cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Machine Learning: The Inductive View

In the deductive view of artificial intelligence, one starts with initial hypotheses (e.g., statements in the knowledge base), and then reasons in order to infer further conclusions. Unfortunately, this view of artificial intelligence is rather limited, since one cannot infer facts other than those that can be related to what is already present in the knowledge base, or can be enunciated as concrete sentences from these known facts. In the inductive view, one words in the reverse order, where disparate facts are used to create hypotheses, which are then used to make predictions.
Relationships Between Socioeconomic Status, Insurance Coverage for Diabetes Technology and Adverse Health in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes.

INTRODUCTION Insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors (CGM) have many benefits in the management of type 1 diabetes. Unfortunately disparities in technology access occur in groups with increased risk for adverse effects (eg, low socioeconomic status [SES], public insurance). RESEARCH DESIGN & METHODS Using 2015 to 2016 data from 4,895 participants from the T1D Exchange Registry, a structural equation model (SEM) was fit to explore the hypothesized direct and indirect relationships between SES, insurance features, access to diabetes technology, and adverse clinical outcomes (diabetic ketoacidosis, hypoglycemia). SEM was estimated using the maximum likelihood method and standardized path coefficients are presented. RESULTS Higher SES and more generous insurance coverage were directly associated with CGM use (β = 1.52, SE = 0.12, P < .0001 and β = 1.21, SE = 0.14, P < .0001, respectively). Though SES displayed a small inverse association with pump use (β = -0.11, SE = 0.04, P = .0097), more generous insurance coverage displayed a stronger direct association with pump use (β = 0.88, SE = 0.10, P < .0001). CGM use and pump use were both directly associated with fewer adverse outcomes (β = -0.23, SE = 0.06, P = .0002 and β = -0.15, SE = 0.04, P = .0002, respectively). Both SES and insurance coverage demonstrated significant indirect effects on adverse outcomes that operated through access to diabetes technology (β = -0.33, SE = 0.09, P = .0002 and β = -0.40, SE = 0.09, P < .0001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The association between SES and insurance coverage and adverse outcomes was primarily mediated through diabetes technology use, suggesting that disparities in diabetes outcomes have the potential to be mitigated by addressing the upstream disparities in technology use.
Influence of repeat abdominal radiographs on the resolution of mechanical obstruction and gastrointestinal foreign material in dogs and cats.

Mechanical obstruction is a common cause of acute vomiting among small animals and radiography is the first line diagnostic tool. Due to many circumstances, surgery may not be an immediate treatment option. The purpose of this retrospective, cross-sectional design study is to determine the incidence of radiographic resolution of mechanical obstruction or gastrointestinal foreign material with medical management. Inclusion criteria included: clinical signs of vomiting, radiographic diagnosis of mechanical obstruction, suspect mechanical obstruction, foreign material suspected or definitively identified on the first set of radiographs and a second set of repeat radiographs within 36 h. Radiographic resolution was dependent on the location of dilation; 18/48 (37.5%) resolved were gastric, 6/35 (17.1%) were small intestinal, and 4/35 (11.4%) had concurrent gastric and small intestinal obstruction. Gastric dilation was more likely to resolve than SI dilation or both gastric and small intestinal dilation (P = .0119). Forty-nine animals without resolution went to surgery, with two developing pneumoperitoneum, and seven requiring intestinal resection, three of which had linear foreign bodies and three had intestinal masses/strictures. In conclusion, only 17.1% of animals with small intestinal dilation and a radiographic diagnosis of mechanical ileus resolved on repeat radiographs, and only 11.4% of animals with both small intestinal and gastric dilation resolved. Gastric dilation alone was more likely to resolve than small intestinal dilation or a combination of both. This may help to guide practitioners in recommendations for medical management of mechanical ileus in the future.
China, a country with both selenium deficiency and toxicity: some thoughts and impressions.

Apres un voyage en Chine, l'auteur rapporte dans cet article ses observations et ses impressions sur les cas de toxicite par le selenium ainsi que les cas de deficience en selenium. Il decrit 2 maladies de carence: la maladie de Keshan et celle de Kachin-Beck
An exact numerical algorithm for computing the unwrapped phase of a finite-length sequence

A direct relationship between a one-dimensional time series and its unwrapped phase was shown by R. McGowan and R. Kuc (1982). They proposed an algorithm for computing the unwrapped phase by counting the number of sign changes in a Sturm sequence generated from the real and imaginary parts of the DFT (discrete Fourier transform). Their algorithm is limited to relatively short sequences by numerical accuracy. An extension of their algorithm is proposed which, by using all-integer arithmetic, permits exact computation of the number of multiples of pi which must be added to the principal value of the phase to uniquely give the unwrapped phase of a one-dimensional rational-valued finite-length sequence of arbitrary length. This extended algorithm should be of interest when highly accurate phase unwrapping is required. >
Two-layer video coding and priority statistical multiplexing over ATM networks

A two-layer video coding technique is developed. The video signals, after discrete cosine transformation (DCT), are coded via a hybrid compression scheme of a vector quantization technique (VQ) and an entropy coder at the primary layer, while the distortion between the original video signals and the decoded output of the VQ is coded by the means of an entropy coder which is compatible with the MPEG standard at the secondary layer. The peak traffic generated by an intra-frame at the primary layer is quasi-constant. Therefore, bandwidth can be easily allocated for the traffic at this layer. Since the traffic at the primary layer is a small fraction of the overall traffic, there is no cell loss due to network congestion at this layer. The traffic at the secondary layer is adapted to the congestion in the network via a novel adaptive bit rate control scheme based on the occupancy of the multiplexing buffer at end of each frame interval. With this scheme, the cell-loss-rate (CLR) at the secondary layer is, and the overall quality of service (QoS) is improved. Actual video sequences are used to validate the two-layer video coder and the adaptive bit rate control scheme. The CLR reduces in magnitude under high network utilization when our bit rate control scheme is applied. The experimental results are compared with the analytical calculation with the assumption of an M/M/1/N queuing model. We find that the CLR from the numerical simulation is close to that of the analytical calculation especially when the network is highly utilized.
Supervised selection of prototypes for classification (speech recognition)

Given sufficient samples of data tagged with their class identities, three techniques for constructing supervised prototypes to represent these classes are examined. The first method consists of averaging the tokens of each class separately to obtain the prototypes. In the second approach, several tokens, picked uniformly from each class, are designated as prototypes. The third technique involves a systematic search procedure to select effective prototypes and discard obsolete ones. Approximately two hours of continuous speech data from each of two speakers were used for experimentation. Each centisecond frame of speech was labeled with one of 200 phonetic subunit names utilizing hidden Markov model training and Viterbi alignment procedures. Prototypes were determined from the first part of the data, whereas the last part served to measure the classification performance. Average accuracies ranged from 24.2% with 200 prototypes in the first, to 31.5% with 32000 prototypes in the second, to 38.5% with 2258 prototypes in the third method. >
Type-Specific Antigens of Group B Type Ic Streptococci

The type-specific antigens of group B type Ic (old designation type Ii) streptococci were extracted, purified, and characterized by serological and chemical methods. The Ia antigen, shared by types Ia and Ic, is a polysaccharide composed of 69% galactose and 25% glucosamine (i.e., 31% N-acetyl-glucosamine). However, these monosaccharides failed to inhibit significantly the quantitative precipitin reactions between purified antigen and type Ia antiserum. Indications are that the immunodominant group of this antigen consists of more than a simple monosaccharide. The Ic antigen, shared by types Ib and Ic, is a protein unrelated to the X and R protein antigens. Ic antigen consists of two serologically active determinants, one of which is susceptible to both trypsin and pepsin digestion and the other to pepsin but not to trypsin digestion. Acrylamide gel electrophoresis of the partially purified Ic antigen resulted in the occurrence of both determinants throughout the length of the gel, as shown by double gel diffusion slides.
Chemotherapy toxicity in gynecologic cancer patients with a body surface area (BSA)>2 m2.

Abstract Objectives Although many clinicians practice empiric dose reduction to prevent toxicity, it is unknown whether obese patients given chemotherapy dosed according to actual body weight (ABW) experience excess toxicity. At our institution, cancer patients receive chemotherapy dosed by ABW unless on a protocol capping doses at a maximum body surface area (BSA). We compared toxicities and dose modifications between women with a BSA > 2 m2 on uncapped versus capped paclitaxel as part of adjuvant paclitaxel/carboplatin for gynecologic malignancy. Methods In this retrospective study, women with a BSA > 2 m2 treated with paclitaxel (P) and carboplatin (C) for endometrial and ovarian cancer between January 1999 and July 2007 were identified using the chemotherapy database. Records were reviewed for patient age, BSA, diagnosis, stage, standardized and actual doses for each cycle, adverse drug reactions, and dosing modifications. Statistical comparisons were made using Fisher's exact test. Results We identified 59 women with BSA > 2 m2 on adjuvant P/C for endometrial and ovarian cancers. 50 received paclitaxel dosed by ABW and 9 received paclitaxel capped at a BSA of 2 m2. There were no statistically significant differences in rates of toxicity or dose modification. Conclusions Obese women with a BSA > 2 m2 on paclitaxel dosed by ABW do not experience excess toxicity in comparison to women on paclitaxel capped at a maximum BSA or women in published trials of adjuvant P/C. Empiric dose reduction is unnecessary and may result in suboptimal treatment of obese patients. However, as this was a retrospective review, more research is needed to make definitive recommendations on this topic.
Dissociation of Hydrogen by Collisions of the Second Kind

HEITLER and London have calculated the potential energy of the ground state of H2, and they have found besides the known 11S state, another potential energy curve which is called by them 13S. This curve is higher than the 11S curve by an amount equal to the heat of dissociation of the hydrogen molecule. Stuckelberg and Winans have used this curve to explain in a very nice manner the continuous spectrum of the hydrogen molecule. Their explanation, in brief, is that transitions from any one of the excited triplet levels to this 13S level give rise to a continuous spectrum.
Behavior of human horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex in response to high-acceleration stimuli

The horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) during transient, high-acceleration (1900-7100 deg/sec-squared) head rotations was studied in four human subjects. Such stimuli perturbed the angle of gaze and caused illusory movement of a viewed target (oscillopsia). The disturbance of gaze could be attributed to the latency of the VOR (which ranged from 6-15 ms) and inadequate compensatory eye rotations (median VOR gain ranged from 0.61-0.83).
CHANGES IN THE MOUSE'S ENTERIC MICROFLORA ASSOCIATED WITH ENHANCED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO SALMONELLA INFECTION FOLLOWING STREPTOMYCIN TREATMENT.

Earlier publications (Bohnhoff et al, 1954; Miller, 1959; Bohnhoff and Miller, 1962) have described the effect of certain antibiotics on the susceptibility of mice to Salmonella infection. A single oral dose of streptomycin increased susceptibility to such a degree that fewer than 10 Salmonella enteritidis inoculated by mouth sufficed to initiate infection in more than half the mice, while approximately a million were required to infect half the untreated controls. Penicillin in sufficient dosage was almost as effective as streptomycin. In untreated control mice small inocula of S. enteritidis passed through the gastrointestinal tract without multiplying, while in streptomycin-treated mice similar inocula were able to multiply rapidly in the large intestine and initiate a systemic infection. The effect of the antibiotic was ascribed solely to its antimicrobial action within the lumen of the large bowel, where it altered the composition of the normal bacterial population.
ET-42DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL, FUNCTION-BLOCKING ANTI-FIBULIN-3 ANTIBODY AS TARGETED REAGENT FOR GLIOBLASTOMA

Fibulin-3 is a protein secreted by glioblastoma (GBM) cells that is virtually absent in normal brain. This protein promotes tumor invasion and, more unusually, apoptotic resistance, by paracrine activation of Notch and NFkB pathways (see companion abstract). Conditional knockdown of fibulin-3 reduces GBM growth, invasion and vascularization, and prolongs survival. Here we report initial validation of biologics generated against this unique target in GBM. We first identified the sequence of fibulin-3 that activates Notch signaling (aa25-47) and developed an immunizing peptide maintaining a required Cys-loop within this sequence. An IgG1k monoclonal antibody generated against this peptide (mAb428.2) showed high affinity for fibulin-3 (Kd 5 nM) and no cross-reactivity against highly homologous fibulin-4 or -5. mAb428.2 detected fibulin-3 in the stroma and capillaries of human GBM without cross-reactivity against normal brain. The antibody (50-250 µg/ml) blocked the activation of Notch and NFkB reporters induced by fibulin-3, and caused significant GBM cell cytotoxicity but had no effects on astrocytes or HEK293 cells, which do not express fibulin-3. IV injection of mAb428.2 (range: 0.1-30 mg/kg, evaluation: 15min to 14 days) did not cause adverse effects and showed no histological findings. Using Alexa750-labeled mAb428.2 (IV) we observed rapid elimination through urine and slow accumulation in liver and lungs. Therefore, we performed initial efficacy tests with a GBM stem cell model implanted subcutaneously. mAb428.2 (4 x 10 mg/kg) or control IgG1 were administered intratumorally and animals sacrificed at 1 days. Results indicated 45% median volume reduction in mAb428.2-injected tumors, with significant tumor necrosis. To further develop targeted reagents against fibulin-3 we have subcloned the Vh and Vl sequences of mAb428.2 and already generated a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) that recognizes fibulin-3. Our overall encouraging results suggest that fibulin-3 is a novel target with high potential for developing targeted agents against GBM.
A linear, time-invariant model for cancerous and normal breast tissue

Electrical properties of biological cells and human tissue have been used to characterize cancerous vs. normal tissue. Commonly, measured dielectric spectra (permittivity and conductivity) are fitted into an empirical function and the best-fit parameters of the function are considered as a tool to differentiate various types of tissue; however, these parameters do not provide any explanation for the underlying molecular structure. In this work, we modeled the frequency dependence of impedance data collected from human breast tissue using a high-order, linear, time-invariant filter. The results show that the parameters of the filter not only can be used to classify tissue types, they may provide meaningful information about the properties and structure of tissues.
Bacterial polyesters containing branched poly(β-hydroxyalkanoate) units

Pseudomonas oleovorans was grown on mixtures of methyloctanoates with n-octanoate. Polymers were also obtained from organisms grown on pure 7-methyloctanoate, but not from pure 5- or 6-methyloctanoate. The polyesters obtained from 7-methyloctanoate and from its mixtures with n-octanoate contained units with the methyl branches in the pendant group, as did the copolymers from the mixtures of 5- and 6-methyloctanoate with n-octanoate. The methyl branched repeating units contained two diastereomers, and the 13C-n.m.r. spectra of these polymers indicated that the 5-methyloctanoate units had a higher content of one of the two isomers, but not in the 6-methyloctanoate units. The weight average molecular weights of the copolyesters produced were in the range of 220,000 to 410,000, with Mw/Mn ratios of 1.7 to 1.9.
Endocrinologic management of hyperthyroidism and the impact on thyroid eye disease

Abstract Thyroid eye disease (TED) is a complex inflammatory disease with a poorly understood etiopathogenesis. It is often, but not always, associated with Graves' disease and the endocrinologic manifestations of hyperthyroidism. Controversy exists regarding optimal treatment of hyperthyroidism especially with regard to the progression of orbitopathy. We review the literature examining the effectiveness of antithyroid drugs, radioactive iodine, and thyroidectomy for long-term endocrinologic management, and their effect on the progression of TED. In formulating an individualized treatment plan, considerations include rates of recurrent hyperthyroidism, treatment-associated complications, and effect on TED progression.
Retail-Level Hedonics and the Valuation of Milk Components

A retail-level hedonic model for analyzing the value of milk components contained in aggregate dairy product commodities is developed and applied to household food consumption survey data. The findings support Perrin's conjecture that a hedonic approach applied at the retail level can be used to value milk components. Milk component values are found to be a function of household sociodemographic variables. The sample-weighted average implicit fat value estimate was very similar to values published in two of three previous component value analyses in the Journal, but protein values were significantly different.
Calcineurin plays a modulatory role in loading-induced regulation of type I myosin heavy chain gene expression in slow skeletal muscle

The role of calcineurin (Cn) in skeletal muscle fiber-type expression has been a subject of great interest because of reports indicating that it controls the slow muscle phenotype. To delineate the...
River forcing at work: ecological modeling of prograding and regressive deltas

Two explicit landscape simulation models were used to investigate habitat shifts in coastal Louisiana due to varying river forcing and sea level rise scenarios. Wetland conversion to open water and yearly shifts of marsh habitats in two contrasting estuarine regions were examined; the Atchafalaya delta which is a prograding delta area with strong riverine input, and the Barataria Basin is a regressive delta with high wetland loss which is isolated from riverine input. The models linked several modules dynamically across spatial and temporal scales. Both models consisted of a vertically integrated hydrodynamic model coupled with process-based biological modules of above and below ground primary productivity and soil dynamics. The models explored future effects of possible sea level rise and river diversion plans for 30 and 70-year projections starting in 1988. Results showed that increased river forcing had large land preservation impacts, and indicated that healthy functioning of the Mississippi Delta depends largely on inputs of freshwater, nutrients, and sediments in river water. These types of models are useful for research and as management tools for predicting the effects of regional impacts on structural landscape level changes.
Total and Central Obesity among Elderly Hispanics and the Association with Type 2 Diabetes

Objective: To report the prevalence of total and central obesity in a representative sample of Puerto Rican and Dominican elders in Massachusetts, to compare them with a neighborhood-based group of non-Hispanic white elders, and to examine associations of obesity indices with the presence of type 2 diabetes. Research Methods and Procedures: We examined the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and central obesity in 596 Hispanics of Caribbean origin, ages 60 to 92 years, and 239 non-Hispanic whites, and tested linear and logistic regression models to determine associations among body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and diabetes. Results: Obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) was prevalent among all ethnic groups, ranging from 17% to 29% for Dominican and Puerto Rican men, respectively, and from 29% to 40% for non-Hispanic white and Dominican women, respectively. These differences were not statistically significant. Among Hispanic men and women, diabetes was prevalent across all BMI and WC categories but tended to be greatest among those with BMI of 25 to 29 kg/m2 (41% to 43%). In contrast, diabetes was most prevalent in the obese group (36% to 45%) of non-Hispanic whites. Both BMI and WC were associated with the presence of diabetes, but the coefficients were greater for non-Hispanic whites than for Hispanics. Discussion: Caribbean Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites living in the same Massachusetts localities had high prevalences of overweight and obesity. Total and central obesity exerted a differential effect on the presence of diabetes among ethnic groups; for Hispanics, diabetes was prevalent even among non-obese individuals, whereas for non-Hispanic white women, the prevalence of diabetes was strongly associated with total and central obesity. Additional research is needed to investigate the factors associated with the differential effect of obesity on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among Hispanic and non-Hispanic white elders.
Letter to the Editor—Guns and Homicides in the United States

For me, as a physician, gun ownership is a public health issue. I want to know what the consequences of gun ownership are. I feel qualified to answer this question since I have examined hundreds of homicide perpetrators in the last 57 years. There is common misconception that the majority of homicides are carried out by criminals. In reality, most homicides in the United States are the result of an ambivalent relationship between the killer and the victim. Only hit men and robbers kill without having a relationship with the victim. A sudden increase in aggressive level in a relationship may result in an altered state of consciousness, popularly known as “rage.” Because handguns kill quickly, they are decisive in the impulsive homicides. Language: en
Hitchhiking without Covalent Integration

In eukaryotes, many latent viruses attach to mitotic chromosomes noncovalently for effective partitioning in dividing cells. For different viruses, the cis and trans elements encoded by the episomes have been effectively defined but the chromosomal "receptors" for such tethering have remained elusive. In this issue of Cell, give us a first insight into the cellular protein machinery important for animal papillomavirus retention.
The demographics of modern burn care: should most burns be cared for by non-burn surgeons?

Abstract Background Minor burns represent .96% to 1.5% of emergency department visits, yet burn center referral is common. Analysis of the Grady Memorial Hospital Burn Center was conducted to examine the feasibility and savings if burns were managed locally with consultation as needed. Methods Data on 776 consecutive admissions to Grady Memorial Hospital Burn Center between November 2005 and July 2007 were prospectively reviewed. National and international cohorts were compared. Results Patients' mean age was 31 years, 69.8% were male, and 87% were insured. Thirty-nine percent were transfers. Seventy-six percent of transfers (51% of air transfers) and 70% of all admissions were for ≤10% total body surface area burns. Helicopter transport cost $12,500 and averaged 48 miles. Eighty percent of burns were hot water (scald), grease, or flame burns, and 31% required skin grafting. Conclusions Most burns require assessment, debridement, and dressing changes. Grafting is rarely necessary. Patients are transferred because of a lack of training, and patients suffer economic burden and treatment delay. Savings could be realized were patients treated locally with select burn center referral. Video consultation and mentoring can help with triage and care of minor burns. Major burns require burn center referral. International practice reinforces these results.
Hyperplastic-Like Mucosal Change in Crohn's Disease: An Unusual Form of Dysplasia?

Patients with Crohn's disease are at increased risk of developing intestinal adenocarcinoma. Dysplasia is both a marker and a precursor of adenocarcinoma in this setting. In a review of our cases of Crohn's-related adenocarcinoma, we noted a peculiar hyperplastic-like mucosal change (HPC) in mucosa both adjacent to and distant from the adenocarcinoma in some cases. However, the significance of this change is unknown. We evaluated 30 cases of Crohn's-related adenocarcinoma and 30 age- and site-matched resection specimens with Crohn's disease without adenocarcinoma to determine the prevalence of this mucosal alteration in these groups. HPC was recognized by a diffuse expanse of flat mucosa with an architecture resembling that seen in colorectal hyperplastic polyps and composed of cells with cytologically bland basal nuclei and apical cytoplasmic mucin distention. The relationship of the HPC to the adenocarcinoma was noted in the Crohn's-related adenocarcinoma cases. An immunohistochemical stain for p53 (antibody DO7) was performed on all cases with HPC in both groups. HPC was identified in 10 of 30 (33%) cases of Crohn's-related adenocarcinoma compared with 3 of 30 (10%) cases in the control group (P = .03). In the 10 cases of Crohn's-related adenocarcinoma with HPC, this alteration was found adjacent to the adenocarcinoma in 3 cases, distant to the adenocarcinoma in 5 cases, and both adjacent to and distal from the adenocarcinoma in 2 cases. In two specimens, HPC was seen immediately adjacent to adenocarcinoma in the absence of adjacent dysplasia. p53 immunoreactivity was noted in HPC in 5 of 10 (50%) Crohn's-related adenocarcinomas. In contrast, p53 immunoreactivity was not seen in HPC in the three control cases with this mucosal alteration. In conclusion, HPC is found significantly more commonly in mucosa both adjacent to and distant from Crohn's-related adenocarcinoma when compared with age- and site-matched controls. In addition, p53 immunoreactivity is more commonly seen in HPC in cases of Crohn's-related adenocarcinoma compared with controls. These data suggest that this mucosal alteration may, in some cases, represent an unusual form of dysplasia in this setting.
Is there a bioethicist in your company? Should there be?

'Companies should consider bioethics to deal with the minefields that current dilemmas and future technologies create.'
Blind separation for precoding-based blind channel estimation for MIMO-OFDM systems

In this paper, the problem of blind channel separation for precoding-based blind channel estimation is considered in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. In the new scheme, blind separation is achieved by implicitly “marking” the respective signal sent by each transmitter with a unique (known) circular time-shift during even-valued time slots. Separation of the blindly obtained channel mixtures is achieved through a combination of subspace alignment followed by SVD based computation of the intersection of two subspaces. Separability conditions required for the proposed precoding-based blind channel estimation are established. Numerical results are presented demonstrating the efficacy of the proposed algorithm.
Targeted Overexpression of Luteinizing Hormone Causes Ovary-Dependent Functional Adenomas Restricted to Cells of the Pit-1 Lineage

The majority of pituitary adenomas in humans are nonmetastasizing, monoclonal neoplasms that occur in approximately 20% of the general population. Their development has been linked to a combination of extrinsic factors and intrinsic defects. We now demonstrate with transgenic mice that targeted and chronic overexpression of LH causes ovarian hyperstimulation and subsequent hyperproliferation of Pit-1-positive cells that culminates in the appearance of functional pituitary adenomas ranging from focal to multifocal expansion of lactotropes, somatotropes, and thyrotropes. Tumors fail to develop in ovariectomized mice, indicating that contributions from the ovary are necessary for adenoma development. Although the link between chronic ovarian hyperstimulation and PRL-secreting adenomas was expected, the involvement of somatotropes and thyrotropes was surprising and suggests that multiple ovarian hormones may contribute to this unusual pathological consequence. In support of this idea, we have found that ovariectomy followed by estrogen replacement results in the expansion of lactotropes selectively in LH overexpressing mice, but not somatotropes and thyrotropes. Collectively, these data indicate that estrogen is sufficient for the formation of lactotrope adenomas only in animals with a hyperstimulated ovary, whereas the appearance of GH- and TSH-secreting adenomas depends on multiple ovarian hormones. Together, our data expand current models of pituitary tumorigenesis by suggesting that chronic ovarian hyperstimulation may underlie the formation of a subset of pituitary adenomas containing lactotropes, somatotropes, and thyrotropes.
Addressing the Instability of DNA Nanostructures in Tissue Culture

DNA nanotechnology is an advanced technique that could contribute diagnostic, therapeutic, and biomedical research devices to nanomedicine. Although such devices are often developed and demonstrated using in vitro tissue culture models, these conditions may not be compatible with DNA nanostructure integrity and function. The purpose of this study was to characterize the sensitivity of 3D DNA nanostructures produced via the origami method to the in vitro tissue culture environment and identify solutions to prevent loss of nanostructure integrity. We examined whether the physiological cation concentrations of cell culture medium and the nucleases present in fetal bovine serum (FBS) used as a medium supplement result in denaturation and digestion, respectively. DNA nanostructure denaturation due to cation depletion was design- and time-dependent, with one of four tested designs remaining intact after 24 h at 37 °C. Adjustment of medium by addition of MgSO4 prevented denaturation. Digestion of nanostructures by FBS nucleases in Mg(2+)-adjusted medium did not appear design-dependent and became significant within 24 h and when medium was supplemented with greater than 5% FBS. We estimated that medium supplemented with 10% FBS contains greater than 256 U/L equivalent of DNase I activity in digestion of DNA nanostructures. Heat inactivation at 75 °C and inclusion of actin protein in medium inactivated and inhibited nuclease activity, respectively. We examined the impact of medium adjustments on cell growth, viability, and phenotype. Adjustment of Mg(2+) to 6 mM did not appear to have a detrimental impact on cells. Heat inactivation was found to be incompatible with in vitro tissue culture, whereas inclusion of actin had no observable effect on growth and viability. In two in vitro assays, immune cell activation and nanoparticle endocytosis, we show that using conditions compatible with cell phenotype and nanostructure integrity is critical for obtaining reliable experimental data. Our study thus describes considerations that are vital for researchers undertaking in vitro tissue culture studies with DNA nanostructures and some potential solutions for ensuring that nanostructure integrity and functions are maintained during experiments.
Mercury inhibits nitric oxide production but activates proinflammatory cytokine expression in murine macrophage: differential modulation of NF-κB and p38 MAPK signaling pathways

Mercury is well known to adversely affect the immune system; however, little is known regarding its molecular mechanisms. Macrophages are major producers of nitric oxide (NO) and this signaling molecule is important in the regulation of immune responses. The present study was designed to determine the impact of mercury on NO and cytokine production and to investigate the signaling pathways involved. The murine macrophage cell line J774A.1 was used to study the effects of low-dose inorganic mercury on the production of NO and proinflammatory cytokines. Cells were treated with mercury in the presence or absence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Mercury (5-20 microM) dose-dependently decreased the production of NO in LPS-stimulated cells. Concomitant decreases in the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA and protein were detected. Treatment of J774A.1 cells with mercury alone did not affect the production of NO nor the expression of iNOS mRNA or protein. Interestingly, mercury alone stimulated the expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), and increased LPS-induced TNFalpha and interleukin-6 mRNA expression. Mercury inhibited LPS-induced nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) but had no effect alone. In contrast, mercury activated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and additively increased LPS-induced p38 MAPK phosphorylation. These results indicate that mercury suppresses NO synthesis by inhibition of the NF-kappaB pathway and modulates cytokine expression by p38 MAPK activation in J774A.1 macrophage cells.
Analytic structure of dynamical systems

The study of the analytic structure of nonlinear ordinary and partial differential equations is shown to provide a unified approach to determining their properties and finding their solutions.
Body Weight and Sensory Preferences for Sugar and Fat

Abstract Sensory preferences for sweet-tasting foods (“sweet tooth”) are thought to play a role in the development of human obesity. However, anecdotal reports that obese people overeat ice cream, candy or sweet desserts contrast with epidemiological studies on sugar consumption and with some laboratory evidence that many obese patients actually dislike the taste of sweet solutions. Recent studies on taste preferences for mixtures of milk, cream, and sugar have shown that obese women preferred stimuli that were high in fat (34% wt/wt) and relatively low in sugar (4% wt/wt). In contrast, underweight women liked intensely sweet mixtures (15% sugar), but showed an aversion to dietary fats. The application of product optimization procedures (Response Surface Method) to individual response data confirmed that preferences for sugar relative to fat were negatively related to the degree of overweight. Individual patterns of taste response may influence food selection, and may serve as an early warning signal for obesity or eating disorders.
Estimation of Contamination Parameters and Identification of Outliers in Multivariate Data

Multivariate outliers may be modeled using the contaminated multivariate normal distribution with two parameters indicating the percentage of outliers and the degree of contamination. Recent developments in elliptical distribution theory are used to determine estimators of these parameters. These estimators can be used with an index of Mahalanobis distance to identify the multivariate outliers, which can then be eliminated to obtain approximately normal data. The performance of the proposed estimators and outliers rejection procedures are evaluated in a small simulation study.
Term Limits and Legislative Representation

Part I. Term Limits and Comparative Politics: 1. The electoral disconnection? 2. Institutions and electoral reform: comparing the cases Part II. The Latin American Cases: 3. Term limits and political careers 4. Term limits and particularism 5. Term limits and legislative party cohesiveness Part III. Term Limits and the United States: 6. The last term problem 7. Applying lessons about term limits.
Inflammation and immune-related candidate gene associations with acute lung injury susceptibility and severity: a validation study.

Introduction: Common variants in genes related to inflammation, innate immunity, epithelial cell function, and angiogenesis have been reported to be associated with risks for Acute Lung Injury (ALI) and related outcomes. We tested whether previously-reported associations can be validated in an independent cohort at risk for ALI. Methods: We identified 37 genetic variants in 27 genes previously associated with ALI and related outcomes. We prepared allelic discrimination assays for 12 SNPs from 11 genes with MAF.0.05 and genotyped these SNPs in Caucasian subjects from a cohort of critically ill patients meeting criteria for the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) followed for development of ALI, duration of mechanical ventilation, and in-hospital death. We tested for associations using additive and recessive genetic models. Results: Among Caucasian subjects with SIRS (n=750), we identified a nominal association between rs2069832 in IL6 and ALI susceptibility (ORadj 1.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04–2.48, P=0.03). In a sensitivity analysis limiting ALI cases to those who qualified for the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), rs61330082 in NAMPT was nominally associated with risk for ARDS. In terms of ALI outcomes, SNPs in MBL2 (rs1800450) and IL8 (rs4073) were nominally associated with fewer ventilator-free days (VFDs), and SNPs in NFE2L2 (rs6721961) and NAMPT (rs61330082) were nominally associated with 28-day mortality. The directions of effect for these nominal associations were in the same direction as previously reported but none of the associations survived correction for multiple hypothesis testing. Conclusion: Although our primary analyses failed to statistically validate prior associations, our results provide some support for associations between SNPs in IL6 and NAMPT and risk for development of lung injury and for SNPs in IL8, MBL2, NFE2L2 and NAMPT with severity in ALI outcomes. These associations provide further evidence that genetic factors in genes related to immunity and inflammation contribute to ALI pathogenesis.
Aerodynamics of Scaled Runback Ice Accretions

Runback ice accretions present a unique situation in iced-airfoil aerodynamics in that the airfoil typically has a clean leading edge before the ice accretion. To investigate the aerodynamic effects of runback ice accretions, simulations were scaled from accretions obtained in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel for testing in the Illinois subsonic wind tunnel. Simple geometric scaling, based on airfoil chord, as well as boundary-layer scaling, based on estimated boundary-layer thickness, was used. The NACA 3415 and the NACA 23012 airfoils were tested at a Reynolds number of 1.8 x 10 6 and Mach number of0.18. Simple two-dimensional simulations were tested as well as three-dimensional simulations that more accurately simulated the features of the full-scale ice accretion. Significant aerodynamic penalties due to runback accretions were identified. In the worst case these penalties included a loss of over 0.75 in C imaX and 7 deg in stalling angle of attack. In certain cases scaled runback accretions were found to increase the stalling angle of attack and maximum-lift coefficient. This phenomenon was investigated using boundary-layer measurements and fluorescent-oil flow visualization. It was concluded that the interaction between the boundary layer and the simulation was responsible for the phenomenon.
Leveraging electronic health records to notify pediatric patients of a drug recall.

Drug recalls have become an unfortunately frequent event in the United States, with nearly 1 clinically relevant drug recall per month in the last 5 years.1 A national management strategy on medical device recalls is currently being debated by government and health officials.2 We report the use of the National Institutes of Health–sponsored Informatics for Integrating Biology &Bedside (i2b2) platform3 as an approach to speed patient identification and direct notification of a voluntary drug recall by leveraging data available in the electronic health record (EHR). On November 9, 2012, specific lots of the generic version of atorvastatin calcium, distributed by Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc, a subsidiary of a multinational corporation, were reported as possibly contaminated with “very small glass particles resembling a fine grain of sand.”4 A voluntary recall was announced by the company and reported to the general public by news organizations. A US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notice on November 28, 2012, recommended that patients contact their health care provider with any symptoms related to taking the medication and health care providers report any suspected adverse events to the FDA. A team of physicians, a nurse practitioner, and a nurse who provide clinical care in the Preventive Cardiology program at Boston Children’s Hospital felt obligated to inform the pediatric patients prescribed atorvastatin and their families of the drug recall in a targeted and efficient approach to (1) identify those at risk and (2) prevent unnecessary discontinuation of beneficial treatment.
Small molecule probes for plant cell wall polysaccharide imaging

Plant cell walls are composed of interlinked polymer networks consisting of cellulose, hemicelluloses, pectins, proteins, and lignin. The ordered deposition of these components is a dynamic process that critically affects the development and differentiation of plant cells. However, our understanding of cell wall synthesis and remodeling, as well as the diverse cell wall architectures that result from these processes, has been limited by a lack of suitable chemical probes that are compatible with live-cell imaging. In this review, we summarize the currently available molecular toolbox of probes for cell wall polysaccharide imaging in plants, with particular emphasis on recent advances in small molecule-based fluorescent probes. We also discuss the potential for further development of small molecule probes for the analysis of cell wall architecture and dynamics.
Data Mining: Building Better Bug Messages (Abstract Only)

An important and challenging part of the computer science curriculum is learning to program. A source of aggravation when learning this skill is finding syntactic mistakes in the code commonly referred to as bugs. This learning process is frustrating for new programmers because bug messages given by the compiler are incomprehensible and dominantly occupied by jargon. A group in the UK has started a data logging project called Blackbox to record novice programmers' source code and the related bug messages. In this project, we intend to build better bug messages through the utilization of Blackbox's logged data to anticipate student errors. In the second part of the project, we will test these improved bug messages in a plugin for BlueJ, a popular IDE for instructors to use in CS1 classes.
Solar Neutrino Production of Technetium-97 and Technetium-98

It may be possible to determine the boron-8 solar neutrino flux, averaged over the past several million years, from the concentration of technetium-98 in molybdenite. The mass spectrometry of this system is greatly simplified by the absence of stable technetium isotopes, and the presence of the fission product technetium-99 provides a monitor of uiranium-induced backgrounds. This geochemical experiment could provide the first test of nonstandard solar models that suggest a relation between the chlorine-37 solar neutrino puzzle and the recent ice age.
Consumer Knowledge for Sovereignty: Apples

N the theory of consumer choice, the equilibrium solution represents maximum satisfaction because perfect knowledge is attainable and all alternatives have been considered. In real life this peak of satisfaction is out of reach because the typical consumer does not have available all the information needed to make such a decision. In the purchase of food products, the typical consumer does not have adequate information concerning quality, relative benefits of various brands and comparative nutritional values of substitute products. Furthermore, in the dynamic food industry, consumers would have to review and revise each purchase whenever any change occurred in the market, thus setting in motion an impossible information gathering procedure. Since securing additional information may be costly relative to benefits, the consumer operates with imperfect knowledge. The question then becomes, what does the consumer base his choice upon? The information available to a consumer varies widely, depending on the commodity considered. One class of information is the objective but somewhat general reports from government or academic organizations.' For the most part, however, such sources tend to provide only background information and cover only a limited area of consumption expenditures. Information also comes from the less objective service publications, periodicals, and consumer testing organizations. However, none of these sources is systematically collected or presented in a form to meet the needs of many consumers. While both classes of information are available to all consumers, they are not generally used by the majority of consumers.2
A Short Region in the Genome of Hepatitis B Virus Is Critical for Maintenance of High Transcript Levels

The majority of hepatitis B virus (HBV) transcripts are not normally spliced during the viral life cycle, but several splice donor and acceptor sites are conserved on HBV transcripts. In particular, the genome region between nt 450 and 500 of the HBV genome appears to be rich in such sequences. In this study we deleted a short 30-nt sequence between a conserved splice donor site at HBV genome position 462 and a splice acceptor site at position 491, thus deleting the surface/polymerase open reading frames by 10 amino acid residues. At the transcriptional level, this deletion led to >99% reduction of the 2.1-kb class of subgenomic transcripts in transfected cells. Nuclear run-on experiments revealed that the transcription rate of the deleted 2.1-kb transcript is unchanged when compared with the wildtype, suggesting a posttranscriptional mechanism for the downregulation of the deleted transcript. In addition, experiments with a replication-competent HBV mutant containing the 30-nt deletion showed that the corresponding 10-amino-acid sequence within the reverse transcriptase domain of the polymerase protein appeared to be nonessential.
Intermolecular perturbation of molecular potentials

Abstract The solvent cage concept of photochemistry is translated into spectroscopic language by an extension of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. The intermolecular perturbation term is taken as the barrier to viscous flow, added to the intramolecular potential. It is shown that novel phenomenological consequences in the spectroscopy of polyatomic molecules can be predicted for the inhibition of large amplitude molecular vibrations by the interaction with the solvent cage.
Transcutaneous PO2 poorly estimates arterial PO2 in adults during anesthesia.

We compared values of PaO2 and transcutaneous PO2 in 21 adult patients during anesthesia. In 282 simultaneous determinations during anesthetic periods of 3–10 h, transcutaneous PO2 was a poor predictor of absolute PaO2 and changes in PaO2. Trancutaneous PO2 monitoring in adults during anesthesia is of unproven value.