cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Translational readthrough by the aminoglycoside geneticin (G418) modulates SMN stability in vitro and improves motor function in SMA mice in vivo

Proximal spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neuromuscular disorder for which there is no available therapy. SMA is caused by loss or mutation of the survival motor neuron 1 gene, SMN1, with retention of a nearly identical copy gene, SMN2. In contrast to SMN1, most SMN2 transcripts lack exon 7. This alternatively spliced transcript, Delta7-SMN, encodes a truncated protein that is rapidly degraded. Inhibiting this degradation may be of therapeutic value for the treatment of SMA. Recently aminoglycosides, which decrease translational fidelity to promote readthrough of termination codons, were shown to increase SMN levels in patient cell lines. Amid uncertainty concerning the role of SMN's C-terminus, the potential of translational readthrough as a therapeutic mechanism for SMA is unclear. Here, we used stable cell lines to demonstrate the SMN C-terminus modulates protein stability in a sequence-independent manner that is reproducible by translational readthrough. Geneticin (G418) was then identified as a potent inducer of the Delta7-SMN target sequence in vitro through a novel quantitative assay amenable to high throughput screens. Subsequent treatment of patient cell lines demonstrated that G418 increases SMN levels and is a potential lead compound. Furthermore, treatment of SMA mice with G418 increased both SMN protein and mouse motor function. Chronic administration, however, was associated with toxicity that may have prevented the detection of a survival benefit. Collectively, these results substantiate a sequence independent role of SMN's C-terminus in protein stability and provide the first in vivo evidence supporting translational readthrough as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of SMA.
Applications of neural networks in biomedical engineering

The author presents an iterative optimization procedure to achieve the goals of furthering the understanding of brain functions so that an artificial visual system can be built. The applications of these algorithms are almost unlimited. Examples are presented in visual evoked potentials, pattern recognition and real time reduction of motion artifacts. >
Variability and Accuracy in Mammographic Interpretation Using the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System

Background: Several studies, which were limited by their small sample size and selection of difficult cases for review, have reported substantial variability among radiologists in interpretation of mammographic examinations. We have determined, in the largest study to date, intraobserver and interobserver agreement in interpreting screening mammography and accuracy of mammography by use of the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS). Methods: The mammographic examinations were randomly selected on the basis of original mammographic interpretation and cancer outcome from 71 713 screening examinations performed by the Mobile Mammography Screening Program of the University of California, San Francisco, during the period from April 1985 through February 1995. The final sample included 786 abnormal examinations with no cancer detected, 267 abnormal examinations with cancer detected, and 1563 normal examinations. Films were read separately by two radiologists according to BI-RADS. Cancer status was determined by contacting women’s physicians and by linkage to the regional Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. Results: There was moderate agreement between radiologists in reporting the presence of a finding when cancer was present (k = 0.54) and substantial agreement when cancer was not present (k = 0.62). Agreement was moderate in assigning one of the five assessment categories but was statistically significantly lower when cancer was present relative to when cancer was not present (k = 0.46 versus 0.56; two-sided P = .02). Agreement for reporting the presence of a finding and mammographic assessment was twofold more likely for examinations with less dense breasts. Agreement was higher on repeat readings by the same radiologists than between radiologists. The sensitivity of mammography was lower with BI-RADS than with the original system for mammographic interpretation, but the positive predictive value of mammography was higher. Conclusion: Considerable variability in interpretation of mammographic examinations exists; this variability and the accuracy of mammography are neither improved nor diminished with use of BI-RADS. [J Natl Cancer Inst 1998;90: 1801‐9]
Rosiglitazone Inhibits Acyl-CoA Synthetase Activity and Fatty Acid Partitioning to Diacylglycerol and Triacylglycerol via a Peroxisome Proliferator–Activated Receptor-γ–Independent Mechanism in Human Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells and Macrophages

Rosiglitazone is an insulin-sensitizing agent that has recently been shown to exert beneficial effects on atherosclerosis. In addition to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma, rosiglitazone can affect other targets, such as directly inhibiting recombinant long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase (ACSL)-4 activity. Because it is unknown if ACSL4 is expressed in vascular cells involved in atherosclerosis, we investigated the ability of rosiglitazone to inhibit ACSL activity and fatty acid partitioning in human and murine arterial smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and macrophages. Human and murine SMCs and human macrophages expressed Acsl4, and rosiglitazone inhibited Acsl activity in these cells. Furthermore, rosiglitazone acutely inhibited partitioning of fatty acids into phospholipids in human SMCs and inhibited fatty acid partitioning into diacylglycerol and triacylglycerol in human SMCs and macrophages through a PPAR-gamma-independent mechanism. Conversely, murine macrophages did not express ACSL4, and rosiglitazone did not inhibit ACSL activity in these cells, nor did it affect acute fatty acid partitioning into cellular lipids. Thus, rosiglitazone inhibits ACSL activity and fatty acid partitioning in human and murine SMCs and in human macrophages through a PPAR-gamma-independent mechanism likely to be mediated by ACSL4 inhibition. Therefore, rosiglitazone might alter the biological effects of fatty acids in these cells and in atherosclerosis.
Large-Scale Simulations of Melting in Two-Dimensional Lennard-Jones Systems: Evidence for a Metastable Hexatic Phase

Large scale molecular dynamics simulations have been performed for two-dimensional Lennard-Jones systems on massively parallel computers. The calculations were done in the NPT ensemble as recently reformulated by Melchionna et al., avoiding problems associated with mixed phases and artificial treatment of vacancies and interstitials. In the largest systems studied (36864 and 102400 atoms), a metastable hexatic phase was found between solid and liquid, in agreement with the predictions of the theory of melting in two dimensions developed by Kosterlitz and Thouless, Halperin and Nelson, and Young. The hexatic phase was not seen in smaller samples, calling into question the conclusions of many previous simulations performed on smaller systems and shorter time scales.
Corn growth as monitored by radar

Results of an experiment to determine the feasibility of monitoring corn growth with radar are reported. Radar backscattering data were acquired with a ground based 8-18 GHz radar spectrometer during the summer of 1974. Supporting ground truth data were also collected. During the month of July the crop suffered from a water deficit, although by no means was the crop destroyed by this lack of moisture. At angles of incidence of 40\deg or greater, the results of the data analysis indicate a strong correlation between the radar backscattering coefficient \sigma\deg and the "normalized plant water content" W_{pn} , where W_{pn} is the mass of water in the corn plant divided by its height. The correlation coefficient between \sigma\deg and W_{pn} , which was calculated for each of 176 different combinations of the radar parameters (signal frequency, angle of incidence and polarization), was highest (0.96) at 17.0 GHz, 50\deg VV polarization. Considering the fact that the data used covered a period of four months during which the corn plants underwent considerable change in geometry and dielectric properties, the high correlation of 0.96 between \sigma\deg and W_{pn} points to a promising future for radar as a tool for monitoring corn development.
Multistep hopping and extracellular charge transfer in microbial redox chains

Dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria are microorganisms that gain energy by transferring respiratory electrons to extracellular solid-phase electron acceptors. In addition to its importance for physiology and natural environmental processes, this form of metabolism is being investigated for energy conversion and fuel production in bioelectrochemical systems, where microbes are used as biocatalysts at electrodes. One proposed strategy to accomplish this extracellular charge transfer involves forming a conductive pathway to electrodes by incorporating redox components on outer cell membranes and along extracellular appendages known as microbial nanowires within biofilms. To describe extracellular charge transfer in microbial redox chains, we employed a model based on incoherent hopping between sites in the chain and an interfacial treatment of electrochemical interactions with the surrounding electrodes. Based on this model, we calculated the current–voltage (I–V) characteristics and found the results to be in good agreement with I–V measurements across and along individual microbial nanowires produced by the bacterium Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Based on our analysis, we propose that multistep hopping in redox chains constitutes a viable strategy for extracellular charge transfer in microbial biofilms.
Green emission to probe photoinduced charging events in ZnO-Au nanoparticles. Charge distribution and fermi-level equilibration

Photoinduced electron accumulation in ZnO nanoparticles results in the bleaching of the exciton band as well as quenching of green emission. In the absence of an electron scavenger, photogenerated electrons are stored near the conduction band edge and promote charge recombination via a nonradiative process. By exposing the UV-irradiated ZnO suspension to an electron acceptor (O2 or thionine dye) the stored electrons are discharged and the original excitonic band and the visible emission are restored. Titration of electrons stored in ZnO nanoparticles with an electron acceptor, thionine dye, shows a linear relationship between stored electrons and the emission quenching. When gold nanoparticles are added to pre-UV-irradiated ZnO colloids, only partial recovery of the emission is seen. Pt nanoparticles on the other hand caused almost complete recovery of the quenched emission as the electrons are discharged into the solution. The charge distribution between UV-irradiated ZnO and gold nanoparticles results i...
Content aware optimization for video delivery over WCDMA

A content-aware networking framework for transmitting video on the uplink of a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) cellular network is studied in this article. We consider a multi-user scenario and exploit the underlying structure of the video content to optimally schedule frames in order to minimize the total distortion of video quality across all users. In particular, we propose a novel Content-Aware Distortion Fair (CADF) scheme that determines, between multiple flows, the best set of frames to schedule using optimal transmit power, while meeting interference and delay constraints. The optimization problem is considered on the time scale of a single Group of Pictures, and is formulated as a restricted Multiple Knapsack Problem. A key contribution of this study is evaluating the CADF scheme on a Qualcomm 3G emulator, called “High data rate System Emulator 2” (HSE 2), and conducting rate control experiments with different types of emulated channel conditions. Our experimental results show that the CADF scheme significantly reduces video distortion, compared to the existing Foschini-Miljanic closed-loop distributed power control algorithm implemented on the WCDMA uplink. In the Appendix section, we also use the emulator to analyze the Traffic-to-Pilot resource allocation algorithm implemented on the reverse link of Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision-A by profiling over different traffic classes.
A kinase subdomain of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) type I receptor determines the TGF-β intracellular signaling specificity

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) signals through a heteromeric complex of related type I and type II serine/threonine kinase receptors. In Mv1Lu cells the type I receptor TbetaRI mediates TGF-beta-induced gene expression and growth inhibition, while the closely related type I receptors Tsk7L and TSR1 are inactive in these responses. Using chimeras between TbetaRI and Tsk7L or TSR1, we have defined the structural requirements for TGF-beta signaling by TbetaRI. The extracellular/transmembrane or cytoplasmic domains of TbetaRI and Tsk7L were functionally not equivalent. The juxtamembrane domain, including the GS motif, and most regions in the kinase domain can functionally substitute for each other, but the alphaC-beta4-beta5 region from kinase subdomains III to V conferred a distinct signaling ability. Replacement of this sequence in TbetaRI by the corresponding domain of Tsk7L inactivated TGF-beta signaling, whereas its introduction into Tsk7L conferred TGF-beta signaling. The differential signaling associated with this region was narrowed down to a sequence of eight amino acids, the L45 loop, which is exposed in the three-dimensional kinase structure and diverges highly between TbetaRI and Tsk7L or TSR1. Replacement of the L45 sequence in Tsk7L with that of TbetaRI conferred TGF-beta responsiveness to the Tsk7L cytoplasmic domain in Mv1Lu cells. Thus, the L45 sequence between kinase subdomains IV and V specifies TGF-beta responsiveness of the type I receptor.
Results from Ulysses' Jupiter flyby

The joint European Space Agency/NASA Ulysses spacecraft flew through the Jovian system in early February for a gravity-assist boost out of the ecliptic plane on its way to its primary mission exploring the polar regions of the Sun. While in the vicinity of Jupiter, Ulysses' nine field and particle experiments probed the Jovian magnetosphere. At a February 11 press conference at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Ulysses investigators presented the initial results from the flyby. The first set of scientific papers will be published in Science this summer.
Effect of bead milling on chemical and physical characteristics of activated carbons pulverized to superfine sizes.

Superfine powdered activated carbon (S-PAC) is an adsorbent material with particle size between roughly 0.1–1 μm. This is about an order of magnitude smaller than conventional powdered activated carbon (PAC), typically 10–50 μm. S-PAC has been shown to outperform PAC for adsorption of various drinking water contaminants. However, variation in S-PAC production methods and limited material characterization in prior studies lead to questions of how S-PAC characteristics deviate from that of its parent PAC. In this study, a wet mill filled with 0.3–0.5 mm yttrium-stabilized zirconium oxide grinding beads was used to produce S-PAC from seven commercially available activated carbons of various source materials, including two coal types, coconut shell, and wood. Particle sizes were varied by changing the milling time, keeping mill power, batch volume, and recirculation rate constant. As expected, mean particle size decreased with longer milling. A lignite coal-based carbon had the smallest mean particle diameter at 169 nm, while the wood-based carbon had the largest at 440 nm. The wood and coconut-shell based carbons had the highest resistance to milling. Specific surface area and pore volume distributions were generally unchanged with increased milling time. Changes in the point of zero charge (pHPZC) and oxygen content of the milled carbons were found to correlate with an increasing specific external surface area. However, the isoelectric point (pHIEP), which measures only external surfaces, was unchanged with milling and also much lower in value than pHPZC. It is likely that the outer surface is easily oxidized while internal surfaces remain largely unchanged, which results in a lower average pH as measured by pHPZC.
The Macromolecular Organization of Cellulose and Chitin

In this chapter, we will review what is currently known about the physical structures of cellulose and chitin and discuss the implications of these structures for studies of the biosynthesis of these two polymers. Cellulose and chitin are both fiber-forming polymers, and as fibers they serve as the load-bearing components of major groups of natural composite tissues—cellulose in many plant-cell walls and chitin in the skeletal materials of many lower animals. Their chemical structures are very similar: cellulose is poly-β(1→4)-d-glucose and chitin is its 2-acetamido derivative (see Fig. 1); not surprisingly, this leads to similar structures and morphologies. The β(1→4) glucan chain is inherently stiff and extended and must be judged ideal for the formation of fibrous structures. Both polymers are naturally crystalline, and their crystal structures have been the subject of X-ray crystallographic studies for over 60 years. From early studies, it was known that both cellulose and chitin could adopt a number of different polymorphic structures. These have different unit cells, but in all cases the chains have extended ribbonlike conformations, with two pyranose residues repeating in approximately 10.3 A. The actual packing of these chains and their intermolecular hydrogen bonding proved more difficult to determine, and it has only been in the last decade that these problems have yielded to X-ray investigations. The central question for cellulose was the polarity of adjacent chains: the unit cells contain sections of two chains that could have the same (parallel) or opposite (antiparallel) sense.
Bits in space: Speeding up holographic video

Electronic holography, as developed by the MIT Media Laboratory’s Spatial Imaging Group, is a truly three-dimensional real-time digital imaging medium.
Alveolar size, number, and surface area: developmentally dependent response to 13% O2.

Nonpregnant female rats were kept in 13% O2 for greater than 3 wk before being bred, throughout pregna ncy, and, with their pups, after birth; control rats were only in air. The average volume (v),...
Susceptibility study of audio recording devices to electromagnetic stimulations

Little research has been performed to study how intentional electromagnetic signals may couple into recording devices. An electromagnetic susceptibility study was performed on an analog tape recorder, a digital video camera, a wired computer microphone, and a wireless microphone system to electromagnetic interference. Devices were subjected to electromagnetic stimulations in the frequency range of 1-990 MHz and field strengths up to 4.9 V/m. Carrier and message frequencies of the stimulation signals were swept, and the impacts of device orientation and antenna polarization were explored. Message signals coupled into all devices only when amplitude modulated signals were used as stimulation signals. Test conditions that produced maximum sensitivity were highly specific to each device. Only narrow carrier frequency ranges could be used for most devices to couple messages into recordings. A basic detection technique using cross-correlation demonstrated the need for messages to be as long as possible to maximize message detection and minimize detection error. Analysis suggests that detectable signals could be coupled to these recording devices under realistic ambient conditions.
Leadership Models, Processes, and Practices

Leadership skills are very important for clinical informaticists to both understand and apply when in positions like that of Chief Medical Informatics Officer, informatics director, or team leader. In this chapter, we lay the groundwork for understanding the basic tenets of leadership and provide knowledge about leadership dimensions, styles and models and differentiating between leadership and management. We then build on those by adding such leadership skills as IT/Health IT governance; negotiation, conflict management; organizational culture and how to survive in it; the differences between and the appropriate application of strategic, tactical, analytic/critical and innovative/creative thinking; decision making; and communication as a leadership cornerstone. We finally discuss some emerging trends in leadership and leadership theory. By the end of this chapter, you should have a very good handle on both the theory and the practical application of leadership principles.
Heart retransplantation: The 25-year experience at a single institution

Background : The current critical shortage of cardiac allograft donors means that the decision to offer a patient repeat heart transplantation must be carefully considered. Since 1968, a total of 66 heart retransplantation procedures (63 first-time and three second-time) have been performed in 63 patients at Stanford. Methods : There were 52 male and 11 female patients, ranging in age from 3 to 62 years with a mean age of 41 years. Indications for retransplantation were primary allograft failure in nine patients, acute allograft rejection in 17, graft atherosclerosis in 37, and constrictive disease in three. Six of the seventeen patients (35%) who underwent retransplantation before 1981 died in the hospital, and none are currently alive. Of the 46 patients who underwent retransplantation since 1981 treated with cyclosporine-based immunosuppression, 11 (24%) died in the hospital. Actuarial survival estimates for the whole retransplantation group at 1, 5, and 10 years were 55% ± 8%, 33% ± 8%, and 22% ± 7%, respectively. Results : This survival was significantly worse (p < 0.05) than that in patients undergoing primary heart transplantation (81% ± 2%, 62% ± 2%, 44% ± 13% at 1, 5, and 10 years). Those patients who underwent retransplantation for graft atherosclerosis since 1981 had a significantly better 1-year survival (p < 0.05) than those who underwent retransplantation for allograft rejection (69% ± 10% versus 33% ± 16%), but the 5-year survival was similar in both groups (34% ± 11% versus 33% ± 16%). Since 1981, actuarial freedoms from infection and rejection were 22% ± 8% and 41% ± 9%, respectively, at 1 year, and 7% ± 7% and 36% ± 9% at 5 years. Patients with cyclosporine-induced renal dysfunction (serum creatinine level of greater than 2.0 mg/dl) had a high probability of requiring postoperative dialysis and also of death after retransplantation. Three patients with significant cyclosporine-induced renal dysfunction underwent simultaneous kidney transplantation and heart retransplantation, and all were alive and well at the time this article was written. Sixteen patients were also currently alive at a mean follow-up of 44 months, and 15 were in New York Heart Association functional class I. Conclusions : We continue to list carefully selected candidates with good rehabilitation potential for heart retransplantation.
CHEMICAL AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF ACTINIDE ORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUNDS. CATALYTIC AND STOICHIOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF METAL-CARBON AND METAL-HYDROGEN BONDS

ABSTRACT This article reviews recent results concerning the synthesis and properties of thorium and uranium hydrocarbyls and hydrides. With proper tuning of the actinide cordination sphere, organometallic compounds of exceptional reactivity can be prepared. Chemical transformations of the metal-carbon sigma bonds which are discussed include C-H activation, addition of ketones, protolysis, halogenolysis, and CO activation. Hydrogenolysis of the metal-carbon sigma bonds has afforded the first molecular actinide hydrides. The hydrides exhibit appreciable hydridic character. They also activate molecular hydrogen and olefins. The olefin activation and hydrogenolysis reactions can be coupled to effect homogeneous, catalytic olefin hydrogenation. The differences between thorium and uranium chemistry appear largely to reflect differences in accessible oxidation states and in metal-ligand bond polarity.
Introduction to Biomedical Instrumentation: Clinical laboratory equipment

LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1 describe and characterize the purpose of the clinical laboratory 2 describe Coulter's discovery 3 define flow cytometry and describe why it is useful 4 describe and define a fluorochrome and identify why it is useful 5 describe potentiometry 6 define an ion selective electrode and describe its applications 7 define spectrophotometry and describe the application of this technique 8 define osmolality and describe the application of this technique 9 define an osmometer and identify its basic principle 10 describe electrophoresis 11 describe the principles of operation of a centrifuge 12 identify and describe other types of laboratory equipment 13 describe point-of-care testing Introduction The clinical laboratory is vital to a hospital's ability to treat patients. Bodily fluids from patients are analyzed for their chemical makeup and evidence of disease. Many therapeutic and treatment decisions are made based on the results of this important analysis. Almost all testing is automated and most devices perform many tasks. BMET support is vital to the clinical laboratory, as it is a very equipment-intensive department. The high level of complex equipment does require some hospitals to obtain service contracts for the support of clinical laboratory equipment. Some of the fluids from patients that are commonly analyzed include blood, urine, and cerebral spinal fluid. A tremendous number of tests are performed. This chapter focuses on the principles that form the foundation for the complex equipment. Most devices use multiple reagents, bar codes, robotics, and computers to perform the sample preparation and multiple tests.
Predicted heart mass is the optimal metric for size match in heart transplantation.

BACKGROUND Donor-recipient size match is traditionally assessed by body weight. We assessed the ability of 5 size match metrics—predicted heart mass (PHM), weight, height, body mass index (BMI) and body surface area (BSA)—to predict 1-year mortality after heart transplant and to assess the effect of size match on donor heart turn down for size. METHODS The study cohort comprised 19,168 adult heart transplant recipients in the United Network for Organ Sharing registry between 2007 and 2016. Each size match metric was divided into 7 equally sized groups using the donor-recipient ratio for each metric. Single and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models for mortality 1 year after transplant were constructed. RESULTS Recipients in the severely (donor-recipient PHM ratio 0.54–0.86) undersized group for PHM experienced increased mortality, with a hazard ratio of 1.34 (95% confidence interval, 1.13–1.59; p CONCLUSIONS PHM is the optimal donor-recipient size match metric for prediction of mortality after heart transplant. Many offers turned down for donor size were above the threshold for adequacy of size match by PHM identified, and thus, the use of PHM could improve donor heart utilization and post-transplant survival.
Evaluating Attitudes and Experience With Emerging Technology in Cadets and Civilian Undergraduates

Existing research on the characteristics of digital natives, traditionally defined as those born after 1980, has shown subtle differences in how they approach technology compared with other cohorts...
Post-Prostatectomy Incontinence: How Common and Bothersome Is It Really?

Abstract Introduction The implications of post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence (PPI) on quality of life pose a matter of great concern for urologists and patients alike. Efforts to mitigate this devastating complication have met with varying degrees of success and the literature has shown a discrepancy between patient- and surgeon-reported outcomes. Aim To describe the multifactorial physiology of PPI, its evaluation, and its effect on health-related quality of life and sexual function and to review preoperative predictive factors for PPI and explore the disparity between patient- and surgeon-reported outcomes. Methods We selected a representative sample of principal studies addressing these topics pertaining to PPI. The search was executed by a relevant term search on PubMed from 1994 to the present. Main Outcome Measures The main topics of consideration in this review are pathophysiology, predictors and prevalence, and methods of evaluating PPI. We also report on findings on the role of PPI in sexual activity, surgical methods to prevent PPI, and variability in methods of outcome reporting. Results The application of various measures to prevent PPI has had variable success and efforts to further refine and widely implement improvements have been complicated by the heterogeneity in measurements used to report and compare outcomes. Conclusion Patient age, incontinence definitions, and preoperative baseline incontinence make collecting and interpreting urinary function data after radical prostatectomy challenging. Confusion in the literature is compounded by the discrepancy between patient- and surgeon-reported outcomes. On a patient-physician level, there is the issue of potentially under-counseling patients during preoperative discussions on the profound impact of PPI on quality of life in general and on sexual function and satisfaction in particular. Trofimenko V, Myers JB, Brant WO. Post-Prostatectomy Incontinence: How Common and Bothersome Is It Really? Sex Med Rev 2017;X:XXX–XXX.
Assessment of a Peer-Taught Structural Competency Course for Medical Students Using a Novel Survey Tool

Structural competency is an emerging framework for teaching health disparities from a systems-level perspective. A group of medical students piloted a peer-taught course on applying structural competency to patient care. Measuring the impact of educational innovations is critical, yet no literature quantitatively assessing structural competency curricula currently exists for the medical school setting. Students adapted an existing cultural competency assessment instrument to create the Clinical Structural Competency Questionnaire, a 52-item Likert-based survey tool. This tool was used to assess students’ self-reported knowledge, skills, and attitudes before, immediately after, and 6 months after the course. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Response proportion immediately after the course was 84% (n = 114). Of these, 34% (n = 39) could be matched for all survey time-points. Students reported increases in knowledge of structural competency (p < 0.01). They reported higher levels of comfort addressing structural issues in patient care, including “coming up with a treatment plan which takes into account any structural issues in a patient’s life” (p < 0.01). Student attitudes changed significantly, including a decrease in perceived importance of genetics in determining health and health disparities (p < 0.01), relative to factors like zip code (p < 0.01), voting (p < 0.01), and housing stability (p < 0.01). Medical students perceived an improvement in knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding application of structural thinking and practices to patient care, after a peer-taught course. Peer-taught structural competency instruction can be effective and should be implemented to train health professional students in understanding and addressing health disparities using systems-level thinking.
Purification and properties of microvitellogenin of Manducasexta role of juvenile hormone in appearance and uptake

Abstract Microvitellogenin, a female specific protein found in hemolymph and eggs of adult female Manduca sexta (tobacco hornworm moth) has been purified to homogeneity. It is a 31,000 dalton protein lacking covalently bound carbohydrate. It appears in the hemolymph near the time of adult eclosion. The appearance of microvitellogenin in adult hemolymph is not dependent upon the presence of juvenile hormone. Uptake of both vitellogenin and microvitellogenin are greatly reduced in the absence of juvenile hormone.
Trojan Horse for Light-Triggered Bifurcated Production of Singlet Oxygen and Fenton-Reactive Iron within Cancer Cells

Traditional photodynamic therapy for cancer relies on dye-photosensitized generation of singlet oxygen. However, therapeutically effective singlet oxygen generation requires well-oxygenated tissues, whereas many tumor environments tend to be hypoxic. We describe a platform for targeted enhancement of photodynamic therapy that produces singlet oxygen in oxygenated environments and hydroxyl radical, which is typically regarded as the most toxic reactive oxygen species, in hypoxic environments. The 24-subunit iron storage protein bacterioferritin (Bfr) has the unique property of binding 12 heme groups in its protein shell. We inserted the isostructural photosensitizer, zinc(II) protoporphyrin IX (ZnP), in place of the hemes and extended the surface-exposed N-terminal ends of the Bfr subunits with a peptide targeting a receptor that is hyperexpressed on the cell surface of many tumors and tumor vasculature. We then loaded the inner cavity with ∼2500 irons as a ferric oxyhydroxide polymer and finally conjugate...
Frequency and Timing of Environmental Exposure

Identifying the temporal dimensions of exposure is a key challenge in the assessment of risk from environmental contaminants. Temporal models of exposure consist of combinations of three elements: duration, frequency, and magnitude. Different temporal models have been developed to characterize exposure and are described: cumulative, time-weighted average, peak, and time-specific. In addition, the influence of different measures of time, also referred to as temporal orientations are also considered. For example, comparing exposure across people will change depending on whether time is oriented in reference to age (i.e., years/months since being born), diagnosis/interview (i.e., years/months before diagnosis/interview), calendar year/date, or other points in time, for example, age at menarche and time since beginning an occupation. Importantly, the appropriate temporal model or temporal orientation may change from one exposure to another, even for the same disease, making it difficult to hypothesize the appropriate temporal model to select. The example of exposure to arsenic in drinking water is presented to illustrate different means of incorporating magnitude, frequency, duration, and timing of exposure.
Virion concentration method for the detection of human enteric viruses in extracts of hard-shelled clams

A method to extract and concentrate intact human enteric viruses from oyster extracts for detection using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was applied to hard-shelled clams (Mercenaria mercenaria). Fifty-gram clam samples were processed by an adsorption-elution-precipitation method and then seeded with 10 1 to 10 5 PFU of poliovirus 1 (PV1) and/or hepatitis A virus (HAV). Seeded viruses in extracts were purified by fluorocarbon (Freon) extraction and concentrated by polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation and elution. Efficiency of virion recovery from PEG precipitates was dependent upon PEG concentration and elution buffer volume, with optimized variables yielding recoveries as high as 99% for PV I and 45% for HAV, as evaluated by cell culture infectivity assay. To further concentrate viruses, remove inhibitors, and reduce sample volumes, the protein-precipitating agent Pro-Cipitate was used in an adsorption-elution-precipitation scheme. The final concentrate was of low volume (<1 ml) and directly compatible with viral genomic amplification using RT-PCR. When extracts from 50-g clam samples were seeded and processed by the combined concentration and purification scheme, direct RT-PCR detection of viral genomic RNA was possible at initial inoculum levels of 10 3 PFU for PV1 and HAV. Corresponding virus recoveries based on cell culture infectivity were 7 to 50% and 0.3 to 8% for PV1 and HAV, respectively. When extracts of clams were artificially contaminated with the Norwalk virus, direct detection of virion RNA using RT-PCR and subsequent oligoprobe hybridization was possible at levels as low as 450 RT-PCR amplifiable units of the Norwalk virus per extract of 50-g clam sample.
Management of disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a condition in which normal coagulation is overstimulated, causing diffuse clotting and profuse hemorrhaging to occur simultaneously. Patients with cancer and those receiving cancer therapy are at risk for developing the condition. This article addresses the pathophysiology, etiology, clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, and management strategies for patients with DIC.
Synthesis of Highly Monodispersed, Stable, and Spherical NZVI of 20–30 nm on Filter Paper for the Removal of Phosphate from Wastewater: Batch and Column Study

A nanobiodegradable adsorbent was prepared by stabilizing nanoscale zerovalent iron (NZVI) on cellulose filter paper. Characterization of the sample disclosed that the NZVI particles were rounded, ...
A Clash of Norms? How Reciprocity and International Humanitarian Law affect American Opinion on the Treatment of POWs

Reciprocity is one of the oldest principles of warfare, but humanitarian norms embedded in international humanitarian law (IHL) prohibit reciprocity over various wartime acts. When it comes to the ...
Mothers In Motion intervention effect on psychosocial health in young, low-income women with overweight or obesity

Mothers in Motion (MIM), a community-based intervention program, was designed to help young, low-income women with overweight or obesity prevent further weight gain by promoting stress management, healthy eating, and physical activity. This paper presents the MIM’s intervention effect on self-efficacy to cope with stress, emotional coping response, social support for stress management, stress, depressive symptoms, and positive and negative affect. Participants (N = 612) were recruited from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children in Michigan. They were randomly assigned to an intervention group (410 participants) or comparison group (202 participants). During the 16-week intervention, intervention participants watched ten video lessons at home and joined ten peer support group teleconferences. Surveys with established validity and reliability were used to measure self-efficacy to cope with stress, emotional coping response, and social support for stress management. The Perceived Stress Scale, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and Positive and Negative Affect Scale were used to measure stress, depressive symptoms, and positive and negative affect, respectively. A general linear mixed model was applied to test the intervention effect at the end of the 16-week intervention (T2, n = 338) and at three-month follow-up (T3, n = 311). At T2, the intervention group reported significantly higher self-efficacy to cope with stress (effect size [Cohen’s d] = 0.53), better emotional coping response (d = 0.38), less stress (d = 0.34), fewer depressive symptoms (d = − 0.27), and more positive affect (d = 0.31) than the comparison group. However, there were no significant differences in social support for stress management and negative affect between these two groups. At T3, the intervention group still reported significantly higher self-efficacy to cope with stress (d = 0.32) and better emotional coping response (d = 0.34) than the comparison group but did not report significantly higher social support for stress management, stress, depressive symptoms, and positive and negative affect. To help young, low-income women with overweight or obesity manage stress, researchers and program planners may consider focusing on building self-efficacy to cope with stress. Clinical Trials NCT01839708 ; registered February 28, 2013.
The Influence of School Accountability Incentives on Advanced Placement Access: Evidence from Pennsylvania.

This study employed hierarchical piecewise growth modeling and two interrupted time series models to examine the effect of introducing an Advanced Placement (AP) school accountability incentive on AP access in Pennsylvania. Specifically, we examined whether adoption of an advanced course access accountability indicator was associated with an increase in AP course offerings initially and in the three years after the policy intervention. We also analyzed if the indicator differentially affected schools we hypothesized as sensitive or nonsensitive to the policy and examined demographic differences between those school groups. Pennsylvania’s AP accountability incentive was associated with an initial increase in schools’ AP course offerings, but the trajectory of change during the post-policy intervention period did not differ from the pre-policy baseline period. Also, the sizeable gap between schools with the most and fewest AP course offerings did not narrow across time. Instead, the gap widened. Our results suggest that adoption of AP school accountability incentives may not be a long-term solution to improving AP access for all schools or narrowing disparities in access between schools. We call for examinations in other states to determine if, and under what conditions, AP accountability incentives increase AP course offerings while narrowing access disparities.
Firm Reputation and the Cost of Bank Debt

This paper examines whether firm reputation impacts borrowing costs and thus investment. Using unique data from Fortune’s Most Admired Companies surveys, I find that reputable borrowers enjoy lower borrowing costs and receive more favorable loan contract terms. My identification strategy is based on propensity score matching, a regression discontinuity design, and clean reputation measures removing the impact of prior financial performance. Further evidence suggests that banks reward reputable firms with better contract terms because this reputation proxy contains incremental information on borrower future performance and credit risk. Last, firms increase capital expenditures and R&D after receiving the Most Admired designation, consistent with reputable firms exploiting their lower cost of capital and with reputation having real effects on firms’ investment policies.
The effects of hydroperiod and predator density on growth, development, and morphology of wood frogs (Rana sylvatica)

Accelerated development and metamorphosis allow tadpoles to escape death by leaving the aquatic habitat before it dries. Phenotypic plasticity in response to predators typically includes development of physical and behavioral traits, including changes in tail coloration, activity rate, and tail shape and body size. Responding to predators increases the probability of survival, but lowers growth rate. Responses to two common stressors in ephemeral aquatic habitats appear to be in direct opposition to one another. In this study, we examined the individual and interactive effects of hydroperiod and predator density on the life history, morphology, and metamorphosis of wood frog (Rana sylvatica) tadpoles in an outdoor mesocosm study. Tadpoles were exposed to three hydroperiods (constant, intermediate, and short) and three predator densities (zero, four, and eight Anax junius naiads) using a complete block design. The threat of habitat desiccation resulted in increased developmental rate and shorter larval periods. Increased predator densities resulted in increased size at metamorphosis and development of the induced morphology. Although the threat of predation precluded growth and developmental responses to shortened hydroperiod in tadpoles, it did not negate the metamorphic responses to hydroperiod. It appears that, at least at the treatment levels imposed in this experiment, the interaction between these multiple stressors is complex, with the stressors acting both individually and together on different aspects of tadpole ecology.
Slow crack growth in Si 3 N 4 at room temperature

Tests of Si3N4 hot pressed with various types and levels of oxide additives show evidence of room temperature slow crack growth in delayed failure tests (using natural flaws), but not in fracture mechanics (e.g. DCB or DT) tests consistent with more limited literature data for these two types of tests. Neither type of test showed slow crack growth in either CVD Si3N4 or RSSN. Further the fracture mode in the latter two materials was essentially all transgranular, while it was predominantly (e.g. 80%) intergranular in the hot-pressed materials. It was thus postulated that (1) the oxide grain boundary phase is responsible for slow crack growth and; (2) varying distribution of the oxide boundary phase and grain boundary character result in sufficient boundaries not susceptible to slow crack growth to pin cracks with macroscopic crack lengths (i.e. as in DCB and DT tests). Both the much smaller crack front lengths and the large number of small (natural, e.g. machining) flaws allows some of these small flaws to grow to critical size, thus leading to delayed failure in the hot-pressed materials.
Analysis of the relationship between neonatal TSH level and simple-elevated level of TPOAb in pregnant women

Objective By screening the neonatal thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and the thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) in pregnant women, to investigate whether the simple-elevated level of TPOAb in pregnant women during the first trimester of pregnancy affects the thyroid function of the newborn or not. Methods 30 cases of neonates whose mothers had normal thyroid function and normal TPOAb level were selected as control group, 30 cases of neonates whose mothers had normal thyroid function and elevated level of TPOAb (>34 IU/L) were selected as observation group. And then analyzed the difference of neonatal TSH level between the two groups, and the relationship between TPOAb level in pregnant women and neonatal TSH level. Results The neonatal TSH level in the observation group was (2.91±0.10) mIU/L, significantly higher than that in the control group [(1.92±0.18) mIU/L], with statistically significant difference between the two groups (t=-42.29, P<0.001). The correlation analysis showed that the TPOAb level in pregnant women was positively correlated with the neonatal TSH level (r=0.46). Conclusion The elevated level of TPOAb in pregnant women during the first trimester of pregnancy may affect the neonatal thyroid function. Key words: First trimester of pregnancy; Pregnant women; Simple-elevated level of TPOAb; Neonate; TSH