cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of (−)-Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Elicited Liver and Small Intestine Gene Expression Profiles Between C57BL/6J Mice and C57BL/6J/Nrf2 (−/−) Mice

This study was conducted to study global gene expression profiles elicited by (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) in mouse liver and small intestine, as well as to identify EGCG-regulated Nrf2-dependent genes. C57BL/6J and C57BL/6J/Nrf2(−/−) mice were given an oral dose of EGCG at 200 mg/kg or treated with vehicle. Both liver and small intestine were collected 3 h and 12 h after treatment. Total RNA was extracted from the tissues and gene expression profiles were analyzed using Affymetrix mouse genome 430 2.0 array and GeneSpring 6.1 software. Microarray data were validated using quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR chain reaction analysis. Genes that were either induced or suppressed more than two fold by EGCG treatment compared with vehicle treatment in the same genotype group were filtered using the GeneSpring software. Among these well-defined genes, 671 EGCG-regulated Nrf2-dependent genes and 256 EGCG-regulated Nrf2-independent genes were identified in liver, whereas 228 EGCG-regulated Nrf2-dependent genes and 98 EGCG-regulated Nrf2-independent genes were identified in the small intestine. Based on their biological functions, these genes mainly fall into the category of ubiquitination and proteolysis, electron transport, detoxification, transport, cell growth and apoptosis, cell adhesion, kinase and phosphatases, and transcription factors. Genes expressed in mouse liver are more responsive to oral treatment of EGCG than those expressed in small intestine. EGCG could regulate many genes in both organs in an Nrf2-dependent manner. The identification of genes related to detoxification, transport, cell growth and apoptosis, cell adhesion, kinase, and transcription regulated by EGCG not only provide potential novel insight into the effect of EGCG on global gene expression and chemopreventive effects, but also point to the potential role of Nrf2 in these processes.
A general least squares solution for successive intervals.

A general least squares solution for successive intervals is presented, along with iterative procedures for obtaining stimulus scale values, discriminal dispersions, and category boundaries. Because provisions for weighting were incorporated into the derivation, the solution may be applied without loss of rigor to the typical experimental matrix of incomplete data, i.e., to a data matrix with missing entries, as well as to the rarely occurring matrix of complete data. The use of weights also permits adjustments for variations in the reliability of estimates obtained from the data. The computational steps involved in the solution are enumerated, the amount of labor required comparing favorably with other procedures. A quick, yet accurate, graphical approximation suggested by the least squares derivation is also described.
Bullying: a wellness concern among Appalachian youth

Adolescents in a southeastern, rural school were given the Five Factor Wellness Inventory and a survey to examine the relationship between bullying and wellness. A significant correlation between an aggregate score of bullying and total wellness (r = −.43, p Language: en
Human-in-the-Loop Evaluation of Ground-Based Automated Separation Assurance for NextGen

This paper describes human-in-the-loop research at NASA Ames Research Center on service provider-based automated separation assurance for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). Key human/automation integration aspects such as levels of automation and roles and responsibilities of automated separation management are investigated in the Airspace Operations Laboratory. A trilogy of part-task studies was designed to examine efficiency, safety, workload impact and acceptability of central aspects of the concept. Findings from a 2007 study on strategic trajectory-based automated separation assurance with data link-equipped aircraft are discussed in detail. Preliminary results on mixed operations with data link and conventional aircraft gathered in spring 2008 are included. The experiment design for investigating tactical safety assurance and off-nominal situations in summer 2008 is outlined. This research was funded by the Separation Assurance element of NASA’s Next Generation Air Transportation System – Airspace Project.
Blood and Nerves Revisited: Menopause and the Privatization of the Body in a Newfoundland Postindustrial Fishery

Ethnographic data from a longitudinal, interpretive study of women's changing social and cultural constructions of menopause in a postindustrial, Newfoundland fishing village indicate that three major changes have taken place in the way women conceptualize female, reproductive life-cycle events and processes. First, folk idioms of nerves and blood that once linked soma, psyche, place, and tradition are now trivialized and have been superseded by biomedical models of menopause. Second, physicians, television, magazines, and school teachers have replaced the community's middle-aged women and the mutual communication of shared experience as major sources of information and advice on reproduction and aging. Third, women's bodies have become privatized, and bodily metaphors that once linked women in complex individual and collective assessments of shared, highly valued traditions and mutual judgment of moral character have lost their dominance in village life.
Tetrahedral Colloidal Clusters from Random Parking of Bidisperse Spheres

Using experiments and simulations, we investigate the clusters that form when colloidal spheres stick irreversibly to--or "park" on--smaller spheres. We use either oppositely charged particles or particles labeled with complementary DNA sequences, and we vary the ratio α of large to small sphere radii. Once bound, the large spheres cannot rearrange, and thus the clusters do not form dense or symmetric packings. Nevertheless, this stochastic aggregation process yields a remarkably narrow distribution of clusters with nearly 90% tetrahedra at α = 2.45. The high yield of tetrahedra, which reaches 100% in simulations at α = 2.41, arises not simply because of packing constraints, but also because of the existence of a long-time lower bound that we call the "minimum parking" number. We derive this lower bound from solutions to the classic mathematical problem of spherical covering, and we show that there is a critical size ratio α(c) = (1 + sqrt[2]) ≈ 2.41, close to the observed point of maximum yield, where the lower bound equals the upper bound set by packing constraints. The emergence of a critical value in a random aggregation process offers a robust method to assemble uniform clusters for a variety of applications, including metamaterials.
Carrier-dependent and carrier-independent uptake of myo-inositol in cultured retinal pigment epithelial cells: activation by heat and concentration.

Transport of myo-inositol (MI) was studied in primary cultures of bovine retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. At low external concentrations (0.01–1 mM), uptake appeared to follow saturation kinetics, although the reciprocal forms of the rate equations did not fit either Lineweaver–Burk or Eadie–Hofstee plots. Increasing external concentrations dramatically changed the pattern of MI entry. At two to three orders of magnitude higher than physiological concentrations, a second saturation occurred (pseudo saturation). Cells incubated with 20 μM [3H]MI for 60 min had a ratio of intracellular to extracellular radioactivity ≥ 8, indicating active transport.MI transport reduction by Na+ replacement or inhibitors (phlorizin, ouabain, amiloride, KSCN, iodoacetamide, MI analogues) was greater when RPE cells were incubated with low (20–400 μM) than with high (10–20 mM) MI concentrations. Cells incubated with 20 μM MI at 53 or 65 °C showed increased transport (up to 560%) compared with cells at 22 °C. The effect o...
On Regulating Conflict of Interests in the Credit Rating Industry

This paper discusses issues giving rise to conflict of interest concerns in the credit rating industry and examines whether and how those issues are addressed in the current regulation that builds on the guidelines of the Credit Rating Agency Reform Act of 2006, the SEC rules that were initially adopted in 2007 and recently amended in 2009, and the internal code of conducts of rating agencies. The examination leads to a conclusion that conflict of interest at the individual rating analyst level and some concerns of conflict of interest at the agency level have been largely addressed in the current regulation, but conflict of interest arising from the issuer-pay business model and influences of large subscriber clients of rating agencies remains a concern. To address this concern, the paper proposes changes to the current regulation to enhance ex-ante risk disclosure and sharpen ex-post performance reporting requirements.
Understanding and Supporting African Americans’ Perspectives of End-of-Life Care Planning and Decision Making

Ethnicity has been found to explain some differences across ethnic groups regarding end-of-life care choices. African Americans appear to be less likely to know about advance directives and to complete them. Five community-based focus groups, consisting of 27 African Americans, were convened to explore their perspectives of end-of-life care planning and decision making. Content analysis revealed six themes: death is not an option, religiosity and end-of-life care planning is a paradox, the health care system is a microcosm of societal and historical events, a "trusted" family member or friend is the contract for life-and-death options, ethnically relevant initiatives are essential to increase advance directives participation, and people are people. These themes serve to guide health care professionals in minimizing actions that increase African Americans' mistrust of the health care system not only in end-of-life situations but also in all of health care-related interactions.
Technical Pearls for Swine Lung Transplantation

Background Since the advent of ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP), there has been increased focus on swine models of lung transplantation; however, the anatomic differences between human and swine lungs and the technical challenges in performing porcine lung transplantation are not well described in the surgical literature. Methods Surgically important anatomic variations are described, and the technical measures taken to address them during harvest and transplantation are introduced. Results There are three surgically important anatomic variations in pigs. First, the right cranial lobe bronchus arises directly from the trachea, which makes right lung transplantation technically challenging if not prohibitive. Second, the left hemi-azygos vein is fully developed and courses upward through the posterior mediastinum, where it crosses the left pulmonary hilum and drains directly into the coronary sinus. During transplantation, this vein is ligated and dissected away to expose the underlying left pulmonary hilar structures. Third, the right inferior pulmonary vein crosses the midline to drain into the left atrium immediately adjacent to the left inferior pulmonary vein. During donor lung preparation, the right inferior pulmonary vein is ligated distally from the left atrium, which leaves an adequate atrial cuff around the left sided pulmonary veins for later anastomosis. Conclusion Experimental porcine lung transplantation is technically demanding. We have found recognition of the above described anatomical differences and technical nuances facilitate transplantation and provide reproducible results.
A Closer Examination of the Questionnaire about Dreams and its Relation to Creativity

The relationship between attitudes towards dreams and creativity, (ideational fluency) was investigated in ninety-six subjects utilizing Domino's Questionnaire About Dreams (QAD) and a modified Wallach-Kogan battery. Although item analyses failed to replicate earlier findings regarding the discriminative utility of the QAD with regards to creativity, a subsequent factor analysis revealed two dominant factors accounting for 52 percent of the variance. These factors correspond roughly to educated versus mystical beliefs regarding dream origin. Mystical dream origin correlated negatively with one measure of ideational fluency. Results are discussed with regard to the future utility of the QAD in identifying creative individuals, and in clarifying the relationship between dreams and both creativity and psychopathology.
Beyond Gorilla and Pongo: Alternative models for evaluating variation and sexual dimorphism in fossil hominoid samples

Sexual size dimorphism in the postca- nine dentition of the late Miocene hominoid Lufengpithe- cus lufengensis exceeds that in Pongo pygmaeus, demon- strating that the maximum degree of molar size dimor- phism in apes is not represented among the extant Hominoidea. It has not been established, however, that the molars of Pongo are more dimorphic than those of any other living primate. In this study, we used resam- pling-based methods to compare molar dimorphism in Gorilla, Pongo ,a ndLufengpithecus to that in the papio- nin Mandrillus leucophaeus to test two hypotheses: (1) Pongo possesses the most size-dimorphic molars among living primates and (2) molar size dimorphism in Lufengpithecus is greater than that in the most dimorphic living primates. Our results show that M. leucophaeus exceeds great apes in its overall level of dimorphism and that L. lufengensis is more dimorphic than the extant spe- cies. Using these samples, we also evaluated molar dimor- phism and taxonomic composition in two other Miocene ape samples—Ouranopithecus macedoniensis from Greece, specimens of which can be sexed based on associ- ated canines and P3s, and the Sivapithecus sample from Haritalyangar, India. Ouranopithecus is more dimorphic than the extant taxa but is similar to Lufengpithecus, demonstrating that the level of molar dimorphism required for the Greek fossil sample under the single-spe- cies taxonomy is not unprecedented when the compara- tive framework is expanded to include extinct primates. In contrast, the Haritalyangar Sivapithecus sample, if it represents a single species, exhibits substantially greater molar dimorphism than does Lufengpithecus. Given these results, the taxonomic status of this sample remains equivocal. Am J Phys Anthropol 140:253-264,
Reproductive Biology of an Epibenthic Amphipod ( Dyopedos Monacanthus ) With Extended Parental Care

Dyopedos monacanthus inhabits self-constructed mud whips on marine soft-bottoms. Juveniles stay on the mud whip of their mother for extended time periods after they hatch from her brood pouch. During the main reproductive period in the spring, parental females have been observed in the aquarium and collected from the field. Specimens of D. monacanthus have been collected simultaneously from the intake filter from the seawater laboratory. Several consecutive clutches have been found on the whip of one female. Most juveniles are small (1 mm in size), but they grow to sizes of >2 mm on the whip of their mother. In the aquarium, juveniles usually hatched immediately after the females had been attended by males. They then clung to their mother's whip for about two weeks. Most parental females in the aquarium produced three broods during a time period of about six weeks. In the field an average of 36 parental females nr 2 were found in April, and an average number of 75 juveniles clung to each female's whip. The average number of juveniles found on the females' whips declined in May and June. Many juveniles appeared in the sea-water intake filter starting in mid April. Most juveniles caught in the intake filter were between 2 and 3 mm in size which corresponds well with their size at leaving the female's whip. In mid May, all amphipods disappeared within a few days from the aquarium, when shrimp Crangon septemspinosa started to become more active again. Many big females disappeared in the field at that time too, and in mid June parental females were smaller than in the previous months. The amphipod D. monacanthus belongs in the category of epibenthic suspension-feeding amphipods. It is probably very susceptible to epibenthic predation and extended parental care is primarily a mechanism to lift very small juveniles above the viscous sublayer in the benthic boundary layer.
Colonic disease site and perioperative complications predict need for later intestinal interventions following intestinal resection in pediatric Crohn's disease.

Abstract Introduction We studied variables associated with outcomes following intestinal resection for Crohn's disease. Methods A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained single surgeon database was performed. Outcomes evaluated included disease recurrence, need for further resection/dilatation, and complications. Explanatory variables included: anatomical region of resection, open or laparoscopic approach, surgical procedure, technique of anastomosis, number of anastomoses, use of biological therapy, resection margin disease, age at resection, and period (quartile) in series. Results 81 children had 100 resections at a median age 14.5years with a median follow-up of 7.7years. Overall complication rate was 22%. Of the 77 children with no prior resection, 40 (52%) had disease recurrence, and 24 (31%) underwent further resection or dilatation. None of the explanatory variables predicted complications. Disease recurrence was significantly associated with younger age at first resection but not duration of follow-up. The probability of further intestinal intervention was strongly associated with disease site and complications. Odds ratio for further surgery for colonic disease site compared to ileocecal disease site was 7 (95% CI 1.8–26; P =0.004). Odds ratio for further intestinal resection following surgery where a complication had occurred compared to no complication was 3.4 (95% CI 1.1–10.3; P =0.02. Both disease site and complication status also significantly affected the interval to further surgery. Conclusions The probability of requiring a second intestinal intervention for pediatric Crohn's disease is related to the disease site and the complication status.
An efficient kinetic approach to the modeling of the electron distribution function in low-pressure high-density plasma tools

Summary form only given. Plasma tool models are gaining increasing importance in the design of new plasma processing discharges. A major requirement for a plasma model to be suitable for engineering design studies is the computational efficiency of the model. In this paper we focus on one aspect of the problem, namely the efficient modeling of the electron component of low pressure plasmas. The typically non-Maxwellian character of the electron distribution function (EDF) and the kinetic character of the different heating mechanisms requires a kinetic treatment which adds an additional "energy" dimension to the number of spatial dimensions considered in other modules of the model.
A Biopsychosocial Perspective on Parenting and Developmental Psychopathology

Although considerable research has examined the relations between parental behavior and a range of child developmental outcomes, much of this work has been conducted at a very broad level of behavioral analysis. A developmental psychopathology framework and recent research conducted within this framework point to the need for models of parenting and child psychopathology that offer greater specificity regarding processes that may be implicated in the effects of these relationships. In addition, recent animal work and some human work has focused more on the proximal biological and social mechanisms through which parenting affects child outcomes. Our conceptualization of parenting effects acknowledges that family and child factors are embedded in a dynamic biological and social context that is key to understanding developmental trajectories of child adjustment. In this paper, we review two areas of research that are illuminating the biological processes underlying links between parenting and child psychopathology: molecular genetics and psychophysiology. We adopt a biopsychosocial perspective on developmental psychopathology that implies that a set of hierarchically organized, but reciprocally interacting, processes, from the genetic to the environmental, provide the essential elements of both normative and nonnormative development (Gottlieb, 2007). New directions stimulated by this general approach are discussed, with an emphasis on the contextual and developmental issues and applications implied by such a perspective.
Neurologic events following carotid endarterectomy: Prediction of outcome

A total of 1572 carotid endarterectomies were performed at one institution between 1975 and 1987. One hundred five patients had early (<3 weeks) neurologic events following carotid endarterectomy. Sixty-five patients had cerebral vascular accidents (CVAs) (4.1%), 14 patients had reversible ischemic neurologic deficits (0.9%), and 26 patients had transient ischemic attacks (1.7%). Eight patients died from CVAs (0.5%). The mean follow-up was 31 months (range 1 to 137 months) with a 5-year cumulative survival of 77%. The median time of occurrence of neurologic events was 4 hours. Ages, cerebral protection, patches, carotid occlusion time (mean 29 minutes), gender, and status of the contralateral carotid arteries were not predictors of outcome. Death from neurologic events increased significantly in patients who had preoperative CVAs compared with patients with preoperative transient neurologic deficits (p<0.05). The time of occurrence of CVA after carotid endarterectomy affected outcome, and an early CVA (<4 hours) was associated with a higher mortality at 30 days and at 4 months as a consequence of the initial CVA (p=0.11). Patients who had a neurologic event more than 4 hours after surgery had a significantly better resolution of their symptoms (66%) compared with patients who had an early neurologic event (35%,p<0.05). The long-term follow-up of the surviving patients demonstrated an improvement in neurologic function in 75% of the CVA group (36/48) and 92% (76/83) of all patients who had neurologic events in long-term follow-up.
Utilization, price, and spending trends for antidepressants in the US Medicaid Program.

Abstract Background Antidepressants are often used in the treatment of major depressive disorder and other mental illnesses, and constitute one of the most widely prescribed and costly medication classes in the US Medicaid Program. However, antidepressant utilization and price patterns within this market have not yet been adequately characterized. Objectives This study was undertaken to analyze antidepressant drug utilization and price trends and to quantify market-share competition in Medicaid. Methods Quarterly utilization and payment data were retrieved from the national Medicaid pharmacy claims files provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Quarterly per-prescription prices were estimated by dividing the payment amounts by the number of prescriptions. Descriptive time series analysis was conducted to assess the trends of utilization, expenditures, market shares, and prices from January 1991 through December 2005, for 3 major antidepressant subclasses—Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Tricyclic Antidepressants, and Other Antidepressants—as well as for individual agents within these subclasses. Using exponential smoothing models, 3-year market-share forecasts were produced. Results From 1991 to 2005, the total number of antidepressant prescriptions rose 380% from 6.82 million to 32.72 million. Total expenditures on antidepressants increased from $159 million in1991 to $2.26 billion in 2004, then decreased to $1.99 billion in 2005, following the entry of lower-priced generic fluoxetine in 2001 and generic paroxetine in 2003. The payment market share for the SSRIs increased from 40% in 1991 to 82% in 1997, then decreased to 64% in 2005. It is projected to be 64% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 51-77%) in 2008 quarter 4. Conclusions Increases in antidepressant drug expenditures were primarily because of rising utilization; however, there was also some increase in average price per prescription for many of the antidepressants studied. Switching to generic drugs may offer significant cost-saving potential.
An enhancement study on the SDSL upstream receiver

This paper provides a new approach to mitigate the crosstalk interference in the symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL) upstream transmission. A vector channel equalizer has been proposed for the SDSL upstream receiver to enhance spectral compatibility for the SDSL services. This approach outperforms a conventional scalar equalizer, which used in the current SDSL systems, has about a 15 dB gain in mean squared error (MSE). It significantly suppresses the crosstalk degradation and ensures the quality of service (QoS) on the SDSL transmission throughput. Moreover, the enhancement of the SDSL receiver can benefit the extension of the SDSL deployment coverage range and also guarantees promising data rates on increasing numbers of customer subscribers.
PX1: a space shuttle mission operations knowledge-based system project

A knowledge-based system (KBS) prototyping project is examined. The work entails reasoning about the impact of component failures in space shuttle orbiter subsystems. The effort is directed toward the development of a system that will recognize passive component failures as potential safety hazards, rather than toward an active failure identification or diagnostic tool. The system was designed to be integrated as a knowledge-based processing system utilizing input from a procedure-based processing system. Implementation of the consolidated system will occur when real-time telemetry data is available at the workstations. The system may be used standalone in the meantime. Flight controllers at the Johnson Space Center will use this prototype to help develop requirements for a space shuttle mission operations tool. >
Estimation of sparse multipath channels

In many communication systems the channel impulse response can be characterized with a parametric form, though the channel estimation is often performed using an equivalent discrete-time linear time-invariant system (usually modeled as a moving average (MA) system).When the number of parameters which describe the channel is less than the number of unknowns in the MA model, the ML estimate of the parameters describing the channel may lead to a better estimate of the channel response. However, this ML estimation procedure is highly complex. The objectives of this paper are 1) to cast the parameter estimation problem as a sparse estimation problem, 2) to compare the performance of this estimate with the CRB of the parameter estimation problem and the least squares estimate, and 3) to present novel guidelines on the amount of resources which one must devote to training for identification of the channel.
An Island, a Heron, Jim Harrison, and I: Reading Poetry in Place

Although many researchers discuss the ways in which poetry and other literary arts can illuminate and influence readers’ perceptions of landscapes and places, few consider the reverse effect—how a reader’s immediate environment can enhance his or her understanding of a text. This creative nonfiction essay interweaves descriptions of the author’s experience in a remote corner of Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska with analysis of the themes from Jim Harrison’s collection In Search of Small Gods, intending to question notions of “appropriate” literature, explore interaction between place-identity and poetry, and show how the rhythms of the real world—birds coming, birds going; tide out, tide in—can bring the written word to life.
Skin sterols IV. Distribution of delta 7-cholestenol.

Summary1. The concentration of Δ7-cholestenol in rat skin sterols increased rapidly from birth to 5-6 weeks of age but remained fairly constant thereafter. Skin sterols from adult male rats contained from 35-40% of Δ7-cholestenol while skin from females contained 25-30%. These proportions did not change in severe pantothenic acid deficiency nor in hypothyroidism. Hyperthyroidism, however, appeared to increase the concentration of Δ7-cholestenol in sterols from female rats. 2. The total fast-acting sterol in the skins of the wild rat and cotton rat were similar to those of the laboratory rat, while sterols from the skins of the mouse and guinea pig contained about 15% of a fast-acting component. The amounts of Δ7-cholestenol were low in the skins of the pig, rabbit, dog, calf, chicken, and cat. A sample of human skin and a human atheromatous aorta contained negligible amounts of the new sterol.
Role of the Barrel Shock as Control Element for Hypersonic Transverse Jet Injection Flows

*† The role of the barrel shock in controlling the secondary flow associated with gaseous injection of underexpanded air through circular and 15-degree half-angle diamond orifices into a high Reynolds number Mach 5.0 freestream was numerically investigated. The Detached-Eddy-Simulation version of Menter’s two-equation SST model was used in these simulations. A discussion of the resulting flowfield with emphasis on the structure of the barrel shock and its effect on the flow is presented. A new transverse counter rotating vortex pair with the potential to act a gasdynamic flame holding mechanism was identified in the flow. The results were also post-processed to identify the salient vorticity transport processes.
Systematic Investigation of Ligand Substitution Effects in Cyclophane-Based Nickel(II) and Palladium(II) Olefin Polymerization Catalysts(1)

The synthesis of Ni(II) and Pd(II) cyclophane-based α-diimine olefin polymerization catalysts bearing a range of electron-donating or -withdrawing groups is described. Substituent effects were confirmed by measurement of CO infrared stretching frequencies in Pd(II) carbonyl complexes. Polymerizations with ethylene were investigated in detail involving determination of catalyst productivity and thermal stability, especially at elevated temperature, as well as analysis of polymer molecular weight and microstructure. The Ni(II) catalysts, formed by in situ treatment of tetraarylborate salts of [Ni(diimine)(acac)]+ with triisobutylaluminum, exhibited little variation in productivity or thermal stability across the substitution series, but the resulting polymers showed an increase in both molecular weight and branching density for catalysts with increasingly electron-withdrawing character. The chloride-substituted Pd(II) analogue, however, was notable in its markedly higher productivity and thermal stability a...
Parental and work role salience, everyday problems, and distress: a prospective analysis of specific vulnerability among multiple-role women.

Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to model psychological distress and physical complaints among 106 working mothers experiencing chronic stressors. Moderator variables included parental and occupational role value and commitment as measured by the Life Role Salience Scales. Both concurrent and prospective relationships were examined by means of a two-wave longitudinal design. A specific vulnerability model was tested by aggregating stressors according to role domains and matching stress variables to role salience variables. The psychological salience of social role occupation was hypothesized to intensify the impact of role-related stressors. Multiple regression analyses partially supported a swcific vulnerability model. Parental role commitment and ocupational role value significantly interacted with corresponding role-related stressors in predicting prospective health outcomes.
Complete Genome Sequence of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Myophage Mushroom

ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is a leading cause of foodborne illness worldwide. Over the past two decades, strains resistant to antibiotics have begun to emerge, highlighting the need for alternative treatment strategies such as bacteriophage therapy. Here, we present the complete genome of Mushroom, an S. Typhimurium myophage.
The PI3K-AKT Pathway in Melanoma

Numerous signaling pathways are involved in the molecular pathogenesis of melanoma. Two of the most prominent pathways include the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK pathway and the PI3K-AKT pathway. While targeted inhibition of BRAF/MEK have resulted in improved survival in patients with BRAF V600-mutated melanoma, therapeutic resistance is often the end result. The PI3K-AKT pathway plays a significant role in BRAF-/MEK-inhibitor resistance in melanoma patients and may represent a crucial target for combination therapy. This chapter will describe the components of the PI3K-AKT pathway, highlight their role in cellular physiology and melanoma pathogenesis, and examine their potential for molecular-targeted therapy.
Effects of daily meteorology on the interpretation of space-based remote sensing of NO 2

Abstract. Retrievals of tropospheric NO2 columns from UV–visible observations of reflected sunlight require a priori vertical profiles to account for the variation in sensitivity of the observations to NO2 at different altitudes. These profiles vary in space and time but are usually approximated using models that do not resolve the full details of this variation. Currently, no operational retrieval simulates these a priori profiles at both high spatial and high temporal resolution. Here we examine the additional benefits of daily variations in a priori profiles for retrievals already simulating a priori NO2 profiles at sufficiently high spatial resolution to identify variations of NO2 within urban plumes. We show the effects of introducing daily variation into a priori profiles can be as large as 40 % and 3 × 1015 molec. cm−2 for an individual day and lead to corrections as large as −13 % for a monthly average in a case study of Atlanta, GA, USA. Additionally, we show that NOx emissions estimated from space-based remote sensing using daily, high-spatial-resolution a priori profiles are ∼ 100 % greater than those of a retrieval using spatially coarse a priori profiles, and 26–40 % less than those of a retrieval using monthly averaged high-spatial-resolution profiles.
The Effects of Gender and Cost on Suspicion in Initial Courtship Communications

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of gender on suspicion towards claims made during courtship communications. It was hypothesized that participants would be more suspicious of claims made about reproductive relevant traits. To test the hypothesis, participants read a total of eight scenarios describing traits relevant to female reproduction (wealth, commitment, and child interest), traits relevant to male reproduction (physical beauty, youth, and sexual availability), and traits neutral to both genders (stargazing and game playing). After each scenario, participants indicated their suspiciousness about the veracity of the communication on five scales. As predicted, both men and women believed the neutral claim scenarios more than claims about reproductively significant traits. Women compared to men were more suspicious of claims related to wealth, commitment, and child interest, while men compared to women were more suspicious of claims related to physical beauty, youth, and sexual availability.
Molecular Diagnosis of HIV-1 Infections: Current State of the Art

In the management of HIV infections, laboratorians or clinical microbiologists determine whether a patient is infected with HIV, evaluate the status of the HIV infection, and monitor antiretroviral therapy. Theoretically, an HIV infection can be diagnosed and monitored by any of five possible ways: (1) direct microscopic examination such as visualization of an HIV virion by electronic microscopy, (2) cultivation and identification of HIV by suspension lymphocyte culture, (3) detection of HIV viral antigens, (4) measurement of HIV-specific immune responses, and (5) detection and quantification of HIV-specific nucleic acids [1, 2]. Practically speaking, the diagnosis and monitoring of HIV infection is done by serologic and molecular methods. Molecular methods were first used by Ou et al. from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1988 to directly amplify HIV-1 specific nucleic acids from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HIV-1 seropositive individuals [3]. In this sentinel article, the authors concluded that “the method may therefore be used to complement or replace virus isolation as a routine means of determining HIV-1 infection [3].” This has certainly proven to be correct.
Glass: The Geologic Connection

Silicate glasses can be formed by several geological processes all of which involve melting of rock and rapid cooling to prevent crystallization. The most common and widespread natural glasses are volcanic glasses produced when magma is extruded onto the Earth's surface. The type of volcanic glass is determined by the composition of the magma and type of eruption, which in turn are related to the geological setting. During high velocity impacts of large extraterrestrial bodies, melted rock can be ejected into the atmosphere — and sometimes into space — where it cools to form large glass bodies centimeters in size or larger, called tektites, and smaller glass bodies, called impact spherules. Tektites and spherules can be thrown over large areas of the Earth's surface. Impact spherules can also form by condensation from an impact plume of vaporized surface rocks and impactor. Lightning strikes generate high enough temperatures to melt and vaporize rock. When they hit sand, they can produce tube-like structures called fulgurites. Burning of organic material, like oil or coal, underground can melt rock and produce combustion-metamorphic glasses. Glasses called frictionites can be produced by frictional heating at the base of massive landslides. Friction glasses can also be generated during faulting.
Simulation and Calibration of Options Prices under a Levy-Type Stochastic Dynamic and Semi Markov Market Switching Regimes Processes

This work mainly highlights the benefits of derivative pricing in a semi Markov switching market. We explore the main differences between Markov and Semi Markov regime switching models. The three main problems we deal with are, (1) historical parameter calibration through the recently developed LLGMM method, (2) effects of semi Markov parameters on option prices and (3) comparison of Heston model, semi Markov regime model and Markov regime model calibration performances over both sequential option price calibration and the overall implied volatility surface of the market. Employing the LLGMM method, parameters of the spot price process described by a linear Levy-type stochastic differential equation under semi-Markov structural perturbations are calibrated to observed prices. From Fourier space time stepping and Carr and Madan methods, risk neutral parameters of the spot price are calibrated and interpreted. American and European style vanilla and exotic option prices are simulated. The presented results are shown in the context of a piecewise constant semi-Markov intensity matrix approximating a Weibull intensity matrix. We obtain that under the conditional minimum entropy martingale measure, option prices predictably increase as the regime risk increases through the intensity matrix of the semi Markov process. Calibration and simulation results demonstrate noticeable effects of semi-Markov parameters on option prices and a demonstrably better calibration fit of the Black Scholes model over the entire volatility surface, in a market with semi Markov regimes.
Pericardial Effusion Following Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Children and Young Adults Is Associated with Increased Risk of Mortality.

Abstract Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is curative for many pediatric malignant and nonmalignant disorders but is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, including the development of pericardial effusion (PEF). We report the results of a retrospective chart review performed to assess the incidence, risk factors, and prognostic significance of PEF in pediatric HCT recipient at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital of Stanford University. A total of 119 patients undergoing HCT between January 2010 and December 2013 were selected through the hospital's Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Program database. A retrospective chart review, including review of documentation, correspondence, imaging reports, laboratory values, and death records, was performed to collect data. The overall incidence of PEF in our population was 21%. Risk factors for the development of PEF included unrelated donor transplants and cord blood as the stem cell source (P = .005), whereas HLA mismatch approached significance (P = .05). The risk for development of PEF was found to not be significantly associated with acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), age at transplantation, sex, conditioning regimen, or viral reactivation status. Of interest, 6 of the 119 patients were found to have transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA). Four of those 6 patients developed PEF, suggesting TA-TMA as a risk factor for PEF. Eight of the 25 patients who developed PEF (32%) required pericardiocentesis. Five out of the 8 patients requiring pericardiocentesis died owing to causes unrelated to the procedure or to PEF itself. Pericardial fluid testing in 4 of these patients (50%) was positive for human herpesvirus 6, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, and/or adenovirus. Finally, of significant interest, patients with PEF had a statistically significant higher likelihood of mortality compared with those without PEF (44% versus 17%; P = .007).
Bases of Excitatory Amino Acid System-Related Neurotoxicity

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on excitatory amino acid (EAA) system-related neurotoxicity. Excitatory amino acids such as L-glutamate are involved in normal neurotransmission in the mammalian nervous system and are believed to be critical for many important neurobiological functions, including long-term potentiation, learning and memory, and developmental plasticity. Evidences suggest that some neurodegenerative and neurological diseases may be related to abnormalities of EAA neurotransmission. The exact involvement of EAA in these disease processes is not known, although it has been postulated that excitotoxicity resulting from disease-related overstimulation of glutamate receptors may be a causative factor. It is also suggested that cognitive dysfunction associated with some neurodegenerative and neurological disorders is related to overstimulation of glutamate receptors in key areas of the brain. The involvement of the N-methyl- D -aspartate (NMDA) subtype of receptors seems likely, given their critical role in long-term potentiation and learning and memory, and their relatively high distribution in regions of the brain known to be involved in cognitive function, such as the hippocampus. In vivo studies show that direct application of NMDA into the hippocampus produces neuronal destruction and associated cognitive dysfunction.
Examination of competing diagnostic models of functional gastrointestinal disorders related to pain in children.

Background There have been no empirical validations of the Rome III or Rome IV criteria in children. The aim of the current study was to examine whether symptoms naturally occur in a pattern consistent with Rome III and/or Rome IV pediatric criteria for functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 250 children, ages 8-17 years, presenting to an abdominal pain clinic with pain of at least 8 weeks duration. We evaluated patterns of gastrointestinal (GI) and non-gastrointestinal (non-GI) symptoms which had been collected in a standardized fashion as part of routine clinical care. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to compare pre-existing models of symptoms clusters, namely Rome III and Rome IV criteria for IBS and FD in children and adolescents. Factor intercorrelations also were examined to determine whether IBS symptoms and non-GI somatic complaints correlate uniquely with FD symptom clusters. Key Results Both models demonstrated good fit with observed data [3-factor: χ2 (101, n=250)110.75, P<.05, TLI=.99, CFI=.99; 4-factor: χ2(98, n=250)117.54, P<.05, TLI=.96, CFI=.97]. Fit indices and intercorrelations favored the more parsimonious 3-factor solution (3-factor: AIC=4654.91, BIC=4778.17; 4-factor: AIC=4757.16, BIC=4890.97) consistent with pediatric Rome III criteria that conceptualizes FD as a single diagnostic category. FD demonstrated significant overlap with IBS (.42), while non-GI-specific symptoms correlated significantly with FD (.64), but not IBS (.14) symptoms. Conclusions & Inferences GI symptoms in children presenting for initial evaluation of chronic functional abdominal pain occur in a pattern consistent with Rome III and IV pediatric criteria. Rome III offers a more parsimonious model. The presence of FD symptoms is strongly, and uniquely, associated with non-GI symptoms.
Social Work and Law: Judicial Policy and Forensic Practice by Sunny Harris Rome

For those of us teaching both social work and law courses, the challenge is the breadth of what we teach. Law seeps into virtually every aspect of social work, from clinical practice to community o...
Interaction of Gluconeogenesis with Mixed Function Oxidation in Perfused Rat Liver

Summary Mixed function oxidation in perfused rat liver depends upon the rate of generation of extra-mitochondrial NADPH (Thurman and Scholz, E. J. Biochem. 10:459, 1969). Of the intermediates necessary for this NADPH generation, malate and glucose-6-phosphate are also involved in the synthesis of glucose. The addition of aminopyrine, a substrate for mixed function oxidation, caused slight inhibition of glucose production from lactate and dihydroxyacetone in livers from normal starved rats, but complete inhibition in livers from phenobarbital treated animals. Lactate utilization was diminished, but not to the extent to which glucose synthesis was inhibited. Moreover, uptake of added glucose was observed following aminopyrine addition to phenobarbital treated livers. Aminopyrine oxidation is about five times faster in liver microsomes from phenobarbital treated animals due to an induction of the mixed function oxygenase system (Remmer and Merker, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 123:79, 1965). Since the inhibitory effect of aminopyrine on glucose production was also inducible, a direct action on gluconeogenic enzymes is improbable. Furthermore, an alteration of the energetic state by aminopyrine also appears to be unlikely since respiration of isolated mitochondria was not inhibited by concentrations employed in the perfusion experiments. The surface fluorescence of reduced pyridine nucleotides decreased sharply following the addition of aminopyrine, but concomitant changes in the redox ratios of NADH linked metabolite couples were not observed. This suggests that a rapid oxidation of NADPH occurred and that the extra-mitochondrial NADH and NADPH pools are not in rapid equilibrium. These findings lead to the conclusion that gluconeogenesis is inhibited indirectly by aminopyrine as a consequence of enhanced mixed function oxidation, i. e. drug metabolism. The data are consistent with increased flux through the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase reaction due to increased NADPH oxidation and/or inhibition of glucose-6-phosphatase.
Coronary-Cameral Fistula: Preliminary Diagnosis According to Colour and Continuous Wave Doppler Echocardiography.

Summary We present a rare case of an incidentally discovered right coronary-cameral fistula (CCF) to the left ventricle, with a diagnosis initially made based on contrast enhanced continuous wave (CW) Doppler echocardiography. Computed tomographic angiography, and later invasive coronary angiography, confirmed the diagnosis. Through a multi-modality approach including contrast enhanced CW Doppler, a diagnosis of CCF can be conclusively made.