cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sphingolipids in neutrophil function and inflammatory responses: Mechanisms and implications for intestinal immunity and inflammation in ulcerative colitis

Bioactive sphingolipids are regulators of immune cell function and play critical roles in inflammatory conditions including ulcerative colitis. As one of the major forms of inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis pathophysiology is characterized by an aberrant intestinal inflammatory response that persists causing chronic inflammation and tissue injury. Innate immune cells play an integral role in normal intestinal homeostasis but their dysregulation is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis. In particular, neutrophils are key effector cells and are first line defenders against invading pathogens. While the activity of neutrophils in the intestinal mucosa is required for homeostasis, regulatory mechanisms are equally important to prevent unnecessary activation. In ulcerative colitis, unregulated neutrophil inflammatory mechanisms promote tissue injury and loss of homeostasis. Aberrant neutrophil function represents an early checkpoint in the detrimental cycle of chronic intestinal inflammation; thus, dissecting the mechanisms by which these cells are regulated both before and during disease is essential for understanding the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis. We present an analysis of the role of sphingolipids in the regulation of neutrophil function and the implication of this relationship in ulcerative colitis.
CAN XR: CAN with extensible in-frame Reply

Controller Area Network (CAN) has been the de facto standard in the automotive industry for the past two decades, and recently CAN with flexible data-rate has been standardized, which achieves higher speed. Further improvements are possible by exploiting the peculiar physical layer of CAN to perform distributed operations among network nodes. In this paper a proposal is made for an extension to the CAN protocol, denoted CAN with eXtensible in-frame Reply (CAN XR), which enables upper protocol layers to define new custom services devoted to, e.g., network management, application-specific functions, and high-efficiency data transfer. Since CAN XR retains full backward compatibility with CAN FD, there is no need to change the protocol specification.
Quantification of supplementary cementitious content in blended Portland cement using an iterative Rietveld–PONKCS technique

An iterative Rietveld–PONKCS (partial or no known crystal structure) technique has been developed for precise and accurate determination of the weight percentages of predominantly amorphous supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) contained in Portland cement–SCM blends. This technique involves the iterative refinement of the SCM amorphous phase (SCMAP) content, with the separation of the refinement of the SCMAP shape parameters from background refinement. The technique also includes an internal and external standard refinement of both the calibration SCM and the cement–SCM blend. This approach enables the separation of the contributions of the SCMs and the cement to the amorphous content of the cement–SCM blend. The technique has been successfully applied to binary systems of cement–slag and cement–fly ash, and ternary blends of cement–fly ash–slag, over a wide range of cement replacement levels. In the ternary systems, the proposed technique was successfully able to separate the individual amorphous contributions of slag and fly ash to the total amorphous content of the system. The approach was also implemented on a pair of commercially available binary blended cements containing 30% slag and 30% fly ash, respectively.
Passing Rhetoric’s Kaleidoscope

In The Iconoclastic Imagination, Ned O’Gorman sets three architectonic topoi in motion, charting them across a “range of political, aesthetic, and theological histories” (xiv). O’Gorman gives image...
Fitting a Slack-Variable Model to Mixture Data: Some Questions Raised

Designating one of the mixture components as the slack variable and leaving it out of the fitted model is known as the slack-variable (SV) approach. Some who use this approach rationalize they unde...
“Self-Study” Is Not “Self:” Researching Lived Experience in Teacher Educator Development

In this chapter, I explore my practice as a teacher educator in participating in a self-study group in the Department of Instruction and Leadership in Education at Duquesne University. By examining the intersection of self-study and pedagogy, I illustrate how self-study acts as a mechanism for reflexivity, change, and innovation as well as unites research and teaching in my classroom. In what follows, I first briefly discuss my background, reasons for joining the self-study group, and its influence on my theoretical understanding. Next, I focus on my understanding of the nature of self-study and its nuances and uniqueness to the teaching context. This is followed by an analysis of how self-study translates into my teaching before concluding with a discussion of implications.
Individually addressable and dynamic DNA gates for multiplexed cell sorting

The ability to analyze and isolate cells based on the expression of specific surface markers has increased our understanding of cell biology and produced numerous applications for biomedicine. However, established cell-sorting platforms rely on labels that are limited in number due to biophysical constraints, such as overlapping emission spectra of fluorophores in FACS. Here, we establish a framework built on a system of orthogonal and extensible DNA gates for multiplexed cell sorting. These DNA gates label target cell populations by antibodies to allow magnetic bead isolation en masse and then selectively unlock by strand displacement to sort cells. We show that DNA gated sorting (DGS) is triggered to completion within minutes on the surface of cells and achieves target cell purity, viability, and yield equivalent to that of commercial magnetic sorting kits. We demonstrate multiplexed sorting of three distinct immune cell populations (CD8+, CD4+, and CD19+) from mouse splenocytes to high purity and show that recovered CD8+ T cells retain proliferative potential and target cell-killing activity. To broaden the utility of this platform, we implement a double positive sorting scheme using DNA gates on peptide-MHC tetramers to isolate antigen-specific CD8+ T cells from mice infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). DGS can potentially be expanded with fewer biophysical constraints to large families of DNA gates for applications that require analysis of complex cell populations, such as host immune responses to disease.
Much Ado About Holdup

The policy debate surrounding patent hold-up in markets for standardized products is now well into its second decade with no end in sight. Fundamental questions including the definition of hold-up, whether it exists in the marketplace, and what impact it has on innovation, continue to bedevil scholars, policy makers and industry. Yet it is not clear that this debate needs to continue. Patent hold-up is a pattern of market behavior, not a legally-cognizable wrong. Whether it is commonplace or rare is largely irrelevant to liability in any given case. To the extent that hold-up behavior constitutes an abuse of market power, with resulting harms to competition, longstanding doctrines of antitrust and competition law exist to sanction it. To the extent that hold-up impedes the efficient operation of standard-setting processes, SDOs can, and have, adopted internal procedures, including disclosure and licensing requirements, to curtail that behavior. Thus, the ongoing hunt for empirical evidence of systemic patent hold-up in standardized product markets, or a lack thereof, seems a fruitless academic exercise. The absence of systemic hold-up actually tells us little about individual firm behavior that can and should be sanctioned by the law, and it may thus be time to close the debate over the systemic prevalence of this form of behavior.
The social construction of “shared growth”: Zambia Sugar and the uneven terrain of social benefit

Recent years have witnessed a growing trend in agricultural investment and large‐scale farmland acquisition in the Global South and a rapid expansion of scholarship and public debate over the nature, consequences, and desirability of these trends. The polarization of this debate into “win/lose” narratives raises the question of whether, and under what conditions, the logic of capital accumulation driving farmland acquisition and investment can engender broad‐based social benefits akin to “shared growth.” This paper sheds light on this question through a detailed look at the recent expansion of Zambia Sugar's Nakambala Estate in Mazabuka, Zambia. We explore outcomes linked to two of the most prominent pathways through which social benefits are said to accrue: smallholder incorporation and employment. Findings demonstrate the unevenness of outcomes linked to both pathways, with the concrete benefits both claimed and observed through some measures quickly eroding under the weight of alternative performance metrics. The unevenness produced by the intensification of capitalist relations is manifested not just between those differentially positioned with respect to the incoming investment (“outgrower,” “employee,” and “land loser”) but within each of those conditions. This ambiguity opens spaces for competing representations of the promises and pitfalls of these processes, while highlighting the shaky ground on which shared growth and inclusive business agendas stand.
An Unusual Salt Effect in an Interfacial Nucleophilic Substitution Reaction.

This paper reports a kinetic characterization of the interfacial reaction of N-methylpyrrolidine with a self-assembled monolayer presenting an iodoalkyl group. SAMDI mass spectrometry was used to determine the extent of reaction for monolayers that were treated with a range of concentrations of the nucleophile for a range of times. These data revealed a second-order rate constant for the reaction that was approximately 100-fold greater than that for the analogous solution-phase reaction. However, addition of sodium iodide to the reaction mixture resulted in a seven-fold decrease in the reac-tion rate. Addition of bromide and chloride salts also gave slower rate constants for the reaction, but only at 100- and 1000-fold higher concentrations than was observed with iodide, respectively. The corresponding solution-phase reac-tions, by contrast, had rate constants that were unaffected by the concentration of halide salts. This work provides a well-characterized example illustrating the extent to which the kin...
Anticoagulation in Behçet related intrathoracic vasculitis.

Abstract Behcet disease is a rare multisystem condition associated with HLA-B51 positivity that commonly afflicts individuals of Turkish or Middle Eastern descent, less than 10% of whom have pulmonary involvement. Behcet-related pulmonary vasculitis is an uncommon and heterogeneous group of conditions, often with associated pulmonary artery thrombus formation. These microthrombi can result in a misdiagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism. Anticoagulation therapy can be difficult, as blood thinners increase the risk of pulmonary hemorrhage without affording the same benefits as in pulmonary embolism management. We present two cases of pulmonary vasculitis in the context of Behcet's syndrome, one in a Native American man with associated superior vena cava syndrome and pericarditis, with an increased risk of hemorrhagic pericardial effusion, and the other in an African American man with acute hypoxic respiratory failure with an increased risk of alveolar hemorrhage. We describe their management and the balancing act surrounding anticoagulation therapy in Behcet-related pulmonary vasculitis.
Robust Exploration with Multiple Hypothesis Data Association

We study the ambiguous data association problem confronting simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), specifically for the autonomous exploration of environments lacking rich features. In such environments, a single false positive assignment might lead to catastrophic failure, which even robust back-ends may be unable to resolve. Inspired by multiple hypothesis tracking, we present a novel approach to effectively manage multiple hypotheses (MH) of data association inherited from traditional joint compatibility branch and bound (JCBB), which entails the generation, ordering and elimination of hypotheses. We analyze the performance of MHJCBB in two particular situations, one applying it to SLAM over a predefined trajectory and the other showing its applicability in exploring unknown environments. Statistical results demonstrate that MHJCBB's maintenance of diverse hypotheses under ambiguous conditions significantly improves map accuracy.
Evaluation of rapid polymerase chain reaction-based organism identification of gram-positive cocci for patients with a single positive blood culture

For patients with a single-positive blood culture growing gram-positive cocci, organism identification can provide supportive information for differentiating contamination from infection. We investigated the effect of a rapid blood culture identification panel (BCID) on vancomycin-prescribing patterns and patient outcomes for single positive blood culture (PBC) growing gram-positive cocci. Adult patients with single-positive blood culture growing gram-positive cocci with conventional organism identification (pre-BCID) were compared with organism identification by BCID (post-BCID). Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) review of PBC was performed in both study groups. Vancomycin prescribing patterns were studied. Secondary endpoints were the incidence of nephrotoxicity, length of stay (LOS), readmission rate, mortality, and hospital costs. A total of 188 patients (86 pre-BCID, 102 post-BCID) were included. Organism identification was known 21 h sooner in the post-BCID group (P < 0.001). Coagulase-negative staphylococci were the most commonly isolated organisms (73%). In patients where vancomycin was deemed unnecessary (n = 133), vancomycin use (51% pre-BCID vs 36% post-BCID; P = 0.09) and time from culture positivity to vancomycin discontinuation (1.5 vs. 1.7 days; P = 0.92) did not differ between groups. We found no differences in the development of nephrotoxicity, LOS, readmission, mortality, or hospital costs. Earlier identification of single positive blood culture growing gram-positive cocci did not significantly influence prescribing patterns of vancomycin. However, baseline antimicrobial stewardship review of single positive blood culture growing gram-positive cocci may have lessened the opportunity for detectable differences. Larger studies, accounting for the impact of ASP intervention, should be performed to determine the value of each individual component.
West Nile Virus in Immunocompromised Hosts

West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging pathogen endemic in Africa and Europe. Recent events demonstrate the speed with which a vector-borne disease like WNV can disseminate when introduced into a susceptible, pathogen-naive population, where competent reservoir and vectors are present. Since the arrival of WNV to the North American continent in 1999, it is estimated that 2–4 million people have been infected in the USA alone. It has special relevance to the immunocompromised host populations because of the possibility of WNV transmission through organ transplantation and the increased risk of neuroinvasive disease in immunocompromised patients. In this chapter a detailed discussion of WNV infection with a focus in transplant population is presented.
Smartphone Use Predicts Being an “Active Couch Potato” in Sufficiently Active Adults:

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between smartphone use, television viewing, and the “active couch potato” in sufficiently active adults. Methods: A sample of 328 sufficiently active adults...
Distal Humerus Intra-articular Fractures: Fixation Using Dual Plating

Distal humerus fractures are complex injuries and range from simple uni-condylar fractures to comminuted intra-articular fractures. Treatment of these injuries requires understanding of the anatomy of the distal humerus, approaches, need for olecranon osteotomy and multiplanar fixation.
Assessing risk of bias in human environmental epidemiology studies using three tools: different conclusions from different tools.

Systematic reviews are increasingly prevalent in environmental health due to their ability to synthesize evidence while reducing bias. Different systematic review methods have been developed by the US National Toxicology Program’s Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT), the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), and by the US EPA under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), including the approach to assess risk of bias (ROB), one of the most vital steps which is used to evaluate internal validity of the studies. Our objective was to compare the performance of three tools (OHAT, IRIS, TSCA) in assessing ROB. We selected a systematic review on polybrominated diphenyl ethers and intelligence quotient and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder because it had been endorsed by the National Academy of Sciences. Two reviewers followed verbatim instructions from the tools and independently applied each tool to assess ROB in 15 studies previously identified. We documented the time to apply each tool and the impact the ROB ratings for each tool had on the final rating of the quality of the overall body of evidence. The time to complete the ROB assessments varied widely (mean = 20, 32, and 40 min per study for the OHAT, IRIS, and TSCA tools, respectively). All studies were rated overall “low” or “uninformative” using IRIS, due to “deficient” or “critically deficient” ratings in one or two domains. Similarly, all studies were rated “unacceptable” using the TSCA tool because of one “unacceptable” rating in a metric related to statistical power. Approximately half of the studies had “low” or “probably low ROB” ratings across all domains with the OHAT and Navigation Guide tools. Tools that use overall ROB or study quality ratings, such as IRIS and TSCA, may reduce the available evidence to assess the harms of environmental exposures by erroneously excluding studies, which leads to inaccurate conclusions about the quality of the body of evidence. We recommend using ROB tools that circumvents these issues, such as OHAT and Navigation Guide. This review has not been registered as it is not a systematic review.
Environmental, Human and Socioeconomic Characteristics of Pedestrian Injury and Death in Las Vegas, NV

Background: Pedestrian crashes are a deterrent to physical activity, especially walking. The purpose of this study was to analyze pedestrian crash characteristics in Clark County, NV and to determine if there was a significant relationship between pedestrian crashes and socio-economic variables.Methods: Police reported pedestrian crash data collected between January 2009 and December 2011 were analyzed. Frequencies and rates for pedestrian crashes, injuries and deaths were calculated for environmental and human characteristics. Chi square tests were utilized to determine if there were significant differences in environmental and human characteristics for pedestrian injuries and deaths. Zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) regression analysis was utilized to determine if there was a significant relationship between pedestrian crashes and socio-economic variables by urban census tracts.Results: The majority of pedestrian crashes occurred during the day, when it was clear and the roads were dry. There were significant differences in environmental and human characteristics when pedestrian injuries and deaths were compared. Significant predictors of pedestrian crashes by census tract were percent Hispanic, median age, median household income, and population density.Conclusions: Because pedestrian crashes are a barrier to physical activity, efforts to reduce them should be undertaken. Solutions could positively impact physical activity and walkability.
PM 2.5 , NO 2 , wildfires, and other environmental exposures are linked to higher Covid 19 incidence, severity, and death rates.

Numerous studies have linked outdoor levels of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, O3, SO2, and other air pollutants to significantly higher rates of Covid 19 morbidity and mortality, although the rate in which specific concentrations of pollutants increase Covid 19 morbidity and mortality varies widely by specific country and study. As little as a 1-μg/m3 increase in outdoor PM2.5 is estimated to increase rates of Covid 19 by as much as 0.22 to 8%. Two California studies have strongly linked heavy wildfire burning periods with significantly higher outdoor levels of PM2.5 and CO as well as significantly higher rates of Covid 19 cases and deaths. Active smoking has also been strongly linked significantly increased risk of Covid 19 severity and death. Other exposures possibly related to greater risk of Covid 19 morbidity and mortality include incense, pesticides, heavy metals, dust/sand, toxic waste sites, and volcanic emissions. The exact mechanisms in which air pollutants increase Covid 19 infections are not fully understood, but are probably related to pollutant-related oxidation and inflammation of the lungs and other tissues and to the pollutant-driven alternation of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in respiratory and other cells.
Economic Growth Decomposition. An Empirical Analysis Using Bayesian Frontier Approach

This paper presents an empirical analysis of economic growth in respect of its components, namely input change, technological progress and changes in efficiency. In this work the Bayesian Stochastic Frontier method as well as the output change decomposition procedure, are used in order to evaluate their influence on economic growth. The use of panel data in the study allows for a detailed analysis of economic growth in a given economy and enables the search for general patterns that govern the process. The study is carried using a set of sixteen countries over the period 1995 - 2005.
A nonsmooth hybrid maximum principle

We present two versions of the maximum principle for nonsmooth hybrid optimal control problems, the first one of which requires differentiability along the reference trajectory and yields an adjoint equation of the usual kind, while the second one only requires approximability to first order by Lipschitz maps, and yields an adjoint differential inclusion involving a generalized gradient of the approximating Hamiltonian
Experimental Evaluation of Conversion Factors for the [3H]Thymidine Incorporation Assay of Bacterial Secondary Productivity

The relationship between bacterial growth and incorporation of [methyl-3H]thymidine in oligotrophic lake water cultures was investigated. Prescreening, dilution, and addition of organic and inorganic nutrients were treatments used to prevent bacterivory and stimulate bacterial growth. Growth in unmanipulated samples was estimated through separate measurements of grazing losses. Both bacterial number and biovolume growth responses were measured, and incorporation of [3H]thymidine in both total macromolecules and nucleic acids was assayed. The treatments had significant effects on conversion factors used to relate thymidine incorporation to bacterial growth. Cell number-based factors ranged from 1.1 × 1018 to 38 × 1018 cells mol of total thymidine incorporation−1 and varied with treatment up to 10-fold for the same initial bacterial assemblage. In contrast, cell biovolume-based conversion factors were similar for two treatment groups across a 16-fold range of [3H]thymidine incorporation rates: 5.54 × 1017 μm3 mol of total thymidine incorporation−1 and 15.2 × 1017 μm3 mol of nucleic acid incorporation−1. Much of the variation in cell number-based conversion factors was related to changes in apparent mean cell volume of produced bacteria. Phosphorus addition stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation more than it increased bacterial growth, which resulted in low conversion factors.
Smart Three Axis Compliant (STAC) Interconnect: An Ultra-High Density MEMS Based Interconnect for Wafer-Level Ultra-Thin Die

This paper described a novel smart three axis compliant (STAC) interconnect targeted to revolutionize chip-to-chip and chip-to-board high-density 3D integration for ultra-thin Si dies (les75mum) at the wafer level. The STAC interconnect is a three dimensionally compliant interconnect which allows stacked ultra-thin chips to move or flex freely during operation with negligible stress imposed on the die. The paper showed that these interconnects could accommodate mismatches of board or package coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) from chip CTE. STAC interconnects were fabricated using MEMS technologies to support super-fine-pitch (ap20mum pitch) interconnection. These interconnects are batch processed and die containing them can be stacked either at the wafer-level or at the die-level
The effect of starvation and starvation followed by feeding on enzyme activity and the metabolism of [U-14C]glucose in liver from growing chicks.

Abstract 1. The conversion of [U-14C]glucose into carbon dioxide, cholesterol and fatty acids in liver slices and the activities of `malic' enzyme, citrate-cleavage enzyme, NADP-linked isocitrate dehydrogenase and hexose monophosphate-shunt dehydrogenases in the soluble fraction of homogenates of liver were measured in chicks that were starved or starved then fed. 2. In newly hatched chicks the incorporation of [U-14C]glucose and the activity of `malic' enzyme did not increase unless the birds were fed. The response to feeding of [U-14C]glucose incorporation into fatty acids increased as the starved chicks grew older. 3. Citrate-cleavage enzyme activity increased slowly even when the newly hatched chicks were unfed. On feeding, citrate-cleavage enzyme activity increased at a much faster rate. 4. In normally fed 20-day-old chicks starvation decreased the incorporation of [U-14C]glucose into all three end products and depressed the activities of malic'enzymeandcitrate−c≤ava≥enzyme.Re−feed∈g∈creasedalloftheseprocesses→∥a∥lorhigher−than−∥a∥l≤vels.5.In⊥h≠wlyˆchedand20−day−oldχcks⋆vation∈creasedtheactivityofisocitratedehydro≥naseandfeed∈gorre−feed∈gdecreasedit.6.Veryli≤chan≥∈hexosemonophospˆe−shuntdehydro≥naseactivitywasobserveddur∈gthediηrymanipa––tions.7.Therest–s∈dicatetˆ∈creased⊂strate∂ivery→theliveristhepr∈cipalstiμlus→the∈creasedrateofglucosemηbolismobserved∈≠wlyˆchedχcks.Therest–salsosug≥sttˆchan≥s∈theactivitiesofmalic′enzymeandcitrate-c≤ava≥enzyme.Re-feed∈g∈creasedalloftheseprocesses→∥a∥lorhigher-than-∥a∥l≤vels.5.In⊥h≠wlyc^hedand20-day-oldχcks⋆vation∈creasedtheactivityofisocitratedehydro≥naseandfeed∈gorre-feed∈gdecreasedit.6.Veryli≤chan≥∈hexosemonophospe^-shuntdehydro≥naseactivitywasobserveddur∈gthediηrymanipations.7.Therests∈dicatet∈^creased⊂strate∂ivery→theliveristhepr∈cipalstiμlus→the∈creasedrateofglucosemηbolismobserved∈≠wlyc^hedχcks.Therestsalsosug≥sttc^han≥s∈theactivitiesofmalic' enzyme and citrate-cleavage enzyme are secondary to an increased flow of metabolites through the glucose-to-fatty acid pathway and that the dehydrogenases of the hexose monophosphate shunt play a minor role in NADPH production for fatty acid synthesis.
Plant Gene Transfer Using Electrofusion and Electroporation

In recent years, the rapidly developing fields of electrofusion of somatic cells and electroporation of selected cell types have become an extremely important tool in the production and modification of hybrid somatic gene pools. In plants, these procedures have thus far been restricted to protoplasts in which the thick secondary cell wall has been stripped off usually through enzymatic digestion of the cellulosic and pectic components of the cell wall. Protoplasts with a diameter of 35–55 μm can be predictably isolated from normal mesophyll leaf tissue or from cell suspension cultures. These cells are ideally suited for the simple, rapid, and consistent procedures that have been developed for both electrofusion and electroporation (Bates et al., 1987). These procedures are very effective for cells of this size and have made electromanipulation of cell membranes the method of choice for gene transfer due to the simplicity, convenience, and ease of operation.
Rise and fall of modular orthodoxy.

Abstract The premise of cortical modularity is based on strong dissociations caused by focal lesions. These dissociations are rare, and their explanatory power and theoretical importance are vastly overrated. The effects of brain lesions must be considered in their totality, rather than in idiosyncratic selectivity. These effects are more consistent with a continuous, graded functional neocortical geometry, than with a modular neocortex. Distinction must be drawn between strong intrinsic modularity, and weak emergent modularity. Strong intrinsic modularity is more characteristic of the thalamus than of the cortex. The advent of neocortex may have represented an evolutionary escape from strong modularity as the dominant principle of neural organization, and a shift toward a more interactive principle of neural organization dominated by emergent properties. The latter may take the form of weak modularity, reflective of cognitive skill routinization. The extent of weak, emergent modularization may be asymmet...
Ethical and regulatory issues with conducting sexuality research with LGBT adolescents: A call to action for a scientifically informed approach

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) adolescents experience disparities in mental and sexual health. There is also a lack of research on this population relative to other adolescents, which limits our ability to effectively address these health disparities. Researchers may unfortunately avoid conducting research with this population because of anticipated or actual experiences with difficulties in obtaining IRB approval. A case example is provided to illustrate the ethical and regulatory issues related to research with LGBT adolescents. Relevant U.S. federal and local regulations related to research on sexual and mental health with adolescents is then reviewed. Data are presented demonstrating that requiring parental consent for LGBT youth under age 18 would likely alter study result. Data are also presented on participants’ appraisals of the risks and discomforts associated with research participation. The provision of such empirical data on the risks of research participation is consistent with the goal of moving the IRB process of risk/benefit assessment from being entirely subjective to being evidence-based. Finally, recommendations are provided on how to approach these issues in IRB applications and investigators are called to help to build a corpus of scholarship that can advance empirical knowledge in this area.
Validation of a Clinical Prediction Rule to Distinguish Lyme Meningitis From Aseptic Meningitis

Objectives: The “Rule of 7′s,” a Lyme meningitis clinical prediction rule, classifies children at low risk for Lyme meningitis when each of the following 3 criteria are met: <7 days of headache, <70% cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) mononuclear cells, and absence of seventh or other cranial nerve palsy. The goal of this study was to test the performance of the Rule of 7′s in a multicenter cohort of children with CSF pleocytosis. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of children evaluated at 1 of 3 emergency departments located in Lyme disease–endemic areas with CSF pleocytosis and Lyme serology obtained. Lyme meningitis was defined using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria (either positive Lyme serology test result or an erythema migrans [EM] rash). We calculated the performance of the Rule of 7′s in our overall study population and in children without physician-documented EM. Results: We identified 423 children, of whom 117 (28% [95% confidence interval (CI): 24%–32%]) had Lyme meningitis, 306 (72% [95% CI: 68%–76%]) had aseptic meningitis, and 0 (95% CI: 0%–1%) had bacterial meningitis. Of the 130 classified as low risk, 5 had Lyme meningitis (sensitivity, 112 of 117 [96% (95% CI: 90%–99%)]; specificity, 125 of 302 [41% (95% CI: 36%–47%)]). In the 390 children without EM, 3 of the 127 low-risk patients had Lyme meningitis (2% [95% CI: 0%–7%]). Conclusions: Patients classified as low risk by using the Rule of 7′s were unlikely to have Lyme meningitis and could be managed as outpatients while awaiting results of Lyme serology tests. * Abbreviations: CI — : confidence interval CSF — : cerebrospinal fluid ED — : emergency department ELISA — : enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay EM — : erythema migrans HSV — : herpes simplex virus Ig — : immunoglobulin IQR — : interquartile range LP — : lumbar puncture PCR — : polymerase chain reaction WBC — : white blood cell count
Model Linear Low Density Polyethylenes from the ROMP of 5-Hexylcyclooct-1-ene

Model hexyl-branched linear low density polyethylene (C8-LLDPE) samples were synthesized by the ring-opening metathesis copolymerization (ROMP) of the 5-hexylcyclooct-1-ene (1) and cyclooctadiene (COD), followed by catalytic hydrogenation. The ROMP of 1 and copolymerization of 1 and COD using the Grubbs second generation catalyst (G2) afford polymers with the number of hexyl branches based on the feed composition. The resulting hexyl-branched polymers, poly(1) and poly(1-stat-COD), were completely converted into model C8-LLDPE samples by catalytic hydrogenation. The C8-LLDPE samples exhibit the expected reduction in density on branching content. The melting temperature (Tm), crystallization temperature (Tc), and heat of fusion/crystallization (ΔHm/ΔHc) of these materials were studied by differential scanning calorimetry.
Genetic engineering in agriculture: New approaches for risk management through sustainability reporting

Abstract Genetically modified crops and foodstuff have been highly controversial for environmental, health, and ethical reasons. The controversies have been worldwide, but most prominent in the European Union, for reasons that include distrust of the regulatory authorities, scientists and technocratic decision making. An informal moratorium in the EU came recently to an end, without solving the underlying problems. In response to the criticisms, the European governments have attempted to improve the risk assessment methods and their scientific basis, and to tailor public policies to the growing demand for transparency, accountability, and public participation. This paper proposes a novel approach to including the public in evaluating the impacts of food and agricultural biotechnology and present and future applications modeled after the growing practice of sustainability reporting by companies. The most visible among those, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), when implemented properly, includes a wide range of stakeholders, including the financial institutions, companies, NGOs and the civil society, in an interactive multi-stakeholder discourse and collaboration. The reporting exercise would open the discussion about the RD they need further elaboration and testing to become possibly highly effective concepts and tools for mitigating conflicts on the societal implications of emerging technologies, and to lead to better public policies and greater social trust.
Practical clinical dermatology: Photography with professional results

Abstract During the last decade our office use of photographs to document patient treatment has increased. Many photographs were wasted because of poor quality, others because of mismatched views. Storage was cumbersome, and retrieval was time-consuming. The objective was to produce better quality photographs cost-effectively, with a user-friendly camera system. A professional consultant solved these problems. A specific camera and system to document and take photographs was designed that can be easily implemented in any office practice. (J Am Acad Dermatol 1997;37:989-90)
Oral bioavailability of aged polychlorinated biphenyl residues contained in soil.

Bioavailability of toxic chemicals is a potentially important factor in determining the risk associated with soil contamination. Interest in bioavailability of chemicals recently increased because of such incidents as the Missouri and Seveso TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) episodes and the polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) episode in Michigan, which involved human and/or food animal exposure to accidentally contaminated soil. An inherent difficulty in interpreting bioavailability data obtained with environmental samples is that it is not possible to be certain of the extraction efficiency of the system used in the soil analyses. In this study, it was possible to utilize archival soil samples that had been treated with {sup 14}C-labelled polychlorobiphenyls (PCB) eight years previously. The primary purpose of this study was to compare the bioavailability of PCB in these soils with the bioavailability of PCB added to normal rat diets or corn oil. The secondary purpose was to compare dietary inclusion with gavage as a method of administration because gavage frequently was used in the previous studies.
Exploring the Synergy Between Industrial Ecology and System of Systems to Understand Complexity

Summary Two objectives are pursued in this article. First, from a methodological perspective, we explore the relationships among the constructs of complex adaptive systems, systems of systems, and industrial ecology. Through examination of central traits of each, we find that industrial ecology and system of systems present complementary frameworks for posing systemic problems in the context of sociotechnical applications. Furthermore, we contend that complexity science (the basis for the study of complex adaptive systems) provides a natural and necessary foundation and set of tools to analyze mechanisms such as evolution, emergence, and regulation in these applications. The second objective of the article is to illustrate the use of two tools from complexity sciences to address a network transition problem in air transportation framed from the system-of-systems viewpoint and shaped by an industrial ecology perspective. A stochastic simulation consisting of network theory analysis combined with agent-based modeling to study the evolution of an air transport network is presented. Patterns in agent behavior that lead to preferred outcomes across two scenarios are observed, and the implications of these results for decision makers are described. Furthermore, we highlight the necessity for future efforts to combine the merits of both system of systems and industrial ecology in tackling the issues of complexity in such large-scale, sociotechnical problems.
Cardiac restriction secondary to massive calcific deposits in the left ventricular cavity.

Described herein are clinical and necropsy findings in a 61-year-old woman with fatal left ventricular diastolic failure secondary to massive calcific deposits primarily within the left ventricular cavity. At age 3, an isthmic aortic coarctation was resected, and at age 44, a stenotic congenitally bicuspid aortic valve was replaced. The cause of the intracavitary calcific deposits remains unclear, but surgical resection of the deposits has been an effective form of therapy.
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Studies of Temperature-Dependent Etching of Diamond (100) by Atomic Hydrogen

We present a technique for obtaining atomic resolution ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy images of diamond (100) films, and use this technique to study the temperature dependence of the etching of epitaxial diamond (100) films by atomic hydrogen. We find that etching by atomic hydrogen is highly temperature dependent, resulting in a rough and pitted surface at $T\ensuremath{\approx}200$ and $500\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\mathrm{C}$, respectively. At $T\ensuremath{\approx}1000\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\mathrm{C}$ etching results in a smooth surface and is highly anisotropic, occurring predominantly in the direction of dimer rows. This observation supports recent theoretical models that propose anisotropic etching as the mechanism for the growth of smooth diamond (100) films.
Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the NKX2.5 homeodomain in complex with DNA

As part of an effort to elucidate the molecular basis for the pathogenesis of NKX2.5 mutations in congenital heart disease using X-ray crystallography, the NKX2.5 homeodomain has been crystallized in complex with a specific DNA element, the −242 promoter region of atrial natriuretic factor. Crystals of the homeodomain–DNA complex diffracted X-rays to 1.7 A resolution and belonged to space group P65, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 71.5, c = 94.3 A. The asymmetric unit contained two molecules of the NKX2.5 homeodomain and one double-stranded oligonucleotide.
US and Canadian Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for the macronutrients, energy and physical activity

Summary The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in conjunction with Health Canada, released the sixth in a series of reports on dietary reference values for the intake of macronutrients and energy by Americans and Canadians. This report established Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for carbohydrate, fibre, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, amino acids, energy and physical activity. The DRIs replace the USA's Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) last updated in 1989, and Canada's Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNIs), last published in 1990. A panel of 21 US and Canadian research scientists, clinicians and epidemiologists with expertise in energy, protein and amino acids, carbohydrate, fibre, sugar, lipids, physical activity and life-stage nutrition were appointed to begin the process of reviewing observational and experimental studies published primarily in peer-reviewed journals. The DRIs are based on scientifically grounded relationships between nutrient intake and the prevention of chronic disease, as well as the maintenance of good health. The purpose of this paper is to highlight a number of the definitions, new approaches, and key findings as they apply to the DRIs for the macronutrients, energy and physical activity.
Prompt neutron detection at Hermes-III

Summary form only given. Pulsed bremsstrahlung from the Hermes-III generator produces photofission for research in Intense Pulsed Active Detection (IPAD)2. Hermes-III is operated in three modes producing bremsstrahlung with different endpoint energies: 8, 12, and 16 MeV, all with 30 ns x-ray pulse width. The electron-beam current increases with output voltage, from 300 kA at 8 MV to 600 kA at 16 MV. Previous experiments demonstrated detection of delayed neutrons from fissions induced in a depleted uranium (DU) plate. The work reported here focuses on detecting prompt fission neutrons, which are about 100 times more numerous than delayed neutrons. Neutrons are detected using 3He tubes surrounded by two different thicknesses of polyethylene (PE) to moderate the neutrons. A thin layer of cadmium absorbs neutrons with energy less than 1 eV. The “low-energy” detector has 2.5 cm PE and its response peaks at 6 keV. The “high-energy” detector has 12 cm PE and its response peaks at 1.6 MeV. MCNPX calculations for Hermes-III experiments at 8 MV indicate the high-energy detector is capable of detecting prompt fission neutrons (from DU) while effectively excluding photoneutrons produced in the environment or from a lead target. The detector electronics produce pulses that are counted as a function of time after a Hermes-III shot. Scattered x-rays make the detector signals useless for the first 10 microseconds, the time range when prompt neutrons first reach the detectors. But the thick PE disperses the prompt neutrons so they are recorded in the 3He gas at later times. Prompt neutrons are detected between 20 and 500 microseconds, in agreement with MCNPX predictions. When Hermes is operated in the 8-MV mode, the photoneutron signal from the background (no target) or a lead target is zero for times less than 500 microseconds. In the 12-MV mode, photoneutron signals are not negligible, but the presence of fission neutrons can be detected by comparing pulse counts from the two detectors, essentially identifying higher energy neutrons than expected from nonfissionable materials. At 16 MV, photoneutron energies are comparable to the prompt fission neutron energies and detection of fission neutrons by this method is more difficult.
Atorvastatin Induction of VEGF and BDNF Promotes Brain Plasticity after Stroke in Mice

Molecular mechanisms underlying the role of statins in the induction of brain plasticity and subsequent improvement of neurologic outcome after treatment of stroke have not been adequately investigated. Here, we use both in vivo and in vitro studies to investigate the potential roles of two prominent factors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), in mediating brain plasticity after treatment of stroke with atorvastatin. Treatment of stroke in adult mice with atorvastatin daily for 14 days, starting at 24 hours after MCAO, shows significant improvement in functional recovery compared with control animals. Atorvastatin increases VEGF, VEGFR2 and BDNF expression in the ischemic border. Numbers of migrating neurons, developmental neurons and synaptophysin-positive cells as well as indices of angiogenesis were significantly increased in the atorvastatin treatment group, compared with controls. In addition, atorvastatin significantly increased brain subventricular zone (SVZ) explant cell migration in vitro. Anti-BDNF antibody significantly inhibited atorvastatin-induced SVZ explant cell migration, indicating a prominent role for BDNF in progenitor cell migration. Mouse brain endothelial cell culture expression of BDNF and VEGFR2 was significantly increased in atorvastatin-treated cells compared with control cells. Inhibition of VEGFR2 significantly decreased expression of BDNF in brain endothelial cells. These data indicate that atorvastatin promotes angiogenesis, brain plasticity and enhances functional recovery after stroke. In addition, VEGF, VEGFR2 and BDNF likely contribute to these restorative processes.
A comparison of parietal and iliac crest bone grafts for orbital reconstruction.

Purpose: This study evaluated the results of cranial (membranous) versus iliac crest (endochondral) bone grafts as implants to correct post-traumatic globe malposition and/or diplopia. Patients and Methods: Twenty-two patients underwent 25 orbital reconstructions with bone for enophthalmos, hypophthalmos, and diplopia after trauma to the orbit. Inclusion criteria consisted of at least 4 months postsurgical follow-up, pre- and postsurgical quantitative orbital measurements, photographic documentation, and complete medical records regarding inpatient and outpatient data. Results: Nine cranial bone grafts and 16 iliac crest grafts were placed. Ages were similar in both groups. The average follow-up was 24 months for the cranial graft group (range, 4 to 54 months) and 18 months for the iliac crest graft group (range, 4 to 51 months). Preoperative enophthalmos averaged 4.11 and 5.06 mm in the cranial and iliac crest groups, respectively, and postoperatively the measurements were 1.78 and 1.37 mm, respectively. Changes in hypophthalmos generally reflected changes in the enophthalmos correction. In 10 patients diplopia was corrected by the procedure. There was a statistically significant change in the enophthalmos of patients when comparing pre- and postoperative status, but no statistically significant difference between the results of the cranial and iliac crest graft groups. Conclusion: There is no difference in the ability of cranial and iliac crest bone grafts to correct post-traumatic enophthalmos. © 2002 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons J Oral Maxillofac Surg 60:44-50, 2002