cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Depression, inflammation, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) status in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: A pilot study.

Abstract Objective Patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have high risk for depressive symptoms and major depressive disorder (MDD); however, those with epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR ) mutations may have decreased risk. The biological underpinning of this relationship is unknown. We examined differences in depression severity and MDD in patients with newly diagnosed stage IV NSCLC based on EGFR mutation status, and examined proinflammatory cytokines and growth factors known to play a role in cancer progression and depression. Methods Fifty-five patients with newly diagnosed stage IV NSCLC completed self-report and clinician-administered depression assessments prior to receiving results of tumor genotyping. We measured serum levels of circulating biological markers of inflammation: IL-1β, IL-6, TGF-α, and TNF-α. We examined differences in depression severity, MDD, and inflammatory biomarkers in patients with and without EGFR mutations. Results Patients with EGFR mutations (n = 10) had lower depression severity ( t [43] = 2.38, p = 0.03) than those without EGFR mutations (n = 38) and fewer patients with EGFR mutations had concurrent MDD (2.08%) relative to those without mutations (27.08%). Patients with MDD had higher levels of TNF-α than those without MDD ( t [40] = 2.95, p = 0.005). Those with EGFR mutations exhibited higher levels of TNF-α relative to those without EGFR mutations ( t [35] = 2.17, p = 0.04). Conclusions Patients with stage IV NSCLC harboring an EGFR mutation exhibited elevated proinflammatory marker TNF-α, yet had lower depression severity than patients without EGFR mutations. More work is warranted to examine the interaction between tumor genotyping and inflammatory cytokines in the context of depression.
Wizard’s Apprentice: Cognitive Suggestion Support for Wizard-of-Oz Question Answering

Recent advances in artificial intelligence and natural language processing greatly enhance the capabilities of intelligent tutoring systems. However, gathering a subject-appropriate corpus of training data remains challenging. In order to address this issue, we present a system based on a hybrid Wizard-of-Oz technique, which enables cognitive systems to work in tandem with a human operator (the “wizard”), to enhance collection of dialog variants.
Multiobjective Optimization-Aided Metamaterials-by-Design With Application to Highly Directive Nanodevices

A formal inverse design procedure which combines the advantageous aspects of both multiobjective optimization and system-by-design is proposed. The solution technique provides a systematic method to discover the various tradeoffs inherent in engineering design. To showcase the robustness and flexibility of the proposed approach, two unique highly directive nanodevices are explored. First, the problem of achieving highly directive scattering from core–shell nanoparticles is investigated. Then, a Yagi–Uda nanoloop array is designed with the goal of producing highly directive radiation patterns. The results of these studies reveal the underlying physics of these devices while also providing the engineer with a wide variety of candidate designs to choose from, showcasing the utility of the proposed metamaterials-by-design approach based on multiobjective optimization.
Vitamin D binding protein is lower in infertile patients compared to fertile controls: a case control study

The importance of vitamin D in general health as well as in human reproductive success has been an area of focus. A better understanding of vitamin D metabolism, particularly vitamin D binding protein, is important when elucidating this relationship. This case control trial seeks to characterize vitamin D metabolism in infertile patients undergoing natural cycle IVF as compared to normally cycling premenopausal women with proven fertility matched for age and body mass index (BMI). A total of 68 subjects were examined; 39 were infertile premenopausal women and 29 were regularly cycling fertile controls. Their 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD), vitamin D binding protein (DBP), and albumin were measured and free and bioavailable 25OHD calculated. Between group comparisons were conducted with an unpaired t-test. A stepwise regression using age, BMI, 25OHD, estradiol & albumin in the model were used to determine predictors of DBP. Age, BMI, and total 25OHD did not differ between the two groups. However, vitamin D binding protein, free and bioavailable vitamin D were significantly different in the infertile patients as compared to the regularly cycling fertile controls (p < 0.01). Stepwise Regression using age, BMI, 25OHD, estradiol & albumin in the model showed that only albumin was a predictor of DBP (β-coefficient − 0.310; p = 0.01). The implications of lower vitamin D binding protein associated with infertility is not clear from this pilot study, and requires further study.
Tendency Models for Estimation, Optimization and Control of Batch Processes

This paper summarizes recent progress in the area of estimation and control of batch processes. The task of designing effective strategies for the estimation of unmeasured variables and for the control of the important outputs of the process is linked to our need to optimize the process and its success is depended upon the availability of a process model. For this reason we will provide a substantial focus on the modeling issues that relate to batch processes. In particular we will focus attention on the approach developed in our group and referred to as “tendency modeling” that can be used for the estimation, optimization and control of batch processes. Several batch reactor example processes will be detailed to illustrate the applicability of the general approach. These relate to organic synthesis reactors and bioreactors. The point that distinguishes tendency modeling from other modeling approaches is that the developed Tendency Models are multivariable, nonlinear, and aim to incorporate all the available fundamental information about the process through the use of material and energy balances. These models are not frozen in time as they are allowed to evolve. Because they are not perfectly accurate they are used in the optimization, estimation and control of the process on a tentative basis as they are updated either between batches or more frequently. This iterative or adaptive modeling strategy also influences the controller design. The controller performance requirements and thus the need of a more accurate model increase as successive optimization steps guide the process operation near its constraints.
Scaling high intensity laser systems from state-of-the-art to MW-class, enabling next generation light sources

Evolving discovery science to deliver a continuous flux of secondary radiation for applications necessitates a new perspective on laser systems design to achieve robust operational capability at high average power.
Toward Network-based DDoS Detection in Software-defined Networks

To combat susceptibility of modern computing systems to cyberattack, identifying and disrupting malicious traffic without human intervention is essential. To accomplish this, three main tasks for an effective intrusion detection system have been identified: monitor network traffic, categorize and identify anomalous behavior in near real time, and take appropriate action against the identified threat. This system leverages distributed SDN architecture and the principles of Artificial Immune Systems and Self-Organizing Maps to build a network-based intrusion detection system capable of detecting and terminating DDoS attacks in progress.
The Influence of Angler Values, Involvement, Catch Orientation, Satisfaction, Agency Trust, and Demographics on Support for Habitat Protection and Restoration Versus Stocking in Publicly Managed Waters

Resource managers benefit from knowledge of angler support for fisheries management strategies. Factors including angler values (protection, utilitarian, and dominance), involvement (attraction, centrality, social, identity affirmation, and expression), catch-related motivations (catching some, many, and big fish, and keeping fish), satisfaction, agency trust, and demographics may relate to fisheries management preferences. Using results from a mail survey of Minnesota resident anglers, we explored how these factors were related to budget support for fish stocking relative to habitat protection/restoration. Results suggest that values, angler involvement, catch orientation, satisfaction, total and recent years fishing, age, and education influence relative support for stocking versus habitat protection/restoration. Utilitarian values, angling centrality, an orientation to catch many fish, satisfaction with the number of fish caught, number of recent years fishing, and age positively related to support for stocking over habitat management, while protection values, attraction to angling, total years fishing, and education level were negatively related to relative support for stocking.
An Integrated Circuit Image Reconstruction Processor

The reconstruction of an ultrasonic image is an ambitious undertaking because it is a complicated process if the reconstructed image is to be any good. To do it using integrated circuits would therefore be expected to require a large complicated integrated circuit. Nevertheless, there seems to be a principle in integrated circuits that, as time goes on, individual transistors get smaller, but circuits become more intricate. With this constant improvement in mind, the idea that the reconstruction of ultrasonic images can be done almost entirely in special integrated circuits seems practical. We have been attempting to develop a general method of image reconstruction that exploits the advantages that integrated processing can have. These advantages include small size, the ability to reproduce elaborate interconnection patterns easily, and improvement in frequency response and reduction in noise pickup, due to decreased stray capacitance. Integrated amplifiers and processors would make it possible to build a low cost imaging system that is contained almost entirely in the transducer probe.
Models for evaluating the immune response to naturally derived biomaterials

The immune response to biomaterials has emerged as a critical determinant of tissue repair outcomes and is complex, involving multiple cell types, distinct spatiotemporal phenotypes, and is influenced by variables including processing of the material and host-related factors. This interaction between implanted material and the host immune cells has stimulated interest in analytical methods to characterize the immune response. The present review discusses these methods including in vitro, in vivo, ex vivo, in silico, and combination models utilized to evaluate the immune response to biomaterials and their applicability to clinical scenarios. Recent developments in modeling the immune response to emerging technologies that may provide better predictors of the immune response to implanted materials and ultimately lead to improved clinical outcomes are reviewed.
Consciousness, Qualia, and Subjective Experience

Quale is defined, and examples of qualia are given. Their relation to conscious and the “intentionality” thereof is explained. The philosophical context in which qualia are embedded is reviewed, and since qualia are so subjective, their relationship to sociology and its basic unit of analysis is clarified. Next quale is related to intersubjectivity since their subjectivity seems so opposed to it also. Dualism becomes relevant again and G.H. Mead’s use of transaction as a way out of dualism is once again reviewed. Quale is then related to Descartes’s Cogito ergo sum – I think therefore I am. Quale is related to sensations and tangible objects as well as science. David Chalmers’ work on consciousness is addressed since quale is that of which we are conscious.
Use of Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography in Cardiac Risk Assessment for Non-cardiac Surgery

Preoperative cardiac risk stratification is an important aspect in the clinical practice of internal medicine physicians, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, and surgeons. Traditionally, if cardiac evaluation was deemed necessary, this was accomplished utilizing stress treadmill electrocardiography (ECG), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), or stress echocardiography (Ahn et al. J Am Coll Cardiol 61:661–8, 2013). In recent years, coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) has become an alternative method for the evaluation of coronary artery disease and has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to exclude significant coronary stenosis with an extremely high degree of sensitivity and negative predictive value (Achenbach et al. J Am Coll Cardiol 59:E1337, 2012; Meijboom et al. J Am Coll Cardiol 52:2135–44, 2008). Additionally, CCTA has demonstrated the ability to reclassify patients within the same risk category, has distinct advantages when compared to functional testing, and may be used to alter management of patients in the perioperative period. However, to date its use in the evaluation of preoperative cardiac risk stratification has not been well established (Ahn et al. J Am Coll Cardiol 61:661–8, 2013). In this chapter, the rationale for the use of CCTA in preoperative risk assessment is described.
Advocacy-in-Action: Case Portrait of a Helping Professional Pursuing Positive Social Change for Transgender and Gender-Expansive Youth

Transgender and gender-expansive youth experience discrimination and marginalization in the healthcare setting, school environment, their communities, and families. These experiences of rejection and adversity are correlated with higher rates of suicidality, depression, and other mental health concerns. Helping professionals play an essential role in mitigating experiences of oppression by advocating for positive social change for their transgender and gender-expansive clientele. Through the provision of a single case portrait, this article explores the advocacy-in-action of Craig, a helping professional and advocate, as he pursues positive social change for transgender and gender-expansive youth. Merriam’s (1988) interpretive case study was used to guide data collection and findings. Emergent themes provided concrete examples of how the American Counseling Association (ACA) endorsed an advocacy model, and the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling Competencies for Counseling Transgender Clients apply to this population. Including the concepts of intrapersonal and interpersonal advocacy to the current advocacy model is critical to advancing the health of transgender and gender-expansive youth. Implications for counselors and counselors in training will also be discussed.
Momentum and Reversal Dynamics

This paper studies the joint dynamics of momentum and reversal strategies in the U.S. stock market. Momentum investors face uncertainty about whether past patterns of price movements will continue (momentum) or reverse, thereby increasing volatilities of momentum returns and occasionally leading to momentum crashes. We find that the forces that drive reversal over momentum tend to be strong if losers’ past return is extremely low in the time series or if losers are small and illiquid in the cross section. Consequently, we propose new risk-managed momentum strategies that take into account the behavioral divergence between momentum and reversal. Empirical tests for the U.S. stock markets in the sample period of 1947 to 2015 document that momentum strategies in which investors implement stop-trading rules if losers’ past returns are extremely low as well as buy-small-loser rules substantially outperform traditional momentum strategies. Importantly, we find that the outperformance is mainly attributable to the increase in abnormal returns (or alpha) from various factor models.
Motivational climate, psychological needs, and personal and social responsibility in youth soccer: Comparisons by age group and competitive level

Abstract Objectives We used a developmental lens to examine age group and competitive level differences on motivational climate dimensions, psychological needs satisfaction, and personal and social responsibility as well as relationships among variables, in line with basic psychological needs theory. Design We used a cross-sectional, correlational design. Method Girls and boys age 8–13 on recreational and select soccer teams completed a survey. Results A 2 × 2 MANOVA showed main effects for age group and competitive level: early adolescents reported greater punishment for mistakes and autonomy compared to children; select players reported greater mastery climate dimensions and personal responsibility compared to recreational players. For all groups, path analyses revealed perceptions of cooperative learning were indirectly associated with personal and social responsibility, through coach and/or teammate relatedness. Conclusions Patterns of relationships by age group and competitive level are discussed in reference to developmental literature. Results highlight the value of using a developmental approach to understand how coaches can promote youth soccer players’ psychological and social well-being.
Sexual dysfunction in Huntington's Disease: what do we really know?

Introduction. In this edition, Szymuś et al. conducted a systematic review revealing sexual dysfunction to be more prevalent in patients with Huntington’s Disease compared to controls. Clinical reflections. Sexual dysfunction in HD (SDHD) is common and significantly affects patient quality of life. Commonly used HD rating scales and treatment guidelines do not explicitly address SDHD, and research studies are limited by size and methodology. Clinical implications. It is important that validated sexual dysfunction screening tools be utilised in clinical and research settings.
The Drifters: Why the Supreme Court Makes Justices More Liberal

There is no doubt that the presidential nomination process greatly influences the large-scale jurisprudential trends in expected directions. Still, that a Supreme Court appointment is both so important — in President Bush's words, "one of the most consequential decisions a president makes" — and so scrutinized, casts the many examples of unpredicted drift as a real mystery. Why are presidents, and other backers, so often disappointed by the eventual performance of their nominees? And why do so many Supreme Court justices drift to the left, especially on matters of individual rights?
Effects of Rhododendron removal on soil bacterial and fungal communities in southern Appalachian forests

Abstract Rhododendron maximum, a native ericaceous evergreen shrub, is expanding in forests of the southern Appalachian region following eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) mortality due to hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) infestations. The goal of our study was to examine soil microbial community responses to experimental R. maximum removal treatments. The experiment was implemented as a 2 × 2 factorial design, including two R. maximum canopy removal levels (cut vs. not cut) combined with two forest floor removal levels (burned vs. not burned). These treatments were designed as potential management strategies to facilitate hardwood tree establishment in forests that have experienced T. canadensis declines. We sampled soils after removals and characterized bacterial and fungal communities using amplicon sequencing. Shrub removal did not affect bacterial or fungal α diversity but did affect both bacterial and fungal community composition. Relative abundances of bacterial phyla and fungal classes exhibited no differences among R. maximum removal treatments. However, specific bacterial and fungal taxa that were responsive to R. maximum removal (i.e., differentially abundant sequences) did exhibit clear patterns at high taxonomic levels. Specifically, taxa that responded negatively to R. maximum removal were found primarily in two bacterial phyla (Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes) and one fungal class (Archaeorhizomycetes) while positive responders were clustered in several other bacterial phyla (e.g., Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, Cyanobacteria). Fungal functional guilds also responded to R. maximum removal, including negative responses of ericoid mycorrhizae and positive responses of arbuscular mycorrhizae and wood saprotrophs. Effects of R. maximum removal on soil microbial communities were minor overall, but clear effects on some key functional groups were evident (i.e., mycorrhizal fungi), suggesting that microbial responses to R. maximum removal may influence recovery of forests in the southern Appalachian region.
cILR: Competitive isometric log-ratio for taxonomic enrichment analysis

Abstract Research in human associated microbiomes often involves the analysis of taxonomic count tables generated via high-throughput sequencing. It is difficult to apply statistical tools as the data is high-dimensional, sparse, and strictly compositional. An approachable way to alleviate high-dimensionality and sparsity is to aggregate variables into pre-defined sets. Set-based analysis is ubiquitous in the genomics literature, and has demonstrable impact in improving interpretability and power of downstream analysis. Unfortunately, there is a lack of sophisticated set-based analysis methods specific to microbiome taxonomic data, where current practice often employs abundance summation as a technique for aggregation. This approach prevents comparison across sets of different sizes, does not preserve inter-sample distances, and amplifies protocol bias. Here, we attempt to fill this gap with a new single sample taxon set enrichment method based on the isometric log ratio transformation and the competitive null hypothesis commonly used in the enrichment analysis literature. Our approach, titled competitive isometric log ratio (cILR), generates sample-specific enrichment scores as the scaled log ratio of the subcomposition defined by taxa within a set and the subcomposition defined by its complement. We provide sample-level significance testing by estimating an empirical null distribution of our test statistic with valid p-values. Herein we demonstrate using both real data applications and simulations that cILR controls for type I error even under high sparsity and high inter-taxa correlation scenarios. Additionally, it provides informative scores that can be inputs to downstream differential abundance and prediction tasks. Author summary The study of human associated microbiomes relies on genomic surveys via high-throughput sequencing. However, microbiome taxonomic data is sparse and high dimensional which prevents the application of standard statistical techniques. One approach to address this problem is to perform analyses at the level of taxon sets. Set-based analysis has a long history in the genomics literature, with demonstrable impact in improving both power and interpretability. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of research in developing new set-based tools for microbiome taxonomic data specifically, given that compared to other ‘omics data types microbiome taxonomic data is strictly compositional. We developed a new tool to generate taxon set enrichment scores at the sample level by combining the isometric log-ratio and the competitive null hypothesis. Our scores can be used for statistical inference, and as inputs to other downstream analyses such as differential abundance and prediction models. We demonstrate the performance of our method against competing approaches across both real data analyses and simulation studies.
General Introduction and a Brief History of Amyloidosis

Literary research into the history of amyloid is fascinating, and underscores the complexity of scientific discoveries, the blending of different ideas and concepts, the overlap of new and old information and the ultimate evolution of scientific truths. It also underscores the importance of nomenclature as a unifying force in delineating to scientists whether or not they are talking about the same disease, the same syndrome, the same phenomenon. This is particularly important in dealing with ill-defined entities.
Physical Compatibility of Calcium Chloride and Sodium Glycerophosphate in Pediatric Parenteral Nutrition Solutions.

Background: Calcium and phosphate precipitation is an ongoing concern when compounding pediatric parenteral nutrition (PN) solutions. Considerable effort has been expended in producing graphs, tables, and equations to guide the practitioner in prescribing PN that will remain stable. Calcium gluconate is preferred over calcium chloride when compounding PN because of its superior compatibility with inorganic phosphates. PN solutions containing calcium gluconate carry a higher aluminum load than equivalent solutions compounded with calcium chloride, leading to increased potential for aluminum toxicity. This study tested the solubility of calcium chloride in PN solutions compounded with an organic phosphate component, sodium glycerophosphate (NaGP), in place of sodium phosphate. Methods: Five PN solutions were compounded by adding calcium chloride at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mEq/L and corresponding concentrations of NaGP at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mmol/L. Each of the 5 solutions was compounded using 1.5% and 4% ...
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) paratransit cost issues and solutions: Case of Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC)

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) stipulates the provision of complementary paratransit to people unable to use regular public transportation. Even though paratransit service is one of the most efficient ways to help move people with disabilities and the elderly, it is also the most expensive and the most difficult one to coordinate and operate. The purpose of this paper is to expound major paratransit cost issues, describe the existing conditions of paratransit in Richmond, Virginia, and make policy and strategy recommendations for the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) based on a comparative analysis of fifteen case studies of paratransit agencies in the country.
miR-190b Is Markedly Upregulated in the Intestine in Response to Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Replication and Partly Regulates Myotubularin-Related Protein-6 Expression

HIV replication and the cellular micro-RNA (miRNA) machinery interconnect at several posttranscriptional levels. To understand their regulatory role in the intestine, a major site of HIV/SIV replication, dissemination, and CD4+ T cell depletion, we profiled miRNA expression in colon following SIV infection (10 acute SIV, 5 uninfected). Nine (four up and five down) miRNAs showed statistically significant differential expression. Most notably, miR-190b expression showed high statistical significance (adjusted p = 0.0032), the greatest fold change, and was markedly elevated in colon and jejunum throughout SIV infection. In addition, miR-190b upregulation was detected before peak viral replication and the nadir of CD4+ T cell depletion predominantly in lamina propria leukocytes. Interestingly non–SIV-infected macaques with diarrhea and colitis failed to upregulate miR-190b, suggesting that its upregulation was neither inflammation nor immune-activation driven. SIV infection of in vitro–cultured CD4+ T cells and primary intestinal macrophages conclusively identified miR-190b upregulation to be driven in response to viral replication. Further miR-190b expression levels in colon and jejunum positively correlated with tissue viral loads. In contrast, mRNA expression of myotubularin-related protein 6 (MTMR6), a negative regulator of CD4+ T cell activation/proliferation, significantly decreased in SIV-infected macrophages. Luciferase reporter assays confirmed MTMR6 as a direct miR-190b target. To our knowledge, this is the first report, which describes dysregulated miRNA expression in the intestine, that identifies a potentially significant role for miR-190b in HIV/SIV pathogenesis. More importantly, miR-190b–mediated MTMR6 downregulation suggests an important mechanism that could keep infected cells in an activated state, thereby promoting viral replication. In the future, the mechanisms driving miR-190b upregulation including other cellular processes it regulates in SIV-infected cells need determination.
A thiol-disulfide transhydrogenase from yeast.

Abstract An enzyme is described which, when coupled with glutathione reductase, catalyzes a thiol-disulfide interchange between glutathione and a number of disulfide substrates of low molecular weight. The most purified preparation is homogeneous on the basis of the disc gel electrophoresis test. From its behavior on a column of Sephadex G-75, the enzyme appears to have a molecular weight of about 15,000. At low substrate concentrations, the reaction rate is greater with l-cystine than with any of the other substances tested, including d-cystine, diacetyl-l-cystine, l-cystine diamide, l-cystinyldiglycine, l-homocystine, and β-hydroxyethyl disulfide.
The origins of the trace formula

The trace formula establishes a mathematical relation between the spectrum of energy levels of a dynamical system in quantum mechanics on one hand, and the set of periodic orbits in the corresponding system in classical mechanics on the other hand. Such a formula was first derived by Atle Selberg in the context of geodesics on a surfaces of constant negative curvature for the purposes of number theory, while other mathematicians and some physicists were mostly inspired by Weyl to get the asymptotic distribution of eigenvalues of differential operators. Eventually, the author obtained a more general trace formula on the basis of Feynman’s path integral, and a similar result was obtained by Colin de Verdiere shortly thereafter on more geometric grounds. The use of various zetafunctions in differential geometry and statistical physics is mentioned at the end.
Bismuth: Organometallic Chemistry

Bismuth readily forms a variety of tri- and pentavalent organic derivatives by the reactions of bismuth halides with Grignard, organolithium, organozinc, or organoaluminum reagents. Bismuth(III) triaryl compounds are readily oxidized by chlorine and bromine to triaryl dihalides, while iodine reacts to produce aryl bismuth iodides. Some organobismuth compounds are Lewis acidic, showing the ready formation of higher coordination number adducts with traditional ligands. A variety of organobismuth compounds with bismuth–bismuth and bismuth–transition metal bonds are described. Organobismuth(V) have found uses as selective oxidants and aryl transfer reagents. Keywords: organobismuth compound; metal alkyl; metal aryl; Lewis acid; dibismuthine; cyclobismuthines; oxidation reactions; aryl transfer; ylids
Mapping the Bovine Homolog of the Human Cystic Fibrosis Gene

Human cDNA probe H1.6 (clone 10-1) encoding cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) was used to map the bovine homolog of CFTR. Using a panel of bovine x rodent hybrid somatic cells, the homolog was mapped to bovine syntenic group U13 which corresponds to chromosome 4. CFTR is 97.7% concordant with syntenic markers T-cell receptor beta (TCRB) and P-glycoprotein 3 (PGY3). The comparative gene maps of CFTR, TCRB, and PGY3 on human chromosome 7, bovine chromosome 4, and mouse chromosome 5 and 6 indicate conservation of synteny, although internal rearrangements relative to HSA 7 are present in both cattle and mice.
Modeling of crosstalk in coupled microstrip lines

A computer simulation of the crosstalk between coupled microstrip lines in both the time and frequency domains is presented. A SPICE software package is used to include inductive and capacitive coupling effects. The crosstalk results for various line parameters and line terminations are compared with results published in the literature. A technique for correlating the time- and frequency-domain crosstalk is presented. >
Breadwinner or caregiver? - how household role affects labor choices in Mexico

Recent volatility in the Mexican economy, has required households to alter patterns of participation in the labor force, voluntarily or not. The author uses panel data to examine patterns of labor force entry among adult men, and women with different household responsibilities, asking whether gender is a primary determinant, shaping these patterns. She finds that labor supply patterns are driven more by household role, than by gender. Heads of households, regardless of sex, behave similarly. Women who have neither spouses, nor children behave more like men, than like married women. They are also more likely than any other group to have inflexible, higher-paying jobs in the formal sector - which raises the question: Do employers discriminate, based on gender, or on household structure? She also detects a strong added-worker effect among secondary workers, a result not detected in the labor markets of developed countries that have social insurance programs. Finally she finds that wives' choice of sector during downturns, is subject to the households' earning needs, that husbands use informal wage, or contract employment as an employer of last resort, only in response to negative income shocks to the household, and that single mothers do not select the informal sector over the formal sector in response to either expected, or realized negative income shocks. The policy implications? Interventions that target women aren't necessarily appropriate, because women are heterogeneous. And programs that aid household heads - male or female - should be directed toward employment that will last beyond the economic shock.
Mouse C-Reactive Protein and Endotoxin-Induced Resistance.

Patterson, L. T. (University of Texas, Galveston), and R. D. Higginbotham. Mouse C-reactive protein and endotoxin-induced resistance. J. Bacteriol. 90:1520-1524. 1965.-The relationship between the level of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the sera of mice and resistance to Staphylococcus aureus infection after the injection of Escherichia coli endotoxin was studied. The CRP level was essentially unchanged at 6 hr after endotoxin, and resistance was slightly decreased. At 24 hr after endotoxin, both CRP levels and resistance were increased. Since the increase in the CRP level and resistance appeared to be associated, it was of interest that, when mouse CRP was tested for in vitro reactions with several strains of bacteria, cells of all species of gram-positive bacteria tested (including S. aureus) were agglutinated by CRP. E. coli was not agglutinated under the conditions of the test. It is proposed that mouse CRP is an opsonin, and possibly a lysin, and is involved in nonspecific resistance to infection with S. aureus.
Attrition of Medical Students and Nursing Students with Anxiety and Depression: A Systematic Review

A paucity of literature exists describing the relationship between anxiety and depression and attrition in medical and nursing students.
Decadal Sea Level Variations in the Indian Ocean Investigated with HYCOM: Roles of Climate Modes, Ocean Internal Variability, and Stochastic Wind Forcing

AbstractIn this study decadal (≥10 yr) sea level variations in the Indian Ocean (IO) during 1950–2012 are investigated using the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). The solution of the main run agrees well with observations in the western-to-central IO. Results of HYCOM experiments reveal large spatial variations in the mechanisms of decadal sea level variability. Within the tropical IO (north of 20°S), decadal sea level variations achieve maximum amplitude in the south IO thermocline ridge region. They are predominantly forced by decadal fluctuations of surface wind stress associated with climate variability modes, while the impact of other processes is much smaller. The Somali coast and the western Bay of Bengal are two exceptional regions, where ocean internal (unforced) variability has large contribution. Between 28° and 20°S in the subtropical south IO, surface heat flux and ocean internal variability are the major drivers of decadal sea level variability. Heat budget analysis for the upper 300 m ...
The influence of plasma insulin concentrations on tissue insulin levels in rodents: a study of the diabetic Chinese hamster and the ob/ob mouse

Immunoreactive insulin was measured in acid-ethanol extracts of kidney, brain, liver, and heart from genetically diabetic Chinese hamsters and their nondiabetic controls and from obese (ob/ob) mice and their thin littermates. Selected samples were filtered on Sephadex G-50 columns and the insulin concentration determined. There was a good correlation between the insulin level measured in the acid-ethanol extracts of tissues and the insulin level after gel filtration, suggesting that the concentration measured in the whole extract is representative of the true insulin content. The present data demonstrate that different extrapancreatic organs contain characteristic amounts of insulin that are often (sometimes several-fold) higher than the insulin level of plasma. The tissue insulin concentrations also exhibit a wide range of values, with occasional high values. The data also show a direct correlation between plasma and kidney insulins but no relationship between plasma and brain insulins and a mixed correlation among plasma and liver and heart insulins.
Methodologic Innovations and Advances in Social Epidemiology

This paper reviews recent innovations and advances in social epidemiological methodology. We rely on the only social epidemiological text focused on research methods, a literature review from leading epidemiologic journals, and other influential sources. Results show that social epidemiologic methodology is robust and improving. Advances have been made in understanding causal effects, effect identification, multilevel thinking, and meaningful research. Substantial improvements have been made in our understanding and measurement of race and socioeconomic status. Obvious shortcomings remain in our understanding of simultaneity and reciprocal causation, macro-micro transitions, appreciation of culture, and the use of case studies. The subdiscipline’s utility would increase if practitioners paid closer attention to methodological insights and advances.
Telomerase Expression in Normal Human Fibroblasts Stabilizes DNA 5-Methylcytosine Transferase I

The finite proliferative potential of normal human fibroblasts can be overcome, a process commonly called immortalization, by the introduction of the catalytic subunit of human telomerase. In contrast to malignant transformation, the pattern of gene expression remains largely unmodified in telomerase-induced immortalization. Here we show evidence that suggests that the maintenance of a "young" pattern of gene expression by telomerization is mediated, at least in part, by a novel function of human telomerase that involves regulation of DNA methyltransferase I gene expression.
Selective Hydrogenation and H-D Exchange of Unsaturated Hydrocarbons on Pd(100)-P(1×1)-H(D)

Abstract The adsorption and reactions of unsaturated hydrocarbons (ethylene, propene, 1-butene, acetylene, allene, 1,3-butadiene, 1,3,5-hexatriene, and 1,5-hexadiene) have been investigated on the Pd(100)-p(1×1)-H and Pd(100)-p(1×1)-D surfaces using temperature-programmed reaction spectroscopy (TPRS). It is found that 1-alkenes (ethylene, propene, and 1-butene) undergo efficient H-D exchange reactions below 300 K for all C-H bonds, whereas no hydrogenation products (alkanes) are observed. Conjugated polyenes (acetylene, allene, 1,3-butadiene, and 1,3,5-hexatriene) undergo selective hydrogenation to corresponding alkenes below or around 300 K, whereas no exchange reaction is observed to occur for the parent molecules. Nonconjugated polyene (1,5-hexadiene) undergoes both exchange and hydrogenation reactions, with its reactivity in between 1-alkenes and conjugated polyenes. The exchange reaction is proposed to occur via reversible hydrogenation to a half-hydrogenated intermediate. The relative quantities and evolution temperatures of successively H-D exchanged products are reproduced by kinetic simulations of competition between desorption and reaction. The absence of alkene hydrogenation may be due to stronger metal-hydrogen bonds on Pd(100) than on other metals such as Pt and Rh. Strong bonding of the half-hydrogenated intermediate to the surface may be the reason for the irreversible hydrogenation of conjugated polyenes to alkenes. Both exchange and hydrogenation reactions occur at all coverages, but at low coverages the reaction products dehydrogenate to C(a) and H(a) without product evolution.
The impact of head position on the cuff and tube tip position of preformed oral tracheal tubes in young children

Head and neck movements affect both the length of the trachea and the position of tracheal tubes. This is of relevance when using cuffed tubes because changes in the position of the tube tip may not be equal to changes in the position of the cuff. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of head and neck movement on the position of the tube tip and the cuff of newly designed, oral preformed tracheal tubes in children. The tracheas of 128 children aged 1-8 years were intubated with preformed oral tubes. The distances 'carina-to-tracheal tube tip' and 'vocal cords-to-tube tip' were measured endoscopically. These measurements were performed with the head and neck in a functional neutral position (110 degrees ), during neck flexion (80 degrees ) and neck extension (130 degrees ). Tracheal length was dependent on head and neck position: neck extension elongated the trachea (p < 0.0001), and neck flexion shortened the trachea (p < 0.0001). Neck flexion moved the tube inward and resulted in endobronchial displacement in two patients. Neck extension moved the tube outwards. While no cuff was positioned between the vocal cords, cuff movement to the cricoid area occurred frequently. Complex interactions during head and neck movement along with the fixed insertion depth of preformed tubes often cause inadvertent malpositioning of the tube tip and cuff. Further changes to tube and cuff lengths might improve the safety of oral preformed tubes in children.
New challenges for North Sea research discussed

Interactions between biology and physics, air and water, and the North and Baltic Seas were the focus of a recent international symposium on “New Challenges for North Sea Research.” The North Sea is affected by the North Atlantic, the Baltic, and rivers. As large-scale ocean flows change and as riverine nutrients and heavy metals are reduced, the circulation, biology, and chemistry of the North Sea evolves. Approximately 150 attendees gathered in Hamburg, Germany, in October 1996, for the symposium, which commemorated the historic Fladenground Experiment (FLEX '76). Participants called for more research on timeand space-scales and discipline interaction—for example, a study of coastal response to global warming. Most attendees felt that a series of focused studies rather than one major experiment would be the most productive successor to FLEX '76.
DISCOLORATION OF CHILLED SWEET POTATO [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] ROOTS: FACTORS RELATED TO CULTIVAR DIFFERENCES

Roots of sweet potato cultivar Jewel, and two unnamed selections (213 × 228–1, and 2.57 × 255-8) were stored at 5°C or 14°C for 10 wk. Increased discoloration of certain cultivars of chilled sweet potato roots is apparently not due to an increase in the amount of extractable peroxidase or chlorogenic acid oxidase activity. Chilled tissues of 213 ×228–1 discolored and showed an increase in pH and chlorogenic acid. Chilled tissues from roots of 257 × 255-8 exhibited an increase in pH, but did not increase in chlorogenic acid content and were only slightly discolored. Tissues of Jewel changed little in pH or chlorogenic acid content and discolored the least of the three cultivars. Chlorogenic acid discolored under the influence of high pH. The data indicate that differences among cultivars in discoloration resulting from chilling injury may be due to differences in tissue pH and chlorogenic acid content.
Familial ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) in the thoracic spine: case report

BACKGROUND Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) of the spine is most common in the Japanese population and in the cervical spine. We present a case of OPLL of the lower thoracic spine in two Caucasian siblings. CASE DESCRIPTION A 58-year-old female presented with lower extremity dysesthesia and urinary hesitancy. Family history was significant for a brother who had OPLL of the lower thoracic spine removed surgically. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scan of the thoracic spine demonstrated OPLL at T10-11 causing cord compression and abnormally high T2 signal in the cord. The patient underwent posterior decompression with improvement of her symptoms. CONCLUSION A genetic predisposition to develop OPLL has been suggested by previous linkage and biochemical studies. While OPLL is an increasingly recognized diagnosis in North America, this is the first reported case of familial thoracic OPLL in Caucasian siblings.
Relationship between the Sr and O isotope compositions of hydrothermal fluids and the spreading and magma-supply rates at oceanic spreading centers

We find a first-order correlation between the Sr and O isotope compositions of hydrothermal fluids and spreading rate at oceanic spreading centers. The isotope signatures of hydrothermal fluids at slow-spreading ridges are more rock dominated than those at fast-spreading ridges, implying that they have undergone a greater extent of Sr and O exchange with the crust. The local spatial and temporal variability in Sr and O isotope signatures within individual hydrothermal sites can be attributed to short-term variations in the hydrothermal system in response to magmatic or tectonic events, phase separation at depth, and mixing with seawater in the upwelling zone. However, these processes cannot explain the systematic global relationship of an increasing rock signature in hydrothermal fluids with decreasing spreading rate. A greater extent of Sr and O exchange between rocks and the circulating fluids can be achieved by (1) a longer fluid-flow pathway through the oceanic lithosphere, (2) more fractured rock that exposes a greater reaction area, (3) an increased residence time of the fluid due to slower hydrothermal circulation, or (4) a combination of all three. Our preferred interpretation is that fluid-flow paths are longer, and depths of penetration are likely greater, at slow-spreading ridges.
Semismooth support vector machines

Support vector machines can be posed as quadratic programming problems in a variety of ways. This paper investigates a formulation using the two-norm for the misclassification error that leads to a positive definite quadratic program with a single equality constraint under a duality construction. The quadratic term is a small rank update to a diagonal matrix with positive entries. The optimality conditions of the quadratic program are reformulated as a semismooth system of equations using the Fischer-Burmeister function and a damped Newton method is applied to solve the resulting problem. The algorithm is shown to converge from any starting point with a Q-quadratic rate of convergence. At each iteration, the Sherman-Morrison-Woodbury update formula is used to solve the key linear system. Results for a large problem with 60 million observations are presented demonstrating the scalability of the proposed method on a personal computer. Significant computational savings are realized as the inactive variables are identified and exploited during the solution process. Further results on a small problem separated by a nonlinear surface are given showing the gains in performance that can be made from restarting the algorithm as the data evolves.