cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exotic shrubs as ephemeral ecological traps for nesting birds

Certain exotic plants may increase risk of nest predation, and, in this way, may act as ecological traps. We hypothesized that the greater vulnerability to predation was a consequence of either (1) reduced nest height due to architectural differences among plant species or (2) seasonal changes in the distribution of nests among forest strata. To test this, we examined temporal variation in nest survival of 888 nests of Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) in native substrates and two exotic shrubs (Lonicera maackii and Rosa multiflora) in Ohio, USA, 2001–2006. We evaluated evidence for an ecological trap by monitoring the annual reproductive productivity of 245 breeding pairs of cardinals. Only nests in Rosa experienced relatively constant survival rates across the season, whereas probability of survival increased over the season for nests in other substrates. Interestingly, the relative vulnerability of nests in different substrates varied across the season. Most strikingly, nests in Lonicera in early spring showed the lowest survival rates but exceeded survival rates of nests in native substrates late in the season. Nest height failed to explain seasonal changes in nest survival, as only nests in native plants significantly increased in height as the season progressed. Rather, predation risk seemed to be a function of the proportion of nests within each substrate, as illustrated by the decreased predation in Lonicera as the relative proportion of nests in native substrates increased. The patterns of temporal variation in predation risk that we detected show that impacts of Lonicera are not a function of plant architecture alone and may be related to leaf phenology, changes in nest density, nest site location, and/or nest synchrony. Examination of the reproductive productivity of cardinals showed that pairs that made their first nest attempt in Lonicera fledged 20% fewer cardinal young than birds that began the season using other substrates. Thus, we suggest that exotic plants may represent an ephemeral ecological trap for certain nesting birds, where negative effects persist only during certain periods.
Systematic review: the evidence that publishing patient care performance data improves quality of care.

Public reporting of health care system performance might cause patients to migrate to high-performing systems, creating a business case for quality improvement programs. The authors synthesized the...
A supply and demand model of co-worker, employer and customer discrimination

Abstract When racial wage differentials reflect customer, co-worker and employer discrimination, how can these sources of discrimination be theoretically and empirically distinguished? We develop a wage model fashioned around professional basketball that includes customer, employer and co-worker discrimination when there is racial integration. We find that the model is capable of: (1) predicting unexpected effects of the various types of discrimination on wages; (2) the three types of discrimination will interact nonlinearly; and (3) compensation attributable to co-worker prejudice is endogenous. Using data from the National Basketball Association, we find evidence consistent with co-worker discrimination by white players and customer discrimination by nonwhite fans.
The Transfusion Needs of an Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant Patient With IgA Deficiency

BACKGROUND: Transfusion management of the patient who is undergoing a marrow or peripheral blood stem and progenitor cell transplantation is often challenging. The situation is further complicated when the patient is IgA deficient with circulating anti-IgA. CASE REPORT: This report describes an approach to transfusion therapy primarily using red cells washed by automated techniques and cryopreserved autologous plateletpheresis components. Additional platelet support was provided with manually washed allogeneic plateletpheresis components. Autologous fresh-frozen plasma was collected concurrently, and IgA-deficient allogeneic units were ordered and kept in storage, but they were not needed during transplantation. The patient experienced no transfusion sequelae as a result of the IgA deficiency. CONCLUSION: With this approach, the transfusion needs of an IgA-deficient patient were adequately met during bone marrow transplantation.
Lipid analysis—a 20th century success?

Lipid analysis, providing an understanding of chemistry and structure, begins in Continental Europe during the 18th century. However, it necessarily takes until the mid 20th century before methodology develops sufficiently for the production of fast accurate and quantitative data. Up to 1922 analytical methodology relies on good observation and painstaking care, but only achieves bulk properties. Key early workers are Tachen and Scheele, followed by the great Chevreul, while Pelouze and Berthelot later added to his work. Thus by 1900 we had knowledge of the basic structure and composition of fat, enabling Lewkowitsch to publish manuals of data and simple analytical methodology in 1901 and 1922. Hilditch, in the UK from 1925 to 1952, much improved analytical methods and knowledge, leading to publication of the major work, The Chemical Constitution of Natural Fats. In 1951 Martin and James published the key development of gas chromatography. It led to rapid advancement of knowledge in structure, chemistry and biochemistry of lipid. Parallel and future develoments in thin layer and high performance liquid chromatography complemented this. Other developments, in particular NMR and mass spectrometry, have created an exciting completion to the success of 20th century lipid analysis. Les methodes d'analyses des lipides produisant des donnees rapides et quantitatives apparaissent au 20eme siecle. Jusqu'en 1922, les methodes analytiques reposent sur une bonne observation et des manuels de methodologie analytique simple sont publies en 1901 et 1922. La chromatographie gazeuse est developpee en 1951 et conduit a une grande avancee de la connaissance de la structure, la chimie et la biochimie des lipides. Des developpements paralleles et futurs en chromatographie sur couche mince et HPLC la complementent. D'autres developpements, en particulier les spectrometries RMN et de masse ont complete le succes des analyses des lipides au 20eme siecle.
Complementary Constraints on Light Dark Matter from Heavy Quarkonium Decays

We investigate constraints on the properties of light dark matter which can be obtained from analysis of invisible quarkonium decays at high intensity electron-positron colliders in the framework of a low energy effective field theory. A matrix element analysis of all contact operators pertinent for these meson decays allows for a model-independent calculation of associated dark-matter--nucleon scattering and dark matter annihilation cross sections. Assuming dark matter couples universally to all quark flavors, we then obtain bounds on nucleon scattering which complement direct dark matter detection searches. In contrast to similar analyses of monojet searches at high energy colliders, B and charm factories are more suitable probes of light dark matter interactions with less massive mediators. Relevant bounds on dark matter annihilation arising from gamma ray searches of dwarf spheroidal galaxies are also presented.
An equivalent gain for a multiplier with independent random inputs

This letter presents an extension of the Booton equivalent gain method to include a multiplier in a closed-loop system with random inputs. An equation is derived for the equivalent gain which minimizes the mean-squared-error between the output of the multiplier and a linear gain replacing the multiplier in one of the signal paths. A criterion is also suggested by which the validity of the approximation may be established for any particular case.
Technology-enhanced Courses and a Mode III Organization of Instructional Work

Although information technology is increasingly used to deliver distance and conventional courses, there have been few studies of the effect of technology‐enhanced education on the organization and purposes of academics’ instructional work. I explore this issue in undergraduate and masters level education through the vehicle of case analyses of technology‐rich classes taught in a public research university in the United States. What the cases illustrate is an emergent pattern of what I am calling ‘Mode III’ instructional production, in which the production of a course involves a matrix of non‐faculty support personnel, and may be oriented to commercial purposes reflective of an increasingly embedded academic capitalism in the new economy.
Behavior of Migrating Shorebirds at North Dakota Prairie Potholes

We examined diurnal time-activity budgets of American Avocets (Recurvirostra americana). Long-billed Dowitchers (Limnodromus scolopaceus), Stilt Sandpipers (Calidris himantopus). Semipalmated Sandpipers (C. pusilla), and Least Sandpipers (C. minutilla) in the Prairie Pothole Region of northwestern North Dakota during spring and fall 1994 and 1995 to evaluate the importance of prairie pothole wetlands to a variety of shorebird guilds. Long-billed Dowitchers, and Stilt, Semipalmated, and Least Sandpipers spent most of their time feeding in spring and fall. American Avocets also used prairie potholes for feeding, but other activities like locomotion, body maintenance, and sleep consumed large proportions of time. Time spent in various behaviors was similar among three diurnal (early, midday, and late) time periods during spring and fall. Avocets and dowitchers slept more during midday than early or late periods. Flock size was smaller during spring than fall in both years for American Avocets, Long-billed Dowitchers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and Least Sandpipers and in 1994 for Stilt Sandpipers. More than half of all aggressive encounters by American Avocets, Stilt Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and Least Sandpipers were intraspecific during feeding. Smaller flock sizes in spring may be related to avoidance of costly aggression in spring and/or the numbers of birds migrating through the region. The Prairie Pothole Region serves as a stopover for most shorebirds to acquire energy reserves during migration, and conservation efforts should focus on preserving and enhancing prairie potholes for foraging shorebirds.
Microwave and millimeter-wave flexible electronics

A novel method to fabricate substrate-less flexible and printable electronics for microwave and millimeter-wave applications is presented. InGaAs MHEMT technology is utilized in this work to demonstrate feasibility of the flexible electronics with bulk limited performance at microwave frequencies for the first time. The fabrication process and measurement results are discussed in detail.
Cardiac hormones eliminate some human squamous lung carcinomas in athymic mice.

Eur J Clin Invest 2010; 40 (3): 242–249 Abstract Background Four cardiac hormones synthesized by the same gene, i.e. atrial natriuretic peptide, vessel dilator, long acting natriuretic peptide and kaliuretic peptide, have anticancer effects in vitro. Materials and methods These cardiac hormones were infused subcutaneously for 28 days with weekly fresh hormones at 0·3 nM kg−1 body weight in athymic mice bearing human squamous cell carcinomas. Results Vessel dilator, atrial natriuretic peptide and kaliuretic peptide each eliminated one in six (17%) of the human squamous cell lung carcinomas. Long-acting natriuretic peptide, although it did not eliminate any of the human squamous cell lung carcinomas did decrease the volume of one carcinoma to only 2% (P < 0·0001) of the untreated carcinomas. The squamous cell lung carcinomas that were not eliminated, with the exception of the one LANP-treated tumour that decreased to only 2% of the volume of the untreated cancers, grew rapidly but their growth velocity compared to controls decreased by 76%, 40%, 38% and 25% in the vessel dilator, atrial natriuretic peptide, kaliuretic peptide and long-acting natriuretic peptide groups respectively (P < 0·05). Conclusions Three of four cardiac hormones synthesized by the atrial natriuretic peptide gene can eliminate human squamous cell lung carcinomas in athymic mice when treated subcutaneously for 4 weeks. The 4th cardiac hormone, i.e. long-acting natriuretic peptide, decreased the volume of one squamous cell lung carcinoma to 2% of that of untreated animals, suggesting that it, too, has beneficial effects on squamous cell lung cancers.
Oxygen isoelectronic impurities in ZnTe: Photoluminescence and absorption spectroscopy

Oxygen substituting for Te in ZnTe is an isoelectronic impurity that traps excitons. The recombination radiation and absorption spectra attributed to isolated oxygen centers exhibit a no-phonon line accompanied by emission of multiple phonons. The two resulting spectra are ``mirror images'' of each other in energy with respect to that of the no-phonon line. Photoluminescence and absorption measurements on specimens with significantly higher oxygen concentration disclosed additional spectral features with four no-phonon lines, all displaced to lower energies with respect to that of isolated oxygen. Photoluminescence spectra of the present no-phonon lines show a temperature dependence characteristic of exchange coupling between an electron and a hole. Selective excitation with photon energies less than that of the no-phonon line of isolated oxygen permitted a clear observation of the features free from the phonon sidebands of isolated oxygen. These features, including phonon replicas, appear to be due to excitons bound to oxygen pairs, with different OO separations.
Use of the WISC-R Performance Scale and K-ABC Non-Verbal Scale with Deaf Children in the USA and Scotland:

The WISC-R Performance Scale and the Non-verbal Scale of the K-ABC were administered to 50 severely/profoundly hearing-impaired children in the USA and to a comparable sample of 51 hearing-impaired children in Scotland. The US sample achieved scores on both instruments similar to those of the tests' standardization samples. The Scottish children achieved scores comparable to those of the US standardization samples for the WISC-R but not for the K-ABC Non-verbal Scale. The correlation between the two scales was 0.84 for the US sample and 0.71 for the Scottish sample. Factor analyses revealed only one factor associated with the subtests of each instrument for each sample and when subtests of both instruments were pooled. The use of the WISC-R Performance Scale in Scotland appeared supported by these data but use of the K-ABC merits more study.
Thermochemistry of proton containing borosilicate, aluminosilicate and gallosilicate zeolite beta

Abstract The thermochemistry of proton containing borosilicate, aluminosilicate and gallosilicate zeolites with beta topology (B-BEA, Al-BEA and Ga-BEA) is described. Thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry on these materials indicate the substitution of Al by Ga or B in the beta framework reduces the decomposition temperature. Water adsorption calorimetry directly measured the hydration enthalpies of these samples. B-BEA and Ga-BEA have less exothermic hydration enthalpies than Al-BEA. High temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry was performed to derive the formation enthalpies of hydrated samples (8.9–18.8 kJ/mol relative to oxides on TO 2 molar basis). The formation enthalpies of dehydrated phases (33.2–55.1 kJ/mol relative to oxides on TO 2 molar basis) were calculated from the formation enthalpies of hydrated phases and the hydration enthalpy.
Dynamic order parameter susceptibility in inhomogeneous superconductors

Abstract A self-consistent calculation of the configurational average of dynamic susceptibility in inhomogeneous superconductor predicts a behavior of the renormalized relaxation rate in agreement with experiment and in disagreement with conventional slowing down.
Facial nerve stimulation after cochlear implantation

Objectives: This study was designed to compare the incidence and nature of facial nerve stimulation (FNS) in patients receiving cochlear implants (CI) manufactured by Cochlear Corporation, Advanced Bionics Corporation, and MedEl. Study Design: Retrospective chart review at a tertiary referral center. Methods: The charts of 600 patients who received CIs from 1993 to 2003 with at least 1 year of follow-up were reviewed for significant FNS (FNS on at least 1 channel at functional stimulation levels). Data collected included age, sex, etiology of deafness, device type, electrode, FNS onset after initial stimulation, number and location of electrode contacts causing FNS, and loudness level at which FSN occurred. Nucleus straight and perimodiolar electrodes were also compared. Results: Thirty-nine of 600 (6.5%) patients had FNS on at least one channel, (MedEl 3 of 43 [7.0%], Nucleus 29 of 440 [6.6%], and Clarion 7 of 117 [6.0%]). The incidence of FNS in Nucleus perimodiolar electrodes (16 of 250 [6.4%]) was similar to straight electrodes (13 of 190 (6.8%]), as was the mean number of electrodes causing FNS per patient (11 vs. 12). However, straight electrodes caused stimulation at significantly softer perceived loudness levels than perimodiolar electrodes (P <.0001). Conclusions: In this large series of CI FNS, the overall incidence of FNS is consistent with previous reports. All devices had a similar incidence of FNS, but perimodiolar electrodes produced FNS only at significantly higher loudness levels than straight electrodes, making them preferable for patients at risk for FNS receiving Nucleus devices.
Probing the role of the dopamine D1 receptor in psychostimulant addiction.

: Pharmacological studies have shown that blockade of the dopamine D1 receptor attenuates locomotor behaviors and prevents sensitization to psychostimulants. However, due to possible cross-reactivities of the D1 receptor antagonists, the exact role of the D1 receptor in response to psychostimulants is still not definitive. To address this issue, we used D1 receptor mutant mice and tested locomotor responses of the mutant mice and wild-type control mice after cocaine and amphetamine treatments. We found that the D1 receptor mutant mice exhibit significantly reduced locomotor responses to repeated cocaine administration compared to wild-type mice. Moreover, D1 receptor mutant mice were less sensitive than the wild-type mice to acute amphetamine administration over a dose range, although they exhibited apparently similar behavioral responses to those of the wild-type mice after repeated amphetamine administration at the 5 mg/kg dose. These studies suggest that the D1 receptor plays an essential role in mediating cocaine-induced locomotor responses in mice. In addition, the D1 receptor also participates in behavioral responses induced by amphetamine administration. Further molecular studies are in progress to address the intracellular signaling mechanisms in response to D1 receptor activation by psychostimulants.
Neurotoxic effects of postnatal thimerosal are mouse strain dependent

The developing brain is uniquely susceptible to the neurotoxic hazard posed by mercurials. Host differences in maturation, metabolism, nutrition, sex, and autoimmunity influence outcomes. How population-based variability affects the safety of the ethylmercury-containing vaccine preservative, thimerosal, is unknown. Reported increases in the prevalence of autism, a highly heritable neuropsychiatric condition, are intensifying public focus on environmental exposures such as thimerosal. Immune profiles and family history in autism are frequently consistent with autoimmunity. We hypothesized that autoimmune propensity influences outcomes in mice following thimerosal challenges that mimic routine childhood immunizations. Autoimmune disease-sensitive SJL/J mice showed growth delay; reduced locomotion; exaggerated response to novelty; and densely packed, hyperchromic hippocampal neurons with altered glutamate receptors and transporters. Strains resistant to autoimmunity, C57BL/ 6J and BALB/cJ, were not susceptible. These findings implicate genetic influences and provide a model for investigating thimerosal-related neurotoxicity. Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication, 8 June 2004; doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4001529
HIV testing and treatment among at-risk drinking injection drug users.

Objective. To test the hypothesis that at-risk drinking is associated with a smaller probability of prior HIV testing and access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) among injection drug users (IDUs) ...
Gas sorption and diffusion in hydrogen‐bonded polymers. II. Polyethersulfone/polyhydroxyether blends

The gas sorption behavior of CO 2 , C 2 H 6 , and CH 4 , and the gas transport behavior of CO 2 and CH 4 , were examined for polyethersulfone (PES)/polyhydroxyether, and four miscible blends containing 20, 40, 60, and 80 wt % PES. The 40 wt % PES blend exhibited the lowest sorption levels and the lowest permeabilities for all of the gases. Application of the dual-mode sorption model revealed negative deviations for the Henry's law parameter k D that were larger than those observed for blends relying on van der Waals or simple polar interactions
The inheritance of morphological variation in Pileolaria pseudomilitaris (Polychaeta: Spirorbidae)

The genetic control of morphological variation (expressed as heritability) was examined by means of laboratory culture in Pileolaria pseudomilitaris. Fourteen of 22 traits examined were shown to have an appreciable genetic component, after an analysis of variance among groups of full siblings. The range of variability for several traits is as large within a single sibling group as the difference between described species in the family. Comparisons among samples of P. pseudomilitaris from two habitats revealed no consistent morphological dillerences. A similar comparison between P. pseudomilitaris and its nearest congener, I', potswaldi, indicated significant differences for 15 of 22 traits, although ranges overlapped for all bin two of these.
Role of protein kinase C isoforms in bile formation and cholestasis

Transhepatic solute transport provides the osmotic driving force for canalicular bile formation. Choleretic and cholestatic agents affect bile formation, in part, by altering plasma membrane localizations of transporters involved in bile formation. These short-term dynamic changes in transporter location are highly regulated posttranslational events requiring various cellular signaling pathways. Interestingly, both choleretic and cholestatic agents activate the same intracellular signaling kinases, such as phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase C (PKC), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). An emerging theme is that choleretic and cholestatic effects may be mediated by different isoforms of these kinases. This is most evident for PKC-mediated regulation of plasma membrane localization of Na+-taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) and multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2) by conventional PKCα (cPKCα), novel PKCδ (nPKCδ), nPKCe, and atypical PKCζ (aPKCζ). aPKCζ may mediate choleretic effects by inserting NTCP into the plasma membrane, and nPKCe may mediate cholestatic effects by retrieving MRP2 from the plasma membrane. On the other hand, cPKCα and nPKCδ may be involved in choleretic, cholestatic, and anticholestatic effects by inserting, retrieving, and inhibiting retrieval of transporters, respectively. The effects of PKC isoforms may be mediated by phosphorylation of the transporters, actin binding proteins (radixin and myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate), and Rab proteins. Human NTCP plays an important role in the entry of hepatitis B and D viruses into hepatocytes and consequent infection. Thus, PKCs, by regulating NTCP trafficking, may also play an important role in hepatic viral infections. (Hepatology 2014;60:1090–1097)
Perceptual constraints on implicit learning of spatial context

Invariant spatial relationships of objects may provide a rich source of contextual information. Visual context can assist localization of individual objects via an implicit learning mechanism, as revealed in the contextual cueing paradigm (Chun & Jiang, 1998). What defines a visual context? How robust is contextual learning? And is it perceptually constrained? Here we investigate whether both local context that surround a target, and long-range context that does not spatially coincide with a target, can influence target localization. In the contextual cueing task, participants implicitly learned a context by repeated exposure to items arranged in invariant patterns. Experiments 1 and 2 suggest that only local context facilitates target localization. However, Experiment 3 showed that longrange context can prime target location when target and context are not separated by random information. Experiment 4 showed that grouping by colour does not affect contextual cueing, suggesting that spatial features play a more important role than surface features in spatial contextual cueing. In separate analyses, visual hemifield differences were found for learning and performance. In sum, the results indicate that implicit learning of spatial context is robust across noise and biased towards spatially grouped information.
New tools for evaluating LQAS survey designs

Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) surveys have become increasingly popular in global health care applications. Incorporating Bayesian ideas into LQAS survey design, such as using reasonable prior beliefs about the distribution of an indicator, can improve the selection of design parameters and decision rules. In this paper, a joint frequentist and Bayesian framework is proposed for evaluating LQAS classification accuracy and informing survey design parameters. Simple software tools are provided for calculating the positive and negative predictive value of a design with respect to an underlying coverage distribution and the selected design parameters. These tools are illustrated using a data example from two consecutive LQAS surveys measuring Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) preparation. Using the survey tools, the dependence of classification accuracy on benchmark selection and the width of the ‘grey region’ are clarified in the context of ORS preparation across seven supervision areas. Following the completion of an LQAS survey, estimation of the distribution of coverage across areas facilitates quantifying classification accuracy and can help guide intervention decisions.
Aqueous two-phase microdroplets with reversible phase transitions

Aqueous two-phase systems contained within microdroplets enable a bottom-up approach to mimicking the dynamic microcompartmentation of biomaterial that naturally occurs within the cytoplasm of cells. Here, we demonstrate the generation of femtolitre aqueous two-phase droplets within a microfluidic oil channel. Gated pressure pulses were used to generate individual, stationary two-phase microdroplets with a well-defined time zero for carrying out controlled and sequential phase transformations over time. Reversible phase transitions between single-phase, two-phase, and core–shell microbead states were obtained via evaporation-induced dehydration and water rehydration. In contrast to other microfluidic aqueous two-phase droplets, which require continuous flows and high-frequency droplet formation, our system enables the controlled isolation and reversible transformation of a single microdroplet and is expected to be useful for future studies in dynamic microcompartmentation and affinity partitioning.
Intense geodesic acousticlike modes driven by suprathermal ions in a tokamak plasma.

Intense axisymmetric oscillations driven by suprathermal ions injected in the direction counter to the toroidal plasma current are observed in the DIII-D tokamak. The modes appear at nearly half the ideal geodesic acoustic mode frequency, in plasmas with comparable electron and ion temperatures and elevated magnetic safety factor (qmin � 2). Strong bursting and frequency chirping are observed, concomitant with large (10%–15%) drops in the neutron emission. Large electron density fluctuations (~ ne=ne ’ 1:5%) are observed with no detectable electron temperature fluctuations, confirming a dominant compressional contribution to the pressure perturbation as predicted by kinetic theory. The observed mode frequency is consistent with a recent theoretical prediction for the energetic-particle-driven geodesic acoustic mode.
A neural network method for solving pattern recognition problems in craniofacial X-ray image analysis

Summary form only given. The use of neural networks to recognize and classify craniofacial records is briefly discussed. Some recognition problems and possible solutions using neural networks are examined. >
Sarcoma Nomogram: Validation and a Model to Evaluate Impact of Therapy

v 2 T p p ALIDATION oft tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare neoplasms of mesenchyal origin with a disease specific mortality of up to 50%. he ability of physicians to accurately assess risk in patients ith STS is essential in providing effective treatment. As is one intuitively by an experienced physician, effective paient care requires the integration of various prognostic ariables to arrive at an appropriate treatment plan. This llows for reassurance of low risk patients and treatment of igh risk patients with adjuvant therapy. But the simple ounting of individual patient risk factors does not optiize the information available for prediction. A nomogram is a prognostic tool that may improve nd better direct care for individual patients. Based on rospectively followed adult patients with primary STS reated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center MSKCC), Kattan and colleagues developed a nomoram in 2002 that integrated these prognostic factors to redict sarcoma specific death (Fig. 1). Instead of rouping patients into stages, which can have remarkble variability of outcomes within a given stage, the omogram provides a more tailored outcome predicion. The nomogram is an ideal tool for primary STS as hey have multitude of prognostic factors that greatly etermine the survival of patients with these tumors. any of these important prognostic factors (histology, ite, and age) are not included in the current American oint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system. In ddition, available systemic therapy is toxic and benefiial to only a few selected high risk patients. At the time of its development, the MSKCC Sarcoma omogram was assessed for accuracy and validated on the ame cohort of patients used for its development. Although he nomogram was found to be accurate by such internal alidation, it had not been validated by an external patient ohort and thus general applicability remained unproen. Such external validation is essential, as a predictive
Feasibility of dibromochloropropane (DBCP) and trichloroethylene (TCE) adsorption onto activated carbons made from nut shells of different almond varieties

Abstract Steam-activated carbons were made from shells from five different almond varieties (‘Nonpareil,’ ‘Padre,’ Tuono,’ ‘23-122,’ and ‘Y120-74′) and from a mix of almond types. The purpose of the work was to evaluate if the composition of shells had any effect on the performance of the final product. The shells contained the same level of cellulose, but differed in their lignin and hemicellulose composition. The yield of carbon from the shells ranged from 20% to 23.5%, indicating a loss of about 80% of initial mass. Regardless of the composition, the performance of the activated carbons made from the shells was very similar in a feasibility study. The carbons were found to have a capacity of 100–105 mg/g of carbon for the two contaminants tested (dibromochloropropane and trichloroethylene). The finding that the activated carbons performed equally well, regardless of source of almond shells, suggest that that carbons could be made from almonds shells with consistent quality.
Chromosomal architecture changes upon cell differentiation

Materials and methods To analyze chromosomal architecture between cell types, it is crucial to have a consistent way of analyzing Hi-C data and removal of experimental biases. To this end we developed a comprehensive method of Iterative Correction and Eigenvector decomposition (ICE). ICE maps Hi-C reads to the genome, filters mapped reads and obtains a Hi-C map of relative contact probabilities free of experimental biases. It then decomposes the maps into a set of genomic tracks characterizing high-order chromatin organization.
Against all Odds: A Consideration of Core-Stigmatized Organizations

Studies of illegitimate organizations have failed to present consistent definitions and to recognize that illegitimate organizations persist. Drawing on the emerging organizational stigma literature, I separate recoverable event-stigma from nonrecoverable core-stigma—an extreme form of the poorly defined construct of illegitimacy. I examine the nature of core-stigma, the role of conflicting external audience evaluations that determine and express this stigma, and some organizational outcomes and responses. I end by proposing some implications for building a greater understanding of these and other illegitimate organizations and a possible agenda for future research.
A general approach to solving arbitrarily large problems in a fixed size systolic array

Solving large problems in a small systolic array is considered difficult because the data arrays that pipeline through the array have to meet at the right place at the right time. Thus, partitioning and scheduling of data arrays for systolic computation is generally performed ad hoc. A general partitioning and scheduling method for solving large problems in a small systolic array is presented. Given a systolic array and its algorithm, a scheduling program that schedules the data blocks resulting from partitioning the data arrays can be obtained in a straightforward manner from the algorithm. The method, which can be easily mechanized, is applicable to loop algorithms and systolic arrays of various structures and shapes with or without local memory. Array emulation is an effective approach to solve large problems in a small processor array efficiently. Various array emulation methods are discussed, and the partitioning and scheduling method presented is shown to be useful for array emulation also. >
Pore block versus intrinsic gating in the mechanism of inward rectification in strongly rectifying IRK1 channels.

The IRK1 channel is inhibited by intracellular cations such as Mg2+ and polyamines in a voltage-dependent manner, which renders its I-V curve strongly inwardly rectifying. However, even in excised patches exhaustively perfused with a commonly used artificial intracellular solution nominally free of Mg2+ and polyamines, the macroscopic I-V curve of the channels displays modest rectification. This observation forms the basis of a hypothesis, alternative to the pore-blocking hypothesis, that inward rectification reflects the enhancement of intrinsic channel gating by intracellular cations. We find, however, that residual rectification is caused primarily by the commonly used pH buffer HEPES and/or some accompanying impurity. Therefore, inward rectification in the strong rectifier IRK1, as in the weak rectifier ROMK1, can be accounted for by voltage-dependent block of its ion conduction pore by intracellular cations.
Brief update on hearing aids

Abstract This article provides a concise update on personal amplification (ie, hearing aids). Mention is made of popular hearing aid styles, technology, and selected special features, along with information on earmolds. Contemporary and future hearing aid alternatives are listed. Fitting concerns relating to symmetry of bilateral hearing ability, type of hearing impairment, age of hearing aid user, and the advantages of binaural hearing are reviewed.
Ethanol exposure interacts with training conditions to influence behavioral adaptation to a negative instrumental contingency

We previously reported that, in male, Long Evans rats, instrumental lever pressing that had been reinforced during limited training under a variable interval (VI) schedule by oral self-administration of a 10% sucrose/10% ethanol (10S10E) solution was insensitive to devaluation of 10S10E. In contrast, lever pressing that had been reinforced under a variable ratio (VR) schedule, or by self-administration of 10% sucrose (10S) alone, was sensitive to outcome devaluation. The relative insensitivity to outcome devaluation indicated that seeking of 10S10E by the VI-trained rats had become an instrumental habit. In the present study we employed an alternative operational definition of an instrumental habit and compared the effect of reversing the action-outcome contingency on lever press performance by rats trained under the same experimental conditions. Male Long Evans rats received daily operant training, in which lever presses were reinforced by 10S10E or 10S, under VI or VR schedules. After nine sessions of VI or VR training, rats were tested over four sessions in which the instrumental contingency was changed so that a lever press would prevent reinforcer delivery for 120 seconds. We found that rats that had been trained to lever press for 10S10E under the VR schedule showed a greater change in lever pressing across testing sessions than those that had received 10S10E reinforcement under the VI schedule. There was no such interaction with reinforcement schedule for rats that had received only 10S reinforcement during training. These findings are consistent with those of our previous study, and provide further evidence that addition of ethanol to sucrose may promote habitual responding in an instrumental task.
Experience with Short and Long Term Courses of Local Adrenal Steroid Therapy For Ulcerative Colitis: Report of 98 Cases

Summary The advantages of rectal steroid therapy in ulcerative colitis are the rapidity of clinical response and the lack of troublesome complications encountered in systemic steroid therapy. The disadvantages of such therapy include expense, inconvenience, pathologic progression in some cases in spite of therapy, and the general lack of recognition that part of some of these compounds is absorbed in some patients. Those patients responding best to this mode of therapy have involvement only of the left colon demonstrable by x-ray and mucosal changes of mild to moderate activity seen proctoscopically. However, over half of the patients with involvement of the entire colon involved achieve a favorable response; therefore, such patients need not be excluded from this type of treatment. Chronic mucosal changes and long duration of disease seem to have no effect upon the prospects for a good response. The incidence of favorable response seemed similar in all preparations used; however, the concurrent appearance of fluid retention and acne is associated with hydrocortisone hemisuccinate and prednisolone sodium succinate. The results of the present method of administering local steroid enemas compare favorably with those of others. Long term use of steroid enemas reduces the incidence of relapse partially, but has no appreciable advantage over short term therapy as demonstrated by long term follow up. Complete remissions of ulcerative colitis are accomplished and sustained less frequently with the use of adrenal steroid enemas than with systemic steroid therapy.
Weight loss on low-fat vs. low-carbohydrate diets by insulin resistance status among overweight adults and adults with obesity: A randomized pilot trial

Objective To test for differential weight loss response to low-fat (LF) vs. low-carbohydrate (LC) diets by insulin resistance status with emphasis on overall quality of both diets. Methods Sixty-one adults, BMI 28-40 kg/m(2) , were randomized in a 2 × 2 design to LF or LC by insulin resistance status in this pilot study. Primary outcome was 6-month weight change. Participants were characterized as more insulin resistant (IR) or more insulin sensitive (IS) by median split of baseline insulin-area-under-the-curve from an oral glucose tolerance test. Intervention consisted of 14 one-hour class-based educational sessions. Results Baseline % carbohydrate:% fat:% protein was 44:38:18. At 6 months, the LF group reported 57:21:22 and the LC group reported 22:53:25 (IR and IS combined). Six-month weight loss (kg) was 7.4 ± 6.0 (LF-IR), 10.4 ± 7.8 (LF-IS), 9.6 ± 6.6 (LC-IR), and 8.6 ± 5.6 (LC-IS). No significant main effects were detected for weight loss by diet group or IR status; there was no significant diet × IR interaction. Significant differences in several secondary outcomes were observed. Conclusions Substantial weight loss was achieved overall, but a significant diet × IR status interaction was not observed. Opportunity to detect differential response may have been limited by the focus on high diet quality for both diet groups and sample size.
Microbial Biofilm Community Variation in Flowing Habitats: Potential Utility as Bioindicators of Postmortem Submersion Intervals

Biofilms are a ubiquitous formation of microbial communities found on surfaces in aqueous environments. These structures have been investigated as biomonitoring indicators for stream heath, and here were used for the potential use in forensic sciences. Biofilm successional development has been proposed as a method to determine the postmortem submersion interval (PMSI) of remains because there are no standard methods for estimating the PMSI and biofilms are ubiquitous in aquatic habitats. We sought to compare the development of epinecrotic (biofilms on Sus scrofa domesticus carcasses) and epilithic (biofilms on unglazed ceramic tiles) communities in two small streams using bacterial automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis. Epinecrotic communities were significantly different from epilithic communities even though environmental factors associated with each stream location also had a significant influence on biofilm structure. All communities at both locations exhibited significant succession suggesting that changing communities throughout time is a general characteristic of stream biofilm communities. The implications resulting from this work are that epinecrotic communities have distinctive shifts at the first and second weeks, and therefore the potential to be used in forensic applications by associating successional changes with submersion time to estimate a PMSI. The influence of environmental factors, however, indicates the lack of a successional pattern with the same organisms and a focus on functional diversity may be more applicable in a forensic context.
The Influence of Internal Audit on Information System Effectiveness: Perceptions of Internal Auditors

This paper presents the results of a survey of internal auditors’ perceptions about the nature of the relationship between the information security and the internal audit functions in their organization and the effect of that relationship on their organization’s information security efforts. Internal auditors perceive that increasing the frequency with which they review some information security activities improves the quality of the relationship between the two functions. Considering their role to be that of an advisor more than a policeman also improves the quality of that relationship. However, the quality of the relationship between the internal audit and information security functions does not affect either the number of security incidents or the number of audit findings related to information security issues. Furthermore, the frequency of audit reviews of information security affects the number of audit findings related to information security, but does not affect the number of security incidents. We discuss the implications of our findings for both research and practice.
Charge asymmetry and rovibrational excitations of HD

ABSTRACTAverage values of the interparticle distances for rovibrationally excited HD+ are calculated using a method where the Born–Oppenheimer (BO) approximation is not assumed. The difference between the proton–electron and deuteron–electron distances is used to describe the charge asymmetry in the system. All-particle one-centre explicitly correlated Gaussian functions are used in the calculations of the HD+ rovibrational states. In this work, the non-BO method is extended to calculate the rovibrational states corresponding to the total rotational quantum number of two (N = 2). The algorithms for calculating the Hamiltonian and overlap matrix elements, and the matrix elements of the analytical energy gradient determined with respect to the exponential parameters of the Gaussians, are presented. The gradient is employed in the variational optimisation of the parameters, which is key in obtaining very accurate rovibrational energies in the calculations. The algorithm for calculating the average interparti...
Abstract A161: Angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonism suppresses tumor metastasis through inhibition of CCL2-CCR2 mediated monocyte recruitment

Purpose: Inflammatory monocytes have been shown to play key roles in cancer metastasis through promotion of tumor cell extravasation, seeding, growth, and angiogenesis, as well as suppression of anti-tumor immunity. Migration of inflammatory monocytes to sites of inflammation or tumor metastasis is mediated primarily via the action of the CCL2-CCR2 chemotactic axis. Thus, disruption of this axis through receptor or ligand blockade represents an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of metastatic disease. Methods: Losartan, an angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) antagonist, has been previously reported to suppress tumor growth through mechanisms associated with tumor angiogenesis and inhibition of TGF-β signaling. However, our studies also suggest an important contribution to the anti-tumor effects of losartan from monocyte migration inhibition. Therefore, we conducted studies in murine breast (4T1) and colon (CT26) carcinoma experimental pulmonary metastasis models, to determine the degree to which losartan9s anti-metastatic effect was predominantly dependent on disruption of CCL2-CCR2 mediated monocyte recruitment to tumor metastases. Results: We found that daily treatment with losartan prolonged survival, and significantly reduced metastatic burden, percentages of CD11b+/Ly6C+ lung monocytes, and tumor microvessel density in mice with 4T1 and CT26 pulmonary metastases. However, compared to pure CCR2 antagonists, our studies show that losartan does not act as a direct competitive antagonist to CCR2. Rather, in vitro assays and studies in CCR2 -\- mice indicated that losartan9s anti-metastatic effect was primarily mediated via suppression of monocyte recruitment through indirect interruption of the CCL2-CCR2 axis. Importantly, losartan proved more effective at reducing monocyte recruitment and slowing CT26 pulmonary metastatic tumor growth compared to a specific CCR2 antagonist. Conclusions: We conclude therefore that losartan exerts significant anti-metastatic activity in aggressive murine metastasis models, and that losartan9s major anti-metastatic effect is mediated by blockade of CCL2-CCR2 dependent monocyte recruitment. Thus, by virtue of its myeloid cell activity, losartan, in combination with conventional cancer therapeutics, has potential for use as an anti-metastatic agent in animals and humans at high risk for tumor metastasis. Citation Format: Daniel P. Regan, Amanda M. Guth, Ryan J. Hansen, Daniel L. Gustafson, Steven W. Dow. Angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonism suppresses tumor metastasis through inhibition of CCL2-CCR2 mediated monocyte recruitment. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A161.