cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
FRACTURE OF BOVINE BONE

Longitudinal sheet tensile specimens were taken from the mid-posterior diaphysis of bovine tibia that were previously frozen in saline wetted towels. Each specimen had a milled gauge length of 25 mm, 16 mm width, and 2 mm thickness. All specimen preparation was performed under a saline drip. An edge crack, centered along the gauge length, was milled in the specimen perpendicular to its long axis. The crack lengths used were 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 mm. The crack tip was formed with drill bits having nominal diameters of 1/32, 1/16, and 3/32 inches. All the combinations of crack length and crack tip were repeated five times for a total of seventy-five specimens. The testing order was randomly selected. Each specimen was tested in tension to fracture at a constant deformation rate of 7.5 × 10−3 mm/s, on an Instron mechanical testing device, and the fracture stress was measured. A linear stress-strain curve to fracture was exhibited by all of the specimens. An analysis of variance shows that the fracture stress is dependent on the initial crack length (p < 0.0001) and not on the crack tip radius of curvature (p < 0.09). The mean fracture stress for each crack length group were found to be significantly different (p < 0.05) by Duncan's multiple range test.
Digital Image Quality: A Contrast-Detail Study Using the Leeds Phantom

A contrast-detail study using the Leeds phantom was conducted to evaluate five viewing areas in a multi-station clinical PACS system. The study showed that conventional film viewed on a viewbox was superior to all CR images when noise rather than resolution is dominant. However, the 18 x 24 CR plates were better than film for the smallest objects. For softcopy viewing the ambient lighting conditions were more important that the data matrix size or bit depth used on the viewing station.
Development of Usability Guidelines for Mobile Health Applications

The healthcare space continues to embrace the convenience of mobile health applications, yet these app are not regulated nor standardized results in suboptimal results and potential patient harm. Xcertia aims to address this need by bringing together subject matter experts, stakeholders, academics, developers, and students to develop guidelines to steer mobile health app development. These team members were divided into five key workgroups: Privacy, Security, Content, Operability, and Usability. The current paper focuses on the Usability group and its process and development of its ten guidelines. Leveraging the unique strengths of academics and industry subject matter experts, the group researched, identified, and grouped key usability components into basic usability guidelines, each including its own set of detailed performance requirements. Employing an iterative process, the workgroup rigorously reviewed these requirements to capture only those that are vital to app efficiency and effectiveness. These ten guidelines cater to a wide audience with varying knowledge of usability and human factor principles and address the topics of visual design, readability and understandability, navigation, feedback, notifications, help resources and troubleshooting, historical data, accessibility, and app evaluation. The guidelines aim to guide mHealth stakeholders in developing safe and intuitive apps while also catering to target users within specific use environments.
Framing the Search: How First-Generation Students Evaluate Colleges

Although college access has increased, first-generation college students are still less likely to enroll in postsecondary education, and when they do enroll, are more likely to attend less selectiv...
Family Type 4: Experiencers

Experiencers view building a family as an essential life experience. The three major subtypes include: friendship seekers, who want to experience intimate friendships that are strong and free from betrayal; love seekers, who want to experience physical and emotional love; and box tickers, those who want to build a family simply because it’s a major experience on the metaphorical “life checklist.” The last subtype is actually more common than one might expect. Some people decide to get married because they see their friends getting married and having kids, and they don’t want to miss out. This is different from conformists, because they are not responding to pressure from others to start families.
Adaptive trait variation in the federally endangered Lindera melissifolia (Lauraceae), as it relates to genotype and genotype-environment interaction

Molecular markers have shown a high level of genetic diversity in most extant populations of the federally endangered Lindera melissifolia (Walt.) Blume in the southeastern United States. However, it is unknown if diversity in adaptive traits exists. We quantified adaptive trait variation in 17 L. melissifolia genotypes by growing genets from two disjunct populations in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley in a common-garden environment. We then examined genotype-environment interaction through introduction of a flooding treatment. Within a common-garden environment, variation in adaptive traits was affected by genotype. Stem height, stem diameter, leaf number, and stem architecture accounted for 56% of variation among genotypes, and an additional 23% of variation was attributed to differences in vegetative fecundity and foliar chlorophyll content. There was no divergence in plant morphology between disjunct populations. Plastic response to a winter flooding regime varied in magnitude and direction among male genotypes, and only in magnitude in female genotypes. A decrease in L. melissifolia population sizes would diminish genetic diversity, as well as adaptive trait variation, and may threaten long-term persistence of extant populations.
Effect of Pruning, Defoliation, and Promalin on New Shoot Development of Boxwood

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine if summer dormancy of the boxwood species Buxus sempervirens L. ‘Suffruticosa’, B. sempervirens ‘Vardar Valley’, and B. sinica var. insularis N...
Comparison of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Care Between School-Based Health Centers and a Continuity Clinic.

BACKGROUND School-based health centers (SBHC) are in a unique position to provide guideline-driven attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) care. In this study, we compared adherence to 2 components of ADHD guidelines in SBHC versus a continuity clinic. METHODS We compared proportions of ADHD visits that had a structured symptom report available and timely follow-up in SBHC to a continuity clinic using chart review. We used multiple logistic regression to estimate the association between guideline adherence and clinic type. RESULTS Participants who had a medication dose change were 3.9 times more likely (relative risk [RR] = 3.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.0-5.1) to have a structured report present and 1.7 times more likely (RR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.2) to have follow-up within 30 days if they were seen in SBHC versus continuity clinic. Participants who were stable on their medication dose were 18 times more likely (RR = 18.0, 95% CI 11.3-29.0) to have a structured report present and 1.4 times more likely (RR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.3-1.6) to have follow-up within 100 days if they were seen in SBHC versus continuity clinic. CONCLUSIONS Care provided in SBHC was associated with improved adherence to guidelines and has the potential to the improve pediatric ADHD outcomes.
Stochastic Dual Dynamic Programming for Multistage Stochastic Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Optimization

In this paper, we study multistage stochastic mixed-integer nonlinear programs (MS-MINLP). This general class of problems encompasses, as important special cases, multistage stochastic convex optimization with non-Lipschitzian value functions and multistage stochastic mixed-integer linear optimization. We develop stochastic dual dynamic programming (SDDP) type algorithms with nested decomposition, deterministic sampling, and stochastic sampling. The key ingredient is a new type of cuts based on generalized conjugacy. Several interesting classes of MS-MINLP are identified, where the new algorithms are guaranteed to obtain the global optimum without the assumption of complete recourse. This significantly generalizes the classic SDDP algorithms. We also characterize the iteration complexity of the proposed algorithms. In particular, for a $(T+1)$-stage stochastic MINLP with $d$-dimensional state spaces, to obtain an $\epsilon$-optimal root node solution, we prove that the number of iterations of the proposed deterministic sampling algorithm is upper bounded by $\mathcal{O}((\frac{2T}{\epsilon})^d)$, and is lower bounded by $\mathcal{O}((\frac{T}{4\epsilon})^d)$ for the general case or by $\mathcal{O}((\frac{T}{8\epsilon})^{d/2-1})$ for the convex case. This shows that the obtained complexity bounds are rather sharp. It also reveals that the iteration complexity depends polynomially on the number of stages. We further show that the iteration complexity depends linearly on $T$, if all the state spaces are finite sets, or if we seek a $(T\epsilon)$-optimal solution when the state spaces are infinite sets, i.e. allowing the optimality gap to scale with $T$. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that reports global optimization algorithms as well as iteration complexity results for solving such a large class of multistage stochastic programs.
Doubly synchronous binary asteroid mass parameter observability

Abstract The full two-body problem (F2BP) is often used to model binary asteroid systems, representing the bodies as two finite mass distributions whose dynamics are influenced by their mutual gravity potential. The emergent behavior of the F2BP is highly coupled translational and rotational mutual motion of the mass distributions. A large fraction of characterized binary asteroids appear to be at, or near, the doubly synchronous equilibrium, which occurs when both bodies are tidally-locked and in a circular co-orbit. Stable oscillations about this equilibrium can be shown, for the nonplanar system, to be combinations of seven fundamental frequencies of the system and the mutual orbit rate. The fundamental frequencies arise as the linear periods of center manifolds identified about the equilibrium which are heavily influenced by each body's mass parameters. We leverage these eight dynamical constraints to investigate the observability of binary asteroid mass parameters via dynamical observations. This is accomplished by deriving a relationship between the fundamental frequencies and mass parameters for doubly synchronous systems. This relationship allows us to show the sensitivity of the dynamics to changes in the mass parameters, first for the planar dynamics, and then for the nonplanar dynamics. In so doing we are able to predict the idealized estimation covariance of the mass parameters based on observation quality. We can also define idealized observation accuracies for desired mass parameter certainties. We apply these tools to 617 Patroclus, a doubly synchronous Trojan binary and flyby target of the LUCY mission, as well as the Pluto and Charon system in order to predict mutual behaviors of these doubly synchronous systems and to provide observational requirements for their mass parameters.
Calculators and Computers

Calculators, computers, microprocessors, and the like are all based on digital circuitry. This chapter discusses how digital circuits can be combined to perform numerical calculations and the basics of how computer processing is accomplished. Along the way, tri-state devices are introduced as well as some unique additional applications that they enable.
Extramedullary Hematopoiesis in the Sinonasal Cavity: A Case Report and Review of the Literature:

BackgroundExtramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) occurs in patients with hematologic disorders, but rarely within the paranasal sinuses. We report a case of EMH in a 17-year-old male with sickle cell d...
Selective reactivation of STING signaling to target Merkel cell carcinoma

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a lethal skin cancer that metastasizes rapidly. Few effective treatments are available for patients with metastatic MCC. Poor intratumoral T cell infiltration and activation are major barriers that prevent MCC eradication by the immune system. However, the mechanisms that drive the immunologically restrictive tumor microenvironment remain poorly understood. In this study, we discovered that the innate immune regulator stimulator of IFN genes (STING) is completely silenced in MCCs. To reactivate STING in MCC, we developed an application of a human STING mutant, STINGS162A/G230I/Q266I, which we found to be readily stimulated by a mouse STING agonist, DMXAA. This STING molecule was efficiently delivered to MCC cells via an AAV vector. Introducing STINGS162A/G230I/Q266I expression and stimulating its activity by DMXAA in MCC cells reactivates their antitumor inflammatory cytokine/chemokine production. In response to MCC cells with restored STING, cocultured T cells expressing MCPyV-specific T cell receptors (TCRs) show increased cytokine production, migration toward tumor cells, and tumor cell killing. Our study therefore suggests that STING deficiency contributes to the immune suppressive nature of MCCs. More importantly, DMXAA stimulation of STINGS162A/G230I/Q266I causes robust cell death in MCCs as well as several other STING-silenced cancers. Because tumor antigens and DNA released by dying cancer cells have the potential to amplify innate immune response and activate antitumor adaptive responses, our finding indicates that targeted delivery and activation of STINGS162A/G230I/Q266I in tumor cells holds great therapeutic promise for the treatment of MCC and many other STING-deficient cancers.
An Electrostatic/Gecko-Inspired Adhesives Soft Robotic Gripper

Compared to traditional grippers, soft grippers can typically grasp a wider range of objects, including ones that are soft, fragile, or irregularly shaped, but at the cost of a relatively low gripping force. To increase gripping force for soft grippers, this research presents a gripper with an integrated electrostatic and gecko-inspired adhesive. Synthetic gecko-inspired, microstructured adhesives are controllable (i.e. they can be turned on and off) and work on a wide range of substrates and materials; however, they are not typically effective on rough surfaces. In contrast, electrostatic adhesives, also controllable, have a higher tolerance to rough surfaces. By combining the two, it is possible to create an adhesive that is effective on a wider range of materials and roughness, including fabric. To increase the gripping force, parameters that affect electrostatic adhesion, including the electrode gap, electrode width, relative permittivity of gecko-inspired layer, and air gap between the adhesive and substrate were studied with Comsol Multiphysics software and experimentally validated. Results show that adding the two adhesives improves the gripping capabilities across acrylic, Tyvek fabric, and Kapton hemispheres of different diameters on an average of 100, 39, and 168%, respectively.
The relationship of occupational injury and use of mental health care.

Abstract Introduction: Symptoms of depression and anxiety are a common consequence of occupational injury regardless of its cause and type. Nevertheless, mental health care is rarely covered by workers’ compensation systems. The aim of this study was to assess the use of mental health care post-injury. Methods: We used a subsample of patient-care workers from the Boston Hospital Workers Health Study (BHWHS). We matched one injured worker with three uninjured workers during the period of 2012–2014 based on age and job title (nurse or patient-care associate) and looked at their mental health care use pre- and post-injury using medical claims data from the employer sponsored health plan. We used logistic regression analysis to assess the likelihood of mental health care use three and six months post-injury controlling for any pre-injury visits. Analyses were repeated separately by job title. Results: There were 556 injured workers between 2012 and 2014 that were matched with three uninjured workers at the time of injury (n = 1,649). Injured workers had a higher likelihood of seeking mental health care services than their uninjured counterparts during the six months after injury (OR = 1.646, 95% CI: 1.23–2.20), but not three months post-injury (OR = 0.825, 95% CI: 0.57–1.19). Patient-care associates had a higher likelihood to seek mental health care post-injury, than nurses (OR: 2.133 vs OR: 1.556) during the six months period. Conclusions: Injured workers have a higher likelihood to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety based on their use of mental health care post-injury and use is more predominant among patient-care associates; however, our sample has a small number of patient-care associates. Practical Applications: Treating depression and anxiety as part of the workers’ compensation system has the potential of preventing further physical ailment and improving the return to work process regardless of nature of injury.
The Clinical Utility of Molecular Testing in the Management of Thyroid Follicular Neoplasms (Bethesda IV Nodules).

Objective FN present a management quandary as they are often benign but may also be aggressive TC. Consensus recommendations have historically advised thyroidectomy for definitive diagnosis. Although MT have robust benefit in hypothetical cost analyses, under current management guidelines a real-time study of their clinical utility in FN is awaited. We investigate if MT use for FN directs appropriate thyroidectomy for TC while triaging to surveillance nodules that are likely benign. Methods Data were analyzed for 389 consecutive patients managed from 11/14 to 9/19 for 405 FN, excluding oncocytic neoplasms. TC was defined as same-nodule histologic malignancy. When obtained, MT was performed using ThyroSeq (TS) v2 or 3. Results With a mean nodule size of 2.7 ± 1.3 cm, MT was used in 89% and was positive in 39%. When MT was positive, thyroidectomy was more often utilized (91% v. MT- 27%; P Conclusions MT use for FN increased the surgical yield of cancer by 4-fold, identified all potentially aggressive malignancies, and allowed apparently safe nonoperative surveillance for >80% of MT-negative patients. Thyroid nodule MT optimizes patient outcomes sufficiently to justify its incorporation into routine practice.
Automatic Classification of Heartbeats Using ECG Signals via Higher Order Hidden Markov Model

Analysis of heartbeat signals is critical to provide information for the diagnosis of cardiac diseases, e.g., beat detection, segmentation and classification based on electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. This paper proposes an automatic heartbeat classification system based on higher order hidden Markov models (HOHMMs). The proposed system consists of four stages: ECG signal preprocessing stage, HOHMM learning stage, decoding stage, and classification stage. The HOHMM extends the basic hidden Markov model (HMM) by allowing the hidden state to depend on its more distant past, which is used to identify heartbeat patterns utilizing the collected ECG data. The learned HOHMMs are then used to decode and classify new heartbeats with unknown types. A case study is conducted to evaluate the classification performance of the proposed system using MIT-BIH Arrhythmia database. Experimental results show that the developed classification system performs reasonably well, especially for arrhythmia detection.
Management of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms after Prostate Radiation

To present urologists with guidance on how to approach and manage lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in patients who have undergone radiation therapy (RT) for prostate cancer. There are few studies that specifically examine treatment approaches for LUTS in patients who have undergone prostate cancer RT. LUTS after prostate RT are unique when compared to de novo LUTS. Understanding these distinctions is important for urologists’ practice as well as patients’ quality of life. Discussion of the risks and management of post-RT LUTS should be included in the shared decision-making process when counseling patients on various treatment options for prostate cancer. Further studies evaluating treatments for storage and voiding symptoms after RT are needed to help guide future care.
Fraud-resilient Privacy-preserving Crowd-sensing for Dynamic Spectrum Access

In this paper we propose a novel privacy-preserving scheme based on the fusion of Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) and crowd-sensing paradigm. Our scheme provides location privacy for the crowd-sensing users through homomorphic cryptographic constructions. Furthermore, our scheme mitigates fraudulent sensing report attacks by providing robust fraud prevention based on homomorphic cryptographic constructions. We provide substantial experiments on real-life datasets which shows that our proposed protocol provides realistic efficiency and security.
Biological control of soilborne plant pathogens and nematodes

Abstract This chapter describes three broad categories for biological control of soilborne pathogens and nematodes. First, resident biological controls can be manipulated with cultural practices that influence the antagonist-pathogen relationship. These practices include crops with durable resistance to the pathogen, crop rotations, and other cultural practices that augment the biological equilibrium resulting in suppressiveness. Second, when indigenous antagonists are inadequate, biological control agents or genes that have the tendency to be self-maintaining can be introduced. Rhizosphere-competent organisms can be genetically engineered, formulated, and applied to subterranean plant parts in environments most conducive for establishment, growth, and dispersal of the introduced agent. Third, if the first two approaches are ineffective, repeated application of plant-associated microorganisms can be used to reintroduce effective strains. Expanded use of biological control agents will depend on the economics, level of regulation for chemical versus microbial pesticides, and joint research between the public and private sectors.
Anti-D alloimmunization in Rh(D) negative adults with severe traumatic injury.

Introduction Widely varying rates of alloimmunization associated with transfusing uncrossmatched RBC products to trauma patients as part of hemostatic resuscitation have been reported. We characterized the rates of RBC alloimmunization in our severely injured Rh(D) negative trauma population who received uncrossmatched Rh(D) positive RBC products. Methods In a 10-year retrospective analysis to assess Rh(D) alloimmunization risks, Rh(D) negative adult trauma patients initially requiring uncrossmatched group O Rh(D) positive RBC products with either RBC units or low titer group O whole blood as part of massive transfusion protocol (MTP) activation were identified. Only those Rh(D) negative patients whose initial antibody screenings were negative were included. Duration of serologic follow-up from date of MTP activation to either date of anti-D detection or most recent negative antibody screening was calculated. Results There were 129 eligible Rh(D) negative trauma patients identified. Median injury severity score was 25. Anti-D was detected in 10 (7.8%) patients after a median of 161.5 days; the median duration of serologic follow-up in those who did not have anti-D detected was 220 days. Patients who had anti-D detected were less severely injured and received fewer Rh(D) positive RBC products versus those who did not. Discussion In our severely injured adult trauma patients with MTP activation requiring uncrossmatched group O Rh(D) positive RBC products, the rate of anti-D detection was low. Additional studies are necessary to determine generalizability of these findings and fully characterize alloimmunization risks in trauma patients with varying extents of injury.
Objective validity of patient-reported symptoms in aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease patients.

Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) is a clinical syndrome characterized by asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP), and acute respiratory symptoms following exposure to aspirin and other cyclooxygenase-1 inhibiting nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Patients with AERD often have a high symptom burden and more severe and difficult-to-treat upper respiratory symptoms compared to patients with aspirin-tolerant CRSwNP.1.
Advancing e-governance at the community level with neighborhood information systems

The central purpose of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of Neighborhood Information Systems (NIS) as an Information Technology (IT) -innovated tool in assisting community development. NISs are hybrid applications of Geographical Information System (GIS) and web technologies that provide demographic, social, and economic information to community stakeholders. NISs are designed to help information sharing, and participatory decision makings for community development stakeholders. This paper illustrates how NIS can help local governance processes and decision making.
The Nutrient Content of U.S. Household Food Purchases by Store Type.

Introduction Little is known about where households shop for packaged foods, what foods and beverages they purchase, and the nutrient content of these purchases. This study describes volume trends and nutrient content (nutrient profiles, food and beverage groups) of household packaged foods purchases (PFPs) by store type. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of U.S. households’ PFPs (Nielsen Homescan) from 2000 to 2012 (N=652,023 household-year observations) with survey weights used for national representativeness. Household PFP trends (% volume), household purchases of key food and beverage groups based on caloric contribution, and mean caloric and nutrient densities (sugars, saturated fat, and sodium) of household PFPs were analyzed by store type. Data were collected from 2000 to 2012. Analyses were conducted in 2014–2015. Results The proportion of total volume of household PFPs significantly increased from 2000 to 2012 for mass merchandisers (13.1% to 23.9%), convenience stores (3.6% to 5.9%), and warehouse clubs (6.2% to 9.8%), and significantly decreased for grocery chains (58.5% to 46.3%) and non-chain grocers (10.3% to 5.2%). Top common sources of calories (%) from household PFPs by food/beverage group included: savory snacks, grain-based desserts, and regular soft drinks. The energy, total sugar, sodium, and saturated fat densities of household PFPs from mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs, and convenience stores were higher compared with grocery stores. Conclusions PFPs from stores with poorer nutrient density (more energy, total sugar, sodium, and saturated fat-dense), such as warehouse clubs, mass merchandisers, and convenience stores are growing, representing a potential U.S. public health concern.
Contactless underwater power delivery

A power conversion and distribution system for contactless underwater power delivery utilizing a coaxial winding transformer is proposed. The issues of underwater power delivery including the additional impedance and power dissipation in the system due to the sea water are discussed. Design considerations for the coaxial winding transformer are presented. Topologies for both the primary and secondary power converters and designs for the transmission cable are explored. Several applications and advantages of the system are given. >
OBSERVED COPARENTING AND TRIADIC DYNAMICS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN FRAGILE FAMILIES AT 3 MONTHS’ POSTPARTUM

This report examines coparenting and triadic interactions in 19 unmarried, first-time African American families as fathers, mothers, and 3-month-old infants navigated the Lausanne Trilogue Play (LTP; E. Fivaz-Depeursinge & A. Corboz-Warnery, ). Parents in 10 of the 19 families reported coresidence at the time of the 3-month assessment, and the other 9 sets of coparents lived apart. All participating families had taken part in a prenatal intervention emphasizing the importance of father engagement in children's lives, and in all families, parents reported episodic to regular father contact with the children at 3 months. Analyses of LTP sessions revealed that 9 of the 19 families exhibited high levels of coparenting solidarity-cooperation and family warmth accompanied by low levels of coparenting competition and disengagement. Among the remaining 10 families, competitiveness (verbal sparring, interference) and/or disengagement (repeated, episodic absenting by one or both parents from the ongoing interaction) signaled strain and challenges to solidarity. Differences between the higher and lower solidarity groups were found in father-reported relationship rapport. However, coresidentiality versus noncoresidentiality of the parents did not distinguish high- from low-solidarity groups. A case analysis of one family's triadic session is presented to elucidate the rich potential for clinical intervention in triadic work with fragile family systems. Implications of the study and its findings for theory, research, and clinical work with unmarried fathers and families, along with limits of the study design and generalizability of findings, are discussed.
Electron-electron dipolar splitting anisotropy of a dinitroxide oriented in a crystalline matrix

Abstract An electron spin resonance study was performed on a dinitroxide, 4,4-dimethyl-3-oxyl-oxazolidme-2-spiro-4'-(2',2',6',6'-tetramethyl-1'-oxyl-piperidine) oriented in single crystals of the corresponding diamine. The electron-electron dipolar interaction between the two unpaired electrons gives rise to a doublet splitting, characterized by the zero field parameters D = ± 216 G and E = ±5G (both values ± 2 %). The anisotropy of the splitting was measured and is accounted for by a first order treatment of the dinitroxide spin Hamiltonian.
Fighting the battle for racial diversity: A case study of Michigan's institutional responses to Gratz and Grutter

How did the University of Michigan become a viable defendant of raceconscious admissions policies? Pursuing a simple legal strategy to address Gratz v. Bollinger (2003) and Grutter v. Bollinger (20...
Phorbol ester regulation of rat granulosa cell prostaglandin and progesterone accumulation.

Tumor-promoting phorbol esters are believed to affect cell functions by activating a Ca+2- and lipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C). Since such protein kinases may be involved in ovarian granulosa cell metabolism, the effects of phorbol esters on prostaglandin (PG) and progesterone (P) accumulation were investigated. Cells were obtained from immature (28–29 days old) rats 48 h after injection of 20 IU PMSG and incubated for up to 5 h. A tumor-promoting phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol 13-acetate (TPA), at a concentration of 25 ng/ml, caused 4-fold increases in PGE and 6-keto- PGF1a accumulation at 5 h. LH (10 ng/ml) caused 7- and 4-fold increases in PGE and 6-keto-PGF1a accumulation, respectively. When tested in combination, the increases in PGE and 6-keto PGF1a due to TPA and LH were additive. Like the effect of LH, the TPA stimulation of PG synthesis occurred after a delay of 2–3 h. By 5 h of incubation, cells exposed to TPA exhibited increased PG synthase activity in whole homogen...
Regional anesthesia and patient outcomes: evidence-based medicine

Despite some reticence on the part of both surgical and anesthesiology colleagues, the use of regional anesthesia and analgesia does provide improvement in patient outcomes. Although the majority of available data has examined the effect of epidural anesthesia and analgesia on patient outcomes, an increasing number of studies recently have investigated the effect of peripheral regional techniques (both single-shot and continuous) on outcomes. Overall, the data suggest that the perioperative use of regional anesthesia and analgesia may improve both major (e.g., mortality, major morbidity) and minor (patient-reported) outcomes. The majority of evidence favors an ability of epidural analgesia to reduce postoperative cardiovascular and pulmonary complications, and there is also consistent evidence that epidural analgesia with local anesthetics is associated with faster resolution of postoperative ileus after major abdominal surgery. Regional analgesic techniques, especially when using local anesthetics, provide statistically superior analgesia compared with systemic opioids, although there is insufficient evidence to support improvements in patient-oriented outcomes, such as quality of life and quality of recovery. Nevertheless, there is some controversy regarding the strength of the available data due in part to the presence of methodologic issues present in many studies to date. In addition, any benefits conferred by perioperative regional anesthetic techniques need to be weighed against any potential risks. We will focus our discussion on the benefits of perioperative regional (neuraxial and peripheral) anesthesia and analgesia on patient outcomes.
Darwin, Debussy an'Dante - a four-part bioinformatics symphony

In this paper we discuss a bioinformatics software system which is based on simulating nucleotide sequences at an elemental chemical level using passive electrical circuits comprised of resistors, inductors and capacitors. We focus on the behavior of these circuits for arbitrary user-specified input signals such as speech, music and wave mappings of retinal scans and fingerprints. The circuits' responses are then used to generate distinct visual representations which can be used in a variety of applications including DNA sequence alignments and comparisons, novel biometric identification schemes and computer/network security.
Marital sex as it ought to be

Marriage is primarily a respectful, trusting friendship where sexuality makes a small but integral contribution to marital vitality and satisfaction. The positive functions of marital sex are a shared pleasure, a means to deepen and reinforce intimacy, and a tension reducer to deal with the stresses of life and marriage. The prescription for healthy sexuality is integrating intimacy, non-demand pleasuring and eroticism.
The Design of Bus-Bar Industrial Distribution Systems: an Epitomization of Available Data

THE PURPOSE of this paper, evidenced in its title, is to acquaint the designer of bus-bar industrial distribution systems with the extent and whereabouts of the theoretical and experimental data available for design purposes. Attention is confined to those factors that essentially determine the operating characteristics of a bus-bar distribution system: voltage drop, temperature rise, and short-circuit capacity.
The effects of an adenylate cyclase inhibitor on the electrophysiological correlates of neuromuscular transmission in the frog.

Abstract The presynaptic and postsynaptic effects of MDL 12,330A, an adenylate cyclase inhibitor in several biological tissues, were studied at motor endplates in frog cutaneous pectoris nerve-muscle preparations. This agent increased both spontaneous quantal acetylcholine (ACh) release and neurally-evoked ACh release approximately twofold during the first 20-40 min of application. The increased ACh release was accompanied by a profound irreversible depression in the amplitudes of the miniature endplate potentials (m.e.p.ps) and endplate potentials (e.p.ps). The response to iontophoretically-applied ACh was reduced in parallel with the amplitude of the spontaneous m.e.p.ps, indicating that the depression of synaptic transmission was postsynaptic in origin. Endplates were voltage-clamped to study the postsynaptic depression in more detail. It was observed that the peak endplate current (e.p.c.) was depressed without concomitant changes in: the kinetics of e.p.c. decay, the relationship between peak e.p.c. and membrane potential, the ACh equilibrium potential or the voltage sensitivity of the e.p.c. decay. This suggests that MDL 12,330A reduces the postsynaptic sensitivity to ACh by a voltage-dependent block of the cholinoceptor. The presynaptic enhancement and the postsynaptic depression of junctional transmission produced by MDL 12,330A are discussed in conjunction with current theories of the role of adenylate cyclase and cyclic nucleotides at nicotinic cholinergic synapses.
Calluses, cells, and protoplasts in studies towards genetic improvement of seaweeds

Abstract We are developing techniques for tissue, cell, and protoplast culture to be used in the conversion of wild seaweeds into cultivated crop plants with desirable properties. Seaweeds have complex life histories and do not have the equivalent of “seeds” capable of extended survival in storage. Our efforts concentrate on three major aspects: (1) development of techniques for vegetative propagation from isolated cells and protoplasts, (2) development of procedures for maintenance of tissues as seed stock, and (3) production of improved strains by selection of mutants and hybridization through protoplast fusion. In this paper we report the state of our advances in the vegetative propagation of representatives of the three groups of seaweeds from isolated cells. We also report on efforts in selection for disease-resistant strains of Porphyra yesoensis (Nori), a marine crop plant.
Renal NHE expression and activity in neonatal NHE3- and NHE8-null mice

Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE)3 is the predominant NHE on the brush-border membrane of the proximal tubule in adult animals. NHE8 has been localized to the brush-border membrane of proximal tubules and is more highly expressed in neonates than in adult animals. However, the relative role of NHE8 in neonatal renal acidification is unclear. The present study examined if there was a compensatory increase in NHE3 in NHE8-null neonatal mice and whether there was a compensatory increase in NHE8 in NHE3-null neonatal mice. In addition, we examined whether wild-type, NHE3-null, and NHE8-null mice had an increase in NHE activity in response to metabolic acidosis. We found that at baseline, there was comparable renal NHE3 mRNA, total protein, and brush-border membrane protein abundance as in neonatal control and NHE8-null mice. There was comparable renal NHE8 mRNA, total protein, and brush-border membrane protein abundance in NHE3-null neonatal and control mice. Both NHE3- and NHE8-null mice had a comparable but lower rate of NHE activity than control mice. We next imposed metabolic acidosis in wild-type, NHE3-null, and NHE8-null mice. Acidemic NHE8-null mice had an increase in brush-border membrane vesicle NHE3 protein abundance and NHE activity compared with vehicle-treated mice. Likewise, NHE3-null mice had an increase in NHE8 brush-border membrane protein abundance and NHE activity in response to metabolic acidosis. In conclusion, both NHE3 and NHE8 likely play a role in neonatal acidification.
Retrograde properties of the fast pathway in patients with paroxysmal atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia

In this issue of the Journal, Gomes and co-workers’ present evidence suggesting that some patients with apparent atrioventricular (A-V) nodal reentrant paroxysmal tachycardia in fact possess an accessory pathway utilized for retrograde conduction. They hypothesize that this pathway bypasses all or part of the A-V node. They support their conclusion by noting that retrograde conduction in some patients with apparent A-V nodal reentry is not A-V nodal-like in quality, in regard to pacing and ouabain responses. In this editorial, we present our thoughts concerning retrograde conduction in patients with A-V nodal reentrant paroxysomal tachycardia.
Patterns of colorectal liver metastases according to Couinaud's segments

PURPOSE: It is commonly believed that the right lobe of the liver is the most frequent site of colorectal liver metastases. However, direct evidence for this is lacking in the literature. This study was designed to document and evaluate the pattern of liver metastases according to liver segments. METHODS: A retrospective medical records review of 270 patients with hepatic metastases from colorectal adenocarcinoma was performed to determine the pattern of metastases according to Couinaud's segments. There was operative confirmation of liver metastases in 202 patients (75 percent). A total of 1,166 segments were involved with liver metastases and were used in this analysis. Segment I was excluded from calculations because of its dual blood supply. When groups contained different numbers of Couinaud's segments an appropriate correction was made in the statistical comparison. RESULTS: There were 736 (63 percent) right lobe segments (V,VI, VE, VIE) and 430 (37 percent) left lobe segments (II, III, IV) involved with metastases (P <0.001). Of 430 left lobe segments, 298 (69 percent) involved the left lateral segment (II, III) and 132 (31 percent) involved the medial segment (TV) of the left lobe (P =0.25). When evaluating patients with 4 or less segments involved, there were 258 right lobe segments (75 percent) and 88 left lobe segments (25 percent) involved with metastases (P <0.0001). Of 88 left lobe segments with 4 or less segments involved, there were 68 segments (77 percent) involving the left lateral segment and 20 segments (23 percent) involving the medial segment of the left lobe (P =0.035). All of these relationships were statistically independent of the primary tumor site. CONCLUSIONS: We have documented an overall predominance of right hepatic lobe metastases independent of site of the primary colorectal carcinoma. However, when metastases occurred in the left lobe, the left lateral segment (II, III) was more commonly affected than the medial segment (TV), but this difference was statistically significant only when there were four or less segments involved with liver metastases.
Low Incidence of Urinary Tract Infections Following Renal Transplantation in Children With Bladder Augmentation

Purpose: Children with end-stage renal disease and bladder dysfunction may require augmentation cystoplasty before kidney transplantation. Previous reports have suggested unacceptable urinary tract infection rates in these immunosuppressed patients. We reviewed our experience in this population.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively studied patients undergoing augmentation cystoplasty and subsequent renal transplantation by a single surgeon between 1989 and 2007. This cohort was compared with a control group on clean intermittent catheterization who had undergone transplantation without augmentation. Patient demographics, etiology of renal failure, surgical details, surgical/allograft outcomes and occurrence of urinary tract infection were analyzed.Results: The augmented group included 17 patients with a median age at reconstruction of 6.4 years. Stomach was used in 15 patients and colon in 2. Median time between reconstruction and transplantation was 1.2 years. Median followup after transplantation wa...
Impact and Management of MRSA in the Long-Term Care Setting

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in healthcare facilities. Residents of nursing homes are commonly colonized with MRSA and acquisition within these facilities is common. While treatment of MRSA infection in the NH is more costly than treatment of infections caused by methicillin-susceptible strains, the frequency of serious infections and attributable mortality remains uncommon. Consequently, controlling the spread of MRSA in NHs is primarily a population health concern and interventions to control intrafacility transmissions should be balanced with a concern for resident quality-of-life.
Reading the Shopping Mall City

L'A. envisage ici le centre commercial comme une cite ideale echappant aux contingences et aux dangers de la rue, et la consommation comme un systeme d'echanges dans lequel l'individu tente de se construire un univers qui lui est propre. Il etaye son analyse sur le fait que certains centres commerciaux des Etats-Unis, comme le celebre Mall of America sont desormais des lieux de visites touristiques. Espace d'evasion et d'expression notamment pour de nombreuses femmes, le centre commercial entretient un imaginaire transcendant la simple consommation. Apres un parallele hardi avec l'impressionnisme en peinture, l'A. presente le centre commercial comme figure de l'utopie, l'indetermination qui lui est propre pouvant faciliter l'affaissement de barrieres, notamment intergenerationnelles, mais c'est precisement le manque de repere dans le temps et dans l'espace qui peut poser probleme
Polar organic compounds measured in fine particulate matter during TexAQS 2000

Abstract Fine particle samples were collected at three sites in the Houston area during TexAQS 2000. Polar organic species including levoglucosan, n-alkanoic acids, n-alkenoic acids and dicarboxylic acids were quantified to characterize the composition of local ambient organic aerosols. Levoglucosan, a tracer for biomass burning, was measured as a dominant compound, followed by n-alkanoic acids. The compound distribution of higher molecular weight n-alkanoic acids (⩾C22) was consistent with biogenic emission sources. n-Alkenoic acids exhibit variable concentrations during sampling period with high ratios of octadecanoic to octadecenoic acid. The concentrations of dicarboxylic acids are compared with unapportioned organic carbon calculated by the chemical mass balancing technique. This correlation supports the conclusion that diacids are generated by photochemical reactions and contribute to the unapportioned organic mass. Data collected during a regional wood smoke episode are used to examine the influence of wood combustion to ambient particulate matter concentrations.
Seasonal Dynamics of Skrjabinoptera phrynosoma (Nematoda) Infection in Horned Lizards From the Alvord Basin: Temporal Components of a Unique Life Cycle

abstract: The nematode Skrjabinoptera phrynosoma is a stomach parasite of horned lizards in the genus Phrynosoma. This nematode demonstrates a distinctive life cycle wherein entire gravid females harboring infective eggs exit with lizard feces. Pogonomyrmex spp. harvester ants collect these females and feed them to their larvae, which are the only stages of the intermediate host that can become infected. We hypothesized that the seasonal dynamics of nematode abundance within lizard hosts would be correlated with the seasonal availability of suitable intermediate hosts. To describe seasonal variation of nematode population variables and elucidate the timing of critical events in the parasite life cycle, nematodes were collected from both hosts across three collection periods in the ant-and-lizard activity season of 2008 in the Alvord Basin of southeastern Oregon. Among 3 collection periods, and across the activity season, nematodes were harvested from individual Phrynosoma platyrhinos, and the distributio...
An Integrated BEM Algorithm for Transient 2‐D Flow in Unconfined Aquifers

: A new algorithm based on a time stepping BEM formulation for problems of transient or steadystate 2-D groundwater flow is discussed. Of particular interest is the location of moving boundaries, such as the free surface in unconfined groundwater flow and/or the fresh-salt water interface in coastal aquifers. A variety of transient external forcing functions, e.g., rainfall, tidal effects, etc., or combinations of the above, are considered. Numerical results from two example problems demonstrate the versatility and accuracy of the proposed methodology.
Effects of schedules of reinforcement on brain catecholamine metabolism in the rat

Abstract Rats were trained on a fixed ratio 5 (FR 5) for 0.01 ml water reinforcer, a fixed ratio 20 (FR 20) fir 0.01 ml water reinforcer, a fixed ratio 20 (FR 20) for 0.04 ml water reinforcer, a variable time 15 sec (VT 15 sec) for 0.01 ml water reinforcer, a variable time 30 sec (VT 30 sec) for 0.01 ml water, variable time 60 sec (VT 60 sec) for 0.01 ml water, or a variable time 60 sec (VT 60 sec) for 0.10 ml water. In all these schedules, the rate of NE metabolism varied with the number of water presentations but not with the number of responses or the volume of water. The rate of metabolism of DA was increased over control values in rats on the VT schedules but no significant differences could be found in DA metabolism among the rats performing on the various VT schedules or receiving various volumes.