cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biological mechanisms of dental fluorosis relevant to the use of fluoride supplements

Fluorosis occurs when fluoride interacts with mineralizing tissues, causing alterations in the mineralization process. In dental enamel, fluorosis causes subsurface hypomineralizations or porosity, which extend toward the dentinal-enamel junction as severity increases. This subsurface porosity is most likely caused by a delay in the hydrolysis and removal of enamel proteins, particularly amelogenins, as the enamel matures. This delay could be due to the direct effect of fluoride on the ameloblasts or to an interaction of fluoride with the proteins or proteinases in the mineralizing matrix. The specific mechanisms by which fluoride causes the changes leading to enamel fluorosis are not well defined; though the early-maturation stage of enamel formation appears to be particularly sensitive to fluoride exposure. The development of fluorosis is highly dependent on the dose, duration, and timing of fluoride exposure. The risk of enamel fluorosis is lowest when exposure takes place only during the secretory stage, but highest when exposure occurs in both secretory and maturation stages. The incidence of dental fluorosis is best correlated with the total cumulative fluoride exposure to the developing dentition. Fluoride supplements can contribute to the total fluoride exposure of children, and if the total fluoride exposure to the developing teeth is excessive, fluorosis will result.
Titration curves of colloidal surfaces. II. Connective tissues

Abstract The colloidal charge density of certain connective tissues was measured in vivo by the method of diplaced Donnan potentials at a series of pH values from 7.4 to 2.2 to yield titration curves of the colloidal surfaces. Tendon, dermis, and cartilage of rat and rabbit were studied. Hydrogen ions and other cations including lysine, glucosamine, and protamine displace the titration curves at all pH levels through the formation of complexes or by the neutralization of negatively charged groups. The equilibrium constants and standard free energies of the reactions were estimated. Anions such as picric acid displace the titration constants toward higher pH levels, with a resulting uptake of hydrogen ions at the surface. Complex formation strongly influences the distribution of inorganic ions in tissues. Differences in the shape of the titration curves are explained in terms of internal electrostatic bonds and the distribution of electric charge.
Cytolytic Activity of Pulmonary and Systemic Lymphoid Cells from C57BL/6 Mice Following Intrapulmonary or Intraperitoneal Immunization with Allogeneic Tumor Cells

In order to demonstrate whether specific cytotoxic T cells could be induced in lung parenchyma, C57BL/6 mice were immunized by the intrapulmonary route with allogeneic tumor cells (P815). Ten days after administration of 20 × 106 allogeneic cells, peak concentrations of cytotoxic cells were found in lung, tracheobronchial lymph node, and spleen. With reduction in immunizing dose, lytic activity disappeared from spleen and lymph node, but persisted in lung. The cytolytic activity was specific for the immunizing alloantigen, was abolished by antitheta serum, and could not be attributed to macrophages. For comparison, C57BL/6 mice were immunized by the intraperitoneal route with 20 × 106 P815 cells. The expected cytolytic activity was found in spleen and lymph nodes; however, unexpectedly high levels of cytolytic activity were also found in pulmonary lymphocytes. This activity was confirmed using a wide range of effector to target cell ratios in the assay system. Quantitative cytolytic assays demonstrated th...
Globalization by the Numbers: Quantitative Indicators and the Role of Policy

Many writers have sought empirical referents for globalization. The most persuasive work has considered economic, political, cultural, and environmental indicators. Attempts to combine indicators from different spheres into a single index appear unpromising.
Enjoyment of destruction: The role of uncertainty

Enjoyment is frequently associated with acts of destruction. It is posited that enjoyment derived from observing or engaging in destruction is related to the stimulus characteristics of the object being destroyed. Specifically, the factors that determine a person's enjoyment of aesthetic stimuli should also affect one's response to destruction. In the present experiment one stimulus characteristic was studied—uncertainty concerning the breaking of a pane of glass. Subjects observed a film in which three panes of glass broke immediately upon being struck, but the fourth pane of glass broke on either the first strike (low uncertainty) or the third strike (high uncertainty). Results indicated that subjects enjoyed the breaking more in the high-uncertainty condition, that is, when they were more uncertain about when the glass would break. The findings support the aesthetic theory of destruction and also have implications for design.
Obesity-induced Hypertension: Role of Sympathetic Nervous System, Leptin, and Melanocortins

Excess weight gain contributes to increased blood pressure in most patients with essential hypertension. Although the mechanisms of obesity hypertension are not fully understood, increased renal sodium reabsorption and impaired pressure natriuresis play key roles. Several mechanisms contribute to altered kidney function and hypertension in obesity, including activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which appears to be mediated in part by increased levels of the adipocyte-derived hormone leptin, stimulation of pro-opiomelanocortin neurons, and subsequent activation of central nervous system melanocortin 4 receptors.
Regime switching in the dynamic relationship between stock returns and inflation

This study examines nonlinear dynamic relationships between stock returns and inflation in ten major stock markets. Using Hansen and Seo's (2002) threshold error correction model to allow for possible regime shifts in the dynamic relationship between the two variables, threshold effects are found in the adjustment towards the long-run equilibrium relationship between stock returns and inflation for three out of the ten countries considered in this study (France, Switzerland and the USA). Nevertheless, the nonlinear adjustment mechanism is not uniform but rather it is country-specific.
Preparation and characterization of germanium oxy-sulfide GeS2-GeO2 glasses

Abstract Homogeneous germanium oxy-sulfide (1 − x )GeS 2 – x GeO 2 glasses were prepared from 0 ⩽ x ⩽ 1 by rapidly quenching melts to room temperature showing no evidence of phase separation all across the compositional range. A non-linear variation of the glass transition temperature ( T g ) was observed where T g increased initially with small amounts of GeO 2 up to x = 0.1, remained approximately constant over the range of 0.2 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.8, and then increased again at the end of glass forming range ( x ⩾ 0.8). Bridging Ge–S–Ge and Ge–O–Ge vibrational stretching modes were observed in both the Raman and Infrared spectra. Bending modes of the S–Ge–O linkages were also observed in the Raman spectra. From these results, it is suggested that the addition of GeO 2 to GeS 2 glass causes the transformation of GeS 4/2 units to mixed oxy-sulfide GeS 3/2 O 1/2 , GeS 2/2 O 2/2 , and GeS 1/2 O 3/2 structural units at progressively higher GeO 2 contents. While the structure of these glasses apparently changes continuously and smoothly with composition, the non-linear changes in the physical properties like the T g are not fully understood, although other common examples of such non-linear behavior are well known in simple binary alkali silicate glasses.
Mechanical and Barrier Properties of Egg Albumen Films

Films were cast and dried from heated, alkaline aqueous egg albumen solutions containing glycerin (GLY) at 30, 40, or 50% w/w of protein, polyethylene glycol (PEG) at 50 or 60%, or sorbitol (S) at 50 or 60% as plasticizers. PEG-plasticized (60%) films also were prepared by substituting 10, 30, 50, or 70% of albumen with yolk solids. Film tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (E), water vapor permeability (WVP), and Hunter color values were measured. At a plasticizer content of 50%, films with S had the lowest WVP while films with PEG had the greatest E. S- and PEG-plasticized films had greater TS than GLY-plasticized films. Yolk solids decreased film TS, E, and WVP while increasing film yellowness.
Tumor necrosis factor: current clinical status and implications for nursing management.

Abstract TNF is one of the newest forms of biologic therapy currently being tested for its efficacy in cancer treatment. It has shown cytostatic and cytotoxic activity in animal tumor models in addition to other biologic functions. It is hoped that further work with this molecule will uncover a wide spectrum of antitumor activity for malignant disease. Data from preliminary TNF laboratory research have demonstrated possible synergy with various chemotherapeutic agents and other biologies. Future clinical trials must combine TNF with other agents. As technology advances, the nurse is becoming more familiar with biologic therapy. Nurses working with these agents are not only gaining significant knowledge about immunology and biologic therapy but are also gaining a tremendous wealth of experience in caring for patients with advanced disease.
Aldosterone and antialdosterone therapy in congestive heart failure

The pathophysiologic cycle that links myocardial failure with the appearance of congestive heart failure is not fully understood. It is clear, however, that an activation of several neurohormonal systems and the interplay between kidneys, adrenal glands, and heart contribute to abnormal sodium and water homeostasis. Aldosterone, the body's most potent mineralocorticoid hormone, contributes to intravascular and extravascular volume expansion, and thus to the appearance of symptomatic failure. Antialdosterone therapy in patients with secondary hyperaldosteronism due to heart failure must achieve one or more of the following goals: reduce or, preferably, normalize plasma aldosterone levels by limiting synthesis; antagonize the renal and systemic effects of aldosterone at its receptor sites; and eliminate or minimize the multiple stimuli to aldosterone secretion.
PREDICTIVE EFFICIENCY FOR SIMPLE NON-LINEAR MODELS*

This paper demonstrates the use of exact predictive likelihood functions for simple non-linear models. A measure of predictive efficiency based on the concept of expected information loss is introduced as a way of comparing alternative prediction functions. It is shown that the predictive likelihood function minimizes expected information loss over a wide class of potential prediction functions. Some Monte Carlo experiments illustrate the performance of alternative prediction functions in settings where prediction is difficult.
A Model for Coupled Electrical Migration and Stress-Driven Transport in Anodic Oxide Films

Recent experimental evidence suggests that plastic flow of oxide occurs during the growth of anodic oxide films and contributes significantly to ionic mass transport. Skeldon and co-workers used tungsten tracers introduced from the metal to visualize ionic transport within porous anodic alumina films formed in acidic solutions. 1-4 The observed tracer motion deviated strongly from expectations based on electrical migration as the only transport mechanism, the authors attributing the discrepancy to plastic flow in the oxide. The tracer studies supported earlier measurements of the rate of increase in pore wall height relative to stationary reference planes. 5-7 Both experiments revealed plastic flow in the pore walls at typical velocities of 0.1‐1 nm/s. We developed a transport model of porous anodic alumina films, which validated the hypothesis of coupled electrical migration and viscous flow of oxide, through a detailed agreement with the tungsten tracer profiles. 8 The results of this study suggest that the coupled stress and potential distributions in these films regulate the interface motion during the formation of self-ordered pore arrays. The importance of viscous creep may extend beyond porous oxides to planar anodic films typically formed in neutral pH solutions. Evidence for creep in such films is suggested by several experimental studies. Leach and co-workers observed a current-dependent extension of loaded Al wires during anodizing, which they attributed to current-induced plasticity in the anodic film. 9,10 Wuthrich showed that anodic alumina films deform without cracking during anodizing. 11 Zhou et al. attributed the observations of growth and coalescence of oxygen bubbles during the passage of ionic current to the plasticity in the surrounding oxide. 12,13 An additional precedent for creep of amorphous solids at ambient temperatures is found in studies that show that Newtonian viscous flow relieves compressive stresses induced by ion irradiation. 14-17 Like the materials in these experiments, anodic alumina films are amorphous, and stresses large enough to drive significant creep 10‐100 MPa are found during the growth of both porous and planar anodic alumina. 9,11,18-21 Stresses during anodizing may arise from volume constraints at the metal‐ oxide interface, and from electrostatic forces in the oxide dielectric. 22-24 In this paper, we present a model for transport in planar anodic films by coupled electrical migration, plastic flow, and migration in the stress field. Coupling of transport processes results from the constraints of volume and charge conservation. The model is developed for the specific case of barrier-type aluminum oxide films, which have been studied extensively. However, a similar treatment may apply to amorphous anodic oxides formed on a variety of valve metals. The model is adapted from the continuum approach developed by Suo and co-workers to model coupled plastic flow and diffusional transport in metals.
EVALUATING GUN-POLICY EVALUATIONS*

The paper in this volume by T. Kovandzic and T. Marvell raises an important question that is relevant for a wide range of policy issues: in cases in which policy decisions depend in part on answers to factual questions, what should policymakers do in the face of imperfect or conflicting research findings? Consider the problem facing the state legislators and going hours as they decide whether to enact or repeal a permissive right to carry concealed gun carrying law in their state. A literature review will quickly identify the influential and widely publicized papers by economist John Lott and David mustard, published in 1997 in the Journal of Legal Studies, Claiming that right to carry laws are one of the most cost effective methods yet devised for reducing crime. Yet the same review will uncover additional articles such as those bye David Nagin, Dan Black, and John Donahue also Franklin zoo meringue, suggesting that there is a little reliable evidence that such laws reduce crime. What is a policy maker to think? In what follows, I note that in principle conflicting or imperfect research evidence need not grind the policymaking process to a halt, or force policymakers to make decisions with complete disregard to the facts.... Language: en
Evidence-based practice project to increase hospital-based cervical cancer screening compliance among registration staff

Background: High-quality Papanicolaou testing was developed in the 1940s, and when used for early detection of cervical cancer, has been shown to significantly reduce cervical cancer related deaths world-wide. Legislation, passed by many states in the United States, aims to maximize cervical cancer screening. One academic medical center (AMC) in Maryland initiated a cervical cancer screening program in 1977. A pilot, developed to assess cervical cancer screening compliance, found the screening rate at this AMC to be 51%. Objective: This project aimed to improve the knowledge of the patient service coordinators in order to increase cervical cancer screening compliance.Population: Patient service coordinator conducts registration and screening when a patient is admitted to the AMCMethods: Effectiveness of the education was measured by three assessments: 1) A pre and post knowledge survey of the patient service coordinator measuring facts about cervical cancer, the screening process, and the State of Maryland cervical cancer screening mandate; 2) a calculation of screening rates comparing the number of women screened to the number of women admitted; and 3) an assessment of the completeness of each screening form.Results: A two-tailed paired samples t-test revealed that the PSCs scored higher on the post-survey (m-7.68, s- 2.52) compared to the pre-survey (m-3.68, s-1.77), t (32) = 8.949, p â‰¤ .0.5. A chi- square test was used to compare categorical variables. During the four weeks before the educational intervention, 34% (543 of 1602) of women were screened; 51% (279/543) screening forms were completed. For the four weeks after the educational intervention, 54% (N=735 of 1,373) of eligible women were screened; 89% (656/735) forms were completed. Both tests were found to be significant p <0.000.Interpretation: There was a significant improvement of the PSCâ€™s knowledge, 20% increase in the number of women screened, and completeness of the form increased by 38%.Conclusion: These findings suggest that an educational intervention for registration staff can increase cervical cancer screening compliance, and positively impact staff ability to screen inpatient women.
Neural network-based adaptive beamforming for one- and two-dimensional antenna arrays

We present a neural network approach to the problem of finding the weights of one- (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D) adaptive arrays. In modern cellular satellite mobile communications systems and in global positioning systems (GPSs), both desired and interfering signals change their directions continuously. Therefore, a fast tracking system is needed to constantly track the users and then adapt the radiation pattern of the antenna to direct multiple narrow beams to desired users and nulls interfering sources. In the approach suggested in this paper, the computation of the optimum weights is accomplished using three-layer radial basis function neural networks (RBFNN). The results obtained from this network are in excellent agreement with the Wiener solution.
Ribostral: an RNA 3D alignment analyzer and viewer based on basepair isostericities

Summary: RNA atomic resolution structures have revealed the existance of different families of basepair interactions, each of which with its own isosteric sub-families. Ribostral (Ribonucleic Structural Aligner) is a user-friendly framework for analyzing, evaluating and viewing RNA sequence alignments with at least one available atomic resolution structure. It is the first of its kind that makes direct and easy- to-understand superposition of the isostericity matrices of basepairs observed in the structure onto sequence alignments, easily indicating allowed and unallowed substitutions at each BP position. Potential mistakes in the alignments can then be corrected using other sequence editing software. Ribostral has been developed and tested under Windows XP, and is capable of running on any PC or MAC platform with MATLAB 7.1 (SP3) or higher installed version. A stand-alone version is also available for the PC platform. Availability: http://rna.bgsu.edu/ribostral Contact: mali@bgsu.edu Supplementary information: A user manual is available on Ribostral website.
Direct endoscopic video registration for sinus surgery

Advances in computer vision have made possible robust 3D reconstruction of monocular endoscopic video. These reconstructions accurately represent the visible anatomy and, once registered to pre-operative CT data, enable a navigation system to track directly through video eliminating the need for an external tracking system. Video registration provides the means for a direct interface between an endoscope and a navigation system and allows a shorter chain of rigid-body transformations to be used to solve the patient/navigation-system registration. To solve this registration step we propose a new 3D-3D registration algorithm based on Trimmed Iterative Closest Point (TrICP)1 and the z-buffer algorithm.2 The algorithm takes as input a 3D point cloud of relative scale with the origin at the camera center, an isosurface from the CT, and an initial guess of the scale and location. Our algorithm utilizes only the visible polygons of the isosurface from the current camera location during each iteration to minimize the search area of the target region and robustly reject outliers of the reconstruction. We present example registrations in the sinus passage applicable to both sinus surgery and transnasal surgery. To evaluate our algorithm's performance we compare it to registration via Optotrak and present closest distance point to surface error. We show our algorithm has a mean closest distance error of .2268mm.
Transforming Standard Arabic to Colloquial Arabic

We present a method for generating Colloquial Egyptian Arabic (CEA) from morphologically disambiguated Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). When used in POS tagging, this process improves the accuracy from 73.24% to 86.84% on unseen CEA text, and reduces the percentage of out-of-vocabulary words from 28.98% to 16.66%. The process holds promise for any NLP task targeting the dialectal varieties of Arabic; e.g., this approach may provide a cheap way to leverage MSA data and morphological resources to create resources for colloquial Arabic to English machine translation. It can also considerably speed up the annotation of Arabic dialects.
A genome-wide ordered-subset linkage analysis for rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, complex autoimmune inflammatory disorder with poorly known etiology. Approximately 1% of the adult population is afflicted with RA. Linkage analysis of RA can be complicated by the presence of phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity. It is shown that the ordered-subset analysis (OSA) technique reduces heterogeneity, increases statistical power for detecting linkage and helps to define the most informative data set for follow-up analysis. We applied OSA to the family data from the North American Rheumatoid Arthritis Consortium study as part of the Genetic Analysis Workshop 15 (GAW15). We have incorporated two continuous covariates, 'age of onset' and 'anti-CCP level' (anti-cyclic citrinullated peptide), into our genome-wide ordered-subset linkage analysis using 809 Illumina SNP markers in 5713 individuals from 606 Caucasian RA families. A statistically significant increase in nonparametric linkage (NPL) scores was observed with covariate 'age of onset' in chromosomes 4 (p = 0.000003) and 9 (p = 0.002). With the covariate 'anti-CCP level', statistically significant increases in NPL scores were observed in chromosomes 2 (p = 0.0001), 18 (p = 0.00007), and 19 (p = 0.0003). Once we identified the linked genomic region, we then attempted to identify the best plausible parametric model at that linked locus. Our results show significant improvement in evidence for linkage and demonstrate that OSA is a useful technique to detect linkage under heterogeneity.
Relation between the seasonal changes in aggression, plasma testosterone and the photoperiod in male rhesus monkeys

Abstract Changes in direct and redirected aggression and in plasma testosterone levels were studied during a 39-month period in eight male rhesus monkeys maintained under laboratory conditions in a constant photoperiod. Males were tested with the same four ovariectomized, estrogen-treated females (32 pairs, 6357 one-hour tests), and plasma samples were obtained weekly at 0800 and 1600 hr and every two weeks at 2200 hr (2630 samples). Four males remained intact throughout and four males were castrated and received testosterone implants subcutaneously at the start of the second year. Annual changes in male aggression continued to occur at the expected time in the autumn in both intact and castrated males which indicated a degree of independence of the behavior from the photoperiod and from changes in plasma testosterone. There was a highly significant temporal association between 0800 hr testosterone and direct aggression occurring 3–4 weeks later during the first year, but this association was lost in subsequent years. Although the annual rhythms in plasma testosterone persisted for three years in the intact group, the maxima for the hormonal and the behavioral changes drifted apart in the constant photoperiod. The view is propounded that essentially independent long-term endocrine and behavioral rhythms are normally entrained by exteroceptive factors.
Interval Kalman filtering

The classical Kalman filtering technique is extended to interval linear systems with the same statistical assumptions on noise, for which the classical technique is no longer applicable. Necessary interval analysis, particularly the notion of interval expectation, is reviewed and introduced. The interval Kalman filter (IKF) is then derived, which has the same structure as the classical algorithm, using no additional analysis or computation from such as H/sup /spl infin//-mathematics. A suboptimal IKF is suggested next, for the purpose of real-time implementation. Finally, computer simulations are shown to compare the new interval Kalman filtering algorithm with the classical Kalman filtering scheme and some other existing robust Kalman filtering methods.
Animals and the Problem of Evil in Recent Theodicies

This essay critically evaluates the theodicies of John Hick, Richard Swinburne and process theism regarding animal suffering and evils. Their positions on animals are found to be flawed and/or inadequate because they cannot explain the mass suffering and unnecessary deaths to animals throughout time. I also offer a positive contribution. That is, God’s putative love for all humans and animals does not entail that he loves every single human and animal. It is very possible that God treats humans and animals similarly in regard to evils. This theory partly explains human tragedies such as the Holocaust and much unnecessary animal and human suffering.
Design of an Energy-Efficient Asynchronous NoC and Its Optimization Tools for Heterogeneous SoCs

The energy usage of on-chip interconnects is a concern for many system-on-chips targeting portable battery-powered devices. We have designed and evaluated a network-on-chip (NoC) for such an application, including tools to optimize for power and communication latency. Our asynchronous (clockless) network operates with efficient two-phase bundled-data links and four-phase routers. The topology and router floorplan is determined by our tool, ANetGen, which optimizes the network for energy and latency using simulated annealing and force-directed placement methods. We compare our solutions against a traditional synchronous NoC as specified by the COSI-2.0 framework and ORION 2.0 router and wire energy models. Traffic is simulated with SystemC functional models, and messages are generated with a “bursty” self-similar b-model. Results indicate our asynchronous network was more energy-efficient, lower in area, and provided comparable or superior message latency.
Preparation of supported zeolite films and layers: Processing of zeolite suspensions and in situ growth from homogeneous solutions

The influence of microstructure on the properties of zeolite films and means of controlling the former (film thickness, crystal orientation) are the theme of this report. Firstly, the formation of thin silicalite films from regrowth of nanocrystalline silicalite/alumina composite films is presented. The crystallites at the intergrown top layer are oriented with their straight channels parallel to the substrate film. The membranes show H{sub 2}/N{sub 2} selectivities of about 60 at 150 C. This high selectivity is attributed to the orientation of the separating layer. Secondly, the formation of oriented multilayers of zeolite L crystallites by alternating dipping of a glass substrate in a bohemite and a plate-like zeolite L suspensions is illustrated. Finally, continuous films of zeolite NaA are prepared on various substrates (glass, porous and nonporous alumina) using in situ growth from homogeneous solutions. The films exhibit good adhesion to the substrates. The films prepared on porous alumina disks show He/N{sub 2} and O{sub 2}/N{sub 2} selectivities of 10 and 0.4 respectively at 120 C.
HARVEST, a longitudinal patient record summarizer

Objective To describe HARVEST, a novel point-of-care patient summarization and visualization tool, and to conduct a formative evaluation study to assess its effectiveness and gather feedback for iterative improvements. Materials and methods HARVEST is a problem-based, interactive, temporal visualization of longitudinal patient records. Using scalable, distributed natural language processing and problem salience computation, the system extracts content from the patient notes and aggregates and presents information from multiple care settings. Clinical usability was assessed with physician participants using a timed, task-based chart review and questionnaire, with performance differences recorded between conditions (standard data review system and HARVEST). Results HARVEST displays patient information longitudinally using a timeline, a problem cloud as extracted from notes, and focused access to clinical documentation. Despite lack of familiarity with HARVEST, when using a task-based evaluation, performance and time-to-task completion was maintained in patient review scenarios using HARVEST alone or the standard clinical information system at our institution. Subjects reported very high satisfaction with HARVEST and interest in using the system in their daily practice. Discussion HARVEST is available for wide deployment at our institution. Evaluation provided informative feedback and directions for future improvements. Conclusions HARVEST was designed to address the unmet need for clinicians at the point of care, facilitating review of essential patient information. The deployment of HARVEST in our institution allows us to study patient record summarization as an informatics intervention in a real-world setting. It also provides an opportunity to learn how clinicians use the summarizer, enabling informed interface and content iteration and optimization to improve patient care.
Somatomedin Inhibitors From Diabetic Rat Serum Alter Growth and Development of Mouse Embryos in Culture

Offspring of diabetic humans and laboratory animals have been shown to have a higher incidence of congenital malformations with attendant growth retardation. These defects have been attributed to alterations in the intrauterine environment and specifically to changes in maternal serum factors, e.g., glucose and ketone bodies. Our investigation examines the potential teratogenicity of a low-molecular-weight (940) serum fraction with demonstrated somatomedin inhibitory activity isolated by column chromatography from streptozocin-induced diabetic rats. Mouse embryos were exposed to control or the inhibitor fraction at concentrations of 0.25–0.6% vol/vol (0.9–3.0 μg protein/ml culture medium) in whole embryo culture and evaluated for the presence of malformations and growth retardation. Embryos exposed to inhibitor during the period of neurulation (3–5 somites) exhibited neural tube and craniofacial defects, whereas those exposed during early limb bud stages (18–19 somites) exhibited abnormalities of the forebrain and face. In addition, both stages were growth retarded. Control fractions produced no abnormalities. These results demonstrate a potential role for somatomedin inhibitors in diabetic embryopathy and suggest that factors other than hyperglycemie and hyperketonemia may contribute to the higher incidence of malformations among infants of diabetic mothers.
Lexically-Triggered Hidden Markov Models for Clinical Document Coding

The automatic coding of clinical documents is an important task for today's healthcare providers. Though it can be viewed as multi-label document classification, the coding problem has the interesting property that most code assignments can be supported by a single phrase found in the input document. We propose a Lexically-Triggered Hidden Markov Model (LT-HMM) that leverages these phrases to improve coding accuracy. The LT-HMM works in two stages: first, a lexical match is performed against a term dictionary to collect a set of candidate codes for a document. Next, a discriminative HMM selects the best subset of codes to assign to the document by tagging candidates as present or absent. By confirming codes proposed by a dictionary, the LT-HMM can share features across codes, enabling strong performance even on rare codes. In fact, we are able to recover codes that do not occur in the training set at all. Our approach achieves the best ever performance on the 2007 Medical NLP Challenge test set, with an F-measure of 89.84.
Temperature dependence of triple junction solar cells after high fluence irradiations

The NRL TacSat-4 Satellite was launched into a highly elliptical orbit on September 27th 2011. The solar panels are populated with Emcore ATJ cells. The solar panel was predicted to degrade 25% over the first year. Flight data show that the actual degradation is exceeding this prediction. Ground testing was conducted to more accurately determine the degradation and end-of-life (EOL) parameters. This consisted of irradiations of Emcore (SolAero) ATJ cells with 3 MeV protons at 8 different fluences ranging from 1 × 1011 to 1 × 1015 p/cm2 greater than any previously irradiated testing by orders of magnitude. This paper contains details related to the temperature coefficients of these cells and how they correlate to the Displacement Damage Dose (DDD). This data will help in predictions of solar panel performance in high radiation orbits.
Cholestasis in Preterm Infants

Cholestasis in preterm infants has a multifactorial etiology. Risk factors include degree of prematurity, lack of enteral feeding, intestinal injury, prolonged use of parenteral nutrition (PN), and sepsis. Soy-based parenteral lipid emulsions have been implicated in the pathophysiology of PN-associated liver injury. Inflammation plays an important role. Medical therapies are used; however, their effects have not consistently proven effective. Evaluation of cholestasis involves laboratory work; direct bilirubin levels are used for diagnosis and trending. Adverse outcomes include risk for hepatobiliary dysfunction, irreversible liver failure, and death. Early enteral feedings as tolerated is the best way to prevent and manage cholestasis.
Multispectral Imaging of T and B Cells in Murine Spleen and Tumor

Recent advances in multiplex immunohistochemistry techniques allow for quantitative, spatial identification of multiple immune parameters for enhanced diagnostic and prognostic insight. However, applying such techniques to murine fixed tissues, particularly sensitive epitopes, such as CD4, CD8α, and CD19, has been difficult. We compared different fixation protocols and Ag-retrieval techniques and validated the use of multiplex immunohistochemistry for detection of CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ T cell subsets in murine spleen and tumor. This allows for enumeration of these T cell subsets within immune environments, as well as the study of their spatial distribution.
A canonical small divisor problem for the Nash-Moser method

In this note we prove a general elementary small divisor theorem for Hs norms of N ×N matrices that provides a potentially useful estimate for expunging resonances in Nash-Moser Newton Iterations. The theorem requires compatibility conditions on the approximating matrices, and we investigate how the theorem can fail when the compatibility conditions are violated. This investigation suggests that establishing compatibility of the approximations, not the presence of small eigenvalues, is the main obstacle in obtaining small divisor theorems sufficient for expunging resonances in Nash-Moser Newton Iterations.
Distribution of Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole in Tissues of Rhesus Monkeys

The distributions of trimethoprim (TMP) and nonacetylated sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) were studied in tissues of rhesus monkeys at equilibrium after establishment of serum levels comparable to those in man. Concentrations of nonacetylated SMZ in tissue were always lower than those in serum, with the highest concentrations in kidney, lung, and heart. In contrast, concentrations of TMP in tissue were greater than those in serum, except in brain, skin, and fat. The greatest uptake of TMP by tissues was observed in kidney and liver. The ratio of SMZ to TMP was significantly less in tissue than in serum and was lower than the optimal 20:1 ratio for antibacterial synergy. The rate of disappearance of both drugs from tissues was identical to their rate of elimination from serum. The pharmacokinetics of trimethoprim (TMP) and sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) in animals and man have been previously reported [1-3]. Calculations of distribution have suggested significant uptake of TMP but not of SMZ by tissues. Biopsy material from patients and distribution studies in tissues of the rat, mouse, and rabbit have shown that the concentration of TMP in tissues exceeds that in serum, whereas levels of SMZ are lower in tissues than in serum [3-5]. We designed the following investigations to determine the distribution of these drugs in the tissues of primates at equilibrium with serum levels comparable to those in man.
Observing gender dynamics and disparities with mobile phone metadata

We explore the extent to which gender disparities in Pakistan are reflected in the anonymized mobile phone logs of millions of Pakistani residents. Our analysis uses data capturing the communications behavior of several million individuals, for whom we observe the gender, but no additional demographic or personally identifying information. Here, we focus on validating aggregate regional patterns, correlating metrics derived from the mobile phone logs with socioeconomic statistics collected from more traditional sources. In these preliminary results, we observe a statistically significant relationship between districts with relatively high rates of female mobile phone penetration and districts that report high levels of gender parity in traditional surveys. However, this relationship is not uniform, and less developed regions exhibit a weaker correlation. We interpret these findings as suggestive evidence that such data can provide a novel perspective on gender dynamics in developing countries.
NH4Cl-induced hypertrophy is mediated by weak base effects and is independent of cell cycle processes

Renal hypertrophy occurs in a number of clinical conditions, some of which are associated with increases in ambient ammonia concentrations. NH4Cl induces hypertrophy in cultured renal epithelial cells. The present studies examined the mechanism of NH4Cl-induced hypertrophy in NRK-52E cells. Hypertrophy was also induced by methylammonium chloride, a related weak base, but not by tetramethylammonium chloride, a weak base analogue that can neither accept nor donate protons. Bafilo-mycin A1, an inhibitor of vacuolar proton pumps, also induced hypertrophy. Together, these studies suggest that NH4Cl-induced hypertrophy is mediated by its weak base property, allowing it to enter and alkalinize acid vesicular compartments. Additional studies demonstrated that NH4Cl-induced hypertrophy is not mediated by modulation of cell cycle processes. NH4Cl addition had no effect on the following: c-fos mRNA abundance, typically associated with entrance into the cell cycle; cyclin E protein abundance, which increases as cells progress through G1; or protein synthesis, which also increases during G1. In addition, inactivation of pRB by overexpression of human papilloma virus-16 carrying the E7 gene, which inhibits cell cycle-dependent hypertrophy, had no effect on the ability of NH4Cl to induce hypertrophy. Based on these data, we postulate that, in hypertrophic conditions associated with increased ammoniagenesis, hypertrophy is mediated by vesicular alkalinization and occurs independently of processes that govern progression through the cell cycle.
Hydrolysis of phospholipids by a lysosomal enzyme

The phospholipid-hydrolyzing activity of rat liver lysosomes has been studied. These lysosomes contain a phospholipase that cleaves both fatty acid ester linkages of lecithin and of phosphatidyl ethanolamine and releases free fatty acids from both positional isomers of lysolecithin. The enzyme does not require calcium for maximum activity, and is inhibited by diethyl ether and sodium deoxycholate. Mercuric ions and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide also inhibit the hydrolysis. Compared with lipase activity, this enzyme is relatively stable to heat. The specific activity of the hydrolysis of lecithin by the lysosomal enzyme is considerably higher than those reported for mitochondrial and microsomal phospholipases. The enzyme resembles other hydrolases of the lysosome in that it has an acid pH optimum (pH 4.5). This enzymic activity is present in both the lysosomal soluble enzyme fraction and in the lysosomal membrane fraction. The enzyme may participate in the intracellular digestion of mitochondria that is carried out by the intact lysosome in vivo. Localized inflammation and changes in vascular permeability following tissue damage could be catalyzed by this phospholipase.
Impaired De Novo Fear Conditioning in Opiate-Dependent Outpatients

Substance use disorders are characterized by excessive seeking and taking of drugs in the face of adverse consequences. Impaired learning of contingencies around negative outcomes may influence such drug-use patterns. To our knowledge, no studies to date have examined fear conditioning in drug-dependent humans, nor have they investigated the association between fear conditioning outcomes and neuropsychological functioning. The current study compared de novo fear conditioning in a sample of opiate-dependent outpatients to that in a healthy and an affective-disordered sample in an attempt to isolate the contribution of substance dependence on conditioning outcomes, relative to the substantial comorbidity present in substance using samples. Additionally, a brief neuropsychological battery was completed in the substance dependent sample. We found consistent evidence across three indices of fear acquisition—simple conditioning, differential conditioning, and contingency awareness—that the opiate-dependent learned the cue association less well than the control groups. Some of these deficits were significantly related to impairments in attention and memory. As such, substance use and/or associated neuropsychological impairments may make associative learning difficult, and may contribute to the persistence of maladaptive patterns and the failure to change behavior in response to aversive outcomes.
Factors Associated with Perpetration of Physical Intimate Partner Violence among College Students: Russia and Lithuania

ABSTRACTThis study examined factors associated with physical IPV perpetration in Russia and Lithuania. The data from the International Dating Violence Study 2001–2006 were analyzed (N= 818). Male and female perpetrators as compared to non-perpetrators of physical IPV have a higher prevalence of being perpetrators of other forms of IPV. Perpetrators of physical IPV as compared to non-perpetrators are more likely to have been victims of IPV. Male and female ‘intimate terrorist’ perpetrators exhibit different characteristics. Factors associated with IPV are different between male and female perpetrators. Interventions should focus on victimization and perpetration.
Understanding how tunnel ventilation analysis decreases risk and increases resilience

Understanding and being able to predict the aerodynamic and thermodynamic behaviour in transit tunnels is vital for two reasons. It promotes the reduction of the risks or consequences of accidents and deliberate acts of terrorism; and increases resilience by aiding the provision of reasonable thermal comfort within an infrastructure which uses increasingly energy intensive train systems and operations against a backdrop of increasing ambient temperatures. This paper shows how, with a detailed understanding of the system's energy balance, the engineer can use a combination of one-dimensional and three-dimensional thermal and airflow analysis techniques, along with passenger evacuation modelling, to optimise the design of the system. The subject is vast however and so this paper can only briefly introduce each topic. The principles introduced are also applicable to other infrastructure such as road and cable tunnels, car parks, buildings and stadia.
Bernard Williams: Conclusion: “a pessimism of strength ?”

Although certainly his contributions to metaphysics, epistemology and the history of philosophy continue to repay close attention, speaking now of, say, papers on personal identity or the book on Descartes, Williams's reputation rightly remains most closely tied to ethics, specifically his critique(s) of moral theory and his work in moral psychology. Such contributions, however, and no one seems more sensitive to this than Williams himself, may strike some readers as fragmentary, decentralized, ad hoc. The foregoing chapters have tried to combat this impression, assuming it even merits combating, in two ways. The first is by pointing up certain themes or, perhaps better, guiding principles on display in almost all Williams's writing. Three in number, spelled out in Chapter 1, these principles reflect his constant push, especially in ethics, for psychology adequate to moral phenomena, history adequate to contemporary values and philosophy adequate to the contingency of life. The second is by sketching, in connection with Shame and Necessity , at least the outline of a positive account of ethical practice, based largely on the internalization of norms and the necessity of acting in conformity with the character or identity those norms infuse. Still, perhaps more may be expected by way of a positive programme, and in Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy Williams may seem to oblige such expectations, at least initially, when talking up a model of ethical conviction based not on certainty, nor on decision, but on “confidence”. After dismissing the possibility of ethical certainty – that is, after dismissing, for reasons considered in Chapter 6, the possibility of epistemological authority along the lines of science, capturing an ethical world “that is there anyway ” – and after dismissing the possibility that the notorious value-creating decisions of existentialism might suffice, lacking, as they do, the “aspect of passivity” morality requires, Williams concludes that hopes for ethical conviction might best be harnessed to confidence (Williams 1985: 169). In other words, where absolute knowledge and radical will fail, confidence just might succeed.
The “in-between writer”: Howard Stein, PhD, professor emeritus, psycho-analytic anthropologist, poet, educator, transdisciplinary scholar.

This commentary reflects the professional life story of a prolific and well-published poet, Howard Stein. An anthropologist by training, Howard's poetry is well known and well respected by family physicians. It is within family medicine that Howard found his professional home, and in his 45-plus-year career he has shared the value of "patient story"; the value of the doctor-patient relationship; and the art of listening deeply to self, colleagues, and patients. This commentary offers a tribute to Howard's professional life and his contributions to family and narrative medicine. (PsycINFO Database Record
A Bayesian hierarchical nonhomogeneous hidden Markov model for multisite streamflow reconstructions

Science and Technology grant from Bureau of Reclamation; National Science Foundation [CNS-0821794]; University of Colorado Boulder