cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Foreign body reaction to dimethylpolysiloxane (Sila stic): report of case

This report reiterates the need to elicit a detailed history. In this instance, a 42-year-old woman had a biopsy of what was actually a foreign body-type granuloma reaction to multiple injections of dimethylpolysiloxane in the affected region.
Expression of a constitutive cytochrome P450 (CYP2K1) in livers of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) embryo and sac-fry

Abstract The hepatic expression of a recently reported cytochrome P450, P450 2K1 (CYP2K1), was studied in livers of rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) 30 day embryos (1 day before hatching) and 2 day and 10 day sac-fry at both the transcriptional and translational levels using a CYP2K1 cDNA probe (2K1,7c, 440 bp) and antibodies (polyclonal and monoclonal) against rainbow trout cytochrome P450 LMC2, the presumed translational product of the CYP2K1 gene, as probes for Northern and Western blots, respectively. The P450 LMC2 isoform was previously identified as a constitutive carcinogen-activating P450 present in the livers of adult rainbow trout. Simultaneous recovery of RNA, DNA and protein was accomplished by extraction of the same pooled liver tissues removed from the trout embryos and sac-fry by microdissection. The concentrations of both hepatic CYP2K1 mRNA and protein (LMC2) increased with embryo and sac-fry development. Comparison of the levels of the LMC2-like protein (translational expression of CYP2K1) using mouse anti-trout LMC2 monoclonal antibody (3M1) as a probe in 30 day embryo, 2 day sac-fry, 10 day sac-fry and 1-year-old trout liver yielded values of 0.035 pmol μg −1 DNA, 0.08 pmol μg −1 DNA, 0.12 pmol μg −1 DNA and 0.90 pmol μg −1 DNA, respectively.
Estimating Insecticide Application Frequencies: A Comparison of Geometric and Other Count Data Models

The number of insecticide applications made by an apple grower to control an insect infestation is modeled as a geometric random variable. Insecticide efficacy, rate per application, month of treatment, and method of application all have significant impacts on the expected number of applications, The number of applications to control a given insect population is dependent on the probability of achieving successful control with a given application. Results suggest that northeastern growers have the highest and mid-Atlantic growers the lowest probability of controlling an infestation with a given application. Results also indicate that scales require the least and moths the most number of applications. Growers are not responsive to per unit insecticide prices, but respond negatively to insecticide toxicity, supporting findings from previous pesticide demand analyses.
How Much Cleaning is Needed When Processing Otoliths from Fish Larvae for Microchemical Analysis

AbstractOtolith microchemistry is a widely used tool in fish ecology and fisheries management. Cleaning-protocol assessments are lacking, however, especially for larval fish otoliths, which are more fragile and difficult to manipulate than larger otoliths. Herein, we assess the value of cleaning larval fish otoliths with sonication, a commonly used technique that is time consuming and risks loss or breakage of small otoliths, as well as with a lesser-known technique using a low-power laser cleaning pulse (LPLCP). We measured trace elements in larval Walleye Sander vitreus reared in different water strontium concentrations. Strontium and Ba did not differ among any cleaning treatments, indicating that neither sonication nor a LPLCP is necessary. Likewise, Mn did not differ between sonicated and nonsonicated treatments; however, Mn was lower when a LPLCP was used. We suggest omitting the sonication step when preparing otoliths for trace element analysis of Sr, Ba, Mn, and other trace elements found in high ...
Nonprescription medication use in patients with heart failure: assessment methods, utilization patterns, and discrepancies with medical records.

Abstract Background The use of over-the-counter products, herbals, and vitamins or supplements (collectively termed “nonprescription medications”) is common among individuals with cardiovascular disease. We sought to determine patterns and predictors of nonprescription medication use and assessed whether different survey methodology may result in variable patient reporting of these products. Methods and Results We surveyed 161 patients with heart failure. The first 80 participants were provided a written survey to complete during their clinic appointment, and the next 80 age-matched participants met with study personnel for survey administration via face-to-face interview. Over-the-counter product use was reported by 88% of participants, whereas 34.8% took herbal supplements, and 65.2% took vitamins or supplements. Users of nonprescription medications were older, more likely to have an ischemic etiology, and concomitant chronic conditions. No differences in reporting were noted for patient versus provider-administered surveys. Discrepancies between survey and medical record data were common (40.4%), occurring most frequently with nonprescription aspirin, proton pump inhibitors, magnesium, and acetaminophen. Conclusions The majority of study participants used nonprescription medications, and often did not report usage to health care providers. Patient education regarding importance of disclosure of nonprescription medications is crucial, as is consistent querying of use by heart failure providers.
Heroin Use among Adolescents: A Multi-Theoretical Examination

Criminological examination of substance use is common in the extant literature; however, little research has examined heroin use among adolescents. Recent trends in drug use indicate a rise of heroin among adolescents indicating a need to provide theoretical explanations of this phenomenon. This study examines the efficacy of social learning theory and social bond theory to explain heroin use. The study uses a nationally representative sample of adolescents from the Monitoring the Future Survey (N = 2,465). The results support the central arguments from social structure social learning theory. First, the results show that social structure components have links with heroin use. Second, the results show that social learning theory mediates the effect of social structure measures on heroin use. The results are discussed.
Resident Characteristics Related to the Lack of Morning Care Provision in Long-term Care

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine usual long-term care (LTC) practices related to 3 aspects of morning care and determine if there were resident characteristics related to the lack of care. Design ancl Methods: Participants were 169 long-stay residents in 4 community LTC facilities who required staff assistance with either transfer out of bed, dressing, and/or incontinence care and were able to respond to structured interview questions about their morning care preferences. Trained research staff conducted standardized observations during 4 consecutive morning hours once per week per participant for 3 consecutive months during usual LTC conditions and interviewed participants about their morning care preferences using a structured interview protocol once per month during this same time period. Results: Overall, 40% of the obser­ vations. showed a lack of morning care provision, including any staff-resident communication about care, during the 4-hr observation period. Pgrticipants rated by staff as more physically dependent and · requiring 2 staff for transfer were more likely to not receive morning care. Even when care in a particular area was absent, the majority of participants expressed a stable preference for care to remain the "same" (range of proportions was .75 to .87 for the 3 targeted care areas) and infrequently made requests for care. Implications: Efforts to promote
Service preemptions for guaranteed emergency medium access in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) recently find extensive applications in remote disaster and health monitoring, where traffic prioritization is extremely essential for timely dissemination of critical information to the first responders. Though several resource control standards exist for general wireless networks, supporting differentiated traffic services (Quality-of-Service (QoS)) at the Medium Access Control layer for sensor networks need exclusive investigation and significant improvements. Particularly, the network treatment for disaster or medical emergencies needs to be exclusive (deterministic guarantees) rather than probabilistic guarantees as in most wireless QoS standards. In this paper, we introduce channel service preemptions during random medium access in WSNs. In the context of time-critical sensor applications, emergency traffic will have the privileges to interrupt the services of other routine traffic in the network to guarantee the lowest possible channel access latencies. We design our methodology within the QoS framework of the popular 802.11e EDCA standard and demonstrate the importance of service preemptions for emergency reporting. The performance analysis predicts close to 50% uniform decrease in emergency medium access delays when using our Channel Preemptive-EDCA (CP-EDCA) as compared to EDCA. The results also depict that CP-EDCA guarantees the lowest delay bounds and immunity to the presence of other lower priority traffic, for emergency frames, even under high network loads. The cost, however, is increased delays for routine traffic, which is acceptable during emergency sensor reporting.
A globally distributed mobile genetic element inhibits natural transformation of Vibrio cholerae

Natural transformation is one mechanism of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera. Recently, it was found that V. cholerae isolates from the Haiti outbreak were poorly transformed by this mechanism. Here, we show that an integrating conjugative element (ICE)-encoded DNase, which we name IdeA, is necessary and sufficient for inhibiting natural transformation of Haiti outbreak strains. We demonstrate that IdeA inhibits this mechanism of HGT in cis via DNA endonuclease activity that is localized to the periplasm. Furthermore, we show that natural transformation between cholera strains in a relevant environmental context is inhibited by IdeA. The ICE encoding IdeA is globally distributed. Therefore, we analyzed the prevalence and role for this ICE in limiting natural transformation of isolates from Bangladesh collected between 2001 and 2011. We found that IdeA+ ICEs were nearly ubiquitous in isolates from 2001 to 2005; however, their prevalence decreased to ∼40% from 2006 to 2011. Thus, IdeA+ ICEs may have limited the role of natural transformation in V. cholerae. However, the rise in prevalence of strains lacking IdeA may now increase the role of this conserved mechanism of HGT in the evolution of this pathogen.
Generalization of single-carrier and multicarrier cyclic prefixed communication

This paper describes a cyclic prefixed communication structure that is a generalization of both the orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system and the cyclic prefixed single-carrier (CP-SC) system. By exploiting the fact that a circulant matrix (CM) is also a block circulant matrix (BCM), the proposed generalized cyclic prefixed (GCP) communication system provides an additional degree of freedom that allows trade-offs among peak-to-average power ratio (PAR), bit allocation capability, and frequency diversity. Instead of one large IDFT operation as in the OFDM transmitter, GCP time interleaves multiple smaller sized IDFT operations, so that PAR is correspondingly reduced. By appropriately selecting the block size in the BCM, the PAR value and the number of subcarriers for bit allocation can be chosen regardless of the length of the transmission block. When the block size in BCM is selected to be one or the entire size of the transmission block, the proposed GCP becomes OFDM or CPSC, respectively
Heterogeneity of regional nitrogen 13-labeled ammonia tracer distribution in the normal human heart: Comparison with rubidium 82 and copper 62-labeled PTSM

Recent reports on13N-labeled ammonia (13N-ammonia) positron emission tomographic (PET) imaging have suggested a relative reduction of measured tracer activity in the posterolateral wall. Such inhomogeneity of tracer distribution could potentially affect accuracy for detection of disease. The aim of this study was to compare the regional distribution of13N-ammonia with82Rb and62Cu-labeled PTSM (62Cu-PTSM) to identify tracer-specific patterns that may be important in the clinical interpretation of cardiac flow studies. Twenty-eight healthy volunteers underwent PET imaging at rest with either13N-ammonia (n=14),82Rb (n=8), or62Cu-PTSM (n=6). Eight subjects given13N-ammonia also underwent imaging after adenosine. Activity measured in the posterolateral wall on transaxial images was significantly lower than in the septum for13N-ammonia, both at rest (p<0.005) and after adenosine (p<0.05). No differences were detected for82Rb or62Cu-PTSM. The septum/posterolateral wall activity ratios for13N-ammonia,82Rb, and62Cu-PTSM were 1.15±0.07, 1.00±0.06, and 0.97±0.08, respectively (p<0.001). Regional analysis of image data showed the percent of maximal activity data for13N-ammonia in the lateral wall to be less than that of other regions (p<0.001) and in the inferior wall to be greater than in the anterior and lateral walls (p<0.001). For62Cu-PTSM, activity in the inferior wall was greater than that in other regions (p<0.005). No regional differences were detected for82Rb. The relatively increased wall activity with13N-ammonia and62Cu-PTSM is most likely due to cross-contamination of activity from the liver. The significant reduction in activity in the lateral wall with13N-ammonia, which persists after adenosine, is most likely related to regional heterogeneity in13N-ammonia retention and may reflect regional differences in metabolic-trapping mechanisms for13N-ammonia. Further investigation is required to elucidate the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon. Reduced tracer retention in the lateral wall segment as a normal variant must be considered when evaluating clinical13N-ammonia PET studies.
The Calculation of the Inductance of Single-Layer Coils and Spirals Wound with Wire of Large Cross Section

Formulas are given for both wires of round cross section and wires of rectangular cross section. These are obtained by an extension of the Rosa Method. Tables are given from which the geometric mean distances of rectangles which enter in the formulas may be readily obtained.
Symptom correlates in the gero-oncology population.

Objectives To review recently published studies that describe the presence of selected cancer-related symptoms and relationships between them in the gero-oncology population. Data Sources Research studies, review articles, and government documents. Conclusion Cancer-related symptoms have been studied for over two decades, yet little is known about the functional effects of age on the disease experience. Implications for Nursing Practice Nurses are encouraged to consider symptoms related to other chronic illnesses that contribute to an older person’s daily living when planning oncology nursing care.
Distinct K Currents Result in Physiologically Distinct Cell Types in the Inferior Colliculus of the Rat

The inferior colliculus (IC) processes auditory information ascending from the brainstem. The response of the IC to this information and its ability to transform it is partly determined by the types of ionic currents that generate the intrinsic discharge patterns of IC neurons and their susceptibility to changes in the external environment. We have used whole-cell patch-clamp techniques on IC neurons in rat brain slices to characterize the potassium currents present and to correlate them with the firing patterns observed. Neurons in the IC can be classified into six physiologically distinct cell types. Each of these cell types has a firing pattern that is generated by a unique potassium current and set of cellular parameters. Sustained-regular cells show mainly delayed rectifier K + channels. Onset cells have a unique high-threshold tetraethylammonium-sensitive K + current. Pause–build cells have an A-current. Rebound-regular cells have calcium-dependent rebound depolarizations. Rebound-adapting cells have both an apamin-sensitive calcium-dependent K + current and a calcium-dependent rebound depolarization. Transient-rebound cells have a charybdotoxin-sensitive calcium-dependent K + current and a calcium-dependent rebound. Our data suggest that there would be similarities as well as differences among IC neurons in their responses to excitatory or inhibitory inputs. Furthermore, some cells are likely to show little or no plasticity and behave as simple relays of temporal and intensity information, whereas others are likely to transform their inputs.
Overexpression of initiator methionine tRNA leads to global reprogramming of tRNA expression and increased proliferation in human epithelial cells

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are typically considered housekeeping products with little regulatory function. However, several studies over the past 10 years have linked tRNA misregulation to cancer. We have previously reported that tRNA levels are significantly elevated in breast cancer and multiple myeloma cells. To further investigate the cellular and physiological effects of tRNA overexpression, we overexpressed tRNAi(Met) in two human breast epithelial cell lines. We then determined tRNA abundance changes and performed phenotypic characterization. Overexpression of tRNAi(Met) significantly altered the global tRNA expression profile and resulted in increased cell metabolic activity and cell proliferation. Our results extend the relevance of tRNA overexpression in human cells and underscore the complexity of cellular regulation of tRNA expression.
Application of non-parametric bootstrap methods to estimate confidence intervals for QTL location in a beef cattle QTL experimental population

Summary Empirical confidence intervals (CIs) for the estimated quantitative trait locus (QTL) location from selective and non-selective non-parametric bootstrap resampling methods were compared for a genome scan involving an Angus‹Brahman reciprocal fullsib backcross population. Genetic maps, based on 357 microsatellite markers, were constructed for 29 chromosomes using CRI-MAP V2.4. Twelve growth, carcass composition and beef quality traits (n fl 527‐602) were analysed to detect QTLs utilizing (composite) interval mapping approaches. CIs were investigated for 28 likelihood ratio test statistic (LRT) profiles for the one QTL per chromosome model. The CIs from the nonselective bootstrap method were largest (87‐7 cM average or 79‐2% coverage of test chromosomes). The Selective II procedure produced the smallest CI size (42‐3 cM average). However, CI sizes from the Selective II procedure were more variable than those produced by the two LOD drop method. CI ranges from the Selective II procedure were also asymmetrical (relative to the most likely QTL position) due to the bias caused by the tendency for the estimated QTL position to be at a marker position in the bootstrap samples and due to monotonicity and asymmetry of the LRT curve in the original sample.
Inpatient vs. elective outpatient cardiac resynchronization therapy device implantation and long-term clinical outcome

Aims It remains unclear whether cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device implantation during inpatient (IP) hospitalization affords the same benefit as elective outpatient (OP) implantation. We hypothesized that IPs undergoing CRT device implantation during acute hospitalization may have worse outcomes compared with elective OP implantation. Methods and results We retrospectively separated patients undergoing CRT implants at Massachusetts General Hospital into OP ( n = 196) and IP ( n = 105) cohorts. Long-term outcomes, measured as heart failure (HF) hospitalization, all-cause mortality, ventricular assist device placement, or heart transplant over a 2-year follow-up period, were estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method. Propensity scores were generated to balance the baseline co-morbidities between IP and OP. Baseline age, gender, left ventricular ejection fraction, and aetiology of cardiomyopathy were comparable between OP and IP (66.8 ± 11.8 vs. 67.5 ± 13.4 years, 78 vs. 84% males, 24 vs. 23%, and 39 vs. 50% ischaemic, P = NS). Inpatients had greater burden of diabetes mellitus (40 vs. 27%, P = 0.028), renal insufficiency (47 vs. 25%, P < 0.001), and right ventricular dysfunction (54 vs. 39%, P = 0.026) compared with OPs. At 2-year follow-up, IP implant was associated with greater risk of HF hospitalization (HR 1.6, 95% CI 1.03–2.48, P = 0.038) compared with elective OP implants. After propensity score adjustment, there was no statistically significant difference in HF hospitalization between the IP and OP groups (HR 1.031, 95% CI 0.61–1.78, P = 0.91). Conclusion Compared with OP CRT implants, IPs are at increased risk for recurrent HF hospitalization; however, the increased risk is attributable to greater co-morbidities in the IP population.
Plethysmogram-based secure inter-sensor communication in Body Area Networks

Body area networks (BAN) can play a major role in monitoring the health of soldiers in a battlefield. Securing BANs is essential to ensure safety of the soldiers. This paper presents a novel key agreement protocol called Photoplethysmogram PPGbased based key agreement (PKA) which allows sensors in a BAN to agree to a common key using PPG values obtained from the subject (soldier) they are deployed on. Using the stimuli which the sensors are designed to monitor directly for cryptographic purposes, enables administrators to provide security for BANs with minimal initial setup. The principal contributions of this paper are: (1) demonstration of the viability of the PPG signals for agreeing upon common symmetric cryptographic keys between two nodes in BAN, and (2) analysis of the security, performance and quality of the keys produced by PKA.
Aspergillus Antigen Detection in the Diagnosis of Invasive Aspergillosis

The utility of serum Aspergillus antigen in invasive aspergillosis was determined by identifying patients with >50 ng/mL Aspergillus carbohydrate antigen by ELISA. Patients were identified from a university hospital over a 65-month period. Nineteen patients with antigenemia had proven invasive aspergillosis, 16 had probable invasive aspergillosis, and 14 had an indeterminate diagnosis. There were 5 patients with false-positive results. Antigen levels were higher in disseminated infection than in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (median levels, 500 and 121 ng/mL, respectively). Survival also correlated with antigenemia. Serial samples were obtained from 31 of 35 patients with proven or probable invasive aspergillosis. Fifteen of 19 patients with rising or persistent antigenemia died, whereas only 1 of 12 patients who cleared antigenemia died. Higher antigen levels were useful in predicting disseminated disease, and the course of antigenemia correlated with clinical outcome. Antigen detection may be a useful addition in the management of invasive aspergillosis.
Student Praise in the Modern Classroom: The Use of Praise Notes as a Productive Motivational Tool

Student motivation continues to be a vital topic throughout all levels of education. Various approaches to motivating students have been articulated in education circles but educators are still coming to terms with best-fit models to inspire students in classroom settings. One particular often employed form of student motivation, praise, has been a point of contention and scrutiny in the modern classroom. Praise has the potential to be a productive source of student motivation but only when used in certain capacities and with specific outcomes in mind. This article outlines research on the use of praise by instructors in the classroom in the context of student motivation and specifically discusses the use of praise-notes to productively induce student performance and engagement. The merits of praise notes as a motivational tool are discussed and demonstrated through applicative suggestions for classroom practice.
Comparison of registered and published outcomes in randomized controlled trials: a systematic review

Clinical trial registries can improve the validity of trial results by facilitating comparisons between prospectively planned and reported outcomes. Previous reports on the frequency of planned and reported outcome inconsistencies have reported widely discrepant results. It is unknown whether these discrepancies are due to differences between the included trials, or to methodological differences between studies. We aimed to systematically review the prevalence and nature of discrepancies between registered and published outcomes among clinical trials. We searched MEDLINE via PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL, and checked references of included publications to identify studies that compared trial outcomes as documented in a publicly accessible clinical trials registry with published trial outcomes. Two authors independently selected eligible studies and performed data extraction. We present summary data rather than pooled analyses owing to methodological heterogeneity among the included studies. Twenty-seven studies were eligible for inclusion. The overall risk of bias among included studies was moderate to high. These studies assessed outcome agreement for a median of 65 individual trials (interquartile range [IQR] 25–110). The median proportion of trials with an identified discrepancy between the registered and published primary outcome was 31 %; substantial variability in the prevalence of these primary outcome discrepancies was observed among the included studies (range 0 % (0/66) to 100 % (1/1), IQR 17–45 %). We found less variability within the subset of studies that assessed the agreement between prospectively registered outcomes and published outcomes, among which the median observed discrepancy rate was 41 % (range 30 % (13/43) to 100 % (1/1), IQR 33–48 %). The nature of observed primary outcome discrepancies also varied substantially between included studies. Among the studies providing detailed descriptions of these outcome discrepancies, a median of 13 % of trials introduced a new, unregistered outcome in the published manuscript (IQR 5–16 %). Discrepancies between registered and published outcomes of clinical trials are common regardless of funding mechanism or the journals in which they are published. Consistent reporting of prospectively defined outcomes and consistent utilization of registry data during the peer review process may improve the validity of clinical trial publications.
ANTERIOR DISLOCATION OF THE SHOULDER

The location of the tear of the articular capsule varies in different cases, and depends upon the force,—hyperabduction tears the capsule from neck of the humerus, and hyperabduction plus impaction tears it from the neck of the scapula. Open operation on initial acute dislocations in young individuals who expect to return to active sports will give a higher percentage of cures.
ASD Program Development Action Planning

Identify components of the ASD action plan. Identify characteristics of the program development team. Develop an action plan for an ASD program.
How Gender Stereotypes of Emotion Harm Women Leaders

The belief that women are more emotional than men is one of the strongest gender stereotypes held in Western cultures (Shields, 2002). In this chapter, I propose that gender stereotypes about emotionality directly lead to biases against women leaders which hamper their ability to obtain leadership roles and once they are in those roles, to be evaluated fairly. Although emotion expression in the workplace is a complex minefield for female leaders to navigate, I provide guidance for organizational policy making to reduce the biasing influence of gender emotion stereotypes on hiring and promotion of women leaders.
Online Search Frequency, Information Asymmetry, and Market Liquidity

The notion that information has a different value based on the time of its first availability is at the heart of being able to quantify the value of any stock market indicators. Compared to using investors’ trading data to predict liquidity and volatility in the stock market, the use of investors’ information-seeking behavior before the actual trading has an important advantage in time value. This article investigates the online search frequency of Google users to explore how traders’ response to information asymmetry would predict future market liquidity. The findings show that the Google Insight for Search (GIS) daily index is an effective measure of the level of information asymmetry and inversely predicts the future liquidity level. This predictive power is significant at the 1% level. More importantly, the GIS indicators remain strong and significant even after including traditional information asymmetry variables in all the regressions. Last but not least, we find that the GIS index can capture the change in investors’ attention and provide indications on future stock return at the 1% significance level.
Cyclic Fatigue Strength of Engineering Ceramics a High Temperatures

The cyclic fatigue tests at high temperatures were conducted for hot-pressed silicon nitride and sintered silicon carbide, and the results were analyzed by the power-law and exponential crack growth relations. The cyclic fatigue data for both materials were fitted with straight lines in both of log-log and semi-log forms which were based on the former and latter relations, respectively. However, the experimental lifetimes of silicon nitride were substantially longer than those predicted from the results of static fatigue test using either crack growth relation, and this difference was expanded with lowering the applied stress. On the other hand, the experimental and predicted lifetimes relatively well agreed for both of the crack growth relations in silicon carbide. The sensitivity of cavitation expansion behavior to displacement rate was proposed as a cause for the longer life time of cyclic fatigue in silicon nitride.
Market Performance in the Baking Industry

This article sets forth the key market structure characteristics and developments of the perishable bakery products industry. It is concerned with questions of how the industry performs and how pat...
Coarsening and Spinodal Decomposition of Zeolite Linde Type A Precursor Gels Aged at Low Temperatures

We monitored the effect of different gel aging temperatures (from −20 to 40 °C) and gel aging times (from 7 to 21 days) on the particle size and crystalline structure of template-free Linde type A zeolites through scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. We demonstrate the synthesis of zeolite LTA with average particle sizes of 0.45 ± 0.07 μm by preliminary heat treatment of the precursor gel at −8 °C followed by crystallization at 100 °C. Here, we found that aging the precursor gels for 2 weeks at 40 °C decreases the size of particles by 59% compared with particles formed from unaged gels, and aging gels for 2 weeks at −8 °C results in particles that have a 95% smaller diameter compared with particles formed from the unaged gel. We hypothesize that decreasing the precursor aging temperature below 0 °C leads to the occurrence of spinodal decomposition at which the nucleation barrier vanishes. Consequently, a very large number of nuclei form...
Neuroendocrine Regulation of Development, Growth and Metabolism – Thyroid

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on various aspects of thyroidology and the role of thyroid hormone in normal development and for adult health. The mature human and rodent thyroid gland consists of two elongated oval lobes, one on each side of the trachea, joined near their posterior poles by a thin isthmus crossing the trachea ventrally. There are several physiological implications of the anatomy of the thyroid gland and the chemistry of thyroid hormone. First, the observation that iodinated thyroglobulin is stored in large quantities in the adult thyroid gland indicates that there is a great deal of resilience in the system. The thyroid gland is controlled principally and proximally by an interaction between iodine availability — a requirement for thyroid hormone synthesis — and thyrotropin (TSH) from the pituitary gland. This is true for humans and rodents, as well as for other vertebrates. The use of transgenic mouse models has led to important progress in clarifying the relative roles of the hypothalamus and pituitary in controlling thyroid function.
Teaching English Language Arts Students About Social Justice

The authors discuss the opportunities for teaching English language arts students about social justice including what texts to teach, approaches to teaching those texts, and discuss specific texts and instructional strategies to expose issues such as racism, inequality, gender issues, ethnicity, social class, and ableism. The authors discuss how a constructivist approach using conceptual units centered upon social justice themes can help students examine issues of social justice and help students consider the cultural issues and historical conditions as well as the social purposes of reading a text.
Voltage Gated Proton Channel Expression and Function in Breast Cancer Cells

Immunohistochemical evidence for voltage gated proton channels (hHV1) was recently reported in breast cancer cells, but not healthy breast tissue. Higher levels of hHV1 expression were correlated with advanced stages of the disease, worse prognosis, and decreased survival [Wang et al, 2012, J.Biol.Chem. 287:13877]. However, its function and mechanism of action have yet to be elucidated. Here, we examine a number of breast cancer cell lines for expression of hHV1 and explored the consequences of hHV1 genetic knockout.
The role of heterotrophic bacteria in assessing phosphorus stress to Synechocystis sp. PCC6803

Microalgae biofuel production, a possible source of carbon-neutral energy, requires phosphorus (P), a limited resource. This study investigates the relationship between specific growth rate of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and P availability. It has been previously suggested, and we show here, that P-limited growth kinetics are well represented by a quota-type model with a single pool of intracellular P. We also demonstrate that the presence of heterotrophic bacteria plays a large role in understanding these kinetics, because the culture’s intracellular P content depends on the level of heterotrophic bacteria. Using batch-growth experiments containing up to a 0.07 biovolume ratio of heterotrophic bacteria to Synechocystis, we found that Synechocystis could grow with intracellular P content down to approximately 0.5 mg P g−1 dry weight biomass, while heterotrophic bacteria maintained roughly 20 mg P g−1 dry weight. Thus, a small fraction of heterotrophic bacteria in a microalgal culture can dramatically increase the apparent content of P in the biomass, which affects how to assess P-stress to a P-limited culture.
Experimental Strategies for Controlling Radical Chain Reactions

Free-radical chain reactions have been a mainstay of organic chemistry for many years due to the unique chemical behavior of highly reactive radical species. Recently, there has been a surge of interest in utilizing free-radical chain processes in the development of new synthetic methods for a variety of C–H functionalizations. Robust and reliable synthetic methods demand control, or at the very least, mediation of reactive species that are generated during radical chain processes. In the context of reaction optimization for intermolecular reactions, several recent experimental strategies for controlling the rates of radical initiation and propagation are discussed.
Content Validation of a Home Parenteral Nutrition-Patient-Reported Outcome Questionnaire.

Background: Patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments collect information from patients about health conditions and disease management, including quality of life (QOL). Clinicians acknowledge patient concerns about QOL but need guidance to assess the nature and severity of individually experienced problems. The Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN)–Patient-Reported Outcome Questionnaire (PROQ) was developed for use during medical appointments or homecare visits to address this gap. The purpose of this research was to provide evidence that the HPN-PROQ items and scale possess content validity. Methods: A mixed-method study design was used. In phase 1, cognitive interviews (CIs) were conducted with 32 HPN patients. Thematic analysis was used to assess participant understanding of the instructions, items, and response scales and overall utility of the HPN-PROQ. In phase 2, 13 expert clinicians evaluated the relevance of items to the HPN population using the Content Validity Index (CVI) to produce item-level (I-CV...
Broad, Interdisciplinary Science In Tela: An Exposure and Child Health Ontology

Data curation for interdisciplinary collaborative science requires a new online web-based approach that integrates domain knowledge from multiple resources and enables in tela (in the web) interactive collaboration between data providers, domain specialists, and data analysts. The Children's Health Exposure Analysis Resource (CHEAR) is a resource for child development and environmental exposure data. The CHEAR Data Center has developed an ontology that integrates study and exposure data in a way that is consistent across the program, and integrates with many best practice relevant vocabularies and repository schemas. This includes the World Wide Web Consortium's recommended Provenance Ontology (PROV), Semanticscience Integrated Ontology (SIO), the Chemical Entities of Biological Interest (CheBI) ontology, the Uberon multi-species anatomy ontology, and the Units Ontology as the starting point for our domain modeling. We mapped terms where they overlapped and extended these ontologies with classes that were required to support modeling and integrating data from epidemiology and chemical exposure measurements that comprise the majority of the data recorded by the CHEAR data center. In response to this challenge, we used an on-demand approach to develop the ontology based on a set of representative pilot projects in CHEAR. After initial development, we evaluated the ontology for completeness in representing an additional pilot study. An epidemiologist was able to produce a mapping of the project to the ontology with only minor corrections needed by an ontology expert. In the large dataset that was tested, one third of the classes needed to represent the dataset needed to be added to the ontology, all of them in areas where we expected to see more ontology expansion. Our overall approach is to drive towards completion of coverage while being relatively easy to use for domain experts. Ultimately we aim to have domain experts handle the majority of extensions and evolution with small interactions with ontology experts. In this paper, we report on our on-demand approach for web-based collaborative interdisciplinary ontology development and maintenance and also introduce the resulting extensible and interoperable exposure and child health ontology.
Emotion Analysis Using Audio/Video, EMG and EEG: A Dataset and Comparison Study

This paper describes a study on automated emotion recognition using four different modalities – audio, video, electromyography (EMG), and electroencephalography (EEG). We collected a dataset using the 4 modalities as 12 human subjects expressed six different emotions or maintained a neutral expression. Three different aspects of emotion recognition were investigated: model selection, feature selection, and data selection. Both generative models (DBNs) and discriminative models (LSTMs) were applied to the four modalities, and from these analyses we conclude that LSTM is better for audio and video together with their corresponding sophisticated feature extractors (MFCC and CNN), whereas DBN is better for both EMG and EEG. By examining these signals at different stages (pre-speech, during-speech, and post-speech) of the current and following trials, we found that the most effective stages for emotion recognition from EEG occur after the emotion has been expressed, suggesting that the neural signals conveying an emotion are long-lasting.
A Pulsed Neutron Technique for Reactivity Determination

If a burst of neutrons is injected into a reactor, the rate of prompt decay of the resultant flux should be proportional to the reactivity in dollars as measured from prompt critical. The proportio...
Productivity measurement in foodservice: past accomplishments--a future alternative.

Productivity measurement, monitoring, and improvement are ongoing management responsibilities. Financial and personnel resources are limited, and foodservice managers are faced with the increasingly difficult task of efficiently and effectively meeting consumer demands. A wide variety of labor productivity measures have been reported in the foodservice literature. The most prevalent of those measures include labor minutes per meal and labor minutes per meal equivalent. A measurement technique that considers only one or a few of the resources used to produce goods and services may result in limitations and potentially inaccurate productivity measurement. A total-factor productivity model that relates organizational output to all input resources is recommended. Such a model has been used in several business firms. Aggregate and multiple partial-factor productivity ratios enabled business managers to identify the relationships and trade-offs among all resources not previously revealed in labor productivity measures. Such an expanded productivity model could be applied in foodservice settings to provide additional information for enhanced decision making.
Fundamental chromatographic equations designed for columns packed with very fine particles and operated at very high pressures: Applications to the prediction of elution times and the column efficiencies

The wall temperatures of three Acquity-BEH-C18columns (2.1 mm x 50, 100, and 150 mm) and the temperature of the incoming eluent were maintained constant at 289 K, using a circulating water heat exchanger. The retention times and the band broadening of naphtho[2,3-a]pyrene were measured for each column as a function of the flow rate applied. Pure acetonitrile was used as the eluent. The flow rate dependence of neither elution volumes nor bandwidths can be accounted for by classical models of retention and HETP, respectively, since these models assume columns to be isothermal. Because the heat generated by friction of the eluent against the column bed increases with increasing flow rate, the column bed cannot remain isothermal at high flow rates. This heat is evacuated radially and/or longitudinally by convection, conduction, and radiation. Radial and axial temperature gradients are formed, which are maximum and minimum, respectively, when the temperature of the column wall is kept uniform and constant. The retention times that we measured match well with the values predicted based on the temperature distribution along and across the column, which we calculated and on the temperature dependence of the retention for the same column operated isothermally (i.e., at very low flow rate). The rate of band spreading varies along non-isothermal columns, so the HETP can only be defined locally. It is a function of the axial coordinate. A new contribution is needed to account for the radial thermal heterogeneity of the column, hence the radial distribution of the flow velocities, which warps the elution band. A new model, based on the general dispersion theory of Aris, allows a successful prediction of the unusually large bandwidths observed with columns packed with fine particles, operated at high flow rates, hence high inlet pressures.
Molecular genetics of human salivary proteins and their polymorphisms.

The whole human saliva is a complex fluid that is produced by specialized salivary glands. The three major salivary glands (submandibular, parotid, and sublingual) produce most of the saliva, but the small buccal glands also contribute a minor amount. The human saliva is an easily obtained source of many proteins that are useful for genetic analysis (Boackle and Suddick, 1980; Mason and Chisholm, 1975; Vining and McGinley, 1986). In particular, the parotid saliva component (collected with the Curby cup) has advantages over whole saliva, including more uniform composition, less enzymatic degradation of proteins, and absence of contamination with bacteria or food. Stimulated parotid saliva [150–264 mg/100 ml total protein (Daniels and Newbrun, 1966)] contains 25–35 proteins, which can be stained in acid polyacrylamide or SDS gels with Coomassie brilliant blue R-250. Amylase and proline-rich proteins (PRPs) constitute most of the proteins. In particular, the PRPs represent about two-thirds of the parotid salivary proteins and show numerous polymorphisms (Bennick, 1982, 1987; Azen, 1988). Many enzymes, hormones, growth factors, immunoglobulins, serum components, and other proteins (as the B12-binding R proteins) can also be detected in saliva.
MY INTERRUPTED ASSOCIATION WITH POTASSIUM

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the work of Leon A. Heppel in the field of biochemistry with potassium. Potassium and rubidium are two elements in the alkali metal series of the periodic table. In the course of work, it was found among other things that the essential element, potassium, could be replaced by rubidium for growth of the rat; although after a time, nervous disturbances and other toxic manifestations resulted. In collaboration with Robert E. Marquis, he showed that barotolerance of cultures growing in a complex medium with ribose as a major catabolite appeared to be determined primarily by the pressure sensitivity of ribose-degrading enzymes. Apparent activation volumes for growth were nearly identical to those for lactate production from ribose. Audry Stevens started the research that led to her co-discovery of RNA polymerase quite on her own. Ed Berger started the line of investigation that revealed that there are two broad classes of transport systems in Escherichia coli that differ in the source of energy that they use to drive concentrative uptake of sugars and amino acids, etc.
Measuring success: utility of biomarkers in sickle cell disease clinical trials and care

Progress in the care of sickle cell disease (SCD) has been hampered by the extreme complexity of the SCD phenotype despite its monogenic inheritance. While epidemiological studies have identified clinical biomarkers of disease severity, with a few exceptions, these have not been routinely incorporated in clinical care algorithms. Furthermore, existing biomarkers have been poorly apt at providing objective parameters to diagnose sickle cell crisis, the hallmark, acute complication of SCD. The repercussions of these diagnostic limitations are reflected in suboptimal care and scarcity of adequate outcome measures for clinical research. Recent progress in molecular and imaging diagnostics has heralded a new era of personalized medicine in SCD. Precision medicine strategies are particularly timely, since molecular therapeutics are finally on the horizon. This chapter will summarize the existing evidence and promising data on biomarkers for clinical care and research in SCD.
PLANNING A STATE PROGRAM FOR RESTAURANT SANITATION

The author discusses the New York State (exclusive of New York City) restaurant sanitation program—past, present and future. The article based on continuing foodborne outbreaks and the results of 14 community restaurant surveys throughout the state emphasizes the need for improvement in restaurant programs to include clarification of authority on the state level, revised state code, qualifications for inspectional personnel, training of food service and health department personnel and coordination of activities.