cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Changes in Pulse Pressure Alter Arterial Wall Permeability

Pulse pressure, the difference between the systolic and diastolic pressure, is an important characteristic of arterial blood pressure. Changes in pulse pressure occur when cardiac function or arterial compliance changes, which can be caused by ageing [1] and interventions such as cardiopulmonary bypass and left ventricular assist devices [2]. Therefore it is important to understand how both an increase and decrease in pulse amplitude affects arteries.© 2009 ASME
Public Administration, 1931–32

Previous surveys of trends in public administration in this Review recorded developments in an era of prosperity and easy expansion. The present summary of the events of 1931 and 1932 discloses an abrupt and fundamental change in the underlying conditions affecting public activities, the effects of which have deeply influenced every aspect of governmental operations. The depression places American government in an awkward dilemma. On the one hand is the tremendous shrinkage in productivity of taxes, proceeding far more rapidly than the corresponding reduction of expenditures; the resulting outcry against waste and extravagance in public expenditures and the rapid development of organized demands for retrenchment; the appearance of tax strikes in many communities, embarrassing public treasuries still more, and threatening the actual collapse of essential government services—eventually leading in some cases to a thoughtless and ill-advised attack on government itself, often by the very elements in the community who most violently deprecate “radical” criticism of our institutions. Faced with these situations, administrative expenditures have been substantially curtailed in the last two years in many directions, although few administrative services have been abandoned.
Thyroid Pigmentation and Its Association With Neoplasia

Pigmentation within thyroid follicular cells is common and its significance uncertain. While “black thyroid” pigment is associated with chronic minocycline therapy, similar pigments may simply be age related. Although a relationship between black thyroid pigment and neoplasia has been suggested, no study has proven increased tumor development with pigmentation. By comparing the incidence of thyroid pigmentation in thyroids with neoplasms …
A new simplex sparse learning model to measure data similarity for clustering

The Laplacian matrix of a graph can be used in many areas of mathematical research and has a physical interpretation in various theories. However, there are a few open issues in the Laplacian graph construction: (i) Selecting the appropriate scale of analysis, (ii) Selecting the appropriate number of neighbors, (iii) Handling multiscale data, and, (iv) Dealing with noise and outliers. In this paper, we propose that the affinity between pairs of samples could be computed using sparse representation with proper constraints. This parameter free setting automatically produces the Laplacian graph, leads to significant reduction in computation cost and robustness to the outliers and noise. We further provide an efficient algorithm to solve the difficult optimization problem based on improvement of existing algorithms. To demonstrate our motivation, we conduct spectral clustering experiments with benchmark methods. Empirical experiments on 9 data sets demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.
Eosinophilic esophagitis: published evidences for disease subtypes, indications for patient subpopulations, and how to translate patient observations to murine experimental models

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the esophagus and commonly classified as a Th2-type allergy. Major advances in our understanding of the EoE pathophysiology have recently been made, but clinicians struggle with highly unpredictable therapy responses indicative of phenotypic diversity within the patient population. Here, we summarize evidences for the existence of EoE subpopulations based on diverse inflammatory characteristics of the esophageal tissue in EoE. Additionally, clinical characteristics of EoE patients support the concept of disease subtypes. We conclude that clinical and experimental evidences indicate that EoE is an umbrella term for conditions that are unified by esophageal eosinophilia but that several disease subgroups with various inflammatory esophageal patterns and/or different clinical features exist. We further discuss strategies to study the pathophysiologic differences as observed in EoE patients in murine experimental EoE. Going forward, models of EoE that faithfully mimic EoE subentities as defined in humans will be essential because mechanistic studies on triggers which regulate the onset of diverse EoE subpopulations are not feasible in patients. Understanding how and why different EoE phenotypes develop will be a first and fundamental step to establish strategies that integrate individual variations of the EoE pathology into personalized therapy.
They Sat Not Still

If Christians were ‘all one in Christ’, there could be no gender discrimination in Christianity. But when the Christian Church was organized in Roman times, there was a customary division between men and women, and biblical texts were searched to find justification for continuing this separation.1 We find rules and structures being developed to ‘protect’ the church and the class in power. By the time of the Reformation the status of women in the Roman Church had been clearly defined. No matter how intelligent or gifted a woman might be, she still had the fatal flaw of Eve. The most that she could hope for was control in her own sphere, albeit always subordinate to male authority.2
Cardiac arrhythmias in HIV disease

Cardiac rhythm disturbance in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients ranges from benign arrhythmias that may need no treatment to various malignant arrhythmias associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Common electrocardiographic abnormalities associated with HIV disease are a mildly prolonged QT interval, nonspecific ST-T changes, low voltage, intraventricular conduction delay, and unifocal as well as multiform ventricular premature complexes. Non-sustained ventricular tachycardia is reported in 15%-23% of patients with myocarditis. Sustained ventricular tachycardia and sudden death are encountered more commonly in the presence of sepsis, hypoxia, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, pulmonary hypertension, and coronary artery disease. Pericardial and myocardial involvement in Kaposi's sarcoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, as well as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, may be associated with supraventricular or ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Drug-induced prolonged QT interval and torsades de pointes are related primarily to antibiotic use. Electrolyte imbalance, including hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, and hypocalcemia associated with i.v. amphotericin, foscarnet, and pentamidine therapy and with gastrointestinal disease, may also precipitate malignant ventricular arrhythmias. The cardiomyopathy of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) usually does not respond to the current antiretroviral medications. Therefore, antiarrhythmic therapy in the context of AIDS is directed at the underlying cause and correction of various precipitating factors.
Structural Titration of Slo2.2, a Na+-Dependent K+ Channel

The stable structural conformations that occur along the complete reaction coordinate for ion channel opening have never been observed. In this study, we describe the equilibrium ensemble of structures of Slo2.2, a neuronal Na+-activated K+ channel, as a function of the Na+ concentration. We find that Slo2.2 exists in multiple closed conformations whose relative occupancies are independent of Na+ concentration. An open conformation emerges from an ensemble of closed conformations in a highly Na+-dependent manner, without evidence of Na+-dependent intermediates. In other words, channel opening is a highly concerted, switch-like process. The midpoint of the structural titration matches that of the functional titration. A maximum open conformation probability approaching 1.0 and maximum functional open probability approaching 0.7 imply that, within the class of open channels, there is a subclass that is not permeable to ions.
Cardiac 3D Printing and its Future Directions

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is at the crossroads of printer and materials engineering, noninvasive diagnostic imaging, computer-aided design, and structural heart intervention. Cardiovascular applications of this technology development include the use of patient-specific 3D models for medical teaching, exploration of valve and vessel function, surgical and catheter-based procedural planning, and early work in designing and refining the latest innovations in percutaneous structural devices. In this review, we discuss the methods and materials being used for 3D printing today. We discuss the basic principles of clinical image segmentation, including coregistration of multiple imaging datasets to create an anatomic model of interest. With applications in congenital heart disease, coronary artery disease, and surgical and catheter-based structural disease, 3D printing is a new tool that is challenging how we image, plan, and carry out cardiovascular interventions.
Localization of the placental BCRP/ABCG2 transporter to lipid rafts: Role for cholesterol in mediating efflux activity

Introduction The breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/ABCG2) is an efflux transporter in the placental barrier. By transporting chemicals from the fetal to the maternal circulation, BCRP limits fetal exposure to a range of drugs, toxicants, and endobiotics such as bile acids and hormones. The purpose of the present studies was to 1) determine whether BCRP localizes to highly-ordered, cholesterol-rich lipid raft microdomains in placenta microvillous membranes, and 2) determine the impact of cholesterol on BCRP-mediated placental transport in vitro.
Our Headache Fellowship: a 10-year history.

There has been a clear trend in American medical education after World War II toward training specialization and subspecialization. After some early specialization efforts by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, further efforts were undertaken by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS), leading to the introduction of the neurologic subspecialty of Headache Medicine in March, 2005. The training program at our center at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, in Boston, Massachusetts, was accredited in 2008 and has graduated 14 trainees since its inception. Our experience is reviewed.
Cationic Copper Hydride Clusters Arising from Oxidation of (Ph3P)6Cu6H6.

Transfer of the first electron from (Ph3P)6Cu6H6 to Cp*2Fe+ is fast (k > 106 L·mol–1·s–1). Transfer of a second electron to the same oxidant has a much lower thermodynamic driving force and is considerably slower, with k = 9.29(4) × 103 L·mol–1·s–1. The second oxidation leads to the formation of [(Ph3P)6Cu6H5]+. The structure of [(Ph3P)6Cu6H5]+ has been confirmed by its conversion back to (Ph3P)6Cu6H6 and by microanalysis; X-ray diffraction shows that the complex is a bitetrahedron in the solid state. [(Ph3P)6Cu6H5]+ can also be prepared by treating (Ph3P)6Cu6H6 with MeOTf. With less than 1 equiv of Cp*2Fe+ as oxidant, (Ph3P)6Cu6H6 gives [(Ph3P)7Cu7H6]+ as the major product; X-ray diffraction shows a Cu6 octahedron with one face capped by an additional Cu. [(Ph3P)7Cu7H6]+ can also be prepared by treating (Ph3P)6Cu6H6 with [Cu(CH3CN)4]+ (along with 1 equiv of Ph3P), and can be converted back to (Ph3P)6Cu6H6 with base/H2.
Normal and inverted regimes of charge transfer controlled by density of states at polymer electrodes.

Conductive polymer electrodes have exceptional promise for next-generation bioelectronics and energy conversion devices due to inherent mechanical flexibility, printability, biocompatibility, and low cost. Conductive polymers uniquely exhibit hybrid electronic–ionic transport properties that enable novel electrochemical device architectures, an advantage over inorganic counterparts. Yet critical structure–property relationships to control the potential-dependent rates of charge transfer at polymer/electrolyte interfaces remain poorly understood. Herein, we evaluate the kinetics of charge transfer between electrodeposited poly-(3-hexylthiophene) films and a model redox-active molecule, ferrocenedimethanol. We show that the kinetics directly follow the potential-dependent occupancy of electronic states in the polymer. The rate increases then decreases with potential (both normal and inverted kinetic regimes), a phenomenon distinct from inorganic semiconductors. This insight can be invoked to design polymer electrodes with kinetic selectivity toward redox active species and help guide synthetic approaches for the design of alternative device architectures and approaches. Charge transfer at conductive polymer/liquid interfaces critically affects the performance of organic bioelectronics and energy conversion/storage devices. Here, the authors provide a mechanistic framework to describe charge-transfer rates in the context of hybrid ionic–electronic conductivity.
Advanced process control based on litho-patterning density

One of the major challenges for process control is wafer to wafer and lot to lot variation, for the 14nm technology node and beyond. Most of advanced process control (APC) is based on product groups, and different product groups exhibit different amounts of parameter tuning. Because lithography pattern density varies between product groups, it is difficult or impossible to share APC threads between different product groups. This paper will introduce a new method to optimize current APC into a dynamic control. With dynamic control, product groups having different pattern density will have a similar amount of parameter tuning and all product groups could share APC feedback. This paper also shows the simulation results and predicts CD sigma with dynamic control.
Optimized programming algorithm for cylindrical and directional deep brain stimulation electrodes.

Objective Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a growing treatment option for movement and psychiatric disorders. As DBS technology moves toward directional leads with increased numbers of smaller electrode contacts, trial-and-error methods of manual DBS programming are becoming too time-consuming for clinical feasibility. We propose an algorithm to automate DBS programming in near real-time for a wide range of DBS lead designs. Approach Magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging are used to build finite element models that include anisotropic conductivity. The algorithm maximizes activation of target tissue and utilizes the Hessian matrix of the electric potential to approximate activation of neurons in all directions. We demonstrate our algorithm's ability in an example programming case that targets the subthalamic nucleus (STN) for the treatment of Parkinson's disease for three lead designs: the Medtronic 3389 (four cylindrical contacts), the direct STNAcute (two cylindrical contacts, six directional contacts), and the Medtronic-Sapiens lead (40 directional contacts). Main results The optimization algorithm returns patient-specific contact configurations in near real-time-less than 10 s for even the most complex leads. When the lead was placed centrally in the target STN, the directional leads were able to activate over 50% of the region, whereas the Medtronic 3389 could activate only 40%. When the lead was placed 2 mm lateral to the target, the directional leads performed as well as they did in the central position, but the Medtronic 3389 activated only 2.9% of the STN. Significance This DBS programming algorithm can be applied to cylindrical electrodes as well as novel directional leads that are too complex with modern technology to be manually programmed. This algorithm may reduce clinical programming time and encourage the use of directional leads, since they activate a larger volume of the target area than cylindrical electrodes in central and off-target lead placements.
Nested cell strainers: An alternative method of preparing palynomorphs and charcoal

Abstract Centrifugation and sieving are essential techniques used in standard preparations of pollen and other palynological material. However, multiple centrifugation steps can potentially damage delicate palynomorphs and other microfossils, and the process of decanting after centrifugation can lead to loss of material. Traditional sieves often have a large surface area which makes manipulating smaller samples difficult and creates the need for potentially damaging techniques (e.g., sonication) to facilitate material through the sieve. We propose using stackable cell strainers as an alternative method for the preparation of pollen and charcoal samples. These sieves fit firmly on standard plastic 50 ml centrifuge tubes and special rings allow the attachment of disposable syringes for suction. We demonstrate that the results of using cell sieves are comparable or better than those of traditional methods. Pollen counts from nine Holocene sites using the cell strainers showed similar concentrations of major palynomorphs in comparison to counts of samples processed following traditional methods. Visual comparison and counts of delicate pollen morphotypes, such as Pinaceae and Poaceae grains, indicated that fewer grains were damaged when cell strainers were used. Macrocharcoal preparations using cell strainers showed consistently lower counts than samples prepared using traditional methods, which may reflect lower rates of fragmentation of fossil charcoal during preparation. Finally, we demonstrate that nested cell strainers are also effective in processing lithified material and isolating and staining pollen from herbarium samples.
Prognostic Factors in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Adults: The Memorial Hospital Experience

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has become a curable disease through the development of effective treatment strategies based on polychemotherapy with non-crossresistant drugs, effective prophylaxis of central nervous system leukemia, and prolonged maintenance chemotherapy [1–4]. Lymhoblastic leukemia in children, in particular, has been treated successfully, with the majority of children surviving 5 years [5]. It was recognized during the early studies that patients had very different responses to standard therapy, and a number of models were developed to identify patient groups with different prognoses. As a consequence, children with ALL were treated differently, based on their classification as “low,”-“standard,”- or “high”-risk patients. Risk group assignments were mainly based on age, white blood cell count (WBC), and involvement of lymph nodes, hepatomegaly or splenomegaly in some series [5].
Conversion of soy molasses, soy solubles, and dried soybean carbohydrates into ethanol.

Soy molasses and soy solubles are byproducts of the conventional soy protein concentrate and soy protein isolate manufacturing processes, respectively. Conversion of the carbohydrates in these byproducts into ethanol was examined. Standardized amounts of commercial cellulase enzymes (Novozyme cellulase,
Offer Strategies for Wholesale Energy and Regulation Markets

Following FERC Order 755 in October 2011, wholesale markets in the US adopted a two-part compensation structure in their regulation markets, paying for regulation capacity made available as well as the quantity of regulation actually provided. In this letter, we first present a mathematical model for Pennsylvania–Jersey–Maryland market clearing process for their energy and regulation markets. We then compute the optimal offer of a single energy resource offering its services into such an energy and regulation market. Finally, we empirically illustrate our offer strategy through case studies.
Enteral Access and Enteral Nutrition in Patients With Short Bowel Syndrome

Abstract Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a complex disease that often requires complex solutions for providing nutritional support. Although parenteral nutrition (PN) is the most common form of nutritional support for patients with SBS, oral nutrition or enteral nutrition (EN) may be used alone or in combination with PN. In order to provide EN a patient may first receive enteral access. Temporary feeding tubes, such as nasogastric and nasojejunal tubes, are uncommon for use in this population other than on a temporary basis. Percutaneous enteral access can be placed by the radiologist, endoscopist, or surgeon and is often dependent on a healthcare center’s available expertise. Both gastric and jejunal enteral access options are commercially available. A decision on what enteral access tube to use is driven by the patients gut anatomy, tolerance to enteral feeding, and comorbid disease states. Research on the use of enteral feeding in the patient with SBS is limited; the use of continuous enteral feeding has been shown to be associated with increased absorption of macronutrients. Data evaluating biomarkers for determination of which patient with SBS can be successfully fed with EN are inconsistent in their findings.
What’s App? An Overview of Medical Mobile Apps

AbstractMedical librarians need to be well-informed about emerging technologies to keep their libraries relevant. Mobile apps are one of many tools health care professionals use in their daily work...
Hybrid Optical Confinement Geometry Device

Apart from the more distributional solid state photovoltaic devices, including silicon III-V, polymer, CIGS and CZTS, another type of solar cell based on solutions such as dye-sensitized solar cells has attracted many groups in the past 10 years, and also proved to perform at levels higher than 10% [1]. Some optical confinement geometries with tubes or other cavities connecting with fibers could work well by combining solid-based cells and solution-based materials together, which is known as a hybrid optical confinement geometry solar cell. Furthermore, by means of the feature of applicability working at very high light intensity, a fiber based hybrid solar power system combining photovoltaic and thermoelectricity is designed to reach a very high efficiency over 50%. Yet, this technology is able to be applied to most of photovoltaic materials.
Using Technology Acceptance Model to Explain Driver Acceptance of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.

Thousands of people die each year due to motor vehicle crashes in the US. Research has found that an overwhelming majority of severe motor vehicle crashes occur due to human error. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are designed to support drivers with information and added vehicle control in critical situations. However, successful implementation of these technologies requires drivers to accept them, spend money to include them in vehicles and use them while driving. This study investigated the utility of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explain driver acceptance of ADAS using a driving simulator study. Thirty-seven participants were given a 10-min. driving experience with a simulated driver assistance system. After the drive, they responded to an acceptance survey that measured different constructs of TAM. The results confirm that TAM constructs can significantly predict drivers’ willingness to use an ADAS, explaining more than 68% (Adj. R2) of the variability.
A Genome-Wide Perspective on the Persistence of Red Wolf Ancestry in Southeastern Canids

The red wolf (Canis rufus), a legally recognized and critically endangered wolf, is known to interbreed with coyotes (Canis latrans). Declared extirpated in the wild in 1980, red wolves were reintroduced to northeastern North Carolina nearly a decade later. Interbreeding with coyotes was thought to be restricted to a narrow geographic region adjacent to the reintroduced population and largely believed to threaten red wolf recovery. However, red wolf ancestry was recently discovered in canids along the American Gulf Coast, igniting a broader survey of ancestry in southeastern canid populations. Here, we examine geographic and temporal patterns of genome-wide red wolf ancestry in 260 canids across the southeastern United States at over 164 000 SNP loci. We found that red wolf ancestry was most prevalent in canids sampled from Texas in the mid-1970s, although non-trivial amounts of red wolf ancestry persist in this region today. Further, red wolf ancestry was also observed in a subset of coyotes inhabiting North Carolina, despite management efforts to limit the occurrence of hybridization events. Lastly, we found no evidence of substantial red wolf ancestry in southeastern canids outside of these 2 admixture zones. Overall, this study provides a genome-wide survey of red wolf ancestry in canids across the southeastern United States, which may ultimately inform future red wolf restoration efforts.
Correlation between tissue PD-L1, TMB, and blood PD-L1, MSI biomarkers in patients with advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

e21564Background: Tissue biomarkers like programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1), microsatellite instability (MSI) and high tumor mutational burden (TMB) are surrogates in identifying patients with ...
Dermal Filler Treatment Improves Psychosocial Well-Being in Facial Paralysis Patients

Background: In the care of the facial paralysis (FP) patient, outcomes have historically focused on facial function rather than the psychosocial burden of the disease state. Yet, FP patients often ...
The social significance of dining out: astudy of continuity and change

Twenty years ago, sociologist Alan Warde published Eating Out: Social Differentiation, Consumption and Pleasure, an extensive research of food consumption away from home in Britain (Warde and Marte...
Effects of drought on water use of seven tree species from four genera growing in a bottomland hardwood forest

Abstract For floodplain forests such as bottomland hardwood forests, large fluctuations in moisture availability can lead to stress from both flooded as well as drought conditions. Likewise, these forests can be diverse in species composition and the water use and drought strategies of co-occurring species will impact surrounding hydrology, nutrient dynamics and productivity. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to compare water use, canopy stomatal conductance and its response to environmental drivers in co-occurring bottomland hardwood species from four genera (Carya, Fraxinus, Quercus, Ulmus) during a drought and average rainfall year. Water use was similar across years in cherrybark oak and winged elm. For swamp chestnut oak, willow oak and shagbark hickory water use was about two thirds in the drought year compared with the average rainfall year and in American elm and green ash it was about one half. Species also varied in their responses of water use to VPD, reference canopy stomatal conductance values, and the timing of leaf senescence during the drought and average rainfall year which will impact ecosystem processes based on drought conditions and species composition. Shagbark hickory, winged elm and swamp chestnut oak exhibited the most declines in water use due to soil saturation. In general, species exhibited a tradeoff between flood tolerance and drought tolerance as well as between maximal water use potential and drought tolerance. In total, differences in water use and its response to environmental drivers during drought and non-drought years for bottomland hardwood forests will depend on species composition and these findings can benefit modeling efforts in temperate floodplain forests.
Chyle Leak after Right Axillary Lymph Node Dissection in a Patient with Breast Cancer.

Background. A female patient was diagnosed with a right-sided chyle leak following right skin sparing mastectomy, axillary lymph node dissection, and immediate tissue expander placement in the setting of invasive ductal carcinoma status post neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Summary. Our patient underwent a level I and II right axillary lymph node dissection followed by an axillary drain placement. On the first postoperative day, a change from serosanguinous to milky fluid in this drain was noted. The patient was diagnosed with a chyle leak based on the milky appearance and elevated triglyceride levels in the fluid. While chyle leaks are rare after an axillary dissection and even rarer to present on the right side, it is a complication of which breast surgeons should be aware. The cause of this complication is thought to be due to injury of the main thoracic duct, its branches, the subclavian duct, or its tributaries. Management is usually conservative; however, awareness of this potential complication even on the right side is of the utmost importance Conclusion. Chyle leaks are an uncommon complication of axillary node dissections and even rarer for them to present on the right side. It can be diagnosed by monitoring the drainage for changes in appearance and volume and by conducting supporting laboratory tests. Conservative management is generally suggested.
Comparison of Clinical Features and Treatment Outcomes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Keratitis in Contact Lens and Non-Contact Lens Wearers.

Purpose To compare the outcomes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis (PAK) in contact lens wearers (CLWs) and non–contact lens wearers (non-CLWs) and identify risk factors for poor visual acuity (VA) outcomes in each group. Design Retrospective cohort study Methods Two hundred fourteen consecutive cases of PAK were included between January 2006 and December 2019. Clinical features, microbiologic results, and treatment course were compared between CLW and non-CLW groups. Analyses of clinical features predicting poor final VA were performed. Results This study identified 214 infected eyes in 207 patients with PAK, including 163 eyes (76.2%) in CLWs and 51 eyes (23.8%) in non-CLWs. The average age was 39.2 years in CLWs and 71.9 years in non-CLWs (P Conclusions Non-CLWs have significantly worse VA outcomes and required a higher rate of surgical intervention, compared with CLWs. Our study elucidates risk factors for poor visual outcomes in non-CLWs with PAK.
Structure and composition of mixed micelles formed by nonionic block copolymers and ionic surfactants in water determined by small-angle neutron scattering with contrast variation.

Abstract Hypothesis Complex fluids comprising polymers and surfactants exhibit interesting properties which depend on the overall composition and solvent quality. The ultimate determinants of the macroscopic properties are the nano-scale association domains. Hence it is important to ascertain the structure and composition of the domains, and how they respond to the overall composition. Experiments The structure and composition of mixed micelles formed in aqueous solution between poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) block copolymers (Pluronics or Poloxamers) and the ionic surfactant sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) are determined from an analysis of small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) intensity data obtained at different contrasts. Different polymers and concentrations have been probed. Findings The SDS + Pluronic mixed micelles include polymer and some water in the micelle core that is formed primarily by alkyl chains. This is different than what was previously reported, but is consistent with a variety of experimental observations. This is the first report on the structure of SDS + Pluronic P123 (EO19PO69EO19) assemblies. The effects on the mixed micelle structure and composition of the surfactant concentration and the polymer hydrophobicity are discussed here in the context of interactions between the different components.
In the Gang

G angs are again a focus of attention. For many people, they are a source of understandable fear and perhaps evidence of a society gone astray. It is hard, maybe impossible, to dispute this view. There is no logic to young men shooting everyone in a house because of some disagreement. Many times, the argument is over large sums of money generated in the drug trade. Sometimes, the violence is related to territory. Yet in many cases, it is the type of argument that would, we think, lead to only a raised voice or a wrestling bout with a few punches. This worry is one of the most pervasive in discussions of gangs; the fear is that violence can occur for a reason so minimal as to be ludicrous. In this way, the deaths seem beyond understanding and beyond history.
Muscle stem cells on the edge

Release of muscle stem cells from quiescence involves the coordinated effort of transcription, mRNA stability, and translation. We focus this review on post-transcriptional regulation of muscle stem cells and highlight the impact of deregulated mRNA homeostasis on muscle aging and muscle disease pathogenesis.
Indefiniteness and Causation

The basis of the indefiniteness of values of quantum physical magnitudes is explained and related to the theory of probabilistic causation. The motivation for and application of the notion of quantum potentiality and its relationship to the interpretation of quantum probability is explained. Quantum indeterminacy is also discussed and related to quantum property indefiniteness and the notion of wave-particle duality. Various notions of quantum particle are distinguished and those available to modern quantum theory are explicated and critiqued, and in some cases—the mereological and nomological—advocated, in particular, over merely operational notions. The basis for understanding quantum theory as a theory of particles and its consistency with modern notions of light and matter is provided.
Salmonella and tomatoes

Outbreak information linking fresh tomato fruit to illnesses is reviewed in this chapter. While tomato fruit appear to support substantial proliferation of certain serovars of Salmonella enterica, detection of this pathogen in tomato plants prior to harvest is rare, and reports of Salmonella existence in tomato fruit still attached to field-grown plants are virtually non-existent. The bacterium is sensitive to UV and can be outcompeted by the native phytomicrobiota, which may explain its absence in field-grown crops. However, the persistence of certain serovars in fields and ponds of certain production areas is noted. Together with evidence of bacteria becoming internalized in tomato fruit during crop development likely through natural apertures, the presence of S. enterica in and around production fields suggests that an unusual weather event could lead to Salmonella contamination of fruit prior to harvest. The bacterium appears physiologically adaptive toward proliferation in tomato fruit. Once inside tomatoes, Salmonella is capable of sensing the availability of nutrients and physiological state of the fruit and differentially regulates specific genes. However, because Salmonella is an efficient nutrient scavenger, removal of multiple metabolic and regulatory genes was required to reduce its fitness within the fruit. Plants do not appear to recognize human enterics as pathogens, and their defenses treat them as endophytes.
Modeling Variability with the Variation Point Model

A major challenge for software reuse is developing components that can be reused in several applications. This paper describes a systematic method for providing components that can be extended through variation points, as initially specified in the software requirements. Allowing the reuser or application engineer to extend components at pre-specified variation points creates a more flexible set of components. The existing variation point methods do not provide enough design detail for the reuser. This paper introduces a method called the Variation Point Model (VPM), which models variation points at the design level, beginning with the common requirements.
A lysosomal targeting defect of V0a1 suppresses V-ATPase activity elevating lysosomal pH in Ppt1-/- mice: amelioration by NtBuHA

Lysosomal pH regulation is impaired in virtually all lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs). However, the mechanism of this defect remains unexplained. The vacuolar H+-transporting ATPase (v-ATPase), a...
Abstract 26: DASH-Style Eating Pattern in Early Adolescence Reduces Cardiometabolic Risk Clustering

Cardiometabolic risk (CMR) factor clustering has its roots in childhood and the presence of multiple cardiovascular risk factors in younger populations has been linked with early vascular dysfunction. A DASH-style eating pattern has been shown to reduce blood pressure and other selected cardiometabolic outcomes, primarily in adults, but its role in the development of CMR clustering during adolescence has not been studied. Data from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Growth and Health Study (NGHS) will be used to evaluate the relation between early-to-mid adolescent dietary intake and CMR clustering at the end of adolescence. The NGHS began in 1987-1988 with the enrollment of 2,379 adolescent girls (with approximately equal numbers of blacks and whites), ages 9-10 years. Diet was assessed using 3-day diet records during eight of 10 years of follow up. A total of 1,369 girls had complete data on diet, all potential confounding variables, and follow-up over 10 years for all CMR factors of interest. Risk factor clustering scores were created by summing individual CMR outcomes defined as follows: waist circumference ≥88 cm, systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90th percentile for age, sex and height, LDL ≥110 mg/dL, HDL However, the types of risk factors differed by race with blacks being nearly twice as likely to have an increased waist size, elevated BP, or insulin resistance and white girls being much more likely to have abnormal lipid levels, particularly elevated triglyceride levels. By the end of adolescence, only 30.1% of girls had no abnormal CMR factors and 34.9% had a single risk factor; 16.6% of girls had two risk factors and 18.4% had between 3-6 prevalent risk factors. Higher intakes of fruit and non-starchy vegetables, dairy, and grains were independently associated with less CMR clustering. After adjusting for age, race, socio-economic status, height, physical activity, and television watching, girls with a DASH-style eating pattern during early-to-mid adolescence were nearly 50% less likely to have three or more CMR factors (O.R.=0.52; 95% CI: 0.30, 0.89) by late adolescence (at 18-20 years of age). These results suggest a DASH-style eating pattern during adolescence, characterized by higher intakes of fruit, non-starchy vegetables, and dairy, may lower risk for the development of subsequent cardiometabolic disorders.
The Effect of Perceived Blogger Credibility and Argument Quality on Message Elaboration and Brand Attitudes

ABSTRACTTo understand information processing on blogs, this study investigates how perceived blogger trustworthiness affects blog readers’ elaboration of brand-related messages and its interaction effects with argument quality. The results reveal that the degree of perceived blogger trustworthiness affects the extent of message elaboration, and findings from a 2 × 2 (perceived blogger trustworthiness × argument quality) factorial experiment suggest a significant interaction effect on brand attitudes. This interaction reveals that when perceived blogger trustworthiness is high, argument quality has a greater impact on brand attitudes than when perceived blogger trustworthiness is low. The authors discuss some implications and suggestions for further research.
Structural transformations and improved ductility in ordered FeCo and ZrCo intermetallics

Using the first-principles calculations, we find that Fe-Co has a tendency for a structural transformation to a lower symmetry sheared L10 phase under the applied shear stresses. This tendency for structural transformation can have a significant influence on the mechanical properties of FeCo, as it might be closely connected with the intrinsic brittleness of Fe-rich and stoichiometric FeCo alloys and with the improved ductility of Co-rich FeCo alloys. We suggest that improved ductility in Co-rich FeCo alloys may originate from transformation toughening due to the B2→L1 0 structural transformation near the regions of high stress concentration, as the stress energy is fully dissipated by the decrease in the electronic energy due to the structural phase transformation into a lower energy structure. Similarly, in ZrCo, our first-principles calculations find that a B2→B33 martensitic phase transformation can occur under the applied shear stress, which may contribute to the good ductility of this alloy, despite the fact that ZrCo is a strongly ordered line compound.
Diagnostic Methods for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Systematic Review for a National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Workshop

Background The diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is based on clinical criteria, yet there has been no consensus regarding which set of criteria best identifies patients with the condition. The Institute of Medicine has recently proposed a new case definition and diagnostic algorithm. Purpose To review methods to diagnose ME/CFS in adults and identify research gaps and needs for future research. Data sources MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane databases (January 1988 to September 2014); clinical trial registries; and reference lists. Study selection English-language studies describing methods of diagnosis of ME/CFS and their accuracy. Data extraction Data on participants, study design, analysis, follow-up, and results were extracted and confirmed. Study quality was dual-rated by using prespecified criteria, and discrepancies were resolved through consensus. Data synthesis Forty-four studies met inclusion criteria. Eight case definitions have been used to define ME/CFS; a ninth, recently proposed by the Institute of Medicine, includes principal elements of previous definitions. Patients meeting criteria for ME represent a more symptomatic subset of the broader ME/CFS population. Scales rating self-reported symptoms differentiate patients with ME/CFS from healthy controls under study conditions but have not been evaluated in clinically undiagnosed patients to determine validity and generalizability. Limitations Studies were heterogeneous and were limited by size, number, applicability, and methodological quality. Most methods were tested in highly selected patient populations. Conclusion Nine sets of clinical criteria are available to define ME/CFS, yet none of the current diagnostic methods have been adequately tested to identify patients with ME/CFS when diagnostic uncertainty exists. More definitive studies in broader populations are needed to address these research gaps.
A review of the preclinical and clinical evidence for protein kinase C as a target for drug development for bipolar disorder

In this article, we review preclinical studies investigating the role of protein kinase C (PKC) as it pertains to mania and effective antimanic agents. We then discuss clinical studies conducted with tamoxifen, a relatively selective PKC inhibitor, in acute bipolar mania. We conclude that PKC is an important target-arguably the first mechanistically distinct drug target for bipolar disorder. PKC holds considerable promise as a novel target for developing a new line of treatments for bipolar disorder.
The effect of implant temperature on the electrical characteristics of ion implanted indium phosphide

Abstract The sample temperature during ion implantation in InP has a pronounced effect on the electrical characteristics of the resulting layers. For the heavy ions, Se (donor) and Cd (acceptor) implant temperatures ≥ 150°C are necessary to minimize n -type residual damage and to achieve maximum activation of the implanted ions. Results for the intermediate mass n -type impurity Si are similar to those for the heavy ions, whereas for the intermediate mass acceptor Mg the implant temperature effects appear to be strongly dose dependent. With the light acceptor ion Be, room temperature implants are as good as or better than those done at elevated temperatures. Results for the light ion C yield n -type layers with very low electrical activation. Higher activation is generally achieved with n -type than with p -type impurities and electron concentrations in excess of 10 19 cm −3 are readily attainable.
Resources, life events, and changes in positive affect and depression in older adults

Hypotheses from a prospective conceptual framework were tested on a sample of 1,166 adults, age 55 and older, who were interviewed three times at 6-month intervals. Older adults with stronger resources had significantly more positive psychological states initially than those with weaker resources, and this advantage was maintained regardless of the levels of life events. There were significant main effects for desirable events and for undesirable events. Those with higher desirable events showed less decline in positive affect. Contrary to the "booster" hypothesis, there was no significant interaction between resources and desirable events. There was a significant interaction between resources and undesirable events on depression but detailed analyses showed that increases in depression over time were limited to the combined condition of weak resources and high levels of undesirable events. Weak resource persons with low or moderate undesirable events, in fact, showed modest improvements in depression.
3D EM/MPM Image Segmentation Using an FPGA Embedded Design Implementation

This paper presents a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) based embedded system which is used to achieve high speed segmentation of 3D images. Segmentation is performed using Expectation-Maximization (EM) with Maximization of Posterior Marginals (MPM) Bayesian algorithm. This algorithm segments the 3D image using neighboring pixels based on a Markov Random Field (MRF) model. In this system, the embedded processor controls a custom circuit which performs the MPM and portions of the EM algorithm. The embedded processor completes the EM algorithm and also controls image data transmission between host computer and on-board memory. The whole system has been implemented on Xilinx Virtex 6 FPGA and achieved over 100 times processing improvement compared to standard desktop computer. Three new techniques were the key to achieve this speed: Pipelined computational cores, sixteen parallel data paths and a novel memory interface for maximizing the external memory bandwidth.
Neuropathic pain in rats is associated with altered nitric oxide synthase activity in neural tissue

Abstract Peripheral nerve injury may lead to a chronic neuropathic pain state that results from an increase in excitability of central neurons. This central sensitization is mediated via an N-methyl- d -aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor and may involve the production of nitric oxide (NO). As NO is suggested to play a role in nociceptive transmission following nerve injury, we examined for altered NO synthase activity at multiple levels of peripheral and spinal neural tissue in a rat model of neuropathic pain. Peripheral neuropathy was induced in rats (N = 12) by ligation of the left L5 and L6 nerve roots. Six other rats had sham surgery. An ipsilateral decrease in paw withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimuli confirmed the presence of a neuropathic pain state. Samples of the lumbar and thoracic spinal cords, L4, L5, and L6 dorsal root ganglia (DRGs), and the sciatic nerves were obtained from the lesioned and contralateral sides at 2 and 4 weeks after neuropathic surgery (N = 6 per group). In the lumbar spinal cord, a bilateral decrease in nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity was observed 2 and 4 weeks after neuropathic surgery. NOS activity was increased in the ipsilateral L5 and 6 DRGs 2 weeks following neuropathic surgery. An increase in NOS activity in the DRG may be an early mechanism for inducing more central changes. The bilaterally decreased NOS activity in the lumbar spinal cord may be secondary to a negative feedback mechanism resulting from increased NO production in the spinal dorsal root ganglia. Multiple alterations in expression of NOS activity that occur in both peripheral and central processing may play a role in the pain behavior resulting from peripheral nerve injury. (Preliminary results of these studies have been presented in abstract form at the annual meetings of the Society for Neuroscience, 1994, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists, 1994.)