cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Technetium-99m sestamibi uptake in human breast carcinoma cell lines displaying glutathione-associated drug-resistance

An in vitro study was designed to evaluate the uptake of sestamibi (MIBI) in P-glycoprotein (Pgp) and glutathione-associated (GSH) multidrug-resistant (MDR) cell lines. MIBI uptake was studied in various human breast carcinoma cell lines, i.e. in wild-type (MCF7/wt) cells, in adriamycin-resistant (MCF7/adr) cells which express Pgp and in melphalan-resistant (MCF7/mph) cells with increased levels of GSH. The effects of buthiomine sulphoximine (BSO) and verapamil on MIBI uptake were also studied in the MCF7/mph and MCF7/adr cells respectively. The cells were incubated for 1 h with a dose of 0.1 MBq thallium-201 and technetium-99m MIBI. Both MIBI and201Tl uptakes were higher for MCF7/mph cells than for the other cells studied. The mean MIBI uptake in MCF7/adr cells was significantly lower than that in MCF7/wt cells (1.9%±0.5% vs 3.1%.0.6%;P 0.1). This study suggests that the uptake of MIBI is not diminished by glutathione-associated drug resistance and that MIBI uptake in a tumour sample does not necessarily indicate that a cancer is sensitive to drugs.
Implementing the SOP for Effective Transition: Two Case Studies

This article provides two case studies of students with disabilities who are each exiting high school with a quality Summary of Performance (SOP) that enhances their successful transition to either college or employment. The authors present and discuss the essential components of the SOP for two students: one with a learning disability and a postsecondary goal of college and the other with a cognitive disability and a postsecondary goal of supported employment. Finally, the authors examine the benefits of completing quality SOPs for the student, the family, adult service providers, and employers.
An analytic Riccati solution for two-target discrete-time control

Abstract This paper analytically solves the Riccati equation of discrete optimal control with two targets and one tool. This is accomplished by reducing the problem to a nonlinear univariate dynamic equation; this can be solved by a suitable transformation of variable. Beyond its direct application to two-target economic problems, the present approach may provide insight toward the eventual solution of the general Riccati equation.
Salivary Amylase Promotes Adhesion of Oral Streptococci to Hydroxyapatite

Recent studies have demonstrated that several species of oral streptococci, such as Streptococcus gordonii, bind soluble salivary alpha-amylase. The goal of the present study was to determine if amylase immobilized onto a surface such as hydroxyapatite can serve as an adhesion receptor for S. gordonii. Initially, human parotid saliva was fractionated on Bio-Gel P60, and fractions were screened for their ability to promote adhesion of S. gordonii to hydroxyapatite. Fractions containing alpha-amylase and proline-rich proteins promoted the adhesion of [3H]-labeled S. gordonii to hydroxyapatite. Similar findings were obtained with purified amylase and acidic proline-rich protein 1 (PRP1). Incubation of S. gordonii G9B in the presence of starch and maltotriose increased the binding of this strain to amylase-coated hydroxyapatite, while the adhesion of S. sanguis 10556 to amylase-coated hydroxyapatite was not affected by these saccharides. These results suggest that amylase may serve as a hydroxyapatite pellicle receptor for amylase-binding streptococci. Furthermore, starch and starch metabolites may enhance the adhesion of amylase-binding streptococci to amylase in dental pellicles to augment the formation of dental plaque.
Free energy relationships in alkali chloride + acetone + water mixtures☆☆☆

Abstract The dependence of solute activity coefficients on composition in systems, MCl(component 1) + acetone(component 2) + water, has been investigated over a wider range of solute molalities than any salt + non-electrolyte system previously studied. The salt, MCl, was either sodium chloride or potassium chloride. A new method was used, involving cells without liquid junction, for the direct evaluation of the partial derivative, ( ∂ ln γ 1 ∂m 2 ) m 1 . The converse quantity, ( ∂ ln γ 2 ∂m 1 ) m 1 , obtained from the cross-differentiation equation, was expressed as a function of the solute molalities in the form: a + bm 1 1 2 + cm 1 + dm 2 . A comparison of these results with data in the literature suggests a possible discrepancy in previous evaluations of the limiting interaction parameter a.
Cited2: master regulator of HSC function?

Defining intracellular molecules involved in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function is important for future efforts to enhance transplantation. Toward this aim, Chen and colleagues report that Cited2, a transcriptional modifier, is necessary for mouse fetal liver hematopoiesis. Understanding
Reactions of Participants and Observers to Modes of Adjudication1

An important aspect of conflict resolution by judgment of a third party is the extent to which participants and observers are satisfied that both the procedure and the outcome are fair and impartial. Male undergaduates participated in a business simulation, which resulted in a controversy placing them in the position of defendants in a trial. An examination was then made of the effects of adversary and nonadversary procedures, prior belief about guilt, and favorableness of the judgment on participant subjects’ perceptions of the adjudication. Another group of subjects who had no prior information about the guilt or innocence of the defendent served as observers. Participant subjects viewed the adversary procedure as most fair and satisfying. They were also most satisfied with judgments resulting from the adversary procedure, independently of pretrial belief or favorableness of verdict. Participants also preferred innocent to guilty verdicts, regardless of their pretrial belief. Subjects who held a pretrial belief of innocence were particularly dissatisfied with guilty verdicts and with the nonadversary trial procedure. Observers also found the adversary procedure to be most fair, and expressed a preference for innocent verdicts.
Activation of Mitogen Activated Protein Kinases by PCB126 (3,3#,4,4#,5-Pentachlorobiphenyl) in HepG2 Cells

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants. Exposure to PCB126 (3,3#,4,4#,5-pentachlorobiphenyl), a non-ortho-chlorinated, coplanar congener has been correlated with the production of reactive oxygen species in vivo. In this report, we show that treatment of HepG2 cells with PCB126 significantly increases oxidative-stress-responsive transcription. In addition, PCB126-induced transcription is enhanced in cells depleted of glutathione. Exposure to PCB126 induces a cellular stress response in HepG2 cells that results in a significant increase in the activity of the mitogen activated protein kinases: extracellular signal regulated kinases 1/2 and p38. PCB126 exposure also causes an increase in c-Jun phosphorylation. These results suggest a model for PCB126 toxicity in which PCB126 exposure induces oxidative stress that causes an increase in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activities and a subsequent increase in c-Jun phosphorylation. Activation of c-Jun results in enhanced activating protein-1 (AP-1) activity, which leads to elevated expression of antioxidant responsive element (ARE)/AP-1dependent genes.
Two-dimensional windows

Abstract : Two-dimensional windows find applications in many diverse fields, such as the spectral estimation of random fields, the design of two-dimensional digital filters, optical apodization, and antenna array design. Many good one- dimensional windows have been devised, but relatively few two-dimensional windows have been investigated. In this paper we show that good two-dimensional windows can be obtained by rotating good one-dimensional windows. That is, if w(x) is a good symmetrical one-dimensional window, then w sub 2(x,y) = w(square root of (x squared + y squared)) is a good circularly symmetrical two- dimensional window.
The effect of redundant coding on throughput in a mobile data terminal system

Many papers have been written concerning the application of error-correcting codes to mobile data systems. However, various workers in the field continue to question the relative performance of such a scheme, prefering instead a much simpler code structure (limited error-detecting only), depending on retransmission to supply the necessary correction. This paper presents the results of an investigation designed to provide insight into the relative performance of these two schemes, and the conditions affecting that relative performance. Primary focus is on a complete system, and the effects examined include multi-path fading, terrain variations, mobile population distribution, and transmitter power vs. range. The final conclusions are a set of concise trade-off rules that very closely show the impact of the coding decision on the factors that control system cost and performance, and the limits within which these conclusions are valid.
Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in athletes with an ossicle associated with Osgood-Schlatter's disease.

We report a series of 20 athletes with an ossicle associated with Osgood-Schlatter's disease (OSD) who underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using autogenous, central-10-mm patellar-tendon graft. All patients had an Osgood-Schlatter's lesion with an ossicle as seen on a plain radiograph. The patients were reviewed at an average follow-up of 44 months (range, 24 to 108 months). The postoperative assessment included clinical examination, KT-1000 testing, isokinetic testing, and subjective score (using the modified Noyes' questionnaire). At the time of latest review, all 20 patients had a stable knee. The average side-to-side difference on manual maximum KT-1000 assessment was 1.9 mm (range, 0 to 5 mm). Average time to return to full sporting activities was 5.2 months (range, 2.6 to 8.9 months). All patients returned to their previous level of activity. The mean modified Noyes' knee score was 96 (range, 89 to 100). To date, no graft failure has occurred. Based on the results of this study, we believe that ACL reconstruction using the autogenous bone-patellar tendon-bone graft can be safely undertaken in athletes with an ossicle associated with OSD without compromising the final knee function.
Determination of sodium vinyl sulphonate in water-soluble polymers using capillary zone electrophoresis

Abstract A robust capillary zone electrophoretic (CZE) method is developed for the quantitative determination of sodium vinyl sulphonate in water-soluble polymers. At the optimum concentration a precision of ± 0.26% relative standard deviation is obtained for standard solutions whereas “real samples” show a precision of ± 1.9% relative standard deviation with recoveries of 99%. The calibration is linear at least over two orders of magnitude and a detection limit of 1 mg/l is found. The CZE method is faster, more sensitive and less prone to interference than high-performance liquid chromatography and is consequently both more precise and accurate for this determination. In addition CZE is significantly more economical to perform than high-performance liquid chromatography for this analysis.
The economics of climate change in agriculture

This paper presents a conceptual frameworkof the impact of climate change onagriculture. It assumes that climatechange will result in a fertilizationeffect and a shift of agro-ecologicalconditions away from the Equator towardsthe Poles. The agro-ecological shift islikely to reduce yield because of reducedacreage and the fertilization effect willincrease yield. The aggregate effectdepends on whichever of the two dominates. The overall effect of climate change may beless significant than its distributionaleffects and the results are consistentwith previous empirical studies. Theimpact of climate change depends on itspace. Faster changes in climate willresult in higher cost. The assessment ofthe cost has to consider that climatechange is a dynamic phenomenon that mayrequire continuous adjustment. Environmental regulation that emphasizesconservation may increase cost ofadjustment and environmental policiesshould emphasize adaptation andflexibility.
History of x-ray transients as seen by Vela, 1969-1979

During the 10-year lifetime of the x-ray detectors, the Vela spacecraft provided data on many new types of sources. Cen X-4, an exceedingly bright x-ray transient, was observed in the summer of 1969, shortly after launch, and did not return to the x-ray sky until May 1979, when it was again observed by Vela 5B. This source also produced the first of many x-ray bursts detected by Vela, the bright, hard, precursor observed on 7 July 1969. The vela gamma-ray detectors revealed the new phenomenon of gamma-ray bursts. It has recently been found that at least two gamma-ray bursts were also detected by the x-ray counters. The data produced by Vela 5B over the 7-year period May 1969 - June 1976, during which real-time tracking was reasonably complete, have been put into the form of a series of 10-day x-ray sky maps. Although the Vela x-ray detectors were relatively small (27 cm/sup 2/ effective area), they were sensitive enough to yield good data on Cen A (NCC 5128) during the period 1973-1975 when it was unusually bright and active. The Vela data show that Cen A often changed dramatically in intensity in less than 10 days. 11 references.
Reversal of cocaine sensitization-induced behavioral sensitization normalizes GAD67 and GABAA receptor α2 subunit expression, and PKC ζ activity

We have recently shown in rats that cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization can be reversed by a 5-day treatment with ondansetron given 3.5 h after daily pergolide injections. In this study we further investigated the molecular/neurochemical alterations underlying cocaine sensitization and pergolide/ondansetron-mediated reversal. Results revealed that glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD(65)/GAD(67)) is higher abundant in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) than that in the caudate and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), while GABA(A) receptor alpha2 subunit level in the NAc shell is less abundant than that in the NAc core, mPFC and caudate. Cocaine sensitization led to (1) a decrease in GAD(67) expression, an increase in total protein kinase C (PKC) zeta subtype and phosphorylated PKC zeta/lambda levels in the NAc core; (2) a decrease in GAD(67) and GABA(A) receptor alpha2 subunit expression, and an increase in phosphorylated PKC zeta/lambda levels in the NAc shell; (3) an increase in GAD(67) expression in the caudate. Importantly, pergolide/ondansetron treatment reversed these alterations. These results suggest that reversal of cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization is associated with reversal of region-specific changes in GABA function and PKC activity in the striatum.
Determination of Serum Phospholipid Metabolic Profiles by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract A method for the separation of serum phospholipid molecular species by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography is described. Total serum phospholipid extracts were hydrolyzed with phospholipase C and benzoylated, and the resulting monoglyceride, diglyceride, and ceramide derivatives were separated by using gradient elution with detection at 230nm. Both human and rat serum phospholipid extracts were examined, and the use of this method for the evaluation of serum phospholipid metabolic alterations accompanying exposure to an environmental toxicant (polybrominated biphenyls) is described.
OptZyme: computational enzyme redesign using transition state analogues.

OptZyme is a new computational procedure for designing improved enzymatic activity (i.e., kcat or kcat/KM) with a novel substrate. The key concept is to use transition state analogue compounds, which are known for many reactions, as proxies for the typically unknown transition state structures. Mutations that minimize the interaction energy of the enzyme with its transition state analogue, rather than with its substrate, are identified that lower the transition state formation energy barrier. Using Escherichia coli b-glucuronidase as a benchmark system, we confirm that KM correlates (R 2 =0.960) with the computed interaction energy between the enzyme and the para-nitrophenyl- b, D-glucuronide substrate, kcat/KM correlates (R 2 =0.864) with the interaction energy of the transition state analogue, 1,5-glucarolactone, and kcat correlates (R 2 =0.854) with a weighted combination of interaction energies with the substrate and transition state analogue. OptZyme is subsequently used to identify mutants with improved KM ,k cat, and kcat/KM for a new substrate, para-nitrophenyl- b ,D galactoside. Differences between the three libraries reveal structural differences that underpin improving KM ,k cat ,o r kcat/KM. Mutants predicted to enhance the activity for para-nitrophenyl- b, D-galactoside directly or indirectly create hydrogen bonds with the altered sugar ring conformation or its substituents, namely H162S, L361G, W549R, and N550S.
Compassion and Moral Worth

Mon projet est de montrer qu'une meilleure comprehension de la position de Kant sur la valeur morale et sur le role de la compassion revele que les objections soulevees par les theoriciens contemporains de la psychologie morale et par les feministes ne sont pas fondees, et que la position de Kant sur ces questions n'est pas du tout contre-intuitive. D'autres on dej´ soutenu que Kant accorde un role important a la compassion et que sa presence, pour lui, ne diminue pas la valeur morale des actions, mais je soutiens, plus positivement, que la presence de la compassion, pour Kant, est la marque d'une personne qui a progresse vers I'ideal, inaccessible et pourtant necessaire, de la vertu morale et que la personne ideale de Kant est quelqu'un qui agit par devoir et qui a developpe un sens aigu de la compassion.
Happy or not: Generating topic-based emotional heatmaps for Culturomics using CyberGIS

The field of Culturomics exploits “big data” to explore human society at population scale. Culturomics increasingly needs to consider geographic contexts and, thus, this research develops a geospatial visual analytical approach that transforms vast amounts of textual data into emotional heatmaps with fine-grained spatial resolution. Fulltext geocoding and sentiment mining extract locations and latent “tone” from text-based data, which are combined with spatial analysis methods — kernel density estimation and spatial interpolation — to generate heatmaps that capture the interplay of location, topic, and tone toward narrative impacts. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach, the complete English edition of Wikipedia is processed using a supercomputer to extract all locations and tone associated with the year of 2003. An emotional heatmap of Wikipedia's discussion of “armed conflict” for that year is created using the spatial analysis methods. Unlike previous research, our approach is designed for exploratory spatial analysis of topics in text archives by incorporating multiple attributes including the prominence of each location mentioned in the text, the density of a topic at each location compared to other topics, and the tone of the topics of interest into a single analysis. The generation of such fine-grained emotional heatmaps is computationally intensive particularly when accounting for the multiple attributes at fine scales. Therefore a CyberGIS platform based on national cyberinfrastructure in the United States is used to enable the computationally intensive visual analytics.
Volumetric Assessment of Pulmonary Nodules with ECG-Gated MDCT

OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to assess physiologic lung deformation and compression originating from cardiovascular motion and their subsequent impact on determining the volume of small pulmonary nodules throughout the cardiac cycle on ECG-gated MDCT.SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Seventy-three small noncalcified pulmonary nodules were identified in 30 patients who underwent ECG-gated MDCT. The volume of each nodule was assessed throughout the cardiac cycle using computer-aided automatic segmentation algorithms, and the assessment was repeated three times. To ensure the validity of the subtle changes in volume that were detected, we determined the volume and signal attenuation in phantom data sets and patient nodules without temporal or spatial differentiation. Subsequently, nodules were assigned to pulmonary segments, and volume changes were correlated to cardiac phases, nodular location, and mean nodular size. Statistical multivariate tests were performed to evaluate significant patterns.RESULTS. Th...
Lower doses of isoflurane treatment has no beneficial effects in a rat model of intracerebral hemorrhage

Background: Intracerebral hemorrhage is a subtype of stroke that has a poor prognosis without an adequate therapy. Recently, the use of anesthetics such as isoflurane has been shown to be protective after cerebral ischemia. However, the potential therapeutic effect of isoflurane after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has not been fully explored. Results: In this study, male Sprague–Dawley rats (SD) were subjected to ICH and randomized into controls and 1.2% or 1.5% isoflurane posttreatment groups. Brain water content, neurological outcomes and matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 (MMP2-MMP9) plasma levels were quantified at 24 hours. Isoflurane treatment did not reduce brain edema compared with controls in any of the applied isoflurane concentrations. Moreover, consistent with this lack of effect on brain edema, isoflurane posttreatment did not affect neurological outcomes in any of the tests used. Plasma MMP levels did not change.
Multielement, Fractional Turn Helices

Two new resonant antennas are discussed: 1) A bifilar helix with antiphase feed that radiates a \sin \theta shaped, circularly polarized pattern with the null perpendicular to the helical axis; and 2) a quadrafilar helix with feed currents in quadrature that radiates a cardiod shaped, circularly polarized pattern.
Systems of classical interacting particles with nonvanishing Lyapunov exponents

We present a unified approach to the only two systems of many interacting particles for which nonvanishing of (some) Lyapunov exponents was established in all of the phase space
Impact of an interprofessional international experience abroad on the attitudes of health care professional students

Abstract Objective To measure health care professional students' attitudes toward international experiential learning and the role of pharmacists on an interprofessional international experience (IIE). Methods An electronic survey instrument was distributed to all health professional students from the Midwestern University Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, Pharmacy, Dental Medicine, Optometry, and Podiatric Medicine participating in an IIE to Guatemala between 2010 and 2013. Results Of the 64 participants, 49 (77%) responded to the survey. Overall, students' ratings of their ability to learn curricular outcomes improved. The most improvement was seen with student's sense of civic and social responsibility, students with intermediate Spanish-speaking ability ( p = 0.03), with female students ( p = 0.06), and students who initially felt the experience would not change their values/beliefs ( p = 0.06). Interdisciplinary collaboration was rated the most valuable aspect of the experience (79%). Pharmacists were deemed to be accessible educators (61%) and are an important part of the interprofessional team (42%). Conclusion IIEs expand interprofessional collaboration between students, improve student's sense of civic and social responsibility, and promote an optimal environment for education and professional development.
Measuring Religious Involvement

This paper critically reviews some of the more prominent typologies of religious involvement and finds that there are specific problems of definition and classification with existent schemes. An attempt is made to synthesize the work of others in a new typology of religious involvement. It is suggested that religious involvement can have four general orientations: (1) supernatural (2) communal (3) cultural (4) interpersonal. Each of these orientations can be manifested in a behavioral or ideational manner. Within this framework, nine dimensions and three subdimensions of religious involvement are proposed. A factor analysis of data gathered from a sample of Jewish adults in Chicago, Illinois lent general support for the scheme presented here. Contrary to the emphasis in much of the research on Christianity, behavioral rather than ideational dimensions accounted for most of the total variance in religious involvement. The 1960s were good years for the sociology of religion. With the renewed interest in religion, there has been, understandably, much interest in arriving at adequate definitions of religion and religiosity. As the research in the sociology of religion proliferated, so did the typologies of religious involvement and the number of dimensions within those typologies. The field moved from simple unidimensional scales to complex multidimensional scales. Thus, Wach (1944) proposed three factors of religious commitment; Lenski (1961) suggested that there are really four. Glock and Stark (1965) elaborated upon Fukuyama (1960) and proposed five dimensions of religious involvement. Their typology has probably generated more research in this area than any other scheme. Clayton (1971) was able to scale the Glock and Stark dimensions of religious involvement. King (1967) proposed nine dimensions, but later, along with Hunt (1969) suggested that there are really eleven. Most recently (1972), however, they decided that ten dimensions look best. While contemplating the similarities and differences between theoretically plausible typologies, we have attempted to clarify matters by empirical verification. These schemes have been correlated, scalogrammed, factored and analyzed in almost every way possible; with each researcher presenting his method of empirical verification with his own criteria of truth. Anyone who has spent some time building scales empirically knows that they can be shaped, condensed, and tailored to fit many different conceptual schemes. Furthermore, if you change the sample, you might have to change the scales. Consequently, attempts at empirical verification have added to the confusion about the number of religious involvement dimensions. Perhaps, then, what is needed first and foremost is a clear conceptual scheme. This paper will critically review some of the more prominent typologies of religious involvement, suggest a new typology which systematically attempts to synthesize the others, and finally present some empirical verification of the proposed typology. REVIEWING TYPOLOGIES OF RELIGIOUS
Observation of Large Low Field Magnetoresistance in Ramp-Edge Tunneling Junctions Based on Doped Manganite Ferromagnetic Electrodes and A SrTiO3 Insulator

The authors report the fabrication of ferromagnet-insulator-ferromagnet junction devices using a ramp-edge geometry based on (La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3})MnO{sub 3} ferromagnetic electrodes and a SrTiO{sub 3} insulator. The multilayer thin films were deposited using pulsed laser deposition and the devices were patterned using photolithography and ion milling. As expected from the spin-dependent tunneling, the junction magnetoresistance depends on the relative orientation of the magnetization in the electrodes. The maximum junction magnetoresistance (JMR) of 30% is observed below 300 Oe at low temperatures (T < 100 K).
Limited Gene Misregulation Is Exacerbated by Allele-Specific Upregulation in Lethal Hybrids between Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans

Misregulation of gene expression is often observed in interspecific hybrids and is generally attributed to regulatory incompatibilities caused by divergence between the two genomes. However, it has been challenging to distinguish effects of regulatory divergence from secondary effects including developmental and physiological defects common to hybrids. Here, we use RNA-Seq to profile gene expression in F1 hybrid male larvae from crosses of Drosophila melanogaster to its sibling species D. simulans. We analyze lethal and viable hybrid males, the latter produced using a mutation in the X-linked D. melanogaster Hybrid male rescue (Hmr) gene and compare them with their parental species and to public data sets of gene expression across development. We find that Hmr has drastically different effects on the parental and hybrid genomes, demonstrating that hybrid incompatibility genes can exhibit novel properties in the hybrid genetic background. Additionally, we find that D. melanogaster alleles are preferentially affected between lethal and viable hybrids. We further determine that many of the differences between the hybrids result from developmental delay in the Hmr(+) hybrids. Finally, we find surprisingly modest expression differences in hybrids when compared with the parents, with only 9% and 4% of genes deviating from additivity or expressed outside of the parental range, respectively. Most of these differences can be attributed to developmental delay and differences in tissue types. Overall, our study suggests that hybrid gene misexpression is prone to overestimation and that even between species separated by approximately 2.5 Ma, regulatory incompatibilities are not widespread in hybrids.
Hormone Therapy of Premature Ovarian Failure : The Case for Natural Estrogen

Ovarian hormones play an important role in women’s health, providing the most reliable and convenient means of contraception and of relieving menopausal symptoms.1,2 Hormone therapy also has other benefits, eg, regulation of menstrual irregularities and relief of dysmenorrhea in menstruating women and prevention of vulvovaginal atrophy and osteoporosis/fractures in postmenopausal women. In addition, natural estrogens, principally 17β-estradiol, and natural progesterone (but not synthetic progestins) have biological effects that protect the vasculature from oxidative and inflammatory injury and prevent cardiovascular disease.3 These functions have been adduced by some to account for the 10- to 15-year delay in presentation of clinical cardiovascular disease and events in women compared with men. In contrast to the unquestioned benefits of endogenous ovarian hormones, hormone therapy of women with ovarian failure, whether naturally occurring or surgically induced, continues to be a topic of active debate in the scientific and popular literature. Although observational studies have shown substantial (≈50% reduction in coronary heart disease) benefit of menopausal hormone therapy (also referred to as “menopausal hormone replacement therapy” or “hormone replacement therapy”) in women who choose to take them (usually beginning treatment in the perimenopausal or early postmenopausal period), randomized, controlled trials have not confirmed a cardioprotective effect and have even shown evidence of harm. Accordingly, current guidelines do not recommend use of menopausal hormone therapy for the prevention or treatment of cardiovascular disease in women. Important limitations of the available randomized, controlled trials are that they typically enrolled women who were >60 years of age and, thus, were ≥10 years postmenopause and that they typically used nonphysiological hormone preparations, eg, conjugated equine estrogen and the synthetic progestin medroxyprogesterone …
The role of CD8+ T-cell replicative senescence in human aging.

The strict limit in proliferative potential of normal human somatic cells - a process known as replicative senescence - is highly relevant to the immune system, because clonal expansion is fundamental to adaptive immunity. CD8 + T cells that undergo extensive rounds of antigen-driven proliferation in cell culture invariably reach the end stage of replicative senescence, characterized by irreversible cell-cycle arrest and a critically short telomere length. Cultures of senescent CD8 + T cells also show resistance to apoptosis, permanent loss of CD28 expression, altered cytokine profiles, reduced ability to respond to stress, and various functional changes. Cells with similar characteristics accumulate during normal aging as well as in younger persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus, suggesting that the process of replicative senescence is not an artifact of cell culture but is also occurring in vivo. Interestingly, in elderly persons, the presence of high proportions of CD8 + T cells with characteristics of replicative senescence is correlated with reduced antibody responses to vaccines as well as with osteoporotic fractures. CD8 + CD28 - T cells also accumulate in patients with certain types of cancer. The emerging picture is that senescent CD8 + T cells may modulate both immune and non-immune functions, contributing not only to reduced anti-viral immunity but also to diverse age-related pathologies.
Tenderness and Sympathy: Distinct Empathic Emotions Elicited by Different Forms of Need

Current need and vulnerability are two different forms of need. Integrating (a) cognitive-appraisal theories of emotion with (b) a view of human parental nurturance as emotionally based and cognitively generalizable, this article proposes that these two forms of need elicit distinct empathic emotions: Vulnerability evokes feelings of tenderness, whereas current need evokes feelings of sympathy. Results of two experiments support this proposal. Vulnerable targets elicited tenderness even when there was no current need; nonvulnerable targets did not. Sympathy was low when there was no evidence of current need but high when there was evidence of current need. Other forms of need and other empathic emotions are proposed, as are motivational and behavioral consequences of the distinction between tenderness and sympathy.
A second-generation anthrax "smoke detector"

We have demonstrated quantification of aerosolized bacterial spores with a response time of 10 minutes, a sensitivity of 50 spores per liter of air, and a dynamic range of 4 orders of magnitude using a bioaerosol sampler, thermal spore lysis, and a lifetime-gated fluorimeter. This technology is amenable to complete automation and enables long-term, unattended monitoring for airborne bacterial spores. The anthrax spore detector (ASD) technology is envisioned to serve as a front-end monitor that promises tremendous reduction in operating costs for anthrax monitoring at the U.S. Postal Service.
Sonographers and the Fight Against Nosocomial Infections: How Are We Doing?

An investigation was conducted to determine how well sonographers clean transducers and other sonography-related equipment. Previous studies have shown that cross-contamination is possible between patients during a sonogram and may lead to nosocomial infections. The potential for infecting patients is now common knowledge, so research was conducted to establish how well sonographers are sterilizing the equipment. The equipment from the sonography departments of six hospitals and clinics was tested for the presence of bacteria and fungi. Growth was present at every facility. Although only normal skin flora, including yeast, were isolated, sonographers must be more diligent in the prevention of cross-contamination in patients.
Toward actionable, broadly accessible contests in software engineering

Software Engineering challenges and contests are becoming increasingly popular for focusing researchers' efforts on particular problems. Such contests tend to follow either an exploratory model, in which the contest holders provide data and ask the contestants to discover ``interesting things'' they can do with it, or task-oriented contests in which contestants must perform a specific task on a provided dataset. Only occasionally do contests provide more rigorous evaluation mechanisms that precisely specify the task to be performed and the metrics that will be used to evaluate the results. In this paper, we propose actionable and crowd-sourced contests: actionable because the contest describes a precise task, datasets, and evaluation metrics, and also provides a downloadable operating environment for the contest; and crowd-sourced because providing these features creates accessibility to Information Technology hobbyists and students who are attracted by the challenge. Our proposed approach is illustrated using research challenges from the software traceability area as well as an experimental workbench named TraceLab.
Synthesis-dependent microhomology-mediated end joining accounts for multiple types of repair junctions

Ku or DNA ligase 4-independent alternative end joining (alt-EJ) repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) frequently correlates with increased junctional microhomology. However, alt-EJ also produces junctions without microhomology (apparent blunt joins), and the exact role of microhomology in both alt-EJ and classical non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) remains unclear. To better understand the degree to which alt-EJ depends on annealing at pre-existing microhomologies, we examined inaccurate repair of an I-SceI DSB lacking nearby microhomologies of greater than four nucleotides in Drosophila. Lig4 deficiency affected neither frequency nor length of junctional microhomology, but significantly increased insertion frequency. Many insertions appeared to be templated. Based on sequence analysis of repair junctions, we propose a model of synthesis-dependent microhomology-mediated end joining (SD-MMEJ), in which de novo synthesis by an accurate non-processive DNA polymerase creates microhomology. Repair junctions with apparent blunt joins, junctional microhomologies and short indels (deletion with insertion) are often considered to reflect different repair mechanisms. However, a majority of each type had structures consistent with the predictions of our SD-MMEJ model. This suggests that a single underlying mechanism could be responsible for all three repair product types. Genetic analysis indicates that SD-MMEJ is Ku70, Lig4 and Rad51-independent but impaired in mus308 (POLQ) mutants.
Replayable voting machine audit logs

Audit logs are an important tool for post-election investigations, in the event of an election dispute or problem. We propose a new approach to logging that is designed to provide a record of all interactions between each voter and the voting machine. Our audit logs provide a comprehensive, trustworthy, replayable record of essentially everything the voter saw and did in the voting booth, providing investigators a tool for reconstructing voter intent and diagnosing election problems. We show how our design preserves voter anonymity and protects against vote-buying and coercion. We implement a prototype logging subsystem, built on the Pvote voting platform, and demonstrate that the approach is feasible.
Endocrine influences upon esterase activity of rat bone marrow.

IT IS now established that endocrine factors exert a regulatory influence on the numbers and types of cells within the circulating blood and blood-forming organs (Gordon and Charipper, 1947; Daughaday, Williams, and Daland, 1948; Gordon, 1954, 1955). Recently, attention has turned to the alterations induced in the metabolism of bone marrow and leucocytes by a variety of factors, including those of endocrine origin (Beck and Valentine, 1953; Gordon, 1954, 1955; Martin, McKinney, and Green, 1955). In this connection, Evans and Bird (1949) have suggested that fat plays an important role in normal rabbit bone marrow and have demonstrated that marrow has the ability to utilize fat in the absence of carbohydrate. Evans (1952) has shown recently that rabbit bone marrow displays a high degree of esterase activity when compared to other tissues of the same animal. It has been found that polymorphonuclear leucocytes, obtained from peritoneal exudates, contain an enzyme capable of hydrolyzing tributyrin and methyl b...
Splenic Preservation and Splenic Trauma

Injuries to the spleen, when patients are hemodynamically stable. Hemodynamic instability Life-threatening concomitant injuries which are likely to cause hemodynamic compromise in the postoperative period, e.g., severe liver injuries or significant pelvic fractures Coagulopathy — the most common cause of coagulopathy in this patient group is hypothermia Grade V injuries or the pulverized spleen
Community college student-parents: priorities for persistence

AbstractThis study of community college student-parents used interpretive phenomenological analysis of interview data contributed by 15 participants from three Mountain West Community Colleges. The participants qualified by the following criteria: had delayed college entrance by 2 years or more, had a child not yet in kindergarten, were full-time students in an associate degree program, worked part-time, and had 15 credits or more toward their degree. This study revealed what it meant for student-parents to have success while they addressed the challenges of balancing work, home, child care, and academic responsibilities. The student-parents described experiences that required prioritizing responsibilities, managing time effectively, securing needed support services, addressing stress, developing strategies for study and parenting, and maintaining a positive mindset. The findings include quotations that describe the challenges of each student-parent; whether individually unique, conflicting, or shared by ...
Insider Trading as Private Corruption

Deep confusion reigns over federal insider trading law, even over the essential elements of an insider trading violation. On the one hand, this uncertainty seems to have encouraged the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and some lower courts to push the boundaries well beyond the limits previously established by the U.S. Supreme Court. On the other hand, influential academics continue to express normative skepticism as to why there is even a ban on insider trading at all. Without a satisfying theory of what constitutes insider trading and why it is wrong, doctrinal development in the lower courts has reached a crisis, with the economic stakes only getting higher. This Article offers a new theory of insider trading law. It maintains that insider trading is a form of private corruption, defined as “the use of an entrusted position for self-regarding gain.” The corruption theory not only provides answers to the normative skeptics but, as compared to the two leading alternatives, the property theory and the unjust enrichment theory, more closely aligns with the core features of the received insider trading doctrine. And, on careful analysis, the corruption theory reveals an implicit and previously unappreciated coherence to the doctrine. Finally, the corruption theory provides relatively concrete guidance in hard cases, which is the sort of pragmatic theory that the SEC and the courts desperately need.
A geometric interpretation of the Ahlfors-Weill mappings and an induced foliation of H3

In a 1962 paper [1] Ahlfors and Weill showed that a large class of univalent functions F ∞: Δ → \( \hat{C} \)= ℂ∪∞ can be extended to quasiconformal self-maps A∞:\( \hat{C} \)→ \( \hat{C} \) as homeomorphisms of the entire sphere. The extension was obtained by illustrating quasiconformal homeomorphisms F 0: Δ → \( \hat{C} \)whose images are precisely\( \hat{C} \)\cl(F ∞ (Δ)). Both F 0 and F ∞ extend to ∣z∣ = 1 and agree there. Herein it will be shown that both F ∞ and F 0 are special cases of a more general collection of maps F t : Δ → cl(H3) =H3 ∪ \( \hat{C} \)where \( \hat{C} \) = ∂H3. The maps F t occur in a study of the ODE g″ + Sg = 0 on Δ and give rise to a foliation of cl(H3) by 2-disks all agreeing on [z] = 1.
Native and non-native shrub post-transplant performance under low-volume irrigation in three hardiness zones.

Previous research on #3 nursery container-grown shrubs suggests that some common shrub species could be established in the Florida landscape under natural rainfall when irrigated with 3 L of water every 4 days in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 8b and 9a or every 2 days in zone 10b until first roots reached the canopy edge ( 20 weeks after planting). The current study evaluated the effects of these irrigation frequency recommendations on plant vigor, canopy growth, root growth, and aesthetic quality of 21 common landscape shrub species (10 Florida native and 11 non-native) planted in Florida in zones 8b, 9a, or 10b. Data suggests that it may be appropriate to adopt the 20-week low-volume irrigation recommendations for the establishment of a wide variety of containergrown Florida native and non-native shrubs. However, Florida native and nonnative shrubs should be monitored for symptoms of drought stress for 2 years after planting.
Multivariate outcomes in a three week bimanual self-telerehabilitation with error augmentation post-stroke

We present the outcomes of a study on stroke patients in a 3-week intervention of bimanual self-telerehabilitation. This training is similar to an upper-extremity treadmill in that patients can make use of their healthy arm to provide a cue for the more impaired arm. We further inspected a cohort that covertly received error augmentation training while they practiced. Finally, we focused here on the many quantitative measures available from the robotic device, testing if these measures collectively can predict outcome on the final day. We found in a cross-validation study that predictions are possible, yielding median r-squared values over 99%. Several particular measures were found to dominate their contribution to the prediction of recoverability. These results show that interactive self-rehabilitation may be a viable method for motor restoration, and the quantitative metrics available can be used to predict the eventual state of recovery.
Salmon Poisoning Disease of Canines. II. Further Observations on Etiologic Agent

SummaryTo elucidate the method of persistence of the rickettsialike agent of salmon poisoning disease of dogs, Neorickettsia helminthoeca, the authors failed to infect dogs in 2 tests by injection of eggs laid by flukes from infected dogs. In 5 tests by injection of dogs with fluke stages from dissected livers of Oregon snails, 3 resulted negatively, while in 2 others, the dogs developed characteristic severe infections, confirmed pathologically, after unusually prolonged incubation periods. Flukes and node tissues from antibiotic-treated, recovered dogs, and flukes from a refractory raccoon were shown to remain infectious. As little as 250 mg (one commercial capsule at one feeding) of aureomycin or terramycin were shown to save 15-pound beagles when given as late as the fourth day of fever compared to fatal infections in controls. In one titration experiment, node suspension was found to be infectious in a dilution of 10-6.7. Although the agent has been assigned to the Rickettsiaceae, it appears genetica...
Some Properties of Completely Multiplicative Arithmetical Functions

(1971). Some Properties of Completely Multiplicative Arithmetical Functions. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 78, No. 3, pp. 266-271.
Solid-State Area Light Sources and Lighting Solutions for Office Applications

Solid state lighting is expected to replace fluorescent lighting in offices in the next decade. Innovative solutions using edge-lit and direct-lit light sources, context-aware controls, and daylighting will increase efficiency and enhance user experience.