cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of Marital Status in the Association between Prepregnancy Body Mass Index and Breastfeeding Duration.

Abstract Background In the United States, breastfeeding rates fail to meet national guidelines. Given the rising prevalence of obesity and births to unmarried women, this study explores if the association between prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and breastfeeding duration differs by marital status. Methods Data from the 2009–2011 Pregnancy Assessment Monitoring System were analyzed. The sample included women who had live singleton births in the United States and who reported information to calculate BMI and breastfeeding duration ( n = 93,106). Breastfeeding duration was categorized as never breastfed, breastfed for 8 weeks or less, and breastfed for more than 8 weeks. BMI was categorized as underweight ( 2 ), normal weight (18.5–24.9 kg/m 2 ), overweight (25.0–29.9 (kg/m 2 ), or obese (30.0 + kg/m 2 ). Marital status was categorized as married or not married. There was a significant interaction between marital status and prepregnancy BMI ( p = .028). Data were stratified by marital status and multinomial logistic regression was conducted adjusting for confounding factors. Results Approximately one-half of women were of normal weight before pregnancy (50.4%); 24.1% were overweight, 21.2% were obese, and 4.3% were underweight. Among married women, the odds of never breastfeeding and breastfeeding for 8 weeks or less was greater among overweight (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.23 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.10–1.38]; AOR, 1.36 [95% CI, 1.24–1.49]) and obese women (AOR, 1.72 [95% CI, 1.53–1.93]; AOR, 1.95 [95% CI, 1.77–2.15]) compared with normal weight women who breastfed for more than 8 weeks. In contrast, among unmarried women, no association was observed among overweight women and the association was attenuated among obese women (AOR, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.21–1.58]; AOR, 1.43 [95% CI, 1.27–1.62]). Conclusion Providers and public health practitioners should be aware of the influence of marital status in the association between prepregnancy BMI and breastfeeding duration. The role of obesity and marital status should be considered in designing breastfeeding promotion interventions.
In situ observation of shear-driven amorphization in silicon crystals

Amorphous materials are used for both structural and functional applications. An amorphous solid usually forms under driven conditions such as melt quenching, irradiation, shock loading or severe mechanical deformation. Such extreme conditions impose significant challenges on the direct observation of the amorphization process. Various experimental techniques have been used to detect how the amorphous phases form, including synchrotron X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy, but a dynamic, atomistic characterization has remained elusive. Here, by using in situ high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), we show the dynamic amorphization process in silicon nanocrystals during mechanical straining on the atomic scale. We find that shear-driven amorphization occurs in a dominant shear band starting with the diamond-cubic (dc) to diamond-hexagonal (dh) phase transition and then proceeds by dislocation nucleation and accumulation in the newly formed dh-Si phase. This process leads to the formation of an amorphous Si (a-Si) band, embedded with dh-Si nanodomains. The amorphization of dc-Si via an intermediate dh-Si phase is a previously unknown pathway of solid-state amorphization.
New Public Management for Science, Technology, and Innovation

This extended abstract is a short version of a paper presented at the Atlanta Conference on STI Policy 2007, Atlanta, GA. The purpose of this paper is to try to describe how to make NPM practice fit with Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) management. The author narrows the research focus on the influence of both the new business sector technology innovation management strategies and Science and Technology in Society (STS) perspectives on establishing NPM strategies for STI.
Genetic alterations in necrotizing enterocolitis

An underlying genetic predisposition to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is increasingly being recognized. Candidate gene or pathway approaches as well as genome-wide approaches are beginning to identify potential pathogenic variants for NEC in premature infants. However, a majority of these studies have not yielded definitive results because of limited sample size and lack of validation. Despite these challenges, understanding the contribution of genetic variation to NEC is important for providing new insights into the pathogenesis of NEC as well as allowing for targeted care of infants with inherent susceptibility. In this review we provide a summary of published genetic association studies in NEC along with defining the challenges and possible future approaches.
Analysis of DNA lesion bypass by mass spectrometry

CN09-02 Formamidopyrimidine lesions can arise from either oxidative or alkylative damage to purines. We have developed chemistry for the site-specific incorporation of N6-(2-deoxy-D-erythropentofuranosyl)-2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5-N-methylformamidopyrimidine (MeFAPy-dG) into oligonucleotides. This lesion is derived from the initial N7-methylation of dG followed by hydroxide induced imidazole ring opening. The in vitro by-pass of the MeFAPy-dG lesion was examined by prokaryotic and human Y-family DNA polymerases; the by-pass products were characterized by tandem mass spectrometry. The MeFAPy-dG lesion was found to be highly miscoding.
Infrastructuring for Cross-Disciplinary Synthetic Science: Meta-Study Research in Land System Science

Traditionally infrastructure studies are post-hoc analyses of emergent phenomena. While acknowledging the contextual complexity of co-evolution, there has been a turn toward exploring these processes from a design perspective. In this paper we examine a new interdiscipline, Land System Science, whose scientific inquiry is predicated on a deep and ongoing integration of radically disparate data from across the natural, physical, and social sciences. We report the results of a three-and-a half year field study of meta-study practice. In doing so, we perform infrastructural inversion to foreground the backstage scientific work practice to identify points of infrastructure. We used these insights regarding breakdowns and workarounds to inform the design of GLOBE, infrastructural tools that support this community's needs for communication, cooperation, and knowledge construction. Our insight comes from being embedded both with domain scientists and software developers. Through four cases, we highlight the scientists' unique challenges, strategies developed to address them, and the system components designed to better support many of these tactics. Specifically, we address the difficulties of finding, standardizing, interpreting, and validating data. This advances the infrastructuring literature by illustrating how design can be used to engage a scientific community in active self-reflection.
Type II hypersensitivity and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole

Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Septra) is a widely used antibiotic world-wide.The clinical use has been increasing in the pediatric population[1]. Septra has been associated with a broad array of drug associated reactions including gastrointestinal complaints, cutaneous reactions including Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysisand cytopenias including immune mediated thrombocytopenia[2]. Adverse reactions occur in 6-8% of patients. In the pediatric patient hospitalized for an adverse drug reaction priorexposure to Septra is found in 75% of patients [3].In the case presented we describe a cutaneous reaction to Septra clinically consistent with a Type2 hypersensitivity reaction with associated pancytopenia. Idiosyncratic reactions such as Type 2 hypersensitivity have rarely been reported with Septra exposure.These adverse drug reactions have infrequently been reported to be fatal [4].With the increasing use of Septra for the management of community acquired methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus of skin and soft tissue infections [5] clinicians will need to recognize this clinical complication.
R1234yf and R1234ze(E) as low-GWP refrigerants for residential heat pump water heaters

Abstract Owing to the growing concerns about the relatively high global warming potential (GWP) of current refrigerants, a serious effort is in progress to find lower-GWP substitutes. The hydrofluoroolefin (HFO)-based refrigerants R1234yf and R1234ze(E) are being considered for use in multiple heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration applications because of their very low GWP. A study was conducted to model a residential heat pump water heater using these HFOs. A system model was calibrated using experimental data and the calibrated model was used to evaluate the potential of HFOs to replace R134a. A series of parametric analyses were used to investigate the impacts of condenser wrap pattern, condenser tube size, evaporator size, and heat loss factor from the storage tank. It has been shown that both R1234yf and R1234ze(E) can be substituted for R134a with comparable performance and no substantial modifications to the original system. This study presents a detailed feasibility analysis for successful replacement of high-GWP refrigerants with low-GWP refrigerants with acceptable performance.
Strategies for Introducing Outpatient Specialty Palliative Care in Gynecologic Oncology

Purpose:Concern that patients will react negatively to the idea of palliative care is cited as a barrier to timely referral. Strategies to successfully introduce specialty palliative care to patients have not been well described. We sought to understand how gynecologic oncologists introduce outpatient specialty palliative care.Methods:We conducted a national qualitative interview study at six geographically diverse academic cancer centers with well-established palliative care clinics between September 2015 and March 2016. Thirty-four gynecologic oncologists participated in semistructured telephone interviews focusing on attitudes, experiences, and practices related to outpatient palliative care. A multidisciplinary team analyzed interview transcripts using constant comparative methods to inductively develop and refine a coding framework. This analysis focuses on practices for introducing palliative care.Results:Mean participant age was 47 years (standard deviation, 10 years). Mean interview length was 25 ...
Developing a low-cost 3D plant morphological traits characterization system

Abstract A low-cost three-dimensional (3D) plant reconstruction and morphological traits characterization system was developed. Corn plant seedlings were used as research objects for development and validation of the 3D reconstruction and point cloud data analysis algorithms. In this application, precise alignment of multiple 3D views generated by a 3D time-of-flight (ToF) sensor is critical to the 3D reconstruction of a plant. Previous research indicated that there is strong need for high-throughput, high-accuracy, and low-cost 3D plant reconstruction and trait characterization phenotyping systems. This research produced a 3D reconstruction system for indoor plant phenotyping by innovatively integrating a low-cost 2D camera, a low-cost 3D ToF camera, and a chessboard pattern beacon array to track the position and attitude of the 3D ToF sensor and, thus, accomplished precise 3D point cloud registration over multiple views. Specifically, algorithms for beacon target detection, camera pose tracking, and spatial relationship calibration between 2D and 3D cameras were developed for such a low-cost but high-performance 3D reconstruction solution. A plant analysis algorithm in a 3D space was developed to extract the morphological trait parameters of the plants by analyzing their 3D point cloud data. The phenotypical data obtained by this novel and low-cost 3D reconstruction based phenotyping system were validated by the experimental data generated by instrument and manual measurement. The results demonstrated that the developed phenotyping system has achieved promising measurement accuracy, fast processing speed while offering a low hardware cost, lending itself to a practical means of acquiring detailed 3D morphological traits for automated indoor plant phenotyping.
Not All Pacifiers Are Created Equal: A Mechanical Examination of Pacifiers and Their Influence on Suck Patterning

Purpose Many pacifier companies advertise that their product is the “best choice” to support proper sucking, feeding, and dental development; however, very little evidence exists to support these c...
Wildlife at War in Angola: The rise and fall of an African Eden

Despite being one of Africa's largest countries, Angola tends to fly under the radar, largely ignored by the rest of the world. This is unfortunate at a time when lessons learned in Angola over the...
Performance of Wrought Superalloys in Extreme Environments

As power generation systems move towards higher efficiency operation above 700 ℃, wrought superalloys are the leading structural alloy candidates, including precipitation strengthened (PS) alloys 740 and 282 for the highest temperatures. To evaluate the performance of these alloys for these applications, a range of 500–5000 h evaluations have been conducted in environments including steam, supercritical CO2 (sCO2) and simulated combustion exhaust with H2O and/or SO2 at 700–800 ℃ and compared to baseline exposures in laboratory air and 1 bar CO2. These alloys primarily rely on the formation of an external Cr-rich oxide layer or scale for environmental protection and the reaction rates in all of these conditions are similar and relatively low. However, compared to a conventional solid solution strengthened alloy, like 625, the mass gains are higher for PS alloys due to the internal oxidation of the γ′ forming additions, Al and Ti. Post-exposure characterization has quantified the reaction products and the depth of internal oxidation is not a concern and does not appear to increase above the baseline behavior in laboratory air. Likewise, there is no indication of internal carburization in the sCO2 environment at 750 ℃/300 bar. The addition of 0.1% SO2 in CO2-10% H2O at 800 ℃ actually suppressed the internal oxidation at 1 bar but SO2 may be a concern when the total pressure is higher.
Screening of a one bead–one compound combinatorial library for β-actin identifies molecules active toward Ramos B-lymphoma cells

The search for small molecules that specifically recognize protein targets is a laborious process if conducted in a one protein-one compound manner. A high-throughput antibody-based screening of one bead-one compound (OBOC) combinatorial small molecule libraries is described here, whereby libraries containing thousands of different small molecule ligands are synthesized on individual TentaGel beads and simultaneously screened for protein binding to individual beads, each with a different compound. The use of OBOC libraries greatly facilitates this simultaneous screening of thousands of compounds. Now, through the use of monoclonal or affinity-purified antibodies, small molecules that bind a particular protein contained in a complex mixture of biological molecules have been identified. This method identified small molecule ligands that bound beta-actin present in cytoplasmic cell extracts of Ramos B-lymphoma cells. These small molecule ligands were resynthesized in immobilized and soluble forms and tested for binding of beta-actin present in Ramos B-cell extracts and for activity against Ramos lymphoma cells. This high-throughput screening immunoassay method has great promise for improving our ability to find relevant, bioactive small molecules that target a specific native protein in a complex protein mixture without purification of the protein.
Noise cancellation for a whole-head magnetometer-based MEG system in hospital environment.

We describe a strategy of removing magnetic field interference for a whole-head pediatric magnetoencephalography (MEG) system ("babyMEG") installed in a hospital. The 375-channel sensor array of babyMEG consists entirely of magnetometers in two layers to maximize the sensitivity for detecting MEG signals from infants, toddlers, and young children. It is equipped with a continuously operating closed-cycle helium recycler to reduce the operating costs. These two features pose special challenges for noise cancellation. Our strategy uses a combination of several methods. The system is installed in a light-weight, magnetically shielded room (MSR) equipped with an active external shielding. In addition we employ two software-based techniques - a signal space projection (SSP) technique and a synthetic gradiometer (SG) method - for removing the environmental magnetic noise in real time and displaying the output online. The shielding effects are: passive shielding - 36 dB, active shielding - 12 dB, SSP - 40 dB and SG - 40 dB, for a combined maximum shielding of about 90 dB at 0.1 Hz. We evaluated the performance of the babyMEG after applying the noise cancellation techniques. The dipole localization errors were 10 nAm, which is in the low range of empirically observed dipole moments. In a phantom study with realistic environmental noise, we could clearly recover an evoked cortical magnetic field produced by a 20 nAm dipole after averaging 50 epochs. The localization error was ~6 mm after averaging 20 epochs. In infants, we could clearly detect a somatic evoked field after averaging ~20 responses. The unique two-layer sensor design combined with the SSP or SG provides effective noise suppression for a magnetometer-based pediatric MEG system in hospital environment with the closed-cycle helium recycler operating continuously during MEG measurements.
Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection as an Alternative Treatment Strategy for Low Volume, Clinical Stage II Testicular Seminoma: A Survey of Patients and Providers

AbstractIntroduction:Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for low volume, clinical stage II testicular seminoma may provide an alternative to radiation therapy or chemotherapy for local control, p...
Role of Host GPR120 in Mediating Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acid Inhibition of Prostate Cancer

Background GPR120, a G protein-coupled receptor for long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (FAs), mediates the anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 (ω-3) FAs. We investigated whether host or tumor GPR120 plays a role in the anti-prostate cancer effects of ω-3 FAs. Methods MycCap prostate cancer allografts were grown in immunocompetent wild-type (WT) and GPR120 knockout (KO) mice fed ω-3 (fish oil) or ω-6 (corn oil) diets. Immune cell infiltration was quantified by flow cytometry, and gene expression of immune cell markers in isolated tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) was quantified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Archived tissue from a fish oil intervention trial was used to correlate gene expression of GPR120 with cell cycle progression (CCP) genes and Ki67 index (n = 11-15 per group). All statistical tests were two-sided. Results In WT mice (n = 7 per group), dietary ω-3 FAs decreased MycCap allograft tumor growth (mean [SD] final tumor volume ω-6 = 491 [437] mm3 vs ω-3 = 127 [77] mm3, P = .04), whereas in global GPR120KO mice (n = 7 per group) ω-3 FAs had no anticancer effects. Dietary ω-3 FAs inhibited GPR120KO-MycCaP allografts grown in WT mice (n = 8 per group; mean [SD] final tumor volume ω-6 = 776 [767] mm3 vs ω-3 = 36 [34] mm3, P = .02). Omega-3 FA treatment decreased the number of M2-like TAMs in tumor tissue and gene expression of M2 markers in isolated TAMs compared with ω-6 controls in WT (n = 7 per group) but not in GPR120KO mice (n = 7 per group). In human tissue, higher expression of stromal GPR120 correlated with greater reduction in expression of CCP genes in men with prostate cancer on a high-ω-3 diet (r = -.57, P = .04). Conclusions Host GPR120 plays a central role in the anti-prostate cancer effects of dietary ω-3 FAs. Future studies are required to determine if the anticancer effects of ω-3 FAs are mediated through inhibition of M2-like macrophages and if host GPR120 status predicts anticancer effects of dietary ω-3 FAs in men with prostate cancer.
Variant Presentations of the Exstrophy-Epispadias Complex: A 40-Year Experience

ABSTRACT Objective To investigate the diagnosis, surgical management, and outcomes in patients with variant EEC. Variant presentations of the exstrophy-epispadias complex (EEC) span a wide range of abnormalities. The rarity and diversity of EEC variants can lead to challenges in the diagnosis and subsequent management of this population. Methods The authors reviewed an institutional database of 1336 EEC patients from 1975 to 2018 for variant presentations of EEC. Variant presentations included those with skin covered bladder exstrophy (BE), duplicate bladders, superior vesical fistula, and epispadias with major bladder prolapse. Surgical management and outcomes were assessed. Results In total, 44 EEC variants were identified. Nineteen (43%) presented with a skin-covered BE variant. Five patients presented with duplicate BE, while 6 presented with superior vesical fistula. Fourteen patients (32%) presented with epispadias with major bladder prolapse. Overall, 36 (82%) EEC variants underwent primary bladder closure, at a median of 135 days after birth (range 1-2010), with 21 (58%) undergoing pelvic osteotomy. Primary closures were successful in 89% of cases. Continence procedures were performed in 17 patients. This includes 5 patients who underwent bladder augmentation. However even without a continence procedure, continence with volitional voiding was found in 8 patients. Conclusion The most common EEC variant is the skin-covered form of BE. In order to expedite appropriate management, accurate diagnosis upon initial presentation is crucial. Still, successful surgical reconstruction often results in continence that is similar to, or better than, nonvariant EEC presentations.
The Impact of Minimally Invasive Technology in Rectal Cancer

Rectal cancer remains a common and complex surgical problem. Owing to several landmark trials, such as the COST trial, the use of minimally invasive technology for the resection of colon cancer is now widely accepted as a feasible alternative to open surgery. The use of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for the treatment of rectal cancer, however, is a separate entity and continues to be a matter of debate. Many innovative new technologies are being developed and implemented, and there is mounting evidence supporting the use of MIS for the treatment of rectal cancer. This chapter explores the evidence regarding the short- and long-term outcomes of MIS for rectal cancer, as well as currently available techniques and barriers to implementation.
CONCANAVALIN A INDUCED TRIGGERING OF ALLOSENSITIZED MEMORY LYMPHOCYTES INTO SECONDARY CYTOTOXIC LYMPHOCYTES

Publisher Summary This chapter highlights concanavalin A (ConA)-induced triggering of allosensitized memory lymphocytes into secondary cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTL). Coculture of ConA, a polyclonal T-cell activator, with lymphocytes results in the generation of CTL. In a study described in the chapter, cell-mediated cytotoxicity (CMC) and lectin-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (LDCC) were done. The optimum concentration of Con A was 1.0 μg/ml. The effector cells were shown to be T-cell derived and nonadherent to plastic surfaces. The SD antigens may help recruit the specific precursor pool by binding to the antigen-binding receptor and help focus the LD antigens to appropriate receptors for triggering to occur.
Comprehensive seismic monitoring of an onshore carbonate reservoir: a case study from a desert environment

Abstract Time-lapse seismic monitoring of carbonate reservoirs in desert environments is one of the last frontiers for four-dimensional (4D) seismic. Small 4D signal and potentially high nonrepeatability caused by a complex and changing near surface make this a significant geophysical challenge. To overcome this, a novel hybrid acquisition system using buried receivers and specialized 4D seismic processing were implemented to minimize sources of time-lapse noise. This has resulted in outstanding final repeatability that would be considered excellent even in more favorable marine environments. Comparing surveys acquired under similar seasonal conditions has enabled a small 4D signal related to fluid injection to be observed and tracked over time. This is believed to be the first successful implementation of 4D seismic for monitoring of a land carbonate reservoir in a desert environment, representing a major step forward for the industry.
Prevention and Management of Occupational Exposures

It’s a busy, busy morning. Two additional emergency patients had to be worked into an already jammed schedule. You and the whole staff are rushing, distracted, and multitasking. You have just administered the local anesthesia when you hear your assistant mutter, ouch! You ask, what did you say? He or she responds, I think just stuck myself with a needle! When the assistant removes their glove there is a small, bleeding puncture wound on her finger. Yes, the individual was stuck by a contaminated needle. What do you do? What are the national, state, and local recommendations when a health-care worker (HCW) has an occupational exposure? How can these events be prevented? What are the risks of blood-borne disease [human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV)] transmission from occupational exposures? These questions will be answered in this Chapter which will explain the types of exposures, safer handling of sharps to prevent injury/exposure, the risk of disease transmission, and the requirements for postexposure management and prophylaxis.
Patient-reported benefit from proposed interventions to reduce financial hardship during cancer treatment.

7080Background: Awareness of cancer patients’ financial toxicity (FT) has increased substantially over the past decade; however, interventions to minimize financial burden remain underdeveloped and...
Sharing gaze rays for visual target identification tasks in collaborative augmented reality

Augmented reality (AR) technologies provide a shared platform for users to collaborate in a physical context involving both real and virtual content. To enhance the quality of interaction between AR users, researchers have proposed augmenting users’ interpersonal space with embodied cues such as their gaze direction. While beneficial in achieving improved interpersonal spatial communication, such shared gaze environments suffer from multiple types of errors related to eye tracking and networking, that can reduce objective performance and subjective experience. In this paper, we present a human-subjects study to understand the impact of accuracy, precision, latency, and dropout based errors on users’ performance when using shared gaze cues to identify a target among a crowd of people. We simulated varying amounts of errors and the target distances and measured participants’ objective performance through their response time and error rate, and their subjective experience and cognitive load through questionnaires. We found significant differences suggesting that the simulated error levels had stronger effects on participants’ performance than target distance with accuracy and latency having a high impact on participants’ error rate. We also observed that participants assessed their own performance as lower than it objectively was. We discuss implications for practical shared gaze applications and we present a multi-user prototype system.
A Decision Aid Intervention for Family Building After Cancer: Developmental Study on the Initial Steps to Consider When Designing a Web-Based Prototype.

Background: An important aspect of patient-centered care involves ensuring that patient-directed resources are usable, understandable, and responsive to patients’ needs. A user-centered design refers to an empathy-based framework and an iterative design approach for developing a product or solution that is based on an in-depth understanding of users’ needs, values, abilities, and limitations. Objective: This study presents the steps taken to develop a prototype for a patient resource for young women who have completed treatment for gonadotoxic cancer to support their decision making about follow-up fertility care and family building. Methods: User-centered design practices were used to develop Roadmap to Parenthood, a decision aid (DA) website for family building after cancer. A multidisciplinary steering group was assembled and input was provided. Guidelines from the International Patient DA Society and the Ottawa Decision Support Framework were used throughout the development process. In addition, guidelines for developing health DAs with respect to patient diversity and health literacy were also followed. Results: The Roadmap to Parenthood DA website prototype was systematically and iteratively developed. An extensive process of designing and developing solutions from the perspective of the end user was followed. The steps taken included formative work to identify user needs; determining goals, format, and delivery; design processes (eg, personas, storyboards, information architecture, user journey mapping, and wireframing); and content development. Additional design considerations addressed the unique needs of this patient population, including the emotional experiences related to this topic and decision-making context wherein decisions could be considered iteratively while involving a multistep process. Conclusions: The design strategies presented in this study describe important steps in the early phases of developing a user-centered resource, which will enhance the starting point for usability testing and further design modifications. Future research will pilot test the DA and a planning tool, and evaluate improvement in the decisional conflict regarding family building after cancer. Consistent with a patient-centered approach to health care, the strategies described here may be generalized and applied to the development of other patient resources and clinical contexts to optimize usability, empathy, and user engagement.
Targeting one-carbon metabolism requires mTOR inhibition: a new therapeutic approach in osteosarcoma.

The rate-limiting enzyme of serine biosynthesis, 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH), contributes to rapid growth and proliferation when it is overexpressed in cancer. We recently described th...
Sixteen miles: New users, stock dealers, and racialization in small cities

This study examines how proximate small cities in the United States that have similar socioeconomic backgrounds, disproportionately high rates of opioid overdose, but different racial demographics,...
Paternal chromosome elimination and X non-disjunction on asymmetric spindles in Sciara male meiosis

Meiosis in male Sciara is unique with a single centrosome. A monopolar spindle forms in meiosis I, but a bipolar spindle forms in meiosis II. The imprinted paternal chromosomes are eliminated in meiosis I; there is non-disjunction of the X in meiosis II. Despite differences in spindle construction and chromosome behavior, both meiotic divisions are asymmetric, producing a cell and a small bud. Observations of live spermatocytes made with the LC-PolScope, differential interference contrast optics and fluorescence revealed maternal and paternal chromosome sets on the monopolar spindle in meiosis I and formation of an asymmetric monastral bipolar spindle in meiosis II where all chromosomes except the X congress to the metaphase plate. The X remains near the centrosome after meiosis I and stays with it as the spindle forms in meiosis II. Electron microscopy revealed amorphous material between the X and the centrosome. Immunofluorescence with an antibody against the checkpoint protein Mad2 stains the centromeres of the maternal X dyad in late meiosis I and in meiosis II where it fails to congress to the metaphase plate. Mad2 is also present throughout the paternal chromosomes destined for elimination in meiosis I, suggesting a possible role in chromosome imprinting. If Mad2 on the X dyad mediates a spindle checkpoint in meiosis II, it may delay metaphase to facilitate formation of the second half spindle through a non-centrosomal mechanism.
Curium(iii) radiation-induced reaction kinetics in aqueous media.

Insight into the effects of radiolytic processes on the actinides is critical for advancing our understanding of their solution chemistry because the behaviour of these elements cannot be easily separated from the influence of their inherent radiation field. However, minimal information exists on the radiation-induced redox behaviour of curium (Cm), a key trivalent transuranic element present in used nuclear fuel and frequently used as an alpha radiation source. Here we present a kinetic study on the aqueous redox reactions of Cm(III) with radicals generated through the radiolysis of aqueous media. In particular, we probe reaction kinetics in nitric acid solutions that are used as the aqueous phase component of used nuclear fuel reprocessing solvent systems. Second-order rate coefficients (k) were measured for the reaction of Cm(III) with the hydrated electron (eaq−, k = (1.25 ± 0.03) × 1010 M−1 s−1), hydrogen atom (H˙, k = (5.16 ± 0.37) × 108 M−1 s−1), hydroxyl radical (˙OH, k = (1.69 ± 0.24) × 109 M−1 s−1), and nitrate radical (NO3˙, k = (4.83 ± 0.09) × 107 M−1 s−1). Furthermore, the first-ever Cm(II) absorption spectrum (300–700 nm) is also reported. These kinetic data dispel the status quo notion of Cm(III) possessing little to no redox chemistry in aqueous solution, and suggest that the resulting Cm(II) and Cm(IV) transients could exist in irradiated aqueous solutions and be available to undergo subsequent redox chemistry with other solutes.
Isolation and Characterization of Two Basic Internal Proteins from the T-Even Bacteriophages

Two species of basic internal proteins were found in osmotic shock supernatant solutions of bacteriophages T4B, T4D, T2H, T2L, and T6. The major species of protein isolated had a molecular weight of approximately 21,000 daltons, whereas the minor protein molecular weight was near 9,500 daltons. The two protein species exhibited unique isoelectric points and amino acid compositions. The 21,000-dalton protein of T2L showed major electrophoretic and compositional differences from the other 21,000-dalton proteins isolated. Similarities between the 21,000-dalton proteins and phage lysozyme are discussed.
The Normal Personality: A New Way of Thinking about People

1. My wife thinks something is wrong with me 2. The sixteen basic desires 3. Intensity of basic motivation 4. Normal personality types 5. Overcoming personal troubles 6. Six reasons for adolescent underachievement 7. Self-hugging and personal blind spots 8. Relationships 9. Reinterpretation of Myers-Briggs personality types 10. The sixteen principles of motivation Appendix A. Dictionary of normal personality traits Appendix B. Reiss Motivation Profile Estimator Appendix C. The sixteen basic desires at a glance.
PKC‐dependent signalling mechanisms in differentiated smooth muscle

Protein kinase C (PKC) is now known to play an important physiological role in essentially all cell types. This review will focus on what is known about the kinase in contractile differentiated smooth muscle. Current knowledge on the molecular structure of PKC isoforms will be discussed as they relate to mechanisms of translocation and targeting of the kinase within smooth muscle cells Studies performed on PKC-dependent signalling pathways in differentiated smooth muscle cells will be discussed with emphasis on studies from our laboratory, especially discussing thin filament linked pathways. Thick filament linked PKC-dependent pathways will be described in more detail elsewhere in this monograph.
Low density lipoproteins induce parasympathetic responsiveness in embryonic chick ventricular myocytes in parallel with a coordinate increase in expression of genes coding for the M2 muscarinic receptor, G alpha i2, and the acetylcholine-sensitive K+ channel.

Abstract Growth of chick atrial cells in medium supplemented with lipoprotein-depleted serum has been shown to result in an increase in total cell cholesterol, and an increase in the negative chronotropic response to muscarinic stimulation in parallel with an increase in levels of muscarinic receptors and the G-protein alpha-subunits alpha i and alpha o (Haigh, L. S., Leatherman, G. F., O'Hara, D. S., Smith, T. W., and Galper, J. B. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 15608-15618). In this study we determined whether growth of chick ventricular cells in medium supplemented with lipoprotein depleted serum could alter levels of muscarinic receptors and G-protein alpha-subunits and induce a negative chronotropic response to muscarinic stimulation. We further determined whether levels of mRNA coding for muscarinic receptors, G-proteins, and the acetylcholine-sensitive K+ channel were coordinately regulated. Growth of embryonic chick ventricular cells from hearts 14 days in ovo in medium supplemented with lipoprotein depleted serum resulted in a 21 +/- 5% (n = 3, +/- S.E.) increase in muscarinic receptor number as demonstrated by [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate binding and a 4.7 +/- 1.0 (+/- S.E., n = 4)-fold increase in G alpha i2 as demonstrated by Western blot analysis. These changes in receptor and G-protein were associated with a coordinate increase in levels of mRNA coding for the M2 muscarinic receptor, G alpha i2 and the acetylcholine sensitive K+ channel as determined by RNase protection. These increases were reversed by addition of 30 microM mevinolin, an inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase activity. Carbamylcholine (0.1 mM) had no effect on beat rate in ventricular cells grown in medium supplemented with fetal calf serum. Cells grown in medium supplemented with lipoprotein depleted serum demonstrated a 40 +/- 8% (+/- S.E., n = 10, p < 0.0001) decrease in beat rate in response to 0.1 mM carbamylcholine which was reversed by the addition of 30 microM mevinolin. These data suggest that, during growth in medium supplemented with lipoprotein depleted serum, a component of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway plays a role in the coordinate induction of mRNAs coding for receptors, G-proteins, and an effector (ion channel) that results in the induction of a parasympathetic response in the ventricular cell characteristic of the atrial phenotype.
ClC chloride channels

Chloride-conducting ion channels of the ClC family are emerging as critical contributors to a host of biological processes. These polytopic membrane proteins form aqueous pathways through which anions are selectively allowed to pass down their concentration gradients. The ClCs are found in nearly all organisms, with members in every mammalian tissue, yet relatively little is known about their mechanism or regulation. It is clear, however, that they are fundamentally different in molecular construction and mechanism from the well-known potassium-, sodium-, and calcium-selective channels. The medical importance of ClC channels - four inherited diseases have been blamed on familial ClC dysfunction to date - highlights their diverse physiological functions and provides strong motivation for further study.
A 3D navigational environment for specifying positron emission tomography volumes-of-interest

Volume of interest extraction for radionuclide and anatomical measurements requires correct identification of the anatomical feature being studied. We have developed a toolset for specifying 3D volumes-of-interest (VOIs) on a multislice Positron Emission Tomography (PET) dataset. The software is particularly suited for specifying cerebral cortex VOIs that represent a particular gyrus or mid-brain structure. A registered 3D magnetic resonance image (MRI) dataset is used to provide high-resolution anatomical information, both as oblique 2D sections and as volume renderings of a segmented cortical surface. Because most clinicians can readily identify specific sulci from high-quality renderings of the cortical surface, a crucial step in quickly identifying sulci in 2D sectional data is providing a feedback mechanism between the renderings and the section data. Our toolkit provides this mechanism by calculating a full depth map and transformation matrix for volume renderings of the cortex. A region drawing environment is then possible where the position of a main drawing cursor on a 2D section can be simultaneously mirrored on the rendered views. The feedback is further enhanced by displaying the projection of the main cursor position on any number of auxiliary 2D sections oriented at orthogonal slicing angles with respect to the principal 2D section. Complete VOIs are specified by drawing a stack of 2D contours subsequently filed together to form closed triangular mesh surface models.
Thermodynamics of binding of neutral molecules to sulfobutyl ether beta-cyclodextrins (SBE-beta-CDs): the effect of total degree of substitution.

Purpose. To understand the role of degree of substitutionon binding of molecules to β-Cyclodextrins (β-CDs) with varyingdegrees of sulfobutyl ether (SBE) substitution.
Adolescent Suicide Prevention: Acceptability of School-Based Programs among Secondary School Principals

High school principals' acceptability ratings of three school-based programs for the prevention of adolescent suicide were examined. From a random sample of members from the 1994-1995 membership directory of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), a total of 185 (40%) respondents completed the Suicide Prevention Program Rating Profile (SPPRP), a measure designed to evaluate the acceptability of suicide prevention programs, after reading a description of a particular prevention program. Programs evaluated for their acceptability included (1) curriculum-based programs presented to students, (2) in-service presentations to school staff, and (3) student self-report screening measures. The results indicated that the curriculum-based and staff in-service programs were significantly more acceptable to principals than was the schoolwide student screening program. No significant differences between the acceptability of curriculum-based and inservice programs were found. Limitations of the study and implications for practice and research are discussed.
Cultural Issues in Serving Minority Populations: Emphasis on Mexican Americans and African Americans

ABSTRACT Patients’ cultural beliefs may affect acceptance of health care, compliance, and treatment outcomes. This article discusses cultural views of health and illness, folk beliefs and customs, cultural barriers to care, and alternative health-care systems, with particular emphasis on Mexican Americans and African Americans, including curanderismo, rootwork, and voodoo. Physicians who wish to provide appropriate and acceptable care in a cross-cultural setting should integrate these beliefs with conventional medicine.
Testosterone induction of male‐typical sexual behavior is associated with increased preoptic NADPH diaphorase and citrulline production in female whiptail lizards

In rodents, male-typical copulatory behavior is generally dependent on gonadal sex steroids such as testosterone, and it is thought that the mechanism by which the hormone gates the behavior involves the gaseous neurotransmitter nitric oxide. According to one model, testosterone induces an up-regulation of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the preoptic area, increasing nitric oxide synthesis following exposure to a sexual stimulus. Nitric oxide in turn, possibly through its effect on catecholamine turnover, influences the way the stimulus is processed and enables the appropriate copulatory behavioral response. In whiptail lizards (genus Cnemidophorus), administration of male-typical levels of testosterone to females induces the display of male-like copulatory responses to receptive females, and we hypothesized that this radical change in behavioral phenotype would be accompanied by a large change in the expression of NOS in the preoptic area. As well as comparing NOS expression using NADPH diaphorase histochemistry between testosterone-treated females and controls, we examined citrulline immunoreactivity (a marker of recent nitric oxide production) in the two groups, following a sexual stimulus and following a nonsexual stimulus. Substantially more NADPH diaphorase-stained cells were observed in the testosterone-treated animals. Citrulline immunoreactivity was greater in testosterone-implanted animals than in blank-implanted animals, but only following exposure to a sexual stimulus. This is the first demonstration that not only is NOS up-regulated by testosterone, but NOS thus up-regulated is activated during male-typical copulatory behavior.
Resistance mash welding for joining of copper conductors for electric motors

Abstract The automotive industry is developing designs and manufacturing processes for a new generation of electric motors intended for use in hybrid and electric vehicles. This paper is focused on using solid-state welding to join rectangular wires in the fabrication of motor stators. Resistance welding has not typically been applied to copper due to its very high electrical conductivity; however through optimization of the current and pressure profiles, excellent quality copper-to-copper joints have been demonstrated with a technique known as resistance mash welding. A better understanding of resistance mash welding characteristics will help advancements in its application for stators. The limitations of this application will be discussed.
Thermal characteristics of high speed devices

An investigation of the ultimate limit in transistor speed has revealed that thermal effects may place a limit on device speed. A mathematical model is presented and used to study the thermal characteristics of very small transistors. The model gives the three-dimensional time dependent temperature response at any point in the region of an active device dissipating power. The physical structure and actual region of power dissipation are taken into account in the model. In addition to predicting high values of thermal spreading resistance for small devices, the model has predicted several other interesting results. The heating effect caused by the power dissipation of small devices was found to be very localized and adjacent devices in an integrated circuit are essentially thermally isolated. For example, no longer can one consider the temperature to be the same in adjacent transistors of a differential pair. Furthermore, it was found that the thermal response of both silicon and germanium devices is much slower than the electrical response. All of these results have been substantiated with laboratory measurements on small high speed devices.
Normalized predictive deconvolution - A time series algorithm for modeling human operator dynamics

A time series technique is presented for identifying the dynamic characteristics of the human operator in manual control tasks from relatively short records of experimental data. Control of the system excitation signals used in the identification is not required. The approach is a multichannel identification technique for modeling multi-input/multioutput situations. The method presented includes statistical tests for validity, is designed for digital computation, and contains a new method for the determination of model order. A comprehensive relative power spectral density analysis may also be performed for validated models and the frequency response may be estimated for the operator. This method is applied to several sets of experimental data where the results are discussed and shown to provide considerable insight into overall system behavior. New results are also presented for a multi-input task that has not been previously modeled to demonstrate the strengths of the method.