 and so must be based on germline-encoded portions of the S107-V11 region.
Variation in ultraviolet reflectance by carotenoid-bearing feathers of tanagers (Thraupini: Emberizinae: Passeriformes)

Avian visual sensitivity encompasses both the human visible range (400–700 nm) and also near-ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths (320–400 nm) invisible to normal humans. I used reflectance spectrophotometry to assess variation in UV reflectance for yellow, orange and red plumage in 67 species of tanager (Passeriformes). Previous chemical studies, and my analysis of reflectance minima, suggest that carotenoids are the dominant pigments in yellow, orange and red tanager plumage. Spectra recorded over the range of wavelengths to which birds are sensitive (320–700 nm) were invariably bimodal, with both a plateau of high reflectance at longer (> 500 nm) wavelengths and a distinct secondary peak at UV (< 400 nm) wavelengths. Within this overall framework, variation in UV reflectance was expressed within well-defined quantitative limits: (1) peak reflectance was always lower than the corresponding plateau of reflectance at longer visible wavelengths; (2) the intensity of peak reflectance declined steadily below 350 nm; (3) wavelengths of peak reflectance clustered between 350 and 370 nm. Significant correlations were detected between various measures of total reflectance in the UV and visible wavebands, but not between various measures of spectral location of UV and visible reflectance. I propose that the strong absorption band at short visible wavelengths (∼ 380–550 nm) responsible for bimodal spectra of carotenoids in vitro is also responsible for bimodal reflectance by carotenoid-based plumage colours. The construction of the UV and visible reflectance bands from different sides of this same absorbance band provides a mechanism for the observed covariation between UV and visible wavelengths. Lack of an association between the spectral locations of the UV and visible reflectance bands may result from the limited variation in spectral location of the UV band. These patterns suggest that plumage colours are subject to constraints, just as are more traditional morphological characters. © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 84, 243–257.
The Distance between Death and Marriage

AbstractThis article utilizes qualitative research from South Africa to problematize the global movement for the legalization of same-sex marriage. Taking seriously the centrality of sexuality to the establishment of empire, the article locates marriage as a mechanism not only of heteronormativity, but also of racialization. While marriage is heralded by international and national LGBT organizations as the greatest measure of societal inclusion within a liberal democracy, the article argues that heteronormativity, through the institution of marriage, is reinforced rather than challenged or shifted with the inclusion of same-sex couples. For black lesbian women in South Africa, the reinforcement of heteronorms has very real consequences, not least of which is the further entrenchment of a discourse that characterizes same-sex sexuality as ‘un-African’. The article suggests that the ‘inclusion’ in citizenship extended by marriage legislation comes at great cost and concludes by suggesting a reprioritization...
Rethinking Artificial Intelligence

The modern school of Artificial Intelligence was originally expected to provide a full working model of intelligence as a set of procedures. Scholars implemented these procedures over time to conceptualize the notion of an intelligent machine. Computer scientists rushed to implement working models that would allegedly reach beyond many limits. Perhaps the most debilitating act was equating what is efficient in procedures to what is artificialized in intelligence. Equally debilitating was interpreting the speed of arithmetic calculations as a quantifier: it led to teams being interpreting speed and accuracy as reflections of intelligence. In order to reach an artificial form of intelligence that is faithful to the amalgam of biological, physical and chemical that it seeks to imitate; scholars of AI must reach a deeper synthesis of its integrative nature, leading to the creation of many artificial synthetic forms of Intelligence, instead of a single vision of intelligence that simply focuses on matching the performance of the human brain. Having said that, we can clearly concur that most of the AI Modern School's limitations have been discovered and are well-documented and known to the AI community. Our aim is to discuss a number of these issues, particularly the limits previously described. We avow that these limits emerged from epistemological misunderstandings on the perceived meanings of intelligence itself, leading to the limits imposed in the current interpretations of AI. Future work in AI, or alternatively coined Synthetic Intelligence, must revisit fundamental assumptions about the nature of the brain, cognition, computing, and intelligence. Synthetic Intelligence focuses on the phenomena such as intelligence and consciousness, and mapping them to the physics of the brain and models of brain processes at each of its multiple levels. It is the ‘stack’ of brain subsystems at multiple levels, from cortical down to molecular, joined by a common thread, that make up a mind. What we need are mathematically described mechanisms and information structures to integrate computational discourse analysis, value systems, mapping of cognitive structures to neuron interactions and to the molecular mechanisms of such interactions. The key to this discovery will be the study of emergence of intelligence and consciousness in engineered systems - implemented in silico or in vitro.
A Fast Method to Estimate Sensor Translation

An important problem in visual motion analysis is to determine the parameters of egomotion. We present a simple, fast method that computes the translational motion of a sensor that is generating a sequence of images. This procedure computes a scalar function from the optical flow field induced on the image plane due to the motion of the sensor and uses the norm of this function as an error measure. Appropriate values of the parameters used in the computation of the scalar function yield zero error; this observation is used to locate the Focus of Expansion which is directly related to the translational motion.
A critical level of commercial bank concentration

Abstract This paper reports on a study of a critical level of concentration in banking markets using switching regressions as the proper estimating technique. The technique employs a search procedure that yields maximum likelihood estimates of thecritical concentration level and of the coefficients of the concentration-performance relationship. A threshold level of concentration appears to exist, above which the impacts of changes in concentration are the greatest. These results suggest that scarce bank regulatory resources be directed toward relatively more concentrated markets where the regulatory effort would seem to have the greatest impact. The results conflict with the findings of the few previous studies of this relationship in banking, presumably because they employed inappropriate estimating techniques.
Using Alternate Assessment to Improve Educational Outcomes

All students, including those with significant cognitive disabilities, must participate in accountability testing under NCLB regulations. Each state must provide an alternate assessment for student...
The Taste of Conquest: Colonialism, Cosmopolitics, and the Dark Side of Peru's Gastronomic Boom

Resumen Liderada por el chef Gaston Acurio, en el Peru se esta llevando a cabo una “revolucion gastronomica.” Planteado como un movimiento culinario y social, este boom gastronomico conlleva una promesa cosmopolita: unir a una nacion fragmentada y exportar la comida y cultura peruana al mundo. Este articulo sostiene que la celebracion de este boom oculta un lado oscuro: la marginalizacion y violencia hacia los indigenas y cuerpos no-humanos. En el examino el cosmopolitanismo de la cocina novoandina utilizando el enfoque cosmopolitico de Stengers y Latour, el cual sustituye la premisa de reconciliar conflictos en “un mundo” (la promesa cosmopolita) por la de examinar los conflictos que surgen en las conexiones parciales de varios mundos (la propuesta cosmopolitica de Stengers). Mas alla del escenario urbano de Lima, este articulo contempla las consecuencias del boom gastronomico para el mundo indigena y el mundo menos visible de los animales andinos como cuyes y alpacas.
Advanced automation in manufacturing and service industries

Summary form only given. While industrial automation has long been associated with the increase of manufacturing productivity, much of the current motivation behind the development of advanced automation techniques is driven by the need to enhance product quality, increase the safety of the operational environment, and quickly respond to changing consumer demands for new products. In this paper, we introduce some modern principles underlying the design and operation of advanced automation systems, then describe several industrial implementations in both manufacturing and service sectors. Special attention is paid to the concept of mass customization, and its potential impact on the growth of small enterprises. We start with the design stage, then look at the manufacturing process, and discuss the application of advanced automation concepts to the processing of both metals and textiles. The role of computer based modeling and inspection as quality control tools is examined. Finally, we present several recent developments in intelligent robotic systems, and describe their applications. Specific examples involving maintenance and repairs in nuclear power generation plants are discussed.
Plate boundary within Tjörnes Fracture Zone on northern Iceland's insular margin

The current North American-Eurasian plate boundary on Iceland's northern insular margin is defined. Overlapping rift zones and en echelon post-glacial volcanic eruptions oblique to the apparent transform direction of the Tjornes Fracture Zone suggest that the fault is in a transient deformational stage.
Structures and excited states of extended and folded mono-, di-, and tri-N-arylbenzamides

The relationship between molecular structure and electronic properties of 18 N-arylbenzamides has been investigated. The secondary amides adopt extended trans-amide conformations, whereas the tertiary amides adopt folded cis-amide conformations in which the N-aryl group is approximately perpendicular to the benzoyl group. The N-aryl groups of the tertiary di- and triamides occupy the same face of the benzoyl group and display edge-to-face aryl-aryl interactions. The long-wavelength absorption maxima of the secondary amides are red-shifted as the number of N-aryl groups increases, whereas the tertiary amides display are blue-shifted. ZINDO calculations aid in the assignment of the absorption and luminescence spectra. In all cases the lowest energy singlet state is assigned to a forbidden n,B* (carbonyl lone-pair to benzoyl) transition. The structureless fluorescence of the secondary and tertiary amides is assigned to planar and twisted n,B* singlets, respectively. The allowed absorption bands are assigned to A,B* (arene-to-benzoyl) or A,A* (arene-to-arene) transitions which are localized on a single arene, and the structured phosphorescence is assigned to A,A* triplet states.
CORR Insights®: Comorbidities in Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty: Do They Influence Hospital Costs and Length of Stay?

This CORR Insights® is a commentary on the article “Comorbidities in Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty: Do They Influence Hospital Costs and Length of Stay?” by Pugely and colleagues available at: DOI: 10.1007/s11999-014-3918-x. The author certifies that he, or any member of his immediate family, has no funding or commercial associations (eg, consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article. All ICMJE Conflict of Interest Forms for authors and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research ® editors and board members are on file with the publication and can be viewed on request. The opinions expressed are those of the writers, and do not reflect the opinion or policy of CORR ® or the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons®. This CORR Insights® comment refers to the article available at DOI: 10.1007/s11999-014-3918-x.
Decreased uptake in P/Q-type calcium channels in homozygous lethargic (Cacnb4lh) mice is associated with increased β3 and decreased β4 calcium channel subunit mRNA expression

Abstract The mutated gene in the lethargic (Cacnb4lh) mouse model of absence seizures encodes the β4 subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs), leading to decreased mRNA expression of a β4 subunit that is truncated and cannot bind to α1 subunits of VGCCs. In this study we accomplished two goals. First, we studied the functional consequence of altered VGCCs by examining the effects of a selective P/Q-type channel antagonist on KCl-induced 45 Ca 2+ uptake in brain synaptosomes from Cacnb4lh homozygotes and non-epileptic controls (designated by +/+). We found that depolarization-induced 45 Ca 2+ uptake was significantly reduced in the brains of Cacnb4lh homozygotes, and that the reduced uptake was completely accounted for by reduced function of P/Q-type calcium channel. Second, we examined VGCC subunit composition to determine if other subunits were altered in addition to the mutation affecting β4 subunits in Cacnb4lh homozygotes; when alterations were found, we determined if they were regional or global. We used in situ hybridization histochemistry (ISHH) to analyze the neuro-anatomic distribution of β4, β1b, β2, β3, α1A, α1B, α1C, α1E, and α1G subunit mRNAs in brain sections from matched Cacnb4lh homozygotes and +/+ controls. Our results indicated that expression of β4 subunit mRNA is globally reduced throughout the brains of Cacnb4lh homozygotes, in contrast to a small but significant global increase in the expression of β3 subunit mRNA. There were no significant differences in expression of the other VGCC subunit mRNAs examined. Together, these findings indicate that a host of changes in VGCC subunit composition accompany reduced function of P/Q-type channels in homozygous lethargic mice.
Observation of two-temperature electrons in a sputtering magnetron plasma

We experimentally find that there are hot and cold electron components present in a sputtering magnetron plasma. The density of the hot component is greatest in the magnetic trap and decreases with the distance from the cathode. The cold electron density is negligible inside the trap and is approximately constant outside. The largest cold electron density is nearly as great as the hot electron density inside the magnetic trap.
Investigations of errors in sample autocovariance functions and their corresponding power spectra

This paper concerns the calculation of autocovariance (autocorrelation) functions and the corresponding power spectra from a set of finite samples selected from the infinite population. In many optical experiments involving statistical fluctuations we wish to subtract the population mean from each measurement when the population mean is unknown. It is shown that subtracting the sample mean from each sample measurement leads to definite and predictable errors in the autocovariance function and its corresponding power spectrum. We show in a computer-generated example that the error introduced has significance in the autocovariance function but has much less significance in the power spectrum.
The robustness of homogeneity of variance tests for asymmetric distributions: A Monte Carlo study

Robustness properties of three equality of variances tests, the jackknife procedure, the k-sample Box-Andersen test, and Levene’s z test, were investigated and compared in a Monte Carlo study employing small samples from underlying gamma distributions and gamma mixtures. Overall, the jackknife test yielded rejection proportions usually closer to nominal levels under departures from normality, but the Box-Andersen test performed relatively well when departures from normality were not extreme. Four recommendations regarding testing variances were offered.
New Directions in Federalism Studies

New Directions in Federalism Studies Jan Erk & Wilfried Swenden (Eds) London, Routledge, 2010, Routledge/ECPR Studies in European Political Science, ISBN 0-415-54844-6 In their edited volume New Di...
Water Quality Changes in Lake Erie, 1968–1980☆

Abstract Data on chlorophyll a, total phosphorus, and hypolimnetic dissolved oxygen concentration, which were collected by Canada Centre for Inland Waters during the period 1968 to 1980, are statistically analyzed to evaluate the changes in the water quality of Lake Erie. There are strong evidences of a decreasing trend in the value of chlorophyll a and total phosphorus in the western, central, and eastern basins of the lake between 1970 and 1980. Furthermore, a statistical model is developed for the hypolimnetic dissolved oxygen concentration in the central basin. The model shows that the increase in depletion is related to the increase in the level of total phosphorus. Hence, it is possible to improve the anoxic conditions in the lake by controlling total phosphorus loadings.
Kanadaptin Is a Protein That Interacts with the Kidney but Not the Erythroid Form of Band 3

Although epithelial membrane proteins are separately targeted to apical or basolateral domains, some are apically located in one cell type but are basolateral in others. More dramatically, the anion exchanger of a clonal cell line of intercalated cells derived from the kidney can be retargeted from the apical to basolateral domain. This Cl:HCO3 exchanger, kAE1, is an alternately spliced form of the erythroid anion exchanger (AE1, band 3), but unlike band 3 it does not bind ankyrin. Here we identify a new protein (kanadaptin) that binds to the cytoplasmic domain of kAE1 in vitro and in vivo but not to the erythroid AE1 or to ankyrin. No significant homologous proteins have been reported so far. Kanadaptin is widely expressed in epithelial (kidney, lung, and liver) and non-epithelial cells (brain and skeletal and cardiac muscle). In kidney, we found by immunocytochemistry that kanadaptin was only expressed in the collecting tubule. In the intercalated cells of this segment, it colocalized with kAE1 in cytoplasmic vesicles but not when the exchanger was in the basolateral membrane. These results raised the possibility that this protein is involved in the targeting of kAE1 vesicles to their final destination.
Performance driven floorplanning for FPGA based designs

Increasing design densities on large FPGAs and greater demand for performance, has calledfor special purpose tools like floorplanner, performance driven router, and more. In this paper we present a floorplanning based design mapping solution that is capable of mapping macro cell based designs as well as hierarchicaldesigns on FPGAs. The mapping solution has been tested extensively on a large collection of designs. We not only outperform state of the art CAE tools from industry in terms of execution time but also achieve much better performance in terms of timing. These methods are especially suitable for mapping designs on very large FPGAs.
Ultrastructural colocalization of the bioactive mediators 5-hydroxytryptamine and bombesin in endocrine cells of human fetal airways

Endocrine cells in the airway epithelium of human fetal lungs are known to contain an amine, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT), and a peptide, bombesin (BOM). These mediators may be involved in regulating smooth muscle and secretory activity in the airways as well as in development of the fetal lung. However, the exact endocrine cell type that contains 5HT and BOM has not been described at the ultrastructural level. This investigation provides immunocytochemical evidence that 5HT and BOM are stored in a single cell type, the P1 cell. Thin sections of airways from human fetal lungs were incubated either in anti-5HT antiserum (diluted 1∶3000) or in anti-BOM antiserum (diluted 1∶600) and then labeled with affinity purified goat anti-rabbit IgG coupled to 16 nm gold particles. For colocalization, thin sections were incubated on one side to demonstrate 5HT and on the other side to demonstrate BOM. Two different sizes of gold particles (10 and 30 nm) were coupled to IgGs and used for the labeled second antibodies. Controls consisted of absorbing of the primary antiserum with an excess of either 5HT or BOM. 5HT-and BOM-like immunoreactivities were observed in the dense-core vesicles (DCV) of P1 cells, and it was apparent from serial sections that 5HT and BOM labeling was sometimes present in the same P1 cells. Sections labeled for 5HT on one side with large gold particles and for BOM on the other side with small gold particles revealed that 5HT-and BOM-like immunoreactivities were located in the same DCV. Labeling did not occur when the anti-5HT antiserum was absorbed with 5HT or when the anti-BOM antiserum was absorbed with BOM. These results demonstrate that 5HT-and BOM-like immunoreactivity is present in P1 endocrine cells of human fetal lung. Furthermore, a single DCV contains both 5HT and BOM.
A spatially calibrated model of annual accumulation rate on the Greenland Ice Sheet (1958-2007)

[1] Past estimates of Greenland Ice Sheet accumulation rates have been multiyear climatologies based on ice/firn cores and coastal precipitation records. Existing annually resolved estimates have incompletely quantified uncertainty, owing primarily to incomplete spatial coverage. This study improves upon these shortcomings by calibrating annual (1958–2007) solid precipitation output from the Fifth Generation Mesoscale Model modified for polar climates (Polar MM5) using firn core and meteorological station data. The calibration employs spatial interpolation of regionally derived linear correction functions. Residual uncertainties exhibit coherent spatial patterns, which are modeled via spatial interpolation of root mean squared errors. Mean 1958–2007 Greenland Ice Sheet annual accumulation rate is 337 ± 48 mm/yr water equivalent (w.e.) or 591 ± 83 Gt/yr. Annual estimates contain one standard deviation uncertainties of 74 mm/yr w.e., 22%, or 129 Gt/yr. Accumulation rates in southeast Greenland are found to exceed 2000 mm/yr w.e. and to dominate interannual variability in Greenland Ice Sheet total accumulated mass, representing 31% of the whole. Accumulation rates in the southeast are of sufficient magnitude to affect the sign of Greenland mass balance during some years. The only statistically significant temporal change in total ice sheet accumulation in the 1958–2007 period occurred between 1960 and 1972, when a simultaneous accumulation increase and decrease occurred in west and east Greenland, respectively. No statistically significant uniform change in ice sheet‐wide accumulation is evident after 1972. However, regional changesdooccur,includingan accumulation increaseonthewestcoast post‐1992.Thehigh accumulation rates of 2002–2003 appear to be confined to the southeast.
Cyclophilin A retrotransposition into TRIM5 explains owl monkey resistance to HIV-1

In Old World primates, TRIM5-alpha confers a potent block to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection that acts after virus entry into cells. Cyclophilin A (CypA) binding to viral capsid protects HIV-1 from a similar activity in human cells. Among New World primates, only owl monkeys exhibit post-entry restriction of HIV-1 (ref. 1). Paradoxically, the barrier to HIV-1 in owl monkey cells is released by capsid mutants or drugs that disrupt capsid interaction with CypA. Here we show that knockdown of owl monkey CypA by RNA interference (RNAi) correlates with suppression of anti-HIV-1 activity. However, reintroduction of CypA protein to RNAi-treated cells did not restore antiviral activity. A search for additional RNAi targets unearthed TRIMCyp, an RNAi-responsive messenger RNA encoding a TRIM5-CypA fusion protein. TRIMCyp accounts for post-entry restriction of HIV-1 in owl monkeys and blocks HIV-1 infection when transferred to otherwise infectable human or rat cells. It seems that TRIMCyp arose after the divergence of New and Old World primates when a LINE-1 retrotransposon catalysed the insertion of a CypA complementary DNA into the TRIM5 locus. This is the first vertebrate example of a chimaeric gene generated by this mechanism of exon shuffling.
Fatty acid activation of guanylate cyclase from fibroblasts and liver.

Abstract Sodium arachidonate and sodium oleate increased particulate guanylate cyclase activity from homogenates of Balb 3T3 cells or rat liver. The fatty acids were about equipotent and were maximally effective at about 100 μ m concentrations. Higher concentrations were less effective or inhibitory. Activation was similar in an air or nitrogen atmosphere and was unaltered by KCN, aspirin, or indomethacin. The dose-response curve was shifted to the right when arachidonate was preincubated prior to its addition to guanylate cyclase assays. Agents that facilitate fatty acid oxidation and the formation of malonyldialdehyde during preincubation such as glutathione, hemoglobin, Mn 2+ , Fe 3+ , or lipoxygenase shifted the dose-response curve further to the right. In contrast, agents that decreased or prevented arachidonate oxidation and malonyldialdehyde formation during preincubation such as butylated hydroxyanisole, propyl gallate, hydroquinone, and diphenylfuran prevented the shift in the dose-response curve or in some instances shifted the dose-response curve to the left. Activation of guanylate cyclase by arachidonate was reversed by the addition of lipoxygenase to incubations. These studies indicate that unsaturated fatty acids and not their oxidation products activate particulate enzyme from Balb 3T3 cells. The mechanism of fatty acid activation appears to be different from activation by nitro compounds. Fatty acids but not nitro compounds activated fibroblast preparations, and the effect of fatty acids in contrast to the activation by nitroprusside in liver preparations was not prevented with Lubrol PX.
Preferential action of 5-methoxytryptamine and 5-methoxydimethyltryptamine on presynaptic serotonin receptors: A comparative iontophoretic study with LSD and serotonin

Abstract The effects of iontophoretic application of 5-methoxytryptamine (5-MeOT) and 5-methoxy-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeODMT) were studied on serotonin (5-HT)-containing neurones of the mid-brain raphe nuclei (presynaptic area) and on neurones of two representative postsynaptic areas, the lateral geniculate body (ventral nucleus) and the amygdala (median, cortical and basolateral nuclei) which both receive a dense 5-HT input from the midbrain raphe. The effects of 5-MeOT and 5-MeODMT were compared to that of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and 5-HT applied to the same neurones. All four substances depressed neuronal firing in the three areas. Lysergic acid diethylamide, 5-MeODMT and 5-MeOT were found to exert a much more powerful effect on presynaptic (5-HT) neurones whereas 5-HT was slightly more active in depressing postsynaptic (amygdala and geniculate) neurones. The ratios of the pre- and postsynaptic efficacies were calculated to be 5.6, 4.3, 1.8 and 0.7 for LSD, 5-MeODMT, 5-MeOT and 5-HT respectively. Since a correlation between the hallucinogenic efficacy of indoleamines and their preferential presynaptic effect has been described, these results are in agreement with the reported hallucinogenic potency of 5-MeODMT and suggest that 5-MeOT could also have psychotomimetic properties.
Proposed fellowship training program in pediatric emergency medicine for emergency medicine graduates

Interest in pediatric emergency medicine has grown steadily during the past decade among pediatricians and emergency physicians. With the rapid proliferation of pediatric emergency medicine programs for pediatricians has come extensive and valuable experience with this type of fellowship education. As a result, the structure and scope of these programs have become increasingly well established. Because the number of pediatric emergency medicine fellowship programs for emergency physicians has yet to reach "critical mass," no similar de facto standards exist for these programs. The recent establishment of guidelines for pediatric emergency medicine subspecialty certification by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics brings new importance to fostering such standards for the training for emergency physicians. To this end, we present a proposed pediatric emergency medicine fellowship program developed during a retreat that included physicians from an emergency medicine program and two pediatric hospitals. We also review some of the significant events that have occurred in the evolution of pediatric emergency care.
Teacher Mentoring and Early Literacy Learning: A Case Study of a Mentor-Coach Initiative

Educational reform policies such as the No Child Left Behind Act continue to place great demands on teachers. Additionally, educational reform policies such as this imply the need for continuous professional development activities that enhance teacher qualifications, especially for practicing teachers. This study examined the effectiveness of a nation-wide mentor-coach initiative towards enhancing teacher pedagogy and its effect on children’s literacy performance. Forty-four Head Start teachers and classrooms were examined. Results indicated that reading and writing scores benefited significantly more when teachers participated in the mentor-coach initiative. These findings suggest that professional development activities such as mentor-coach initiatives, if offered appropriately, can enhance children’s academic performance.
The gas phase chemistry of bare and ligated transition metal ions: Correlations of reactivity with electronic structure—I. M+ and MCO+

Abstract In the gas phase, univalent cations such as Cr+, CrCO+, Cr(CO)2+, etc. have been generated, and their chemistry with neutral molecules characterized, using a number of mass spectrometric techniques. Presented here are results of ab initio calculations on two transition metal ion—monocarbonyl molecules, ScCO+ and CrCO+. These calculations suggest that the bonding in such systems is predominantly electrostatic in nature; this information is used to evaluate existing data on the gas phase chemistry of a variety of bare and ligated first-row transition metal ions.
Paramagnetic Resonance and Spin-Lattice Relaxation for Ytterbium in Yttrium Ethyl Sulfate; Large Anisotropies and Evidence for Electric Dipole Transitions

Paramagnetic resonance is detected for $^{172}\mathrm{Yb}^{3+}$ ions diluted in crystals of Y${({\mathrm{C}}_{2}{\mathrm{H}}_{5}\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{O}}_{4})}_{3}$ \ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{} 9${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O at temperatures $1.2\ensuremath{\leqq}T\ensuremath{\leqq}4.2$ \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K, and $\ensuremath{\nu}=23$ GHz, for $0\ensuremath{\leqq}\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{\leqq}70\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$, where $\ensuremath{\theta}$ is the angle between the crystal $c$ axis and $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{H}}$. We find ${g}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}=3.328\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.005$; ${g}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$ is not directly measured, but estimated to be ${g}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}\ensuremath{\approx}0.01$ from the resonance intensity at $\ensuremath{\theta}=0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$. An observed angular variation of ${10}^{2}$ in linewidth can be explained by a $c$-axis wander throughout the crystal, of order ${(\ensuremath{\delta}\ensuremath{\theta})}_{\mathrm{rms}}\ensuremath{\approx}0.05\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$. A striking angular variation in line intensity, of the form $\frac{({tan}^{2}\ensuremath{\theta})}{cos\ensuremath{\theta}}$ over five orders of magnitude, is used to deduce that the observed line is an electric dipole transition rather than the usual magnetic dipole transition, observed only at $\ensuremath{\theta}=0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$. This is further confirmed by placement of the crystal in the cavity in regions of maximum electric or magnetic field. The electric dipole transition comes about by the combined action of the Zeeman perturbation and admixtures of even-parity states into the odd-parity $4{f}^{13}$ configuration by odd terms in the ${C}_{3h}$ crystal field. The direct spin-lattice relaxation rate is measured by a microwave pulse-recovery method and found to be ${T}_{1d}^{\ensuremath{-}1}=134T{tan}^{2}\ensuremath{\theta}$ ${\mathrm{sec}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ ($T$ in \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K) at constant frequency $\ensuremath{\nu}=23.11$ GHz, which corresponds to ${T}_{1d}^{\ensuremath{-}1}=2.4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}17}{H}^{5}{cos}^{3}\ensuremath{\theta}{sin}^{2}\ensuremath{\theta}coth(\frac{h\ensuremath{\nu}}{2kT})$ ${\mathrm{sec}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ ($H$ in oersteds), the theoretically expected form. At large angles the data indicate a phonon bottle-neck. It was found that the EPR signal could be reduced by optical pumping in the $1\ensuremath{-} \mathrm{to} 3\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\mu}$ region. An optical pulse-recovery method was used to measure the Raman spin-lattice relaxation rate, ${T}_{1R}^{\ensuremath{-}1}=0.0135{T}^{9}$ ${\mathrm{sec}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. These data are of central importance in the analysis of nuclear spin refrigerators utilizing this unusually anisotropic crystal.
Instability of vortex lines in the presence of axial normal fluid flow

We show that a normal mode analysis of the complete Hall two-fluid equations in rotating He II yields a critical velocity for axial normal fluid flow which is identical to the critical velocity derived in an earlier paper from the superfluid equation alone. We also present a simplified derivation of the critical velocity based on consideration of the forces acting on an isolated vortex line. The analysis is extended to 3 He- 4 He solutions and it is shown that rather small impurity concentrations can greatly increase the critical heat current in axial thermal counterflow.
Does it matter what you call it? A randomized trial of language used to describe palliative care services

Introduction Integration of palliative care into oncology practice remains suboptimal. Misperceptions about the meaning of palliative care may negatively impact utilization.
Positron yield as a function of energy at APosS - The Argonne Positron Source

The development of the Argonne Positron Source (APosS) at the Argonne National Laboratory low-energy electron linac is discussed. We describe the measurement of the yield of slow positrons as a function of electron-beam energy and compare these results with theoretical calculations. Those results were used to establish the optimal regime for positron production.
Methane release from soils of a Georgia salt marsh

Abstract A seasonal study of methane release from marsh soils to the atmosphere indicates that ebullition is a significant process varying both seasonally and spatially. Release rates are higher during summer months than winter months and ebullition is greatest in the short Spartina alterniflora marshes and least in the tall S. alterniflora marshes. The annual amounts of methane released in the short and tall marshes are 53.1 and 0.4 gm −3 which represents a loss of 8.8 and 0.002% of the net carbon fixation in the two respective marsh types. In vitro experimentation shows that methane production is sensitive to changes in temperature and addition of H 2 and CO 2 .