cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maternal Morbidity and Mortality: Exploring Racial/Ethnic Differences Using New Data from Birth and Death Certificates

Persistent racial/ethnic disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States have been documented and are complex and multifaceted. Furthering the understanding of the origins of these differences is a public health priority. This chapter explores racial/ethnic differences in maternal morbidity (maternal transfusion, ruptured uterus, unplanned hysterectomy, and ICU admission) using new data from birth certificates for 41 states and the District of Columbia that adopted the 2003 U.S. Standard Certificate of Live Birth . Racial/ethnic differences in maternal mortality are examined using new data from death certificates on the three periods of maternal death relative to the pregnancy–pregnant at the time of death, died with 42 days of an ended pregnancy, or died 43 days to 1 year after an ended pregnancy for the 39 states and the District of Columbia that have adopted the 2003 U.S. Standard Certificate of Death. Rates (per 100,000 live births) of maternal morbidity and mortality were estimated for non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic Asian , and Hispanic women. Racial/ethnic disparities in maternal morbidity were examined in logistic regression models after adjusting for demographic, health/clinical, and healthcare access confounders. Racial/ethnic differences were evident for all four morbidities and in all three periods of maternal mortality but were larger for maternal mortality than morbidity. Non-Hispanic black women had among the highest rates for both morbidity and mortality whereas Hispanic women had among the lowest rates for mortality. These new data will be an important resource in tracking trends and differentials in maternal morbidity and mortality.
RNA-Sequencing of the Transcriptome of Ara-C Resistant Murine AML Cell Lines Identifies Potential Drug Targets

Abstract 2489 One frequently reported change to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells, as they become resistant to arabinoside cytarabine (Ara-C), is the downregulation of deoxycytidine kinase ( Dck ) (Veuger et al, Blood, 2000, Shi et al, Pharmacogenetics, 2004, Cai et al, Cancer Res, 2008, Song et al, Int J Oncol, 2009, Rathe et al, Leukemia, 2010). Dck is the rate limiting enzyme in the phosphorylation and activation of Ara-C. Transcriptome deep sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed on the transcriptome of two Ara-C resistant murine leukemia cell lines (B117H and B140H), as well their Ara-C sensitive parental cell lines (B117P and B140P). Previously published microarray analysis identified the downregulation of Dck as the primary common change in the B117H and B140H cell lines, when compared to their parental cell lines (Rathe et al, Leukemia, 2010). Analysis of the RNA-seq results identified an alternatively spliced form of Dck in the B117H cell line secondary to a genomic deletion/rearrangement, as well as a loss of heterozygosity. Indeed, knockdowns of Dck in the parental cell lines demonstrated that downregulation of Dck can result in a significant increase in the IC50 of Ara-C, consistent with the increase in Ara-C resistance displayed by the B117H and B140H cells. The RNA-seq analysis showed a number of significant expression changes that did not appear on the microarray analysis. These changes include the significant upregulation of specific isoforms of deoxyguanosine kinase ( Dguok ) and protein phosphatase 2 (formerly 2A), regulatory subunit A (PR65), beta isoform ( Ppp2r1b ). It has already been shown that downregulation of Dguok results in the upregulation of Dck (Franco et al, Exp Cell Res, 2007), thereby demonstrating an important balance between these two molecules. Ppp2r1b is a putative deactivator of Dck (Smal et al, Biochem Pharmacol, 2004), which may assist in the prevention of Ara-C metabolic activation and thereby contribute to resistance. This effort demonstrates the power of using RNA-seq transcriptome analysis to identify drug targets for the treatment of AML and suggests multiple genetic/epigenetic mechanisms contribute to alterations in Dck activity during the acquisition of Ara-C resistance. Disclosures: Largaespada: NeoClone Biotechnology, Inc.: Co-founder, Consultancy, Equity Ownership; Discovery Genomics Inc.: Co-founder, Consultancy, Equity Ownership.
Interaction efficiency of an emission gated TWT

The Emission Gated Device Experiment extracts RF power from a prebunched electron beam passing through a short helix traveling wave circuit. Efficient and compact amplifiers are possible through this approach because of the large component of RF current in a tightly bunched beam. While a wideband, high gain, high power input circuit for such devices is beyond the present state of the art, high transconductance gated field emission cathodes are being developed for emission gated devices. The present experiment is designed to test the performance of the output coupler using a cavity-driven cathode circuit. Twenty percent beam coupling efficiency has been observed from a helix one slow wavelength long. >
Characterization of core-shell microstructure and self-healing performance of electrospun fiber coatings

Abstract Electrospun fibers are a promising method for encapsulation of reactive agents in self-healing coatings. Healing is initiated by mechanical damage to the coating causing the fibers to rupture and release their core materials into the damage region. Prior work has demonstrated autonomous healing in coatings containing electrospun fibers, but full characterization of the electrospun fiber microstructure and healing performance of the coating is lacking. In this study, we utilize electrospun fibers containing liquid healing agents to achieve a crosslinking reaction of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) to a crosslinking agent poly(diethoxysiloxane) (PDES), initiated by the catalyst dibutyltindilaurate (DBTL), to fill a damaged region and reseal the metal substrate. Fiber morphology is characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and confocal fluorescence microscopy (CFM). Successful delivery of healing agents to the damage region and subsequent crosslinking reaction is observed using SEM and chemically using infrared spectroscopy. The performance of the healed coating is evaluated electrochemically using linear polarization, where the coatings were subjected to a corrosive environment. The self-healing electrospun coating exhibits lower corrosion current than in control cases, resulting in an 88% corrosion inhibition efficiency.
Optical fiber mechanical testing techniques

This paper reviews the common techniques for mechanical testing of optical fiber specimens and compares and contrasts their attributes. Any technique must be able to grip the specimens without causing failure at the grips. The techniques generally fall into two categories; uniaxial tensile testing in which the fibers must be gripped carefully, and bending techniques which reduce the local stress at the grips. The former techniques generally give results that are easier to interpret due to the homogeneous stress field but are experimentally the least convenient. In contrast, bending techniques are experimentally convenient, but due to the inhomogeneous nature of the stress field developed and the short fiber test lengths, may not be as useful as tension for some purposes.
Finding value in ‘inappropriate’ visits: A new study demonstrates how variation in ED use for preventable visits can be used to detect problems with access to healthcare in our communities

There is a paper out there that is likely to remain unread by many emergency physicians, in large part because it appears in the journal Health Services Research .1 Yet this study by Sheryl Davies et al is worthy of our attention because it marks a new line of enquiry about those pesky ‘inappropriate’ ED visits. Depending on who you talk to, and probably what time of day it is, emergency physicians are often sympathetic with the patient’s plight, but these visits do add to the overall workload. And so our literature is filled with numerous studies that ask the same question of patients assigned a triaged acuity of 4 or 5, of green or blue: why did you choose to come to the ED (stage whisper: for this minor problem )? We ask questions about transport, do they have a general practitioner (GP), did they call an advice person first; we try to assemble a picture of what they conceive of as an emergency and what their options are. Several patients say their doctor sent them in, others that there was no answer at the doctor’s office, others that the person on the other end of the advice …
Measuring the diffusion of housing prices across space and over time: Replication and further evidence

Summary Brady (Journal of Applied Econometrics, 2011, 26(2), 213–231) studies how fast and how long a change in housing prices in one region affects its neighbors by estimating the impulse response functions using a spatial autoregressive model (SAR). This paper replicates Brady's empirical results, but reports different SAR test statistics. Additional robustness checks are conducted by analyzing three different housing price indexes covering a more extensive period. Analysis shows that the model specifications and model estimates vary with the housing price indexes.
Performance modeling under resource constraints using deep transfer learning

Tuning application parameters for optimal performance is a challenging combinatorial problem. Hence, techniques for modeling the functional relationships between various input features in the parameter space and application performance are important. We show that simple statistical inference techniques are inadequate to capture these relationships. Even with more complex ensembles of models, the minimum coverage of the parameter space required via experimental observations is still quite large. We propose a deep learning based approach that can combine information from exhaustive observations collected at a smaller scale with limited observations collected at a larger target scale. The proposed approach is able to accurately predict performance in the regimes of interest to performance analysts while outperforming many traditional techniques. In particular, our approach can identify the best performing configurations even when trained using as few as 1% of observations at the target scale.
Structural Aspects and Current Sociolinguistic Situation of Acadian French

The reason for including in this volume a full chapter devoted exclusively to Acadian French is the importance of the Acadian group in the formation of Louisiana French. This relationship was discussed from a historical point of view in Chapter 1 and will be addressed linguistically by Pierre Rezeau in Chapter 12. To recapitulate briefly: After the Deportation (1755–1763), groups of exiled Acadians made their way to Louisiana, where they settled in various parts of the territory. There are significant differences in exile itineraries among the successive waves of migration to Louisiana. These movements of population parallel the waves of return migration to the Maritime Provinces that are known to have had linguistic consequences for the geographic diversity inherent in Acadian French. Notably, a crucial distinction lies in the location in which each particular group spent the years of exile and how long a period was involved. In both Louisiana and the Maritimes, a number of Acadians arrived at a relatively early date, in the 1760s, from the colonies of the Atlantic seaboard, where they had been deported directly by sea in 1755 from their Acadian homelands. Others returned to North America subsequent to 1785, after a lengthy exile in France, which had been the major destination to which Acadians were expelled after 1758; in the case of Louisiana, this component was the larger of the two major sources of Acadian influx.
Computer image guided endoscopic surgery

With introduction of the CT in medicine, the process of digital imaging offers more and more possibilities to surgeons and clinicians. Tridimensional reconstruction from tomo-graphical cuts, introduced a few years ago with the helicoidal CT, allows constructing virtual images of any anatomical region and manipulate them. Advancements in telecommunication technology have made it possible to connect the information obtained from machines to our common-use desktop computers. Because of the complex anatomy of the lateral nasal wall and its proximity with vital vascular and nervous structures, it is important that the paranasal sinus surgeon have prior radiological references before doing a procedure. Until very recently, the dissection of the lateral nasal wall depended solely on the surgeon’s ability, and his knowledge of the anatomy. This is not enough in cases of re-do’s or when disease have altered the normal anatomical references and would lead to doubt in selecting which structures need to be dissected, making an endoscopic nasal surgery a potentially dangerous procedure. To have a real-time tomography to know the exact site in which one is working was Utopia until the appearance of image guided surgery. Nowadays there are several systems for image guided surgery, some based on the use of electromagnetic waves and others on infrared light (the same used by TV remote controls). All use the information obtained by previous CT or MRI so as to make 3-D models of the nasal anatomy and that can be checked at all times during the surgery (Fig. 1).
Patient specific clinical dosimetry in radioiodine therapy for thyroid cancer: Refining approaches to treatment of patients

1089 Learning Objectives 1. Become familiar with the dosimetry procedure. 2. Considerations in selecting patients for dosimetry. 3. Added clinical information the procedure could provide that could alter treatment and follow-up approaches to select patients treated with radioiodine (I-131). Dosimetry prior to radioiodine treatment is performed in very few institutions and in selected patients. These are most frequently very high risk patients with thyroid cancer who are being considered for very high treatment dosages, approaching 2 Gy to marrow radiation dose limits. Nevertheless, clinical dosimetry can often provide added information that could be useful in other situations such as in patients with renal impairment as well as in pediatric and elderly patients. Cases will be presented where dosimetric analysis impacted patient treatment, as well as post-treatment follow-up after therapy in certain cases to monitor possible side-effects. Methods: Some examples will be shown illustrating how dosimetry implemented for clinical use in select patients can assist in better treatment planning of the patient. Cases used will be those with advanced disease, pediatric and renally impaired patients, and novel developments in this area will be discussed, which may be the next step in the clinical use of dosimetry. Conclusion: Use of patient specific clinical dosimetry may help guide and provide insight in the treatment and management of select patients undergoing radioiodine therapy for Thyroid Cancer
Deformable Objects and Matching Functionals

In the previous two chapters, we introduced and studied basic tools related to deformations and their mathematical representation using diffeomorphisms. In this chapter, we start investigating relations between deformations and the objects they affect, which we will call deformable objects, and discuss the variations of matching functionals, which are cost functions that measure the quality of the registration between two deformable objects.
Special Article: Paget's Disease of Bone

Evidence is accumulating that Paget's disease of bone has a slow, viral cause. The clinical presentation is highly variable, depending on the skeletal location and phase of the disease. The most common symptoms are bone pain, deformities, or pathologic fracture. Arthritic symptoms of the hip or knee, or symptoms related to nerve compression by disease-enlarged bone also occur. Plain radiographs are often pathognomonic of Paget's disease; however, in atypical cases, biopsy may be necessary to rule out neoplastic disease. The most effective medications currently used for treatment are the calcitonins and biphosphonates. Mithramycin is reserved for Paget's paraplegia or recalcitrant cases. Fracture stabilization, corrective osteotomies, and joint arthroplasties have been highly successful when carefully planned and executed. In these cases, perioperative treatment with calcitonin is recommended.
Urban-rural differentials in age-related biological risk among middle-aged and older Chinese.

To assess urban–rural differentials in age-related biological risk among middle-aged and older Chinese and links to individual and community characteristics. Data come from the national baseline survey of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Biological risk is assessed using a set of measured biomarkers that reflect cardiovascular, metabolic, and inflammatory processes. Urban residents who are officially registered in urban areas have greater biological risk than rural residents. Having junior school or higher education provides an independent and persistent protective effect against biological risk and eliminates the effect of community-level measures. The reduced physical activity of urban dwellers with urban origins explains a substantial part of the difference in risk. Urban dwellers with urban household registration have elevated risk compared with their rural peers, indicating that lifetime exposure to urban areas is an important risk factor for increased biological risk in China. The urban–rural differential in risk is accounted for by adjusting for health behaviors, particularly physical activity. The reduced physical activity among urban dwellers with urban household registration appears to be highly related to their elevated risk. No significant associations between community-level characteristics and biological risk are found beyond individual characteristics.
Towards Aerial Recovery of Parachute-Deployed Payloads

Sensor payloads suspended from parachutes are often used in atmospheric profiling applications. They drift freely and often end up landing in inaccessible regions that make their retrieval challenging or impossible. In this paper, we develop and evaluate an approach using a multirotor unmanned aerial system to autonomously retrieve the parachute while it is still in the air. The system relies only on the initial conditions of the parachute-payload system and feedback from the vehicle's onboard cameras to track and then intercept the parachute mid-air in under 40 seconds on average. We present the results from our field experiments where we demonstrate the feasibility of the system and discuss its applicability to long-term payload transportation systems.
Key to All Sixty-Four Species of Pachybrachis Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cryptocephalinae) in the Eastern USA

A key to the males of all 64 species of Pachybrachis Chevrolat, 1836 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cryptocephalinae) currently known from the eastern USA is presented. Type, figure, and map citations from the literature are given for each species. Pachybrachis newmani Jacobson is reported as a replacement name for Pachybrachis limbatus Newman, which was a homonym, thus making Pachybrachis discoideus Bowditch a synonym (new status).
AGE APPROPRIATENESS OF COMMON NEUROMUSCULAR TRAINING EXERCISES

BackgroundAnterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a significant public health concern in the US with at least 250,000 injuries occurring annually. The rate of ACL reconstruction in adolescents h...
Stroke Rehabilitation with Distorted Vision Perceived as Forces

The concept of augmenting error in interactive reaching training has shown promise, but the possibility of doing this robot-free, with only visual feedback, has not been tested. Here we present very early results from a visual distortion environment that shifts the subject’s cursor in the direction of instantaneous error as if it is being pushed by a robot. This clinical test asked chronic stroke survivors to visit the laboratory three times a week for three weeks as they practiced a bimanual virtual reality task for approximately 40 minutes. Results show that both treatment and control patients improved from the practice (Fugyl Meyer average increase of 4.2), and a slight advantage is seen at this point in the treatment group. These vision-only results may prove compelling because removing the robot reduces expenses, intimidation, complexity, confounding effects, and failure modes.
Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome Secondary to Hypertensive Encephalopathy Brought on by a MAO Inhibitor: A Case Report.

An elderly woman was admitted to the Family Medicine inpatient service for altered mental status after being brought to the emergency room by a concerned neighbor, who had come across the patient s...
Constitutively Serine Phosphorylated STAT3 Provides Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Cells with Survival Advantage and Promotes Their Proliferation.

Because signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 is constitutively phosphorylated in several malignant disorders and plays a role in the pathophysiology of lymphoid malignancies we sought to investigate the activity of STAT3 in CLL. Using Western immunoblotting we studied peripheral blood (PB) cells from 40 patients with CLL and found that in all patients, regardless of disease stage or PB cell count, STAT3 is constitutively phosphorylated (p) on serine 727, but not on tyrosine, residues. Because it is thought that phosphorylation of tyrosine residues is requires for activation of STAT3 we asked whether the serine phosphoryalted form of STAT3 is biologically active in CLL. First we explored whether serine pSTAT3 translocates to the nucleus. Using confocal microscopy and Western blot analysis of cytoplasmic and nuclear cellular fractions we demonstrated that serine pSTAT3 is present both in the cytoplasm and nucleus of CLL cells. Then we asked whether serine pSTAT3 binds to DNA. Using the electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) we identified both a ‘shift’ and a ‘super-shift’ with anti-STAT3 and anti-serine 727 pSTAT3 antibodies, indicating that serine pSTAT3 binds to DNA. To further elucidate the role of serine pSTAT3 in CLL we inhibited its activity. We used PM, an analog of the STAT3 inhibitor Ac-Tyr(PO3H2)-Leu-Pro-Gly-Thr-Val-NH2 (Coleman DR et al., J Med Chem48:6661, 2005). Previous studies demonstrated that PM binds to the SH2 domain of STAT3 (but not to that of STAT5) and specifically inhibits STAT3 activity. Therefore, we incubated CLL cells with increasing concentrations of PM and found that PM inhibited the phosphorylation of STAT3 on serine 727 residues and downregulated Bcl-2 protein levels in a dose-dependent fashion. Because the Bcl-2 gene is activated by STAT3 it is conceivable that serine pSTAT3 activates its transcription in CLL cells. Furthermore, PM suppressed CLL colony-forming cell proliferation and induced apoptosis of CLL cells as determined by Annexin V, suggesting that constitutive serine phosphorylation of STAT3 induces both proliferative and antiapoptotic effects in CLL cells. Taken together, our data suggest that STAT3 is constitutively phosphorylated on serine 727 residues and is biologically active in CLL. Therefore, the activity of STAT3 inhibitors should be investigated in this disease.
Pushing the Limits of Metastability in Semiconducting Perovskite Oxides for Visible-Light-Driven Water Oxidation

A synthetic route has been discovered to thermodynamically unstable, i.e., metastable, Sn(II)–perovskite oxides that have been highly sought after as lead-free dielectrics and small bandgap semicon...
A Chip-Scale, Low Cost PVD System

Standard physical vapor deposition systems are large, expensive, and slow. As part of an on-going effort to build a fab-on-a-chip, we have developed a chip-scale, low cost, fast physical vapor deposition system designed to be used with atomic calligraphy or dynamic stencil lithography to direct write nanostructures. The system comprises two MEMS devices: a chip-scale thermal evaporator and a mass sensor that serves as a film thickness monitor. Here, we demonstrate the functionality of both devices by depositing Pb thin-films. The thermal evaporator was made by fabless manufacturing using the SOIMUMPs processs (MEMSCAP, inc). It turns on in 1:46 s and reaches deposition rates as high as 7.2A s−1 with ~1 mm separation from the target. The mass sensor is a re-purposed quartz oscillator (JTX210) that is commercially available for less than one dollar. Its resolution was measured to be 2.65 fg or 7.79E-5 monolayers of Pb. [2020-0237]
Population-based Estimates of COVID-19-like Illness, COVID-19 Illness, and Rates of Case Ascertainment, Hospitalizations, and Deaths - Non-Institutionalized New York City Residents, March-April 2020.

Using a population-based, representative telephone survey, ~930,000 New York City residents had COVID-19 illness beginning March 20-April 30, 2020, a period with limited testing. For every 1000 persons estimated with COVID-19 illness, 141.8 were tested and reported as cases, 36.8 were hospitalized, and 12.8 died, varying by demographic characteristics.
Pediatric epilepsy and psychoeducational interventions: A review of the literature.

Abstract For many individuals, living with epilepsy is truly a family affair throughout the life span. When it comes to childhood epilepsy, the unpredictability of seizure patterns, comorbid conditions, the risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), and societal stigma can be emotionally taxing on children and their primary caregivers. To this end, this article proposes to review psychoeducational interventions provided to primary caregivers of children with an epilepsy diagnosis and the impact of such interventions on general parental coping skills. There were three main themes identified (1) caregivers’ knowledge and self-efficacy about seizure management; (2) parental epilepsy-related fears, anxiety, and stress; (3) parental sleep quality and SUDEP psychoeducation. Overall, considering research limitations, providing epilepsy-related psychoeducational interventions to primary caregivers of children with epilepsy seems to have promising evidence in the literature. After receiving such interventions, the studies show that caregivers’ psychosocial outcomes improved; they become more empowered to manage their children’s seizures and advocate for their children’s psychosocial needs.
Comparison and correlation of asphalt binder and mixture cracking parameters incorporating the aging effect

Abstract Cracking is one of the primary distresses in asphalt pavements, and aging can significantly affect the cracking properties of asphalt material. The primary objective of this study is to investigate comparisons and correlations between binder and mixture cracking property parameters subjected to different aging conditions, and further evaluate how these relationships would change with aging. Nine plant produced mixtures are conditioned following various conditioning protocols, and the corresponding binders are extracted and recovered from those mixtures. Mixture properties are measured from Complex Modulus (E*), Direct Tension Cyclic Fatigue (DTCF), Semi Circular Bending (SCB) and Disk-shaped Compact Tension (DCT) tests. Binder tests include Complex Shear Modulus (G*) and the Linear Amplitude Sweep (LAS) test. The binder and mixture parameters measured include thermo-rheological parameters, fatigue indices and fracture parameters. Different statistical analysis methods including the Pearson, Kendall and Hoeffding’s D analysis, and frequency curves are used to investigate the comparisons and correlations between the parameters. The results from this study indicate that while considering all the aging conditions, binder parameters evaluated generally correlate well with each other. Mixture parameters also show good correlations with the exception of the fatigue parameters. Mixture rheological and fracture parameters generally show moderate to strong correlations with all the binder parameters, while mixture fatigue parameters only show strong correlations with binder fatigue parameters. Further looking into these relationships with respect to the individual aging condition, the correlations between parameters typically are improved with increase of aging levels. In addition, the distributions of these performance parameters with aging show a close trend with change of asphalt chemical composition over time, indicating the fundamental relationship between asphalt chemistry and its engineering performance. The overall good correlations between binder and mixture parameters reinforce the concept that binders play a significant role in the cracking properties of asphalt mixtures.
Style, identity and language shift

Abstract This study is an examination of style-shifting in the speech of a single interviewer conducting sociolinguistic interviews in Garifuna (Arawak), an endangered language spoken in Belize and along the eastern coast of Central America. It provides a case study of intraspeaker variation in the context of language shift, exploring how the models and principles of intraspeaker variation hold in the social context of language shift scenarios, and framing language shift scenarios as particular contexts of performativity where cultural identity is highlighted. The focus of the paper is on the agentive use of a single phonetic variable in Garifuna as employed by the individual across speech events, as an example of how a linguistic form may become iconized in the context of language shift.
Inflammation-associated gene regulation in primary astrocytes, glial tumors and cellular differentiation

INFLAMMATION-ASSOCIATED GENE REGULATION IN PRIMARY ASTROCYTES, GLIAL TUMORS AND CELLULAR DIFFERENTIATION By Katarzyna Marta Wilczynska, M.Sc. A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2008 Major Director: Tomasz Kordula, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology This dissertation elucidates several independent molecular mechanisms that function in astrocytes and glial tumor cells, and suggest that developmental and inflammatory signals may contribute to the development of brain tumors. First, we analyzed the mechanism of TIMP-1 activation in astrocytes and glioblastoma cells. TIMP-1 expression is activated by IL-1, which is the major neuroinflammatory cytokine, via simultaneous activation of IKK/NF-κB and MEK3/6/p38/ATF-2 pathways in primary
Intercepting a falling object: digital video robot

Human based algorithms; to catch fly balls have been research and studied. In the paper, the validity of the human models are tested by catching balls that are dropped vertically downward. The regular OAC (optical acceleration cancellation) and the inverted OAC models are simulated first, and then tested experimentally with a mobile robot. The simulation and the experimental results show that both methods are able to intercept the dropped ball, but the initial and final motions are different. A digital image processing program, DVRobot, was written to process digital images very quickly.
An analysis of risk factors for biochemical progression in patients with seminal vesicle invasion: validation of Kattan's nomogram in a pathological subgroup.

OBJECTIVE To assess the ability of a recently published nomogram to predict failure after radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) in a cohort of patients with seminal vesicle invasion (SVI) of the resected specimen, widely regarded as a very poor prognostic factor in patients with prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Men with SVI after RRP were analysed retrospectively; patients with positive lymph nodes, adjuvant radiotherapy or hormone therapy were excluded. Age, race, baseline prostate specific antigen (PSA) level, clinical stage, Gleason score, margin status, perineural invasion, capsular invasion, laterality and route of invasion were recorded. Biochemical recurrence was defined as one PSA measurement of 0.4 ng/mL. Biochemical disease-free survival probability was plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method. Kattan's nomogram was applied to each patient and a receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve produced to assess the test's reliability. RESULTS In all, 67 patients with SVI were identified (mean age 64.6 years, sd 5.9; median follow-up 30.5 months). Biochemical disease-free survival was significantly better for men with negative margins, unilateral SVI and perineural invasion. No other significant factors were detected. The median (95% confidence limit) area under the ROC curve was 0.739 (0.604–0.847). CONCLUSION There were significant prognostic differences for three of the factors assessed. Although components of the Kattan nomogram were not significant in this group its predictive value approached that found originally, suggesting that it can be applied to patients with SVI in helping to direct adjuvant therapy and guide postoperative counselling.
Use of Daniovision™ to Measure Activity in 3rd Instar Drosophila melanogaster Larvae

The noncompetitive GABAA receptor antagonist picrotoxin (PTX) decreases activity in 3rd instar Drosophila larvae (Eur J Neurosci, 2006). The purpose of these studies was to replicate the data obtained by Stilwell et al. using an automated data acquisition/data reduction system, Daniovision™ by Noldus. Larvae were extracted from food (Carolina Biologic Supplies 4-24) in 20% sucrose at the 3rd instar stage. The larvae were randomly placed into vials containing vehicle (20% sucrose + 0.3% DMSO) or PTX from 0.03-3 mM: n = 20-30 larvae/treatment. After incubation for 2-24 hr, individual larvae were placed in separate wells of a 6-well culture plate previously coated with 2% agar, then placed in the Daniovision™ apparatus. The activity of each larva was digitized and recorded for 5 minutes using Ethovision software. PTX reduces 3rd instar larvae activity in a concentration-dependent manner, consistent with findings reported by Stilwell et al. Incubation in 1 mM PTX for 4 or 24 hours decreased activity, with con...
Changes in 40K Counts with Exercise

(1978). Changes in 40K Counts with Exercise. Research Quarterly. American Alliance for Health, Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 95-100.
Basal structure and attachment of flagella in cells of Proteus vulgaris.

Abram, Dinah (Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind.), Henry Koffler, and A. E. Vatter. Basal structure and attachment of flagella in cells of Proteus vulgaris . J. Bacteriol. 90: 1337–1354. 1965.—The attachment of flagella to cells of Proteus vulgaris was studied electron microscopically with negatively stained and shadow-cast preparations of ghosts from standard cultures and from special cultures that produced “long forms.” The flagellum, the basal portion of which is hooked, arises within the cell from a nearly spherical structure, 110 to 140 A in diameter. This structure appears to be associated with the cytoplasmic membrane; it may be a part of the membrane or a separate entity that lies just beneath the membrane. Flagella associated with cell walls free from cytoplasmic membrane frequently have larger bodies, 200 to 700 A in diameter, associated with their base. These structures probably consist at least partly of fragments of the cytoplasmic membrane, a portion of which folds around a smaller structure. Flagella in various stages of development were observed in long forms of P. vulgaris cells grown at low temperature. The basal structure of these flagella was similar to that of the long or “mature” flagella. Strands connecting the basal structures were observed in ghosts of long forms; these strands appear to be derived from the cytoplasmic membrane. Flagella were found to be attached to fragments of cell wall and to cytoplasmic membrane in a similar manner as they are attached to ghosts. In isolates of flagella that have been separated from the cells mechanically, the organelles often terminate in hooks which almost always appear naked, but have a different fine structure than the flagellum proper. Images
Achieving goals in geriatric assessment: role of caregiver agreement and adherence to recommendations.

Objectives: To determine predictors of recommendation adherence and goal attainment of family caregivers of patients at a geriatric assessment center. Design: One-year prospective cohort study. Setting: Outpatient geriatric assessment center in Connecticut. Participants: Two hundred consecutive new patients and their family caregivers. Measurements: Family caregivers were interviewed after geriatric assessment to ascertain their treatment goals for the patient. Medical records were reviewed to identify treatment recommendations. Family caregivers were interviewed 1 year later to assess adherence to recommendations and attainment of goals. Results: Follow-up interviews were completed with 176 (88%) family caregivers. Common recommendations pertained to physician referral (71%), medications (46%), counseling/education (31%), diagnostic tests (30%), residential planning (26%), healthcare planning (21%), and community services (21%). Goal attainment was reported in 44% to 67% of the patient cases, depending on goal category. Caregiver agreement with recommendations predicted adherence to recommendations (adjusted relative risk (ARR)=1.99, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.04–5.92) after adjusting for available clinical and demographic factors. In addition, adherence to recommendations predicted goal attainment in adjusted analyses (ARR=1.70, 95% CI=1.09–2.64). Conclusion: This study revealed a broad range of treatment recommendations in geriatric assessment and suggests that agreeing with recommendations can promote adherence and that adherence can promote goal attainment. Taken together, the results imply that articulating shared treatment recommendations may improve the quality of health care.
A Journey With the Washington Press Corps

Donald A. Ritchie's analytical rigor and attention to historical detail have produced a book unrivaled in its circumference of archival research uncovering the workings of the Washington Press Corp...
Strategies to improve I/O cache performance

Knowing how different types of data use an input/output cache increase the effectiveness of the cache. To evaluate this information, I/O call traces drive an I/O cache simulator. The authors discuss the tracing and simulation tools, the simulation environment, experiments and results. Information from the system call level determines the type of requests. Since the trace is based on file names rather than disk block numbers, the file system maintenance, executable, and application data are all visible. Each data type has different reference behavior. Each cache size supports different types to differing degrees. Properly exploiting these properties increased the reference hit rate in the I/O cache and reduced the number of references out of the cache to disk. >
Effect of 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2 on ethanol-induced damage to canine oxyntic mucosa

Abstract Previous reports have demonstrated that the synthetic prostaglandin analogue, 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E 2 (dm PGE 2 ), protects the rat gastric mucosa against the damaging effects of a variety of ulcerogenic agents, including alcohol. The effects of dm PGE 2 on alcohol-induced gastric mucosal injury in the dog has not been investigated. Using the canine Heidenhain pouch, the present study examined the action of dm PGE 2 on gastric mucosal damage induced by 15% ethanol, both in the presence and absence of HCl. Ethanol by itself damaged the pouches as evidenced by large net fluxes of Na + and K + into the pouch. The combination of ethanol and 100 mn HCl produced the same effects on Na + and K + and also increased pepsin secretion into the pouch and the loss of H + from the bathing solution. Intravenous injection of dm PGE 2 in the doses 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 μg per kg, one-half hour before administration of ethanol in acid solution, significantly reduced the net loss of H + from the pouch and the gain of Na + , K + , and pepsin. The most effective doses for protection were 0.1 and 1.0 μg per kg. The increases in Na + and K + efflux elicited by ethanol in the absence of HCl were also significantly reduced by dm PGE 2 . It is concluded that dm PGE 2 effectively protects the canine gastric mucosa against the damaging effects of alcohol and that this protection is dose-related. Although the mechanism underlying this protection is not apparent from this study, it appears to be independent of inhibition of acid secretion because equal protection against ethanol was observed both in the presence and absence of HCl.
Short Wavelength Instabilities of Rotating, Compressible Fluid Masses

The equations describing the linear stability of a rotating, axisymmetric, self-gravitating fluid mass are considered in a short wavelength limit which takes proper account of boundary conditions. The well-known Hoiland criterion for axisymmetric perturbations is recovered and found to be a sufficient condition for instability even if non-axisymmetric perturbations are allowed. The spectrum of the linear stability problem is not only continuous but also, in the unstable case, occupies a non-zero area in the complex spectral plane.
A Raman spectroscopic discrimination between the sub‐gel phase and the GIII Gel phase of aqueous dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers

Raman spectra of aqueous dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayers have been measured as a function of temperature for samples incubated at 2 °C and for non-incubated samples. The nature of the transition from the GII gel phase of the hydrated lipid into the sub-gel phase on incubation is entirely different from that of the transition from the GII gel phase into the GIII gel phase of the non-incubated lipid. The GIII gel phase has a monoclinic interchain packing, whereas the sub-gel phase exhibits a triclinic interchain structure. In the sub-gel phase the acyl chains are rigid and more ordered even than those in solid DPPC.
Computation of inverse of magnetostriction model for Terfenol-D

Abstract The use of a non-linear model or non-linear inverse model in a control configuration has been shown to significantly improve the performance of actuators that use hysteretic materials to drive them. A method to calculate the inverse of a model for the hysteretic material Terfenol-D is presented here, to be used as part of a full control configuration for Terfenol-D actuators. This inverse is based on a magnetostriction model that has been shown to characterize the behavior of Terfenol-D well. Initially unbounded, accumulating errors in the inverse are analyzed and a method to bound the error for periodic input is presented. Simulations show steady-state tracking of strain waveforms that reach 95% of saturation to within 2% in an open-loop configuration. For use with inputs as high as 95% of saturation, though, the ratio of the input frequency to the sampling rate must be kept below specified levels. With inputs that reach only 85% of saturation, the error from inversion is below 0.2% and can be controlled by a parameter choice.
Carbon nanotube transistors and logic circuits

We discuss our recent efforts to develop high performance carbon nanotube field effect transistors (CNTFETs) and logic circuits. By improving the metal nanotube contacts the characteristics of the CNTFETs are greatly enhanced. Analysis shows that the performance of p-type CNTFETs is already competitive to that of silicon p-MOSFETs. In addition to the p-CNTFETs, we present techniques by which ambipolar and pure n-type CNTFETs can be fabricated. A particulary simple process involving the annealing in vacuum of a p-CNTFET is shown to convert it to an n-CNTFET. This conversion is reversible, and re-exposure to oxygen leads to a p-CNTFET. Evidence is found that the key effect of oxygen involves modification of the contact barriers. Having complementary CNTFETs (i.e. p- and n-type) allows us to build the first integrated circuits. We present results on a NOT logic gate. Both an inter-molecular gate involving two separate CNTFETs, and an intra-molecular gate where the logic function is encoded along the length of a single tube are demonstrated.
First-order definitions of rational functions and S-integers over holomorphy rings of algebraic functions of characteristic 0

Abstract We consider the problem of constructing first-order definitions in the language of rings of holomorphy rings of one-variable function fields of characteristic 0 in their integral closures in finite extensions of their fraction fields and in bigger holomorphy subrings of their fraction fields. This line of questions is motivated by similar existential definability results over global fields and related questions of Diophantine decidability.
Ordered phase in Reggeon field theory

We study the ordered phase of Reggeon field theory taking into account both the three- and four-Reggeon couplings. We find that for a range of parameters the ground state of the system is doubly degenerate. For a special value of the bare intercept the non-Hermitian Reggeon field theory Hamiltonian is related by a similarity transformation to a Hermitian one. The Hamiltonian formulation of the theory is therefore on a good footing, and we are able to construct the quantum ground states and study in detail how the ordered phase of Reggeon field theory differs from that of a conventional theory. We discuss a number of possible definitions of the Pomeron Green's functions, and show that for all physically acceptable ones the intercept of the Pomeranchuk singularity is exactly equal to one in the ordered phase. We perform an approximate calculation of the scattering amplitude in one transverse dimension directly in the continuum theory. We find, in agreement with previous spin-model calculations, that the scattering amplitude corresponds to a gray disk with a radius proportional to the log of the energy. Our approximate solution does not satisfy the constraints of t-channel unitarity, and we point out why the usual proof ofmore » unitarity will not go through in the exact theory.« less
Impacts and management implications of ice storms on forests in the southern United States

This review explores the ecological and silvicultural impacts of ice storms on forests in the southern United States. Different environmental factors like weather conditions, topography, vegetation, stand density, and management practices influence the degree of glaze damage a particular forest may experience. Additionally, the frequent contradictions in the relationships between these factors and the resulting damage suggests a complexity that makes each ice storm unique and difficult to predict. We recommend a series of silvicultural responses to ice storms, including density management, planting species selection, postevent evaluation, salvage, stand rehabilitation, and long-term monitoring of forest health. Published by Elsevier B.V.