cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) do not avoid nest cavities containing predator odors

ABSTRACT We tested whether Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) avoid nest cavities containing the odors of potential nest predators: the northern raccoon (Procyon lotor) and the house mouse (Mus musc...
Surgery Versus Surveillance for Well-Differentiated, Nonfunctional Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: An 11-Year Analysis of the National Cancer Database.

BACKGROUND Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (panNETs) are a rare group of tumors that make up 2%-3% of pancreatic tumors. Recommended treatment for panNETs generally consists of resection for symptomatic or large asymptomatic tumors; however, optimal management for localized disease is still controversial, with conflicting recommendations in established guidelines. Our study aim is to compare surgical intervention versus active surveillance in nonmetastatic panNETs by size of primary tumor. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using the National Cancer Database, we identified 2,004 patients diagnosed with localized well-differentiated, nonfunctional panNETs (NF-panNETs) between 2004 and 2015. Patients' clinicopathologic characteristics, treatment modalities, and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using frequency statistics, chi-square, and Kaplan-Meier curves. The objective of the study is to assess the outcome of surgical resection versus nonoperative management in patients with panNETs with different tumor sizes. RESULTS Tumor sizes were divided into three categories: 2 cm. The number of patients with tumor size 2 cm was 220 (11%), 794 (39.6%), and 990 (49.4%), respectively. Overall, 1,781 underwent surgical resection, whereas 223 patients did not. Median follow-up was 25.9 months. After adjusting for covariates, surgical resection was associated with improved OS in patients with tumor size 1-2 cm (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.37) and >2c m (HR = 0.30) but not <1 cm (HR = 2.81). Independent prognostic factors were age at diagnosis, Charlson-Deyo comorbidity score, stage, tumor location, and surgical resection. Higher tumor grade was not associated with worse OS. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that active surveillance is potentially a safe approach for NF-panNETs <1 cm. Larger tumors likely need active intervention. Intermediate-grade tumors did not result in worse survival outcome compared with low-grade tumors. Future studies might consider prospective randomized clinical trials to validate our findings. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE The present study seeks to address the discrepancy in treatment recommendations in the management of nonfunctional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NF-panNETs) by evaluating whether surgical resection is associated with improved overall survival in different tumor size groups as well as elucidating independent prognostic factors in patients with NF-panNETs. Data from the National Cancer Database were reviewed. This study's findings suggest that active surveillance is potentially a safe approach for NF-panNETs <1 cm. Larger tumors likely need active intervention. Independent prognostic factors include age at diagnosis, Charlson-Deyo comorbidity score, stage, tumor location, and surgical resection. These findings will help guide medical and surgical oncologists when formulating treatment plans for patients with small NF-panNETs.
Moral Framing and Mechanisms Influence Public Willingness to Optimize Cognition

Scientists, clinicians, and the public aim to optimize cognition using numerous techniques. While drugs and education have become mainstays in the public and professional practice, brain stimulation is rapidly emerging. The public reports some concerns about brain stimulation used to optimize cognition. In our prior work using hypothetical vignettes involving brain stimulation, the moral acceptability of specific uses was only somewhat related to the public’s willingness to administer brain stimulation to influence a given cognitive function. Notably, whether the moral framing influences willingness to optimize cognition with various mechanisms is unknown. Here, we randomly assigned subjects to one of four mechanism vignette conditions: education, drugs, invasive brain stimulation, and noninvasive brain stimulation. Within each mechanism, subjects were assigned to think morally either before or after reporting their willingness to optimize specific cognitive functions in others. Across 1328 subjects, we found that thinking morally reduced the public’s willingness to optimize cognition overall. Moreover, willingness decreased the most in invasive and noninvasive brain stimulation. Encouraging moral reasoning uniquely reduces openness to using brain stimulation among other ways to optimize cognition. Studying how specific moral concerns drive public hesitancy about brain stimulation could suggest avenues for education and ethical discourse.
Eighty-three years of vascular plant change at Alley Pond Park, Queens County, New York

The objective of the present study was to document change in arborescent vegetation at Alley Pond Park, Queens County, New York over 83 yr. We compared data generated from a Works Progress Administration (WPA) study map in 1936, with data generated at the same points on the map in 1975 by Stalter, and again at the same points in 2018. Quercus rubra L. was dominant in 1936, 1975, and 2018. There was little change in important overstory trees over 83 yr. Cornus florida L., the dominant subcanopy tree in 1936 and 1975, was nearly eliminated by dogwood anthracnose in 2018. Parsimony analysis reveals a branching break in 2018 and the early samples; this is best explained by community development, succession, and the presence of invasive taxa, Acer platanoides L., Morus alba L., and Prunus avium (L.) L.
Time-Aware Language Models as Temporal Knowledge Bases.

Many facts come with an expiration date, from the name of the President to the basketball team Lebron James plays for. But language models (LMs) are trained on snapshots of data collected at a specific moment in time, and this can limit their utility, especially in the closed-book setting where the pretraining corpus must contain the facts the model should memorize. We introduce a diagnostic dataset aimed at probing LMs for factual knowledge that changes over time and highlight problems with LMs at either end of the spectrum -- those trained on specific slices of temporal data, as well as those trained on a wide range of temporal data. To mitigate these problems, we propose a simple technique for jointly modeling text with its timestamp. This improves memorization of seen facts from the training time period, as well as calibration on predictions about unseen facts from future time periods. We also show that models trained with temporal context can be efficiently ``refreshed'' as new data arrives, without the need for retraining from scratch.
Outcomes and Predictors of Stimulant Misuse in College Students with and Without ADHD

In recent years, rates of prescription stimulant misuse have increased among young adults ages 18 to 25 along with increases in dispensing rates of these medications. Preliminary studies suggest th...
Disinfectant use by K-12 school staff to combat SARS-CoV-2.

K-12 school staff from Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio were asked about their use of disinfectants to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in schools. Survey participants (n = 1,555) reported frequent use of disinfectants, often using unknown products, and were provided little to no training on safe and effective use. Participant concerns included student involvement in disinfection, inadequate ventilation, surface contact time, and potential health effects.
Rough Concept Analysis: A Synthesis Of Rough Sets And Formal Concept Analysis

The theory introduced, presented and developed in this paper, is concerned with Rough Concept Analysis. This theory is a synthesis of the theory of Rough Sets pioneered by Zdzislaw Pawlak [10] with the theory of Formal Concept Analysis pioneered by Rudolf Wille [11]. The central notion in this paper of a rough formal concept combines in a natural fashion the two notions of rough set and formal concept — to use a slogan: “rough set + formal concept = rough formal concept”. This paper is an extension of the paper [5] presented at the international workshop on Rough Sets and Knowledge Discovery (RSKD'93). A related paper [8] using distributed constraints provides a synthesis of the two important data modeling techniques: conceptual scaling of Formal Concept Analysis, and Entity-Relationship database modeling. A follow-up paper [9] will extend rough concept analysis from formal contexts to distributed constraints.
Acute Ethanol Poisoning: A Two-Year Study of Deaths in North Carolina

A 24-month study of fatalities in North Carolina with high blood ethanol levels (300 mg/100 ml or over) revealed 502 cases with either acute alcoholism or the effects of this range of blood ethanol concentration having caused or contributed to death. This investigation reassessed the criteria for ethanol poisoning, including its cause and manner of death, and revealed recurrent patterns common to this syndrome. This inquiry also contrasted the frequency of ethanol poisoning in different areas of the country. Language: en
Why related bacterial species bloom simultaneously in the gut: principles underlying the 'Like will to like' concept.

The large intestine is host to a complex ecological community composed predominantly of obligate anaerobic bacteria belonging to the classes Bacteroidia and Clostridia. This community confers benefit through its metabolic activities and host interactions. However, a microbial imbalance (dysbiosis) characterized by a decreased abundance of Clostridia and a bloom of facultative anaerobic Proteobacteria is commonly observed during inflammation in the large bowel. Here we review recent insights into the principles that favor simultaneous increases in the abundance of closely related species belonging to the Proteobacteria during inflammation, which provides important clues for the rational design of strategies to treat dysbiosis.
Vulnerability to stress among women in chronic pain from fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis.

In two investigations, we studied vulnerability to the negative effects of stress among women in chronic pain from 2 types of musculoskeletal illnesses, fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and osteoarthritis (OA). In Study 1, there were 101 female participants 50 to 78 years old: 50 had FMS, 29 had OA knee pain and were scheduled for knee surgery, and 22 had OA but were not planning surgery. Cross-sectional analyses showed that the three groups were comparable on demographic variables, personality attributes, negative affect, active coping, and perceived social support. As expected, FMS and OA surgery women reported similar levels of bodily pain, and both groups scored higher than OA nonsurgery women. However, women with FMS reported poorer emotional and physical health, lower positive affect, a poorer quality social milieu, and more frequent use of avoidant coping with pain than did both groups of women with OA. Moreover, the perception and use of social support were closely tied to perceived social stress only among the FMS group. In Study 2, we experimentally manipulated negative mood and stress in 41 women 37 to 74 years old: 20 women had FMS, and 21 women had OA. Participants from each group were randomly assigned to either a negative mood induction or a neutral mood (control) condition, and then all participants discussed a stressful interpersonal event for 30 min. Stress-related increases in pain were exacerbated by negative mood induction among women with FMS but not women with OA, and pain during stress was associated with decreases in positive affect in women with FMS but not women with OA. These findings suggest that among women with chronic pain, those with FMS may be particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of social stress. They have fewer positive affective resources, use less effective pain-coping strategies, and have more constrained social networks than their counterparts with OA, particularly those who experience similar levels of pain. They also seem to experience more prolonged stress-related increases in pain under certain circumstances, all of which may contribute to a lowering of positive affect and increased stress reactivity over time.
Mental and Motor Development in Monozygotic Co-Twins With Dissimilar Birth Weights

Developmental measures in 125 monozygotic twin sets with unequal birth weights between co-twins were studied. There were no significant differences between co-twins in the Bayley Mental and Motor Scores at 8 months nor the Stanford-Binet IQ at 4 years. A reportedly higher IQ for the heavier of monozygotic twins was not confirmed in this study, even among pairs with large birth-weight differences. Although the effects of nutrition on the mental development of the fetus are currently of great concern, these data suggest that the developing human brain seems to have a strong resistance to intrauterine deprivation.
American Slaves in Victorian England: “Negrophilism” and nationalism: the spectacle of the African-American abolitionist

The mother country, of late years, has signalized itself particularly in the great delight it has taken to avail itself of every opportunity to foster, and feed, and flatter, runaway American negroes. It has long been a standing joke, among the witty and satirical writers of England, their own countrymen's fondness for lions and lionizing, – a taste that has formed the theme of much deserved ridicule, and that has furnished a point to no litde humour. Persians, with longbeards, – Turks, with long pipes – Chinese, with long tails, and North American Indians, with not very long blankets, are constantly succeeding one another in the salons , or at the tables of the haut ton , – one monster lion yielding place to the other, and, in time, receiving the delicate attentions of the fair, the services of the powerful, and the admiration of all. But throughout all this Britonnia [ sic ] is a little fickle in her fashions, and, having run from the delicate Chinese olive, down through the dark-hued Asiatic, and Turkish, and Moorish, and copper coloured Indian, she has lately discovered, in the indulgence of her singular taste, that in this matter of complexion, – “in this deepest deep, a deeper still” of hue. Nothing goes down, now, with her, so well as the genuine black. (“English Negrophilism”) It might seem surprising to begin a discussion of the presence of African-American abolitionists in England with such an exaggerated and ungenerous parody of that presence.
Pray 4 Me

IT WAS THE SUMMER after her father died, and all Nell could do was read catalogs. Clothing, hunting specialties, hardware, auto and leisure, artificial flowers, toys, gardening tools, accessories: she read the lists like novels, perfect complete worlds where the protagonists lived enclosed and safe, surrounded by objects that glowed with independent life. L. L. Bean, Smith and Hawken, even Childcraft, absorbed her completely, pages of tents and waterproof boots, excellent shovels and rakes, wooden blocks to last a lifetime. Though Nell watched the two children, washed Luke's clothes, cooked and kept the house clean, the duties didn't occupy her; it was the mail she waited for, the glossy heft of it, the stuff to weigh down bad dreams, keep out the dark like socks full of buckshot laid under doors (Lillian Vernon, $6.95). In the mornings, when she struggled out of sleep, the kids were already watching TV downstairs. "They're draining the Atlantic Ocean! Only the Invincibles can save us!"
Evidence for intrinsic impurities in the high-temperature superconductorBi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δfromO17nuclear magnetic resonance

We have found that high quality crystals of Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8+{delta}} (Bi-2212) have intrinsic magnetic defects that depend on oxygen doping. Our {sup 17}O nuclear magnetic resonance spectra provide evidence that local moments form in the CuO{sub 2} plane in both normal and superconducting states. We suggest that these magnetic impurities are related to the electronic disorder that scanning tunneling microscopy experiments identify with the oxygen dopant atoms.
Vibrational spectra and force constants of rare earth and scandium thiospinels

Abstract Infrared and Raman spectra were measured for AB 2 S 4 spinels ( A = Cd, Mg, or Zn; B = Sc, Yb, or Tm). The four T 1 u ir bands and four of the five ( A 1 g + E g + 3 T 2 g ) Raman bands were generally observed. Symmetry coordinates were calculated for the spinel structure and normal coordinates were calculated using a model containing four force constants. Good fits of the eight observed vibrational frequencies were obtained from four force constants. The tetrahedral stretching constants have values between 1.41 and 0.49 mdyn/A, while the octahedral stretching constants have values between 0.61 and 0.38 mdyn/A. The tetrahedral stretching constant was always larger for Cd compounds than for compounds containing the smaller Mg ion in tetrahedral sites, suggesting a measure of the additional stabilization of Cd through covalent bonding. Calculated absorbances for the ir transverse mode frequencies were in reasonable agreement with experiment and support the four-force-constant model.
Conservative Management of Chronic Pancreatitis

Pain and the symptoms of malabsorption are the cardinal manifestations of chronic pancreatitis that require treatment. Complications such as bile duct obstruction secondary to fibrosis or intrapancreatic retention cysts and pseudocysts may also arise and require treatment.
AN UNUSUAL MUTATION IN REPA INCREASES THE COPY NUMBER OF A STRINGENTLY CONTROLLED PLASMID (RTS1 DERIVATIVE) BY OVER ONE HUNDRED FOLD

A copy number mutant of the Rtsl replicon (copy number 1–2 copies/cell) was obtained. A one-base substitution in the repA region results in a single amino acid change from histidine to asparagine at position 159. This mutation increased the plasmid copy number by up to 120-fold depending upon the growth conditions. At 42.5° C the plasmid with the wild type replicon was unstable while the mutated replicon was relatively stable.
Vapor–liquid separation in a vertical impact T-junction for vapor compression systems with flash gas bypass

Abstract This paper presents results from experimental study of vapor and liquid refrigerant separation in vertical impact T-junctions using R134a and R410A for application in but not limited to vapor compression systems. Inlet flow rate and quality are varied in the range of 10–35 g s−1 and 10–25%. Flow patterns in the T-junction separator are identified and characterized. It is found that liquid separation efficiency strongly depends on the flow pattern right above the impact region (junction). The efficiency deteriorates dramatically when mist turns into churn flow regime, with increasing inlet flow rate and/or quality. An empirical correlation to predict churn flow transition is proposed as a function of Fr and Xtt. That correlation is a bases for good design of T-junction separators.
MICROWAVE SPECTRUM OF BrCN AT SIX MILLIMETERS

69 lines of the $J=5\ensuremath{\rightarrow}6$ pure rotational spectrum have been measured. Lines were found due to the following molecules in their normal isotopic abundances; ${\mathrm{Br}}^{79}$${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$${\mathrm{N}}^{14}$, ${\mathrm{Br}}^{81}$${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$${\mathrm{N}}^{14}$, ${\mathrm{Br}}^{79}$${\mathrm{C}}^{13}$${\mathrm{N}}^{14}$, ${\mathrm{Br}}^{81}$${\mathrm{C}}^{13}$${\mathrm{N}}^{14}$, ${\mathrm{Br}}^{79}$${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$${\mathrm{N}}^{15}$, and ${\mathrm{Br}}^{81}$${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$${\mathrm{N}}^{15}$. Transitions have been found in the vibrational states (0 0 0), (0 ${1}^{1}$ 0), (1 0 0), (0 ${2}^{0}$ 0), (0 ${2}^{2}$ 0), and (1 ${1}^{1}$ 0). The apparatus is described and experimental results are compared with those of previous investigators. Fermi resonance effects have been observed and analyzed. A dependence of the $l$- type doubling constant on the bromine quadrupole field has been found. Quadrupole coupling constants have been determined for the first excited vibrational states in ${\mathrm{Br}}^{79}$${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$${\mathrm{N}}^{14}$ and ${\mathrm{Br}}^{81}$${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$${\mathrm{N}}^{14}$.
Ecological Relationships of Bobcats (Lynx rufus) in the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico

Abstract I studied ecological relationships of 10 bobcats (Lynx rufus; 4 males, 6 females) from an unexploited population in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico during 2004–2008. Using the 95% adaptive-kernel method, I estimated annual size of home ranges to be 12,887 ha for males and 2,847 ha for females. Average activity during nighttime and daytime was 80.6 and 18.8%, respectively. Desert cottontails (Sylvilagus audubonii) were the most common prey in scats. Annual rate of survival was 0.875 for males and 0.917 for females. Average weight of males and females was 12.6 and 9.0 kg, respectively. Two bobcats tested positive for toxoplasmosis. Compared to other areas, bobcats in my study area were heavier, there was more contrast between daytime and nighttime levels of activity, and males had larger home ranges. Rate of survival was similar to other unexploited populations.
Identifying the Onset and Offset of Stuttering Events.

This study was designed to investigate the apparent contradiction between recent reports of physiological and interpersonal research on stuttering that claim or imply high agreement levels, and studies of stuttering judgment agreement itself that report much lower agreement levels. Four experienced stuttering researchers in one university department used laser videodisks of spontaneous speech, from persons whose stuttering could be described as mild to severe, to locate the precise onset and offset of individual stuttering events. Results showed a series of interjudge disagreements that raise serious questions about the reliability and validity of stuttering event onset and offset judgments. These results highlight the potentially poor reliability of a measurement procedure that is currently widespread in stuttering research. At the same time, they have isolated some few highly agreed stuttering events that might serve as the basis for the further development of either event-based or interval-based judgme...
Creep of non-symmetrically loaded shells of revolution

Abstract A solution technique is presented for the analysis of creep behaviour of shells of revolution using a numerical integration scheme. Arbitrarily shaped generators with time varying material properties and arbitrary non-symmetric loads and creep laws can be used. Comparison to other available techniques depicts the efficiency of this method.
Providing patient education: impact on quantity and quality of family health history collection.

Background: Family health history (FHH) is an underutilized tool in primary care to identify and risk-stratify individuals with increased cancer risk. Objective: Evaluate the influence of patient education on quantity and quality of FHH entered into a primary care-based software program, and impact on the program’s cancer risk management recommendations. Design: Two primary care practices within a larger type II hybrid implementation-effectiveness controlled clinical trial. Participants: English speaking non-adopted patients with a well visit appointment December 2012–March 2013. Interventions: One to two weeks prior to their well visit appointment, participants entered their FHH into the program. Participants were then provided educational materials describing key FHH components. They were instructed to use the interval to collect additional FHH information. Patients then returned for their scheduled appointment, and updated their FHH with any new information. Main Measures: Percentage per pedigree of relatives meeting individual quality criteria. Changes made after patient education and changes to recommendations for surveillance, chemoprevention or genetic counseling referral. Key Results: Post patient education, pedigrees exhibited a greater percentage (per pedigree) of: deceased relatives with age at death (84 vs. 81 % p = 0.02), deceased relatives with cause of death (91 vs. 87 % p = 0.02), relatives with a named health condition (45 vs. 42 %p = 0.002), and a greater percentage of relatives with high quality records (91 vs. 89 % p = 0.02). Of 43 participants with pedigree changes that could trigger changes in risk stratified prevention recommendations, 12 participants (28 %) received such changes. Conclusions: Patient education improves FHH collection and subsequent risk stratification utilized in providing actionable evidence-based care recommendations for cancer risk management.
Home prices and the 2008 presidential election: Evidence from state level data

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of housing prices in the outcome of the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Based on data for the 50 states, this study postulates a multivariate model in which the impact of home values is exposed while controlling for other explanatory factors might have exerted independent effects on the Democratic victory. Results of estimation indicate a significant inverse effect of property price appreciation on Democratic votes.
Proliferative and apoptotic differences between alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma subtypes: a comparative study of tumors containing PAX3-FKHR or PAX7-FKHR gene fusions.

Background Most alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas (ARMS) have chromosome translocations and resultant gene fusion products. The more common translocation fuses the PAX3 and FKHR genes; patients who have PAX3-FKHR-positive ARMS have reduced event-free survival compared to patients with ARMS containing the less common translocation that fuses the PAX7 and FKHR genes. Procedure We examined histology, immunohistochemical markers of differentiation, and cell cycle characteristics of a panel of ARMS containing either PAX3-FKHR or PAX7-FKHR transcript to determine if these features differ between the ARMS subsets. Results Cell cycle parameters varied significantly: the number of nuclei that stained with either an immunohistochemical marker of proliferation (MIB1), or a TUNEL-based assay for apoptosis was significantly greater in tumors that expressed PAX3-FKHR compared to tumors that expressed PAX7-FKHR transcript. Conclusions We conclude that compared to PAX7-FKHR-containing tumors, ARMS that contain PAX3-FKHR transcript have (1) increased cell proliferation, consistent with greater loss of cell cycle regulation, and (2) apoptosis that is increased but insufficient to prevent tumor formation. More marked cell cycle dysregulation may contribute to poorer prognosis for patients with ARMS that have PAX3-FKHR fusion. Med Pediatr Oncol 2001;37:83–89. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A Robust Model-free Approach for Rare Variants Association Studies Incorporating Gene-Gene and Gene-Environmental Interactions

Recently more and more evidence suggest that rare variants with much lower minor allele frequencies play significant roles in disease etiology. Advances in next-generation sequencing technologies will lead to many more rare variants association studies. Several statistical methods have been proposed to assess the effect of rare variants by aggregating information from multiple loci across a genetic region and testing the association between the phenotype and aggregated genotype. One limitation of existing methods is that they only look into the marginal effects of rare variants but do not systematically take into account effects due to interactions among rare variants and between rare variants and environmental factors. In this article, we propose the summation of partition approach (SPA), a robust model-free method that is designed specifically for detecting both marginal effects and effects due to gene-gene (G×G) and gene-environmental (G×E) interactions for rare variants association studies. SPA has three advantages. First, it accounts for the interaction information and gains considerable power in the presence of unknown and complicated G×G or G×E interactions. Secondly, it does not sacrifice the marginal detection power; in the situation when rare variants only have marginal effects it is comparable with the most competitive method in current literature. Thirdly, it is easy to extend and can incorporate more complex interactions; other practitioners and scientists can tailor the procedure to fit their own study friendly. Our simulation studies show that SPA is considerably more powerful than many existing methods in the presence of G×G and G×E interactions.
Character sheaves, V

This paper is part of a series [S, 131 devoted to the study of a class G of irreducible perverse sheaves (called character sheaves) on a connected reductive algebraic group G. (The numbering of chapters, sections, and references will continue that of [S, 131.) This paper is a step towards the classification of character sheaves on G. One of the main results is the following one: under certain assumptions, there is a natural surjective map with finite fibers from G to the set of all pairs (9, c) (up to conjugacy by the Weyl group), where 9 is a tame local system on the maximal torus and c is a “two-sided cell’ in the stabilizer W:’ of 9 in the Weyl group. The assumptions made on G are
Transdermal delivery of metoprolol I: Comparison between hairless mouse and human cadaver skin and effect of n-decylmethyl sulfoxide

Abstract Metoprolol (MP) is a potent β 1 -selective adrenergic blocking agent with proven antihypertensive activity. However, it undergoes extensive hepatic first-pass metabolism and has a short biological half-life which necessitate frequent dosing to attain adequate therapeutic blood levels. To overcome this problem, the feasibility of systemic delivery of MP via the transdermal route was explored. A monolithic polyacrylate adhesive dispersion type delivery system containing MP free base was fabricated and in vitro skin permeation studies were conducted at 37°C across excised full thickness hairless mouse and dermatomed human cadaver skins. Skin permeation rate across human cadaver skin was found to be lower than that of hairless mouse. Skin permeation profiles across both types of skins showed amembrane permeation controlled Q vs t linear relationship. Skin permeation rate was found to be dependent both on adhesive film thickness and loading dose of the drug in the matrix. Maximum skin permeation rate was obtained from a system having 1.5 mm thickness with a 10% (w/w) loading dose. n -Decylmethyl sulfoxide was found to enhance skin permeation rate of MP through human cadaver skin at a loading dose of 5% (w/w).
Duals and envelopes of some Hardy-Lorentz spaces

For 0 < p < 1 we describe the dual spaces and Banach envelopes of the spaces H p,q for finite values of q and for H p, ∞ 0 , the closure of the polynomials in H p, ∞. In addition, we determine the s-Banach envelopes for the spaces H p,q in the cases 0 < q < p < s ≤ 1 and 0 < q < p ≤ s ≤ 1.
A new quantum group associated with a ‘nonstandard’ braid group representation

A new quantum group is derived from a 'nonstandard' braid group representation by employing the Faddeev-Reshetlkhin-Takhtajan constructive method. The classical limit is not a Lie superalgebra, despite relations like .,c 2 = )'~ = 0. We classify all finite-dimensional irreducible representa- tions of the new Hopf algebra and find only one- and two-dimensional ones.
Osteoporosis after Stem Cell Transplantation

With long-term survival for recipients of autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) increasing, the recognition of late complications such as decreased bone mineral density leading to osteoporosis (OP) has also increased. With an incidence that is reported to affect as many 50 % of allo HCT recipients, studies continue to mount supporting the need and success in treatment of this HCT complication. In this review, we highlight the major pathological mechanisms behind the development of OP, its diagnosis, and the literature supporting consensus treatment recommendations while noting areas of uncertainty that need further research.
Patterns of proteins synthesized during development of Caenorhabditis elegans.

Abstract Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis has been used to analyze proteins synthesized during postembryonic development of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans . This organism is favorable for these studies because it has a limited number of cells, it is genetically well-defined, and its development is currently under investigation in several laboratories. 35 S-Labeled E. coli was used for continuous and pulse labeling of C. elegans during its four juvenile larval stages and as a gravid adult. After continuous labeling or pulse labeling for 1 hr, 600–800 individual spots can be resolved on a 2D gel using fluorography and 2 weeks of exposure. Proteins that represent 0.0017% of the total sample can be detected. Exposure for 12 weeks reveals only 100 additional spots even though the films are not saturated. It therefore appears that the frequency distribution of proteins decreases significantly beyond these 800 most abundant proteins that can be fractionated on an O'Farrell gel. When the patterns of pulse-labeled proteins of the five developmental stages were compared, 113 proteins could be seen to undergo modulation at one or more of the developmental stages. A maximum number of changes was seen in the transition from the L4 to the adult stages when 11% of the total spots either appeared, disappeared, or changed in intensity. As controls, different preparations of the same developmental stage were compared and revealed considerable fluctuation, 2.6–4.8%. These fluctuations are presumed to be due to variations in growth conditions during culture of the organism. Continuous label experiments reveal a distinct set of proteins that undergo turnover and/or modification during development. Some of these proteins are absent in only one stage, indicating that stable proteins are also modulated. But nearly all of the proteins seen in a continuous label are also seen in a pulse label indicating that most of the major proteins are always present and always synthesized.
Weak-coupling analysis of the single-site large-N gauge theory coupled to adjoint fermions

We consider the leading-order expression at weak coupling for a single-site large-$N$ gauge theory coupled to adjoint fermions. We study the case of overlap and Wilson fermions. We extend the theory to real values of the number of fermion flavors and restrict ourselves to asymptotically free theories. Using a four-dimensional density function for the distribution of the eigenvalues of the link variables, we show that it is possible to recover the infinite-volume continuum limit for a certain range of fermion flavors if we use fermions with a bare mass of zero. Our use of the four-dimensional density function is supported by a direct analysis of the lattice action.
The Population and Evolutionary Dynamics of Homologous Gene Recombination in Bacteria

In bacteria, recombination is a rare event, not a part of the reproductive process. Nevertheless, recombination—broadly defined to include the acquisition of genes from external sources, i.e., horizontal gene transfer (HGT)—plays a central role as a source of variation for adaptive evolution in many species of bacteria. Much of niche expansion, resistance to antibiotics and other environmental stresses, virulence, and other characteristics that make bacteria interesting and problematic, is achieved through the expression of genes and genetic elements obtained from other populations of bacteria of the same and different species, as well as from eukaryotes and archaea. While recombination of homologous genes among members of the same species has played a central role in the development of the genetics and molecular biology of bacteria, the contribution of homologous gene recombination (HGR) to bacterial evolution is not at all clear. Also, not so clear are the selective pressures responsible for the evolution and maintenance of transformation, the only bacteria-encoded form of HGR. Using a semi-stochastic simulation of mutation, recombination, and selection within bacterial populations and competition between populations, we explore (1) the contribution of HGR to the rate of adaptive evolution in these populations and (2) the conditions under which HGR will provide a bacterial population a selective advantage over non-recombining or more slowly recombining populations. The results of our simulation indicate that, under broad conditions: (1) HGR occurring at rates in the range anticipated for bacteria like Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Haemophilus influenzae, and Bacillus subtilis will accelerate the rate at which a population adapts to environmental conditions; (2) once established in a population, selection for this capacity to increase rates of adaptive evolution can maintain bacteria-encoded mechanisms of recombination and prevent invasion of non-recombining populations, even when recombination engenders a modest fitness cost; and (3) because of the density- and frequency-dependent nature of HGR in bacteria, this capacity to increase rates of adaptive evolution is not sufficient as a selective force to provide a recombining population a selective advantage when it is rare. Under realistic conditions, homologous gene recombination will increase the rate of adaptive evolution in bacterial populations and, once established, selection for higher rates of evolution will promote the maintenance of bacteria-encoded mechanisms for HGR. On the other hand, increasing rates of adaptive evolution by HGR is unlikely to be the sole or even a dominant selective pressure responsible for the original evolution of transformation.
Procedural Pain and Oxidative Stress in Premature Neonates

Preterm neonates exposed to painful procedures in the neonatal intensive care unit ex- hibit increased pain scores and alterations in oxygenation and heart rate. It is unclear whether these physiological responses increase the risk of oxidative stress. Using a prospective study design, we ex- amined the relationship between a tissue-damaging procedure (TDP; tape removal during discontin- uation of an indwelling central arterial or venous catheter) and oxidative stress in 80 preterm neonates. Oxidative stress was quantified by measuring uric acid (UA) and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in plasma before and after neonates (n = 38) experienced a TDP compared to those not experiencing any TDP (control group, n = 42). Pain was measured before and during the TDP using the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP). We found that pain scores were higher in the TDP group compared to the control group (median scores, 11 and 5, respectively; P < .001). UA signif- icantly decreased over time in control neonates but remained stable in TDP neonates (132.76 to 123.23 mM versus 140.50 to 138.9 mM; P = .002). MDA levels decreased over time in control neonates but increased in TDP neonates (2.07 to 1.81 mM versus 2.07 to 2.21 mM, P = .01). We found significant positive correlations between PIPP scores and MDA. Our data suggest a significant relationship be- tween procedural pain and oxidative stress in preterm neonates. Perspective: This article presents data describing a significant relationship between physiological markers of neonatal pain and oxidative stress. The method described in this paper can potentially be used to assess the direct cellular effects of procedural pain as well the effectiveness of interventions performed to decrease pain.
A rapid live-cell ELISA for characterizing antibodies against cell surface antigens of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and its use in isolating algae from natural environments with related cell wall components

Cell walls are essential for most bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae and land plants to provide shape, structural integrity and protection from numerous biotic and abiotic environmental factors. In the case of eukaryotic algae, relatively little is known of the composition, structure or mechanisms of assembly of cell walls in individual species or between species and how these differences enable algae to inhabit a great diversity of environments. In this paper we describe the use of camelid antibody fragments (VHHs) and a streamlined ELISA assay as powerful new tools for obtaining mono-specific reagents for detecting individual algal cell wall components and for isolating algae that share a particular cell surface component. To develop new microalgal bioprospecting tools to aid in the search of environmental samples for algae that share similar cell wall and cell surface components, we have produced single-chain camelid antibodies raised against cell surface components of the single-cell alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We have cloned the variable-region domains (VHHs) from the camelid heavy-chain-only antibodies and overproduced tagged versions of these monoclonal-like antibodies in E. coli. Using these VHHs, we have developed an accurate, facile, low cost ELISA that uses live cells as a source of antigens in their native conformation and that requires less than 90 minutes to perform. This ELISA technique was demonstrated to be as accurate as standard ELISAs that employ proteins from cell lysates and that generally require >24 hours to complete. Among the cloned VHHs, VHH B11, exhibited the highest affinity (EC50 < 1 nM) for the C. reinhardtii cell surface. The live-cell ELISA procedure was employed to detect algae sharing cell surface components with C. reinhardtii in water samples from natural environments. In addition, mCherry-tagged VHH B11 was used along with fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) to select individual axenic isolates of presumed wild relatives of C. reinhardtii and other Chlorphyceae from the same environmental samples. Camelid antibody VHH domains provide a highly specific tool for detection of individual cell wall components of algae and for allowing the selection of algae that share a particular cell surface molecule from diverse ecosystems.
Comparison of energy expenditure from lifestyle physical activities between patients with rheumatoid arthritis and healthy controls.

Objective Low energy expenditure is a risk for cardiovascular morbidity. The goals of this study were to compare energy expenditure between patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and healthy controls. Methods A total of 121 RA patients and 120 healthy controls in New York City completed the Paffenbarger Physical Activity and Exercise Index at time of enrollment (1999–2000) and 1 year later to measure energy expenditure from walking, climbing stairs, and exercise/sports. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, education, pain, social support, and depressive symptoms and were compared with recommended thresholds of energy expenditure. Results Participants' mean age was 49 years, and 87% were women. Patients with RA expended fewer kilocalories per week than controls (mean ± SD 1,474 ± 1,198 versus 1,958 ± 1,940, P = 0.003), with most of this difference from less walking as opposed to high-intensity activities. Although similar percents of RA patients and controls met national recommendations for total weekly energy expenditure (56% versus 64% for the lower [≥1,000 kilocalories per week] threshold; P = 0.14, and 41% versus 48% for the higher [≥1,400 kilocalories per week] threshold; P = 0.17), fewer RA patients met the recommendations (≥700 kilocalories per week) for walking (32% versus 48%; P = 0.01). The strongest predictor of more energy expenditure at 1 year for both groups was more energy expenditure at enrollment. Conclusion Most of the difference in energy expenditure between RA patients and healthy controls was due to less walking. Given that walking is an effective and relatively safe lifestyle activity, increasing walking should be a priority to improve cardiovascular risk in RA.
The Use of Ozone to reduce the Concentration of Malodorous Metabolites in Swine Manure Slurry

A pilot-scale ozonation system was constructed and operated to reduce the malodours emanating from fresh and stored swine manure slurry. The concentrations of the malodorous bacterial metabolites (phenol,p-cresol,p-ethylphenol and skatole) found in the liquid fraction of the manure slurry were found to increase during three weeks of storage. The fresh and stored manure slurry was ozonated at dosages of 0·25, 0·5, 0·75 and 1·0 g/l. Ozonation eliminated these metabolites from the manure slurry. On the contrary, no useful decrease in the concentration of all the above metabolites was observed after treatment with either nitrogen or oxygen. The odour intensity of the manure slurry was also significantly reduced (P<0·05) after ozonation at a dosage of 0·5 g/l. In contrast, neither stripping with nitrogen nor oxidation using oxygen had a significant effect on the odour acceptability of the mature. The use of hydrogen peroxide and ozone did not offer additional benefit over that obtained with ozone alone. Within the range of 14–25°C, temperature had no effect on the efficiency of ozonation. The ozonated manure did not regain its original malodour after one month of storage subsequent to ozonation.
Unilateral emboli in a patient with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura is a rare disease most commonly associated with microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, fever, neurologic disorders, and renal dysfunction. We describe a patient with a history of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura that had been quiescent for 4 months; he had a 3-week history of painful purpuric lesions on the left hand only. He also had mottling and a livedoid purpura of the distal fingertips, splinter hemorrhages of the left fingernails, and a decreased radial pulse. Findings of a biopsy specimen revealed multiple capillary and small vessel thromboses. Contrast aortography demonstrated a pseudoaneurysm of the proximal descending thoracic aorta with stenosis of the left subclavian artery at its origin and an associated thrombus.
Design of switching control systems for ventilated greenhouses

A state-space averaging method was employed in the design of a switching control system for a conventional single-phase, two-speed ventilation fan with time-averaged temperature feedback. The unique state-space averaging method allows the switched, i.e., discontinuous, system to be approximated as a continuous system; thus direct digital control design techniques can be applied for designing the switching controller. Dynamic simulation of the controller action and greenhouse air temperature indicated that the root-mean-square temperature could closely match the set point temperature, and that the switching period affected fluctuations about the set point. The validity of the designed switching controller was confirmed through field tests and compared to a conventional staging control strategy in research greenhouses. The proposed design method shows promise as an alternative to conventional PID systems and stage controllers, and is applicable to any discontinuous switched system. Detailed design development is provided.