cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of a required online graded curriculum in the clerkship years on medical student national standardized examination performance.

CONTEXT Many medical schools have a distributed model for clinical clerkship education, challenging our ability to determine student gaps during clinical education. With the graduating class of 2017, A.T. Still University's School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) began requiring additional online curricula for all clerkship courses. OBJECTIVES To determine whether third year and fourth year students receiving ATSU-SOMA's online curricula during core clerkships performed better overall on national standardized examinations than students from previous years who had not received the curricula, and whether scores from online coursework correlated with outcomes on standardized examinations as possible early predictors of success. METHODS This retrospective cohort study analyzed existing data (demographics and assessments) from ATSU-SOMA classes of 2017-2020 (curriculum group) and 2014-2016 (precurriculum group). The effect of the curriculum on national standardized examinations (Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Achievement Test [COMAT] and Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States [COMLEX-USA]) was estimated using augmented inverse probability weighting (AIPW). Correlations between assignment scores and national standardized examinations were estimated using linear regression models. RESULTS The curriculum group had 405 students with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 25.7 (±3.1) years. Two hundred and fifteen (53.1%) students in the curriculum group were female and 190 (46.9%) were male. The precurriculum group had 308 students (mean ± SD age, 26.4 ± 4.2 years; 157 [51.0%] male; 151 [49.0%] female). The online curriculum group had higher COMAT clinical subject exam scores in obstetrics and gynecology, osteopathic principles and practice (OPP), psychiatry, and surgery (all p≤0.04), as well as higher COMLEX-USA Level 2-Cognitive Evaluation (CE) family medicine and OPP subscores (both p≤0.03). The curriculum group had a 9.4 point increase in mean total COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE score (p=0.08). No effect was found for the curriculum overall on COMAT mean or COMLEX-USA Level 2-Performance Evaluation scores (all p≥0.11). Total coursework scores in each core clerkship, excluding pediatrics, were correlated with COMAT mean score (all adjusted p≤0.03). Mean scores for five of the seven assignment types in core clerkships, excluding evidence based medicine types, were positively correlated with COMAT mean scores (all adjusted p≤0.049). All assignment types correlated with COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE total score (all adjusted p≤0.04), except interprofessional education (IPE). CONCLUSIONS Results from this study of 713 students from ATSU-SOMA suggested that our online curriculum supplemented clinic based learning during clerkship courses and improved student outcomes on national standardized examinations.
Simulated SAR imagery generation of marine vehicles and associated wakes using electromagnetic modeling and simulation techniques

Aerial automatic detection, tracking, and classification of small, fast moving marine objects in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data is a real challenge. Particularly, for many marine security applications, it is imperative to have automatic capability for identification of anomalous patterns of behaviors of target marine vehicles from their ocean wakes. By applying analytics on patterns of cruising of adversarial marine targets certain anomalous behavioral patterns can be identified and perilous situations can be mitigated. For learning such complex ocean wake patterns, deep learning classifiers can be trained. However, they need rich training datasets that are rarely publicly available. To overcome this shortcoming, there is a need for a large-scale multi-look (i.e., different perspective views) dataset of multi-vehicle TOI’s from different stand-off ranges, and diverse operating and environmental contexts including atmospheric conditions. In this study, we used IRIS electromagnetic modeling and simulation (IRIS-EM) virtual environment system to systematically generate a large-scale synthetic SAR imagery dataset of the test marine scenarios. A typical marine scenario includes physics-based CAD models of test marine vehicle(s) and their associated wake(s) as well as the ocean layer. In this paper, we present our systematic approach for generating synthetic SAR Imagery of marine test scenarios and detail our methodology for annotating the generated imagery methodically. To evaluate and verify the effectiveness of this approach, we bench-marked our generated simulated marine SAR imagery with similar context images taken by the physical SAR imaging systems.
Finding the Exact Diameter of a Graph with Partial Breadth-First Searches

The diameter of a graph is the longest shortest path between two nodes. This paper presents an improved algorithm for finding the exact diameter of an undirected graph. Rather than performing complete breadth-first searches, these searches can be terminated early. The algorithm is readily parallelized, and is used to find the diameters of 4-peg Tower of Hanoi problem-space graphs with up to 18 discs. Performance improvements range from a factor of almost 2 to 5.88 over the previous state of the art.
State Casket Sales Restrictions: A Pointless Undertaking?

Abstract We utilize a new micro data set of prices of funeral goods and services at individual funeral homes, plus data from the Economic Census, to examine the effects of state regulations that restrict entry into the funeral goods market. In particular, some states have regulations that allow only licensed funeral homes to sell caskets, while others allow unlicensed retailers, such as Costco, to sell them. However, as caskets and funeral services are complements, generally purchased in one‐to‐one proportions, it is not a priori clear that casket sales restrictions can expand the rent extraction capabilities of licensed funeral homes. Our results suggest that when courts lift funeral goods sales restrictions, the prices of funeral goods fall but the prices of funeral services rise by nearly as much. Overall, our results support the one‐monopoly‐rent hypothesis; we do not find that, overall, funeral home revenues decline when restrictions on funeral goods sales are lifted.
Motion Vector Prediction in Interactive 3D Rendered Video Stream

In this research we describe a scheme for distributed 3D interactive rendering system, which allows high performance rendering at a remote location and the interactive visualization of the resulting rendered images at a general purpose workstation terminal connected through highspeed network. The key to this approach is a video compression scheme of this system which has been designed for the transmission of interactive 3D rendered video stream (i3D-RVS). Most video compression techniques heavily rely on the prediction of block motion. This paper particularly presents a fast numerical technique for motion vector prediction for such block coding compression of rendered animation video. This scheme takes advantage of the model movement information for block motion prediction. Unlike regular video, such information can be extracted in 3D visualization both for the case of animated models and for the interactive model navigation.
Interactions between white tea and sulindac in the prevention of intestinal cancer

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 4895 Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) show considerable promise for prevention of intestinal cancer in humans. However, these drugs can produce severe toxicity, limiting their value as chemopreventive agents. One possible strategy to minimize side-effects of NSAIDs is to use lower doses in combination with other agents having complementary mechanisms. Teas are essentially non-toxic and are protective in many animal models of cancer. We previously demonstrated that a combination of white tea plus the conventional NSAID sulindac is highly effective at inhibiting tumor multiplicity in C57BL/6J-APCMin/+ (Min) mice. The current study was designed to determine if the interaction between tea and sulindac is independent (additive) or positive (synergistic). Each inhibitor was tested at multiple concentrations alone and in combination with the other agent. Tea was administered in the drinking water at concentrations producing 10 and 40 percent inhibition of tumor multiplicity (IC10 and IC40). Sulindac was given in the diet at the IC25, IC50, and IC75. The combination of white tea plus sulindac provided significantly greater inhibition of tumor multiplicity than sulindac alone for each of the combinations. For example, the combination of 40 ppm sulindac (IC25) plus 1.5% white tea (IC40) was comparable in effectiveness to 160 ppm sulindac. Using a model for examining independent interactions of chemopreventive agents, white tea and sulindac interact in a positive manner towards small intestinal tumor multiplicity with greatest interaction at the lower concentrations (Fig. 1). This research provides additional evidence that the combination of white tea plus sulindac is highly effective at inhibiting intestinal neoplasia in male Min mice. Administering these agents in combination may allow for lower, less toxic doses of sulindac to be as effective as higher doses (NIH-CA100608 and CA97485).
Chapter 8.1 Venus: A Thin-Lithosphere Analog for Early Earth?

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the role of Venus as a thin-lithosphere analog for the early Earth. Plate tectonics requires a specific global-scale rheology. The Hadean to Eoarchaean Earth likely lacked this rheology locally, regionally, or perhaps even globally. Venus and the Earth share many similarities, yet they also have profound differences. Venus, 0.72 AU from the Sun, is 95% Earth's size and 81.5% Earth's mass. Solar distance, similar mean density, and cosmo-chemical models for the solar system evolution lead to the inference that Venus and the Earth share similar bulk composition and heat producing elements. Magellan data permit first-order characterization of Venus' surface, which is divisible into the lowlands, mesolands, and highlands, based on altimetry. The low lands, which lie at or below the mean planetary radius, include relatively smooth low-strain surfaces called plains, or planitiae, and linear deformation belts. The mesolands lie at intermediate elevations and host many coronae, quasi-circular tectonomagmatic features, and chasmata—regional scale linear troughs decorated with tectonic lineaments. It is found that the Atalanta–Vinmara and Lavinia regions share the first-order characteristics and histories, although the shapes of their low-strain regions differ.
Robust Covert Communication over a Public Audio Channel Using Spread Spectrum

We present a set of watermarking techniques for effective covert communication over an audio signal carrier. Watermark robustness is enabled using: (i) redundant spread-spectrum for prevention against desynchronization attacks and (ii) psycho-acoustic frequency masking (PAFM). We show that PAFM impacts the balance of "ones" and "zeros" in the part of the spread-spectrum sequence used for watermark detection and propose a modified covariance test to compensate for that anomaly. The covert message is combined with the spread-spectrum sequence and additionally permuted in time to improve correlation convergence as well as the security of individual message bits. We have incorporated these techniques into a system capable of reliably detecting watermarks in audio that has been modified using a composition of attacks that degrade the original audio characteristics well beyond the limit of acceptable quality. Such attacks include: fluctuating scaling in time and frequency, editing, recompression, noise addition, resampling, normalization, and filtering.
HYDROCORTISONE AND/OR DESICCATED THYROID IN PHYSIOLOGIC DOSAGE. XVII. MAJOR AND MINOR THYROIDAL INDICES DURING THERAPY WITH LARGE DOSAGES OF DESICCATED THYROID.

Abstract Excesses of thyroid hormones induced in healthy adults by the administration of desiccated thyroid in dosages increased from 3 to 25 grains or higher in the course of 3 months or longer shortened the S-D and V-P interval in kinemometer tracings and in the contraction and contraction and relaxation phases in the photomotograph records of the Achilles reflex, raised the serum PBI and triiodothyronine binding to blood cells, lowered the serum total and alpha and beta lipoprotein cholesterol but not the triglycerides, increased the serum inorganic phosphorus, and lowered the serum albumin. There is no evidence that during such induced excesses of thyroid hormones the V-P interval of the kinemometer tracing is more sensitive than the S-D interval as an indicator of Achilles reflex changes. Also, comparable changes were recorded in the contraction and the contraction plus one-half the relaxation times of the Achilles reflex as calculated from photomotograph records. As in previous studies, these dosages of desiccated thyroid were well tolerated by the subjects. Occasional nervousness, increased sweating, and decreased endurance were reported. Tachycardia and slight elevations of the systolic and decreases in the diastolic blood pressure appeared in all. Electrocardiographic changes were minimal. Body weight decreased by an average of 26.0 pounds during the 22 weeks of treatment.
Critical Evaluation of 40Ar/39Ar Ages for the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province: Timing, Duration and Possible Migration of Magmatic Centers

Recent reports suggest the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP), initially covering sections of North America, Africa and South America, was formed within a relatively short period of time around 200 Ma. All relevant 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages are corrected for interlaboratory differences, mini or marginal plateau values are rejected as accurate estimates of crystallization age, and results scrutinized for the presence of excess argon and/or alteration effects. Twenty-one accurate ages span ∼230 to 175 Ma, with a marked concentration at ∼200 Ma. Magmatism in North America and contiguous parts of Africa in Pangaea (N = 7) average 199.7 Ma; in South America, seven samples yield an average age of 198.3 Ma. The age difference appears to be statistically significant, and in the southern areas, a second phase of magmatism (N = 3) centers around 192 Ma. From a temporal viewpoint, a genetic link between CAMP and the Triassic-Jurassic boundary extinction event appears likely.
Non-Coherent Capacity and Reliability of Sparse Multipath Channels in the Wideband Regime

In contrast to the prevalent assumption of rich multipath in information theoretic analysis of wireless channels, physical channels exhibit sparse multipath, especially at large bandwidths. We propose a model for sparse multipath fading channels and present results on the impact of sparsity on non-coherent capacity and reliability in the wideband regime. A key implication of sparsity is that the statistically independent degrees of freedom in the channel, that represent the delay-Doppler diversity afforded by multipath, scale at a sub-linear rate with the signal space dimension (time-bandwidth product). Our analysis is based on a training-based communication scheme that uses short-time Fourier (STF) signaling waveforms. Sparsity in delay-Doppler manifests itself as time-frequency coherence in the STF domain. From a capacity perspective, sparse channels are asymptotically coherent: the gap between coherent and non-coherent extremes vanishes in the limit of large signal space dimension without the need for peaky signaling. From a reliability viewpoint, there is a fundamental tradeoff between channel diversity and learnability that can be optimized to maximize the error exponent at any rate by appropriately choosing the signaling duration as a function of bandwidth.
Large eddy simulation of Rayleigh-Taylor instability using the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method

This research addresses the application of a large eddy simulation (LES) to Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) simulations of Rayleigh-Taylor instability. First, ALE simulations of simplified Rayleigh-Taylor instability are studied. The advantages of ALE over Eulerian simulations are shown. Next, the behavior of the LES is examined in a more complicated ALE simulation of Rayleigh-Taylor instability. The effects of eddy viscosity and stochastic backscatter are examined. The LES is also coupled with ALE to increase grid resolution in areas where it is needed. Finally, the methods studied above are applied to two sets of experimental simulations. In these simulations, ALE allows the mesh to follow expanding experimental targets, while LES can be used to mimic the effect of unresolved instability modes.
Effectiveness of Two Water Conservation Policies: An Integrated Modeling Approach

Agriculture in the Texas High Plains depends entirely on the Ogallala Aquifer. Texas enacted water conservation legislation to address declining reserves in the aquifer. We developed an integrated regional water policy model that links a hydrology model with an economic optimization model to estimate policy impacts with respect to economic cost and water conservation. Testing the effectiveness of two policies, a groundwater extraction tax and extraction quotas, we observe that neither significantly inhibits groundwater use. Although both policies conserve similar amounts of groundwater, the regional cost of the tax policy to agriculture is more than the quota policy.
Lower serum sodium is associated with increased short-term mortality in hospitalized patients with worsening heart failure: results from the Outcomes of a Prospective Trial of Intravenous Milrinone for Exacerbations of Chronic Heart Failure (OPTIME-CHF) study.

Background— The prognostic value of serum sodium in patients hospitalized for worsening heart failure has not been well defined. Methods and Results— The Outcomes of a Prospective Trial of Intravenous Milrinone for Exacerbations of Chronic Heart Failure (OPTIME-CHF) study randomized 949 patients with systolic dysfunction hospitalized for worsening heart failure to receive 48 to 72 hours of intravenous milrinone or placebo in addition to standard therapy. In a retrospective analysis, we investigated the relationship between admission serum sodium and the primary end point of days hospitalized for cardiovascular causes within 60 days of randomization, as well as the secondary end points of in-hospital mortality, 60-day mortality, and 60-day mortality/rehospitalization. The number of days hospitalized for cardiovascular causes was higher in the lowest sodium quartile: 8.0 (4.5, 18.5) versus 6 (4, 13) versus 6 (4, 11.5) versus 6 (4, 12) days (P<0.015 for comparison with the lowest quartile). Lower serum sodiu...
Simultaneous laser-diode emission and detection for fiber-optic sensor applications

The simultaneous emission and detection of radiation with a semiconductor laser is investigated. Measured signal-to-noise ratios of up to 56 dB demonstrate that self-detecting devices are adequate for sensor applications with discrete measurands. We observed a strong polarization dependence, which can cause response fluctuations, and suggest methods to minimize these fluctuations. This technique could be used for lower-cost sensors without splitters and detectors.
A Method for Capping Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Tubes

We wish to draw attention to a convenient method of capping nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tubes in vacuo. The method most often used involves sealing the NMR tube to a standard taper joint, attaching the joint to the evacuated system, condensing the sample into the NMR tube, cooling the tube, and sealing and removing the tube by means of a glass-blowing torch. When the tube is not sealed uniformly, the sample wobbles while being spun, which reduces resolution. In many cases, the NMR tube cannot be used again after sealing, because it is shortened.
Sleep duration and all-cause mortality: a critical review of measurement and associations

Abstract Purpose Variation in sleep duration has been linked with mortality risk. The purpose of this review is to provide an updated evaluation of the literature on sleep duration and mortality, including a critical examination of sleep duration measurement and an examination of correlates of self-reported sleep duration. Methods We conducted a systematic search of studies reporting associations between sleep duration and all-cause mortality and extracted the sleep duration measure and the measure(s) of association. Results We identified 42 prospective studies of sleep duration and mortality drawing on 35 distinct study populations worldwide. Unlike previous reviews, we find that the published literature does not support a consistent finding of an association between self-reported sleep duration and mortality. Most studies have employed survey measures of sleep duration, which are not highly correlated with estimates based on physiologic measures. Conclusions Despite a large body of literature, it is premature to conclude, as previous reviews have, that a robust, U-shaped association between sleep duration and mortality risk exists across populations. Careful attention must be paid to measurement, response bias, confounding, and reverse causation in the interpretation of associations between sleep duration and mortality.
Film-Cooling Effectiveness on Squealer Rim Walls and Squealer Cavity Floor of a Gas Turbine Blade Tip Using Pressure Sensitive Paint

Effects of shaped holes on the tip pressure side, coolant jet impingement on the pressure side squealer rim from tip holes and varying blowing ratios for a squealer blade tip were examined on film-cooling effectiveness. The film-cooling effectiveness distributions were measured on the blade tip, near tip pressure side and the inner pressure side rim wall using Pressure Sensitive Paint technique. Air and nitrogen gas were used as the film cooling gases and the oxygen concentration distribution for each case was measured. The film cooling effectiveness information was obtained from the difference of the oxygen concentration between air and nitrogen gas cases by applying the mass transfer analogy. The internal coolant-supply passages of the squealer tipped blade were modeled similar to those in the GE-E3 rotor blade with two separate serpentine loops supplying coolant to the film cooling holes. A row of compound angled cylindrical film cooling holes was arranged along the camber line on the tip and another row of compound angled shaped film cooling holes was arranged along the span of the pressure side just below the tip. The average blowing ratio of the cooling gas was controlled to be 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0. Tests were conducted in a five-bladed linear cascade in a blow down facility with a tip gap clearance of 1.5%. The free stream Reynolds number, based on the axial chord length and the exit velocity, was 1,138,000 and the inlet and the exit Mach number were 0.25 and 0.6, respectively. Turbulence intensity level at the cascade inlet was 9.7%. Numerical predictions were also performed using Fluent to simulate the experiment at the same inlet flow conditions. Predictions for film cooling are presented. Results show a good correlation between experimental and predicted data. The shape and location of the film cooling holes along with varying blowing ratios can have significant effects on film-cooling performance.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Attosecond resolution timing jitter characterization of diode pumped femtosecond Cr:LiSAF lasers

Two diode pumped Cr:LiSAF lasers are synchronized using a balanced nonlinear optical cross correlator. An integrated timing jitter of less than 156 as in the 10 kHz to 10 MHz range is measured.
The Princeton Congress of Germanic Studies

tura Tecchi, the Internationale Vereinigung fiir germanische Sprach-und Literaturwissenschaft or I. V. G. as it is commonly called, is the one and only professional association in the world that includes the representatives of ten different disciplines within the field of Germanic studies. Membership is restricted to recognized scholars, which-for all practical purposes-means that very few, if any, younger colleagues of, say, the instructor or assistant professor level, are actually part of the group. No one is admitted for membership unless he has satisfactorily proven, through his or her scholarly publications, that he belongs to this "establishment" within the profession. Whether these criteria are right and acceptable to all is open to question, but the rule is virtually without exception. According to the constitution, the I.V.G. meets once every five years, with each meeting devoted to one major topic. Ideally, all papers, symposia, and discussions should pertain to this subject. In August 1960, when the Second Congress took place in Copenhagen, the week's theme was Spiitzeiten und Spditzeitlichkeit.1 In Amsterdam, in August 1965, the meeting focused on Tradition und Urspriinglichkeit.2 For the Princeton meeting, Dichtung, Sprache und Gesellschaft had been chosen as the topic, but it soon proved to be so broadly conceived that practically anything found room within its boundaries, was offered, and in many cases, was accepted. Does not the Bible say: "In my Father's house are many mansions"? Is it then, any wonder that the program included such diverse topics as "An Analysis of Minnesang with the help of the computer," "Bilingualism of Dutch immigrants in the U.S.A.," or "The Influence of German lyrical poetry upon that of Korea"?
Mycosis fungoides: A retrospective study

The clinical course of ninety patients with the histopathologic diagnosis of mycosis fungoides is reviewed. An attempt is made to correlate sex, age of onset, lesion type, and form of therapy with outcome of the disease. The data indicate that mycosis fungoides affects predominantly middle-aged males. Patients developing tumors or erythroderma in middle age or later tend to have a shorter survival. More aggressive therapy is associated with shortened survival. Most deaths were due to unknown or unrelated processes and therapeutic complications. The data support the theory that mycosis fungoides can be a relatively nonaggressive cutaneous lymphoma. In an attempt to treat aggressively, we may be exposing patients to increased mortality.
Magnetic interaction at an interface between manganite and other transition metal oxides

A general consideration is presented for the magnetic interaction at an interface between a perovskite manganite and other transition metal oxides. The latter is specified by the electron number $n$ in the ${d}_{3{z}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{r}^{2}}$ level as ${({d}_{3{z}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{r}^{2}})}^{n}$. Based on the molecular orbitals formed at the interface and the generalized Hund's rule, the sign of the magnetic interaction is rather uniquely determined. The exception is when the ${d}_{3{z}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{r}^{2}}$ orbital is stabilized in the interfacial manganite layer neighboring to a ${({d}_{3{z}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{r}^{2}})}^{1}$ or ${({d}_{3{z}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{r}^{2}})}^{2}$ system. In this case, the magnetic interaction is sensitive to the occupancy of the $\text{Mn}\text{ }{d}_{3{z}^{2}\ensuremath{-}r2}$ orbital. It is also shown that the magnetic interaction between the interfacial Mn layer and the bulk region can be changed. Manganite-based heterostructures thus show a rich magnetic behavior. We also present how to generalize the argument including ${t}_{2g}$ orbitals.
Transmitting Traditional Values in New Schools: Elementary Education of Pulap Atoll

Although formal schooling in Micronesia has fostered change, data from Pulap Atoll indicate how indigenous culture can transform schooling. At the elementary school level, Pulapese have most control over the system, with local teachers and little direct oversight from the central administration. In this setting, many Pulapese values, attitudes, and standards of behavior are transmitted even without conscious attempts. The school creates potential conflict by encouraging both the movement of youth into the modern employment sector and the maintenance of traditional values.
Fatigue behaviour of sulfonated polystyrene ionomers and their blends with polystyrene

Abstract The resistance to fracture under alternating cycles of stress is examined for sulfonated polystyrene (SPS) ionomers. The influence of ion content on the number of cycles to failure and on fracture surface morphology has been determined. At low ion contents below 3 mol%, the fatigue resistance was found to be essentially unaffected, or slightly increased; but, in the range of ion contents from 4 to 6 mol%, cycles to failure increased appreciably. This behaviour, rather similar to the known influence of ion content on tensile strength, is attributed to the importance of a growing ionic cluster phase that leads to an increased strand density. Fatigue tests were also run on two series of blends of the SPS ionomer with polystyrene. In the first series, as the concentration of the SPS ionomer component (2.65 mol%) was increased, the average fatigue lifetimes were reduced with an apparent minimum at 30 wt%. In the second series of blends, containing 10 wt% of SPS ionomer, the fatigue resistance decreased as the ion content of the ionomer was increased. These results are discussed in terms of the two-phase nature of the blends and the influence of alternating stressing on the extent of bonding between the SPS ionomer particles and the polystyrene matrix.
In vitro proliferating cell models to study cytotoxicity of silica nanowires

Abstract Proliferating cells representing two disease models (HeLa and Panc 10.05 cells) and a more physiologically relevant cell model (3T3-L1 cells) were used to study the acute toxicologic effects of silica nanowires (NWs). Cellular responses to NW effects were determined over a 4- to 20-hour exposure time-course. Proliferation, viability, metabolic activity, and toxicologic mechanism (apoptosis vs. necrosis) data showed the following: 3 × 104 NWs per cell inhibited cell proliferation. The effect was rapid in HeLa cells, but 3T3-L1 and Panc 10.05 cells appeared to be more tolerant to NWs, effects being significant only after 20 or 16 hours, respectively. Cells of all three cell lines showed a significant reduction in cellular metabolic activity after 20 hours of treatment with NWs. Assay of NW-invoked mechanism of cell death (caspase 3/7 activity) indicated that apoptosis was minimally induced. Small but significant effects of NWs were detected in 3T3-L1 and HeLa cells after 20-hour treatment. No NW-induction of caspase 3/7 activity was detected for Panc 10.05 cells. Proliferating cells provide a sensitive model to study treatment with silica NWs. Silica NWs appeared to be well tolerated by these three cell lines at the doses tested. When effects were detected, cell necrosis and not apoptosis was the main mechanism of silica NW–induced cell death. From the Clinical Editor In this study, three relevant cell culture models were used to study the acute toxicological effects of silica nanowires (NW). All cell lines cells showed a significant reduction in cellular metabolic activity after 20 h of treatment with NW. Overall, silica NW appeared to be well-tolerated by these cell lines at the tested doses. Cell necrosis as opposed to apoptosis was the main mechanism of silica NW-induced cell death.
Augmenting leptin circadian rhythm following a weight reduction in diet-induced obese rats: short- and long-term effects.

The current study sought to examine whether leptin injections following a weight reduction in diet-induced obese rats would reduce both the enhanced food intake and body weight (BW) regain observed during the refeeding phase. Female Wistar rats (n = 100, 20 per group) were divided into 5 groups: (1) LEP rats were fed a high-fat (HF) diet (35% wt/wt) for 8 weeks to induce obesity and were then food-restricted (50% ad libitum) with a fortified high-fat diet for 2 weeks to induce a 20% BW loss. These rats were then refed the HF diet ad libtum for another 11 weeks. They were given leptin injections (200 μg/kg BW, twice daily, intraperitoneally ) for 19 days concomitant with the onset of refeeding. (2) SAL rats were treated in the same manner as LEP rats except that they were given saline injections; (3) PF rats were treated like SAL rats except that they were pair-fed with the LEP rats; (4) HFC rats were fed HF diet ad libitum; and (5) LFC rats were fed a low-fat (LF) diet (AIN-93M) ad libitum. Ten rats from each group were killed after leptin treatment and at the end of the study. Food and caloric intakes were monitored, and body composition and plasma glucose, insulin, and leptin levels were assessed at death. Leptin injections after a weight reduction briefly reduced energy intake during the first week only. After 19 days of treatment and to the end of the study, LEP and SAL rats were similar in energy intake, BW (LEP: 393 ± 11.2 g, SAL: 371 ± 14.1; difference not significant [NS]) and total body fat percent (LEP: 19.3 ± 1.5, SAL: 17.6 ± 1.5; NS). Leptin treatment induced hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. All of the metabolic abnormalities observed at the end of treatment period disappeared at the end of the study (8 weeks post-leptin injection). We conclude that bolus leptin injections to manipulate leptin circadian rhythm in diet-induced obese rats after a weight reduction caused temporary insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, and were ineffective in influencing food intake, BW, and fat content. Leptin resistance was evident following 1 week of treatment in this study. Leptin treatment had no effect on body fat content both short-term and long-term. Exogenous leptin treatment may, in the long run, increase leptin resistance in diet-induced obese animals. Hence, long-term leptin treatment may not be beneficial to obese individuals consuming a HF diet.
Histocompatibility testing predicts acute rejection risk in early corticosteroid withdrawal regimens.

Abstract Histocompatibility testing has been shown to predict acute rejection risk in steroid-based immunosuppression. However, little evidence exists of its ability to predict acute rejection risk in corticosteroid-free patients, with no evidence in early corticosteroid withdrawal (CSWD) under modern immunosuppression. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of histocompatibility testing to identify patients at high risk for acute rejection after early CSWD. Methods One hundred eighty-one patients were entered into six IRB-approved early CSWD regimens. Histocompatibility testing included serologic PRA, flow cytometric PRA testing by Class I and Class II MHC beads, and B cell crossmatching with pronase treatment. All rejection episodes were biopsy proven, and grading was assigned using Banff criteria. Influence of individual tests was examined using Chi square univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Median follow-up was 23.5 months (range 7–48 months). Of 181 patients, 16% were repeat transplant recipients, 36% received deceased donor renal transplants, 48% received living related donor renal transplants, and 16% received living unrelated transplants. Overall patient survival was 97%, and death-censored graft survival was 96.5%. Acute rejection rates in the entire follow-up period were 17.7%. 12.4% in primary transplant recipients and 37% in repeat transplant recipients. Multivariate analysis revealed that HLA AB and DR locus mismatching were associated with increased acute rejection risk. Similarly, serologic PRA analysis predicted acute rejection risk; however, flow cytometry crossmatching did not predict acute rejection risk. The greatest single influence on acute rejection risk appeared to be a flow cytometric B cell crossmatch (7.94-fold increased risk). In conclusion, histocompatibility testing can identify patients at high risk for acute rejection following early CSWD. HLA matching, serologic PRA testing, and flow cytometry-based B cell crossmatching can all be used to predict acute rejection risk.
Vitamin B12: correlation of serum concentrations and age.

SummaryTotal serum vit. B12 concentrations were determined in 528 individuals by the L. leichmannii method, and a justification for the choice of this method of assay is presented. The individuals ...
Capacity- and energy-aware activation of sensor nodes for area phenomenon reproduction using wireless network transport

We consider a sensor network involving sensors placed in specific locations. An area phenomenon is detected and tracked by activated sensors. The area phenomenon is modeled to consist of K spatially distributed point phenomena. The activated sensors collect data samples characterizing the parameters of the involved point phenomena. They compress observed data readings and transport them to a processing center. The center processes the received data to derive estimates of the point phenomena's parameters. Our sensing stochastic process models account for distance-dependent observation noise perturbations as well as noise correlations. At the processing center, sample mean calculations are used to derive the estimates of the underlying area phenomenon's parameters. We develop computationally efficient algorithms to determine the specific set of sensors for activation under capacity and energy resource constraints so that a sufficiently low reproduction distortion level is attained. We derive lower bounds on the realizable levels of the distortion measure. Using illustrative cases, we demonstrate one of our algorithms to yield distortion levels that are very close to the lower bound, while other lower-complexity schemes often yield distortion levels relatively close to the lower bound.
INFLUENCE OF LOADING PATHS ON THE MECHANICAL RESPONSE AND SUBSTRUCTURE EVOLUTION OF SHOCK-LOADED COPPER

Shock recovery experiments on copper have been conducted to investigate the influence of loading rate and stress amplitude on defect storage and post-shock mechanical properties. The shock risetimes varied approximately from one nanosecond for the shock experiments to one microsecond for quasi-isentropic loading experiments. All the experiments had the same peak pressure and pulse duration. Decreasing the strain-rate of loading is shown to increase both the defect storage and post-shock yield strength of copper. The effect of loading rate on post-shock substructure and mechanical response of impacted copper is postulated to be directly related to the amount of dislocation motion before interaction with other dislocations and to the amount of reversible dislocation motion and resultant annihilation during the rarefaction portion of the shock-release cycle. 10 refs., 5 figs.
Disruption of parasitism of the California red scale (Homoptera: Diaspididae) by three ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract The relative influence of the southern fire ant, Solenopsis xyloni McCook, Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr), and native gray ant, Formica aerata (Francoeur), on parasitism of California red scale, Aonidiella aurantii Maskell, was studied in the laboratory for two parasitoids, Comperiella bifasciata Howard and Aphytis melinus DeBach. All three ant species reduced percentage parasitism by C. bifasciata and both percentage parasitism and host mutilation by A. melinus. Southern fire ant was the least disruptive and native gray ant the most disruptive. Southern fire ant removed 12% of scale from the lemons, presumably to feed on them, while the other ant species did not exhibit significant removal of scale compared to the controls. Percentage parasitism of California red scale exhibited by C. bifasciata was more than 2-fold the level exhibited by A. melinus. Percentage mutilation of California red scale, including probing and host feeding, was nearly 5-fold higher for A. melinus than C. bifasciata. Because A. melinus required a longer total host examination + oviposition period in the absence of ants than C. bifasciata and because oviposition occurs as the last act in a sequence of behaviors, disruption by the ants had a more significant negative effect on oviposition by A. melinus.
A realistic microscopic theory for the high-Tc cuprates

The electronic structure of the high-Tc cuprates is worked out by decomposing the orbitals around the Fermi level into “large-U” and “small-U” components. The large-U orbitals are treated by the “slave-fermion” method, the small-U orbitals by a mean-field approach, and the hybridization between them is then worked out. It turns out that hopping energy binds the spin and the charge of the large-U orbitals. The state so obtained is either antiferromagnetic, or paramagnetic with antiferromagnetic fluctuations and with violation of parity. Two types of charge carriers are predicted: (i) spinless polarons with a very small bandwidth, explaining the anomalous thermoelectric power, the mid-infrared peak, lattice anomalies, etc.; (ii) anomalous carriers of both charge and spin, explaining “marginal-Fermi-liquid” behavior and deviations from it, anomalous relaxation time, the systematic behavior of the resistivity, the Hall constant, the Hall angle, etc.
The Effect of Cod Liver Oil Upon Flavor in Poultry Meat

Abstract Since cod liver oil has come into rather general use in poultry feeding, there has been considerable speculation concerning the effect of cod liver oil upon the flavor of poultry meat. Any unpleasant flavor in poultry meat would naturally have considerable effect upon market demand, and, therefore, market price. So far as we are aware, no definite tests along this line have been reported, although it has occasionally been stated that chickens slaughtered immediately following cod liver oil feeding would have a “fishy” taste. We therefore undertook these studies in order to get some definite idea of the degree to which different levels of cod liver oil in the diet would influence the flavor of poultry meat, as well as to determine the persistency of such flavor after the discontinuance of cod liver oil from the diet. EXPERIMENTAL Thirty White Leghorn chickens were used in this work. They were reared . . .
IPMDS-Sponsored Scale Translation Program: Process, Format, and Clinimetric Testing Plan for the MDS-UPDRS and UDysRS.

We present the methodology and results of the clinimetric testing program for non-English translations of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS)–sponsored scales. The programs focus on the MDS revision of the UPDRS (MDS-UPDRS) and the Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (UDysRS). The original development teams of both the MDS-UPDRS and UDysRS envisioned official non-English translations and instituted a rigorous translation methodology. The formal process includes five core steps: (1) registration and start-up; (2) translation and independent back-translation; (3) cognitive pretesting to establish that the translation is clear and that it is comfortably administered to and completed by native-speaker raters and patients; (4) field testing in the native language using a large sample of Parkinson's disease patients; and (5) full clinimetric testing. To date, the MDS-UPDRS has 21 active language programs. Nine official translations are available, having completed all phases successfully, and the others are in different stages of development. For the UDysRS, 19 programs are active, with three official translations now available and the rest in development at different stages. Very few scales in neurology and none in movement disorders have fully validated translations, and this model may be adopted or modified by other scale programs to allow careful validation of translations. Having validated translations allows for maximal homogeneity of tools utilized in multicenter research or clinical trial programs.
Monozygotic twins clinically discordant for scleroderma show concordance for fibroblast gene expression profiles.

Objective Fewer than 5% of monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs are clinically concordant for systemic sclerosis (SSc), yet the majority of MZ twins are concordant for antinuclear antibodies. To discover genetic versus nongenetic molecular pathways important to the pathogenesis of SSc, we compared global gene expression patterns in twins discordant for SSc. Methods Total RNA from dermal fibroblasts of 15 discordant twin pairs (10 MZ and 5 DZ) and 5 normal controls were used in microarray analysis. Aberrantly expressed genes were confirmed using quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction. Results Lesional and nonlesional fibroblasts from SSc patients showed no significant differences in gene expression, while SSc patients had gene profiles that were significantly different from those of unaffected DZ twins and normal controls. Unaffected MZ twins, however, were not significantly different from SSc patients. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering segregated the fibroblast samples as originating from 2 major groups. Group A contained 5 discordant MZ twin pairs, 3 affected MZ twins, and 3 affected DZ twins. Group B contained all 5 normal population controls, all 5 healthy DZ twins, 2 discordant MZ twins, and 2 discordant DZ twin pairs. Normal fibroblasts incubated with serum from an SSc-affected patient or with serum from her unaffected MZ twin sister developed the increased expression of COL1A2, SPARC, and CTGF typically seen in SSc fibroblasts. Conclusion These results demonstrate that dermal fibroblasts from SSc patients and from 40–50% of their genetically identical but clinically unaffected MZ twins exhibit a similar gene expression pattern which can be induced in normal fibroblasts by sera from both. Thus, a stronger genetic predisposition to SSc (than can be detected clinically) is apparent at the molecular level in skin fibroblasts.
VEGF-incorporated biomimetic poly(lactide-co-glycolide) sintered microsphere scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

Regenerative engineering approaches utilizing biomimetic synthetic scaffolds provide alternative strategies to repair and restore damaged bone. The efficacy of the scaffolds for functional bone regeneration critically depends on their ability to induce and support vascular infiltration. In the present study, three-dimensional (3D) biomimetic poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLAGA) sintered microsphere scaffolds were developed by sintering together PLAGA microspheres followed by nucleation of minerals in a simulated body fluid. Further, the angiogenic potential of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-incorporated mineralized PLAGA scaffolds were examined by monitoring the growth and phenotypic expression of endothelial cells on scaffolds. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs confirmed the growth of bone-like mineral layers on the surface of microspheres. The mineralized PLAGA scaffolds possessed interconnectivity and a compressive modulus of 402 ± 61 MPa and compressive strength of 14.6 ± 2.9 MPa. Mineralized scaffolds supported the attachment and growth and normal phenotypic expression of endothelial cells. Further, precipitation of apatite layer on PLAGA scaffolds resulted in an enhanced VEGF adsorption and prolonged release compared to nonmineralized PLAGA and, thus, a significant increase in endothelial cell proliferation. Together, these results demonstrated the potential of VEGF-incorporated biomimetic PLAGA sintered microsphere scaffolds for bone tissue engineering as they possess the combined effects of osteointegrativity and angiogenesis. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2012.
A Study Of The Idaho Jumping Mice Of The Genus Zapus, With Remarks On A Few Specimens From British Columbia

So far as is known, the only Idaho representative of the genus Zapus is the species princeps. Recent examination of specimens indicates that five geographic races of this animal occur within the state. Reference to the accompanying map, on which locality records are plotted, shows the species to be wide-ranging throughout the mountainous regions to the north and east of the Snake Plains. Further collecting undoubtedly will greatly extend known ranges and may result in the finding of these animals in the mountains of the drier southwestern section of the state.