cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bone scan manifestations of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) in cancer patients: Three unique clinical presentations

1012 Learning Objectives 1. Discuss different clinical settings, other than biphosphonate use, that are associated with higher risk of ONJ. 2. Discuss how an early recognition of ONJ may lead to a proper medical management and help to minimize unnecessary biopsies and allow early treatment of ONJ. Osteonecrosis of the jaw is usually a potential complication of bisphosphonate therapy. Our aim is to highlight clinical settings associated with a higher risk of ONJ to prevent possible misdiagnosis and initiate early treatment. We present 3 different cases of ONJ, each occurring in unique clinical setting of which 2 were misdiagnosed initially. First is a case with osteonecrosis of the mandible after multiple teeth extractions while on oral bisphosphonate therapy and was treated by discontinuation of the drug. Second is a case of breast cancer and multiple bone metastases on intravenous bisphosphonate therapy who underwent palliative radiation therapy for a presumed metastatic left mandibular angle lesion. Her jaw lesion and pain got progressively worse. A Tc99m bone scan and CT scan done suggested ONJ. Third is a case with osteonecrosis of the mandible that occurred after multiple teeth extractions. The patient underwent incision and drainage for a presumed massetric space infection. When her pain did not improve a Gallium-67 scan was obtained which showed no evidence of infection or inflammation but rather ONJ. Conclusions: Correlating a patient’s clinical information with findings on diagnostic imaging studies, such as SPECT bone and CT scans can help identify this potential complication. Early diagnosis helps minimize unnecessary biopsies and allows for the proper treatment to be instituted
Private Wealth Management in Asia

Asia is becoming the most significant regional market for private wealth management. Private banking units of large global financial firms and specialized private banking firms have expanded in the region. Hong Kong and Singapore, the leading financial centers of Asia, likewise are the greatest centers of private wealth management. China is on a trajectory to become the most important market, even as Japan remains the largest, albeit one that is stagnating. India’s demand for private banking services is growing, but it remains poor. Domestic financial firms in China and India increasingly compete with foreign private wealth managers, while Japan’s financial firms continue to thwart most foreign firms. The Swiss private banks, however, have made inroads into Japan, and they also are expanding elsewhere in Asia. Competition for the private banking market will grow as domestic firms throughout Asia expand. If the global economic crisis returns, private wealth management in Asia will face challenges.
Expression of a Non-Classical Class I Gene in Transgenic Mice

The class I MHC genes can be divided into two major categories: classical and non-classical (Singer, Maguire, 1989). The classical class I genes encode the major transplantation antigens. The non-classical class I genes encode highly related cell surface molecules, which associate with β 2-microglobulin, but which do not function as major transplantation antigens. Indeed, the function, if any, of these gene products is not known. Early serological studies suggested that cell-surface expression of the non-classical gene products was tissue-restricted (Flaherty, 1976). However, more recent studies have detected a more general distribution of non-classical class I transcripts (Fahrner, Hogan, Flavell, 1987; Singer, Maguire, 1989). Nevertheless, their patterns of expression are still distinct from those of the classical class I genes (Ehrlich et al 1987). In order to elucidate the molecular mechanisms which regulate such non-classical class I genes, we have been studying their patterns of expression and comparing them with those of the classical class I genes.
Comparative performance and scaling of the pareto improving particle swarm optimization algorithm

The Pareto Improving Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm (PI-PSO) has been shown to perform better than Global Best PSO on a variety of benchmark problems. However, these experiments used benchmark problems with a single dimension, namely 32d. Here we compare global best PSO and PI-PSO on benchmark problems of varying dimensions and with varying numbers of particles. The experiments show that PI-PSO generally achieves better performance than PSO as the number of dimensions increases. PI-PSO also outperforms PSO on problems with the same dimension but with the same or fewer particles.
Review of The Routledge Companion to Seventeenth Century Philosophy by Dan Kaufman (ed.)

A review of Dan Kaufman's (ed.) recent book The Routledge Companion to Seventeenth Century Philosophy (London and New York: Routledge, 2018).
Cryptococcus neoformans Cda1 and Its Chitin Deacetylase Activity Are Required for Fungal Pathogenesis

ABSTRACT Chitin is an essential component of the cell wall of Cryptococcus neoformans conferring structural rigidity and integrity under diverse environmental conditions. Chitin deacetylase genes encode the enyzmes (chitin deacetylases [Cdas]) that deacetylate chitin, converting it to chitosan. The functional role of chitosan in the fungal cell wall is not well defined, but it is an important virulence determinant of C. neoformans. Mutant strains deficient in chitosan are completely avirulent in a mouse pulmonary infection model. C. neoformans carries genes that encode three Cdas (Cda1, Cda2, and Cda3) that appear to be functionally redundant in cells grown under vegetative conditions. Here we report that C. neoformans Cda1 is the principal Cda responsible for fungal pathogenesis. Point mutations were introduced in the active site of Cda1 to generate strains in which the enzyme activity of Cda1 was abolished without perturbing either its stability or localization. When used to infect CBA/J mice, Cda1 mutant strains produced less chitosan and were attenuated for virulence. We further demonstrate that C. neoformans Cda genes are transcribed differently during a murine infection from what has been measured in vitro. IMPORTANCECryptococcus neoformans is unique among fungal pathogens that cause disease in a mammalian host, as it secretes a polysaccharide capsule that hinders recognition by the host to facilitate its survival and proliferation. Even though it causes serious infections in immunocompromised hosts, reports of infection in hosts that are immunocompetent are on the rise. The cell wall of a fungal pathogen, its synthesis, composition, and pathways of remodelling are attractive therapeutic targets for the development of fungicides. Chitosan, a polysaccharide in the cell wall of C. neoformans is one such target, as it is critical for pathogenesis and absent in the host. The results we present shed light on the importance of one of the chitin deacetylases that synthesize chitosan during infection and further implicates chitosan as being a critical factor for the pathogenesis of C. neoformans.
Regiochemistry of Thiolate for Selenolate Ligand Exchange on Gold Clusters

Ligand exchange is a fundamental reaction of metal nanoparticles. Multiple symmetry and kinetic exchange environments are observed for thiolate protected gold nanoparticles, but the correlation between these is unclear. Structural study of ligand exchange on chalcogenide passivated gold clusters has so-far revealed the locations of 10% or fewer of incoming ligands. In a set of 13 crystal structures, we reveal the locations of up to 17 ligands of the 18 ligands in thiolate for selenolate exchanged Au25(SeR)18–x(SR)x clusters. Overall, we see a distinct preference for the locations of thiolate and selenolate ligands that emerges over time. This most-comprehensive to-date structural study of ligand exchange on gold clusters evidences a structural basis for exchange of solvated ligands, exchange of ligands between clusters, and a net reaction that amounts to translation of ligands on the cluster surface.
Hidden treasures in contemporary RNA sequencing

High throughput RNA sequencing technologies have provided unprecedented opportunity to explore the individual transcriptome. Unmapped reads, the reads falling to map to the human reference, are a large and often overlooked output of standard RNA-Seq analyses; the hidden treasure in the contemporary RNA-Seq analysis is within the unmapped reads, illuminating previously unexplored biological insights. Here we develop Read Origin Protocol (ROP) to discover the source of all reads originating from complex RNA molecules, recombinant T and B cell receptors, and microbial communities. We applied ROP to 10,641 samples across 2630 individuals from 54 diverse adult human tissues. Our approach can account for 99.9% of 1 trillion reads of various read length. Using in-house RNA-Seq data, we show that immune profiles of asthmatic individuals are significantly different from the profiles of control individuals, with decreased average per sample T and B cell receptor diversity. We also show that microbiomes can be detected in human bloods via RNA-Sequencing and may elucidate important clinical changes in patients with schizophrenia. Furthermore, we demonstrate that receptor-derived reads among other hidden reads can be used to characterize the overall Ig repertoire across diverse human tissues using RNA-Sequencing. Our results demonstrate the potential of ROP to exploit the hidden treasure in contemporary RNA-Sequencing in order to better understand the functional mechanisms underlying connections between the immune system, microbiome, human gene expression, and disease etiology.
The Organizational Context of Substantiation in Child Protective Services Cases

Substantiation of child maltreatment is among the most important decisions made by Child Protective Services and may have wide-reaching implications for child and family well-being. Yet, relatively little research has been undertaken to understand the organizational context of substantiation. Using national population data from the United States, this study examined the associations between state and county contexts with county substantiation rates using multilevel negative binomial regression. The results show that organizational context (policy and practice characteristics) influences substantiation rates. In particular, standards of evidence, alternative options for investigation and disposition of allegations, and workload burden were all significant predictions of substantiation rates. However, the associations of organizational factors and substantiation varied across types of maltreatment allegations; neglect and physical abuse allegations were more heavily influenced by organizational factors than sexual abuse or multi-type maltreatment allegations. Implications for child protection policy and practice are discussed.
A mutant of Anabaena sp. CA with oxygen-sensitive nitrogenase activity.

Abstract Studies on the O2 protection mechanism for nitrogenase in a mutant (PM10) of Anabaena sp. CA indicated that the ability to protect nitrogenase from O2 was functionally impaired. Growth rates of PM10 were substantially improved when cells were cultured under microaerobic conditions. Nitrogenase activity was totally inhibited by exposure to O2 for 30 min; partial restoration of activity was attained when cell suspensions were subsequently made microaerobic. Experiments in which induction of nitrogenase activity was followed indicated that the synthesis of the O2 protection mechanism was temporally separated from synthesis of heterocysts and nitrogenase.
Relationship of Selected Factors in Growth Derivable from Age-Height-Weight Measurements

Abstract Growth curves were plotted on the Wetzel Grid for children in a Midwestern school (grades 1–8). In addition to the original measures of age, height, and weight, the measures of body shape, body size, rate of growth in the past year, developmental age, ratio of physical development, change in physique during the past year, and speed of growth were determined for each student. The interrelationships between these factors indicated that the rate of growth in the past year was strongly related to excessive deviation from normal growth; that excessive changes in physique and speed of growth were strongly related to ratio of physical development; that age and weight, age and size, height and weight, and height and size decreased in relationship as grade level increased; and that weight and body shape, weight and ratio of physical development, body shape and developmental age, body shape and ratio of physical development, body size and developmental age, body size and ratio of physical development, and ...
Modulation of the S-K+ Channel of Aplysia Sensory Neurons by Lipoxygenase Metabolites of Arachidonic Acid and cAMP

Ion channels are modulated by a variety of neurotransmitters and hormones acting through a number of second messenger pathways (see Kaczmarek and Levitan, 1987 for review). Modulation of ion channel activity leads to many changes in neuronal function, including alterations in resting potential, input resistance, action potential duration, threshold, spike accomodation and neurotransmitter release. We have been studying the role that channel modulation plays in controlling the activity of mechanoreceptor sensory neurons in the marine snail Aplysia californica. Our results show that the sensory neurons are subject to antagonistic modulatory actions by the transmitter 5-HT and the neuropeptide FMRFamide.
A systematic review on incidental findings in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans.

Objectives:Cone beam CT’s use (CBCT) in dentistry is increasing. Incidental findings (IFs: discoveries unrelated to the original purpose of the scan), are frequently found as a result of a large fi...
CXCR1 or CXCR2 knock-down inhibits cellular proliferation, survival, motility and tumor growth in human malignant melanoma

5099 Melanoma is notorious for affecting young and middle-aged people, unlike most other solid tumors, which mainly affect older adults. Therapy for early disease is primarily surgery, with a minor benefit noted with adjuvant therapy; however, there is no effective treatment for advanced disease because of lack of effective treatment modalities. CXCL-8, a member of the CXC chemokine family, is constitutively expressed in malignant melanoma and functions as an autocrine/paracrine growth, invasive and angiogenic factor. Our recent data demonstrate that modulation of CXCR1 or CXCR2 expression in melanoma cells regulates CXCL-8-dependent growth, angiogenesis and motility. The precise functional significance of these receptors in malignant melanoma growth and angiogenesis is hitherto unclear. Thus, theobjective of this study is to determine the functional roles of CXCR1 and CXCR2 in CXCL-8-dependent melanoma growth and angiogenesis. We knocked-down CXCR1 or CXCR2 expression by using mammalian expression vectors (pSuper.neo) constitutively expressing short hairpin (sh)RNA for CXCR1 or CXCR2. A375SM malignant melanoma cells were transfected with pCXCR1-sh1 or pCXCR2-sh1 and were stably selected and analyzed for CXCR1 and CXCR2 expression. We observed a significant decrease in CXCR1 and CXCR2 expression in A375SM-CXCR1sh1 and A375SM-CXCR2sh1 knock-down cells respectively, compared to control cells. We examined whether knock-down of CXCR1 or CXCR2 modulates cellular phenotypes associated with melanoma growth, angiogenesis and metastasis. We observed decreases in CXCL-8 induced cell proliferation, survival, chemotaxis, invasion and actin reorganization in melanoma cells knocked-down for CXCR1 or CXCR2 as compared to control cells. Furthermore, when A375SM-CXCR1sh1, A375SM-CXCR2sh1 and A375SM-control cells were injected subcutaneously into nude mice, tumor growth was significantly inhibited in both A375SM-CXCR1sh1, A375SM-CXCR2sh1 tumors compared to control tumors. In addition, we observed a significant decrease in cell proliferation, survival and neovascularization in CXCR1 or CXCR2 knock-down tumors as compared to control tumors. In conclusion, our study provides experimental evidence that supports the functional significance of CXCR1 and CXCR2 in the regulation of human malignant melanoma and in addition, suggests the development of strategies that target both receptors.
The Real Effects of Secondary Markets on Innovation

In theory, financial markets promote innovation by selectively allocating capital to high-quality projects. In this paper, I show that secondary markets can inhibit innovation by permanently delaying option exercise and reducing a firm's ability to allocate capital efficiently. I find that short-term equity market declines cause pharmaceutical companies to abandon early-stage drug developments irrespective of drug quality or changes in a firm's stock price. I show that discount rate changes and financing constraints drive this behavior. My results demonstrate that even short-term market fluctuations can have long-term effects on pharmaceutical innovation and prevent potentially life-saving drugs from progressing to the market.
Decentralized Multi-Agent Navigation Planning with Braids

We present a novel planning framework for navigation in dynamic, multi-agent environments with no explicit communication among agents, such as pedestrian scenes. Inspired by the collaborative nature of human navigation, our approach treats the problem as a coordination game, in which players coordinate to avoid each other as they move towards their destinations.We explicitly encode the concept of coordination into the agents’ decision making process through a novel inference mechanism about future joint strategies of avoidance. We represent joint strategies as equivalence classes of topological trajectory patterns using the formalism of braids. This topological representation naturally generalizes to any number of agents and provides the advantage of adaptability to different environments, in contrast to the majority of existing approaches. At every round, the agents simultaneously decide on their next action that contributes collisionfree progress towards their destination but also towards a global joint strategy that appears to be in compliance with all agents’ preferences, as inferred from their past behaviors. This policy leads to a smooth and rapid uncertainty decrease regarding the emerging joint strategy that is promising for real world scenarios. Simulation results highlight the importance of reasoning about joint strategies and demonstrate the efficacy of our approach.
Forces and motion associated with arboricultural climbing

Abstract Arboricultural climbing is inherently hazardous and although previous studies have investigated forces associated with ascents, abrupt stops during descents, and simulated falls, no studies have measured forces for typical climbing actions. Neither have studies measured motion of a tie-in point (TIP) and branch as a climber walked on the branch. We measured forces at the TIP and accelerations at the TIP and on a branch as a climber performed arboricultural climbing actions using two climbing lines and three climbing systems. Neither forces nor accelerations differed between climbing lines or systems, but covariates related to branch and TIP morphology were significant predictors of forces and accelerations in mechanically intuitive ways. As expected, forces measured for typical arboricultural climbing actions were less than those measured for ascents, abrupt stops during descents, and simulated falls. Results provide an important baseline for future work and can inform arboricultural safety standards to reduce the likelihood of injury while climbing.
A simplified computational model of possible hydrodynamic interactions between respiratory and swimming-related water flows in labriform-swimming fishes.

Hydrodynamic interactions in bony fishes between respiratory fluid flows leaving the opercular openings and simultaneous flows generated by movements of downstream pectoral fins are both poorly understood and likely to be complex. Labriform-swimming fishes that swim primarily by moving only their pectoral fins are good subjects for such studies. We performed a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) investigation of a simplified two-dimensional model of these interactions based on previously published experimental observations of both respiratory and pectoral fin movements under both resting and slow steady swimming conditions in two similar labriform swimmers: the bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) and the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). We carried out a parametric study investigating the effects that swimming speed, strength of opercular flow, and phase difference between the pectoral fin motion and the opercular opening and closing have on the thrust and side slip forces generated by the pectoral fins during both the abduction and adduction portions of the fin movement cycle. We analyzed pressure distributions on the fin surface to determine physical differences in flows with and without opercular jets. The modeling indicates that complex flow structures emerge from the coupling between the opercular jets and vortex shedding from pectoral fins. The jets from the opercular openings appear to exert significant influence on the forces generated by the fins; they are potentially significant in the maneuverability of at least some labriform swimmers. The numerical simulations and the analysis establish a framework for study of these interactions in various labriform swimmers in a variety of flow regimes. Similar situations in groups of fishes using other swimming modes should also be investigated.
The Hispanic Paradox among Texas Newborns

Background: Research has shown surprising favorable birth outcomes among (foreign-born) Latinos, despite their disadvantaged socioeconomic profile. The etiology of this “Hispanic Paradox” is thought to be multifactorial but predominantly secondary to protective sociocultural determinants of health. Texas provides a unique opportunity to examine Hispanic birth outcomes as almost 40% of the population is identified as Hispanic, of which 30% is considered foreign-born. This study aims to describe the role of race and ethnicity in the variation of perinatal and neonatal health outcomes amongst Texas newborns by first describing the …
Exploring Internal Medicine Interns' Educational Experiences on Opioid Addiction: A Narrative Analysis.

Increased efforts to educate physicians on addiction are crucial based on widespread addiction rates and the ongoing opioid crisis. Physicians in the United States hesitate to adopt medication-assi...
GPU-Based Sparse Power Flow Studies With Modified Newton’s Method

The Power system is getting larger and more complicated due to development of multiple energy supplies. Solving large-scale power flow equations efficiently plays an essential role in analysis of power system and optimizing their performance during normal or contingencies operation. The traditional Newton-Raphson (NR) algorithm used for power flow calculations is computationally expensive due to updating Jacobian matrix in each iteration. As alternative to update the Jacobian matrix repeatedly, this paper presents a GPU-based sparse modified Newton’s method by the introduction of a fixed Jacobian matrix, which integrates vectorization and parallelization technique to accelerate power flow calculations. Moreover, this research in the paper also investigates the performance of the corresponding CPU versions and a MATLAB-based library package, MATPOWER. The comparison of the results on several power system and power distribution systems demonstrate that the GPU variant is more reliable and faster for power flow calculation in large-scale power systems.
ML-Consensus: a general consensus model for variable-length transcription factor binding sites

Many DNA motif finding algorithms that use Consensus (or any of its variants) in its motif model implicitly impose some restrictive assumptions over transcription factor (TF) binding sites (TFBS). Examples include all binding sites being of equal length, or having exactly one core region with fixed format, etc. In this paper, we have constructed a generalized consensus model (called Mixed-Length-Consensus, or ML-Consensus) without such constraints through multiple sequence alignment of known TFBS. We have extended this model with Information Content (IC) and Pairwise nucleotide correlation Score (PS), and have experimented with using multiple ML-Consensus for a set of binding sites. We have performed leave-one-out cross validation for training and testing of this algorithm over real binding site data of human, mouse, fruit fly, and yeast. We have produced ROC curves (True Positive Rate against False Positive Rate) for these experiments, and have used Wilcoxon Matched-Pair Signed Ranks Test to determine their statistical significance. Our results show that using IC and PS together with ML-Consensus consistently leads to better performance. We have experimented with various scopes for PS, and have found that scope values of 3-5 yield significantly better performance for different configurations. We have also found that using multiple ML-Consensus for one TF significantly improves recognition performance, but single ML-Consensus does better in yeast than in human data. Finally, we have found that using different multiple sequence alignment strategies for ML-Consensus yields varied performance across different species; a naive sorting based multiple sequence alignment outperformed CLUSTAL W2 alignment in yeast data.
Binary and ternary flows for image segmentation

A novel region-based approach to snakes is introduced in this paper for the segmentation of images composed of two or three types of regions where each region may be distinguished by a given statistic. The basic idea behind this technique is to formulate curve evolutions which separate two or more values of a predetermined set of statistics computed over geometrically determined subsets of the image data. Our methodology provides a natural framework for incorporating both global and local image information in the active contour motion while avoiding the use of image derivatives. As such, this technique possesses a robustness to noise which is noncharacteristic of most edge-based snake algorithms.
Υ decays into light scalar dark matter

We examine decays of a spin-1 bottomonium into a pair of light scalar dark matter (DM) particles, assuming that dark matter is produced due to exchange of heavy degrees of freedom. We perform a model-independent analysis and derive formulae for the branching ratios of these decays. We confront our calculation results with the experimental data. We show that the considered branching ratios are within the reach of the present BABAR experimental sensitivity. Thus, dark matter production in $\ensuremath{\Upsilon}$ decays leads to constraints on parameters of various models containing a light spin-0 DM particle. We illustrate this for the models with a ``WIMPless miracle'', in particular, for a gauge-mediated SUSY breaking scenario, with a spin-0 DM particle in the hidden sector. Another example considered is the type II two-Higgs doublet model with a scalar DM particle.
Ethanol Development in Tissues of Spoiling Whole Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)

Whole pink salmon, undergoing 4 days of spoilage in elevated temperature (10C) seawater, were dissected to determine ethanol content and changes in the aerobic and facultatively anaerobic bacteria flora. Intestinal tract, viscera, coagulated blood, reproductive organs, skin and muscle were analyzed daily for ethanol content using headspace gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The intestinal tract contained 32 ppm ethanol initially, increased eightfold on day 1 and reached 314 ppm on day 3. Most other tissues had ethanol concentrations of <100 ppm. Log aerobic plate counts (APC) were determined only for pink salmon skin and belly cavities, and the flora identified. The APC, which include the enumeration of facultatively anaerobic bacteria, were poorly correlated with ethanol production in pink salmon because the APC were low (∼2 log) for the belly cavity where ethanol concentrations were high. Although the APC were higher (∼5 log) in skin, ethanol concentrations were 3–10 times lower for skin than for the intestinal tract. We suggest aerobic and facultatively anaerobic bacteria may not be the primary source of ethanol in spoiling pink salmon. Practical Applications Ethanol is recommended as an indicator of preprocessed fish spoilage before canning. In a previous pink salmon spoilage study, which monitored ethanol incidence in the canned product, we demonstrated that ethanol levels were low when whole pink salmon spoiled on ice (1C) in contrast to higher levels for fish stored in temperature-abused (14C) seawater. The present study established that during whole pink salmon spoilage, the ethanol concentration of different tissues varies widely, and the intestinal tract had significantly higher (P < 0.05) ethanol levels than all other tissues studied. Our findings indicate the need to determine the mechanism of formation of ethanol in fish tissues during bacterial spoilage.
Spinal Schistosomiasis: Differential Diagnosis for Acute Paraparesis in a US Resident

Background: Spinal schistosomiasis is a severe presentation of Schistosoma mansoni infection, which is endemic in South America, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa. With increasing internation...
When wheezing may not mean asthma: Other common and uncommon causes to consider

Establishing that wheezing is not due to asthma requires attention to the patient's history, physical examination results, and response to therapy. If the diagnosis of asthma is questionable, appropriate pulmonary function tests should be performed to firmly establish or refute that the wheezing is due to asthma. If asthma is not the cause, other entities need to be considered so that inappropriate therapy is not prescribed.
Political Donations from Horse Racing and Gambling Interests in New York State in 2008

The paper reviews the political donations in 2008 in New York State from horse racing and gambling interests.
Is the chain of command working for you

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the importance of having a chain of command strategy, in particular with staff repurposing activities. Design/methodology/approach – This paper refers to field literature to support this concept. Findings – The literature and readings cited demonstrate need and consideration. Originality/value – The paper highlights considerations needed for present decision making that will have future impact.
THE TESTICULAR AND EPIDIDYMAL LUMINAL AMINO ACID MICROENVIRONMENT IN THE RAT

Concentrations of amino acids were measured in arterial and testicular venous blood, and in fluids from the seminiferous tubule, rete testis, and the caput, corpus, and cauda epididymidis. There were no significant differences in the concentrations of any amino acids between arterial and testicular venous blood, whereas there were significant differences between arterial/venous blood and testicular interstitial fluid. The predominant amino acids measured within seminiferous tubule fluid (STF) and rete testis fluid (RTF) were glycine, alanine, glutamate, and glutamine. RTF contained approximately equal concentrations of basic and total amino acids, but 17 times higher acidic amino acids and 1.2 and 1.3 times lower uncharged polar and nonpolar amino acids, respectively, compared to STF. The concentration of total amino acids within caput fluid reached over 50 mmol/L, but then declined to approximately 50% and 0.1% of caput for corpus and cauda, respectively. The predominant amino acids measured within epididymal luminal fluids were glutamate and taurine; glutamate contributed to ∼90% of the total amino acids measured in caput fluid. The presence of glutamate and taurine within the epididymal lumen is due primarily to a direct contribution from the epididymal epithelium, as measured using the split-drop stopped-flow microperfusion technique. Several other amino acids within the lumen also originate from the epididymal epithelium. Amino acids contribute approximately 20%, 9%, and 2% of the total osmolality of caput, corpus, and cauda fluid, respectively. Even when all ions and organic solutes are measured and compared to the total osmolality of luminal fluid within each epididymal region, there is still a difference of approximately 10, 70, and 35 mOsm/kg water for caput, corpus, and cauda, respectively.
Immunogenicity of Ribonucleic Acid Preparations Obtained from Salmonella typhimurium

Abstract Mice immunized with purified whole-cell ribonucleic acid (RNA), RNA from the bacterial “particulate” fraction, and ribosome-associated RNA obtained from Salmonella typhimurium were found to be resistant to subsequent challenge infection with virulent salmonellae. Chemically, the immunogenic nucleic acid fractions contained from 1 to 3% “contaminant” material defined (based on the mean of 19 different preparations) as protein (0.24%), deoxyribonucleic acid (0.43%), methyl pentose (0.64%), hexose (1.58%), and undefined carbohydrate (0.76%). Heptoses and lipoidal material were not detectable in any of the immunogenic preparations examined. Physically, the nucleic acid preparations, after analytical ultracentrifugation, exhibited three boundaries similar to those reported elsewhere in comparable systems: 4 to 5S, 16S, and 23S. An evaluation of the immunity induced by the ribosome-associated RNA established that the immune response was (i) comparable to that induced 15 days postimmunization with live salmonellae and by ribosomal vaccines, but greater at 30 days postimmunization than that in mice immunized with attenuated salmonellae; (ii) dependent on the quantity of immunogen administered; (iii) dependent on the size of the infective inocula; (iv) inhibited at 15 but not at 30 days postimmunization when the immunogenic nucleic acid preparations were incorporated into Freund's incomplete adjuvant, (v) reduced or lost by dialysis in relatively high or low immunizing doses, respectively; and (vi) unaffected by enzymatic treatment of the preparations with trypsin, deoxyribonuclease, Pronase plus pancreatic ribonuclease, or pancreatic ribonuclease alone. The possible mode of action of ribosome-associated RNA in inducing an immune response to subsequent challenge infection with the homologous organism is discussed.
Disconnected Landscapes: Ancient Sites, Travel Guides, and Local Identity in Modem Greece

A small upland basin administratively designated the Ancient Nemea Valley lies in the northeastern corner of the Peloponnesos of Greece, midway between the Corinth-Argos highway, and the rising mountains of the interior Corinthia. In an intricate tale of movable names, this area has also been called simply the Nemea Valley or even the Koutsoumadhi Valley, depending on who was speaking and in what context. Depictions of the region have been similarly variable, and different viewers have constructed very different landscapes from the valley's visual evidence. This essay pursues such landscape dissonance as expressed in representations of the valley as a whole and the ancient site which stands within it. I begin with two portrayals which are at odds with each other and then reflect on what their contrast says about the relationship between foreign travelers and local residents, national imagery and daily land use.
Response to Comment on Smith et al. Protein Ingestion Induces Muscle Insulin Resistance Independent of Leucine-Mediated mTOR Activation. Diabetes 2015;64:1555–1563

We appreciate Dr. Dioguardi’s critical assessment (1) of our recently published article (2). We are a bit perplexed that he considered the outcome from our study predictable. Prompted by the results from intravenous amino acid infusion studies in people that demonstrated that amino acids blunt insulin-mediated glucose disposal (3,4) and studies conducted in cultured myotubes and isolated rat skeletal muscles …
Dr. Pardue responds

My original paper (1) focused largely on quantitative features of the IUPAC (slope) interpretation of sensitivity (2) in response to a challenge (3) related to the utility and advantages of that interpretation. The rejoinder (4) does not refute the quantitative utility of the slope interpretation (1)(2) but asks “not only when but why the ’slope’ interpretation emerged”. This paper addresses these questions with more emphasis on the more general response/stimulus interpretation (1) of which the slope interpretation (2) is a special case. To understand my intent, readers should consider the terms “dictionary definition(s)” and “formal definition(s)” interchangeable in any and all references to my use of these terms (1). ### formal definitions (5)(6) Quantitative parts of the formal definitions of sensitivity (Table 1⇓ , items 1b and 2a are themselves embodiments of the response/stimulus interpretation of sensitivity. View this table: Table 1. Selected definitions and a quote related to the words, sensitive and sensitivity. Regarding a suggestion (3) that the quantitative (“ancillary”) part of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) definition is “of more recent origin”, Mr. Alan Hughes, Chief Science Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary , informed me (A.M. Hughes, personal communication) that both parts of the OED definition (Table 1⇑ , items 1a and 1b) were written at the same time. It is also his opinion, as the senior scientist on the Supplement in which they first appeared, that the two parts of the definition are consistent with one another and that “the ’ratio’ is a way of expressing the ’degree to which’ in a quantitative way”, see also Table 1⇑ , item 2b. He mentioned a 1944 citation (“Sensitivity is merely the ratio of effect/cause… ”) as an example of a quantitative expression of sensitivity (see also Table 1⇑ , item 2b). These dictionary definitions are themselves unequivocal statements …
The InfoPad user interface

We have shown a prototype user interface for the InfoPad, a portable terminal with multi-modal input and multimedia output. The InfoPad's main features are: portability, continuous network connectivity using a high-bandwidth radio link, pen input with handwriting recognition, audio input with speech recognition, full-motion video playback with synchronized audio, text/graphics display. The InfoPad's unique input and output characteristics offer challenges and opportunities for user interface design. We have implemented an API for network access to audio, pen, graphics, and video data; we have also implemented speech and handwriting recognizers along with programming interfaces and toolkits. We are prototyping applications and user interfaces to explore how handwriting and voice recognition may best be used together. We believe that the lessons we will learn can be applied to other multi-modal platforms.
More about obesity and diabetes.

Agrement avec Wilkin pour suggerer que les differences interlaboratoires pour les associations des anticorps anti-insuline et des anticorps anti-ilots pancreas peuvent etre attribuables aux limites de detection des dosages
Validation and application of noninvasive glucocorticoid and thyroid hormone measures in free-ranging Hawaiian monk seals.

We validate fecal glucocorticoid (GC) and thyroid (T3) hormone metabolite measures in the Critically Endangered Hawaiian monk seal for the first time, and examine variation in the concentrations of these hormones in individuals across the species’ range. We test hypotheses that monk seals from declining subpopulations have relatively high GCs and low T3 on average suggesting impacts of food limitation, and that this hormone pattern is more apparent in immature animals compared to adults, as food limitation is specifically indicated as a principal cause of poor body condition and survival of juvenile monk seals. We opportunistically sampled scat from 84 individually identifiable monk seals during the 2010 breeding season from two geographic regions, the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). The MHI subpopulation of monk seals is growing, whereas subpopulations at many sites in the NWHI are in decline. Best fit general linear models predicting variation in GCs and T3 (examined separately) were similar (after accounting for significantly elevated hormone concentrations associated with molt and possibly lactation); both included sample date, region, and monk seal age as predictors. GC concentrations were significantly lower in MHI versus NWHI monk seals and decreased as the breeding season progressed. T3 concentrations were significantly lower in immature monk seals compared to adults. GC and T3 concentrations were positively correlated at 4 NWHI sites; prey may be adequate for physiological growth or maintenance at these sites but relatively stressful to acquire. GCs were highest at French Frigate Shoals, (a NWHI site) while T3 was relatively low here, indicating a possible signal of food limitation. GCs were lowest in the MHI. Disturbance associated with living near a high human population in the MHI appears to impact monk seal physiology less than other stressors encountered in the remote and highly protected NWHI where human presence is extremely low.
Analytical capabilities of chemiresistive microsensor arrays in a simulated Martian atmosphere

Abstract The capabilities of a chemiresistive microsensor array for detecting and identifying trace target analytes were examined under a simulated Martian atmosphere. The simulated environment included low oxygen content (0.15%) balanced by carbon dioxide, low pressure (7.5 hPa) and temperature (199.1 K), and trace levels of up to three target molecules presented simultaneously. The target molecules were selected from four possible analytes (methane, hydrogen, ethane and sulfur dioxide), presented to the sensor array at multiple concentrations of 200 nmol/mol or less. Signals from four elements of a 16-element microsensor array were employed in the data analyses described. Each element used a different sensing film and was operated with a dynamic temperature program tuned to the background environment. The rich data streams collected from the microsensor array as it was exposed to the complex mixtures and carbon dioxide-based background were analyzed using two approaches: Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA). Analysis of the data by LDA was used for initial assessment of the data streams, and indicated that the data from the microsensor array provided sufficient information to identify, and potentially quantify, each of the target analytes. Further analysis showed that it was possible to separate the methane from the other analytes, as demonstrated after analyzing the data by PLS-DA. Furthermore, the models developed using PLS-DA on one day were able to discriminate the analytes on other days. The success rate was qualitatively dependent on the length of time between the day on which the model was trained and the day on which the validation data were acquired. The work demonstrates the potential of this microsensor array approach to be further developed as a low mass, low-power-consumption screening tool for space exploration.
Simulation of Single-Molecule Photocount Statistics in Microdroplets

We present results of detailed calculations of photocount statistics for single molecules in microdroplets. A Monte Carlo approach is used to simulate effects of molecular occupancy, photobleaching, and fluorophor spatial diffusion within the droplet. The excitation rate and fraction of fluorescence collected are both position-dependent, and are computed using classical and semiclassical formalisms. Differences in the single-molecule photocount distributions (and consequently molecular detection efficiencies) are predicted for cases where the RMS diffusion length is either small or large compared to the droplet diameter on the measurement time scale. These calculations provide semiquantitative estimates of molecular detection efficiencies and illustrate some of the unique optical features of a microdroplet approach to single molecule detection.
Modelling of brain systems: Information transfer in the cortex

Following a review of the cellular organization of the cortex, it is shown that individual neurons may be excited selectively by transmission of potentials from the extracellular fluid, as well as at synapses. Conditions on frequency and geometrical configuration are indicated, and the effect of extracellular transmission on an elementary neural cicuit is described.
Emotional Intelligence: An Untapped Resource for Alcohol and Other Drug Related Prevention among Adolescents and Adults

Alcohol and Other Drug abuse in adolescents and adults continues to be a major public health problem in the United States. Care in intervention programs aimed at high risk populations identified occurs after the maladaptive behavioral delinquency has occurred, and only then is an individual afforded the opportunity to join an intervention program. The focus of this paper is to illustrate and highlight the value of prevention programs which emphasize altering maladaptive behavior before the behavior becomes problematic. Emotional Intelligence is not only an indicator of alcohol and other drug abuse, but is linked to emotional competence, social and emotional learning, the development of healthy and life promoting behavior, and has been proven to reduce some of the risk factors associated with alcohol and other drug abuse in adolescents and adults. This paper seeks to recognize the significance of Emotional Intelligence as a desirable health promoting attribute and to establish the importance of its conceptual use in a prevention based model for reducing associated high risk behaviors.
Obesity management interventions: a review of the evidence.

Abstract The burden of disease associated with the obesity epidemic shortens lives, and prevalence is accelerating. As with other chronic diseases, improved outcomes are associated with effective self-management of obesity across the life span. The disease of obesity, then, fits squarely within the disease management and chronic care models. This article reviews selected interventions, described in peer-reviewed literature, designed to achieve significant weight loss for individuals identified as overweight or obese. The study objective is to provide an overview of the full range of methods and models for weight loss, including some available without medical supervision. The intended audience includes individuals and organizations with an expressed interest in disease management and the chronic care models. Our review identified promising lines of investigation for future research that span diverse medical disciplines applied to obesity. The quality of the studies included in our review was uneven, and co...
The Main and Interactive Effect of Oral Reading Rate on the Frequency of Stuttering

Twenty-four adults participated in a 2 (group) by 3 (rate) factorial study designed to determine the main and interactive effects of speech rate during reading on the frequency of stuttering. In th...