cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nutritional Armor for the Warfighter: Can Omega-3 Fatty Acids Enhance Stress Resilience, Wellness, and Military Performance?

ABSTRACT This panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Deuster, illustrates the thinking of selected military leaders on the approach that must be taken to ensure the relationship between nutrition and performance. Insights and challenges these leaders face are provided, with consideration of the complex issues relating to sufficient scientific evidence, timing for Department of Defense policy, and the unique needs of service members. The discussion resulted in several recommendations. First, more nutritionists in uniform should be placed in/on the battlefield on every base and camp in Afghanistan and Iraq. Second, nutritionists/dietitians need to be working in the preventive arena, using the health promotion model and marketing to help shift behavior. Third, contract dietitians should be hired to work primarily in tertiary care. Dietitians must forward-deploy to implement preventive medicine and human performance optimization as it relates to nutrition and dietary supplementation. Unfortunately, almost all mil...
Factors influencing neural activity in parabrachial regions during cat vocalizations

The parabrachial nucleus in mammals is intimately connected with other vocalization controlling brainstem structures. It, along with ventromedially adjacent structures, also has been identified as the pneumotaxic center, and as such shows strong respiratory related activity in the anesthetized cat. The current study examines the neuronal activity in cat parabrachial regions during production of instrumentally conditioned vocalizations. Most of the units in our sample show considerable activity during periods between vocalizations. For many units, firing rate fluctuates during the respiratory cycle, although apparently not as strongly as reported in the decerebrate cat. Also, there is often strong phasic activity during periods where animals are licking to ingest their food rewards. During the peri-vocalization period, various neural activity patterns can be recorded. Most common is an activity increase during the vocalization itself. Moreover, in some units, this activity increase has an auditory component. A smaller number of units show other activity patterns, including a suppression of activity during vocalization and activity increases preceding the vocalization. Overall, our results suggest that the parabrachial region's involvement in vocal control is quite complex, involving convergence of respiratory, acoustic, vocalization-related, and perhaps somatosensory influences.
REGIONAL ALTERATIONS IN THE EXPRESSION OF SMOOTH MUSCLE MYOSIN ISOFORMS IN RESPONSE TO PARTIAL BLADDER OUTLET OBSTRUCTION

ABSTRACTPurpose: Smooth muscle (SM) myosin (SMM) isoform composition is altered in response to partial bladder outlet obstruction (PBOO). A recent study showed that during PBOO the upper dome region of the bladder is subjected to greater expansion pressure than the base and regional differences in contractility exist in the detrusor of PBOO rabbits. We hypothesized that alteration in SMM isoform composition in response to PBOO may show regional heterogeneity.Materials and Methods: Detrusor samples were obtained from 9 defined regions of the bladders from dysfunctional PBOO rabbits (greater than 30 voids per 24 hours) and sham operated adult New Zealand White rabbits. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting were used to determine the relative levels of SMM isoform expression at the mRNA and protein levels. Contractile responses to bethanechol and KCl were also determined.Results: Myosin isoform expression was uniform th...
Description of the males of Euprosthenops australis Simon, 1898 and Euprosthenopsis pulchella (Pocock, 1902) (Araneae: Pisauridae)

The spider family Pisauridae, with 333 described species (Platnick 2014), can be considered as a moderately diverse spider family. Together with the worldwide distribution, its members exhibit an exceptionally wide range of foraging and prey capture behavior, from web-based hunters, water surface hunters to ambush hunters in the vegetation (Silva & Sierwald 2013).
Molecular mechanisms of influenza virus resistance to neuraminidase inhibitors.

Abstract A wide use of inhibitors of influenza virus neuraminidase (NAIs) to control influenza in humans demands a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the resistance emergence. In vitro studies demonstrate that both neuraminidase (NA) and hemagglutinin (HA) influence virus susceptibility to NAIs. Drug resistance conferred due to changes in the NA could be monitored in the NA inhibition assays. Zanamivir-selected viruses acquired the NA substitutions at residues 119 and 292; oseltamivir-selected—at 274 and 292; peramivir-selected—at 292; and A-315675-selected—at 119. The HA binding efficiency and therefore susceptibility to NAIs are affected by the amino acids forming the HA receptor-binding site, the location and number of oligosaccharide chains, and structure of the neuraminic acid-containing cellular receptors. The lack of suitable cell culture-based assays hampers the assessment of virus susceptibility in humans. Emergence of the viruses with the NAI-induced substitutions in the NA is uncommon in drug-treated humans, however a compromised state of the immune system promotes emergence of drug resistance. In vivo, the zanamivir-selected mutant contained a substitution at 152 (B/NA); the oseltamivir-selected mutants—at residues 119 (A/N2), 198 (B/NA), 274 (A/N1), and 292 (A/N2). Substitutions in the NA were often accompanied by impairment of virus infectivity and virulence in animal models. Because of complexity of mechanisms of virus resistance, further analysis of the viruses recovered from the drug-treated humans is warranted.
A further investigation of conditioned hunger

After experiencing differential drive training for a period of 30 days, two groups of rats matched on both individual voracity and body weight differed in body weight gain over three of the five test periods. These results were not found with the food displacement measure taken over the same test periods.
EFFECTS OF VARIATIONS IN A SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM ON INSTRUCTIONAL OUTCOMES

The effects of varying the sequence of frames in a self-instruciional program on the instructional outcomes of achievement, interest in learning, and attitudes toward programed instruction were investigated. .Thirty..nine sixth-grade Spanish Classes were randomly assigned tO a program with an orderly progression or a scraaibled order of frames. The students worked on the program for 30 minutes each week without any teacher-directed instruction. Fbr none of the three outcomes Aid the mean.levels differ significantly after one semester of instruction. In each group e high relationship we4 found between aptitude and achievement and between initial attitudes and interest in learning. Attitudes toward prograthed instruction were not consistently related. to any other variables. The conclusion vas that wLl variations in sequence exert little effect on outcomes.
Conservation of cys–cys trp structural triads and their geometry in the protein domains of immunoglobulin superfamily members

In almost all members of the immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) for which an experimental structure has been determined, a triad (C-CW) consisting of two cysteine residues that form a disulfide bond and a neighboring tryptophan can be found in the core of the protein fold. We analyzed the geometry of these C-CW triads among a database of 60 Fab crystal structures and found it to be remarkably conserved. We identified C-CW triads of a similar configuration in other members of the IgSF such as T cell receptor (TCR), major histocompatibility complex antigens (MHC), cell surface antigens CD4 and CD8, and cell-adhesion molecules. We used this C-CW pattern to search a database of non-IgSF proteins, and identified several proteins that contain a disulfide bridge associated with a tryptophan in a similar configuration. Examination of the distances and orientations between triads found in adjacent domains in Fab fragments and TCR also reveal a high degree of conservation, which reflects the invariance of the inter-chain domain packing. This high degree of conservation of the geometry of the C-CW triad in IgSF structures suggests that the Trp may contribute significantly to the stability of the disulfide bond. Knowledge of these geometric parameters may prove useful in the construction and validation of theoretical models of Ig, TCR, and other IgSF members.
Attribute based file organization in a paged memory environment

The high cost of page accessing implies a need for for more careful data organization in a paged memory than is typical of most inverted file and similar approaches to multi-key retrieval. This article analyses that cost and proposes a method called multiple key hashing which attempts to minimize it. Since this approach is not always preferable to inversion, a combined method is described. The exact specifications of this combination for a file with given data and traffic characteristics is formulated as a mathematical program. The proposed heuristic solution to this program can often improve on a simple inversion technique by a factor of 2 or 3.
Control of the early activation genes of T lymphocytes

Binding of antigen or lectin to the surface of a T lymphocyte initiates a complex sequence of events which result in both T cell proliferation and the acquisition of immunologic functions. This complex sequence of events is most likely programmed and precisely timed by a series of contingent gene activations in which one member of this series activates the next. The two most obvious examples of these stages are the set of genes activated when antigen interacts with the antigen receptor and the set of genes activated when IL-2 interacts with its receptor. However, it is likely that several other parallel pathways of gene activation are necessary to bring about T-cell division. An example would be the antigen-induced activation of the c-myc gene, which in turn is likely to be involved in regulating an additional group of genes not directly controlled by either IL-2 or antigen. A fundamental understanding of T-lymphocyte activation necessitates identification of the factors involved in initiating each of these contingent levels of gene activation.
Improved Pyroelectric Energy Converter for Waste Heat Energy Harvesting Using Co-Polymer P(VDF-TrFE) and Olsen Cycle

This study is concerned with pyroelectric energy conversion to directly convert waste heat into electricity. The pyroelectric effect refers to the flow of charges to or from the surface of a material upon heating or cooling. A prototypical pyroelectric energy converter was designed, built, and tested. It performed the Olsen cycle consisting of two isothermal and two isovoltage processes in the charge-voltage diagram. Co-polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] thin films sandwiched between metallic electrodes were used as the pyroelectric elements. Their temperature oscillation, charge, and voltage along with the overall heat input and output were measured experimentally. Then, the electrical power generated and the energy efficiency of the device were computed. The effects of channel width, frequency, and stroke length on temperature swing, heat input, and energy and power densities were investigated. Reducing the channel width and increasing the stroke length had the largest effect on device performance. A maximum energy density of 130 J/L of P(VDF-TrFE) was achieved at 0.061 Hz frequency with temperature oscillating between 69.3 and 87.6°C. Furthermore, a maximum power density of 10.7 W/L of P(VDF-TrFE) was obtained at 0.12 Hz between 70.5 and 85.3°C. In both cases, the voltages in the Olsen cycle were 923 and 1732 V imposed on a 45.7 microns thick 60/40 P(VDF-TrFE) films. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest energy density achieved by any pyroelectric energy converter using P(VDF-TrFE). It also matches performances reported in the literature for more expensive lead zirconate stannum titanate ceramic films operated at higher temperatures between 110 and 185°C.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Human Immune Response to Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae in Chronic Bronchitis

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) causes recurrent respiratory tract infections in patients with chronic bronchitis. To elucidate the human immune response to NTHI, sera from 2 patients with exacerbations of chronic bronchitis due to NTHI were characterized. Both patients developed new bactericidal antibodies following infection. Immunoblot assays with homologous strains revealed antibodies to many antigens, with minimal difference between pre- and postexacerbation sera. By contrast, whole cell radioimmunoprecipitation, which detects antibodies exclusively to epitopes exposed on the bacterial surface, revealed that both patients made new antibodies to a limited number of antigens following infection, including P2, the major outer membrane protein of NTHI. Adsorption experiments showed that strain-specific, surface-exposed epitopes on the P2 molecule are targets for bactericidal antibodies. These results indicate that new bactericidal antibodies following infection by NTHI recognize antigenically heterogeneous surface-exposed epitopes on P2 and other surface proteins of NTHI.
Surface-Initiated Anionic Polymerization of Styrene by Means of Self-Assembled Monolayers

A synthetic concept of preparing dense polymer brushes on planar surfaces is described, in which a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of biphenyllithium moieties on gold substrates is used to initiate anionic polymerization of styrene. The thickness of the resulting dry polystyrene brush, as estimated by ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM), is 18 ± 0.2 nm. These techniques also reveal a smooth, homogeneous polymer surface throughout the entire substrate on the macroscopic, as well as on the microscopic, scale, with a roughness of 0.3−0.5 nm (rms). On the basis of results from in situ swelling experiments, monitored by ellipsometry, a polymerization degree of N = 382 and a grafting density of approximately 7−8 chains/Rg2, or 3.2−3.6 nm2/chain, were calculated with use of mean-field theory. Polarized external reflection (ER) FTIR spectra of the grafted layer confirm highly stretched preferentially oriented polystyrene chains. Upon annealing, spin-coated polystyrene films dewet immediately the brush s...
Gastrostomy intraperitoneal bumper migration in a three-year-old child: A rare complication following gastrostomy tube replacement

Feeding gastrostomy is used worldwide for adults and children with feeding impairment to obtain long-term enteral nutrition. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy insertion is considered the gold standard, but after the first months requires gastrostomy tube replacement with a low-profile button. The replacement is known as an easy procedure, but several minor and major complications may occur during and after the manoeuvre. We describe intraperitoneal bumper migration in a 3-year-old boy, a rare complication following gastrostomy tube replacement, and we discuss the recent literature regarding similar cases.
Parallel grid generation/optimization using block-domain decomposition

The use of a parallel Schwarz-type domain decomposition procedure for 2-D block-structured grid generation, together with grid optimization for smoothness, orthogonality and solution accuracy, is investigated. The grid optimization algorithm considered is based on the Brackbill–Saltzman construction, a variational method which seeks to generate optimum grids by minimizing a weighted integral of three grid properties. The resulting grid generation equations are quasilinear, elliptic, partial differential equations, and therefore relatively expensive to solve. Good speed-up factors are obtained, with efficiencies above 90 per cent on the shared-memory Alliant FX-8 multi-processor, and on the Symult Systems Series 2010, a message-passing, distributed memory system. In order to obtain such speed-ups for typical problems, approximately 99 per cent of the code must be capable of concurrent execution. Grid refinement studies with adaptation to the compressible flow solution using the Euler equations suggest that a significant improvement in the resolution of shock waves can be achieved efficiently by this scheme.
Occupational Sex Segregation: The Role of Personal Ties

Abstract Previous studies have described how occupational sex segregation is fostered by differing friendship and resource networks that arise from gendered adult roles. To ascertain if similar processes operate among students whose social milieus have not yet been transformed by postcollege experiences of work, marriage, or childbearing, a probability sample of undergraduates were asked about how they found recent jobs and expect to search for permanent work in the future. Generally the results were consistent with studies of working adults. Compared to women, men are more likely to use personal contacts in finding work and more likely to select same-sex contacts. Female (or male) sources of job information, assistance, and advice channel job seekers toward primarily female (or male) occupations.
Interpreting and integrating risk factors for patients with primary breast cancer.

The term risk factor has different meanings in different contexts. Some factors may be patient specific (e.g., race, age, socioeconomic status, and environment), while others may be disease specific (e.g., biomarkers measured on tumor specimens, serum, and bone marrow). These factors have several potential clinical uses, including diagnosing a disease or assessing the risk of developing a disease, estimating prognosis for patients diagnosed with a specific disease who receive no therapy, predicting response to a particular therapy, monitoring response to therapy during a treatment course, and identifying targets of opportunity for new therapies. This article focuses on prognostic and predictive biomarkers and provides guidelines for interpreting published reports about these biomarkers. Application of these guidelines to the assessment of micrometastases in bone marrow of patients with breast cancer yields the conclusion that standardized techniques that are sensitive and reproducible for detecting micrometastases are needed before we can evaluate their prognostic significance.
The Arabidopsis SYN1 cohesin protein is required for sister chromatid arm cohesion and homologous chromosome pairing.

The faithful transmission of chromosomes during mitosis and meiosis requires the establishment and subsequent release of cohesion between replicated chromosomes. Sister chromatid cohesion is mediated, in large part, by the cohesin complex, which consists of four highly conserved proteins: SMC1, SMC3, SCC1/REC8 and SCC3. Mitotic cohesin complexes contain SSC1, whereas meiotic cohesin complexes contain the related REC8 protein. As part of studies to identify and characterize proteins required for meiosis in plants, we previously identified a putative Arabidopsis REC8 homolog, referred to as syn1 . Preliminary cytological studies indicated that syn1 plants exhibit defects in meiotic chromosome cohesion and condensation that result in fragmentation of the chromosomes and the formation of polyads. In the experiments presented here we show that SYN1 encodes a protein that localizes to arms of meiotic chromosomes from approximately meiotic interphase to anaphase I. The protein is not detected at the centromeres or after metaphase I. Furthermore, fluorescence in situ hybridization experiments on microsporocytes from syn1 plants demonstrate that the mutation eliminates arm cohesion as early as interphase, whereas centromere cohesion is maintained until approximately anaphase I. These results indicate that although the main role of SYN1 is in chromosome arm cohesion, it is also important for maintaining cohesion at the centromeres during late stages of meiosis I.
Particle tracking and bunch population in TraFiC/sup 4/ 2.0

Coherent Synchrotron Radiation (CSR) plays an important role in the design of accelerator components with high peak currents and small bending radii, such as magnetic bunch compressors, wigglers, and compact storage rings. The code TraFiC4 has been developed to design such elements[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12] ; it simulates CSR effects from first principles. We present a re-write of the tracking and user interface components of TraFiC 4 . Extensions and corrections include: expanded input language; generalized bunch populations (rectangular, Gaussian, user-specified function); new element types; truly three-dimensional dynamics (i. e., the restriction to a single plane of motion has been abandoned), vastly expanded documentation; documented C++ class interface; and improved dynamic load-balancing for parallel computers.
Maximum-likelihood image matching

Image-matching applications, such as tracking and stereo, commonly use the sum-of-squared-difference (SSD) measure to determine the best match. However, this measure is sensitive to outliers and is not robust to template variations. Alternative measures have also been proposed that are more robust to these issues. We improve upon these using a probabilistic formulation for image matching in terms of maximum-likelihood estimation that can be used for both edge template matching and gray-level image matching. This formulation generalizes previous edge-matching methods based on distance transforms. We apply the techniques to stereo matching and feature tracking. Uncertainty estimation techniques allow feature selection to be performed by choosing features that minimize the localization uncertainty.
Guidance channel development: controlled release of NGF from PLGA scaffolds

Three categories of stimuli have demonstrated influential effects on neural regeneration: physical, electrical and chemical. Current research is underway to optimize each of these stimuli in a nerve guidance channel in order to achieve neural regeneration at the site of an injured nerve. This project focused on the delivery of nerve growth factor (NGF) from poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds for use in development of nerve guidance channels. More specifically, the main objectives were to fabricate a delivery system to analyze the release of a model protein (ovalbumin) and NGF in an aqueous environment and mathematically model this delivery. Protein-loaded PLGA scaffolds were fabricated by standard dissolution-evaporation techniques with the inclusion of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)(MW 8 kDa). Aqueous release profiles of OVA and NGF were determined over a 4-week period through various assay techniques. A MATLAB/spl reg/(The Mathworks, Inc) program was written to determine the unknown effective diffusion coefficient for the each set of collected data based on an equation derived from Fick's second law. The calculated effective diffusion coefficients for OVA ranged from 7.0 x 10/sup -9/ to 9.3 x 10/sup -11/ cm/sup 2//sec. Results from the NGF release assay illustrated the presence of bioactive NGF.
Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drug–Induced Hepatitis

CASE DESCRIPTION: A 61-year-old woman presented to the hospital with a 3-day history of nausea, vomiting, jaundice, tea-colored urine, and anorexia associated with a weight loss. Her medical history was significant for rheumatoid arthritis and a total abdominal hysterectomy. Medications prior to admission included conjugated estrogens 0.625 mg/d and prednisone 5 mg/d. Diclofenac 50 mg tid was started approximately 4 weeks prior to hospitalization; however, this drug was discontinued 10 days earlier, when her primary care physician observed abnormal laboratory findings (aspartate aminotransferase [AST] 656 IU/L, alanine aminotransferase [ALT] 836 IU/L, alkaline phosphatase 424 IU/L, total bilirubin 3.0 mg/dL). These values were within normal limits 6 weeks prior to starting diclofenac. On admission, physical examination revealed scleral icterus, hepatomegaly, jaundice, and abdominal tenderness. Abnormal laboratory findings included AST 1047 IU/L, ALT 1862 IU/L, alkaline phosphatase 252 IU/L, unconjugated bilirubin 1.3 mg/dL, conjugated bilirubin 8.7 mg/dL, albumin 3.3 mg/dL, international normalized ratio 1.2, and an erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 124 mm/h. Abdominal computed tomography scan and serology excluded malignancy and viral hepatitis (A, B, and C), respectively. Liver biopsy was consistent with drug-induced injury — diclofenac-induced hepatitis (reported incidence <1%). The patient was maintained on prednisone 30 mg/d for her arthritis. Hydroxychloroquine was added at a later date without toxicity; she did not receive another nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug. Laboratory findings were within normal limits approximately 1 month following diclofenac discontinuation. Figure 1 shows a normal biopsy sample, while Figure 2 shows mixed cholestasis and hepatitis with confluent necrosis and lymphocytic vasculitis. No evidence of a neoplastic process or underlying chronic hepatitis was noted. Findings were most consistent with drug-induced injury.
Roles for leptin receptor/STAT3-dependent and -independent signals in the regulation of glucose homeostasis

Leptin activates the long form of the leptin receptor (LRb) to control feeding and neuroendocrine function and thus regulate adiposity. While adiposity influences insulin sensitivity, leptin also regulates glucose homeostasis independently of energy balance. Disruption of the LRb/STAT3 signal in s/s mice results in hyperphagia, neuroendocrine dysfunction, and obesity similar to LRb null db/db mice. Insulin resistance and glucose intolerance are improved in s/s compared to db/db animals, however, suggesting that LRb/STAT3-independent signals may contribute to the regulation of glucose homeostasis by leptin. Indeed, caloric restriction normalized glycemic control in s/s animals, but db/db mice of similar weight and adiposity remained hyperglycemic. These differences in glucose homeostasis were not attributable to differences in insulin production between s/s and db/db animals but rather to decreased insulin resistance in s/s mice. Thus, in addition to LRb/STAT3-mediated adiposity signals, non-LRb/STAT3 leptin signals mediate an important adiposity-independent role in promoting glycemic control.
Cardiovascular System Simulation in Biomedical Engineering Education

A number of complex cardiovascular system models have been developed at the University of Wisconsin largely as a result of bioengineering thesis work carried on in the Department of Electrical Engineering, using a large hybrid computer. Other work in modeling includes parameter estimation study and the development of new methods of modeling. This work has been carried out in collaboration with research workers in Medical and Life Sciences Departments at Wisconsin.
Observation of a Helical Self-Organized State in a Compact Toroidal Plasma

A nonaxisymmetric stable magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium within a prolate cylindrical conducting boundary has been produced experimentally. It has m=1 azimuthal symmetry, helical distortion, and flat lambda profile, all in agreement with the computed magnetically relaxed minimum magnetic energy Taylor state. Despite varied initial conditions determined by two helicity injectors on the device, this same equilibrium consistently emerges as the final state. These results therefore describe a new example of self-organization in an MHD plasma.
Photodissociation Spectroscopy and Dissociation Dynamics of TiO+(CO2)

TiO + (CO2) is produced by reaction of laser-ablated titanium atoms with CO2 and subsequent clustering, supersonically cooled, and its electronic spectroscopy was characterized by photofragment spectroscopy, monitoring loss of CO2. The photodissociation spectrum consists of a vibrationally resolved band in the visible, with extensive progressions in the covalent Ti-O stretch (952 cm -1 vibrational frequency and 5 cm -1 anharmonicity) and in the TiO + -CO2 stretch (186 cm -1 ) and rock (45 cm -1 ). The band origin is at 13 918 cm -1 , assigned using titanium isotope shifts, and the spectrum extends to 17 350 cm -1 . The excited-state lifetime decreases dramatically with increasing internal energy, from 1100 ns for the lowest energy band
STUDIES OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PRODUCTION OF BACTERIOCINES BY GROUP A STREPTOCOCCI AND ACUTE GLOMERULONEPHRITIS

The previously reported relationship between nephritogenicity and bacteriocine production among Group A streptococci has been examined. Using techniques comparable to the earlier study, the present study did not reveal any such relationship. Among 73 strains tested, 53% produced bacteriocines; no significant difference was noted between bacteriocines from strains isolated from cases of nephritis and those from a group of strains recovered from patients with other conditions. In addition, no correlation between type and bacteriocine production was observed.
Erectile Function and Risk of Parkinson's Disease

Erectile dysfunction is common among individuals with Parkinson's disease, but it is unknown whether it precedes the onset of the classic features of Parkinson's disease. To address this question, the authors examined whether erectile dysfunction was associated with Parkinson's disease risk in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Analyses included 32,616 men free of Parkinson's disease at baseline in 1986 who in 2000 completed a retrospective questionnaire with questions on erectile dysfunction in different time periods. Relative risks were computed using Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for age, smoking, caffeine intake, history of diabetes, and other covariates. Among men who reported their erectile function before 1986, 200 were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease during 1986-2002. Men with erectile dysfunction before 1986 were 3.8 times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease during the follow-up than were those with very good erectile function (relative risk = 3.8, 95% confidence interval: 2.4, 6.0; p < 0.0001). Multivariate-adjusted relative risks of Parkinson's disease were 2.7, 3.7, and 4.0 (95% confidence interval: 1.4, 11.1; p = 0.008) for participants with first onset of erectile dysfunction (before 1986) at 60 or more, 50-59, and less than 50 years of age, respectively, relative to those without erectile dysfunction. In conclusion, in this retrospective analysis in a large cohort of men, the authors observed that erectile dysfunction was associated with a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease.
Laser-induced darkening in semiconductor-doped glasses

We have performed experiments to characterize permanent laser-induced darkening in CdSxSe1−x semiconductor-doped glasses with picosecond pulses as a function of fluence, repetition rate, and pulse width. We find that the darkening occurs by means of a nonlinear process that exhibits an anomalous dependence on pulse width. Transmission spectra show that the induced darkening is uniform over the spectral range from the absorption edge out to 820 μm. Darkening in a number of different glasses is compared. On the basis of our results we propose a mechanism that involves photoassisted trapping of electrons from the semiconductor microcrystallites into states within the glass host material.
Regulation of nicotinic receptor expression by the ubiquitin-proteasome system.

Control of ligand-gated ion channel (LGIC) expression is essential for the formation, maintenance and plasticity of synapses. Treatment of mouse myotubes with proteasome inhibitors increased the number of surface nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs), indicating LGIC expression is regulated by the ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS). Elevated surface expression resulted from increased AChR delivery to the plasma membrane and not from decreased turnover from the surface. The rise in AChR trafficking was the direct result of increased assembly of subunits in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Because proteasome inhibitors also blocked ER-associated degradation (ERAD) of unassembled AChR subunits, the data indicate that the additional AChRs were assembled from subunits normally targeted for ERAD. Our data show that AChR surface expression is regulated by the UPS through ERAD, whose activity determines oligomeric receptor assembly efficiency.
A Coalescence of Scientific Cultures

Chromatin and Gene Regulation Molecular Mechanisms in Epigenetics. By Bryan M. Turner . Blackwell Science, Oxford, 2001. 296 pp. Paper, $54.95, £27.50. ISBN 0-865-42743-7. Weaving together perspectives from the fields of gene regulation and chromatin, Turner offers a concise discussion of the relations between the packing and organization of DNA within the cell nucleus and the regulation and expression of genes.
Families in Poverty Key Issues in Research

The articles in this special issue represent key themes in research on families in poverty. These themes include: There is substantial diversity across poor families, mother-child relationships are crucial to child and parent outcomes, father involvement in these families is often unreliable, social support is very important to these families, interventions targeted toward the poor must be very intensive to be effective, and social policy targeted toward these families is not always as helpful as had been planned.
Preoperative Risk Factors and Complication Rates in Facelift: Analysis of 11,300 Patients.

Background: Facelift (rhytidectomy) is a prominent technique for facial rejuvenation with 126 713 performed in the United States in 2014. Current literature on facelift complications is inconclusive and derives from retrospective studies. Objectives: This study reports the incidence and risk factors of major complications following facelift in a large, prospective, multi-center database. It compares complications of facelifts done alone or in combination with other cosmetic surgical procedures. Methods: A prospective cohort of patients undergoing facelift between 2008 and 2013 was identified from the CosmetAssure database. Primary outcome was occurrence of major complications, defined as complications requiring emergency room (ER) visit, hospital admission, or reoperation within 30 days of the procedure. Univariate and multivariate analysis evaluated risk factors including age, gender, BMI, smoking, diabetes, combined procedures, and type of surgical facility. Results: Of the 129 007 patients enrolled in CosmetAssure, 11 300 (8.8%) underwent facelifts. Facelift cohort had more males (8.8%), diabetics (2.7%), elderly (mean age 59.2 years) and obese (38.5%) induviduals, but fewer smokers (4.8%). Combined procedures accounted for 57.4% of facelifts. Facelifts had a 1.8% complication rate, similar to the rate of 2% associated to other cosmetic surgeries. Hematoma (1.1%) and infection (0.3%) were most common. Combined procedures had up to 3.7% complication rate compared to 1.5% in facelifts alone. Male gender (relative risk 3.9) and type of facility (relative risk 2.6) were independent predictors of hematoma. Combined procedures (relative risk 3.5) and BMI ≥25 (relative risk 2.8) increased infection risk. Conclusions: Rhytidectomy is a very safe procedure in the hands of board-certified plastic surgeons. Hematoma and infection are the most common major complications. Male gender, BMI ≥25, and combined procedures are independent risk factors.
Why Listen to Philosophers? A Constructive Critique of Disciplinary Philosophy

This article articulates a fundamental crisis of disciplinary philosophy—its lack of disciplinary self-consciousness and the skeptical problems this generates—and, through that articulation, exemplifies a means of mitigating its force. Disciplinary philosophy organizes itself as a producer of specialized knowledge, with the apparatus of journals, publication requirements, and other professional standards, but it cannot agree on what constitutes knowledge, progress, or value, and evinces ignorance of its history and alternatives. This situation engenders a skepticism that threatens the legitimacy of disciplinary philosophy. The article proposes a response to this skepticism, rooted in the conditions that philosophers evince a specific kind of awareness of their own activity and its professional and cultural location, demonstrate this awareness by articulating it in the practice of philosophy itself, and recognize that precisely such articulation lies at the core of the Socratic idea of philosophy as a form of self-knowledge.
Population Suppression and Sterility Rates Induced by Variable Sex Ratio, Sterile Insect Releases of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Hawaii

Sterile insect releases of a pupal color-based genetic sexing strain of the Mediterranean fruitfly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), were made during the summer and fall of 1991 in coffee plantations in Kauai, HI. Four treatments compared with respect to trap recapture and sterility rates induced in native populations were: (1) genetic sexing strain (≈99% males = males only), (2) genetic sexing strain (males and females), (3) genetic sexing strain (high % ♀♀), and (4) standard strain (males and females). Each week either 2 liters (≈120,000) of irradiated pupae for the bisexual populations or 1 liter of irradiated pupae for the unisexual populations were dye-marked and ground released in buckets. Adult flies emerged and dispersed throughout individual (≈1 ha) coffee fields. Flies were trapped weekly in standard dry traps or in liquid protein traps. Coffee berry samples were collected weekly to determine egg sterility rates, and females trapped in liquid protein were dissected for presence of sperm and sperm type. A new technique was developed to type sperm as either sterile (irradiated) or wild in mated females. An estimate of sterile fly competitiveness based on relative degrees of egg hatch suppression indicated an overall three- to five-fold increase in competitiveness of the males-only strain compared with the standard bisexual strain. Significantly, however, this difference even widened to a qualitative degree by the end of the test.
TARGUM : TRANSLATION IN HELLENISTIC AND ROMAN IMPERIAL PROSE FICTION

Hellenistic and Roman Imperial prose fiction sprang from the ashes of the Haxāmanisiyan Empire (c.550-330 BCE). The multicultural autonomy that Iranian regents afforded their subject peoples laid the groundwork for social policy under Alexandros, the Diadokhoi, and Roman governance of the Near East. As literary fiction developed over the course of the ‘long’ Hellenistic period, the diversity of languages and cultures not only shaped the kinds of narratives produced: polyglossia became a subject of representation in and of itself, as did the possibilities of translation between one language and another.
What are the current guidelines and rationale for vancomycin monitoring

Vancomycin is an antibiotic that can be challenging from a therapeutic and monitoring standpoint. Guidelines suggest certain situations where monitoring is encouraged; this article outlines those situations.
Peripheral neuropathy as a sign of systemic disease

Peripheral motor or sensory disturbances are seen in a wide range of systemic diseases. In the United States the most common of these is diabetes mellitus. The possibility of accidental or intentional poisoning should be considered. Clinical features may be clues to these or other disease states including collagen disease, an infectious process, nutritional deficiency, malignancy, blood dyscrasia, or rare familial disease. A guide to a systematic investigation is presented.
Analysis of sparse wide-angle reflection data in the τ(p) domain

Uncertainties in ray parameter p for events recorded with small-aperture arrays can be quite large and lead to sizable second-order errors in intercept time τ when source gathers are slant stacked into the τ- p domain. The problem becomes significant for data sets characterized by large gaps in offset and ray parameter coverage. To estimate the uncertainty in ray parameter p arising from small recording apertures, we use a statistical test to evaluate the cross-correlation of a predicted array response with the observed response extracted from the slant stack. The cross-correlation is carried out using the projections of the array responses along the ray parameter axis, following the linear trajectory defined by the average offset over which the slant stack was computed. The method adjusts automatically to the bandwidth of the arrival and flags arrivals for which the ray parameter is poorly resolved because of either high noise levels or overlapping with other arrivals in the stack. We then use the uncertainties in ray parameter to estimate second-order errors in τ. The latter are inversely proportional to curvature in the travel time ( T ) - offset ( X ) domain, or equivalently, are directly proportional to curvature in the τ- p domain. For reflections, therefore, the errors increase with angle of incidence. Errors for S -wave arrivals are smaller than errors for P -wave arrivals for a given ray path because of the stronger curvature of the S -wave travel-time branches. Second-order errors in τ for quarry blast data recorded with small-aperture arrays in eastern Pennsylvania range from 0.05 to 0.4 sec, and in general are greater than errors due to uncertainties in origin times and finite bandwidth. The uncertainties in τ associated with limited-aperture recordings therefore can have a significant effect on the tradeoff between variance and resolution of model parameters when the data are inverted for velocity structure.
Is There a Benefit to Prolonging the Interval Between Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation and Esophagectomy in Esophageal Cancer

Background Evidence suggests that delaying surgical procedures may increase the rate of pathologic complete response (pCR) and that pCR is associated with improved overall survival (OS). In this study, the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) was analyzed to evaluate this relationship in a large hospital-based registry. Methods We identified patients diagnosed with esophageal adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma who received neoadjuvant chemoradiation (CRT) followed by esophagectomy from 2003 to 2012. Patients were stratified into quartiles based on the interval between the completion of CRT to operative treatment (≤40 days, 41–50 days, 51–63 days, and ≥64 days), and those with pT0N0M0 were classified as having pCR. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the impact of covariates on pCR, and multivariate Cox regression was used to assess their impact on OS. Results The study population included 5,393 patients. Increasing the time interval to the surgical procedure was associated with an increased pCR rate (12.3% for ≤40 days to 18.3% for ≥64 days; p p = 0.009 for 51–63 days; p p = 0.046 for 50–50.4 Gy; p = 0.02 for >50.4 Gy). Increasing the time interval was not associated with an improvement in OS for any quartile on multivariate analysis. In addition, OS was worse for those who underwent operation ≥64 days after completion of radiation therapy (hazard ratio [HR], 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–1.33; p = 0.03). Conclusions Although increasing the time interval from CRT to surgical intervention was associated with a higher pCR rate, there was no improvement in survival.
Dermoid Cyst Arising in Testicular Tunics

AbstractA rare case of a dermoid cyst in the scrotum is reported. Excision of the cyst through an inguinal incision resulted in an uneventful recovery.
Point Defects and Cation Tracer Diffusion in (CrxFe1-x)3-δO4 Spinels

The cation diffusion in the spinel solid solution (Cr x Fe 1-x )3-δO 4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) was experimentally investigated at 1200 °C as a function of oxygen activity, a O 2 (= P O 2 /P°with P° = 1 bar) and cationic composition, x. Cation tracer diffusion coefficients, D Me' of Me = Co, Cr, Fe and Mn, were determined using the radioactiveisotopes Co-60, Cr-51, Fe-59 and Mn-54. For each cationic composition V-shaped log D Me vs. log a O 2 plots were obtained. The observed oxygen activity dependences indicate that the cation diffusion is determined by different point defect species prevailing at high and low oxygen activities, respectively. The observed oxygen activity dependences, in comparison with considerations based on point defect thermodynamics, suggest that cations diffuse via cation vacancies at high a O 2' while at low a O 2 cation interstitials prevail in the cation diffusion. In addition, new experimental data for tihe deviation from stoichiometry ≤in (Cr x Fe 1-x ) 3-≤ O 4 are presented and discussed.
Limits of Authority in Law

The previous chapter pointed to freedom as the ultimate value of an open, moving society and its institutions. This chapter examines such boundaries as pushed open by the value of freedom and as resisted by authority and the bounds and constraints of spatiotemporal systems.
Molecular image-directed biopsies: improving clinical biopsy selection in patients with multiple tumors

Site selection for image-guided biopsies in patients with multiple lesions is typically based on clinical feasibility and physician preference. This study outlines the development of a selection algorithm that, in addition to clinical requirements, incorporates quantitative imaging data for automatic identification of candidate lesions for biopsy. The algorithm is designed to rank potential targets by maximizing a lesion-specific score, incorporating various criteria separated into two categories: (1) physician-feasibility category including physician-preferred lesion location and absolute volume scores, and (2) imaging-based category including various modality and application-specific metrics. This platform was benchmarked in two clinical scenarios, a pre-treatment setting and response-based setting using imaging from metastatic prostate cancer patients with high disease burden (multiple lesions) undergoing conventional treatment and receiving whole-body [18F]NaF PET/CT scans pre- and mid-treatment. Targeting of metastatic lesions was robust to different weighting ratios and candidacy for biopsy was physician confirmed. Lesion ranked as top targets for biopsy remained so for all patients in pre-treatment and post-treatment biopsy selection after sensitivity testing was completed for physician-biased or imaging-biased scenarios. After identifying candidates, biopsy feasibility was evaluated by a physician and confirmed for 90% (32/36) of high-ranking lesions, of which all top choices were confirmed. The remaining cases represented lesions with high anatomical difficulty for targeting, such as proximity to sciatic nerve. This newly developed selection method was successfully used to quantitatively identify candidate lesions for biopsies in patients with multiple lesions. In a prospective study, we were able to successfully plan, develop, and implement this technique for the selection of a pre-treatment biopsy location.
Using Protein-Confined Proximity To Determine Chemical Reactivity.

Chemical reactivity is essential for functional modification of biomolecules with small molecules and the development of covalent drugs. The reactivity between a chemical functional group of a small molecule and that of a large biomolecule cannot be reliably predicted from the reactivity of the corresponding functional groups separately installed on two small molecules, because the proximity effect on reactivity resulting from the binding of the small molecule to the biomolecule is challenging to achieve by mixing two small molecules. Here we present a new strategy to determine the chemical reactivity of two functional groups in the context of close proximity afforded by proteins. The functional groups to be tested were separately installed at the interface of two interacting proteins in the format of amino acid side chains via the expansion of the genetic code. Reaction of the two functional groups resulted in covalent cross-linking of interacting proteins, readily detectable by gel electrophoresis. Usin...