cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anthropogenic transport of macrofauna through a sand transfer plant

Abstract The South Lake Worth Inlet Sand Transfer Plant in Palm Beach County, Florida pumps subtidal sediment from the upcurrent to the downcurrent side of the jetty to correct jetty-induced sediment transport disruption. This pumping accounts for 35% of the overall net longshore transport. We investigated if living macrofauna could survive the sediment pumping process. We also examined the effects this activity had on the subtidal macrofaunal invertebrate communities. Subtidal sediment cores were taken near the intake pipe, at the outflow pipe, and just outside the direct effects of the sand transfer plant. Benthic macrofauna and sand grain size were examined and compared. Macrofauna, live and preserved, were confirmed exiting the outflow pipe. Low diversity, low abundance macrofaunal communities were found at all sample sites. Macrofaunal abundance was primarily isopods (79%) and polychaetes (14%). Three isopod and one polychaete species constituted 89% of the community diversity. Both inflow borrow pit and outflow deposition sampling sites exhibited different community structure compared to adjacent control sites. The inflow borrow pit presented a high population of the isopod Eurydice personata. The outflow deposition site had the highest species diversity. The outflow deposition site also showed much coarser mean sediment grain size compared to other sites. The differences found at the sites direct associated with the sand transfer plant demonstrated localized disturbance. We concluded that although the plant disturbs the adjacent community it also helps maintain the macrofaunal community structure and sand grain size on the downdrift side of the South Lake Worth Inlet. Further studies integrating abiotic and biotic components will assist in management practices and our understanding of nearshore systems.
Haemophilus influenzae genome evolution during persistence in the human airways in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) exclusively colonize and infect humans and are critical to the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In vitro and animal models do not accurately capture the complex environments encountered by NTHi during human infection. We conducted whole-genome sequencing of 269 longitudinally collected cleared and persistent NTHi from a 15-y prospective study of adults with COPD. Genome sequences were used to elucidate the phylogeny of NTHi isolates, identify genomic changes that occur with persistence in the human airways, and evaluate the effect of selective pressure on 12 candidate vaccine antigens. Strains persisted in individuals with COPD for as long as 1,422 d. Slipped-strand mispairing, mediated by changes in simple sequence repeats in multiple genes during persistence, regulates expression of critical virulence functions, including adherence, nutrient uptake, and modification of surface molecules, and is a major mechanism for survival in the hostile environment of the human airways. A subset of strains underwent a large 400-kb inversion during persistence. NTHi does not undergo significant gene gain or loss during persistence, in contrast to other persistent respiratory tract pathogens. Amino acid sequence changes occurred in 8 of 12 candidate vaccine antigens during persistence, an observation with important implications for vaccine development. These results indicate that NTHi alters its genome during persistence by regulation of critical virulence functions primarily by slipped-strand mispairing, advancing our understanding of how a bacterial pathogen that plays a critical role in COPD adapts to survival in the human respiratory tract.
Predictive Mean Square Error and Stochastic Regressor Variables

When prediction is the main objective, predictive mean square error (p.m.s.e.) seems to be a more reasonable criterion. Here we consider two approaches to improve the p.m.s.e. of the predicted response when predictor variables are stochastic and, in particular, follow a multivariate normal distribution. The first technique, the subset approach, uses only a subset of the available predictor variables to predict the response. A decision rule to select the subset is given. In the second method, the lambda approach, the regression coefficients are scaled down by a suitable constant. An estimator of the constant is suggested. Both techniques are illustrated by an example.
Mobilytics- An Extensible, Modular and Resilient Mobility Platform

Transportation management platforms provide communities the ability to integrate the available mobility options and localized transportation demand management policies. A central component of a transportation management platform is the mobility planning application. Given the societal relevance of these platforms, it is necessary to ensure that they operate resiliently. Modularity and extensibility are also critical properties that are required for manageability. Modularity allows to isolate faults easily. Extensibility enables update of policies and integration of new mobility modes or new routing algorithms. However, state of the art mobility planning applications like open trip planner, are monolithic applications, which makes it difficult to scale and modify them dynamically. This paper describes a microservices based modular multi-modal mobility platform Mobilytics, that integrates mobility providers, commuters, and community stakeholders. We describe our requirements, architecture, and discuss the resilience challenges, and how our platform functions properly in presence of failure. Conceivably, the patterns and principles manifested in our system can serve as guidelines for current and future practitioners in this field.
Current health and economic burden of chronic diabetic osteomyelitis

Introduction: Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) prevalence is as high as 25% and 40–80% of DFUs become infected (DFI). About 20% of infected ulcers will spread to bone causing diabetic foot osteomyelitis (...
A Cultural Lens Approach to Promoting Work as a Calling

Within the last decade, research on work as a calling—usually defined as an internal or external summons toward purposeful work that contributes to the common good—has exponentially increased. In recent years, it also has become a global phenomenon, with scholars from more than 20 countries now represented in the literature. Research has demonstrated that a sense of calling is associated with meaning and satisfaction in one’s career, work and life, and that individuals who feel they are living a calling are often among the happiest, most committed, and most engaged employees within their organizations. While efforts have been made to articulate practice recommendations, those recommendations currently extend far beyond the empirical base. Indeed, research on interventions intended to foster a sense of calling, especially research that is sensitive to diverse cultural influences, remains a substantial need. The Cultural Lens Approach (Hardin, Robitschek, Flores, Navarro & Ashton, in American Psychologist 69(7):656–668, 2014) offers a systematic strategy for evaluating the ways that culture influences the interpretation, operationalization, and application of calling in assisting individuals (via counseling, coaching, or managing) who desire greater meaning from their work. This chapter applies the Cultural Lens Approach to assist researchers and practitioners in designing and investigating interventions intended to cultivate a sense of calling informed by relevant cultural assumptions within and across diverse contexts.
Mixed Messages: Inconsistent Parental Mediation Indirectly Predicts Teens’ Online Relational Aggression

ABSTRACTAlthough the predictors of off-line relational aggression have been examined in prior work, less is known about the factors that contribute to online relational aggression perpetration and ...
The United States of America’s interlocked information industry: An examination into seven U.S. media sectors’ boards of directors

This research explores the interfirm interlock networks that currently exist among publicly traded media conglomerates operating in the United States of America. Directorship information was gather...
methylscaper: an R/Shiny app for joint visualization of DNA methylation and nucleosome occupancy in single-molecule and single-cell data

Abstract Differential DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility are associated with disease development, particularly cancer. Methods that allow profiling of these epigenetic mechanisms in the same reaction and at the single-molecule or single-cell level continue to emerge. However, a challenge lies in jointly visualizing and analyzing the heterogeneous nature of the data and extracting regulatory insight. Here, we developed methylscaper, a visualization framework for simultaneous analysis of DNA methylation and chromatin landscapes. Methylscaper implements a weighted principle component analysis that orders sequencing reads, each providing a record of the chromatin state of one epiallele, and reveals patterns of nucleosome positioning, transcription factor occupancy, and DNA methylation. We demonstrate methylscaper’s utility on a long-read, single-molecule methyltransferase accessibility protocol for individual templates (MAPit) dataset and a single-cell nucleosome, methylation, and transcription sequencing (scNMT-seq) dataset. In comparison to other procedures, methylscaper is able to readily identify chromatin features that are biologically relevant to transcriptional status while scaling to larger datasets. Availability and implementation Methylscaper, is available on GitHub at https://github.com/rhondabacher/methylscaper. Contact rbacher@ufl.edu
Uncertainty about Future Policy Changes Could Be Harming the US Economy

This paper examines the impact of economic and trade policy uncertainty on US imports, US exports, and foreign direct investment inflows to the United States. Using alternative indices of uncertainty and controlling for the level of tariffs, I find that higher levels of US policy uncertainty generally depress international trade and investment and increase the variability of investment inflows. Higher levels of policy uncertainty abroad also impact trade and investment flows. Consumers and businesses would benefit from clear signals concerning the future course of economic policy in the United States and abroad.
COVID-19 Part II: Understanding the Disparate Impact on Marginalized Communities

Interlocking Pandemics This panel Introduction sets out the framework for the panel, “COVID‐19: Understanding the Disparate Impact on Marginalized Communities,” held at the 2020 American Society of International Law (ASIL) Annual Meeting. The panel was co-sponsored by ASIL and the Blacks of ASIL (BASIL), of which the author is co-chair. This panel was a “late-breaking” panel, which the author was asked to coordinate and moderate. These remarks focus on the racial justice paradox—and other equality paradoxes—laid bare in this moment of global pandemic. This Introduction also appears online at Cambridge University Press, which published the proceedings. We are at a moment. A potential inflection point. We are in a moment of interlocking pandemics. Not only the health pandemic sparked by the COVID-19 crisis. But a pandemic of policing, poverty, and protest. George Floyd and Eric Garner were arrested for crimes of poverty. We live in a time of record-breaking unemployment and economic fragility caused by the global health emergency —a crisis that has unmasked structural inequalities baked into the foundation.
Framing Challenges of Dementia and Mental Health Care in Mexican-origin Older Adults in Mexico and the United States: Consensus Agenda Findings and Recommendations

As older populations around the world continue to increase, so does the number of individuals living with dementia (Prince et al., 2008; Prince, Ali, et al., 2016). Growth in older populations, and hence in likely numbers of persons living with dementia, is particularly rapid for persons of Mexican origin on both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border. In Mexico, the population 60 years and older is projected to increase from 8.9% to 21.5% of the total population between the years 2010 and 2050 (CONAPO, 2012). In the United States, Hispanics are the fastest-growing group among older adults (CDC, 2020), and are expected to increase from 7.1% to 19.8% of the U.S. population 65 or older between 2010 and 2050 (Vincent & Velkoff, 2010). U.S. Hispanics are a diverse population with subgroups defined by nativity, country of origin, and time spent in the United States (Andrade & Viruell-Fuentes, 2011). Among U.S. Hispanics, individuals of Mexican descent comprise a majority, accounting for more than 60% of the total U.S. Hispanic population (Markides et al., 1997; Garcia et al., 2018).
The Impact of Education and Implementation Tools on Pre-Service Teachers’ Attitudes About Classroom-Based Mindfulness:

A growing body of research suggests that incorporating classroom-based mindfulness interventions in elementary schools can lead to improvements in student behavior, self-regulation, and measures of...
Behavioral and pharmacological interventions for the prevention and treatment of psychiatric disorders with children exposed to maltreatment.

Abstract There is a well-established relation between exposure to child maltreatment and the onset and course of multiple, comorbid psychiatric disorders. Given the heterogeneous clinical presentations at the time services are initiated, interventions for children exposed to maltreatment need to be highly effective to curtail the lifelong burden and public health costs attributable to psychiatric disorders. The current review describes the most effective, well-researched, and widely-used behavioral and pharmacological interventions for preventing and treating a range of psychiatric disorders common in children exposed to maltreatment. Detailed descriptions of each intervention, including their target population, indicated age range, hypothesized mechanisms of action, and effectiveness demonstrated through randomized controlled trials research, are presented. Current limitations of these interventions are noted to guide specific directions for future research aiming to optimize both treatment effectiveness and efficiency with children and families exposed to maltreatment. Strategic and programmatic future research can continue the substantial progress that has been made in the prevention and treatment of psychiatric disorders for children exposed to maltreatment.
Other Dry Tortugas Sites

The archaeological analysis of the Pulaski Site yields a great deal of important information about the vessel that wrecked there. We know, for example, that the vessel was a nineteenth century sailing vessel. We know it was square-rigged, and we know it used auxiliary steam power to operate its ground tackle. We know also from the evidence of repairs and different types of sheathing that it was an older vessel. We know its heading at the time it was lost and we can surmise from the undeployed anchors and wide distribution of material that it ran aground with no warning. But we cannot assume that this vessel is representative of all merchant sailing vessels of this time period. In order to begin to formulate generalizations about adaptive behavior in maritime activities in the Dry Tortugas, it is necessary to consider materials from other wreck sites of sailing vessels in the same area and of approximately the same time period.
Phosphorene as a new 2D material for device applications

Phosphorus is one of the most abundant elements preserved in earth, constructing with a fraction of 0.1% of the earth crust. In general, phosphorus has several allotropes including white, red, and black phosphorus. Black phosphorus, though rarely mentioned, is a layered semiconductor as shown in Figure 1 and have great potentials in optical and electronic applications. Remarkably, this layered material can be reduced to one single atomic layer as shown in Figure 2 in the vertical direction owing to the van der Waals structure, dubbed phosphorene, where the physical properties can be tremendously different from its bulk counterpart and needed to be further explored. In this talk, we trace back to the 100 years research history on black phosphorus from the synthesis to material properties, and extend the topic from black phosphorus to phosphorene. The physical and transport properties are highlighted, aiming at further applications in electronic and optoelectronics devices.
Hagarism: The Story of a Book written by Infidels for Infidels

The Quran, according to the book, was fabricated during the reign of Caliph Abdul Malik (685-705) to legitimize an expanding empire. The book also contends that the word Muslim was invented in the 8th century to replace the word Muhajirun (immigrants), which was the original name of the Arab community that conquered Palestine and built the Dome of the Rock.
Sutton's law and anti-β2GPI antibodies

In this issue of Blood, Arad and colleagues demonstrate that infusion of affinity― purified anti-β 2 ―glycoprotein I (P 2 GPI) antibodies from 3 patients with antiphospholipid sydrome (APS) into mice enhances the development of arterial thrombosis after laser-induced vascular injury. 1 This interesting observation directly demonstrates that human anti-β 2 GPI antibodies are thrombogenic.
Chemical liquid deposition process for microstructure fabrication

Scientists and engineers are currently moving into a new era to develop precise and intelligent mini-structures and microsystems. The study of mini-structures and microsystems is a rapidly growing area of research with a great potential to accomplish useful tasks in numerous applications. In this paper, a new fabrication technology for microstructures based on the chemical liquid deposition (CLD) is presented. This technology is based on the following principles: micro-droplets of a cold (room temperature) solution or liquid reactant are sprayed from a nozzle and make contact with a hot substrate, the droplets will evaporate, decompose, or react, and then the reacted solid products will deposit on the substrate. By controlling the motion of the nozzle and the spray time, a desired 3D microstructure of the deposited material can be formed through a layer-by-layer scanning technique. The working principle, available materials as well as the process control and modeling is discussed and some preliminary results are presented.
Prevalence of QRS prolongation in a community hospital cohort of patients with heart failure and its relation to left ventricular systolic dysfunction

Adverse outcomes in heart failure occur more frequently with QRS prolongation. The results of our study have shown that 1/4 of community hospital patients with heart failure of sufficient severity leading to hospitalization have a QRS duration of ≥120 ms and that this degree of QRS prolongation is associated with substantially more severe left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction, LV dilation, and mitral regurgitation.
Transverse focuser for optical acceleration.

We describe a novel design of an inverse Cerenkov accelerator for preinjected relativistic electrons. It utilizes synchronous linearly polarized input pulses focused by relatively small opposing sections of a conical mirror. The focal volume remains centered on the acceleration path throughout its entire length. Several advantages over existing designs are described, including, for any given wavelength, much larger acceleration areas that allow for much simpler preoptics and electron injection geometries and eventual self-compensation of nonlinear optical effects and compensation of Cerenkov material dispersion.
Clinical Examination of the Rotator Cuff

Rotator cuff tears are the leading cause of shoulder pain and shoulder-related disability and account for 4.5 million physician visits in the United States annually. A careful history and structured physical examination are often sufficient for diagnosing rotator cuff disorders. We are not aware of a clinical review article that presents a structured physical examination protocol of the rotator cuff for the interested clinician. To fill this void, we present a physical examination protocol developed on the basis of review of prior literature and our clinical experience from dedicated shoulder practices. Our protocol includes range of motion testing by using a goniometer, strength testing by using a dynamometer, and select special tests. Among the many tests for rotator cuff disorders that have been described, we chose ones that have been more thoroughly assessed for sensitivity and specificity. This protocol can be used to isolate the specific rotator cuff tendon involved. The protocol can typically be completed in 15 minutes. We also discuss the clinical implications and limitations of the physical examination maneuvers described in our protocol. This protocol is thorough yet time efficient for a busy clinical practice. It is useful in the diagnosis of rotator cuff tears, impingement syndrome, and biceps pathology.
Use of a Small Laboratory Computer for Identification of The Enterobacteriaceae

A commercial time-sharing program for identification of the Enterobacteriaceae was modified to operate on a small computer. Program modification was straightforward, and system performance has been satisfactory. Computer-assisted identification of enteric organisms has been a useful instrument in quality control within the laboratory and has yielded an unexpected benefit as an educational tool. Since many hospital laboratories have access to one or more computers capable of running such a program, these benefits of computer-assisted identification can become more generally available at an attractively low cost.
Extracellular annexin II is associated with divalent cation-dependent tumor cell-endothelial cell adhesion of metastatic RAW117 large-cell lymphoma cells.

Using fixed microvessel endothelial cell monolayers the molecules involved in the adhesion of liver-preferring murine RAW117 large cell lymphoma cells to murine liver-derived microvessel endothelial cells were identified by affinity isolation. Detergent lysates obtained from poorly (P) or highly (H10) liver-metastatic cells inhibited RAW117-H10 cell adhesion to hepatic sinusoidal endothelial (HSE) cell monolayers. Allowing detergent lysates of cell surface-labeled RAW117 cells to bind to fixed HSE cell monolayers and eluting the bound components indicated that several tumor cell surface molecules ( ∼ 70, ∼ 35, ∼ 32, ∼ 22, and ∼ 14 kDa) might be involved in RAW117 cell-HSE cell adhesion. The ∼ 35 kDa component was cation dependent in its binding to target HSE cells. Increasing detergent concentration had no effect on binding of the ∼ 35 kDa component to HSE cell monolayers, whereas treatment with 0.5 M NaCl resulted in its selective elution from HSE cells. Incubation of the HSE cell monolayers with detergent lysates from cell surface-labeled RAW117-H10 cells resulted in selective depletion of the ∼ 35 kDa component, suggesting that the binding is saturable. This divalent cation-dependent molecule is one of the major tumor cell surface components bound by several types of endothelial cells and murine hepatocytes, whereas there was poor binding of this component to unfixed or fixed human red blood cells. The purified, partially ( ∼ 40%) sequenced molecule had amino acid sequence identity with murine but not bovine annexin II, indicating that it was not bound from the bovine serum used to grow RAW117 cells. Using antibodies specific for annexin II flow cytometery indicated equivalent amounts of annexin II are expressed on RAW117 cell surfaces in the absence or presence of excess EDTA, whereas annexin I was only found in low amounts on the surfaces of RAW117 cells. Annexin II antibodies inhibited by ∼ 40–50% the adhesion of RAW117 tumor cells to live or fixed endothelial cells, and purified tumor cell surface fractions containing the ∼ 35 kDa component partially inhibited ( ∼ 35%) RAW117 cell–HSE cell adhesion. The data indicate that annexin II is expressed on the extracellular surface of RAW117 cells, and cell surface–annexin II mediates a portion of the Ca2+-dependent RAW117 cell adhesion to liver microvessel endothelial cells.
Catechol Redox Induced Formation of Metal Core-Polymer Shell Nanoparticles

A novel strategy was developed to synthesize polymer-coated metal nanoparticles (NPs) through reduction of metal cations with 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA)-containing poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) polymers. Catechol redox chemistry was used to both synthesize metal NPs and simultaneously form a cross-linked shell of PEG polymers on their surfaces. DOPA reduced gold and silver cations into neutral metal atoms, producing reactive quinones that covalently cross-linked the PEG molecules around the surface of the NP. Importantly, these PEG-functionalized metal NPs were stable in physiological ionic strengths and under centrifugation and hold broad appeal since they absorb and scatter light in aqueous solutions.
Complementation of RNA Binding Site Mutations in MS2 Coat Protein Heterodimers

The coat protein of bacteriophage MS2 functions as a symmetric dimer to bind an asymmetric RNA hairpin. This implies the existence of two equivalent RNA binding sites related to one another by a 2-fold symmetry axis. In this view the symmetric binding site defined by mutations conferring the repressor-defective phenotype is a composite picture of these two asymmetric sites. In order to determine whether the RNA ligand interacts with amino acid residues on both subunits of the dimer and in the hope of constructing a functional map of the RNA binding site, we performed heterodimer complementation experiments. Taking advantage of the physical proximity of their N- and C-termini, the two subunits of the dimer were genetically fused, producing a duplicated coat protein which folds normally and allows the construction of the functional equivalent of obligatory heterodimers containing all possible pairwise combinations of the repressor-defective mutations. The restoration of repressor function in certain heterodimers shows that a single RNA molecule interacts with both subunits of the dimer and allows the construction of a functional map of the binding site.
Semiconductor-polymer-based rf MEMS

Semiconductor-polymer based sensors use silicon or compound semiconductors as inorganic parts with sensitive polymers as insulating, semiconducting or conductive materials. Organic thin film transistor has also been fabricated using this concept. These devices may allow control circuitry to be integrated with two and three dimensional MEMS. Interdigital type RF-MEMS can be designed and fabricated with Interdigital Electrodes (IDE) deposited on either polymer or an inorganic material such as Barium Strontium Titanate (BST). In the case of polymer based device, we study the capacitance change and calibrate it for desired sensing application. In the inorganic case, we make use of the change in dielectric properties of BST as a function of DC bias. IDE will act like a RF filter and oscillator just like the comb-type RF MEMS devices. These polymeric based devices can be integrated with organic thin film transistors.
Vibrations of doubly cantilevered laminated-composite thin shallow shells

Abstract Vibrations of laminated-composite thin shallow shells that are doubly cantilevered (i.e. with two adjacent edges clamped and the remaining free) are analyzed. The Ritz method, with algebraic polynomial displacement functions, is used. Convergence studies are made which demonstrate that reasonably accurate results are obtained by using 147 displacement terms for spherical, circular cylindrical, and hyperbolic paraboloidal shallow shells and 49 terms for plates. The effect of the material, fiber orientation, and curvature upon the frequencies is studied. The difference in behavior between these shells and those studied earlier (completely free, cantilevered, and simply supported) is outlined.
Stimulation of a Ca(2+)-dependent protein kinase by GM1 ganglioside in nerve growth factor-treated PC12 cells.

Abstract We have investigated the ability of exogenous gangliosides to modulate nerve growth factor (NGF) signal transduction in PC12 cells. The effects of exogenous ganglioside GM1 on multiple protein kinase activities were assayed by analyzing site-specific serine phosphorylation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TyrOHase) by two-dimensional phosphopeptide mapping. In the presence of NGF, exogenous GM1 (1-10 microM) increased 32P incorporation into TyrOHase phosphopeptide T2, a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase substrate whose phosphorylation is not normally affected by NGF treatment. In the absence of NGF, GM1 treatment had no significant effects on TyrOHase phosphorylation. The removal of extracellular Ca2+ or blockade of dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ channels prevented the GM1-induced increases in 32P incorporation into phosphopeptide T2. Exogenous GM1 also potentiated K+ depolarization-induced increases in the phosphorylation of TryOHase. These results suggest that the stimulatory effects of exogenous GM1 ganglioside on NGF actions may be due to its ability to potentiate a Ca(2+)-dependent signaling pathway.
Dissipation rate estimation from PIV in zero-mean isotropic turbulence

Measuring the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate in an enclosed turbulence chamber that produces zero-mean flow is an experimental challenge. Traditional single-point dissipation rate measurement techniques are not applicable to flows with zero-mean velocity. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) affords calculation of the spatial derivative as well as the use of multi-point statistics to determine the dissipation rate. However, there is no consensus in the literature as to the best method to obtain dissipation rates from PIV measurements in such flows. We apply PIV in an enclosed zero-mean turbulent flow chamber and investigate five methods for dissipation rate estimation. We examine the influence of the PIV interrogation cell size on the performance of different dissipation rate estimation methods and evaluate correction factors that account for errors related to measurement uncertainty, finite spatial resolution, and low Reynolds number effects. We find the Re λ corrected, second-order, longitudinal velocity structure function method to be the most robust method to estimate the dissipation rate in our zero-mean, gaseous flow system.
Risk Factors for Mammary Candidosis Among Lactating Women

Objectives: To document the occurrence of Candida colonization and mammary candidosis among lactating women, risk factors for Candida colonization, and the relationship between Candida colonization and breastfeeding at 9 weeks postpartum. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Private practice clinic in Reno, Nevada. Participants: 100 lactating women and their infants, and 40 nonpregnant, nonlactating women (controls). Procedure: At 2 weeks postpartum, skin and milk samples were collected from the lactating women and oral samples were collected from their infants. Skin samples were collected from control subjects. All samples were cultured for Candida species. Lactating women were recontacted by phone at 9 weeks post partum to assess infant feeding practices. Main Outcome Measure: Colonization with Candida species. Results: None of the control subjects tested pos itive for Candida colonization. Of the lactating women, 23% tested positive for Candida and 20% had mammary candidosis. Risk factors for colonization of the mother were bottle use in the first 2 weeks postpartum and pregnancy duration of > 40 weeks. Of the 100 infants, 20% tested positive for Candida. Risk factors for colonization of the infant were bottle use in the first 2 weeks postpartum and presence of siblings. Among women who tested positive at 2 weeks, 43% were still breastfeeding at 9 weeks post partum compared to 69% of the women who did not test positive (p Conclusion: Avoidance of bottle use early postpartum may reduce the risk of mammary candidosis. Mammary candidosis is related to early termination of breastfeeding.
Natural antibodies in mammalian sera to folinic acid and methotrexate.

Abstract Sheep red cells (E) labelled with folinic acid (FA) or methotrexate (MTX) can be sensitized to the lytic action of complement by normal human, rat, guinea pig or rabbit sera. The serum factor is distinct from the folate-binding proteins (FBP), has the characteristics of IgM antibodies, and contains separate specific FA and MTX activities. It was concluded that most normal sera contain naturally occurring anti-MTX and anti-FA IgM antibodies.
Multidimensional Family Therapy: Addressing Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Other Problems Among Adolescents with Comprehensive Family-based Treatment

Adolescent substance abuse rarely occurs without other psychiatric and developmental problems, but it is often treated and researched as if it can be isolated from comorbid conditions. Few comprehensive interventions are available that effectively address the range of co-occurring problems associated with adolescent substance abuse. This article reviews the clinical interventions and research evidence supporting the use of Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) for adolescents with substance abuse and co-occurring problems. MDFT is uniquely suited to address adolescent substance abuse and related disorders given its comprehensive interventions that systematically target the multiple interacting risk factors underlying many developmental disruptions of adolescence.
Seasonal survey of copper-complexing ligands and thiol compounds in a heavily utilized, urban estuary: Elizabeth River, Virginia

Abstract Concentrations of thiol compounds, copper-complexing ligands, and total dissolved copper were followed over the course of 1 year (October 2002 until September 2003) in the Elizabeth River, Virginia to evaluate seasonality. Copper-complexing ligand concentrations were determined by competitive ligand equilibration-adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (CLE/ACSV). Thiol detection was carried out by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and calibration using a suite of nine thiol compounds (cysteine, glutathione, mercaptoacetic acid, 2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid, 2-mercaptoethanol, 2-mercaptopropionic acid, 3-mercaptopropionic acid, mercaptosuccinic acid, and monothioglycerol). Total dissolved copper concentrations reached a January low of 13.1 nM to a June high of 24.7 nM and were found to vary seasonally with higher concentrations occurring from June to September. With a low of 26 nM during April to a high of 56 nM in October, copper-complexing ligand (average log K ′ CuL of 12.0 ± 0.2) concentrations displayed a similar seasonal pattern to that of total dissolved copper. Free cupric ion concentrations remained below 1.5 pM for a majority of the year except during March, April, and December when values reached pM levels greater than 1.5. Six of the nine thiol compounds surveyed were detected in the Elizabeth River samples and ranged in concentration from below detectable concentrations ( K ′ CuL ∼ 12.1 ± 0.5) were found to be statistically equivalent to the naturally occurring copper-complexing ligands (average log K ′ CuL ∼ 12.0 ± 0.2). This suggests that these thiol compounds could act as copper-complexing ligands in natural samples and could contribute to the copper-complexing ligand pool detected by CLE/ACSV. This study involving seasonality of copper-complexing ligands and thiols in an industrialized, urban estuary underscored several points that have to be substantiated in future research efforts including copper-complexing ligands sources and the role that thiol compounds as well as other unidentified organic compounds play in the copper-complexing ligand pool.
Perturbed angular correlation study of electric quadrupole interactions in bicyclopentadienyl tantalum dichloride

Abstract A static electric-quadrupole interaction has been determined at tantalum nuclei in bicyclopentadienyl tantalum dichloride using time-differential perturbed angular correlations in the 133–482 keV γ-ray cascade in 181 Ta. The magnitude of the electric-field gradient is found to be (4.8 ± 0.3) × 10 17 V/cm 2 , with an asymmetry η of 0.22 ± 0.03. The electronic configuration of the tantalum is discussed in terms of the crystal structure and relative contributions of the ligands, bonding electrons and the 5d electron to the electric field gradient.
Changes in cyclic AMP levels in the amphibian ovarian follicle following progesterone induction of meiotic maturation. Effect of phosphodiesterase inhibitors and exogenous calcium on germinal vesicle breakdown.

In several cell systems, factors that decrease cyclic AMP levels stimulate cell division, while factors that increase cyclic AMP levels cause a decrease in mitotic activity. A similar pattern is seen for the progesterone initiation of the meiotic divisions in the Rana pipiens oocyte. Following exposure of ovarian follicles in vitro to inducing levels of steroid, [cAMP]i decreased from 7.5–0.9 pmol/mg dry wt to 2.0–0.2 pmol/mg dry wt by 4–5 h and remained at about 35% of the unstimulated (control) level during germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and the completion of the first meiotic division. By 24 h [cAMP]i rose to about 10 pmol/mg dry wt and remained elevated until second metaphase arrest. After fertilization, [cAMP]i remained relatively unchanged but decreased three to four fold by late blastula stage. Exogenous DBcAMP reversibly blocked GVBD if added at any time during the first 4–5 h after exposure to steroid. [DBcAMP]0 which blocked GVBD had no inhibitory effect on 14C-leucine uptake and incorporation. Phosphodiesterase inhibitors (SQ 20,006, theophylline, caffeine) blocked both GVBD and the decrease in [cAMP]i, but did not significantly inhibit 14C-leucine uptake and incorporation. Steroid-induced GVBD occurs without the continued presence of Ca2+ in the medium, but exogenous Ca2+ is essential for inhibition of GVBD by DBcAMP or phosphodiesterase inhibitors, but not by cycloheximide. The results suggest that a decrease in [cAMP]i may be specific and obligatory for nuclear membrane dissolution during the first meiotic division and that a primary action of progesterone may be to increase free Ca2+ in the oocyte cytoplasm, which in turn may activate a phosphodiesterase and lower intracellular cyclic AMP levels.
Serious Arabic meaning, grammatical, and study design flaws in the study “Faxed Arabic Prescriptions: A medication error waiting to happen?”

Serious Arabic meaning, grammatical, and study design flaws in the study “Faxed Arabic Prescriptions: A medication error waiting to happen?”
Expansible refrigerated table for immobilizing insects.

The design for an expansible and convenient refrigerated table for immobilizing insects which accommodates two workers per unit is presented. The table allows multiple units to be connected in series and mechanical components to be isolated from the work area.
New design for increased terahertz power from LTG GaAs photomixers

Photoconductive mixing in ultrafast photoconductors (LTG- GaAs) represents an optoelectronic means of generating coherent radiation at THz frequencies form optical pump laser. TO dat the power from such photomixers has been limited to microwatt levels by thermal burn-out. In this paper, we analyze a new design in which the LTG-GaAs is fabricated both in a resonant planar dipole and in a vertical optical cavity. This is accomplished with an electrically-floating metal layer lying below the thin LTG- GaAs layer by approximately 0.5 micron. Optical analysis shows that the metal layer can increase the external quantum efficiency of the photomixer approximately 3 times through creation of a vertical optical cavity int eh LTG-GaAs layer. Heat-transfer analysis shows that the metal layer reduces the photomixer thermal resistance approximately 2.5 times, allowing for an increase in the optical pump power by roughly the same factor. Finally, full-wave electromagnetic analysis shows that the metal layer has a small impact on the radiation pattern of the planar dipole above it, presumably because the layer is much smaller laterally than a wavelength and is electrically floating. In total, these beneficial effects are predicted to increase the output THz power by approximately a factor of ten compared to any result reported to date.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Self-refocused solvent suppression with shaped pulses

Many different methods of solvent suppression for biological nuclear magnetic resonance and diffusion measurements have been reported ( 1-8). Most of the simplest sequences (l-3) rely on creating a zero crossing to null out the signal on resonance. In practice. a peak of any appreciable width will not be nulled completely by these sequences, and excitation off resonance is often uneven. More sophisticated pulse sequences use hard pulses to suppress a distribution of solvent resonances, but these pulse sequences suffer the limitation of exciting a region (to either side of the suppressed region) that is only about as wide as the suppressed region ( 4). The expected excitation strength can be calculated and a normal looking one-dimensional spectrum can be produced by a simple resealing. However, such a trick cannot be used in more complicated experiments such as two-dimensional spectroscopy, since no simple scaling relation applies. We have previously reported suppression of a range of frequencies in the middle of a uniformly excited spectrum with crafted pulses (5, 6). These “narrow reject” pulse envelopes were polynomials multiplied by the difference of two Gaussians and were used in one-dimensional (5) and two-dimensional (6) experiments. The pulses maintained phase coherence and undistorted intensities in both the out-of-phase and the in-phase component of the magnetization, produced a uniform hole, and uniformly excited the sample outside of the suppressed region. However, the narrow reject pulse (and all other methods of solvent suppression save the NERO composite pulse ( 7) and a modified 1-3-3-1 sequence (8)) suffers from phase roll caused by the long pulse duration; in addition, the dynamic range requirements for producing this shaped pulse were substantial. In this communication we present a qualitatively different approach to shaped pulse solvent suppression, based on “self-refocused” weak pulses ( 9) and hard rectangular pulses. This approach has the disadvantage ofbeing less intuitive, since the pulse response cannot be qualitatively understood by linear response theory. In exchange. however, the spectra we produce have no phase roll, and instrumental requirements are substantially reduced. Phase roll can be viewed as a holdover from linear response theory (Fig. 1). A waveform of duration T can only have purely real and positive Fourier components (e.g., the phase of all frequency components the same) if the point chosen as the time origin for the Fourier transformation is the exact middle of a symmetric pulse. Since detection cannot really occur until the pulse ends, an uppro,uimately linear phase shift
Cancer of the kidney—etiology, epidemiology, and pathology

Renal adenocarcinoma represents approximately 1% of all malignancies exclusive of skin cancer. It is extremely rare in children or young adults and its incidence is over three times as great in men as in women. Familial occurrence is rare although there is a high frequency in patients with Lindau's disease. Naturally occurring renal adenocarcinoma is uncommon in lower animals except in rare instances of familial tumors in rodents. However, in laboratory animals renal adenocarcinomas are readily induced by a variety of carcinogens including chemical, physical, and viral agents. Implications of these studies to the epidemiology of human renal adenocarcinoma are discussed. Human, as well as naturally-occurring and experimentally-induced renal adenocarcinomas in lower animals, arise from the proximal convoluted tubule and are remarkably similar histologically and electronmicroscopically. Typically, these tumors are composed of cells which are clear or granular, a function of the cellular content of glycogen, lipids, and cytoplasmic organelles, and may be arranged in solid, cystic, trabecular, tubular, or papillary patterns. Rarely (1.8% of all renal adenocarcinomas) they are sarcomatoid mimmicking fibrosarcoma, rhabomyosarcoma, or liposarcoma. These various histologic patterns are poorly related to survival except for the sarcomatoid tumors which are regarded as highly aggressive. Renal cortical parenchymal tumors resembling the renal adenocarcinoma but less than 3 cm in diameter have historically been regarded as adenomas because of their low frequency of metastases. Based on the many points of similarities between the renal adenocarcinoma and the so-called renal adenoma, it is postulated that these tumors are simply small renal adenocarcinomas which have not yet grown large enough to metastasize.
Effects of Mechanical Forces on Pulmonary Epithelial Gene Expression and Differentiation • 1738

Fetal breathing movements (FBM) are necessary for normal fetal lung growth and maturation. Absence of FBM or lung constriction results in lung hypoplasia. The molecular mechanisms by which FBM stimulate lung growth are not known. We analyzed fetal rat lungs (E19) cultured ± lung distension and tracheal ligation. We also examined the effects of mechanical stretch on rat fetal lung type II cells, human pulmonary adenocarcinoma A549 cells, and a human pulmonary epithelial cell line (NCI-H441) that shows regulated expression of surfactant proteins SP-A and SP-B. Cells were grown to confluence on matrix-coated silastic membranes and mounted in a FX-3000 Strain Unit (Flexcell). Cyclic deformation simulating FBM was achieved by applying a vacuum of 22 kPa (5-15% radial deformation) at 50 cycles/min for 2-24h. Unstretched cells were used as controls. We separately evaluated the effects of fluid shear forces (without cellular radial elongation) and cell deformation. SP-A and SP-B mRNA abundance was assayed by northern blot. Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP, a stretch-dependent lung developmental regulator), and cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitors were analyzed by RNase protection assay (RPA). Our results indicate that static distension for as brief as 4h decreased steady-state SP-A and SP-B mRNA levels in whole lung to 51% and 31%, respectively, of control levels (n=5-6; p SP-A expression 2-4 fold over controls and PTHrP expression by 30-60%. These effects were not mediated by fluid shear but were partially inhibited by lanthanum (a stretch-activated channel blocker). Cyclic deformation also significantly enhanced 3H-choline incorporation into saturated phosphatidylcholine in the different epithelial culture models. Cyclic stretching for 48h altered cell cycle phase distribution, apparently by inducing a block in SG2 progression, and did not activate apoptosis(assayed by DNA flow cytometry). The cell cycle effects do not appear to be due to transcriptional regulation of cdk inhibitor proteins. Our results in lung organ culture are consistent with observations made in vivo in tracheal ligation models, and suggest that continuous lung distension may interfere with airway epithelial cytodifferentiation. In contrast, dynamic mechanodeformation (distension-relaxation) may be a critical stimulus for fetal lung maturation. The molecular mechanisms by which mechanotransduction alters gene expression and cytodifferentiation are under investigation.