cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of serotonergic neurons in the chick duodenum

The ontogenetic sequence of neuron formation has been examined in the duodenum of the developing chick. Enteric serotonergic neurons were selected as an example of an intrinsic neuron, and the adrenergic innervation was studied as an example of an extrinsic supply. Light and electron microscopic radioautography following incubation with tritiated serotonin (3H-5-HT) was used to identify serotonergic elements, and histofluorescence was used to detect adrenergic neurites. At 7 days of incubation (Day E7) the primitive myenteric plexus had formed and the gut is known to contain cholinergic elements [Smith, J.,et al. (1977).Cell Different.6, 199–216]. Nevertheless, in the duodenum there was no uptake of3H-5-HT outside the mucosa. However, on Days E8–E9 many primitive-appearing cells, containing abundant free ribosomes, located in the outer gut mesenchyme surrounding the developing islands of myenteric plexus, took up3H-5-HT. In addition, there was also labeling of axons and growth cones within the myenteric plexus. As development proceeded and the gut matured, the number of labeled cells outside the enteric plexuses declined (rapidly between Days E9 and E13) and the amount of labeling of axons within the plexuses correspondingly increased. Labeling was found in the submucosal plexus on Day E11; substantial numbers of mature-appearing varicosities were labeled by Day E18; the labeled cells in the mesenchyme outside the myenteric plexus disappeared after Day E18. Cells labeled by3H-5-HT were found apparently entering the myenteric plexus from the surrounding mesenchyme. This suggested the possibility that the labeled cells in the mesenchyme were precursors of serotonergic neurons that enter the myenteric plexus and then extend an axon. After this occurs the uptake of3H-5-HT may be lost from the cell bodies and restricted to axons. Adrenergic neurites were first detected in the gut on Day E12. Thus, a sequential pattern of development of the enteric innervation of a single intestinal region was found. Cholinergic neurons are followed by serotonergic neurons, and both precede the ingrowth of the adrenergic innervation. Sequential development of neurons may be important to the expression of the multiplicity of enteric neuronal phenotypes.
Lifetime measurements and low-lying structure in 112Sn

The low-lying structure of 112Sn has been studied. γ-ray excitation functions, ranging from 2.5 to 4.0MeV, and angular distributions at 2.9 and 3.8MeV have been measured following the (n; n′γ) reaction to characterize the decays of the excited levels. Level lifetimes have been measured with the Doppler-shift attenuation method. Low-lying 1−, (2−), 3− and, 5− states have been identified as members of the heterogeneous quadrupole-octupole quintuplet. Decay properties and excitation energies are consistent with the structure formed by the coupling of the lowest quadrupole, 2 1 + , and octupole, 3 1 − , excitations.
TAU NEUTRINOS AND COLD DARK MATTER

Neutrinos with standard weak interactions are possible hot dark matter candidates, but they cannot provide an explanation for a cold dark matter scenario, because of constraints from relic abundance. It is shown here, however, that a stable ντ with a mass in the range 1–35 MeV and a magnetic moment of 10−6 Bohr magnetons is a possible candidate for a cold dark matter particle. This hypothesis can be experimentally tested in the near future.
Placement of Large Suprapubic Tube Using Peel-Away Introducer

AbstractWe describe a new method for placing a large suprapubic tube and report our experience with 56 patients. This method uses a specially designed fascial dilator and peel-away introducer to place an 18F Foley catheter suprapubically. In our experience the method is simple and effective for the exchange of a small suprapubic tube to an 18F Foley catheter, and for primary placement of a large suprapubic tube. It is easily performed at the bedside or during a minor procedure with the patient under local anesthesia.
Perineal swelling in a mouse. Diagnosis: imperforate vagina with secondary mucometra.

Researchers at our AAALAC-accredited animal facility used an inbred strain of mice to generate offspring for bone development studies. Animal care personnel pair one male and one female mouse in individually-ventilated microisolator cages. Each cage housing a breeding unit pair is offered rodent chow (NIH-31; Ziegler Bros., Gardner, PA) and water ad lib. Animal care personnel requested a veterinarian to examine a mouse with perineal swelling. The mouse was approximately 10 weeks old and was maintained in a breeding unit that had failed to produce any offspring. The absence of offspring was unusual as the mice were murine pathogen free, and husbandry conditions were optimal. The light:dark cycle of the room was set at 12:12 and the temperature maintained at 70° +/− 2°F. On examination, the mouse was noted to be well-hydrated and in general good physical condition. A soft, reducible swelling was noted in the perineum (Fig. 1). Palpation of the abdomen and the perineum did not appear to be painful. The perineal skin was of normal color and appeared to be of normal temperature. Figure 1 A 10-week-old mouse with perineal swelling. What gender is the mouse? What are your differential diagnoses for the perineal swelling? Could the presenting clinical sign be related to failure to produce any offspring? Is the perineal swelling treatable? How would you treat it?
The distribution of hippocampal and spinal projecting cells in the locus coeruleus of tottering mice.

Abstract Wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase and Fast Blue were used as retrograde tracers to examine the distribution of coeruleohippocampal and coeruleospinal somata within the locus coeruleus of normal and tottering mutant mice. The distributions of these projection neuron populations in normal mice are similar to what has been found in other species, and the distributions of these projection neurons in tottering mice are indistinguishable from those in normal mice, in spite of the norepinephrine hyperinnervation of certain locus coeruleus targets, including the hippocampus, in the tottering mutant. These observations lend support to the notion that the defect in tottering acts fairly directly on mechanisms involved in the development of locus coeruleus axonal arbors within certain target regions.
Editor meets silencer: crosstalk between RNA editing and RNA interference

The most prevalent type of RNA editing is mediated by ADAR (adenosine deaminase acting on RNA) enzymes, which convert adenosines to inosines (a process known as A-->I RNA editing) in double-stranded (ds)RNA substrates. A-->I RNA editing was long thought to affect only selected transcripts by altering the proteins they encode. However, genome-wide screening has revealed numerous editing sites within inverted Alu repeats in introns and untranslated regions. Also, recent evidence indicates that A-->I RNA editing crosstalks with RNA-interference pathways, which, like A-->I RNA editing, involve dsRNAs. A-->I RNA editing therefore seems to have additional functions, including the regulation of retrotransposons and gene silencing, which adds a new urgency to the challenges of fully understanding ADAR functions.
Parenting the high-risk infant

Parenting the high-risk infant presents additional challenges and stressors to families struggling to cope with raising children. Parents of high-risk infants have higher anxiety levels and depression is more common. Because a positive home environment is crucial to maximize the high-risk infant’s potential, medical professionals must support these parents. Nursing interventions to maximize parenting skills and improve outcomes are discussed.
Reduction of Pertechnetate by Acetohydroxamic Acid: Formation of [TcII(NO)(AHA)2(H2O)]+ and Implications for the UREX Process

Reductive nitrosylation and complexation of ammonium pertechnetate by acetohydroxamic acid has been achieved in aqueous nitric and perchloric acid solutions. The kinetics of the reaction depend on the relative concentrations of the reaction components and are accelerated at higher temperatures. The reaction does not occur unless conditions are acidic. Analysis of the x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopic data is consistent with a pseudo-octahedral geometry with the linear Tc-N-O bond typical of technetium nitrosyl compounds, and electron spin resonance spectroscopy is consistent with a the d{sup 5} Tc(II) nitrosyl complex. The nitrosyl source is generally AHA, but may be augmented by products of reaction with nitric acid. The resulting low-valency trans-aquonitrosyl(diacetohydroxamic)-technetium(II) complex (1) is highly soluble in water, extremely hydrophilic, and is not extracted by tri-n-butylphosphate in a dodecane diluent. Its extraction properties are not pH-dependent; titration studies indicate a single species from pH 4.5 down to -0.6 (calculated). This molecule is resistant to oxidation by H{sub 2}O{sub 2}, even at high pH, and can undergo substitution to form other technetium nitrosyl complexes. The formation of 1 may strongly impact the fate of technetium in the nuclear fuel cycle.
Conditioned place aversion produced by dopamine release inhibition

CGS 10746B, a dopamine release inhibitor with properties similar to the atypical antipsychotic clozapine, was assessed as to its behavioral properties using spontaneous locomotor activity and the conditioned place preference test. Rats conditioned with interperitoneally administered doses of 1.25, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, 20.0 or 30.0 mg/kg CGS 10746B showed a conditioned place aversion, whereas only doses of 5.0 mg/kg or greater suppressed locomotor activity. Results are discussed in terms of dopaminergic mediation of conditioned place preference and spontaneous locomotor activity and methodological concerns involved in employing the conditioned place preference test with drugs that produce opposing affective cues.
The After-Five Syndrome: Library Hours and Services for the Adult Learner

Summary “Communication” is the key to providing appropriate library hours and services for adult learners, students twenty-four years of age and older. This report of a survey at Western Oregon University shows that while there are some differences, the needs of both adult learners and traditional students may be similar. Both groups have a need for a variety of library hours, especially evening and weekend hours, and for remote access to both library collections and services.
A maroon legacy? Sketching African contributions to live fencing practices in early Spanish America

Geographers have generally neglected African influences in attempting to understand the historical development of cultural landscapes in the tropical and subtropical Americas. In this paper, I analyze the early post-Columbian history of live fencing in the Americas, focusing on Spanish-held areas in the 1500s and 1600s. Live fences characterize many modern landscapes in the tropical and subtropical Americas, but the historical geography of these landscape features is poorly known. I show that live fences bear Native American, European and African inheritances, but argue that the African contribution was particularly significant. Specifically, escaped slaves – or maroons – like many contemporaneous communities in Africa, experienced conditions of endemic warfare and labour shortage. Live fences were an effective and labour-efficient means of defence, and all descriptions of live fences in the tropical and subtropical Americas before about 1800 were observed in maroon settlements. As African communities integrated into the multicultural societies of tropical and subtropical America other benefits of live fencing came to be more widely valued and integral to land management throughout the region – though its African inheritance has been forgotten. To understand more completely the historical cultural ecology of the Americas, geographers must challenge the deeply rooted belief that Africans contributed only labour in the development of New World landscapes.
Computer analysis for case-control studies with individual matching.

Abstract A time-sharing computer program written in BASIC language has been developed to analyse data from case-control epidemiologic studies with individual matching. The program will handle the data from matched studies with any number of controls matched to each case, including a varying number of controls for each case. The program computes point and interval estimates for the risk ratio parameter, performs statistical hypothesis testing, and permits a posteriori evaluation of the efficacy of the matching.
A trematode metacercaria encysted in the nerves of the dungeness crab, Cancer magister

Abstract Of 188 Dungeness crabs, Cancer magister , 8 contained unidentified trematode metacercariae encysted in various components of the nervous system, including the thoracic ganglion, brain, lamina ganglionaris of the eyestalk, and major nerves arising from the thoracic ganglion. A single cyst was present in the available tissue sections of 7 of the crabs and no behavioral abnormalities were exhibited. One crab with multiple cysts in major nerves near the thoracic ganglion was markedly ataxic. The cysts and included worms distorted, compacted, and destroyed nervous tissue, and occupied most of the nerves where present. Host response was minimal, but some cysts invoked massive hemocytic accumulations near the infection site. Infections probably seriously affect nerve impulse transmission and accounts for the lethargic behavior of the crab with multiple cysts in major nerves. The present report is the first record of digenetic trematode infections in the Dungeness crab and the apparent restriction of the worm to nervous tissue is unusual if not unique in the Digenea. Because of the absence of grossly recognizable lesions and the small samples excised at necropsy, both the incidence and intensity of infection in Dungeness crab populations are almost certainly higher than indicted by our data.
Hormonal state affects recovery from frontal cortex lesions in adult female rats

Pseudopregnant and normal cycling female Sprague—Dawley rats were trained on a delayed-spatial alternation task. After acquisition training, the subjects received frontal cortex lesions and were subsequently tested for retention. The pseudopregnant animals with lesions were less impaired than their normal cycling counterparts. Learning and retention testing were not affected by hormonal status in the noninjured controls. Histological examination showed that the normal cycling rats with frontal cortex lesions possessed enlarged ventricles, indicating the presence of edema in this surgical group. However, brain tissue of pseudopregnant subjects given the same lesion and sham operates of both hormonal states did not display this characteristic of edema. We speculate that the behavioral and anatomical impairment observed in the normal cycling females with brain injury is due to higher levels of vasopressin, a potent vasoconstrictor synchronized with brain injury in our manipulation.
Solitonlike solutions of the Grad-Shafranov equation.

A new class of solitonlike solutions is derived for the Grad-Shafranov (GS) equations. A mathematical analogy between the GS equation for MHD equilibria and the cubic Schrodinger equation for nonlinear wave propagation forms the basis to derive the new class of solutions. The solitonlike solutions are considered for their possible relevance to astrophysics and solar physics problems. We discuss how a solitonlike solution can be generated by a repetitive process of magnetic arcade stretching and plasmoid formation induced by the differential rotation of the solar photosphere or of an accretion disk.
Carotid artery intimal-medial thickness: indicator of atherosclerotic burden and response to risk factor modification.

Abstract Background A number of studies have used B-mode ultrasound to measure carotid intimal-medial thickness as an indicator of the severity of carotid atherosclerosis. Methods We reviewed the available data on carotid intimal-medial thickness in defining severity of atherosclerosis, with the use of high-quality studies that addressed clinical end points. Results Data from multiple studies demonstrate a high degree of reproducibility in measurements of intimal-medial thickness. A number of agents that include 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and insulin sensitizers reduce carotid intimal-medial thickness and cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Conclusions In this review article, various methods of measuring carotid intimal-medial thickness are examined and critiqued. In addition, the effects of various lifestyle modifications and therapeutic agents on intimal-medial thickness and cardiovascular end points are evaluated. (Am Heart J 2002;144:753-9.)
Recognizing Obesity and its Complications: The Story of Score 1 for Health

This introductory article on the comorbidities of obesity in children is an overview and the first in a series of articles on the subject. One in three of our nation's school-age children is overweight or obese. The comorbidities they experience mirror those seen in adults, with over 60% of children having at least one complication. Virtually any body system may be affected. Complications include weight-related bullying and teasing, poor sleep hygiene, well-studied cardiovascular disease risk factors, liver disease, and musculoskeletal complications, to name a few. The article will further explore an exemplary program highlighting the important role that school nurses play in this child and adolescent health crisis.
Human AP-endonuclease (APE1/Ref-1) and its acetylation regulate YB-1/p300 recruitment and RNA polymerase II loading in the drug induced activation of multidrug resistance gene MDR1

The overexpression of human apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease 1 (APE1/Ref-1), a key enzyme in the DNA base excision repair (BER) pathway, is often associated with tumor cell resistance to various anticancer drugs. In this study, we examined the molecular basis of transcriptional regulatory (nonrepair) function of APE1 in promoting resistance to certain types of drugs. We have recently shown that APE1 stably interacts with Y-box-binding protein 1 (YB-1), and acts as its coactivator for the expression of multidrug resistance gene MDR1, thereby causing drug resistance. In this study, we show, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time that APE1 is stably associated with the basic transcription factor RNA polymerase II (RNA pol II) and the coactivator p300 on the endogenous MDR1 promoter. The depletion of APE1 significantly reduces YB-1-p300 recruitment to the promoter, resulting in reduced RNA pol II loading. Drug-induced APE1 acetylation, which is mediated by p300, enhances formation of acetylated APE1 (AcAPE1)-YB-1-p300 complex on the MDR1 promoter. Enhanced recruitment of this complex increases MDR1 promoter-dependent luciferase activity and its endogenous expression. Using APE1-downregulated cells and cells overexpressing wild-type APE1 or its nonacetylable mutant, we have demonstrated that the loss of APE1's acetylation impaired MDR1 activation and sensitizes the cells to cisplatin or etoposide. We have thus established the basis for APE1's acetylation-dependent regulatory function in inducing MDR1-mediated drug resistance.
Virulence of Aeromonas species as assessed through mouse lethality studies

The relative virulence of 32Aeromonas isolates, primarily of clinical origin, were evaluated for mouse lethality by intraperitoneal inoculation of 107 CFU into albino mice. Three categories could be distinguished on the basis of this assay, including a highly virulent group (80%–100% mortality), a low to moderate virulence category (20%–60% mortality), and strains that were completely avirulent. Of theA. sobria isolates tested, 82% fell into the highly virulent category (P<0.005), whereasA. hydrophila strains were intermediate in virulence potential, andA. caviae strains studied were avirulent. There was no apparent correlation between highly virulentAeromonas isolates and phenotypes associated with enterotoxigenicity, hemolytic activity, cytotoxin production, or serum resistance; this suggests that a cell surface property may be important in mouse pathogenicity. The results of these studies indicate that mouse lethality assays may be an appropriate model for the study of invasive disease clinically produced byA. sobria andA. hydrophila.
Robust super-resolution by fusion of interpolated frames for color and grayscale images

Multi-frame super-resolution (SR) processing seeks to overcome undersampling issues that can lead to undesirable aliasing artifacts. The key to effective multi-frame SR is accurate subpixel inter-frame registration. This accurate registration is challenging when the motion does not obey a simple global translational model and may include local motion. SR processing is further complicated when the camera uses a division-of-focal-plane (DoFP) sensor, such as the Bayer color filter array. Various aspects of these SR challenges have been previously investigated. Fast SR algorithms tend to have difficulty accommodating complex motion and DoFP sensors. Furthermore, methods that can tolerate these complexities tend to be iterative in nature and may not be amenable to real-time processing. In this paper, we present a new fast approach for performing SR in the presence of these challenging imaging conditions. We refer to the new approach as Fusion of Interpolated Frames (FIF) SR. The FIF SR method decouples the demosaicing, interpolation, and restoration steps to simplify the algorithm. Frames are first individually demosaiced and interpolated to the desired resolution. Next, FIF uses a novel weighted sum of the interpolated frames to fuse them into an improved resolution estimate. Finally, restoration is applied to deconvolve the modeled system PSF. The proposed FIF approach has a lower computational complexity than most iterative methods, making it a candidate for real-time implementation. We provide a detailed description of the FIF SR method and show experimental results using synthetic and real datasets in both constrained and complex imaging scenarios. The experiments include airborne grayscale imagery and Bayer color array images with affine background motion plus local motion.
Multiple-objective optimization by method of proper equality constraints using lagrange multipliers

Lin [1] has shown that all Pareto-optimal solutions of any multiple-objective (MO) optimization problems can be determined by transforming the MO problems into single-objectives (SO) optimization problems with all but one of the multiple objectives converted to proper equality constraints. It is shown here that Lagrange multipliers, which are intermediate by-products in the process of solving SO constrained optimization problems (by analytical or numerical methods), can be effectively utilized for determining whether the objective-converted equality constraints are proper or not. Several useful necessary and sufficient conditions for properness are derived and expressed in terms of Lagrange multipliers. A very useful convention and a simple notion of regularity are introduced.
Norms reconstituting interests: global racial equality and U.S. sanctions against South Africa

The extraordinary success of transnational anti-apartheid activists in generating great power sanctions against South Africa offers ample evidence that norms, independent of strategic and economic considerations, are an important factor in determining states' policies. The crucial role of a strengthened global norm of racial equality in motivating U.S. anti-apartheid sanctions illustrates the limitations of conventional international relations theories, which rely primarily on structural and material interest explanations, and supports theoretically derived constructivist claims. In particular, this case suggests that analysts should examine the role of global norms in defining states' interests, rather than viewing norms solely as external constraints on state behavior.
Graduated driver licensing in Utah: Is it effective?

Study objective We seek to examine the effectiveness of the graduated driver licensing system in Utah by determining whether crash rates of 16-year-old drivers decreased after graduated driver licensing implementation. Methods We studied 16-year-old-driver crashes using statewide motor vehicle crash data probabilistically linked to emergency department (ED), hospital inpatient, and driver licensure data for 1996 to 2001. Outcomes examined included overall crash rates, nighttime crashes, crash severity indicators (eg, noninjury crash, injury crash, ED crash, inpatient crash, fatal crash), seat belt usage, licensure status, and citations. Rate ratios (RR), χ 2 tests, and interventional time series analyses were used to assess changes before and after graduated driver licensing implementation. Results There were 27,304 16-year-old-driver crashes during the study period. The overall crash rate per 1,000 licensed 16-year-old drivers decreased by 5% (RR 0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.92 to 0.97), and a time-series analysis showed a reduction of 0.8 (SD 0.39) crashes per month per 1,000 licensed drivers after graduated driver licensing implementation (1996 to 1999 versus 1999 to 2001). The nighttime crash rate did not change (RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.78 to 1.04), and there was no association between crash severity and graduated driver licensing implementation ( P =.096). Reported seat belt usage increased by 6.3%, and few graduated driver licensing citations were issued by law enforcement. Conclusion The results suggest that graduated driver licensing may have contributed to a reduction in young driver crashes, but the effects were minimal compared with those shown in many other graduated driver licensing evaluations.
Agentic and Communal Traits and Health: Adolescents With and Without Diabetes

The authors examined whether agentic and communal traits are associated with relationship and health outcomes among adolescents with and without diabetes. They interviewed 263 teens (average age 12; 132 Type 1 diabetes; 131 healthy) on an annual basis for 5 years. The authors measured agency, communion, unmitigated agency, and unmitigated communion as well as parent and peer relationship quality, psychological distress, and diabetes health. In concurrent and lagged multilevel models, unmitigated communion and unmitigated agency were associated with poor relationship outcomes and greater psychological distress for those with and without diabetes. In lagged analyses, unmitigated communion predicted deterioration in diabetes health. Communion and agency were associated with positive relationship and health outcomes, with the former being stronger than the latter. These results underscore the need to focus on unmitigated agency and unmitigated communion when studying the implications of personality for health during adolescence.
Application of k-space energy spectrum analysis for inherent and dynamic B0 mapping and deblurring in spiral imaging

Spiral imaging is vulnerable to spatial and temporal variations of the amplitude of the static magnetic field (B0) caused by susceptibility effects, eddy currents, chemical shifts, subject motion, physiological noise, and system instabilities, resulting in image blurring. Here, a novel off-resonance correction method is proposed to address these issues. A k-space energy spectrum analysis algorithm is first applied to inherently and dynamically generate a B0 map from the k-space data at each time point, without requiring any additional data acquisition, pulse sequence modification, or phase unwrapping. A simulated phase evolution rewinding algorithm and an automatic residual deblurring algorithm are then used to correct for the blurring caused by both spatial and temporal B0 variations, resulting in a high spatial and temporal fidelity. This method is validated against conventional B0 mapping and deblurring methods, and its advantages for dynamic MRI applications are demonstrated in functional MRI studies. Magn Reson Med, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Anthropological Perspectives on Structural Adjustment and Public Health

Thirty years since its first public use in 1980, the phrase structural adjustment remains obscure for many anthropologists and public health workers. However, structural adjustment programs (SAPs) are the practical tools used by international financial institutions (IFIs) such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to promote the market fundamentalism that constitutes the core of neoliberalism. A robust debate continues on the impact of SAPs on national economies and public health. But the stories that anthropologists tell from the field overwhelmingly speak to a new intensity of immiseration produced by adjustment programs that have undermined public sector services for the poor. This review provides a brief history of structural adjustment, and then presents anthropological analyses of adjustment and public health. The first section reviews studies of health services and the second section examines literature that assesses broader social determinants of health influenced by adjustment.
Transcranial Doppler pulsatility indices as a measure of diffuse small-vessel disease.

Background and Purpose. Elevation in pulsatility indices (PIs) as measured by transcranial Doppler (TCD) have been postulated to reflect downstream increased vascular resistance caused by small-vessel ischemic disease. Methods. The authors retrospectively compared TCD PIs and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) manifestations of small-vessel disease in 55 consecutive patients who underwent TCD studies and brain MRI within 6 months of each other during a 2-year period. Results. Correlations between TCD middle cerebral artery PIs and MRI measures were as follows: periventricular hyperintensity (PVH) = 0.52 (P < .0001), deep white matter hyperintensity (DWMH) = 0.54 (P < .0001), lacunar disease = 0.31 (P= .02), and combined PVH/DWMH/lacunes = 0.54 (P < .0001). Correlation between pontine ischemia and vertebrobasilar PIs was 0.46 (P= .0004). Univariate analysis showed that age, elevated PI, and hypertension strongly correlated with white matter disease measures. After adjusting for these factors in a multivariate Poisson regression analysis, PI remained an independent predictor of white matter disease. Receiver operator curve analyses identified PI cut points that allowed discrimination of PVH with 89% sensitivity and 86% specificity and discrimination of DWMH with 70% sensitivity and 73% specificity. Conclusions. Elevation in PIs as measured by TCD shows strong correlation with MRI evidence of small-vessel disease. TCD may be a useful physiologic index of the presence and severity of diffuse small-vessel disease.
Radio propagation in stairwell: Measurement and simulation results

Propagation characteristics in a stairwell are investigated through simulation and experimental measurements. Field measurement has been carried out at 2.4 GHz on every step of the stairwell up to second and half of the 3rd floor. In our measurements, the transmitter was placed outside the building. These results are then used for comparison with simulation results that take into consideration four different types of rays, namely the direct rays, reflected rays, transmitted rays, and hybrid rays. There is a good agreement between the measurement and the simulation results.
Effects of temperature and current discharge on the concentration and photosynthetic activity of the phytoplankton in the upper Mississippi River

SUMMARY. Temperature and current discharge regulated phytoplanktonic concentration, chlorophyll-a concentration, the light-saturated rate of photosynthesis (Pmax), and photosynthetic capacity (Pcap) in the Mississippi River at Prairie Island, Minnesota. The chlorophyll-a maximum was 48 mg m−3 in 1975, a wet year with a high current discharge, and 190 mg m−3 in 1976, a relatively dry year. The highest values of Pmax were 0.37 (mgO2 I−1h−1) in 1975 and 1.60 in 1976. Pcap varied from 3 to 21 (gO2 per g chlorophyll-a h−1) both years, and its value was highly correlated with temperature. The temperature optimum shifted from 16°C for Pcap in the spring, to greater than 28°C in the summer. Multiple regression analysis indicated a second-order relationship of Pcap in the spring to temperature. Other independent variables explained only negligible variation of Pcap.
Biventricular Repair After Stage II Univentricular Surgery: Palliation Is Not a One-Way Path

Surgical decision in mild forms of hypoplastic left heart syndrome can be challenging. Once a univentricular pathway has been chosen, it can be difficult to reconsider a biventricular repair. A commitment to a palliative pathway is usually considered irreversible after initial univentricular repair. We present this case as an example in which the primary surgical palliation pathway was altered, and eventually a successful biventricular repair was performed in a mild variant of hypoplastic left heart syndrome, despite the fact that maneuvers to promote left ventricular growth were not recruited at the time of initial surgery.
The Magnitude of the Association between Fluoroquinolone Use and Quinolone-Resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae May Be Lower than Previously Reported

Case-control analyses of resistant versus susceptible isolates have implicated fluoroquinolone exposure as a strong risk factor for fluoroquinolone-resistant isolates of Enterobacteriaceae. We suspect that such methodology may overestimate this association. A total of 84 cases with fluoroquinolone-resistant isolates and 578 cases with fluoroquinolone-susceptible isolates of Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae were compared with 608 hospitalized controls in parallel multivariable analyses. For comparison of previous estimates, the results of 10 published case-control studies of risk for fluoroquinolone resistance in isolates of Enterobacteriaceae were pooled by using a random-effects model. Exposure to fluoroquinolones was significantly positively associated with fluoroquinolone resistance (odds ratio [OR], 3.17) and negatively associated with fluoroquinolone susceptibility (OR, 0.18). Multivariable analyses yielded similar estimates (ORs, 2.04 and 0.10, respectively). As data on antibiotic exposure were limited to inpatient prescriptions, misclassification of fluoroquinolone exposure in persons who received fluoroquinolones as outpatients may have led to an underestimation of the true effect size. Pooling the results of previously published studies in which a direct comparison of fluoroquinolone-resistant and fluoroquinolone-susceptible cases was used resulted in a markedly higher effect estimate (OR, 18.7). Had we directly compared resistant and susceptible cases, our univariate OR for the association between fluoroquinolone use and the isolation of resistant Enterobacteriaceae would have been 19.3, and the multivariate OR would have been 16.5. Fluoroquinolone use is significantly associated with the isolation of fluoroquinolone-resistant Enterobacteriaceae; however, previous studies likely exaggerated the magnitude of this association.
Implications of Court Versus Conference The Relationship Between Perceptions of Procedural Justice and Shame Management

Courts and conferences emphasize varying elements of procedural justice to ensure that outcomes are fair and invoke moral regret or shame among offenders. How procedural justice relates to the various ways shame is experienced or managed is, however, not clear. Using data from the Australian Reintegrative Shaming Experiments (RISE), we examine how four types of shame management—shame acknowledgment, shame displacement, shame avoidance, and internalizing shame—operate within the context of traditional court processing and the restorative justice conference. Results indicate that the type of treatment offenders receive (court vs. conference) and perceptions of procedural justice affect shame management, highlighting important implications for understanding how shame management influences recidivism within court and conference.
Effect of leaf age and silverleaf symptoms on oviposition site selection and development of Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) on zucchini

The development of whitefly control tactics that provide a safer alternative to using pesticides requires a thorough understanding of the interaction between these insects and their host plants. In this study, we investigated the effect of leaf age of zucchini, Cucurbita pepo L., on the oviposition site selection and on the development and survival of immature Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring. Also, we evaluated the effect of squash silverleaf symptoms on adult alighting and oviposition site selection, and on the development of immatures. Whiteflies oviposited significantly more on younger, hairier leaves than on older leaves when tested in a dual-choice petri dish clip cage. Time to 50% emergence was longer on younger versus older leaves, yet survival of immatures did not differ statistically between the leaves tested. In free-flight choice experiments, whiteflies (male and female) alighted significantly less frequently on silverleaf-affected plants than on healthy green plants. However, in dual-choice oviposition experiments, whiteflies did not discriminate between silvered and healthy green leaves. Further experiments revealed no differences in the development of immature B. argentifolii on healthy and silvered leaves. This indicates that the chemical and physiological changes in silverleaf-affected leaves do not have a detrimental effect on the survival or development of whitefly nymphs.
The condom race

The condom race is a hands-on activity that can help teach young people condom use as part of safer sex practices. Although it is well documented that students know about condom use, they often do not do what they know they should. One possible explanation for this is that the students may lack the skills and confidence they need to have when they use condoms. The condom race offers students a chance to gain skills and confidence in a humorous, nonthreatening way. During the exercise, which is based on the concept of a relay race, students touch, feel, and practice putting condoms on penis models. After participating in the activity, students reported increased confidence in their ability to use, discuss, and carry condoms. The condom race is a quick, amusing, and easy activity.
Structure and specificity of the RNA-guided endonuclease Cas9 during DNA interrogation, target binding and cleavage

CRISPR-associated endonuclease Cas9 cuts DNA at variable target sites designated by a Cas9-bound RNA molecule. Cas9's ability to be directed by single ‘guide RNA’ molecules to target nearly any sequence has been recently exploited for a number of emerging biological and medical applications. Therefore, understanding the nature of Cas9's off-target activity is of paramount importance for its practical use. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), we directly resolve individual Cas9 and nuclease-inactive dCas9 proteins as they bind along engineered DNA substrates. High-resolution imaging allows us to determine their relative propensities to bind with different guide RNA variants to targeted or off-target sequences. Mapping the structural properties of Cas9 and dCas9 to their respective binding sites reveals a progressive conformational transformation at DNA sites with increasing sequence similarity to its target. With kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations, these results provide evidence of a ‘conformational gating’ mechanism driven by the interactions between the guide RNA and the 14th–17th nucleotide region of the targeted DNA, the stabilities of which we find correlate significantly with reported off-target cleavage rates. KMC simulations also reveal potential methodologies to engineer guide RNA sequences with improved specificity by considering the invasion of guide RNAs into targeted DNA duplex.
Role of inhibitory neurotransmitter interactions in the pathogenesis of neonatal apnea: Implications for management☆

Apnea of prematurity remains a troublesome clinical problem in the care of low birth weight infants. It may significantly impact the neonatal course of such patients by necessitating the use of assisted ventilation, prolonging their hospitalization, and resulting in a need for xanthine or other pharmacologic intervention. To better understand the physiologic basis for neonatal apnea, the response of respiratory neural output to hypercapnia, hypoxia, and stimulation of laryngeal and other mechanoreceptor-mediated afferents has been extensively studied in both human infants and various animal models. However, maturation of the role of neurotransmitters that mediate these neural pathways at the brainstem is poorly understood. As fetal and early neonatal life are characterized by greater inhibition of respiratory output than in later life, it is tempting to speculate that this period is associated with greater expression of inhibitory versus excitatory neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in respiratory-related neurons. A variety of such substances have been implicated in neonatal respiratory control and some, such as serotonin and adenosine, may have excitatory or inhibitory effects depending on the receptor subtypes activated (Fig 1). Although prostaglandins and endorphins have both been studied for their role as inhibitory neurotransmitters in relation to neonatal respiratory control, 1 the focus of this review will be on gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), adenosine, and their potential interaction as the major modulators of respiratory neural output in early life.
Robust Tracking of Small Displacements With a Bayesian Estimator

Radiation-force-based elasticity imaging describes a group of techniques that use acoustic radiation force (ARF) to displace tissue to obtain qualitative or quantitative measurements of tissue properties. Because ARF-induced displacements are on the order of micrometers, tracking these displacements in vivo can be challenging. Previously, it has been shown that Bayesian-based estimation can overcome some of the limitations of a traditional displacement estimator such as normalized cross-correlation (NCC). In this work, we describe a Bayesian framework that combines a generalized Gaussian–Markov random field (GGMRF) prior with an automated method for selecting the prior’s width. We then evaluate its performance in the context of tracking the micrometer-order displacements encountered in an ARF-based method such as ARF impulse (ARFI) imaging. The results show that bias, variance, and mean-square error (MSE) performance vary with prior shape and width, and that an almost one order-of-magnitude reduction in MSE can be achieved by the estimator at the automatically selected prior width. Lesion simulations show that the proposed estimator has a higher contrast-to-noise ratio but lower contrast than NCC, median-filtered NCC, and the previous Bayesian estimator, with a non-Gaussian prior shape having better lesion-edge resolution than a Gaussian prior. In vivo results from a cardiac, radio-frequency ablation ARFI imaging dataset show quantitative improvements in lesion contrast-to-noise ratio over NCC as well as the previous Bayesian estimator.
Helping lower income parents reduce the risk of food waste resulting from children's aversion to healthier food options: Comment on Daniel (2016)

We reflect on Daniel's (2016) finding that a challenge to improving the diets of lower income children is parental worry over food waste that results from children's rejection of healthier food options such as vegetables. This finding has important implications because previous research has indicated novel foods that have a bitter or sour flavor profile (as is the case with many vegetables) must be introduced to children several times before these foods are accepted. We suggest research-based techniques that parents could utilize to reduce the risk of costly food waste, and discuss obstacles that could impede well-intended parents from reaching their goals of improving their children's diets.
Modeling and measurements of novel monolithic inductors and transformers: Research Articles

This paper presents the analysis, modeling, and measurements of a novel configuration of spiral inductors and transformers to enhance the figure of merits. The present configuration utilizes a Z-shaped multilayer metalization to increase the Q of the monolithic inductors, and increase K without sacrificing the Q of the monolithic transformers. A simple two-port lumped-circuit model derived from inductor S-parameters is used to illustrate the potential of the new design. Several on-chip transformers have been fabricated using the Motorola 0.18-micron copper process. The experimental data shows good agreement with predicted data obtained using the HFSS software simulator. A noticeable increase of mutual coupling and Q is achieved. The transformer can be optimized to achieve high Q or high K or both. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2005.
The Influence of Carbon Black on the Reversion Process in Sulfur-Accelerated Vulcanization of Natural Rubber

Abstract The effect of carbon black upon the reversion process in the sulfur-accelerated vulcanization of natural rubber has been studied. It is found that black-filled cure systems have a faster rate of vulcanization and better reversion resistance. The net decrease of trans-methine content, which is equivalent to the improvement of reversion resistance, is found to be at most 15%, with the initial 10 pphr loading yielding the greatest effect. However, those decreases of trans-methine content are small when compared with the substantial effects of these fillers on the physical-mechanical properties of the vulcanizate, which is a linear function of black loading. In general, the smaller the black particle size, the greater the improvement of the reversion resistance, but particle size alone is not the only factor affecting reversion. A universal curve is obtained for correlating the amount of reversion and trans-methine content, which is independent of any natural rubber-based curing system, operating con...
Phase transformation of biphasic Cu2S-CuInS2 to monophasic CuInS2 nanorods.

We synthesized wurtzite CuInS2 nanorods (NRs) by colloidal solution-phase growth. We discovered that the growth process starts with nucleation of Cu2S nanodisks, followed by epitaxial overgrowth of CuInS2 NRs onto only one face of Cu2S nanodisks, resulting in biphasic Cu2S−CISu heterostructured NRs. The phase transformation of biphasic Cu2S−CuInS2 into monophasic CuInS2 NRs occurred with growth progression. The observed epitaxial overgrowth and phase transformation is facile for three reasons. First, the sharing of the sulfur sublattice by the hexagonal chalcocite Cu2S and wurtzite CuInS2 minimizes the lattice distortion. Second, Cu2S is in a superionic conducting state at the growth temperature of 250 °C wherein the copper ions move fluidly. Third, the size of the Cu2S nanodisks is small, resulting in fast phase transformation. Our results provide valuable insight into the controlled solution growth of ternary chalcogenide nanoparticles and will aid in the development of solar cells using ternary I−III−V...