cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative safety and efficacy of balloon use in air enema reduction for pediatric intussusception

Intussusception, a common cause of bowel obstruction in young children, is primarily treated with air enema reduction. There is little literature comparing the safety and efficacy of air reduction without or with a rectal balloon. To determine the safety and efficacy of a rectal balloon seal in air enema reduction. We retrospectively reviewed the records of children who underwent air reduction for ileocolic or ileo-ileocolic intussusception over an 8-year period. We sorted data from 566 children according to whether a rectal balloon was used in the reduction, and further sorted them by type and experience level of the practitioner. Using logistic regression analyses, we identified risk factors for iatrogenic bowel perforation or failed reduction. Significant associations with bowel perforation included balloon use (P=0.038), age <1 year (P<0.0001), and attending physician’s level of experience <5 years (P=0.043). Younger age was associated with both perforation (P<0.0001) and procedural failure (P=0.001). The risk-adjusted predicted probability of perforation decreased with age, approaching zero by 10 months regardless of balloon use. For cases without bowel resection, the risk-adjusted predicted probability of failure decreased toward zero by 30 months with balloon use, while remaining constant at 3–12% regardless of age when not using a balloon. The likelihood of a successful air reduction might be safely increased by using an inflated rectal balloon in children older than 9 months. Use of a balloon in younger infants is associated with a higher risk of iatrogenic bowel injury.
Abstract 11366: Retained Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Fragments After Incomplete Extraction Do Not Adversely Affect Magnetic Resonance Imaging Quality or Safety

Introduction: The prevalence of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) is steadily increasing. Accordingly, the frequency of CIED extraction has also increased. Occasionally, safe retrieval of all CIED components is not feasabile and lead fragments are left behind. Little is known about the safety and diagnostic accuracy of MRI in patients with retained CIED fragments. Methods: Two hundred consecutive patients were identified as having undergone orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) at our institution between April 2006 and December 2014. Chest x-rays immediately prior to OHT were reviewed for presence of CIED and chest x-rays immediately following OHT were reviewed for retained CIED fragments. MRI performed after OHT in patients with retained CIED fragments were inspected for image quality and procedural safety. The most recent chest x-ray in patients with retained CIED fragments subjected to MRI was reviewed for change in fragment position. Results: One hundred seventy-eight of 200 patients (89%) had CIED prior to OHT. All patients with CIED had surgical device extraction at the time of OHT. Of these, 29 patients (12%) had retained CIED fragments after OHT, the majority of which (23/29) were ICD coil fragments located in the superior vena cava, brachiocephalic or subclavian vein. Ten patients with retained CIED fragments underwent a total of 28 MRI after OHT. No patient safety issues were identified during MRI acquisition, and all MRI images were of diagnostic quality. There were no changes in the position of CIED fragments following MRI. Conclusions: Diagnostic MRI can be safely performed in patients with retained CIED fragments after incomplete device extraction. Adherence of the ICD coil to the vessel wall due to fibrosis has been well described and is a common impediment to complete device extraction. Retrieval of these fragments prior to MRI does not appear warranted given the demonstrated safety and preserved MRI image quality in this population.
The effects of sleep-disordered breathing on arterial stiffness are modulated by age.

OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA AND SLEEP-DISORDERED BREATHING (SDB) ARE COMMON DISORDERS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED cardiovascular disease risk.1,2 SDB is common3 and is characterized by repeated episodes of airway obstruction with a concomitant decrease in O2 saturation, increased ventilatory effort, and nocturnal arousals.4 Repetitive hypoxic insults associated with SDB alter cardiovascular hemodynamics and are associated with endothelial dysfunction and vascular inflammation.5–7 These pathophysiological changes may contribute to arterial stiffening, systemic hypertension, atherosclerosis, atrial fibrillation, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease.8 Arterial stiffening is one of the earliest signs of arterial remodeling, causing earlier wave reflections and elevation of central aortic pressures. Central systolic and pulse pressures have stronger correlations with measures of atherosclerotic burden and are better predictors of cardiovascular disease events than are peripheral (brachial) blood pressures.9,10 Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a highly reproducible11 noninvasive measure of arterial stiffness associated with higher cardiovascular disease mortality, coronary heart disease, and stroke.12–15 Although associations between SDB severity and arterial stiffness have been described, the findings are not consistent between studies, in part because of differing study designs, varying severity of SDB, differing techniques for evaluating arterial stiffness, and, in some studies, lack of adjustment for potential confounders.16–18 In order to overcome some of these limitations, we measured aortic PWV in a subset of participants with mild to moderate SDB in a well-characterized longitudinal cohort. The purpose of this study was to determine if PWV is associated with SDB severity and to evaluate the effects of aging and SDB on arterial stiffness.
Plant DNA Variation and Stress

The generation of quantitative DNA changes in the flax variety Stormont Cirrus in response to various stresses is described. Members of all the highly repetitive sequence families have been cloned and used as probes to characterise this variation. The variation occurs in a particular subset of the genome, irrespective of the stress applied, although the frequency with which a family of sequences varies may depend on the particular stress applied. In the case of the 5SRNA genes a specific labile set of these sequences which frequently undergoes deletion was detected. The evolutionary consequences of such an interaction between the genome and the environment are considered.
Experimental and numerical techniques for lightweight vehicle sound package development

The use of lightweight structural materials poses great challenge to noise control of a vehicle. A new approach to sound package design in lightweight vehicles was developed to reduce vehicle interior noise level without addition of weight. This new approach relies on lightweight acoustical materials that provide superior sound absorption performance to reduce noise level at the source, e.g., inside engine compartment and near the tires. Vehicle NVH finite element analysis (FEA) models were used to develop the lightweight vehicle’s structural design to bring the lightweight vehicle’s low and mid frequency responses closer the baseline vehicle’s performance. Full vehicle SEA (statistical energy analysis) model was developed to evaluate the high frequency NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) performance of a vehicle. This correlated SEA model was used for the vehicle sound package optimization studies to develop sound package design to improve lightweight vehicle’s acoustic performance. In this paper, the use of NVH CAE (computer aided engineering) simulations for lightweight vehicle design is presented to highlight the limitation and use of FEA and SEA in lightweight vehicle development.
Inhaled Nitrous Oxide ‘Whip-Its!’ Causing Subacute Combined Degeneration of Spinal Cord

The opioid prescription drug epidemic is not the only challenging drug abuse that the United States is facing. Over the past decade, the prevalence of another substance of abuse has dramatically; increased that is nitrous oxide, also known as ‘Whip-its’. As per the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, there were twelve million users reported in 2012. Whip-its has become a popular trend among teenagers and young adults, as it is easily accessible. ‘Whip-Its!’ canisters containing nitrous oxide are available for purchase at grocery stores, on the internet, and various retailers without any age limit, warning or regulations. Reported cases of ‘Whip-its’ use have been linked to loss of consciousness, anoxic brain injury, cardiac arrest, and death. Yet, another result of chronic nitrous oxide abuse is that of spinal cord myelopathy due to vitamin B 12 deficiency. In this report we present a case of a 22-year-old male with daily abuse of inhaled nitrous oxide in the form of ‘Whip-its’, who presented with initial symptoms of presumed drug induced psychosis and gradually developed neurological focal deficits, and findings of sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy with myelopathy of the cervical spine and vitamin B12 deficiency.
A 243 GHz Direct-Conversion FMCW Transceiver for Radar Moving Target Signature Measurements

A prototype single-channel V-transmit V-receive (VV) frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) instrumentation radar operating near a center frequency of 243 GHz has been developed. The primary motivation for development of the radar is to support micro-Doppler signature measurements of moving targets at millimeter-wave frequencies. The transceiver employs a commercially available synthesizer evaluation module that directly drives both the transmitter and receiver x24 frequency multiplier assemblies. The receiver is a simple direct conversion architecture feeding a modest 5 MS/s data acquisition card or fast oscilloscope (up to 2 GS/s). The design and operation of the transceiver is presented in this paper along with measurement results of a reconfigurable multi-blade rotor assembly used to demonstrate system performance.
Feedstock Reagents in Metal‐Catalyzed Carbonyl Reductive Coupling: Minimizing Preactivation for Efficiency in Target‐Oriented Synthesis

Use of abundant feedstock pronucleophiles in catalytic carbonyl reductive coupling enhances efficiency in target-oriented synthesis. For such reactions, equally inexpensive reductants are desired or, ideally, corresponding hydrogen autotransfer processes may be enacted wherein alcohols serve dually as reductant and carbonyl proelectrophile. As described in this Minireview, these concepts allow reactions that traditionally require preformed organometallic reagents to be conducted catalytically in a byproduct-free manner from inexpensive π-unsaturated precursors.
Review of "Algorithms of oppression: how search engines reinforce racism," by Noble, S. U. (2018). New York, New York: NYU Press.

Read and considered thoughtfully, Safiya Umoja Noble's Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism is devastating. It reduces to rubble the notion that technology is neutral and ideology-free. Noble's crushing the neutrality myth does several things. First, this act lays foundations for her argument: only if you recognize and understand that technology is built with, and integrates, bias, can you then be open to her primary thesis: search engines advance discriminatory and often racist content. Second, it banishes a convenient response for many self-identified meritocratic Silicon Valley "winners" and their supporters. Post-reading, some individuals may retain their beliefs in a neutral and ideology-free technology in spite of the overwhelming evidence and citations Noble brings to bear. Effective countering of Noble's claims is unlikely to occur. For professionals working in technology, information, argumentation, and/or rhetorical studies, Algorithms of Oppression is refreshing. Agonistic towards structural racism and its defenses, single-minded in its evidentiary presentation, collaborative in its acknowledgement of others' scholarship and research, Noble models many academic, critical, and social moves. Technology scholars and writers will find in Algorithms of Oppression a masterful mentor text on how to be an activist researcher scholar. Noble also makes this enjoyable reading. It is uncommon to find academic books that can simultaneously be read, used, and applied by academics and non-academics alike.
Applying Neuromorphic Computing to Compressive Sensing

As the computing community moves toward processing at the edge, there is a need for computing systems that are both high performance and power efficient. Neuromorphic computing systems have the potential to fill this need.
Combined hybrid pulmonary valve placement and atrial septal defect closure: case report and literature review

We report a case of a 15-year-old female who underwent combined hybrid pulmonary valve replacement and transcatheter atrial septal defect device closure, which was performed due to severe volume overload of the right side of the heart secondary to pulmonary regurgitation and atrial septal defect.
Complexes of N (4)-cyclohexylsemicarbazones and N (4)-cyclohexylthiosemicarbazones derived from 2-formyl-, 2-acetyl- and 2-benzoylpyridine

2-Formyl-, 2-acetyl- and 2-benzoylpyridine N(4)-cyclohexylsemicarbazone and N(4)-cyclohexylthiosemicarbazone complexes of cobalt(II, III), nickel(II) and copper(II) have been prepared and characterized by molar conductivities, magnetic susceptibilities and spectroscopic techniques. For many of the complexes, coordination is by the neutral ligand, the main exceptions being the cobalt(III) complexes of the three thiosemicarbazones and three of the benzoylpyridine derivatives. Thus, bonding is via the pyridyl nitrogen, azomethine nitrogen and thione/thiolato sulfur. The five-coordinate copper(II) complex of 2-acetylpyridine N(4)-cyclohexylthiosemicarbazone, [Cu(HAc4CHex)Cl2], approaches square pyramidal stereochemistry with the basal Cu—Cl bond significantly shorter than the apical Cu—Cl bond.
Substance Use Prevention Programming for Adolescents and Young Adults: A Mixed-Method Examination of Substance Use Perceptions and Use of Prevention Services.

Although substance use problems are highly prevalent among adolescents and emerging adults, this population does not regularly receive substance use prevention programming in their communities. Low...
Regulation of retinal amacrine cell generation by miR-216b and Foxn3

Abstract The mammalian retina contains a complex mixture of different types of neurons. We find that the microRNA miR-216b is preferentially expressed in postmitotic retinal amacrine cells in the mouse retina, and expression of miR-216a/b and miR-217 in the retina depend in part on Ptf1a, a transcription factor required for amacrine cell differentiation. Surprisingly, ectopic expression of miR-216b, or the related miR-216a, can direct the formation of additional amacrine cells in the developing retina. In addition, we observe the loss of bipolar neurons in the retina after miR-216b expression. We identify the mRNA for the transcriptional regulator Foxn3 as a retinal target of miR-216b by Argonaute PAR-CLIP and reporter analysis. Inhibition of Foxn3 in the postnatal developing retina by RNAi also increases the formation of amacrine cells and reduces bipolar cell formation, while overexpression of Foxn3 inhibits amacrine cell formation prior to the expression of Ptf1a. Disruption of Foxn3 by CRISPR in embryonic retinal explants also reduces amacrine cell formation. Co-expression of Foxn3 can partially reverse the effects of ectopic miR-216b on retinal cell type formation. Our results identify Foxn3 as a novel regulator of interneuron formation in the developing retina and suggest that miR-216b likely regulates expression of Foxn3 and other genes in amacrine cells.
Reachability Games for Optimal Multi-agent Scheduling of Tasks with Variable Durations

Scheduling tasks with variable durations across multiple agents is an NP-hard problem for even two agents. Typically, the run-time of any exact algorithm is dominated by the number of tasks because of an exponential dependence. We shift this exponential dependency from the number of tasks to a new parameter, which we call window length. This novel parameterization enables to reduce the problem of finding an optimal schedule to one of searching for winning strategies in a two-player reachability game on graphs of size polynomial in the number of tasks. As such, the complexity of finding an optimal schedule is polynomial in the number of tasks but exponential in the window length. We demonstrate that, in practice our algorithm runs faster than the worst-case complexity. The approach we present is applicable for most common optimization criteria, such as minimization of makespan and total load. We demonstrate the practical value of this technique by finding optimal schedules for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Finally, experiments on randomly generated instances show that, on average, this technique is at least two orders of magnitude faster than an integer program formulation.
Marked Increase in Spinal Deformity Surgery Throughout the United States.

STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort database study. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate trends in utilization and demographics in Spinal Deformity Surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA The aging population in the United States will likely result in increased incidence of adult degenerative scoliosis. With a national focus on resource utilization and value-based care, it is essential for surgeons, researchers, and health care policy makers to know utilization and demographic trends of spinal surgery with long fusion construct. METHODS The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database was queried for patients who underwent fusion or refusion of nine or more vertebrae (ICD-9-CM 81.64) between 2004 and 2015 across 44 states. Demographic and economic data include annual number of surgeries, incidence, patient age, sex, region, insurance type, charge, routine discharge, length of stay, and data. The NIS database represents a 20% sample of discharges from US hospitals, excluding rehabilitation and long-term acute care hospitals, which is weighted to provide national estimates. RESULT In 2014, there were 14,615 fusions involving nine or more vertebrae across the United States. The number of fusions involving nine or more levels has increased 141% from 6072 in 2004. Long fusion constructs increased 460% from 2004 to 2014 among patients 65 to 84 years' old. The mean hospital cost associated with long fusion spine surgery was $69,546 per case in 2015. Between 2004 and 2014, the payer breakdown for individuals receiving spinal deformity surgery is as follows: 54.2% private insurance, 18% Medicare, and 21.2% Medicaid. CONCLUSION The massive increase (141%) in utilization of long construct spine fusion was primarily driven by 460% rise in incidence of the surgery among those aged 65 to 84. Although the cause is unknown, it is possible that this rise was, at least in part, driven by the implementation of the affordable care act, improved surgical safety, and better knowledge of spinopelvic parameters.Level of Evidence: 3.
Simulation of porosity by microballoon dispersion in epoxy and urethane: mechanical measurements and models

Effective mechanical properties of microballoon-dispersed epoxy and urethane are studied under quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions. Elastic modulus measurements of these mixtures over a volume fraction range of 0–0.45 are in good agreement with Hashin-Shtrikman lower-bound predictions for two-phase mixtures comprising of randomly distributed spherical pores in an elastic matrix. The measurements have also been predicted accurately by a LEFM based pore-flaw model for a selected flaw size to pore size ratio. These imply that the microballoons offer negligible reinforcement due to extremely small wall thickness to diameter ratio. Accordingly, feasibility of using these materials to simulate controlled porosity for tensile strength and fracture toughness modeling is explored. Measured tensile strength and fracture toughness values decrease monotonically similar to the Young's modulus variation with volume fraction of microballoons. Guided by the measurements linear elastic models for porous materials that predict tensile strength and fracture toughness of these mixtures are proposed and validated. The tensile strength predictions are in very good agreement with measurements for both epoxy and urethane compositions. The quasi-static crack initiation toughness prediction captures the measurement trends rather well in both cases. The agreement between the measurements and predictions are modest for epoxy matrix while they are good for urethane compositions. Based on fracture surface micrography, an empirical corrective procedure is advanced to improve the agreement between the measurements and the model. The dynamic crack initiation toughness measurements for epoxy, on the other hand, are in excellent agreement with the predictions.
Cocaine abuse: hard knocks for the dopamine hypothesis?

The idea that cocaine's reinforcing effects are due to its action at the dopamine transporter is challenged by a new finding that mice lacking this protein self-administer cocaine.
Pediatric education in community settings: where do we go from here?

Pediatric education in community settings is an idea whose time has come. The board of the Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute recognized this reality, and they deserve great credit for bringing together this impressive group of people for what I believe to be a watershed event. The conference includes, for the first time in my experience, participants from community practice and academic societies such as the Ambulatory Pediatric Association (APA), the American Board of Pediatrics, the Association of Pediatric Program Directors (APPD), and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), including members of its resident section. At least half of residency program directors are here, as are many chairs of pediatric departments in university and community hospitals. Representatives of funding agencies—the Maternal and Child Health Bureau and the Health Resources and Services Administration—are here as well; one of our speakers heads the Center for the Future of Children of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. This conference is a pivotal event in medical education. Like those who remember another pivotal event, Woodstock 969, we will look back with nostalgia and pride and say that we were here. I consider a meeting successful if I leave with one good new idea. At this conference, we have heard many creative and provocative ideas about community-based education, and we will be thinking about them on our way home and during the next several months. One of my favorite quotations, however, is from Alfred North Whitehead: "Ideas won9t keep. Something must be done about them.
The Role of Health Care Technology in Support of Perinatal Nurse Staffing

Health care technology can generate massive amounts of data. However, when data are generated from disparate, uncoordinated systems, using them to make decisions related to staffing can be a challenge. In this article, I describe the importance of data standardization, system interoperability, standard terminologies that support nursing practice, and nursing informatics expertise as tools for improving the usefulness of electronic systems for informing staffing decisions.
Generation of alloreactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes: production of T cell and macrophage helper factors in addition to IL 1 and IL 2 by peritoneal cells from mice immunized to Listeria monocytogenes.

We investigate the production and biological activity of soluble helper factors produced by peritoneal T cells and macrophage derived from mice primed in vivo with Listeria monocytogenes. Supernatant fluids from co-cultures of these immune T cells and activated macrophages contained Interleukin 1 (IL 1) and Interleukin 2 (IL 2), and had the ability to assist the generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) from a population of nylon wool nonadherent spleen cells sensitized to allogeneic heat-treated thymocytes. The ability to assist CTL development involved T cell and macrophage factors in addition to IL 1 and IL 2. Immune T cells cultured alone produced a factor, devoid of significant IL 2 activity, that assisted CTL development only if adherent cells were present in the responding population. Activated macrophage produced a 38,000 dalton component, distinct from IL 1 on the basis of m.w., that assisted the development of CTL from nylon wool nonadherent splenic cells. Supernatants fluids from co-cultures of immune T cells and allogeneic, nonactivated macrophage contained a CTL helper factor but did not contain IL 1 or IL 2 activities. In contrast, supernatant fluids from co-cultures of immune T cells and syngeneic, nonactivated macrophage contained all 3 activities. This suggests a genetic restriction for the production of IL 1 and IL 2 that does not restrict the production of a CTL helper factor. These results demonstrate that T cell- and macrophage-derived helper factors distinct from IL 1 and IL 2 participate in the development of CTL.
Analytic performance evaluation of the bicepstrum

The purpose of this study is to present an analytic performance evaluation of the complex cepstrum and bicepstrum (i.e. cepstrum of the bispectrum) methods by providing explicit expressions of the bias and variance of cepstrum parameters. A model consisting of a deterministic signal in additive white Gaussian noise and finite length data is assumed. The authors compare a special case of these results and find the range of SNR in which they expect the bicepstrum method to perform better than the complex cepstrum method. >
1-based theories - the main gap for $a$ -models

We prove the “Main Gap” for the class ofa-models (sufficiently saturated models) of an arbitrary stable 1-based theoryT. We (i) prove a strong structure theorem fora-models, assuming NDOP, and (ii) roughly compute the number ofa-models ofT in any given cardinality. The analysis uses heavily group existence theorems in 1-based theories.
Kinematic analysis of radial structures around Irnini Mons, Venus

Abstract Radial structures to the north-east of Irnini Mons are discernable as ridges at the full Magellan image resolution of 75 m/pixel using FMAP tiles. While a magma source modeled as a pressurized hole in an elastic plate usually allows for only extensional radial structures, the perturbation of regional stresses around the hole can explain the presence of radial ridges. Sixteen numerical models were run to see what effect changes in magma pressure and regional stresses had on the magnitude of the maximum principal stresses and the orientation of potential features around a hole in a plate. These models were arranged into four groups based on model input and setup: 1) uniaxial compressive stress; 2) uniaxial tensile stress; 3) biaxial stress; and 4) multiple holes. Nine of the sixteen models result in radial ridges in the orientation observed around Irnini Mons; all of these models incorporate a regional N-S compression. Flows from Irnini Mons are superimposed on an older, regional plains material deformed by a regional set of east-west trending wrinkle ridges, implying a regional north-south compression affected the area. The existence of radial ridges on the Irnini flows implies that the regional N-S compression that caused the E-W trending wrinkle ridges was still active during the formation of Irnini Mons. However, the magnitude of the regional compressive stress required for radial ridge formation could be 1–5 MPa less than the compressive strength of the material, indicating that radial ridges could form after wrinkle ridge formation has ceased.
Effects of multiple obstructions on natural convection heat transfer in vertical channels

Abstract Free convection flows in vertical channels with two rectangular obstructions on opposite walls was studied numerically. Four different geometries were employed to study the effect of the parameters like Rayleigh number ( Ra ), aspect ratio ( Ar ), and obstruction locations ( L 1 , L 2 ) on the average Nusselt number ( Nu ). The results included isotherms, streamlines and Nusselt numbers. Average Nusselt numbers for the obstructed channels were less than those of the smooth channel. The maximum reduction in heat transfer found in this study is approximately 31% and occurred at Ra = 5 × 10 2 . The minimum reduction in heat transfer is approximately 3% and occurred at Ra = 10 4 .
Bounded harmonic $1$-forms on complete manifolds

In this paper we present some results concerning bounded harmonic 1-forms on manifolds of compact type. As a corollary we obtain a rigidity result for the first cohomology group of locally isometric Riemannian manifolds.
Multigrid convergence of an implicit symmetric relaxation scheme

The multigrid method has been applied to an existing three-dimensional compressible Euler solver to accelerate the convergence of the implicit symmetric relaxation scheme. This lower-upper symmetric Gauss-Seidel implicit scheme is shown to be an effective multigrid driver in three dimensions. A grid refinement study is performed including the effects of large cell aspect ratio meshes. Performance figures of the present multigrid code on Cray computers including the new C90 are presented. A reduction of three orders of magnitude in the residual for a three-dimensional transonic inviscid flow using 920 k grid points is obtained in less than 4 min on a Cray C90.
TGF-β1 Gene Silencing for Treating Liver Fibrosis

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting different regions of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) mRNA were designed and the silencing effect was determined after transfection into immortalized rat liver stellate cells (HSC-T6). There was not only significant decrease in TGF-β1, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and type I collagen after transfection with TGF-β1 siRNAs, but also synergism in gene silencing when siRNAs targeting two different start sites were used as a pool for transfection. The two siRNA sequences which efficiently inhibited TGF-β1 gene expression were converted to shRNAs via cloning into the pSilencer1.0. There was significant decrease in TGF-β1 and TIMP-1 when HSC-T6 cells were transfected with pshRNA targeting the same regions of TGF-β1 mRNA as siRNAs. Furthermore, TGF-β1 gene silencing in HSC-T6 cells significantly decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) an...
Reminiscences of Emmett Leith: as an inventor and his technological breakthrough

Every invention and discovery has its own roots. This article will describe my personal experiences and encountered with Emmett Leith; as an inventor and his technological break through for the discovery of Laser-Holography. The legacy of his discovery, outgrowth from, and development, will also be shown. A tribute to Yuri Denisyuk, who has just passed away, is also included.
Nutrition and Physical Activity Practices in Childcare Centers Versus Family Childcare Homes

Obesity rates among preschool-aged children have doubled in the past 10 years, and 60 % of these children spend the majority of their day in childcare facilities. Few studies have examined the quality of nutrition and physical activity practices in childcare centers as compared to family childcare homes. The purpose of this study is to determine if a pattern of differences exist in these two settings. As part of a CDC-funded study to reduce the obesity epidemic in young children, directors of 1,140 childcare facilities (842 out-of-home and 298 in-home) in one large county completed a survey that detailed their practices related to child nutrition and physical activity. Results showed that compared with out-of-home facilities, in-home facilities were more likely to report excellent indoor physical activity (87.2 vs. 85.5 %, p = 0.059), less likely to report excellent outdoor physical activity (92.8 vs. 96.5 %, p = 0.018), more likely to serve fruit (80.3 vs. 51.2 %), and less likely to serve 1 % milk (45.2 vs. 55 %). This study’s present findings revealed that ample opportunity exists to significantly improve the health of young children in both in-home and out-of-home facilities.
Evaluation of nekton use and habitat characteristics of restored Louisiana marsh

Abstract Marsh terracing and coconut fiber mats are two wetland restoration techniques implemented at Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana, USA. Using nekton as an indicator of habitat quality, nekton community assemblages were compared between terraced, coconut-matted, unmanaged marsh (restoration goal), and open water (pre-restoration) habitats. Using a throw trap and a 3 m × 2 m straight seine, 192 nekton samples were collected over four dates in 2001 and 2002 at all habitats. Nekton abundance was similar at unmanaged marsh (restoration goal), coconut mat, and terrace edge, and significantly higher than at open water (pre-restoration) sites (P
The effect of eifferent estrogen-progesterone ratios on DNA synthesis in the rat uterus†‡

The influence of different estrogen-progesterone ratios on DNA synthesis in the rat uterus was investigated. Ovariectomized rats were injected subcutaneously daily for three days with either oil, 1 μg estradiol-17β dipropionate or estradiol and 1, 5, 10 or 15 mg progesterone. Tritiated thymidine was administered one hour prior to necropsy. Thymidine indices were determine for both the luminal and glandular uterine epithelia while the total number of labeled nuclei in the stroma was ascertained. In all tissues studied, significantly more nuclei from uteri of rats given only estrogen replicated DNA than from those of the oil-treated controls. While concurrent treatment with estradiol and 1 or 15 mg progesterone did not statistically alter the extent of thymidine incorporation in the luminal epithelium and stroma from that observed following estrogen alone, 5 or 10 mg progesterone given with estrogen significantly suppressed the labeling activity in the luminal epithelium and stroma from that of the estrogen-treated rats. However, the thymidine indices of the glandular epithelium from uteri of rats injected with all combinations of both hormones were significantly lower than that from uteri of estrogen-treated rats. These data indicate that the estrogen–progesterone ratio is important in regulating cell turnover in the luminal epithelium and stroma of the rat uterus but not in glandular epithelium.
Renal Transplant Wound Complications in the Modern Era of Obesity

Background Obesity is a known risk factor for wound complications following kidney transplantation (KTX), and obese transplant candidates are often encouraged to lose weight. The implications of this weight loss for post-KTX wound healing and morbidity have not been examined. Our aim was to study potential risk factors for post-KTX wound complications, with a specific focus on a history of significant weight loss. Methods Single-center retrospective review of all KTX recipients ≥18 y performed 04/2004–03/2009. We studied potential donor-, transplant-, and recipient-related risk factors for wound complications by univariate and multivariate analyses. Graft and patient survival comparisons were done by Kaplan-Meier curves and two-sided log-rank test. Results Overall wound complication incidence among the 487 study recipients was 6.4%. Significant independent risk factors for wound complications were BMI (odds ratio [OR] = 1.14 per 1 kg/m2 increase), and history of significant weight loss (OR = 13.46), peri-KTX transfusion (OR = 5.42), and desensitization (OR = 60.34). Wound complications had no significant impact on graft and patient survival. Conclusions Our study demonstrates for the first time that besides BMI, pre-KTX desensitization, and peri-KTX transfusion, a history of significant pre-KTX weight loss is also an independent risk factor for post-KTX wound complications (potentially at least in part due to body contour changes resulting in an unfavorable abdominal panniculus). Further study of KTX candidates who have lost a significant amount of weight is warranted to (1) identify the exact causes for their increased propensity for complications and (2) devise measures to minimize added cost and morbidity. Finally, our findings suggest that the impact of weight loss on the outcomes of non-transplant operations also warrants further investigation.
Deep Venous Thrombosis: Implications after Open Heart Surgery

We reviewed the cases of 10,638 cardiac surgical patients to determine the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after open heart surgery (OHS). Seventy-seven patients (0.7 percent) had DVT. Group 1 included 36 patients who had DVT without pulmonary embolism (PE). Occurrence was equal in either leg. Anticoagulation with heparin and warfarin sodium (Coumadin) was employed as treatment. Extension of hospital stay was 10.8 days. Group 2 consisted of 41 patients who experienced PE 9.9 days after OHS. Sixteen patients had known DVT and were receiving heparin. In 25 patients, PE was the first event. Risk factors for PE included perioperative myocardial infarction (16 percent), atrial fibrillation (41 percent), blood type A (70 percent) (p
Estimating User Influence in the MedHelp Social Network

A method of identifying influential users in an online healthcare community incorporates users' message similarity and response immediacy.
Correlates of Mothers’ Perception of Their Communities’ Social Capital: A Community-Based Study

Psychosocial issues have been recognized as important factors in children’s health for decades. This study documents the relation among several important psychosocial variables (e.g., mothers’ depressive symptoms) and a new instrument that assesses parents’ perception of their communities’ social capital. Mothers were recruited from their children’s primary care (PC) pediatricians’ offices within the Southwestern Ohio Ambulatory Research Network or from a children’s hospital developmental clinic (DC). Mothers completed a questionnaire that included the Social Capital Scale (SCS), Children with Special Health Care Needs Screener (CSHCNS), Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, Maternal Social Support Index and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Mothers were sorted into three subgroups based on site of recruitment (PC or DC) and results of the CSHCNS. The sample (N = 620) was also sorted into terciles based on SCS scores. Mean SCS was about 73 for each of the three subgroups. Compared to mothers in the highest SCS tercile, mothers in the lowest SCS tercile reported lower education, lower income and higher CES-D median scores. The SCS subscale “sense of belonging” had an inverse correlation with CES-D scores (r = −.248, p < 0.001). Mothers from primary care and sub-specialty clinics had similar perceptions about their communities’ social capital. Compared to mothers in the highest one third of SCS scores, mothers in the lowest one third were more likely to report less education and income as well as more depressive symptoms. A decreased sense of belonging in their communities was also correlated with more depressive symptoms. The SCS is a new useful tool for investigators and clinicians who work with children and their families.
On-chip Opto-electrical Discrimination of Single Biological Nanoparticles

Using an optofluidic chip with an integrated nanopore, a mixture of nanobeads and influenza viruses were opto-electrically detected. Different types of nanoparticles can be distinguished by different fluorescence wavelengths and fluorescence correlation functions.
Bayesian abductive inference using overlapping swarm intelligence

Abductive inference in Bayesian networks, is the problem of finding the most likely joint assignment to all non-evidence variables in the network. Such an assignment is called the most probable explanation (MPE). A novel swarm-based algorithm is proposed that finds the k-MPE of a Bayesian network. Our approach is an overlapping swarm intelligence algorithm in which a particle swarm is assigned to each node in the network. Each swarm searches for value assignments for its node's Markov blanket. Swarms that have overlapping value assignments compete to determine which assignment will be used in the final solution. In this paper we compare our algorithm to several other local search algorithms and show that our approach outperforms the competing methods in its ability to find the k-MPE.
Steroid-metabolizing enzymes in human breast cancer cells. II. 5 alpha-Reductase, 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase, and 17 beta-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase

Evidence that some human breast cancers can form biologically active sex steroids from extracellular precursors has prompted us to investigate several human breast cancer cell lines for similar steroidogenic capability. We have previously reported that MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells can transform testosterone to estradiol but that aromatase activity is not apparent in the HBL-100 human breast cell line. We report here the presence of 17 beta-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase, 5 alpha-reductase, and 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase activities in all three cell lines. Characterization of these enzymes in MCF-7 cells indicated that the intracellular location, temperature and pH optima, cofactor requirements, and apparent substrate affinities for each are generally similar to those described in several other mammalian systems. The presence of 17-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase, aromatase, 5 alpha-reductase, and 3-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase activities in MCF-7 suggests the possibility that the hormonal regulation of these human breast cancer cells may be mediated in part by intracellular estrogen and/or androgen biosynthesis.
An iterative fitting procedure for the determination of longitudinal NMR cross-correlation rates.

We present a method to measure (15)N-(1)H dipolar/(15)N CSA longitudinal cross-correlation rates in protonated proteins. The method depends on the measurement of four observables: the cumulative proton-proton cross relaxation rates, the (15)N R(1) relaxation rate, the multiexponential decay of 2N(Z)H(N)(Z) spin-order, and multiexponential buildup of 2N(Z)H(N)(Z) spin-order. The (15)N-(1)H dipolar/(15)N CSA longitudinal cross-correlation rate is extracted from these measurements by an iterative fitting procedure to the solution of differential equations describing the coupled relaxation dynamics of the z-magnetization of the (15)N nucleus, the two-spin-order 2N(Z)H(N)(Z), and a two-spin-order term 2N(Z)H(Q)(Z) describing the interaction with remote protons. The method is applied to the microbial ribonuclease binase. The method can also extract longitudinal cross-correlation rates for those amide protons that are involved in rapid solvent exchange. The experiment that serves for extracting proton-proton cross-relaxation rates is a modification of 3D (15)N-resolved NOESY-HSQC. The experiment restores the solvent magnetization to its equilibrium state during data detection for all phase cycling steps and all values of NOE mixing times and is recommended for use in standard applications as well.
Soliton diffusion in polyacetylene. II. Acoustic phonons

The soliton diffusion due to the coupling to acoustic phonons in polyacetylene is analyzed theoretically within the Su, Schrieffer, and Heeger model. It is shown that in the temperature region $T\ensuremath{\ll}\frac{1}{2}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{0}$, where ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{0}$ (\ensuremath{\sim}2000 K) is the optical-phonon frequency, the acoustic phonon dominates the soliton damping. Furthermore, for $T\ensuremath{\gg}{T}_{0}$, the single-phonon process dominates the soliton diffusion where ${T}_{0}=2m{c}^{2}$, and $m$ and $c$ are the soliton mass and the acoustic-phonon velocity, respectively. The one-dimensional model predicts the temperature-dependent diffusion constant $D\ensuremath{\propto}{T}^{\frac{1}{2}}$, while the three-dimensional model predicts $D\ensuremath{\propto}{T}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{1}{2}}$. The latter temperature dependence appears to be consistent with some of the recent nuclear-magnetic-resonance experiments.
The Twist of a Helically Buckled Casing

Exxon Production Research Co. developed a method for calculating buckling load in oil and gas well casings by using the strain energies for a 3-dimensional buckled column and deriving differential equations of buckling to solve for helical buckling, buckling caused by an applied moment, and combined end loading and torque. The method is illustrated by 2 example applications.
Electrophysiological Characteristics of Localized Twitch Responses in Responsive Taut Bands of Rabbit Skeletal Muscle Fibers

Objective: This study was designed to investigate the electromyographic characteristics of the Rabbit Localized Twitch Response [R-LTR], a brisk contraction of a certain group of rabbit skeletal muscle fibers [a responsive band] elicited by mechanical stimulation of the most pressure-sensitive site [TrS]. Methods: In this study, R-LTRs were electromyographically investigated on 9 rabbits [ages 2-12 months]. Each animal was anesthetized in a way that preserved most peripheral reflexes mediated by the central nervous system. R-LTRs were elicited by one of three different mechanical stimuli; manual-probe stimulus [similar to snapping palpation], mechanical-tap stimulus [delivered by a solenoid driven blunt metal probe], or needle insertion using a solenoid-driven needle. Results: R-LTRs were best recorded from the responsive band [but not the other spots in the responsive band, or any spot in the non-responsive fibers] was mechanically stimulated. Responses to snapping stimulation were longer in duration tha...
Status and Career Decision: An Analysis of the Time Dimension*

This paper reports on a study which examined the input parental status has on the timing of career decision. Data for this study were collected by means of questionnaire from graduating seniors from 24 colleges and universities. It was hypothesized that students from upper-status parents would choose their future career later in their life than would students with lower-status parents. Although the data tend to support the hypothesis, it seems to hold more true for females than for males. This difference was attributed to the varying emphasis placed upon the responsibility for the achievement of success.
Osteoarthritic chondrocyte–secreted morphogens induce chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells

Objective The potential of stem cells to repair compromised cartilage tissues such as in osteoarthritis (OA) depends strongly on how transplanted cells respond to factors secreted from the residing OA chondrocytes. This study determines the effect of morphogenetic signals from OA chondrocytes on chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs).