cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prophylaxis in haemophilia patients with inhibitors.

Summary. The presence of high titre inhibitors makes the treatment of bleeding episodes in haemophilia patients difficult and increases the risk of uncontrollable bleeding and disability, despite optimum on-demand treatment with bypassing agents. The inability to effectively control joint bleeding leads to progressive joint disease in many patients with inhibitors. Significant mobility impairments are far more prevalent in patients with inhibitors than in those without inhibitors. Emerging data suggest that prophylaxis using bypassing agents may be effective and safe in reducing the incidence of joint bleeding during immune tolerance induction (ITI), and for patients who failed ITI or who were never candidates for ITI. Only controlled clinical trials will ultimately demonstrate whether prophylaxis can prevent joint bleeding and damage, and improve quality of life in patients with inhibitors. This article will review the published data on the use of bypassing agents in the prevention of bleeding, and will discuss ongoing clinical prophylaxis trials in inhibitor patients.
Phase Regulation of Decentralized Cyclic Robotic Systems

We address the problem of coupling cyclic robotic tasks to produce a specified coordinated behavior. Such coordination tasks are common in robotics, appearing in applications like walking, hopping, running, juggling and factory automation. In this paper we introduce a general methodology for designing controllers for such settings. We introduce a class of dynamical systems defined over n-dimensional tori (the cross product of n oscillator phases) that serve as reference fields for the specified task. These dynamical systems represent the ideal flow and phase couplings of the various cyclic tasks to be coordinated. In particular, given a specification of the desired connections between oscillating subsystems, we synthesize an appropriate reference field and show how to determine whether the specification is realized by the field. In the simplest case that the oscillating components admit a continuous control authority, they are made to track the phases of the corresponding components of the reference field...
The magnetohydrodynamics of the coreless induction furnace

An idealized induction furnace, in which the motion is due to thermal buoyancy, is analysed by the simultaneous solutions of the Maxwell, Navier?Stokes and energy equations commonly used in magnetohydro-dynamics. Temperature and velocity profiles are obtained, and an understanding of the coupling between electromagnetic, thermal and mechanical phenomena is gained. It is shown that, for a given applied magnetic field produced by the exciting coil and a given furnace width, there is an optimum frequency of exciting current which produces maximum motion of the molten charge.
Generalized variability response functions for two-dimensional elasticity problems

The ability to determine probabilistic characteristics of response quantities in structural mechanics (e.g. displacements, stresses) as well as effective material properties is restricted due to lack of information on the probabilistic characteristics of the uncertain system parameters. The concept of the variability response function (VRF) has been proposed as a means to systematically capture the effect of the stochastic spectral characteristics of uncertain system parameters modeled by homogeneous random fields on the uncertain structural response. The key property of the VRF in its classical sense is its independence from the marginal probability distribution function (PDF) and the spectral density function (SDF) of the uncertain system parameters (it depends only on the deterministic structural configuration and boundary conditions). Proofs have been provided for the existence of VRFs for linear and some nonlinear statically determinate beams. For statically indeterminate structures, the Monte Carlo based generalized variability response function (GVRF) methodology has been proposed recently as a generalization of the VRF concept to indeterminate linear and some nonlinear beams. The methodology computes GVRFs, which are analogous to VRFs for statically determinate structures, and evaluates their dependence (or lack thereof) on the PDF and SDF of the random field, thereby providing an estimate of the accuracy of the GVRF. In this paper, the GVRF methodology is extended to problems involving two-dimensional, linear continua whose stochasticity is characterized by statistically homogeneous random fields. After detailing the GVRF methodology for two-dimensional random fields, two numerical examples are provided: GVRFs are computed for the displacement response and for the effective compliance of linear plane stress systems.
Sex Role Orientation, Self-Esteem, and Depression: A Latent Variables Analysis:

Latent variables analysis was used to investigate the relationships among sex role orientation, self-esteem, and depression. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated that masculinity, self-esteem, and depression were separate, but highly correlated, constructs and that femininity was independent of the other three constructs. A hierarchical CFA indicated that masculinity, self-esteem, and depression were components of a higher-order construct, identified as Factor IV (Negative Affectivity) of the 'Big Five"personality taxonomy. The results of a covariance structure analysis were consistent with two models of the role of self-esteem in the masculinity-depression relationship: self-esteem and masculinity as correlated predictors of depression and self-esteem as a mediator of the masculinity-depression relationship. Implications of these results for theory and research are discussed.
Why did Education Become Publicly Funded? Evidence from the Nineteenth-Century Growth of Public Primary Schooling in the United States

Why do voters publicly fund education? I examine two explanations: public funds may be a means for decisive voters to transfer wealth to themselves or voters may subsidize the education of others to raise social education levels and realize external benefits. I test these theories in the 1800s, when full tax support of primary schools emerged. States where median and mean wealth was closer together had higher fractions of education revenue from public sources. Attendance rates rose when the public share of education funding rose, especially for poor children. These facts are consistent with a model with external benefits of education.
Incontinentia pigmenti: Three cases with unusual features

Three patients with incontinentia pigmenti are described who illustrate some of the unusual features of this uncommon genodermatosis. One child with skin, ophthalmologic, and dental findings had atrophic, hypopigmented streaks on her legs by the age of 2½ years that were consistent with the fourth stage of incontinentia pigmenti. This child's mother, who also had incontinentia pigmenti, had identical atrophic streaks on the legs, as well as irregular axillary pigmentation, scarring alopecia, and dental abnormalities. A second child is described who had annular blisters, persistent verrucous plaques, whorled byperpigmentation, and dental abnormalities.
Constitutive Relationship for Apple Cortex Under Hydrostatic Stress

Hydrostatic creep tests were run on cylindrical specimens of Rome Beauty apples to study the mechanical response. Volumetric strain was measured for different levels and durations of applied stress. The former was separated into recoverable, permanent, instantaneous, and time dependent components. A general constitntive relationship was developed from statistical analysis. A mechanical model was proposed to explain the strain response of the material.
Prevalence and determinants of vaginal flora alterations in postmenopausal women

The vaginal ecology of 463 community-dwelling postmenopausal women was characterized. Vaginal lactobacilli were present in 62% of the women and were significantly more prevalent among women receiving hormone replacement therapy during the previous year. Vaginal Escherichia coli and enterococci were each present in 39% of women and were significantly more frequent in women with a history of urinary tract infection. Heavy growth of lactobacilli was associated with a lower frequency of vaginal colonization with E. coli. Thus, postmenopausal women have a relative depletion of vaginal lactobacilli and an increase in vaginal E. coli compared with premenopausal women.
The mini-open anterolateral approach for degenerative thoracolumbar disease

Abstract Introduction Anterolateral retroperitoneal, retrodiaphragmatic, and/or retropleural (RPDP) approaches have been used to treat a variety of spinal conditions. The traditional extensive thoracoabdominal approach can be modified to focus on the area of pathology. A less invasive "mini-open" anterolateral approach may be associated with fewer complications and shorter recovery than the thoracoabdominal procedure. There are few reports in the literature describing the technique and results of this less invasive approach to thoracolumbar degenerative pathology. Methods 417 spinal fusion cases from a single institution were reviewed from 1999 to 2006, and 23 anterolateral mini-open approaches to degenerative spinal pathology were identified. The mini-open approach entailed a 4–8cm oblique lateral incision with harvesting of a single rib for use in arthrodesis, followed by RPDP access to the lateral spine. A total of 36 levels were fused. These cases were retrospectively reviewed with a minimum of two-year follow-up to determine the feasibility of the approach as well as incidence of complications. In addition, preliminary clinical results were tabulated. Results One pseudarthrosis and four minor complications were identified. There were no major complications or deaths. Mean length of hospital stay was 4 days. Blood loss was less than 200cm 3 for all cases. Using modified Odom's criteria, 74% of patients had adequate resolution of their symptoms and rated their outcome as satisfactory, good, or excellent. Conclusions Mini-open anterolateral approaches to the thoracolumbar spine are associated with acceptable outcomes with a low complication rate. Although no direct comparison with the more extensive thoracoabdominal approach has been performed, review of the literature suggests that the mini-open approach reduces complications and length of hospital stay.
Dolomitization and Dolomite Neomorphism: Trenton and Black River Limestones (Middle Ordovician) Northern Indiana, U.S.A.

ABSTRACT The Trenton and Black River Limestones are dolomitized extensively along the axis of the Kankakee Arch in Indiana, with the proportion of dolomite decreasing to the south and southeast of the arch. Planar and nonplanar dolomite replacement textures and rhombic (type 1) and saddle (type 2) void-filling dolomite cements are present. Three stages of dolomitization, involving different fluids, are inferred on the basis of petrographic and geochemical characteristics of the dolomites. Nonferroan planar dolomite has relatively high 18O values (-1.8 to -6.1o/oo PDB) and has 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.70833 to 0.70856) that overlap those of Middle Ordovician seawater. Petrography, geochemistry, and the geometry of the dolomitized body suggest that the planar dolomite was formed in Middle and Late Ordovician seawater during the deposition of the overlying Maquoketa Shale. Ferroan planar and nonplanar dolomite occurs in the upper few meters of the Trenton Limestone, confined to areas underlain by planar dolomite. This dolomite contains patches of nonferroan dolomite with cathodoluminescence (CL) characteristics similar to underlying planar dolomite. Ferroan dolomite has relatively low 18O values (-5.1 to -7.3o/oo PDB) and has slightly radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.70915 to 0.70969) similar to those obtained for the overlying Maquoketa Shale. These data indicate that ferroan dolomite formed by neomorphism of nonferroan planar dolomite as fluids were expelled from the overlying Maquoketa Shale during burial. The absence of ferroan dolomite at the Trenton-Maquoketa contact, in areas where the earlier-formed nonferroan planar dolomite also is absent, indicates that the fluid expelled from the overlying shale did not contain enough Mg2+ to dolomitize limestone. Type 1 dolomite cement has isotopic compositions similar to those of the ferroan dolomite, suggesting that it also formed from shale-derived burial fluids. CL growth zoning patterns in these cements suggest that diagenetic fluids moved stratigraphically downward and toward the southeast along the axis of the Kankakee Arch. Type 2 saddle dolomite cements precipitated late; their low 18O values (-6.0 to -7.0o/oo PDB) are similar to those of the type 1 dolomite cement. However, fluid-inclusion data indicate that the saddle dolomite was precipitated from more saline, basinal fluids and at higher temperatures (94° to 143°C) than the type 1 cements (80° to 104°C). A trend of decreasing fluid-inclusion homogenization temperatures and salinities from the Michigan Basin to the axis of Kankakee Arch suggests that these fluids emerged from the Michigan Basin after precipitation of type 1 cement.
Comparison of Thermal Variance Dissipation Rates from Moored and Profiling Instruments at the Equator

AbstractAs a quantitative test of moored mixing measurements using χpods, a comparison experiment was conducted at 0°, 140°W in October–November 2008. The following three measurement elements were involved: (i) NOAA’s Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) mooring with five χpods, (ii) a similar mooring 9 km away with seven χpods, and (iii) Chameleon turbulence profiles at an intermediate location.Dissipation rates of temperature variance and turbulent kinetic energy are compared. In all but 3 of 17 direct comparisons 15-day mean values of χT agreed within 95% bootstrap confidence limits computed with the conservative assumption that individual 1-min χpod averages and individual Chameleon profiles are independent. However, significant mean differences occur on 2-day averages. Averaging in time reduces the range (95%) in the observed differences at two locations from a factor of 17 at 1-day averaging time to less than a factor of 2 at 15 days, presumably reflecting the natural variability in both the turbulence a...
The Consensus Estimate for the Equity Premium by Academic Financial Economists in December 2007

A sample of about 400 finance professors estimates the 1-year equity premium and the 30-year geometric equity premium to be about 5%, as of year-end 2007. The sample interquartile range is 4% to 6%. The typical range recommended in their classes is a little higher (from 4% to 7%, with a mean of 6%). Since 2001, participants have become more bearish (by about 0.5%). The participants estimate the 30-year arithmetic equity premium estimate to be about 75 basis points higher than its geometric equivalent; and they estimate the 30-year geometric expected rate of return on the stock market to be about 9%. 75% of finance professors recommend using the CAPM for corporate capital budgeting purposes; 10% recommend the Fama-French model; 5% recommend an APT model.
Size and Generation Rate of Sidestream Cigarette Smoke Particles

Sidestream cigarette smoke generated using an automatic smoking machine (SEM-II) and Kentucky 2R1 reference cigarettes was analyzed for particle generation rate and size distribution. Part of the sidestream smoke was sampled with an Andersen Cascade Impactor, following dilution with about 29 to 54 liters/min of laboratory air. The remaining sidestream smoke was further diluted 1,000-fold with vapor phase from filtered sidestream smoke before analysis with an Electrical Aerosol Analyzer and Condensation Nuclei Counter. The smoking parameters of primary dilution ratio and puff pressure were varied in the experiments. The number median diameter of sidestream cigarette smoke was about 0.10 μm, and the mass median diameter was typically 0.16 μm, about half the size of fresh mainstream smoke. Additionally, the size distribution of sidestream smoke was significantly broader than that of mainstream smoke. The particle generation rate of sidestream smoke depended on smoking conditions and varied from 1.4 × 109 to ...
Automated small-signal analysis of switching converters using a general-purpose time-domain simulator

The paper describes a method for automated small-signal frequency response analysis based on transient response obtained using a general-purpose simulation tool such as Spice. The method is based on using the simulation tool to evaluate the converter impulse response. The main advantage of the proposed method as a design verification tool is that frequency responses can be generated efficiently for any converter configuration and any model complexity supported by the general-purpose simulator. Application examples are included to demonstrate very good correlation between the generated responses and experimental data, and to compare the results with predictions of approximate analytical methods.
Flow Development and Analysis of MHD Generators and Seawater Thrusters

In this paper, the flow characteristics inside magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) plasma generators and seawater thrusters are analyzed and are compared using a three-dimensional computer model that solves the governing partial differential equations for fluid flow and electrical fields. Calculations have been performed for a Faraday plasma generator and for a continuous electrode seawater thruster. The results of the calculations show that the effects caused by the interaction of the MHD forces with the fluid flow are strongly manifested in the case of the MHD generator as compared to the flow development in the MHD thruster. The existence of velocity overshoots over the sidewalls confirm previously published results for MHD generators with strong MHD interaction. For MHD thrusters, the velocity profile is found to be slightly flatter over the sidewall as compared to that over the electrode wall. As a result, distinct enhancement of the skin friction exists over the sidewalls of MHD generators in comparison to that of MHD thrusters. Plots of velocity profiles and skin friction distributions are presented to illustrate and compare the flow development in MHD generators and thrusters.
Mixing driven by vertically variable forcing: an application to the case of Langmuir circulation

Two-dimensional mixing driven by an instability mechanism which is concentrated near one of the boundaries is considered, with particular application to Langmuir circulations driven by a wave spectrum. The question of how to define the equivalent of the Rayleigh number is attacked using the energy balance equations and simple truncated models of the instability. Given a particular horizontal wavelength for the disturbance, the strength of the forcing on the cells, and thus the growth rate, is determined by a tradeoff between maximizing the depth-averaged forcing and maximizing the depth of penetration. As a result of this tradeoff, long-wavelength cells grow more slowly, but penetrate more deeply and have a larger equivalent Rayleigh number. At finite amplitude, these long-wavelength cells come to dominate the flow field. The depth of penetration of, and density transport accomplished by, Langmuir cells is considered as a function of the mean stratification and diffusion. An application to oceanic mixed layers is considered assuming the Mellor-Yamada 2 1/2-level turbulence closure model to define the background level of turbulent mixing. For many realistic cases, Langmuir cells are predicted to dominate the vertical transport of momentum and density.
Cyclic AMP-Independent Regulation of Protein Kinase A Substrate Phosphorylation by Kelch Repeat Proteins

Pseudohyphal and invasive growth in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is regulated by the kelch repeat-containing proteins Gpb1p and Gpb2p, which act downstream of the G protein α-subunit Gpa2p. Here we show that deletion of GPB1 and GPB2 causes increased haploid invasive growth in cells containing any one of the three protein kinase A (PKA) catalytic subunits, suggesting that Gpb1p and Gpb2p are able to inhibit each of these kinases. Cells containing gpb1Δ gpb2Δ mutations also display increased phosphorylation of the PKA substrates Sfl1p and Msn2p, indicating that Gpb1p and Gpb2p are negative regulators of PKA substrate phosphorylation. Stimulation of PKA-dependent signaling by gpb1Δ gpb2Δ mutations occurs in cells that lack both adenylyl cyclase and the high-affinity cyclic AMP (cAMP) phosphodiesterase. This effect is also seen in cells that lack the low-affinity cAMP phosphodiesterase. Given that these three enzymes control the synthesis and degradation of cAMP, these results indicate that the effect of Gpb1p and Gpb2p on PKA substrate phosphorylation does not occur by regulating the intracellular cAMP concentration. These findings suggest that Gpb1p and Gpb2p mediate their effects on the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway either by inhibiting the activity of PKA in a cAMP-independent manner or by activating phosphatases that act on PKA substrates.
Total synthesis of GEX1Q1, assignment of C-5 stereoconfiguration and evaluation of spliceosome inhibitory activity.

An enantioselective total synthesis of GEX1Q1 has been accomplished in a convergent manner. The C-5 asymmetric center has now been assigned through synthesis. GEX1Q1 displayed slightly better spliceosome inhibitory activity over its C-5 epimer. The salient features of this synthesis include an asymmetric hetero-Diels–Alder reaction to construct the tetrahydropyran ring and a Suzuki cross-coupling to assemble the key segments.
Computerized surveillance of opioid-related adverse drug events in perioperative care: a cross-sectional study

Given the complexity of surgical care, perioperative patients are at high risk of opioid-related adverse drug events. Existing methods of detection, such as trigger tools and manual chart review, are time-intensive which makes sustainability challenging. Using strategic rule design, computerized surveillance may be an efficient, pharmacist-driven model for event detection that leverages existing staff resources. Computerized adverse drug event surveillance uses a logic-based rules engine to identify potential adverse drug events or evolving unsafe clinical conditions. We extended an inpatient rule (administration of naloxone) to detect opioid-related oversedation and respiratory depression to perioperative care at a large academic medical center. Our primary endpoint was the adverse drug event rate. For all patients with a naloxone alert, manual chart review was performed by a perioperative clinical pharmacist to assess patient harm. In patients with confirmed oversedation, other patient safety event databases were queried to determine if they could detect duplicate, prior, or subsequent opioid-related events. We identified 419 cases of perioperative naloxone administration. Of these, 101 were given postoperatively and 69 were confirmed as adverse drug events after chart review yielding a rate of 1.89 adverse drug events/1000 surgical encounters across both the inpatient and ambulatory settings. Our ability to detect inpatient opioid adverse drug events increased 22.7% by expanding surveillance into perioperative care. Analysis of historical surveillance data as well as a voluntary reporting database revealed that 11 of our perioperative patients had prior or subsequent harmful oversedation. Nine of these cases received intraoperative naloxone, and 2 had received naloxone in the post-anesthesia care unit. Pharmacist effort was approximately 3 hours per week to evaluate naloxone alerts and confirm adverse drug events. A small investment of resources into a pharmacist-driven surveillance model gave great gains in organizational adverse drug event detection. The patients who experienced multiple events are particularly relevant to future studies seeking risk factors for opioid induced respiratory depression. Computerized surveillance is an efficient, impactful, and sustainable model for ongoing capture and analysis of these rare, but potentially serious events.
Invoking Vali: Painful technologies of modern birth in south India

As reproduction becomes increasingly biomedicalized throughout the globe, reproductive technologies are used in unique ways and imbued with different meanings. This article explores why lower–class women in south India in the 1990s were demanding to have childbirth labors induced with oxytocin drugs while rejecting anesthesia. Cultural constructions women's reproductive power are evoked and reworked in discourses of modernity that explain this preference. Discourses on relationships among gender, pain, and modernity relate to political—economic constraints on hospitals to perpetuate this practice, [modernity; reproductive technologies; gender; India]
WATER-SOLUBLE QUANTUM DOTS FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS

Semiconductor nanocrystals are 1-10 nm inorganic particles with unique size-dependent optical and electrical properties due to quantum confinement (so they are also called quantum dots). Quantum dots are new types of fluorescent materials for biological labeling with high quantum efficiency, long-term photostability, narrow emission, and continuous absorption spectra. Here, we discuss the recent development in making water-soluble quantum dots and related cytotoxicity for biomedical applications.
Decongestants and antihistamines for acute otitis media in children

BACKGROUND Acute otitis media (AOM) is a common and important source of morbidity in children, although most cases resolve spontaneously. While frequently recommended, decongestant and antihistamine therapy is of unclear benefit. OBJECTIVES To determine the efficacy of decongestant and antihistamine therapy in children with AOM on outcomes of AOM resolution, medication side effects, and complications of AOM. SEARCH STRATEGY Comprehensive search of Cochrane's Controlled Trials Registry, Medline and Embase was conducted. Bibliographic review and requests for information from study authors and pharmaceutical companies supplemented this. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomized controlled trials evaluating decongestant (DC) or antihistamine (AH) treatment for children with AOM were included. Patient-oriented outcomes were considered most relevant. There were no quality or language restrictions. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Investigators independently evaluated studies for inclusion, performed validity assessments, and completed data extraction. Dichotomous data were pooled to generate relative risks and numbers needed to treat, and homogeneity was assessed using approximate chi-square tests. MAIN RESULTS For the combined control groups, healing rates at 2 weeks were high, with rates of persistent AOM <23%. No additional benefit was demonstrated from intervention subgroupings DC, AH, or any medication (DC and/or AH). Only the combined treatment (DC + AH) group demonstrated statistically lower rates of persistent AOM at the 2-week period (RR 0.76, 95% CI, NNT 10.5, 95% CI). No benefit was found for other outcomes including early or late cure rates, symptom resolution, prevention of surgery or other complications. There was an increased risk of medication side effects for those receiving an intervention, which reached statistical significance for the "any medication" and decongestant groupings (NNH 16.6, 14.3 respectively, 95% CI ). Validity subanalyses demonstrated that lower quality studies found benefit, but analysis of those studies with higher validity scores found no benefit to treatment. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS Given lack of benefit and increased risk of side effects, these data do not support the use of decongestant, antihistamine, or combined DC/AH treatment in children with AOM. The small statistical benefit found in the combination medication group is of small clinical significance and study design may be biasing the results.
Transparent grippers for robot vision

While existing grippers execute manipulation tasks, they occlude parts of the objects they grasp as well as parts of the workspace from vision sensors. We present the concept of a transparent gripper that enables vision sensors to image an object without occlusion while it is being manipulated. The physics of refraction, total internal reflection, lens effects, dispersion and transmittance are analyzed to determine the geometry and material properties of a practical transparent gripper. Algorithms are presented that compensate for image shifts caused by refraction. The experiments demonstrate the proposed gripper to be an effective solution to a variety of problems, including 3D object model generation.
Writing a research paper: students explain their process

Purpose – This study aims to explore how students conceptualize the research process, describing in their own words the strategies they used, as well as the successes and challenges they encountered. Areas of review include: thesis definition; search strategies; quality, variety and depth of resources; and source evaluation and citation. Design/methodology/approach – The study analyzes 76 essays written by undergraduate and graduate students, describing their research process. Quotations from the students’ essays have been incorporated into the study results to provide a unique perspective from the researchers’ own reflections on the processes and techniques they used to complete their research papers. Findings – Many students encountered difficulties when writing a rigorous research paper, even though they had previously completed research assignments for other classes. There was a clear indication that instruction and support from librarians continues to be valuable, even for experienced students. Pract...
Characterization of choline transporters in the human placenta over gestation

Abstract Introduction The developing fetus relies on the maternal blood supply to provide the choline it requires for making membrane lipids, synthesizing acetylcholine, and performing important methylation reactions. It is vital, therefore, that the placenta is efficient at transporting choline from the maternal to the fetal circulation. Although choline transporters have been found in term placenta samples, little is known about what cell types express specific choline transporters and how expression of the transporters may change over gestation. The objective of this study was to characterize choline transporter expression levels and localization in the human placenta throughout placental development. Methods We analyzed CTL1 and -2 expression over gestation in human placental biopsies from 6 to 40 weeks gestation (n = 6–10 per gestational window) by immunoblot analysis. To determine the cellular expression pattern of the choline transporters throughout gestation, immunofluorescence analysis was then performed. Results Both CTL1 and CTL2 were expressed in the chorionic villi from 6 weeks gestation to term. Labor did not alter expression levels of either transporter. CTL1 localized to the syncytial trophoblasts and the endothelium of the fetal vasculature within the chorionic villous structure. CTL2 localized mainly to the stroma early in gestation and by the second trimester co-localized with CTL1 at the fetal vasculature. Discussion The differential expression pattern of CTL1 and CTL2 suggests that CTL1 is the key transporter involved in choline transport from maternal circulation and both transporters are likely involved in stromal and endothelial cell choline transport.
An Analysis of the Continuous-Spin, Ising Model

Since the time when the study of relations between the various critical indices was systemitized,1 these indices have been classed into groups. First, I remind you of some notation.
Collecting and organizing Stata graphs

Stata includes a powerful set of tools for constructing a wide array of graphs. Stata’s graphing capabilities are well suited for describing exploratory or preliminary data analyses as well as producing publication-quality graphics. Currently, however, Stata does not have a built-in suite of commands for constructing various types of files (for example, HTML, TEX, or RTF files) to display multiple graphs. Such files can be invaluable for organizing and facilitating the interpretation of the numerous graphs needed throughout an analysis or in the final stage of a project. In this article, we provide an overview of two commands, graphsto and graphout, designed to organize and process multiple graphs across various file types.
Profiling the role of mammalian target of rapamycin in the vascular smooth muscle metabolome in pulmonary arterial hypertension

Increased proliferation and resistance to apoptosis of pulmonary arterial vascular smooth muscle cells (PAVSMCs), coupled with metabolic reprogramming, are key components of pulmonary vascular remodeling, a major and currently irreversible pathophysiological feature of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We recently reported that activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays a key role in increased energy generation and maintenance of the proliferative, apoptosis-resistant PAVSMC phenotype in human PAH, but the downstream effects of mTOR activation on PAH PAVSMC metabolism are not clear. Using liquid and gas chromatography-based mass spectrometry, we performed pilot metabolomic profiling of human microvascular PAVSMCs from idiopathic-PAH subjects before and after treatment with the selective adenosine triphosphate-competitive mTOR inhibitor PP242 and from nondiseased lungs. We have shown that PAH PAVSMCs have a distinct metabolomic signature of altered metabolites-components of fatty acid synthesis, deficiency of sugars, amino sugars, and nucleotide sugars-intermediates of protein and lipid glycosylation, and downregulation of key biochemicals involved in glutathione and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) metabolism. We also report that mTOR inhibition attenuated or reversed the majority of the PAH-specific abnormalities in lipogenesis, glycosylation, glutathione, and NAD metabolism without affecting altered polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism. Collectively, our data demonstrate a critical role of mTOR in major PAH PAVSMC metabolic abnormalities and suggest the existence of de novo lipid synthesis in PAVSMCs in human PAH that may represent a new, important component of disease pathogenesis worthy of future investigation.
A Method of Sexing Trogoderma (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) Pupae

Two characters (antennal configuration and the last abdominal segment) were found to be reliable guides in sexing pupae of Trogoderma spp. Pupae were exposed by gently pressing the center of the ventral side with a small brush; then, with a large insect pin, the head region of the last larval skin was lifted and pulled back, thus exposing the exarate-type pupae. As in adults, the exposed antennal structures are distinctly different among species, and between male and female pupae of each species. The last abdominal segment serves as an accurate and rapid key for sexing pupae, because in the male pupae the last segment is round, while females have a distinct pair of processes on the last abdominal segment. The handling of pupae had no deleterious effects on the reproductive capabilities of the adults.
ACCURACY OF SAND VOLUMES AS A FUNCTION OF SURVEY DENSITY

Hydrographic surveys are the primary tool for calculating beach nourishment project volumes. With costs for beach-quality sand as high as $30 US per cubic meter, miscalculating project design volumes can result in significant cost differentials. Because conventional bathymetry and topography of beach projects are collected along shore-normal profile lines spaced anywhere from 30 m to 300 m, calculation of project volumes relies heavily on the assumption that there is little along-shore variability from one profile to another. In most cases, however, the beach and nearshore are highly irregular and this assumption is violated. With the development of high-resolution bathymeters, such as the SHOALS airborne lidar system, it is now feasible to collect accurate, high-density beach surveys. These types of data sets create a highly accurate, quantitative measurement of beach and nearshore conditions. This paper describes the SHOALS system and lidar technology and presents a comparison of volumes calculated using high-density lidar data and conventional nearshore profile surveys. Volumes are calculated to compare differences for beaches on the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Lakes.
Plasmon-Enhanced Fluorescence from Single Proteins in Living Bacteria

The sensitivity and resolution of single-molecule fluorescence imaging in biology are mainly limited by two known weaknesses of fluorescent proteins: label brightness and photostability. In this work, we use patterned gold substrates to achieve plasmon-enhanced emission from intrinsically fluorescent proteins in living pathogenic bacteria cells. By coupling membrane-bound single fluorescent protein fusions to the virulence regulator TcpP in living Vibrio cholerae bacteria to extracellular gold nanotriangle arrays, we use plasmonics to improve our measurements of this important question in pathogenesis: how does V. cholerae produce its deadly toxin? Based on a simple experimental geometry, we observe a 1.3× enhancement in the rate of emission and a 1.4× enhancement in the number of photons detected prior to photobleaching. Furthermore, by enhancing both the rate of emission and the total number of photons detected from single-molecule fluorescent probes in live cells, we show that plasmon-enhanced fluoresc...
Azithromycin for Malaria

Malaria continues to be one of the greatest infectious disease problems in the world. Antimalarial drugs play an essential role in the treatment and control of malaria. For treatment, older drugs are limited by resistance, but artemisinin-based combination therapy remains highly effective in most areas. However, artemisinin resistance has emerged in southeast Asia, 1 and resistance to artemisinin partner drugs is already common in many areas. 2 In Cambodia, where resistance to both artemisinins and piperaquine is prevalent, frequent failures after treatment with dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine have been seen. 3 We can anticipate that artemisinin resistance will spread to other areas, and that resistance to artemisinins and partner drugs will seriously threaten our ability to treat malaria.
Rethinking military behavior during the Arab Spring

ABSTRACTWhy did some Arab militaries remain loyal to authoritarian rulers amid mass uprisings during the Arab Spring while others defected to the opposition? One popular explanation shows this variation with reference to the degree of military institutionalization: institutionalized militaries defected, while patrimonial militaries remained loyal. This article argues that the institutionalization hypothesis does not provide a complete account of the mechanisms through which the degree of military institutionalization leads to either defection or continued loyalty. This shortcoming stems from the fact that scholars have treated military institutionalization as a catch-all concept for three distinct variables: ethnic stacking of the military, patronage distribution, and organizational factionalization. Examining the interaction between these variables highlights the mechanisms through which military defection occurs, and therefore that disaggregating institutionalization into its component parts provides a ...
Homology and Phylogenetic Inference in Biological and Material Cultural Evolution

Different aspects of human culture are being increasingly used as traits for historical reconstruction using phylogenetic approaches. Languages, texts, artifacts, and even ideas are decomposed into discrete characters that are configured into character state matrices and subjected to formal similarity analyses based on an explicit optimality criterion or a particular clustering algorithm. While much of the discussion concerned patterns of relatedness revealed by these studies, relatively little attention was paid to the very foundational theoretical assumptions at the core of any phylogenetic inference. Given the increasing popularity and success of phylogenetic approaches to human sociocultural evolution, it is imperative to revisit the fundamental concepts of character and homology—both derived from the study of organic evolution—to raise the question of whether an ever-increasing scope of cultural data types is amenable to a unified phylogenetic methodology or it is better accommodated by an epistemologically pluralistic framework. The first view implies that idiosyncrasies in evolutionary processes in biology and human culture are not substantial, so that simple models are a good way to approaching complex real world phenomena. The alternative perspective accents differences in the modes of cultural and biological information transmission, and suggests that these differences need to be accounted for by both theory and practice of historical reconstruction. Focusing on material cultural evolution, the present contribution explores whether ontological differences in the notions of character and homology between the natural and cultural realms are of any practical concern for cultural phylogenetics.
Altered Dermal Fibroblasts in Systemic Sclerosis Display Podoplanin and CD90

Tissue injury triggers the activation and differentiation of multiple cell types to minimize damage and initiate repair processes. In systemic sclerosis, these repair processes appear to run unchecked, leading to aberrant remodeling and fibrosis of the skin and multiple internal organs, yet the fundamental pathological defect remains unknown. We describe herein a transition wherein the abundant CD34 + dermal fibroblasts present in healthy human skin disappear in the skin of systemic sclerosis patients, and CD34 − , podoplanin + , and CD90 + fibroblasts appear. This transition is limited to the upper dermis in several inflammatory skin diseases, yet in systemic sclerosis, it can occur in all regions of the dermis. In vitro , primary dermal fibroblasts readily express podoplanin in response to the inflammatory stimuli tumor necrosis factor and IL-1β. Furthermore, we show that on acute skin injury in both human and murine settings, this transition occurs quickly, consistent with a response to inflammatory signaling. Transitioned fibroblasts partially resemble the cells that form the reticular networks in organized lymphoid tissues, potentially linking two areas of fibroblast research. These results allow for the visualization and quantification of a basic stage of fibroblast differentiation in inflammatory and fibrotic diseases in the skin.
Visitor experience in Kafue National Park, Zambia

Research is limited with respect to park-based visitor experience and satisfaction in the southern Africa region, especially in Zambia. In this study, the relationships of service quality, value, s...
WRN-targeted therapy using inhibitors NSC 19630 and NSC 617145 induce apoptosis in HTLV-1-transformed adult T-cell leukemia cells

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection is associated with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), a lymphoproliferative malignancy with a dismal prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Recent evidence shows that HTLV-1-transformed cells present defects in both DNA replication and DNA repair, suggesting that these cells might be particularly sensitive to treatment with a small helicase inhibitor. Because the “Werner syndrome ATP-dependent helicase” encoded by the WRN gene plays important roles in both cellular proliferation and DNA repair, we hypothesized that inhibition of WRN activity could be used as a new strategy to target ATLL cells. Our analysis demonstrates an apoptotic effect induced by the WRN helicase inhibitor in HTLV-1-transformed cells in vitro and ATL-derived cell lines. Inhibition of cellular proliferation and induction of apoptosis were demonstrated with cell cycle analysis, XTT proliferation assay, clonogenic assay, annexin V staining, and measurement of mitochondrial transmembrane potential. Targeted inhibition of the WRN helicase induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in HTLV-1-transformed leukemia cells. Treatment with NSC 19630 (WRN inhibitor) induces S-phase cell cycle arrest, disruption of the mitochondrial membrane potential, and decreased expression of anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-2. These events were associated with activation of caspase-3-dependent apoptosis in ATL cells. We identified some ATL cells, ATL-55T and LMY1, less sensitive to NSC 19630 but sensitive to another WRN inhibitor, NSC 617145. WRN is essential for survival of ATL cells. Our studies suggest that targeting the WRN helicase with small inhibitors is a novel promising strategy to target HTLV-1-transformed ATL cells.
Closed Reduction of Nasal Fracture

The nasal bone is the most commonly fractured bone in facial trauma and the third most commonly fractured bone overall (The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery 23:1848–1850, 2012; American Journal of Otolaryngology 26:181–185, 2005). Nasal bone fractures can produce significant aesthetic deformity and compromise the patency of the upper airway. Consequently, intervention is indicated to minimize deformity and functional impairment. Simple, noncommunited nasal bone fractures are managed with a closed approach (Seminars in Plastic Surgery 24:339–347, 2010). An instrument is inserted into the nasal cavity, and external digital pressure is applied over the fracture location. The nasal bone is then manipulated between the digit and elevator until properly positioned. The septum, if displaced, is realigned using an Asch’s forceps. Internal and external splints are placed to stabilize and protect the nasal bones. Complications include obstructed breathing and need for a definitive rhinoplasty.
Anticancer Activity of Cisplatin and Related Complexes

Cisplatin is a simple inorganic compound which has proved to be a very effective anticancer drug, especially against testicular tumors. The compound has therapeutic limitations based primarily on toxic side effects and acquired resistance. The mechanism of action of cisplatin is under intense study in order to understand the chemical basis for these limitations and to develop in a rational manner a new generation of platinum-based antitumor drugs. These studies have led to the discovery of new classes of anticancer platinum compounds, including some which utilize both mononuclear and dinuclear Pt(II) and trans-Pt(IV)geometries. High-resolution structures of cisplatin and derivatives bound to duplex DNA have been determined both by X-ray crystallography and by NMR solution methods. Also noteworthy is the discovery of DNA-binding proteins that specifically recognize cisplatinmodified DNA. The contributions of each of these different areas of study towards an understanding of the molecular mechanism of the anticancer activity of cisplatin are discussed.
The unique needs of pregnant, violence-exposed women: A systematic review of current interventions and directions for translational research

Abstract Intimate partner violence (IPV) is, unfortunately, a common lifetime experience for women, with heightened risk of exposure during pregnancy. IPV exposure in pregnancy is associated with serious physical and mental health problems in the perinatal period, as well as detrimental effects on the health and well-being of the developing infant. The objectives of the current review are to: (1) present representative literature on the effects of IPV in pregnancy, (2) conduct a systematic review of existing interventions for IPV-exposed pregnant women and (3) provide recommendations for future translational research in this area. The review indicated that despite the broad range of negative effects associated with IPV exposure during pregnancy, interventions are scarce and largely limited to crisis intervention approaches. Available interventions seeking to address broader or intergenerational effects of violence are limited in scope, and effectiveness data are preliminary in nature. As such, there is a great need for theory-based interventions that address women's complex needs, including specific developmental necessities of both the pregnant woman and her child (e.g., breastfeeding, early parenting, infant care). Incorporating these elements within a strengths-based paradigm may also decrease stigma related to IPV and facilitate empowerment and self-efficacy for this at-risk group.