cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Glutamate‐mediated CA++ influx and nuclear damage in retinal ganglion cells purified by panning: role of glia

The visual acuity decline in glaucoma is due to degeneration of retinal ganglion cells. We used cell panning with the antibody Thy 1.1 to isolate retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) from rat retina. Individual RGCs were extremely sensitive to glutamate, demonstrating sustained calcium influx responses to 100 nm glutamate. We tested unoprostone for its ability to elicit neuroprotection. This docosanoid decreases intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients and protects mixed retinal ganglion cell cultures from glutamate excitotoxicity and calcium influx. In the presence of retinal glia, RGCs responded to 100 and 500 nm glutamate with transient calcium influx, demonstrating glial buffering effects. Pure retinal glial cultures required on average at least 1 mm glutamate to trigger calcium influx, which was transient and oscillating. Unoprostone (10 μm) inhibited calcium influx stimulated by 5 mm glutamate in retinal glial cultures, while DMSO did not. Unoprostone at 1 μm also blocked neuronal calcium responses to 100 nm glutamate in mixed cultures, while DMSO did not. In RGCs isolated by panning, unoprostone blocked calcium responses to 100 nm glutamate in some cells, while DMSO blocked none. Unoprostone also protected RGCs from 20 μm glutamate-induced toxicity and nuclear damage. We hypothesize that while unoprostone may affect individual RGCs depending on a putative receptor, the presence of retinal glia also plays a key role in neuroprotection and unoprostone action. The use of the cellular model described here and whole retina preparations will be useful to understand the mechanisms of RGC survival. Acknowledgements: Support: Novartis Ophthalmics, Basel, Switzerland.
Helping mobile apps bootstrap with fewer users

A growing number of mobile apps are exploiting smartphone sensors to infer user behavior, activity, or context. Inference requires training using labeled ground truth data. Obtaining labeled data for new apps is a "chicken-egg" problem. Without a reasonable amount of labeled data, apps cannot provide any service. But until an app provides useful service it is not worth installing and has no opportunity to collect user data. This paper aims to address this problem. Our intuition is that even though users are different, they exhibit similar patterns on certain sensing dimensions. For instance, different users may walk and drive at different speeds, but certain speeds will indicate driving for all users. These common patterns could be used as "seeds" to model new users through semi-supervised learning. We prototype a technique to automatically extract the commonalities to seed personalized inference models for new users. We evaluate the proposed technique through example apps and real world data.
Laser therapy in black skin.

This article provides a systematic overview of laser, light, and other energy devices for patients of African descent. It also reviews complications in skin of color and some treatment options for these adverse events.
Multichannel implantable stimulation and telemetry system for neuromuscular control

An implantable stimulation and telemetry system is being developed to extend the capabilities of the authors' present implantable neuromuscular stimulators, by incorporating acquisition of command control and feedback signals from implanted transducers and additional channels of stimulation for enhancing motor functions. While the system is implemented for the primary use of establishing hand grasp capabilities, the modular approach of the design will allow reconfiguration of the system for use in other applications. >
Clinicopathologic behavior of gastric adenocarcinoma in Hispanic patients: analysis of a single institution's experience over 15 years

Purpose To determine the clinicopathologic behavior of gastric adenocarcinoma in Hispanics by comparing Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients treated at a single cancer center. Patients and Methods Medical records of patients with invasive gastric cancer treated from 1985 to 1999 were reviewed. Diagnoses were pathologically confirmed. Differences in categorical variables were assessed using the χ2 test. Logistic regression was used for multivariate analyses. Median survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to assess the impact of covariates. Results Of 1,897 patients, 301 (15.9%) were Hispanic. Hispanics were significantly younger at diagnosis than non-Hispanic whites (53.1 ± 14.4 years v 59.4 ± 12.7 years, respectively; P < .005) or African Americans (57.6 ± 15.3 years, P < .005). Hispanics were less likely to have proximal gastric cancers compared with whites (38.9% v 59.5%, respectively; P < .005). Hispanics were more likely to have mucinous/signet-ri...
Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Safety in Pediatric Patients: An Evaluation of the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System

Recent news reports have linked the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to serious adverse events (AEs) in children and adolescents. We used the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) database to extract postmarketing AEs reported in patients who received the vaccine. Since approval of the HPV vaccine in the US, 3174 AEs occurring in children and adolescents (aged 6-17 y) have been reported to the VAERS. Of these, 191 (6%) were deemed to be serious. Although these AEs are of significant concern, more research is required before they can be directly correlated with the vaccine.
A TRAIT-BASED TEST FOR HABITAT FILTERING: CONVEX HULL VOLUME

Community assembly theory suggests that two processes affect the distribution of trait values within communities: competition and habitat filtering. Within a local community, competition leads to ecological differentiation of coexisting species, while habitat filtering reduces the spread of trait values, reflecting shared ecological tolerances. Many statistical tests for the effects of competition exist in the literature, but measures of habitat filtering are less well-developed. Here, we present convex hull volume, a construct from computational geometry, which provides an n-dimensional measure of the volume of trait space occupied by species in a community. Combined with ecological null models, this measure offers a useful test for habitat filtering. We use convex hull volume and a null model to analyze California woody-plant trait and community data. Our results show that observed plant communities occupy less trait space than expected from random assembly, a result consistent with habitat filtering.
Adaptively induced fluctuations for multiuser diversity: two-dimensional parameters and cellular interference

This study extends recent work on using adaptive phase fluctuations to enhance multiuser diversity in the downlink of a cellular network. Feedback at the base station is limited and Rayleigh fading is assumed. Our main findings are presented along three main axes. First, we study a single-cell environment with adaptive fluctu- ations induced between multiple transmit antennae at the base station. Phase fluctuations of three transmit antennae are induced based on a two-dimensional mapping of their relative phases. A modest improvement of about 0.3 dB is obtained over the two- antennae case. Second, we take into account the effects of intercell interfer- ence. The effect of neighboring cells using the same transmission frequency and executing the same adaptive algorithm is ac- counted for. Our simulations and analysis probe the consequences of the fact that intercell interference noise is burstier than thermal noise. We find that asymptotically, as the number of users converges to infinity, the interference from a single interfering base station does not decrease the throughput. However, for moderate number of users, even if the interference is from one base station (burstiest interference), the effect of interference is nearly as bad as thermal noise with equivalent power. The performance is also observed to be insensitive to the phase variation strategy of the interfering station. Third, fairness issues are taken into account. We observe that fairness decreases throughput but we still observe a multiuser diversity gain.
Psychological Effects of Fitness Advertising on Female Collegiate Athletes

In recent decades, research has focused on the powerful effects of advertising on negative body image. While researchers have studied how the general female population reacts to various advertising techniques, little research has been published on how female collegiate athletes are affected by fitness advertisements. This study examined how these athletes respond to fitness advertisements and which tactics generate positive responses. Based on a focus group conducted with female Division I athletes, the study found that resonating fitness advertisements must be realistic and tell a relatable story using action images, regardless of the model’s identity.
Recovering the Forgotten Woodland Mound Excavations at Garden Patch (8DI4)

Forty-five years ago Timothy Thompson excavated at two of the six mounds at the Garden Patch site but results were never reported. We assembled data from Thompson's work and enhanced them with new test pits at Mound IV and re-excavation of a Mound V trench. Mound IV is a natural sand ridge where a village was established early, by the second century A.D. Mound V began as a naturally elevated platform for at least one burial and associated structure during the fourth century A.D. and was then covered by lenses of shell and sand. The construction sequence of Mound V resembles other mounds in the region. These results help illuminate the functions and depositional histories of mounds within Woodland multi-mound centers of the coastal plain while also demonstrating an effective approach to balancing stewardship and new excavations.
Species Variations in the N - and Ring-Hydroxylation of 2-Acetylaminofluorene and Effects of 3-Methylcholanthrene Pretreatment.∗:

Summary1. Assays for N- and ring-hydroxylation of 2-acetylaminorluorene (AAF) by hepatic microsomes from normal and 3-methylchloranthrene (MC) -treated rats, hamsters, mice, rabbits, and guinea pigs showed marked differences in these enzyme activities in normal animals of the different species and in the effects of MC-treatment. The microsomes of all species, except the guinea pig in which A′-hydroxylation could not be detected, showed increases in N-hy-droxylation on MC-treatment; the largest increase was observed with hamster liver microsomes. Only rat and mouse liver microsomes showed large increases in ring-hydroxylation activity on MC-treatment. Increases in N-hy-droxylation activity of hamster liver microsomes and in ring-hydroxylation activity by rat liver microsomes after MC treatment were inhibited by administration of actinomycin D or puromycin. 2. MC-treatment of rats or hamsters did not affect the reduction of N-hy-droxy-AAF by liver homogenates. 3. MC administration caused a decrease in urina...
Embryonic Stage of Diabrotica virgifera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) at Diapause

The western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera LeConte overwinters in the egg stage in central United States. George and Ortman (1965) demonstrated that diapause occurs in the egg and the rate of development to eclosion is affected by low temperature. Many insects undergo egg diapause, and it is common that chilling is required to promote hatch (Andrewartha and Birch 1954). In contrast to this common feature, the specific embryonic stage at diapause is highly variable (Lees 1955). The present report describes the embryonic stage of the WCR at diapause and points out an apparent difference in development between diapausing and nondiapausing chrysomelid embryos.
Case 3: Episodic Weakness in an 18-month-old Girl.

1. Matthew Dietz, DO* 2. Michael Jones, MD* 3. Melissa Svoboda, MD* 4. Erika Finanger, MD* 1. *Department of Pediatrics, Doernbecher Children's Hospital, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR. An 18-month-old girl presents to the emergency department with upper respiratory tract symptoms and acute onset of weakness. Her mother reports that a few hours into a road trip the child became “floppy,” was “gurgling,” and had difficulty breathing. Her parents are concerned because she was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at 12 months of age with a similar event, resulting in acute cardiorespiratory failure. She was born at term via cesarean section for breech presentation and required resuscitation. She spent 14 days in the neonatal intensive care unit for hypotonia, respiratory distress, and feeding difficulty. She continued to have feeding difficulty but eventually “outgrew” it. She developed normally and walked at approximately age 14 months. Upon physical examination, the afebrile girl has a respiratory rate of 26 breaths per minute, heart rate of 106 …
Research on the Preparing Technology of Oviductus Rana and Coenzyme Q10 for Compound Oral Solution

【Objective】To Optimize the hydrolysis parameters for oviductus rana enzymolysis,and the nano emulsion procedure of coenzyme Q10 and develope a compound oral liquid with stable quality,pleasant taste,and composite of oviductus rana and coenzyme Q10.【Method!】Orthogonal test was used to research the most optimal parameters for pepsin and trypsin enzymolysis of oviductus rana,and nano emulsion of coenzyme Q10 was prepared to increase the solubility of coenzyme Q10 in aqueous solution.【Result】On the basic of orthogonal test,the most optimal parameters of hydrolysis for oviductus rana,which was continuing trypsin enzymolysis for five hours firstly at the E/S rate of 1:20 in 50℃ water and then going on pepsin enzymolysis for eight hours at E/S rate of 1:20 in 60℃ water,was acquired after a series of preprocessing and taking full advantage of the nano emulsion procedure of coenzyme Q10,then gained the oral solution suitable for drinking after seasoning.【Conclusion!!】The degree of hydrolysis for histones of oviductus rana and solubility of oviductus rana and coenzyme Q10 were both significantly increased after pepsin and trypsin enzymolysis and nano emulsion procedure separately,and the compound oral solution prepared finally comprising of coenzyme Q10 and oviductus rana was stable with pleasant tastes and high clarity.It was indicated that the process developed in this study was stable,and it was potent to be utilized for bulk production.
Genetic parameters for testes size and sperm number in Hereford bulls.

Paternal half-sib heritability and genetic correlation estimates were obtained utilizing data from 578 Hereford bulls from 66 sires. Bulls were maintained in three lines (weaning weight, postweaning gain and control) of an ongoing selection project. Growth performance traits studied were adjusted 205-d weaning weight, 365-d weight, individual feed efficiency, sonoray fat thickness and postweaning gain. Heritability estimates for these traits were .15 +/- .17, .33 +/- .19, .46 +/- .21, .28 +/- .18 and .52 +/- .21, respectively. Scrotal measurements taken were circumference of both testes and length and diameter of right testis at 205 and 365 d of age. Heritability estimates were .08 +/- .20, .07 +/- .20 and .28 +/- .24 at 205 d, and .44 +/- .24, .16 +/- .21 and .40 +/- .24 at 365 d, respectively. Excised testes traits, circumference, right testis length, diameter and weight, total sperm in the testes and sperm/gram of testes had heritability estimates of .21 +/- .26, .19 +/- .26, .02 +/- .24, .63 +/- .27, .14 +/- .21 and -.13 +/- .18, respectively. Genetic correlations of scrotal measurements at 205 d with scrotal measurements at 365 d and excised testes traits were negative. Scrotal measurements at 365 d had high positive genetic correlations with excised testes size, weight and total sperm. These relationships suggest that selection for increase of scrotal size at 365 d should increase testes size and weight and sperm numbers. Genetic correlations of weights and gain with scrotal measurements at 365 d and excised testes characteristics were moderate to high, in a favorable direction. Genetic correlations of testes traits with feed efficiency were essentially zero, while those with fat thickness were moderately positive. These results suggest that increasing testes size should not adversely affect growth performance traits except through the reduction in selection intensity.
Comparison of Operational Subsidies on Less Favoured Areas in EU Countries

This article is aimed at an analysis of operational subsidies on the Less Favoured Areas (LFA) in the European Union countries. With the help of cluster analysis, the EU countries were divided into groups and, using correlation and regression analyses, the relations between defined indicators were evaluate. The indicators of FADN EU related to the cultivated land area were completed with relative indicators. Some differences were proved in subsidy effectiveness between particular groups of the countries. The amount of operational subsidies only has a positive impact on subsidised costs in the mountain LFAs. Worse productive and climate conditions increase the dependence of the output on subsidies related to cost effectiveness. No dependence of the output share of subsidies and the subsidised costs was proven in all groups.
Two Different Virulence-Related Regulatory Pathways in Borrelia burgdorferi Are Directly Affected by Osmotic Fluxes in the Blood Meal of Feeding Ixodes Ticks

Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, is a vector-borne illness that requires the bacteria to adapt to distinctly different environments in its tick vector and various mammalian hosts. Effective colonization (acquisition phase) of a tick requires the bacteria to adapt to tick midgut physiology. Successful transmission (transmission phase) to a mammal requires the bacteria to sense and respond to the midgut environmental cues and up-regulate key virulence factors before transmission to a new host. Data presented here suggest that one environmental signal that appears to affect both phases of the infective cycle is osmolarity. While constant in the blood, interstitial fluid and tissue of a mammalian host (300 mOsm), osmolarity fluctuates in the midgut of feeding Ixodes scapularis. Measured osmolarity of the blood meal isolated from the midgut of a feeding tick fluctuates from an initial osmolarity of 600 mOsm to blood-like osmolarity of 300 mOsm. After feeding, the midgut osmolarity rebounded to 600 mOsm. Remarkably, these changes affect the two independent regulatory networks that promote acquisition (Hk1-Rrp1) and transmission (Rrp2-RpoN-RpoS) of B. burgdorferi. Increased osmolarity affected morphology and motility of wild-type strains, and lysed Hk1 and Rrp1 mutant strains. At low osmolarity, Borrelia cells express increased levels of RpoN-RpoS-dependent virulence factors (OspC, DbpA) required for the mammalian infection. Our results strongly suggest that osmolarity is an important part of the recognized signals that allow the bacteria to adjust gene expression during the acquisition and transmission phases of the infective cycle of B. burgdorferi.
Perioperative Strokes and Early Outcomes in Mitral Valve Surgery: A Nationwide Analysis

Objective To demonstrate the role of perioperative stroke as an independent risk factor for in-hospital morbidity and mortality after mitral valve surgery and review the trends in the early outcomes of mitral valve surgery over the past decade. Design Using data from the National Inpatient Sample database for analysis, all patients who underwent isolated mitral valve procedures were identified using International Classification of Diseases-Ninth Revision codes. Univariate and multivariate analyses of risk factors of in-hospital mortality and morbidity were performed. Setting Multi-institutional. Participants The study comprised patients who underwent mitral valve procedures from 1999 to 2011. Interventions Mitral valve repair or replacement. Measurements and Main Results Data on 21,821 patients showed an in-hospital mortality of 5.5% and morbidity of 63.30% (p Conclusion Age, female sex, emergency surgery, arrhythmias, hypertension, renal failure, coagulopathy, neurologic disorders, weight loss, fluid and electrolyte imbalance, anemia, postoperative cardiac arrest, and myocardial infarction were found to be significant predictors of morbidity and mortality after mitral valve surgery, with perioperative strokes posing the strongest risk. The trends in the last 10 years indicated a decrease in mortality and an increase in morbidity. Preoperative risk stratification and intraoperative identification for impending strokes appear warranted.
Exercise induced changes in T1, T2 relaxation times and blood flow in the lower extremities in healthy subjects

Background Current approaches to evaluate peripheral arterial disease (PAD) overwhelmingly rely on quantification of stenosis severity or flow across stenosis at rest. Although exerciseinduced functional alterations in metabolism have been proposed, there is a need to integrate approaches that provide additional risk measures in PAD that can be translated into clinical practice [1]. Recently, quantitative T1/ T2 mapping have allowed their usage as risk indicators in the coronary circulation. To develop analogous risk-markers in PAD, we initially designed experiments to assess the feasibility of an approach combining quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) relaxometry of skeletal muscle with treadmill exercise testing. We investigated exercise-induced shifts in quantitative skeletal muscle relaxometry measures [2,3] in lower extremity muscle beds in conjunction with quantitative arterial flow to the inflow vessel as an index of conduit vessel flow-reserve in healthy volunteers [4,5].
The Bipolar Voter: On the Effects of Actual and Perceived Party Polarization on Voter Turnout in European Multiparty Democracies

Despite the growing literature on polarization, students of comparative politics have not yet been able to reach much assured understanding of how party polarization influences voter turnout in multiparty settings, which often put on offer both centrist, and divergent mainstream and niche party policies. I evaluate how politically sophisticated and unsophisticated citizens with different ideological preferences respond to high and increasing party polarization by employing individual- and party system-level data from 17 European multiparty democracies. I hypothesize that high levels of actual and perceived party polarization increase voter turnout, and policy seeking, sophisticated citizens are more likely to turn out when polarization in party policy offerings in the short run increases their utility from voting. The empirical analyses show that high party polarization increases both politically sophisticated and unsophisticated citizens’ propensities to turn out. However, such positive effect for the most part comes from the between- and within-party systems differences in actual party polarization, rather than how individual citizens perceive that. The implications of these findings with respect to strategic position taking incentives of political parties and the effects of the knowledge gap between sophisticated and unsophisticated citizens on political participation and democratic representation are discussed in the concluding section.
Development of a Topical Resveratrol Formulation for Commercial Applications Using Dendrimer Nanotechnology

Resveratrol (RSV) is well known for its anti-oxidant and anti-aging properties. However, resveratrol is insoluble in water and has stability issues. Recently, efforts were placed to prepare a resveratrol-based advanced anti-aging topical product but it contains harsh organic solvents and oils that could be harmful to the human body and the environment. Hence, we propose the use of a multifunctional dendrimer to solve the solubility and stability issues of resveratrol. A dendrimer-resveratrol complex was prepared, optimized and tested for solubility enhancement, stability in solution and cream dosage forms. We have also developed a high performance liquid chromatography method to measure the resveratrol within the final product. PAMAM dendrimers increased the solubility and stability of resveratrol in water and semisolid dosage forms. Therefore, this product would be water based ‘green’ formulation devoid of harsh organic solvents and oils and can be safely applied to the skin. Additionally, we have shown that the dendrimer helped to increase overall RSV loading and skin penetration of resveratrol. The dendrimer-RSV formulation was successfully scaled up towards commercialization. Dendrimer with RSV has led to an innovation in anti-aging cream and solutions that could be commercially marketed. Dendrimer-RSV complex could also be added to other product forms for additional purposes and applications.
Semi-Infinite Target Penetration by Ogive-Nose Penetrators: ALEGRA/SHISM Code Predictions for Ideal and Non-Ideal Impacts

The physics of ballistic penetration mechanics is of great interest in penetrator and counter-measure design. The phenomenology associated with these events can be quite complex and a significant number of studies have been conducted ranging from purely experimental to ‘engineering’ models based on empirical and/or analytical descriptions to fully-coupled penetrator/target, thermo-mechanical numerical simulations. Until recently, however, there appears to be a paucity of numerical studies considering ‘non-ideal’ impacts [1]. The goal of this work is to demonstrate the SHISM algorithm implemented in the ALEGRA Multi-Material ALE (Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian) code [13]. The SHISM algorithm models the three-dimensional continuum solid mechanics response of the target and penetrator in a fully coupled manner. This capability allows for the study of ‘non-ideal’ impacts (e.g. pitch, yaw and/or obliquity of the target/penetrator pair). In this work predictions using the SHISM algorithm are compared to previously published experimental results for selected ideal and non-ideal impacts of metal penetrator-target pairs. These results show good agreement between predicted and measured maximum depth-of-penetration, DOP, for ogive-nose penetrators with striking velocities in the 0.5 to 1.5 km/s range. Ideal impact simulations demonstrate convergence in predicted DOP for the velocity range considered. A theory is advanced to explain disagreement between predicted and measured DOP at higher striking velocities. This theory postulates uncertainties in angle-of-attack for the observed discrepancies. It is noted that material models and associated parameters used here, were unmodified from those in the literature. Hence, no tuning of models was performed to match experimental data.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Warming and increased aridity during the earliest Triassic in the Karoo Basin, South Africa

The Permian-Triassic (P-T) mass extinction is the largest extinction event of the Phanerozoic and has been causally related to eruption of the Siberian Traps (Siberia, Russia) through climatic and ecological effects of volcanically forced greenhouse gas emissions. Given anthropogenic changes to the atmosphere, documenting details of links between greenhouse warming and catastrophic biological consequences has significance beyond better understanding of the P-T boundary. Earliest Triassic warming is supported by modeling and isotopic studies; however, the empirical data are limited. In this paper we show that δ 18 O values of phosphate in therapsid tusks from the interior of Pangea (paleolatitude 60°S) were relatively constant through the latest Permian but increased by ∼2‰ during the earliest Triassic. Over the same interval, δ 18 O values of carbonate soil nodules increased by ∼5‰. The increases in both measurements and the disproportionately large shift among nodules indicate that the interior of Pangea warmed and became markedly more arid immediately after the P-T boundary.
Chest X-ray of a patient with history of pleural effusion.

The presented chest X-ray depicts the thoracic duct anatomy of a 50-year-old man who underwent heart transplantation. His postoperative course was complicated by Candida mediastinitis, treated with debridements and closure of the anterior chest wound with myocutaneous flaps. Postoperatively, he had persistent output from a right-sided chest tube. The fluid appeared milky and its triglycerides level was elevated at 254 mg/dL. The drainage persisted despite a low fat diet. The interventional radiologist identified a leak in the upper thoracic duct. It was embolised with coil and onyx. After the procedure, the chylous pleural effusions resolved. The thoracic duct has been visualised on subsequent chest X-rays (figures 1 and 2).
PAT-Net Turns Twenty-Five: A Short History of the Public Administration Theory Network

Editor's note: This is an invited essay on the Public Administration Theory Network. Michael Harmon graciously agreed to sift through documents, communicate with people involved in development of the Network, and write a short history. The result is an interesting study in the relationship of a portion of public administration scholarship to the larger field, and it is timely because the Network is 25 years old this year. An essay such as this cannot cover everything of interest, but both longtime and new members may find it useful for understanding the initial and developing nature of the Network. Many thanks to Michael Harmon for his efforts and for this fine history of PAT-Net. RB
Relationship Between Health Risk and School Attendance Among Adolescents

ABSTRACTBackground/Purpose: The prevalence of childhood obesity and school truancy are contemporary health issues, as millions of children do not attend school, when required. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between intent to be physically active, aerobic fitness, and school absences. Methods: Data from 1907 adolescents from the United States were collected during physical education. Participants completed a valid Theory of Planned Behavior survey and the FitnessGram, with the demographic data obtained from school records. Linear regressions controlling for gender, grade, free/reduced lunch, body mass index, and intent to be physically active were calculated. Results: Adolescents who had positive intentions to be physically active (P < .001), scored higher on the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test (P = .006), and ran faster in the mile (P < .001) had fewer unexcused absences compared to students who had negative intentions and lower fitness. Discussion...
First Report of Pythium myriotylum Causing Damping-Off of Amaranthus tricolor in Florida

Amaranthus tricolor ‘Garnet Red’ is an edible ornamental often sold for its striking color as well as its culinary uses. There are several cultivated species of amaranth that vary in shape, size, and color. This particular cultivar (Garnet Red) is praised for its high nutritional value. It can be harvested at any age, making it commonly used as either microgreens, sprouts, salad leaves, or for seed and grain. Amaranth is easy to grow and reasonable yields can be produced even in poor soils (Sealy et al. 1990), but damping-off of seedlings by Pythium sp. is a problem for producers and breeders (National Research Council 1984). In November 2011, amaranth seedlings cv. Garnet Red from a local nursery were submitted to the Florida Extension Plant Diagnostic Clinic in Homestead, FL. Symptoms began as a rot and that ultimately resulted in the loss of the entire planting of seedlings, causing post-emergent damping-off in both the greenhouse and shadehouse locations where the crop was grown. A Pythium sp. was confirmed via microscopic observations from cultures on PARP medium showing aplerotic oospores, about 20 to 27 μm in diameter and walls up to 2 μm thick (n = 15) (van der Plaats-Niterink 1981). The region of rDNA, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), was amplified with primers ITS1 and ITS4 and the PCR product was sequenced. The resulting sequence was deposited in GenBank (accession no. KF008434). A 99% nucleotide identity was found with a BLAST search in GenBank with an isolate of P. myriotylum (HQ237488) associated with bud rot of oil palm. MEGA 6.06 software was used for the phylogenetic analysis by the maximum likelihood method (Tamura-Nei model). Our isolate grouped with other P. myriotylum isolates with high support (100% bootstrap values, 1,000 replicates). To confirm pathogenicity, amaranth ‘Garnet Red’ seeds were sown in 4-inch pots with Promix BX Mycorrhizae dry mix under greenhouse conditions where temperature ranged from 25 to 32°C. Seeds were inoculated 24 h after sowing by drenching with a 5 ml sporangial suspension (1 × 10⁶ sporangia/ml) of our P. myriotylum isolate. Control plants were drenched with an equal volume of sterile water. Five plants per treatment were used and the experiment was repeated. After 72 h, seedlings had collapsed. P. myriotylum was reisolated from symptomatic tissues and was confirmed through morphological and molecular analyses. No symptoms developed on the control plants. P. myriotylum is an aggressive pathogen causing important economic losses with a very large host distribution worldwide in warm regions. In south Florida, it had previously been reported causing aerial blight of tomato, and more recently, basal rot on Echeveria (Roberts et al. 1999; Suarez et al. 2016). To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. myriotylum causing damping-off of an Amaranthus species in Florida.
A novel synthesis of 6′′‐[18F]‐fluoromaltotriose as a PET tracer for imaging bacterial infection

The aim of this study was to develop a positron emission tomography (PET) tracer to visualize and monitor therapeutic response to bacterial infections. In our continued efforts to find maltose based PET tracers that can image bacterial infections, we have designed and prepared 6''-[18 F]fluoromaltotriose as a second generation PET imaging tracer targeting the maltodextrin transporter of bacteria. We have developed methods to synthesize 6''-deoxy-6''-[18 F]fluoro-α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-4)-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-4)-O-D-glucopyranose (6''-[18 F]-fluoromaltotriose) as a bacterial infection PET imaging agent. 6''-[18 F]fluoromaltotriose was prepared from precursor, 2'',3'',4''-tri-O-acetyl-6''-O-nosyl-α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-4)-O-2',3',6'-tri-O-acetyl-α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-4)-1,2,3,6-tetra-O-acetyl-D-glucopyranose (per-O-acetyl-6''-O-nosyl-maltotriose 4). This method utilizes the reaction between precursor 4 and anhydrous [18 F]KF/Kryptofix 2.2.2 in dimethylformamide (DMF) at 85°C for 10 minutes to yield per-O-acetyl-6''-deoxy-6-'' [18 F]-fluoromaltotriose (7). Successive acidic and basic hydrolysis of the acetyl protecting groups in 7 produced 6''-[18 F]fluoromaltotriose (8). Also, cold 6''- [19 F]fluoromaltotriose was prepared from per-O-acetyl-6''-hydroxymaltotriose via a diethylaminosulfur trifluoride reaction followed by a basic hydrolysis. A successful synthesis of 6''-[18 F]-fluoromaltotriose has been accomplished in 8 ± 1.2% radiochemical yield (decay corrected). Total synthesis time was 120 minutes. Serum stability of 6''-[18 F]fluoromaltotriose at 37°C indicated that 6''-[18 F]-fluoromaltotriose remained intact up to 2 hours. In conclusion, we have successfully synthesized 6''-[18 F]-fluoromaltotriose via direct fluorination of an appropriate precursor of a protected maltotriose.
Sex-Dependent Effects of Developmental Lead Exposure on the Brain

The role of sex as an effect modifier of developmental lead (Pb) exposure has until recently received little attention. Lead exposure in early life can affect brain development with persisting influences on cognitive and behavioral functioning, as well as, elevated risks for developing a variety of diseases and disorders in later life. Although both sexes are affected by Pb exposure, the incidence, manifestation, and severity of outcomes appears to differ in males and females. Results from epidemiologic and animal studies indicate significant effect modification by sex, however, the results are not consistent across studies. Unfortunately, only a limited number of human epidemiological studies have included both sexes in independent outcome analyses limiting our ability to draw definitive conclusions regarding sex-differentiated outcomes. Additionally, due to various methodological differences across studies, there is still not a good mechanistic understanding of the molecular effects of lead on the brain and the factors that influence differential responses to Pb based on sex. In this review, focused on prenatal and postnatal Pb exposures in humans and animal models, we discuss current literature supporting sex differences in outcomes in response to Pb exposure and explore some of the ideas regarding potential molecular mechanisms that may contribute to sex-related differences in outcomes from developmental Pb exposure. The sex-dependent variability in outcomes from developmental Pb exposure may arise from a combination of complex factors, including, but not limited to, intrinsic sex-specific molecular/genetic mechanisms and external risk factors including sex-specific responses to environmental stressors which may act through shared epigenetic pathways to influence the genome and behavioral output.
Awareness of and phobias about topical corticosteroids in parents of infants with eczema in Hangzhou, China.

Background/objectives Knowledge of and phobias about topical corticosteroids in parents of infants with eczema affect efficacy of eczema treatment. Methods We surveyed 300 parents of children with eczema using a questionnaire to investigate knowledge of and phobias about topical corticosteroids. Results Overall, 85.7% (n = 257) of children had used topical corticosteroids, with 12.8% (n = 33) of children having steroids applied for only 1-3 days per episode; 79.4% (n = 204) of patients discontinued topical steroid therapy immediately after improvement. Twenty-five percent (n = 75) of parents refused a prescription of steroid ointment, and 32.3% (n = 97) did not use the steroid ointment on their children despite having received a prescription. During steroid treatment, 95.7% (246) of parents were very concerned about the side effects of topical steroids. One hundred eight parents (42%) did not use a topical steroid ointment for recurrence of eczema because of concerns about using topical corticosteroids. Conclusion Most parents of infants with eczema had excessive concerns about topical corticosteroids, leading to inadequate treatment of atopic dermatitis. In clinical practice, physicians should reinforce parents' understanding of steroid treatment for eczema and guide rational use of topical steroids for infantile eczema.
Irregular Forces and Self-Defense Under the UN Charter

Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations requires an armed attack by a State has come under increasing challenge in the recent past. In a world increasingly struggling with the actions of terrorists, under what circumstances the conduct of irregular non-State actors amounts to an armed attack to permit the use of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, was most recently addressed by the ICJ in Congo v. Uganda. The separate and dissenting opinions in that case illustrate the increasing challenge to the requirement of an armed attack attributable to a State prior to the exercise of the right of self-defense. Furthermore, recent Security Council Resolutions have been cited as evidencing a move towards expanding the right of self-defense where attacks by irregular forces could not be attributed to a State. While the language of Article 51 has not been changed, the world wide response to terrorism has shaped the new contours of its interpretation. While Congo v. Uganda indicated that self-defense did not include attacks by irregular forces, the Security Council appears to have pushed the definitions. The question is whether State action that is inconsistent with the rule evidence the emergence of a new rule, or should the actions be treated as a breach.
MODELING CELLULAR SYSTEMS AND AGING PROCESSES: II. SOME THOUGHTS ON DESCRIBING AN ASYNCHRONOUSLY DIVIDING CELLULAR SYSTEM

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a model for cellular systems and aging processes. During the past decade, very substantial progress has been made in the critical testing of various alternative models and theories of the origins of the aging process. These advances come as a result of a variety of discoveries at the cellular, molecular, and integrative levels of function. There is strong reason to believe that the underlying causes for the loss of function of organs and organ systems with age have their basis at the cellular level. Cellular loss of function with time would clearly result in multiple functional losses in humans. A variety of experimental results on clonal senescence leads to a number of hypotheses/theories on mechanisms for aging in clonal cultures. This chapter presents major hypotheses/theories on aging. It also discusses a framework for the passage of biological properties through an asynchronously dividing cellular system.
Loss of the Cochlear Amplifier Prestin Reduces Temporal Processing Efficacy in the Central Auditory System

Active mechanical amplification of sound occurs in cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs) that change their length with oscillations of their membrane potential. Such length changes are the proposed cellular source of the cochlear amplifier, and prestin is the motor protein responsible for OHC electromotility. Previous findings have shown that mice lacking prestin displayed a loss of OHC electromotility, subsequent loss of distortion-product otoacoustic emissions, and a 40-60 dB increase in hearing thresholds. In this study we were interested in studying the functional consequences of the complete loss of cochlear amplification on neural coding of frequency selectivity, tuning, and temporal processing in the auditory midbrain. We recorded near-field auditory evoked potentials and multi-unit activity from the inferior colliculus (IC) of prestin (-/-) null and prestin (+/+) wild-type control mice and determined frequency response areas (FRAs), tuning sharpness, and gap detection to tone bursts and silent gaps embedded in broadband noise. We were interested in determining if the moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss associated with the loss of motor protein prestin would also impair auditory midbrain temporal-processing measures, or if compensatory mechanisms within the brainstem could compensate for the loss of prestin. In prestin knockout mice we observed that there are severe impairments in midbrain tuning, thresholds, excitatory drive, and gap detection suggesting that brainstem and midbrain processing could not overcome the auditory processing deficits afforded by the loss of OHC electromotility mediated by the prestin protein.
Effects of the Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals, Vinclozolin and Polychlorinated Biphenyls, on Physiological and Sociosexual Phenotypes in F2 Generation Sprague-Dawley Rats.

Background: Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) during gestation influences development of the F1 generation offspring and can result in disease and dysfunction in adulthood. Limited ...
Optimizing access to PrEP based on MSM preferences: results of a discrete choice experiment.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Despite documented effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), PrEP uptake remains low among men who have sex with men (MSM), the population bearing the highest HIV burd...
A Novel, Trauma-Informed Physical Examination Curriculum for First-Year Medical Students

Introduction Trauma is prevalent in the general population in various forms and has lasting effects on health. Physicians routinely examine patients who have experienced trauma, although most provi...
Equality, equity, and the distribution of income

Abstract. The three topics braided together in the title of this paper can be likened, in no particular order, to the elements in Winston Churchill’s classic definition of Russia: a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, insidean enigma. Make no mistake; this is complicated terrain. The purpose of this paper is to add a slight wrinkle to what is already a byzantine subject area. The ultimate goal is to introduce a new way of measuring the distribution of income, an approach that can provide the rationale to actually move the needle of public policy with respect to the issue of income redistribution. The paper begins with an extensive review of ‘equality and the distribution of income’ as the topic has evolved over the past one-hundred plus years, focusing on the Lorenz-curve/ Gini-ratio analysis, the principle measures of income distribution economists use to assess the state of society in terms of equality and inequality. Next follows a discussion, “Equity and the Distribution of Income,” which is a counterpoint to the previous discussion of equality and a prelude to the topic “A Sense of Fairness and the Distribution of Income,” the subject matter of third section of the paper, in which a new approach for assessing the fairness of income distribution is elaborated. The paper concludes with a set of policy implications with respect to income redistribution as implied in the measurement of the distribution of income discussed in the previous section of the paper. Keywords. Equality, Equity, Distribution of income, Lorenz Curve. JEL. D30, D63, E21.
Bytecode-Based Multiple Condition Coverage: An Initial Investigation

Masking occurs when one condition prevents another from influencing the output of a Boolean expression. Adequacy criteria such as Multiple Condition Coverage (MCC) overcome masking within one expression, but offer no guarantees about subsequent expressions. As a result, a Boolean expression written as a single complex statement will yield more effective test cases than when written as a series of simple expressions. Many approaches to automated test case generation for Java operate not on the source code, but on bytecode. The transformation to bytecode simplifies complex expressions into multiple expressions, introducing masking. We propose Bytecode-MCC, a new adequacy criterion designed to group bytecode expressions and reformulate them into complex expressions. Bytecode-MCC should produce test obligations that are more likely to reveal faults in program logic than tests covering the simplified bytecode.
“Men like to Eat More Rice and Beans and Things like That”: The Influence of Childhood Experience and Life Course Events on Dietary Acculturation

Life course perspective provides a framework for examining the immigrant experience within the context of globalization and transnationalism. Life course perspective states that individuals develop food choice trajectories based on childhood experiences with food. This study examined the influence of childhood experiences and life events on eating behaviors of Dominican born women in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and New York City. Findings revealed that women developed traditional or non-traditional food choice trajectories. These food choice trajectories remained stable through transition points, such as immigration, marriage, and divorce. Women discussed changes in the amount of food that was eaten, which may explain weight gain after immigration. These findings highlight the limitations of acculturation theory in understanding the eating behaviors of immigrants and provide an alternative explanation for weight gain after immigration.