cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New insecticides for Lygus bug control on vegetable seed crops.

Several new pesticides and combinations thereof were applied to table beet seed plants and to carrot seed plants in performance trials against the lygus bug, Lygus hesperus Knight. Six pesticides were tested: DDT, ethion, Dylox® (dimethyl 2,2,2-trichloro-l-hydroxyethylphosphonate), Thiodan® (6,7,8,9,10,10- hexachloro-1,5,5a,6,9,9a-hexahydro-6,9-methano-2,4,3-benzodioxathiepin- 3-oxide), Trithion® (S-(p-chlorophenylthio) methyl O,O -diethyl phosphorodithioate), and Di-Syston® ( O,O -diethyl S -2-(ethylthio) ethyl phosphorodithioate). These were used alone or in combinations. The natural population in small plots was augmented by three introductions resulting in an accumulated high of 23.5 bugs per plant during the tests. The trials on beets involved single sprays for eight plots; and a series of five applications for two plots. A spray containing DDT plus Dylox gave the most complete control of lygus bugs, or 78% control during a 28-day period. Thiodan plus Dylox was almost equally good. Five sprays of Di-Syston and five dustings with DDT plus Trithion, and single sprays of DDT plus Trithion or DDT alone ranked in the midrange of observed values, or 56% or 62% control. Thiodan or ethion, alone or in combination, were the least effective. All applications containing Thiodan as well as the one containing DDT plus Dylox were appreciably more toxic to the pirate bug, Orius tristicolor White, than the other test materials. DDT plus Dylox spray had no perceptible effect on ladybeetles, Hippodamia spp. but sprays containing Di-Syston (5 applications) or ethion drastically reduced their numbers. DDT plus Trithion dust (5 applications) resulted in a significant increase in numbers of aphids and ladybeetles. The five Di-Syston sprays afforded a significant reduction in the number of plants infected by beet mosaic, and reduced the grade of infection. The best treatments for control of lygus bugs also increased the average size and viability of beet seed. All but one of the treatments increased the average yield of seed per plant. Dusts applied twice by aircraft to control lygus bugs in seed carrots were, in descending order of value for lygus bug control: 10% DDT plus 5% Dylox, 3% Thiodan, 10% DDT plus 2% Trithion, and 10% DDT. Seed yield was significantly increased in third-stage seed heads by the DDT plus Trithion dust. Increa sed yield for fourth-stage seed heads was obtained only from plants dusted with DDT plus Dylox, the only treatment that gave very significant increases in seed size for seeds threshed from third- and fourth-stage seed heads.
Principles of tissue transfer techniques in urethral reconstruction

Many reconstructive surgical techniques require tissue transfer, or movement of tissue from a donor to a recipient site. The techniques of tissue transfer in reconstructive urologic surgery assume knowledge of skin anatomy, the basic principles of tissue transfer, and the composition and characteristics of the donor and recipient tissues. These topics will be addressed in this article.
Heart-rate temperature relationships

Abstract 1. 1. Between 16° and 29°C, the heart rate of the neonatal rat was found to vary according to the Arrhenius equation. Ages and weights of the neonates neonates were not significant factors. 2. 2. Data of six other investigators were replotted, and similar relationships between body temperature and heart rates were found for both poikilotherms and homeotherms. 3. 3. The Q 10 of neonatal rat heart rates averaged 3·05.
Social events and narcotic addiction: The influence of war and law on opium use in Laos

Abstract War in Laos caused removal of opium farmers from their mountain poppy growing areas and contributed to difficulties in transport of opium from nearby areas. This has led to an increased cost and low availability of opium, which in turn has caused addicts (1) to reduce their narcotic dosage, and (2) to reduce their smoking of opium in favor of the less satisfying but more economic oral route of administration. Increased cost/low availability of opium, together with unemployment from refugee movements, produced economic pressure on families with addicted members and resulted in widespread theft. This in turn led to anti-opium laws, which had the effect of favoring heroin addiction. Heroin addiction further exacerbated the addict's problems since heroin production costs considerably more than the production of smoking opium.
Time-dependent transport by some order-of-scattering methods

The study of particles reflected from a one-dimensional rod of scattering cross section sigma, constant in space and time and of length L, due to an incident delta function pulse at time zero is considered. First this problem is discussed by the method of invariant imbedding, and then by an integral approach that naturally arises in following a particle along its path. Both methods are then generalized to cover inhomogeneous rods and the situations examined in which each approach is particularly convenient. Finally, these formal results are applied to the semi-infinite rod and to the finite rod in which low orders of scattering predominate. 17 references. (JFP)
Influence of target design on the damage threshold for optically powered MEMS thermal actuators

Abstract Bent-beam, polycrystalline silicon MEMS thermal actuators were optically powered using laser illumination. The actuators were designed with a target suspended between angled legs that expand creating displacement and force when the target is heated by a laser. The laser power threshold for immediate damage and extent of the damage exhibited a strong dependence on the target design. The optically powered thermal actuators were fabricated using a five-layer surface micromachining process from combinations of 2.25 μm thick polysilicon layers (poly3 and poly4) and a 2.0 μm thick sacrificial layer. The target compositions listed in decreasing order of laser damage threshold are: the poly3–poly4 laminate targets, the poly3–poly4 targets with an intermediate 2.0 μm thick oxide layer, the poly3–poly4 targets with a 2.0 μm thick air gap, and the poly4 only targets. The laser damage thresholds for the poly3–poly4 targets with connecting posts and an air gap increases with increasing post size, which allows for better thermal transport from the irradiated poly4 layer to the underlying poly3 layer. The laser damage thresholds ranged from a maximum of 475 mW for an oval poly3–poly4 laminate actuator target to a minimum of 190 mW for a circular poly4 only actuator target.
Long-term Adherence to Hormone Therapy in Medicaid-enrolled Women with Breast Cancer

Abstract Objective This study assessed long-term adherence to hormone therapy in women with breast cancer enrolled in Medicaid. Methods We identified women diagnosed with nonmetastatic breast cancer (2000–2008) and prescribed tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors (AIs) as hormone therapy within 1 year of diagnosis in the South Carolina Central Cancer Registry and South Carolina Medicaid linked data set. All the patients were followed-up for 1, 2, 3, or 4 years after initiation of hormone therapy. Adherence rate was measured as proportion of days covered (PDC) by tamoxifen or AIs in a given interval (1, 2, 3, or 4 years). Predictors of adherence to hormone therapy (PDC ≥80%) were identified using generalized linear models for repeated measures. Results The population consisted of 612 eligible women who filled at least one prescription for AIs (n = 339, 55%) or tamoxifen (n = 273, 45%) within 1 year of diagnosis. The mean PDCs were 71% in the first year and 49% after 4 years. Only 25% of women receiving hormone therapy maintained a PDC of at least 80% after 4 years. Conclusions Long-term use of hormone therapy remains low in the study population. Early interventions must be undertaken to improve adherence over the treatment period.
An EOQ model when production standards are assumed to be normally distributed

SUMMARY In this paper an EOQ model is developed especially for a production environment where the inventory to be controlled is raw material. The fundamental difference between this model and others is that a stochastic demand is placed upon the inventory in terms of the time for an individual to consume one unit of inventory rather than the number of units consumed in some time interval. A shortage cost for inventory is imposed via the idle machine (man) cost. The optimal re-order quantity is determined as a function of the stockout probability and the optimal stockout probability is obtained via a one-dimensional search, over some prescribed set of feasible stockout probabilities.
Role of aberrant PI3K pathway activation in gallbladder tumorigenesis

// Andrea Lunardi 1 , Kaitlyn A. Webster 1 , Antonella Papa 1 , Bhavik Padmani 2 , John G. Clohessy 2 , Roderick T. Bronson 3 and Pier Paolo Pandolfi 1 1 Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, Department of Medicine and Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA 2 Preclinical Murine Pharmacogenetics Facility, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. 3 The Dana Farber/Harvard Comprehensive Cancer Center, Boston MA, USA. Correspondence: Pier Paolo Pandolfi, email: // Keywords : PI3K, PTEN, gallbladder tumorigenesis, mouse model. Received : February 8, 2014 Accepted : March 8, 2014 Published : March 10, 2014 Abstract The PI3K/AKT pathway governs a plethora of cellular processes, including cell growth, proliferation, and metabolism, in response to growth factors and cytokines. By acting as a unique lipid phosphatase converting phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5,-trisphosphate (PIP3) to phosphatidylinositol-4,5,-bisphosphate (PIP2), phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) acts as the major cellular suppressor of PI3K signaling and AKT activation. Recently, PI3K mutations and loss/mutation of PTEN have been characterized in human gallbladder tumors; whether aberrant PTEN/PI3K pathway plays a causal role in gallbladder carcinogenesis, however, remains unknown. Herein we show that in mice, deregulation of PI3K/AKT signaling is sufficient to transform gallbladder epithelial cells and trigger fully penetrant, highly proliferative gallbladder tumors characterized by high levels of phospho-AKT. Histopathologically, these mouse tumors faithfully resemble human adenomatous gallbladder lesions. The identification of PI3K pathway deregulation as both an early event in the neoplastic transformation of the gallbladder epithelium and a main mechanism of tumor growth in Pten heterozygous and Pten mutant mouse models provides a new framework for studying in vivo the efficacy of target therapies directed against the PI3K pathway, as advanced metastatic tumors are often addicted to “trunkular” mutations.
Characterization of the action of drug-induced stress responses on the immune system: evaluation of biomarkers for drug-induced stress in rats.

Toxicological testing of compounds often is conducted at the maximum tolerated dose to identify potential target organs. Toxicities observed at these high doses may result in decreased body weight gain, food consumption and activity. These clinical signs are often associated with a generalized stress response. It has been known that stress may cause increased levels of corticosterone, which causes changes in circulating leukocyte profiles, decreases in thymus and spleen weights and changes in the microscopic structure of lymphoid organs. This makes it difficult to differentiate between stress-related changes and direct toxicity to the immune system in standard non-clinical toxicity testing in rats. In mice, MHC Class II expression was found to be a very sensitive biomarker of stress and maybe useful for the rat. Therefore, the objective of studies presented was to further characterize the effects of corticosterone and stressors on the immune system and identify potential biomarkers of stress in rats. Rats were treated with exogenous corticosterone (20 or 30 mg/kg BID) or ethanol (5 g/kg) for either 1 or 4 days. Restraint stress was also evaluated for a 3-day period. Blood and urine samples were collected during the treatment period for corticosterone measurements. At necropsy, blood samples for leukocyte differentials were collected. Spleen and thymus weights, cellularity, lymphocyte subpopulations and histopathology were also evaluated. Urine corticosterone levels were also investigated as a surrogate to measuring serum corticosterone. The results demonstrate that the pattern of responses to corticosterone or the stressors is different in mice and rats. Although, decreases in MHC Class II were found to be a sensitive indicator of stress in mice, only slight decreases were observed in rats with similar serum corticosterone AUC levels. Decreases in thymus weight were greater than spleen weight with corticosterone or ethanol or restraint stressor. No other single parameter or combination of parameters tested were obvious candidates as sensitive biomarkers of stress in rats. However, the good correlation between urine and serum corticos
Mast Cells Help Bacteria Hang Out After the Party

No one likes to go home after a good party. Bacteria feel the same way after causing a good infection, but what happens next often depends on the host and how far you push your luck. With urinary tract infections, patients are pretty accommodating hosts after the fact and commonly choose not to mount a pathogen-specific immune response unless the kidney is also involved. As a result, bacteria persist in low numbers within the bladder epithelium, and recurrent infections are often caused by the same bacterial strain. Chan and colleagues wanted to understand the mechanism of the impaired antibody response to bladder infection as a stepping stone to vaccine development. Using a mouse model of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC)–induced urinary tract infection, the investigators identified a surge of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 10 (IL-10) in the bladder just hours after infection that fit with the observed lack of antibodies after bladder infections. In IL-10–deficient mice, antibodies were formed after bladder or kidney infection, suggesting that IL-10 was linked to suppression of antibody responses in the bladder. The researchers then performed an elegant series of experiments that showed that mast cells were the major source of IL-10 in the bladder and that suppression of adaptive immunity was dependent on both mast cells and IL-10. Specifically, both mice lacking mast cells and mice with IL-10–deficient mast cells produced high amounts of antibodies to UPEC after bladder infection and increased clearance of UPEC bacteria from the bladder epithelium was observed. This study substantially adds to our understanding of how lower urinary tract infections persist and recur in the bladder and why specific antibodies to UPEC and other urinary tract pathogens fail to develop in most patients. From a broader perspective, it is intriguing to learn that the bladder, similar to the gut, has specialized mechanisms to limit immune responses at the mucosal surface, which may allow microbes to superficially colonize the epithelium. These data need to be considered in planning a vaccine if we want to stop UPEC from being the life of the party. C. Y. Chan et al. , Mast cell interleukin-10 drives localized tolerance in chronic bladder infection. Immunity 38 , 349–359 (2013). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://www.cell.com/immunity/abstract/S1074-7613%2813%2900050-2
Effective method to simulate Crosstalk between high density IO traces in high performance FPGA packages

In this Paper, we propose a Quick Crosstalk Estimation Methodology by using Crosstalk Superposition Theory. An existing FPGA device package was chosen as the real test case for this study. For both microstrip and stripline, the designs were modeled by using Ansoft SI2D extractor, and the mutual matrix models extracted were used in crosstalk simulation conducted by using Agilent Advance Design System (ADS). The crosstalk simulation results were then compared with the crosstalk results calculated by using the new crosstalk estimation method. We summarize this paper by evaluate the effectiveness and applicability of this proposed methodology in FPGA package with high IO density.
Sedimentology and stratigraphy of tidal sand ridges Southwest Florida inner shelf

ABSTRACT Detailed investigation of linear shelf sand ridges located off the southwest coast of Florida shows them to be tide-dominated sand bodies. These ridges are remarkably similar to the large sand ridges of the North Sea, and they have abundant apparent analogs in the stratigraphic record, many of which are important petroleum producers. The Florida ridges are asymmetric in profile, about 10 km long, 1 km wide, with relief of 3-4 m with the adjacent sea bed. Extensive tidal current monitoring, sediment distribution patterns and side scan sonar surveys permit characterizing their morphodynamics. Tidal currents show distinct bidirectional patterns with speeds up to 70 cm/s. There is slight flood-dominance, and currents show much higher velocities in the troughs as compared to the crests of he ridges. Megaripples and sand waves are widespread and migrate obliquely across the ridges at opposite directions on the gentle and steep sides of the ridge. Shallow, high-resolution seismic data and 39 vibracores in the area of the ridges show a consistent sequence characterized by three ascending Holocene lithofacies: 1) muddy quartz sand with limestone clasts; 2) bioturbated muddy shelly quartz sand; and 3) well-sorted, cross-stratified quartz sand that characterizes the sand ridges themselves. Each of the tidal sand ridges displays a coarsening-upward sequence of fine, well-sorted sand. Small-scale, multidirectional, cross stratification dominates the stratigraphy of the cores in this facies, but megaripple(?) cross stratification is also present. All data indicate that these tidal ridges are good modern analogs for many of the shelf sand bodies in the ancient record, especially the Mesozoic of the mid-continent area.
Behavior of Thin Gusset Plates in Compression

Abstract The use of cold-formed steel members for roof and floor truss applications is gaining widespread acceptance in the United States. However, there is little technical information regarding the behavior and design of thin gusset plates in compression. Thus, a study was initiated at the University of Missouri-Rolla aimed at investigating the behavior of thin steel gusset plates in compression. Key parameters that were considered in the experimental study were the thickness of the gusset plate, the width and length of the gusset plates, the fastener location, and the fastener pattern. Both a plate model and a column model were investigated for computing the strength of a thin plate in compression. Based on the findings of this study, design recommendations are proposed.
Dissociative Photoionization of X(CH3)3 (X = N, P, As, Sb, Bi): Mechanism, Trends, and Accurate Energetics

Threshold photoelectron photoion coincidence spectroscopy is used to study the dissociation of energy-selected X(CH3)3 + ions (X ) As, Sb, Bi) by methyl loss, the only process observed up to 2 eV above the ionization energy. The ion time-of-flight distributions and the breakdown diagrams are analyzed in terms of the statistical RRKM theory to obtain accurate ionic dissociation energies. These experiments complement previous studies on analogous trimethyl compounds of the N group where X ) N and P. However, trimethylamine was observed to lose only an H atom, whereas trimethylphosphine was shown to lose methyl radical, H atom, and, to a lesser extent, methane in parallel dissociation reactions. Both kinetic and thermodynamic arguments are needed to explain these trends. The methyl radical loss has two channels: either a H transfer to the central atom, followed by CH3 loss, or a direct homolytic bond cleavage. However, the H transfer channel is blocked in trimethylamine by an H loss channel with an earlier onset, and, thus, the methyl loss is not observed. Bond energies are defined based on ab initio reaction energies and show that the main thermodynamic reason behind the trends in the energetics is the significantly weakening CdX double bond in the ion in the N f As direction. The first adiabatic ionization energies of Sb(CH3)3 and Bi(CH3)3 have also been measured by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy to be 8.02 ( 0.05 and 8.08 ( 0.05 eV, respectively.
Application of video error resilience techniques for mobile broadcast multicast services (MBMS)

With data throughput for mobile devices constantly increasing, services such as video broadcast and multicast are becoming feasible. The 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) committee is currently working on a standard for mobile broadcast and multicast services (MBMS). MBMS is expected to enable easier deployment of video and multimedia services on 3G networks. We present an overview of the standard including the proposed architecture and requirements focusing on radio aspects. We discuss the issue of video error resilience in such services that is critical to maintain consistent quality for terminals. The error resilience techniques currently used in video streaming services are not suitable for MBMS services. We analyze the error resilience techniques that are applicable within the context of MBMS standard and present our early research in this area.
Accurate principal directions estimation in discrete surfaces

Accurate local surface geometry estimation in discrete surfaces is an important problem with numerous applications. Principal curvatures and principal directions can be used in applications such as shape analysis and recognition, object segmentation, adaptive smoothing, anisotropic fairing of irregular meshes, and anisotropic texture mapping. In this paper, a novel approach for accurate principal direction estimation in discrete surfaces is described. The proposed approach is based on local directional curve sampling of the surface where the sampling frequency can be controlled. This local model has a large number of degrees of freedoms compared with known techniques and so can better represent the local geometry. The proposed approach is quantitatively evaluated and compared with known techniques for principal direction estimation. In order to perform an unbiased evaluation in which smoothing effects are factored out, we use a set of randomly generated Bezier surface patches for which the principal directions can be computed analytically.
Vitamin D: An Anti-Inflammatory Treatment Option for Depression?

Edited byMarian W. Roman, PhD, RN, PMHCNS-BCThe University of Tennessee, College of Nursing, Knoxville, Tennessee, USAEdited byDeborah Antai-OtongDepartment of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Dall...
Expression of the UDP-GalNAc : polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase family is spatially and temporally regulated during Drosophila development

The UDP-GalNAc : polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase (ppGaNTase or ppGalNAcT or pgant) enzyme family is responsible for the first committed step in the synthesis of mucin-type O-glycans on protein substrates. Previous work from our group has demonstrated both sequence and functional conservation between members of this family in mammals and the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. One member of this family in Drosophila has been shown to be essential for viability and development. In an effort to understand the developmental stages and processes in which O-glycosylation is involved, we have determined the expression pattern of each functional family member as well as putative isoforms during Drosophila development. Our studies indicate that isoforms are expressed in discrete spatial and temporal fashions during development, with some isoforms being found uniquely in restricted areas of the developing embryo (brain, trachea, pharynx, esophagus, proventriculus, and amnioserosa), whereas others are found in multiple regions and overlap with the expression of other isoforms (salivary glands, posterior midgut, anterior midgut, and the fore-/hindgut) during embryogenesis. Additionally, we examined expression patterns in imaginal discs from third instar larvae, which will become the adult structures. Most isoforms are also expressed in the imaginal discs, with some showing unique transcript localization and spatial regulatory control. Thus, this report provides insight into the specific regions during Drosophila development that may require O-linked glycosylation in vivo as well as which isoforms may act cooperatively in certain tissues and which may be uniquely responsible for glycosylation in others.
An 8.3GHz dual supply/threshold optimized 32b integer ALU-register file loop in 90nm CMOS

In high performance microprocessors, integer execution cores are one of the hottest thermal spots and peak current/power delivery limiters. This paper describes a dual-supply and dual-threshold optimized 32-bit integer execution ALU and register file loop for 8.3GHz operation in 1.2V, 90nm CMOS technology. Aggressive supply/threshold scaling on the ALU and nominal supply/threshold on the register file enables up to 25% peak energy reduction without sacrificing performance or array bit-cells stability. A hybrid split-output style CVSL sequential level converter at the ALU-register file interface is also described for robust, DC power free dual-V/sub cc/ operation. The proposed sequential occupies 10% smaller area, and saves 11% active leakage power and 14% worst case switching power as compared to conventional CVSL style sequential at the same performance.
Bounds on the number of switchings with scale-independent hysteresis: applications to supervisory control

In this paper we analyze the scale-independent hysteresis switching logic introduced in recent work. We show that, under suitable "open-loop" assumptions, one can establish an upper bound on the number of switchings produced by the logic on any given interval. This bound comes as a function of the variation of the inputs to the logic on that interval. In this paper it is also shown that, in a supervisory control context, this leads to switching that is slow-on-the-average, allowing us to study the stability of hysteresis-based adaptive control systems in the presence of measurement noise.
Identification, Assessment, and Treatment of Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies After Bariatric Surgery

Although much remains to be established regarding the prevalence and etiology of vitamin and mineral deficiencies after bariatric surgery, this chapter serves as a guideline for the identification, assessment, and treatment of potential vitamin/mineral deficiencies after commonly performed bariatric surgery procedures. In 2008, the ASMBS Allied Health Nutritional Guidelines for the Surgical Weight Loss Patient was published as a supplement in Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases (SOARD). It included suggestions for preoperative and postoperative nutrition screening, assessment, and treatment of the bariatric patient, including vitamin and mineral deficiencies commonly seen after these procedures. Although gastric bypass, gastric banding, and biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) and BPD with duodenal switch (D/S) were included in this paper, vertical sleeve gastric gastrectomy (VSG) was not included, although plans are underway to add this as a supplement to this paper in the future. In the interim, suggestions for vitamin/mineral assessment and guidelines for the treatment of the VSG patient will be based upon the most recent reports in the literature. Although it is commonly known that bariatric surgery patients may be at risk for particular vitamin/mineral deficiencies associated with surgery, it may not be as clear that there are possible micronutrient deficiencies evidenced prior to surgery that bear mentioning. An overview of micronutrients most at risk after bariatric surgery is provided, as well as guidelines for the assessment and treatment of common vitamin/mineral deficiencies seen postoperatively.
The impact of financial reporting quality on debt contracting: Evidence from internal control weakness reports

We examine the effect of financial reporting quality on the trade-off between monitoring mechanisms used by lenders. We rely on Sarbanes-Oxley internal control reports to measure financial reporting quality. We find that when a firm experiences a material internal control weakness, lenders decrease their use of financial covenants and financial-ratio-based performance pricing provisions and substitute them with alternatives such as price and security protections and credit-rating-based performance pricing provisions. We also find that changes in debt contract design following internal control weaknesses are substantially different from those following restatements, where lenders impose tighter monitoring on managers’ actions, but do not decrease their use of financial statement numbers.
GAD67 and GAD65 mRNA and protein expression in cerebrocortical regions of elderly patients with schizophrenia

Gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter of CNS, has been consistently implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. GABA is synthesized from glutamate by the enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD). Two isoforms of GAD have been identified and have been named GAD65 and GAD67 based on their apparent molecular weights. In this study, GAD65 and GAD67 mRNA and protein levels were measured by using real-time RT-PCR and immunoblotting, respectively, in post-mortem brain tissue from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the occipital cortex of the elderly persons with schizophrenia and matched normal controls. In addition, the mRNA expression of GAT-1, one of the principal transporters of GABA, was also studied in the same subjects. Expression of GAD65 and GAD67 mRNA in the DLPFC and in the occipital cortex was significantly elevated in patients with schizophrenia, whereas the expression of the corresponding proteins and GAT-1 mRNA was unchanged. Although the levels of GAD65 and GAD67 messages were increased in schizophrenia subjects, the proportion of the two GAD isoforms remained constant in controls and schizophrenics. In the human DLPFC, GAD65 mRNA was found to be expressed significantly less than the message for GAD67, approximately 16% of that observed for GAD67. On the contrary, the abundance of GAD65 protein in the DLPFC was about 350% of that observed for GAD67. The results suggest a substantial dysregulation of GAD mRNA expression in schizophrenia and, taken together with the results of protein expression studies, raise the possibility that both cortical and subcortical GABA function may be compromised in the disease.
Diagnosis and Management of Iron Deficiency Anaemia in Children — A Clinical Update

Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) remains an important public health problem even in developed countries like Singapore. This clinical update covers recent developments in the knowledge of iron metabolism, which aids in the approach towards the diagnosis, management and prevention of IDA in children. Besides IDA, iron deficiency (ID) has several non-haematological consequences including effects on neurocognition and immune function as suggested by several animal and clinical studies. Thus paediatricians and other health care providers should work towards the prevention and elimination of IDA in children.
Non-Markov Effects and Property-Liability Insurer Rating Transitions

We extend the results of Lando and Skodeberg (2002) with the first examination of non-Markov effects for property-liability insurer rating transitions. Results provide evidence for the existence of three rating phenomena, including an initial rating effect (future rating transitions depend on the insurer’s existing rating), momentum drift (future downgrades and upgrades are associated with the insurer’s past downgrades and upgrades), and time dependence (the longer an insurer’s rating remains in a given category, the lower the likelihood that the rating will change). Based on the Cox proportional hazard model and A.M. Best ratings for the period 1995 to 2006, findings indicate the presence of significant non-Markov effects, generally for both insurer rating upgrades and downgrades, which is different from the results in the financial sector indicated by Lando and Skodeberg (2002).
Judicial Review of NHTSA-Ordered Recalls

Suppose you advise a large automobile manufacturer and suppose, further, that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), which oversees vehicle recalls in the United States, issues a recall order affecting a certain class of your vehicles, claiming that these vehicles contain a safety-related defect. Suppose you dispute NHTSA's conclusion that a safety-related defect exists in these vehicles. Should you challenge NHTSA in court? If you do, what are your chances of winning? Depending on whom you ask, some will say your chances of winning in court are 100%, some will say 20%, and others will say somewhere in between (e.g., 22%). Who, if any, is correct here? This article will not go so far as to provide an exact percentage of your chances of winning, but this article does explore the case law of NHTSA-ordered recalls. More than a mere academic foray into the nature of recall orders, this article is of special relevance considering the recent Ford-Firestone tire recall controversy, in which Firestone and NHTSA nearly ended up in court to resolve whether certain Firestone tires had a safety- related defect, the existence of which would have served as the basis for NHTSA ordering a recall. Part II of the article begins by tracing the origins of NHTSA, from its birth in 1966 through its several reorganizations to its present status as an independent administration housed within the Department of Transportation. The article then discusses the provisions of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Vehicle Safety Act) that empower NHTSA to investigate vehicle defects and force recalls. Part III summarizes the handful of court decisions that have interpreted these recall provisions of the Vehicle Safety Act. After summarizing these decisions, part III concludes by analyzing the impact of these decisions and, specifically, by showing how to approach the Vehicle Safety Act when judging the merits of a NHTSA-ordered recall.
First fragmentation function measurements from full jet reconstruction in heavy-ion collisions at \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=200 GeV by STAR

Measurements of inclusive hadron suppression and di-hadron azimuthal correlations in ultra-relativistic nuclear collisions at RHIC have provided important insights into jet quenching in hot QCD matter, but are limited in their sensitivity due to well-known biases. Full jet reconstruction in heavy-ion collisions would conceptually provide a direct measurement of the energy of the scattered parton before energy loss, alleviating such biases and allowing a measurement of the energy loss probability distribution in a model-independent way from hard probes. In these proceedings we utilize recent progress in the reconstruction of jets in the heavy ion environment and present the first measurement of the fragmentation function from fully reconstructed jets in heavy ion collisions. The fragmentation function measured in central Au + Au collisions at \(\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=200\) GeV will be presented and discussed with respect to p + p reference measurements.
Geographic Distribution of Research Costs and Benefits

More interest is being taken in the sources of increased agricultural productivity. Public efforts to produce and disseminate new knowledge in agriculture have been increasing particularly since World War II. But there are wide differences in the contributions among the states. This article grew out of a study of the sources of income for agricultural research and education, which attempted to determine if state differences in the public production and distribution of new technology affected the average productivity of farms among the states. The methods of multiple correlation of gross farm income with conventional inputs and inputs of agricultural research education did not disclose any significant differences among states in output attributable to the latter two inputs. The conclusion is that public information is so freely available and so generally applicable that the source of the new knowledge is not very important when all the states in the Union are considered.
EMS-mutated cotton populations suggest overlapping genetic control of trichome and lint fiber variation

The complex genetic and environmental control of lint fiber yield and quality of cotton has long motivated interest in whether information from genetically-simpler trichome variations might contribute knowledge salient to cotton improvement. To investigate this question, from 3164 M5 lines resulting from EMS mutagenesis of two Gossypium hirsutum breeding lines, TAM 94L25 and Acala 1517-99, 106 lines with leaf and stem trichome variations and 55 control lines were further studied to investigate associations between trichome variation and lint fiber development. Although only weak correlation was found between stem/leaf trichome and fiber traits, we still found that among nine fiber traits measured in replicated trials, lines with mutations affecting stem trichome development had significant alterations for seven traits in the TAM 94L25 mutants, and six in the Acala 1517-99 mutants. While the small number of leaf trichome mutants found offered only minimal statistical power to resolve differences, mutant lines had significant alterations for three of the nine traits in the TAM 94L25 mutants, and two in the Acala 1517-99 mutants. In summary, mutants in leaf and/or stem trichome development often have altered lint fiber characteristics, supporting the hypothesis that there is considerable overlap in the sets of genetic factors acting in the development of these analogous organs. Moreover, visual selection of trichome mutants may be an effective screen to identify potential new alleles affecting lint fiber development.
Electron Transfer and Trapping in Natural p–n Bipolar Polymer-Based Bilayer Films

Cyclic voltammetry and spectroelectrochemistry were separately employed to study and observe the electron transfer and trapping behavior between two bipolar polymers synthesized by the cyclic voltammetry method. The poly(DNTD) and poly(Cl4DPTD) were pair-sequentially electropolymerized on a Pt disk electrode and indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent electrodes for electron-transfer and electron trapping studies, respectively. Interestingly, the electrochemical responses of the bilayers at negative potentials vs Ag/AgCl were observed to depend on the bilayer assembly sequence. The lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) difference between poly(DNTD) and poly(Cl4DPTD) provides a large enough electronic barrier to trap the electrons between the n-type units in the polymers.
Mass Spectrometry in Clinical Medicine: Principles and Applications

Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique for determining the structures of unknown molecules and “fingerprint” identifications of known molecules that are present in gases, liquids, and solids. MS is unsurpassed in its combination of sensitivity, specificity, and speed. Fully computerized and reliable instruments have made possible the use of this powerful tool in clinical medicine. MS has found a permanent place in clinical toxicology, indisputably confirming the results of screening assays for drugs of abuse. During the past decade, the mass spectrometer has been widely accepted for clinical anesthesia, where it provides accurate and reliable monitoring of respiratory and anesthetic gases. MS is utilized for clinical pharmacology studies of bioavailability and bioequivalence of medicinal drugs using stable isotopes. Other clinical applications include use of MS in the diagnosis of metabolic disorders. MS is used in tandem with gas and liquid chromatographs (GC/MS and LC/MS) and, more recently, with other mass spectrometers (tandem MS, or MSMS). The tandem mass spectrometers match and exceed the sensitivity of GC/MS or LC/MS but are several orders of magnitude faster. Rapid MSMS drug screening assays have been developed that appear to be directly applicable to drug testing in humans. Rapid identifications of metabolites of new drugs are now possible utilizing tandem mass spectrometers. Implementation of tandem MS in clinical medicine will undoubtedly increase should instrumentation costs decline.
Optochemical control of deoxyoligonucleotide function via a nucleobase-caging approach.

Synthetic oligonucleotides have been extensively applied tocontrol a wide range of biological processes such as gene expression, gene repair, DNA replication, and protein activity. Based on well-established sequence design rules that typically rely on Watson–Crick base pairing interactions researchers can readily program the function of these oligonucleotides. Therefore oligonucleotides provide a flexible platform for targeting a wide range of biological molecules, including DNA, RNA, and proteins. In addition, oligonucleotides are commonly used research tools in cell biology and developmental biology. However, a lack of conditional control methods has hampered the precise spatial and temporal regulation of oligonucleotide activity, which limits the application of these reagents to investigate complex biological questions. Nature controls biological function with a high level of spatial and temporal resolution and in order to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of biological processes, researchers need too...
Abdominal resection of a cornual heterotopic pregnancy using intraoperative ultrasound: case report

Background: Heterotopic pregnancy is a rare complication of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and diagnosis and treatment can be challenging, particularly with unusual ectopic sites and desire to maintain the intrauterine pregnancy. Case: We review the case of a 29-year-old female who presented with a cornual heterotopic pregnancy following IVF treated with exploratory laparotomy and ultrasound guided resection of the cornual pregnancy, resulting in an ongoing viable singleton intrauterine pregnancy. Conclusion: The management of cornual heterotopic pregnancies is limited by lack of data regarding ideal treatment although several surgical and non-surgical strategies have been described. This case uses abdominal resection of cornual ectopic pregnancy using intraoperative ultrasound as an optimal approach to remove the ectopic pregnancy without disrupting the viable intrauterine pregnancy, which was in close proximity of the cornual ectopic.
Electrically Tunable Harmonic Generation of Light from Plasmonic Structures in Electrolytes

An emerging trend in plasmonics is to exploit nanostructured metals as a self-contained electrooptic platform with simultaneously supported electrical and optical functions. When it comes to nonlinear optics, this dual electrical and optical functionality offers an exciting potential to enable electrically controlled wave mixing processes in various nanometallic systems. Here we demonstrate tunable nonlinear generation of light enabled by an electrically active plasmonic crystal in aqueous electrolytic solutions. A modulation depth of ∼150%/V is observed in the second-harmonic signal, thanks to the light concentrating ability of the resonant plasmonic structure as well as the voltage-assisted charge accumulation on the metallic surfaces. The hybrid plasmonic–electrolyte system demonstrated in this work offers the exciting new potential to use plasmonic nanostructures for voltage-controlled nonlinear signal generation and in situ biochemical sensing in an aqueous environment.
On the Concept of Non-normative Critique

Proponents of non-normative critique reject what they see as judgmental notions of critique. These pre-suppose a superior insight on the part of the theorist taking a paternalist and suspicious attitude toward others. Their alternative begins ith the understanding of participants, but they take a distance from that perspective in their view of critique. With Foucault, they see critique solely as the attempt to problematize situations showing their contingent nature, leaving the participant to decide. This position is not well founded. Social critique is immanent, but is inherently normative. Understanding is evaluation, if the social inquirer is to critically encounter the participants’ perspective and not maintain the perspective of a descriptive sociologist. He or she must in fact be able to evaluate the norms and practices of the participants, otherwise the engagement is not on an equal level. This process is a reciprocal one. Critique is always mutual critique. The participants are equally able to critically evaluate the perspective of the inquirer just as the inquirer evaluates those of the participants he or she studies.
Whole home proxies: Bringing enterprise-grade security to residential networks

While enterprise networks follow best practices and security measures, residential networks often lack these protections. Home networks have constrained resources and lack a dedicated IT staff that can secure and manage the network and systems. At the same time, homes must tackle the same challenges of securing heterogeneous devices when communicating to the Internet. In this work, we explore combining software-defined networking and proxies with commodity residential Internet routers. We evaluate a “whole home” proxy solution for the Skype video conferencing application to determine the viability of the approach in practice. We find that we are able to automatically detect when a device is about to use Skype and dynamically intercept all of the Skype communication and route it through a proxy while not disturbing unrelated network flows. Our approach works across multiple operating systems, form factors, and versions of Skype.
The Suzaku Pattern Programming Framework

Suzaku is a pattern programming framework that enables programmers to create pattern-based parallel MPI programs without writing the MPI message-passing code implicit in the patterns. The purpose of this framework is to simplify message-passing programming and create better structured programs based upon established parallel design patterns. The focus for developing Suzaku is on teaching parallel programming. This paper covers the main features of Suzaku and describes our experiences using it in parallel programming classes.
Measuring Medication Adherence in Patients With Schizophrenia: An Integrative Review.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the validity, reliability and levels of evidence of existing instruments for measuring medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia. Background Schizophrenia is estimated to affect approximately 7 individuals out of 1000 in their lifetimes, with fifty percent of patients attempting suicide. However studies have shown that measuring medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia is difficult and no gold standard currently exists. Without reliable and valid instruments to evaluate non-adherence in this population, research into strategies to improve adherence cannot move forward. Data Sources This integrative review used the following search terms: assessing, measuring, medication adherence, schizophrenia, medication non-adherence, validity, reliability and measures. Databases searched included CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO and Scopus). Studies were included if they were published from 2000 to 2016. Fourteen instruments were identified from six studies and were included in this review. Results All the instruments assessed were weak in both validity and reliability coupled with having low levels of evidence. Three instruments (two are fairly new) yielded better validity, reliability and sensitivity; however they have not been assessed in broad, diverse samples, so their generalizability remains unclear. Conclusion This study suggests the need to develop an instrument with adequate validity, reliability, and sensitivity to various patients' characteristics.