cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of neuronal nitric oxide synthase by 7-nitroindazole protects against MPTP-induced neurotoxicity in mice.

Abstract: Several studies suggest that nitric oxide (NO•) contributes to cell death following activation of NMDA receptors in cultured cortical, hippocampal, and striatal neurons. In the present study we investigated whether 7-nitroindazole (7-NI), a specific neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, can block dopaminergic neurotoxicity seen in mice after systemic administration of MPTP. 7-NI dose-dependently protected against MPTP-induced dopamine depletions using two different dosing regimens of MPTP that produced varying degrees of dopamine depletion. At 50 mg/kg of 7-NI there was almost complete protection in both paradigms. Similar effects were seen with MPTP-induced depletions of both homovanillic acid and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid. 7-NI had no significant effect on dopamine transport in vitro and on monoamine oxidase B activity both in vitro and in vivo. One mechanism by which NO• is thought to mediate its toxicity is by interacting with superoxide radical to form peroxynitrite (ONOO−), which then may nitrate tyrosine residues. Consistent with this hypothesis, MPTP neurotoxicity in mice resulted in a significant increase in the concentration of 3-nitrotyrosine, which was attenuated by treatment with 7-NI. Our results suggest that NO• plays a role in MPTP neurotoxicity, as well as novel therapeutic strategies for Parkinson's disease.
Allergic reactions to Erwinia asparaginase in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who had previous allergic reactions to Escherichia coli asparaginase.

Background. Escherichia coli asparaginase is an active antileukemia agent in the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Allergic reactions occurred in 31 of 125 patients (24.8%) treated with weekly high-dose (25,000 IU/m2) intramuscular E. coli asparaginase and necessitated discontinuation of the drug. Methods. The authors evaluated the toxic effects of Erwinia asparaginase in the 31 children who had allergic reactions to the E. coli preparation. Results. Subsequent allergic reactions to Erwinia asparaginase occurred in 7 of the 31 children (22.6%). In contrast to previous reports with intravenous administration, most allergic reactions to both asparaginase preparations were characterized by mild urticaria that responded to use of diphenhydramine; none of the reactions was life-threatening. Conclusions. In summary, the authors found Erwinia asparaginase to be an acceptable substitute for E. coli asparaginase for most children who had allergic reactions. Through the use of both E. coli and Erwinia asparaginase, 94% of children could receive their intended asparaginase. Cancer 1992; '70:201-206.
Environmental stress causes mast cell degranulation, endothelial and epithelial changes, and edema in the rat intestinal mucosa.

Objective:Mental stress has been shown to produce intestinal disease, but the effects of a mild environmental stress on intestinal physiology have not been elucidated. This study was performed to d...
THE ASSAY OF GONADOTROPIC EXTRACTS IN THE POST-PARTUM RABBIT11

SEVERAL YEARS AGO the post′partum rabbit was recommended for the assay of gonadotropic materials because of the great regularity of re′ sponse and the rapidity with which the results could be obtained (i). Since this suggestion was made there has appeared only one report (2) on this procedure. Most of the work on rabbits has involved the use of isolated females, erroneously designated as1 ‘estrous.’ From the very extensive work of Hill, Parkes, and White (3) it is apparent that the response of the isolated female rabbit is no more regular than that of the immature rat, so that equally large numbers of test animals must be employed. Hill, Parkes and White felt obliged to use 20 rabbits at each dose level for their standardization curves and recommend no less than 10 ‘estrous’ animals at the criticaldoses in routine assays.
Distinguishing between Two and Three-State Equilibrium Folding with Three-Pulse Photon Echo Peak Shift (3PEPS) Spectroscopy

We investigate the equilibrium unfolding of Zn-cytochrome c by three-pulse photon echo peak shift spectroscopy. The wavelength dependence of the asymptotic peak shift reveals a bimodal inhomogeneous distribution function characteristic of two-state unfolding.
Renal Mass in Solitary, Crossed, Ectopic Pelvic Kidney

A 46-year-old healthy man presented with abdominal pain and a solitary ectopic, crossed pelvic kidney with an enhancing mass, imaged with 3-dimensional computed tomography. He underwent open partial nephrectomy, which revealed Stage T1, grade 2 conventional renal cell carcinoma with negative surgical margins. The incidence of renal cell carcinoma in the computed tomography era in a solitary crossed ectopic kidney is approximately 1 in 22 million.
Reuse of Woodpecker Cavities in The Breeding and Non-Breeding Seasons in Old Burn Habitats in The Black Hills, South Dakota

ABSTRACT Recently, greater attention has been given to the potential keystone interaction between cavity excavators and the community of animals that use cavities. However, most research has focused on avian use of cavities in the breeding season, with little attention given to other cavity using guilds or cavity use during the non-breeding season. Furthermore, most breeding season studies were in unburned forests containing a mix of conifer and deciduous trees with much less attention given to cavity rich post-burn habitats. The objective of this study was to examine cavity use during the breeding and non-breeding seasons in old-burned ponderosa pine forests in the Black Hills, South Dakota. One hundred seventy nine active cavity nests of nine cavity nesting species were monitored between 2002–2005. We examined the contents of each cavity during the breeding season and twice during each non-breeding season (fall, winter, spring) each year. Additionally, we conducted vegetative surveys to determine the mi...
Medullary, Anaplastic, and Metastatic Cancers of the Thyroid

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy accounting for nearly 95% of endocrine cancers according to the American Cancer Society. In 2009, more than 37,000 adults are projected to be diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the United States, and more than 1,600 people will die from the disease (www.cancer.org). A disproportionate number of these deaths will be accounted for by the rarer, but more aggressive thyroid malignancies, including medullary, anaplastic, and metastatic cancers of the thyroid. For these patients, surgical management is the only potentially curative treatment option. However, a significant amount of research is being conducted on novel therapeutic agents. This article reviews the pathology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment options of medullary, anaplastic, and metastatic cancers of the thyroid with an examination of emerging therapies.
Acceleration of simulated annealing and its application to microwave device and circuit optimization

Simulated annealing (SA), while being successful as a general optimization technique applicable to many modeling and design problems of microwave devices and circuits, is very time consuming. To alleviate this problem, the authors propose the creation of a hardware-implemented SA accelerator. The design and evaluation of this SA accelerator, as well as its application to the microwave computer-aided design (CAD) area, are presented. this accelerator features a highly parallel pipeline structure with a programmable characteristic function. Acceptance prediction is used to further improve the performance. Simulation results demonstrate that this accelerator has a significant (several orders of magnitude) speed advantage over an ordinary implementation. >
Recovery of information in Relative Clauses: evidence from Greek and Hebrew

Modern Greek has a Relative Clause Formation process by which the target of Relativization is deleted under identity with the head of the Relative Clause these Relative Clauses are introduced by the invariant complementizer particle pu, which also introduces factive complements. (Greek also has a movement strategy for Relative Clauses, with an inflected Relative pronoun, but the details of this process are irrelevant here.) Examples of the deletion strategy are given below in (i):
Family-Centered Rounds Views of Families, Nurses, Trainees, and Attending Physicians

Objective. To study the impact of family-centered rounds for general pediatrics inpatients. Methods. An observation tool and participant surveys was developed. The authors analyzed rounding time and rounds participants. Associations between family presence and participants’ satisfaction were analyzed. Results. Data were collected on 295 patients and from 257 staff members. Average rounding time was reduced with increased family and nurse presence (8.7 minutes with both, 12.7 minutes without family, P = .0001). Families reported high satisfaction regardless of participants. Families present on rounds reported increased knowledge of team members’ roles (54% vs 35%, P = .04). Attending physicians more often reported ease in managing rounds with families present. Senior residents perceived decreased autonomy with high family participation (11%) versus low family participation (70%; P = .02). Improved nurse satisfaction was associated with increased family and nurse participation. Conclusion. Family participat...
Suggestions for Slides at Scientific Meetings

The spoken message in a scientific talk is enhanced by well-prepared slides that are simple, clear, legible, and pleasing to the eye. Good slides can create visual images that endure in the audience's mind long after the speaker has finished. Poorly prepared slides, however, detract from both the speaker and the intended message. Poor slides have features that hinder communication, such as small letters, too much text, dark images on dark backgrounds, outlandish colors, complex figures, or large tables. Poor slides create lasting images, too, but of an undesirable kind. In an effort to encourage scientists to reconsider the effectiveness of their slides, we provide some guidelines for slide preparation. We hope that our opinions will stimulate speakers to prepare slides that enhance, rather than detract from, the spoken words (see Smith 1957, Toft 1998). First, we present our top 10 recommendations, in decreasing order of importance. Then, we offer six additional ideas that also should aid in preparing effective slides and talks.
MATERNAL MORTALITY AT GRADY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. A 13 YEAR SURVEY.

Abstract 1. Ninety-seven maternal deaths occurring on an all-charity obstetrical service at Grady Memorial Hospital in the course of 80,403 live births between Jan. 1, 1949, and Dec. 31, 1961, have been reviewed and analyzed. 2. The maternal mortality rate was 12.1 per 10,000 live births, a gratifying reduction since a previous report. 3. Deaths from direct obstetrical causes accounted for 68 per cent (infection, 23.7 per cent; hemorrhage, 16.5 per cent; and toxemia, 16.5 per cent). 4. Indirect obstetrical causes of death accounted for 17.5 per cent, and nonrelated causes accounted for 12.4 per cent. 5. There were 20 deaths caused by septic abortion, the most frequent obstetrical condition causing death. 6. Some of the findings of this study are discussed and the need to improve maternity services for the indigent obstetrical patient in the urban communities of the South is stressed.
A Fault-Tolerant Multiple Sensor Fusion Approach Applied to UAV Attitude Estimation

A novel sensor fusion design framework is presented with the objective of improving the overall multisensor measurement system performance and achieving graceful degradation following individual sensor failures. The Unscented Information Filter (UIF) is used to provide a useful tool for combining information from multiple sources. A two-step off-line and on-line calibration procedure refines sensor error models and improves the measurement performance. A Fault Detection and Identification (FDI) scheme crosschecks sensor measurements and simultaneously monitors sensor biases. Low-quality or faulty sensor readings are then rejected from the final sensor fusion process. The attitude estimation problem is used as a case study for the multiple sensor fusion algorithm design, with information provided by a set of low-cost rate gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, and a single-frequency GPS receiver’s position and velocity solution. Flight data collected with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) research test bed verifies the sensor fusion, adaptation, and fault-tolerance capabilities of the designed sensor fusion algorithm.
Dimers of Dimers (DOD): A New Fragment-Based Method Applied to Large Water Clusters.

We have developed a dimer-based two-body interaction model, denoted “dimers of dimers” (DOD), for the study of water clusters using a fragmentation approach. By including a second layer at a lower level of theory (e.g., Hartree–Fock), our DOD2 model accurately reproduces the total energies of water clusters ranging in size from 16 to 100 molecules using the MP2 method with a variety of basis sets. The mean absolute error in the calculated DOD2 total energy for a broad range of calculations is only 0.83 kcal/mol. The size of the fragments is independent of the cluster size, and the number of fragments grows fairly slowly with the cluster size. Our results suggest that our method should be applicable for the study of large water clusters.
Directed Angles and Inversion, with a Proof of Schoute's Theorem

(1917). Directed Angles and Inversion, with a Proof of Schoute's Theorem. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 24, No. 7, pp. 313-317.
Comparison of Electromyographic and Microswitch Measures of Auditory Reaction Time

The RTs of 3 Ss to clicks at 10, 30 and 90 db above their individually measured thresholds were obtained. It was concluded that use of a microswitch for signalling motor response introduces a significant delay in comparison with an electromyographic measure. Large reliable individual differences in amount of switch lag were found. Switch lag decreased slightly as intensity was increased.
IMMUNOLOGY AND RATES OF ENZYME EVOLUTION IN THE AMPHIBIA IN RELATION TO THE ORIGINS OF CERTAIN TAXA.

Along with an increased interest in biological evolution on the part of biochemists there has been a development of biochemical methods suitable for comparative studies. The existence of such techniques has in turn interested evolutionary biologists in their possible applications. Such methods, aimed mainly at dealing with proteins, include electrophoresis, study of the kinetics of biologically active molecules such as enzymes, ultracentrifugal properties, amino acid compositions, fingerprint patterns, amino acid sequencing, and various immunological methods (Wilson and Kaplan, 1964; Wilson et al., 1964). Perhaps the ideal method is the determination of the amino acid sequences of homologous proteins, as has been begun in cytochrome c (Margoliash, 1963; Smith and Margoliash, 1964) and in hemoglobin (Braunitzer et al., 1964; Hill et al., 1963; Hill and Buettner-Janusch, 1964), but this involves a very great deal of time and work and might fairly be characterized as cumbersome, and therefore not a choice method for extensive comparisons and surveys. In our search for more convenient methods of corm-paring biological macromolecules we have investigated in particular the possibilities of quantitative immunological procedures as methods that would measure structural differences over larger portions of a molecule than would any other available method except sequencing. In this paper we will present our findings bearing on certain evolutionary problems in the Amphibia.
Construction of the recombinant plasmid pEGFP-N1-ZIP2 and its effect on expression of other zinc transporters in human T lymphocyte and monocyte cell lines

Objective To construct the pEGFP-N1-ZIP2 expression vector,observe its expression in the human T lymphocyte cell line Jurkat-E6-1 and human mononuclear cell line THP-1,and detect whether expression of other zinc transporters changed when ZIP2 is over-expressed.Methods The target cDNA sequence of ZIP2 was obtained from human blood by RT-PCR.The target cDNA segment was ligated into eukaryote plasmid pEGFP-N1.The plasmids were checked by double restriction enzyme digestion and DNA sequence analysis.Jurkat-E6-1 and THP-1 cell lines were transiently transfected for 48 h,and expressions of ZIP2,ZIP1,ZIP6,ZIP8,ZIP10,ZnT1 and ZnT5 were detected by RT-PCR.Results Identification of pEGFP-N1-ZIP2 by double enzyme digestion and DNA sequence analysis showed that the length and direction of the target gene inserted into the recombinant plasmid were correct.After transfection of pEGFP-N1-ZIP2,ZIP2 over-expression was found in Jurkat-E6-1 and THP-1 cell lines.Expression of ZnT1 was significantly reduced in the transfected Jurkat-E6-1.However,on change was found in other zinc transporters in the transfected THP-1.Conclusion The eukaryotic expression plasmid pEGFP-N1-ZIP2 was successfully constructed.Jurkat and THP-1 cell lines were transfected with the plasmids.ZIP2 was up-regulated and ZnT1 was down-regulated in transfected Jurkat-E6-1,while no changes of other zinc transporter genes were found in transfected THP-1.Over-expression of ZIP2 has different effects on other zinc transporter genes in Jurkat-E6-1 and THP-1 cell lines.
Economic Threats or Societal Turmoil? Understanding Preferences for Authoritarian Political Systems

Why do some individuals prefer to be governed in an authoritarian political system? One intuitive answer is that citizens prefer authoritarian rule when the economy and society are in turmoil. These are common explanations for democratic backsliding, and the emergence and success of authoritarian leaders in the twentieth century. Which of these explanations better explains preferences for authoritarian rule? Both types of threat coincide in small samples and high-profile cases, creating inferential problems. I address this by using three waves of World Values Survey data to look at individual-level preferences for different forms of authoritarian government. Using multiple macroeconomic and societal indicators, I find that economic threats, especially increasing income inequality, better explain preferences for authoritarian government. I conclude with implications for understanding the emergence of support for authoritarianism in fledgling democracies.
There Will Never Be More Than Two of US

Traditionally, vampires don’t have children; depending on the fictive universe, they are makers, sires, and progenitors, but they do not, as a general rule, reproduce in the same ways as biological human beings. For the female vampires in Stephenie Meyer’s The Twilight Saga, this truth causes a great deal of grief and longing. Through the narrative, Bella Swan, the human heroine, hears a number of perspectives about what it means to live an undead life with an unchanging body that will never create a child.
Renewable p-Xylene from 2,5-Dimethylfuran and Ethylene Using Phosphorus-Containing Zeolite Catalysts

p-Xylene is a major commodity chemical used for the production of polyethylene terephthalate, a polymer with applications in polyester fibers, films, and bottles. The Diels–Alder cycloaddition of 2,5-dimethylfuran and ethylene and the subsequent dehydration of the cycloadduct intermediate is an attractive reaction pathway to produce renewable p-xylene from biomass feedstocks. However, the highest yields reported previously do not exceed 75 %. We report that P-containing zeolite Beta is an active, stable, and selective catalyst for this reaction with an unprecedented p-xylene yield of 97 %. It can catalyze the dehydration reaction selectively from the furan-ethylene cycloadduct to p-xylene without the production of alkylated and oligomerized products. This behavior is distinct from that of Al-containing zeolites and other solid phosphoric acid catalysts and establishes a commercially attractive process for renewable p-xylene production.
Location Proof via Passive RFID Tags

With the surge in location-aware applications and prevalence of RFID tags comes a demand for providing location proof service with minimal cost. We introduce two protocols that provide secure and accurate location proof service using passive RFID tags. Both protocols are lightweight, adaptive and cost-effective. The first protocol assumes the connection of a user to the remote server. The second protocol does not require real time interactions with the server. Instead, it uses the self-reported time of local RFID reader (such as a cell phone), which may be biased. The user can upload the information to the server later to obtain the location proof. The paper presents a solution to derive users’ actual time of presence in the absence of a reliable clock, assuming an arbitrarily large number of falsified data points from malicious users.
College programs in prison and upon reentry for men and women: a literature review

AbstractPeople in prison participating in college education are least likely to recidivate and most likely to be employed after incarceration. Almost no research exists on the collateral – negative and often unanticipated – consequences of a criminal conviction on access to college upon community re-entry. We review these few studies, the existing research on college in prison – with special attention to women’s needs; some new ‘hybrid’ programs with 2 years of college in prison plus 2 years in the community; and the rare studies that interview people applying to college upon re-entry. Their struggles can be overwhelming and require more research and activism.
Drug interactions on spontaneous locomotor activity in rats. Neuroleptics and amphetamine-induced hyperactivity.

Abstract The locomotor activity of female rats was recorded during 10-min sessions in a circular open-field apparatus after the administration of vehicle or drug. Dose-response curves were obtained for seven neuroleptic drugs both alone (spontaneous activity) and in combination with 1.0 mg/kg of d -amphetamine. Haloperidol, pimozide, loxapine, thiothixene, molindone and chlorpromazine all produced graded decreases in spontaneous locomotor activity. Haloperidol, pimozide, loxapine, thiothixene and molindone also produced graded reversals of the hyperactivity produced by d -amphetamine, while chlorpromazine did not. Clozapine neither altered spontaneous activity nor reversed the hyperactivity produced by d -aphetamine. The data indicate that measures of locomotor activity provide important additional information about the actions of neuroleptics and do not necessarily mirror the actions of these drugs on other measures of performance such as lever-pressing for brain stimulation.
Measuring transplant center performance: The goals are not controversial but the methods and consequences can be

Risks of regulatory scrutiny has generated widespread concern about increasingly risk averse transplant center behaviors regarding both donor and candidate acceptance patterns. To address potential unintended consequences threatening access to care, we discuss recent changes in regulatory metrics and potential improvements in quality oversight of transplant centers. Despite many recent changes to 1-year patient and graft survival regulatory criteria, the capacity to accurately identify true underperforming centers and avoiding false positive flagging remains an area of great concern. Numerous studies have demonstrated restrictions in transplant volume and access following transplant center flagging. Current regulatory criteria are limited in their capacity to accurately identify poorly performing centers and potentially encourage risk averse behavior by transplant centers. Efforts to address these concerns should focus on (1) improving risk adjustment models with better data which captures the acuity of candidate and donor risk, (2) reconsidering primary outcomes measured to assess comprehensive transplant center performance, (3) improving education to address rational or perceived disincentives, and (4) using data more effectively to share best practices.
Did King Herod suffer from a rheumatic disease

Herod the Great was appointed "king of Jews," to govern Judea, by the Roman Emperor and Senate. He lived from 73/74 BCE to 4 CE. He died with an illness and symptoms that have been the source of considerable speculation. Richard Strauss depicted Herod in his classic opera, "Salome." That opera was derived from a play of the same name by Oscar Wilde, which was based on an 1876 painting, "Salome Dancing Before Herod," by Gustave Moreau. The operatic Herod was afflicted with an illness characterized by dementia, hallucinations, paranoia, alcoholism (from drinking the Emperor's wine), violence, twitches, and sterility; different interpretations showed him also with falls, chills, shaking, thirst, forgetfulness, and sleepiness, for which we suggest the novel diagnosis of chronic lead intoxication (which can manifest to rheumatologists as saturnine gout). He had compatible symptoms (encephalopathy and neuromuscular abnormalities) and consumed excessive quantities of imperial wine, known to be highly contaminated with lead and likely associated with similar symptoms among Roman aristocracy. Herod's demented cruelties-an oppressive reign which including the beheading of John the Baptist-exacerbated the political climate and may have contributed to the subsequent violent 7-year revolt culminating in the destruction of the second temple. How different might history have been if Herod the Great had been abstemious?
A Tool for Getting By or Getting Ahead? Consumers' Views on Prepaid Cards

This paper summarizes lessons from interviews of 22 consumers who use prepaid cards (PPCs), an emerging product in the market space between institution-based transaction accounts and non-account services like check-cashing and money orders. A majority of interviewees used PPCs as their primary non-cash transaction tool. Prepaid clients appreciate both what the card can do for them (instrumental features) and the meaning of having an electronic payment card like those of more advantaged consumers (symbolic features). Prepaid cards are a helpful financial tool, but the product needs additional elements before it can substantially support customers’ long-term financial goals.
Palliative Care Needs Assessment in the Neuro-ICU: Effect on Family.

Examine the association of a daily palliative care needs checklist on outcomes for family members of patients discharged from the neurosciences intensive care unit (neuro-ICU). We conducted a prospective, longitudinal cohort study in a single, thirty-bed neuro-ICU in a regional comprehensive stroke and level 1 trauma center. One of two neuro-ICU services that admit patients to the same ICU on alternating days used a palliative care needs checklist during morning work rounds. Between March and October, 2015, surveys were mailed to family members of patients discharged from the neuro-ICU. Nearly half of surveys (n = 91, 48.1%) were returned at a median of 4.7 months. At the time of survey completion, mean Modified rankin scale score (mRS) of neuro-ICU patients was 3.1 (SD 2). Overall ratings of quality of care were relatively high (82.2 on a 0–100 scale) with 32% of family members meeting screening criteria for depressive syndrome. The primary outcome measuring family satisfaction, consisting of eight items from the Family Satisfaction in the ICU questionnaire, did not differ significantly between families of patients from either ICU service nor did family ratings of depression (PHQ-8) and post-traumatic stress (PCL-17). Among families of patients discharged from the neuro-ICU, the daily use of a palliative care needs checklist had no measurable effect on family satisfaction scores or long-term psychological outcomes. Further research is needed to identify optimal interventions to meet the palliative care needs specific to family members of patients treated in the neuro-ICU.
Maternal Anthropometric Changes during Pregnancy and Lactation in a Rural Taiwanese Population

Changes in maternal weight triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness during 2 consecutive pregnancies (n=125) and lactation periods (n=225) are described for a sample of rural Taiwanese women studied during a longitudinal nutrition intervention study. Mean pregnancy weight gain was 7.63 kg with a maximum weight velocity of 1.46 kg/month in 2nd trimester. Skinfold thicknesses increased slightly early in pregnancy then declined during the last trimester reaching a minimum just after birth. After an initial increase from birth to 1 postpartum month mean weight and skinfold thicknesses declined throughout lactation. Closer examination revealed that 1/3 of the mothers gained weight and a greater proportion gained skinfold thickness during 12-15 months of lactation. Mothers who lost weight tended to have been fatter at the beginning of lactation compared with those who gained weight. Individual weight change patterns of the 1st lactation period studied (L1) were replicated by 87% of the women during the 2nd (L2). Due in part to a secular trend mothers weighed more and tended to have thicker skinfolds during L2 compared with L1. Birth intervals (mean=758 days) were related to anthropometric maternal variables: fatter mothers had longer birth intervals. Anthropometric data interpreted in the context of energy balance demonstrate that the Taiwanese population although it could be considered malnourished based on caloric intake estimates by and comparison with US weight for height standards shows no evidence of longterm energy dificits. Rather as judged by moderate weight and skinfold increases with time and by reproductive success the population is well adapted. (authors modified)
Differentials and trends in emergency department visits due to alcohol intoxication and co-occurring conditions among students in a U.S. public university.

Abstract Background Few studies have explored the epidemiology of students presenting to the emergency department (ED) as a consequence of hazardous drinking. This study examined differentials and trends in ED visits following alcohol intoxication and co-occurring conditions among students presenting to a major U.S. university health system. Methods The ED electronic medical records from academic years 2010–2015 were queried for student visits and their records were linked to the university’s student admission datasets. Student alcohol-related visits were identified based on ICD-9 codes. Student characteristics and trends in the rate of alcohol intoxication per 100 ED student visits were analyzed. A random sample of 600 student clinical records were reviewed to validate diagnostic codes. Results There were 9616 student ED visits (48% males) to the ED of which 1001 (10.4%) visits involved alcohol intoxication. Two thirds of ED visits with alcohol intoxication had a co-occurring diagnosis, with injuries (24%) being the most common condition. The rate of alcohol intoxication varied greatly by student demographics and campus-related factors. There was a linear increase in the rate of alcohol intoxication from 7.9% in 2009–10 to 12.3% in 2014–15 (p Conclusion The rate of ED visits following alcohol intoxication varied by student demographic characteristics and campus-related factors with a rising trend over the study period.
Maternal Attributions Related to Compliance With Cystic Fibrosis Treatment

This study examined mothers' attributions related to their children's compliance with various components of medical treatment for cystic fibrosis (CF). Mothers of children with CF were queried regarding adherence rates and reasons for child compliance with chest physiotherapy, inhalation therapy, exercise, medication, and dietary treatments. Maternal attributions for compliance were assessed on the dimensions of parental locus, stability, and controllability. Mothers reported significantly less compliance with diet than with other CF treatments; they also perceived the reasons for compliance with diet and exercise as more external and less under their control. These findings are discussed in relation to parent–child interactions that may be critical to improving treatment adherence, particularly in the context of nutritional interventions.
Human Ecology and Cultural Ecology

This chapter discusses human ecology and cultural ecology. Human ecology is a pattern of purposive behavior involving a matching of resources with objectives, a transforming of natural phenomena to meet these objectives, and a capacity to think about this process objectively without actually going through the physical steps. This form of behavior also contains the capability of becoming aware of the disturbances created by humans in the milieu and how these might be avoided if there is evidence of danger. The position that human ecology is theoretically assimilable into a general biological ecology was advocated. Equally problematic is the methodology and scope of human ecology. The most obvious implication of the very term human ecology is that man is a special or unique case and that human ecology must be studied with methods and concepts differing from those used for plants and animals. Cultural ecology is the reciprocal relationships between the production of energy and goods, cultural values, social organization, technology, and population. Anthropological cultural ecology has been particularly concerned with the way these reciprocal relationships function in relatively isolated, low-energy societies, often living in specialized environments.
Deactivation of the uterus during normal and premature labor by the calcium antagonist nicardipine.

Abstract Nicardipine, a calcium antagonist, suspended the spontaneous activity of the excised rabbit uterus at a concentration of 1 μg/ml and abolished the electrical excitability at a concentration of 10 μg/ml. In situ, single doses of 100 and 500 μg reversibly suspended the spontaneous activity of the postpartum rat uterus (n = 22) for 34 ± 6 minutes and 94 ± 9 minutes, respectively. Furthermore, the intrauterine administration of prostaglandin F 2α or oxytocin failed to elevate intrauterine pressure in the postpartum rats (n = 18) injected with an average dose of 207 ± 28 μg of nicardipine. The administration of nicardipine to the rats (n = 19) immediately after the spontaneous delivery of the first fetus arrested labor, and the delivery of the subsequent fetuses was markedly delayed as compared to the control rats (n = 20). Similarly, when premature labor was induced by ovariectomy (OVX) on day 16, OVX control rats (n = 6) receiving 5 μg/day of estradiol delivered 82% of the fetuses within 48 hours of OVX, whereas the rats treated with nicardipine (n = 7) delivered only 4% of the fetuses. All fetuses were delivered alive and were normal. Since the estradiol, progesterone, and prostaglandin profiles in the heart plasma, uterine vein plasma, and uterine tissue of the control and experimental rats were similar, the prevention of premature labor resulted from the antagonistic action of nicardipine to calcium.
Legitimizing Involvement in Emergency Accommodations: Water and Wastewater Utility Perspectives

AbstractIn 2015, 28 European countries cumulatively received over two million applications for asylum, almost three times more than in the previous year. This resulted in pre-existing accommodation...
Sparse Signal Recovery Using MPDR Estimation

Utilizing the array processing minimum power distortionless response (MPDR) beamformer framework, we present a new perspective on the sparse Bayesian learning (SBL) algorithm used in sparse signal recovery. In addition to providing more insight into the SBL algorithm, this new perspective allows us to extend the algorithm to more general non-Gaussian priors. Finally, we use the connection between the MPDR and the LMMSE estimator to lower the complexity of the algorithm using a generalized approximate message passing (GAMP) based LMMSE estimator. The result is a GAMP based algorithm with improved convergence properties.
Plasma-Material-Interaction Research Using PISCES Linear Plasma Devices

Recent plasma-material-interaction (PMI) studies of relevance to fusion PMI science are discussed. The results are a mix of science experiments and in situ diagnostic technology development. Scient...
Risk and protective factors associated with comorbid PTSD and depression in U.S. military veterans: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study.

Abstract Converging evidence suggests that veterans with co-occurring PTSD/MDD represent a high-risk group for poor mental health compared to those with PTSD alone. To date, however, little is known about the specific factors that may increase vulnerability for and buffer risk for comorbid PTSD/MDD. The purpose of this study was to provide a population-based characterization of sociodemographic, risk, and protective variables associated with comorbid PTSD/MDD among U.S. military veterans. Data were analyzed from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, a nationally representative survey of U.S. military veterans (n = 2,732). Analyses (1) compared veterans with PTSD alone and co-occurring PTSD/MDD on sociodemographic, military, and psychosocial characteristics; and (2) examined variables independently associated with PTSD/MDD status. Multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed that racial/ethnic minority status (odds ratio [OR] = 12.5), number of lifetime traumas (OR = 1.3), and time spent engaged in private religious/spiritual activities (OR = 1.8) were associated with PTSD/MDD status, while higher scores on measures of community integration (OR = 0.6) and dispositional optimism (OR = 0.7) were negatively associated with comorbid PTSD/MDD status. Relative importance analyses revealed that dispositional optimism (34%) and community integration (24%) explained the largest proportions of variance in PTSD/MDD comorbidity. Taken together, results of this study suggest that racial/ethnic minority status, greater lifetime trauma burden, and engagement in private religious/spiritual activities are key distinguishing characteristics of U.S. military veterans with comorbid PTSD/MDD vs. PTSD alone. They further underscore the need to study whether targeting community integration and optimism in prevention and treatment efforts may enhance clinical outcomes in this population.
Development and bioanalytical method validation of an LC-MS/MS assay for simultaneous quantitation of 2-alkyl-4(1H)-quinolones for application in bacterial cell culture and lung tissue

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that produces numerous exoproducts during infection that help it evade the host immune system and procure nutrients from the host environment. Among these products are a family of secreted 2-alkyl-4(1H)-quinolone metabolites (AQs), which exhibit a range of biological activities. Here, we describe the validation of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based method for quantifying multiple AQ congeners in complex biological matrices. The assay was validated for selectivity, sensitivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, carryover, dilution integrity, recovery, matrix effects, and various aspects of stability (freeze-thaw, bench-top, long-term storage, and autosampler/post-preparative). Using authentic standards for 6 distinct AQ congeners, we report accurate quantitation within a linear range between 25 and 1000 nmol/L for all of the validated AQ standards. This method was successfully applied to quantify AQ concentrations in P. aeruginosa cell culture and in the lungs of mice infected with P. aeruginosa. Further, we confirmed the presence of unsaturated forms of several AQ congeners in cell culture.
Variation of intrapartum care and cesarean rates among practitioners attending births of low-risk, nulliparous women.

BACKGROUND Variation in hospital cesarean birth rates across the United States is likely because of differences in practitioner practice patterns. Yet, few studies conducted in the last twenty years have examined the relationships between practitioner characteristics and the use of intrapartum interventions and cesarean birth. The objective of this study was to examine associations among practitioner characteristics and the use of amniotomy, epidural, oxytocin augmentation, and cesarean birth in low-risk women with spontaneous onset of labor. METHODS A secondary analysis was performed using data collected by the Consortium on Safe Labor. The sample included nulliparous term singleton vertex (NTSV) births with spontaneous onset of labor (n = 13 196) from 2002 to 2007 across eight hospitals. Generalized linear mixed models were conducted to examine outcomes. RESULTS The cesarean birth rate ranged from 7.2% to 18.9% across hospitals and from 0% to 53.3% across physicians. Practice type (P < .05) and specialty type (P < .0001) were associated with physician cesarean birth rates. Compared with obstetrician/gynecologists, midwives were nearly twice as likely to use no intrapartum interventions (relative risk 1.80 [CI 95 1.45-2.24]) and 26% less likely to use amniotomy-epidural-oxytocin (0.74 [0.62-0.89]). Family practice physicians had a 21% lower likelihood of using amniotomy-epidural-oxytocin (0.79 [0.67-0.94]) and a 53% lower likelihood of performing cesarean births (0.47 [0.35-0.63]). CONCLUSIONS Wide variation in hospital and physician cesarean birth rates was observed in this sample of low-risk, nulliparous women. Practitioner practice type and specialty were significantly associated with the use of intrapartum interventions. Interprofessional practitioner education could be one strategy to reduce variation of intrapartum care and cesarean birth.
Climate Change and Asset Allocation: A Distinction That Makes a Difference

It has become generally accepted that climate change affects economic variables such as growth and inflation. Via these economic channels, it is likely that climate change will also affect asset returns and risks. The authors provide evidence-based estimates of what these effects are and discuss how to incorporate climate change to build portfolios that are robust to a variety of climate change scenarios. TOPICS:Portfolio construction, ESG investing, risk management, tail risks Key Findings ▪ Climate change will likely lower economic growth and equity returns while increasing equity market volatility. ▪ A simple example is used to show how to incorporate various climate change scenarios into asset allocation decisions. ▪ Based on empirical risk and returns for traditional and highly rated environment, social, and governance indexes, it is a simple matter of using constrained optimization to achieve investment outcomes with sustainability goals or constraints.
Grid Transient Stability Improvement with Increased PV Availability: A PV Inverter Reliability Enhancement Approach

PV generation is a key contributor to a carbon-neutral power system. With proper planning and operation, it has significant potential to improve system reliability as well. Nevertheless, solar availability is volatile which poses a challenge to ensure an uninterrupted grid-supporting performance. One critical factor leading to the loss of PV generation is PV inverter malfunctioning as it is the most frequent fault scenario in PV systems. Despite this, there is still inadequate study into PV inverter reliability, especially for online non-intrusive health monitoring methods. In addition, effective PV planning calls for quantitative study into PV impact on grid reliability. This paper is one of the first efforts to bridge this gap. We first reveal the significance of PV generation to grid reliability by studying its impact on grid transient performance in both DC and AC networks. It can work as an input to PV planning problems, for example, to determine the optimal siting and operation strategies. Then, we develop an online monitoring algorithm to provide situational awareness information into PV inverter health. At last, we develop fault-tolerant control strategies for PV inverters to enhance PV availability. A case study verifies the proposed work.
Shear velocity structure beneath the central United States from the inversion of Rayleigh wave phase velocities

A three-dimensional shear velocity model for the crust and upper mantle beneath the central United States is presented by inverting Rayleigh wave phase velocities from 20s to 100s periods. These ph...
A survey of balancing methods for model reduction

Balancing is one of the most efficient and most commonly used methods for model reduction. In this note, we present a survey of several balancing related model reduction schemes. Also we introduce a multiplicative error bound and propose a new reduction method with an absolute error bound for positive real balancing. In addition, a frequency weighted balancing technique with guaranteed stability and a simple bound on the H ∞ norm of the error system, is presented.
Evolution of Development

Research in the field of evolutionary developmental biology, or “evo-devo”, addresses how genetic changes result in developmental changes, causing phenotypic differences between species over evolutionary time. Evo-devo has its roots in comparative embryology of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but the fields of evolution and development diverged soon thereafter. Advances in developmental genetics in the 1970s and 1980s, combined with the discovery that distantly related organisms share key regulatory genes and processes, provided new avenues of research in evo-devo. Today the strong interest in this field illustrates that evolutionary biologists increasingly wish to understand mechanistically how genotypic differences are translated into phenotypic diversity. Current studies compare developmental processes across many taxonomic scales, from between phyla to between closely related species. The combination of traditional developmental biology techniques and modern approaches such as genomics has made evo-devo studies possible in a wide range of organisms. Key Concepts: Evolutionary developmental biology is the study of how developmental differences result in phenotypic diversity. Homologues of regulatory genes often have similar functions in even distantly related species. Enhancer modularity allows regulatory genes to evolve new functions while maintaining previously established functions. Studies between closely related species increase the power of detecting nucleotide changes that cause phenotypic differences. Keywords: evolution; development; heterochrony; regulatory gene; phenotypic plasticity
Detection of astrovirus in pediatric stool samples by immunoassay and RNA probe.

Two new astrovirus assays, a rapid biotin-avidin enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and RNA probe hybridization, were developed and compared with an established astrovirus assay, an indirect EIA, and immune electron microscopy. Sensitivity and specificity were evaluated by using a screening panel of 22 astrovirus-positive and 305 astrovirus-negative fecal specimens. The biotin-avidin assay was equivalent in performance to the reference indirect assay, and both could detect about 10 ng of viral protein. Although the probe was more sensitive than either EIA and could detect higher dilutions of virus in tissue culture and stool specimens, it did not detect more astrovirus-positive fecal specimens. Of the 22 astrovirus-positive specimens detected by the EIAs, 20 were confirmed by immune electron microscopy with hyperimmune rabbit antiserum. To determine the usefulness of EIAs for large epidemiologic studies, EIAs were used to screen 1,289 stool specimens from three studies of children with and without diarrhea. Astrovirus was detected in 3.5% of specimens from children with diarrhea and 1.9% of specimens from those without diarrhea. Our results indicate that the biotin-avidin EIA is an efficient, sensitive, and specific method for routinely screening large numbers of fecal samples and that its application in epidemiologic studies may yield higher rates of astrovirus infection than have been found previously by other methods. Images