cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Examination of the Mechanisms of Action in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Bulimia Nervosa.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for bulimia nervosa (BN) has received considerable empirical support for its efficacy. However, few investigators have examined the mechanisms proposed to account for the reduction of BN symptoms during CBT. The current study examined the associations between therapist interventions, client mechanisms, and symptoms during treatment in a sample of 56 clients undergoing CBT for BN. Results suggested that behavioral interventions were most associated with symptom change during treatment whereas relational interventions were most associated with change in client mechanisms such as client engagement. Additionally, some changes in BN symptoms were mediated by changes in proposed client mechanisms whereas others were directly associated with therapist interventions. Implications of these findings for CBT theory of BN treatment and CBT treatment process research methodology are discussed.
Short-time-scale left ventricular systolic dynamics. Evidence for a common mechanism in both left ventricular chamber and heart muscle mechanics.

Based on the premise that short-time-scale, small-amplitude pressure/volume/outflow behavior of the left ventricular chamber was dominated by dynamic processes originating in cardiac myofilaments, a prototype model was built to predict pressure responses to volume perturbations. In the model, chamber pressure was taken to be the product of the number of generators in a pressure-bearing state and their average volumetric distortion, as in the muscle theory of A.F. Huxley, in which force was equal to the number of attached crossbridges and their average lineal distortion. Further, as in the muscle theory, pressure generators were assumed to cycle between two states, the pressure-bearing state and the non-pressure-bearing state. Experiments were performed in the isolated ferret heart, where variable volume decrements (0.01-0.12 ml) were removed at two commanded flow rates (flow clamps, -7 and -14 ml/sec). Pressure responses to volume removals were analyzed. Although the prototype model accounted for most features of the pressure responses, subtle but systematic discrepancies were observed. The presence or absence of flow and the magnitude of flow affected estimates of model parameters. However, estimates of parameters did not differ when the model was fitted to flow clamps with similar magnitudes of flows but different volume changes. Thus, prototype model inadequacies were attributed to misrepresentations of flow-related effects but not of volume-related effects. Based on these discrepancies, an improved model was built that added to the simple two-state cycling scheme, a pathway to a third state. This path was followed only in response to volume change. The improved model eliminated the deficiencies of the prototype model and was adequate in accounting for all observations. Since the template for the improved model was taken from the cycling crossbridge theory of muscle contraction, it was concluded that, in spite of the complexities of geometry, architecture, and regional heterogeneity of function and structure, crossbridge mechanisms dominated the short-time-scale dynamics of left ventricular chamber behavior.
ERG'S during the disappearance and recovery of the b-Wave induced by respiratory interference

Abstract ERC's obtained from animals having all rod retinas were analyzed as the b -wave decreased from that present in the normal ERG to where there was no longer airy b -wave. This condition was induced by interfering with the animal's respiration. Except for an increase in the a -wave amplitude and peak latency, the a -wave appeared unaffected by this treatment. The b -wave amplitude and peak latency decreased and increased, respectively, until the b -wave completely disappeared. The normal air supply was restorec before any suppression of the a -wave occurred. The ERG did not fully recover to that of the untreated rat. In comparing the ERG's it appears as though an early portion of the b -wave was present in the untreated rat ERG is absent in the ERG obtained after recovery. The results were interpreted in terms of a model that assumes that the b -wave is composed of a number of sub-waves. Each sub-wave can be the result of a different homogeneous population of retinal cells interacting with the light stimulus, or by a series of reactions occurring within the retina, leading to the generation of an electrical potential. The summation of the reactions of all the different populations of cells to the same stimulus results in the b -wave. It is proposed that those populations of cells producing sub-waves having the shortest latencies are the most sensitive to respiratory interference. These sub-waves are the first ones affected by respiratory interference and do not fully recover after the interference is removed. It is also proposed that the a -wave can be desfribed by a pair of exponential functions, one function describing a rapidly falling phase and the other a slow recovery phase.
Transformed Eulerian-Mean Theory. Part II: Potential Vorticity Homogenization and the Equilibrium of a Wind- and Buoyancy-Driven Zonal Flow

The equilibrium of a modeled wind- and buoyancy-driven, baroclinically unstable, flow is analyzed using the transformed Eulerian-mean (TEM) approach described in Part I. Within the near-adiabatic interior of the flow, Ertel potential vorticity is homogenized along mean isopycnals—a finding readily explained using TEM theory, given the geometry of the domain. The equilibrium, zonal-mean buoyancy structure at the surface is determined entirely by a balance between imposed surface fluxes and residual mean and eddy buoyancy transport within a “surface diabatic layer.” Balance between these same processes and the wind stress determines the stratification, and hence potential vorticity, immediately below this layer. Ertel potential vorticity homogenization below then determines the mean buoyancy structure everywhere. Accordingly, the equilibrium structure of this flow can be described—and quantitatively reproduced—from knowledge of the eddy mixing rates within the surface diabatic zone and the depth of this zone, together with potential vorticity homogenization beneath. These results emphasize the need to include near-surface buoyancy transport, as well as interior PV transport, in eddy parameterization schemes. They also imply that, in more realistic models, the surface buoyancy balances may be impacted by processes in remote locations that allow diapycnal flow.
Styles of Infant Feeding: Parental/Caretaker Control of Food Consumption in Young Children

patterns. These studies have looked at such variables as breastfeeding and weaning practices, the age when solid foods are introduced, which foods are appropriate for children, the age at weaning, the use of infant formula, overall dietary adequacy, and socioeconomic and demographic determinants. The studies employ a variety of research techniques, types of data, and underlying theoretical models, which lead to different policy implications concerning how to improve the nutritional status of young children. Some studies identify food availability and/or poverty as the primary determinants of infant-feeding patterns and therefore nutritional status (cf. Raphael and Davis 1985). Others highlight normative beliefs that limit children's access to protein sources, leading to malnutrition (Lepowsky 1985, 1987; Pettigrew 1982) or intrafamilial patterns of food distribution that lead to higher rates of morbidity and mortality for women and children generally and for female children in particular (Daniggelis 1987; McKee 1984; Pettigrew 1982; Piwoz and Viteri 1985). Several recent studies focusing on child neglect and abuse have described feeding practices in contexts where caretakers purposefully withhold food to hasten a child's death
The φX174 Protein J Mediates DNA Packaging and Viral Attachment to Host Cells

Packaging of viral genomes into their respective capsids requires partial neutralization of the highly negatively charged RNA or DNA. Many viruses, including the Microviridae bacteriophages phiX174, G4, and alpha3, have solved this problem by coding for a highly positively charged nucleic acid-binding protein that is packaged along with the genome. The phiX174 DNA-binding protein, J, is 13 amino acid residues longer than the alpha3 and G4 J proteins by virtue of an additional nucleic acid-binding domain at the amino terminus. Chimeric phiX174 particles containing the smaller DNA-binding protein cannot be generated due to procapsid instability during DNA packaging. However, chimeric alpha3 and G4 phages, containing the phiX174 DNA-binding protein in place of the endogenous J protein, assemble and are infectious, but are less dense than the respective wild-type species. In addition, host cell attachment and native gel migration assays indicate surface variations of these viruses that are controlled by the nature of the J protein. The structure of alpha3 packaged with phiX174 J protein was determined to 3.5A resolution and compared with the previously determined structures of phiX174 and alpha3. The structures of the capsid and spike proteins in the chimeric particle remain unchanged within experimental error when compared to the wild-type alpha3 virion proteins. The amino-terminal region of the phiX174 J protein, which is missing from wild-type alpha3 virions, is mostly disordered in the alpha3 chimera. The differences observed between solution properties of wild-type phiX174, wild-type alpha3, and alpha3 chimera, including their ability to attach to host cells, correlates with the degree of order in the amino-terminal domain of the J protein. When ordered, this domain binds to the interior of the viral capsid and, thus, might control the flexibility of the capsid. In addition, the properties of the phiX174 J protein in the chimera and the results of mutational analyses suggest that an evolutionary correlation may exist between the size of the J protein and the stoichiometry of the DNA pilot protein H, required in the initial stages of infection. Hence, the function of the J protein is to facilitate DNA packaging, as well as to mediate surface properties such as cell attachment and infection.
The Nature of Commodity Index Returns

The idea of diversifying a portfolio by adding an unleveraged, long–only commodity index has been around for a long time. But only in the last few years have institutions actually started to take advantage of this asset class. Returns have historically been comparable to equities in magnitude and volatility, but with more positive skew. Those returns have been negatively correlated with stock and bond returns. If there were fundamental reasons to expect this pattern of returns to continue, then this asset class obviously could expand the efficient frontier of a portfolio.
Intravenous Delivery of Genes: Introduction to the Forum

(1997). Intravenous Delivery of Genes: Introduction to the Forum. Journal of Liposome Research: Vol. 7, No. 2-3, pp. vii-xi.
Iron primes hepatic macrophages for NF-κB activation in alcoholic liver injury

NF-κB activation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in cultured hepatic macrophages (HM) may be abrogated by pretreatment of cells with a lipophilic iron chelator, 1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxypyrid-4-on...
In vitro effects of fluoride and bromide on pseudocholinesterase and acetylcholinesterase activities.

The in vitroeffects of two metabolites ofinhalational anaesthetics, fluoride and bromide, on pseudocholinesterase (PCHE) and acetylcholinesterase (ACHE) activities in the blood samples of seven healthy patients were studied. The PCHE and ACHE activities were determined by kinetic spectrophotometric methods. Fluoride at the levels achieved with clinical concentrations of enjlurane and sevoflurane (25–75 μM · L−1) inhibited PCHE activity by 28–65 per cent (P 0.05). Bromide at the levels achieved with clinical concentrations ofinhalational anaesthetics had no significant effect on either PCHE or ACHE activity. We recommend caution when succinylcholine and/or ester type local anaesthetics are used in the immediate postoperative period following enflurane or sevoflurane anaesthesia. We also recommend that blood drawing for PCHE activity be delayed at least until 24 hr following enflurane or sevoflurane anaesthesia.
Hamiltonian structure for a neutrally buoyant rigid body interacting with N vortex rings of arbitrary shape: the case of arbitrary smooth body shape

We present a (noncanonical) Hamiltonian model for the interaction of a neutrally buoyant, arbitrarily shaped smooth rigid body with N thin closed vortex filaments of arbitrary shape in an infinite ideal fluid in Euclidean three-space. The rings are modeled without cores and, as geometrical objects, viewed as N smooth closed curves in space. The velocity field associated with each ring in the absence of the body is given by the Biot–Savart law with the infinite self-induced velocity assumed to be regularized in some appropriate way. In the presence of the moving rigid body, the velocity field of each ring is modified by the addition of potential fields associated with the image vorticity and with the irrotational flow induced by the motion of the body. The equations of motion for this dynamically coupled body-rings model are obtained using conservation of linear and angular momenta. These equations are shown to possess a Hamiltonian structure when written on an appropriately defined Poisson product manifold equipped with a Poisson bracket which is the sum of the Lie–Poisson bracket from rigid body mechanics and the canonical bracket on the phase space of the vortex filaments. The Hamiltonian function is the total kinetic energy of the system with the self-induced kinetic energy regularized. The Hamiltonian structure is independent of the shape of the body, (and hence) the explicit form of the image field, and the method of regularization, provided the self-induced velocity and kinetic energy are regularized in way that satisfies certain reasonable consistency conditions.
Dopamine-enabled anti-Hebbian timing-dependent plasticity in prefrontal circuitry

Spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) of glutamatergic synapses is a Hebbian associative plasticity that may underlie certain forms of learning. A cardinal feature of STDP is its dependence on the temporal order of presynaptic and postsynaptic spikes during induction: pre–post (positive) pairings induce t-LTP (timing-dependent long-term potentiation) whereas post–pre (negative) pairings induce t-LTD (timing-dependent longterm depression). Dopamine (DA), a reward signal for behavioral learning, is believed to exert powerful modulations on synapse strength and plasticity, but its influence on STDP has remained incompletely understood. We previously showed that DA extends the temporal window of t-LTP in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) from +10 to +30 ms, gating Hebbian t-LTP. Here, we examined DA modulation of synaptic plasticity induced at negative timings in layer V pyramidal neurons on mouse medial PFC slices. Using a negative timing STDP protocol (60 post–pre pairings at 0.1 Hz, Δt =− 30 ms), we found that DA applied during post–pre pairings did not produce LTD, but instead enabled robust LTP. This antiHebbian t-LTP depended on GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors. Blocking D1- (D1Rs), but not D2- (D2Rs) class DA receptors or disrupting cAMP/PKA signaling in pyramidal neurons also abolished this atypical t-LTP, indicating that it was mediated by postsynaptic D1R-cAMP/PKA signaling in excitatory synapses. Unlike DA-enabled Hebbian t-LTP that requires suppression of GABAergic inhibition and cooperative actions of both D1Rs and D2Rs in separate PFC excitatory and inhibitory circuits, DA-enabled anti-Hebbian t-LTP occurred under intact inhibitory transmission and only required D1R activation in excitatory circuit. Our results establish DA as a potent modulator of coincidence detection during associative synaptic plasticity and suggest a mechanism by which DA facilitates input-target association during reward learning and top-down information processing in PFC circuits.
Testing Time-Invariance of Variable Specificity in Repeated Measure Designs Using Structural Equation Modeling.

A structural equation modeling method for examining time-invariance of variable specificity in longitudinal studies with multiple measures is outlined, which is developed within a confirmatory factor-analytic framework. The approach represents a likelihood ratio test for the hypothesis of stability in the specificity part of the residual term associated with repeated administration of each measure. The procedure can be used in the search for parsimonious versions of multiwave multiple-indicator models, to test for variable specificity in them, and to examine assumptions underlying particular parameter estimation procedures in repeated measure designs. The outlined method is illustrated with empirical data.
Understanding the Effects of Personal and School Religiosity on the Decision to Abort a Premarital Pregnancy

Although much research has examined the relationship between religion and abortion attitudes, few studies have examined whether religion influences abortion behavior. This study looks at whether individual and school religiosity influence reported abortion behavior among women who become pregnant while unmarried. Hierarchical Logistic Models are implemented to analyze two waves of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Findings show that personal religiosity is unrelated to reported abortion behavior. However, conservative Protestants appear less likely to obtain abortions than mainline Protestants, Catholics, and women of non-Christian faiths. Regardless of personal religious affiliation, having attended a school with a high proportion of conservative Protestants appears to discourage abortion as women enter their twenties. Conversely, women from private religious high schools appear more likely to report obtaining an abortion than women from public schools.
Advertising Efficiency and the Choice of Media Mix: A Case of Beer ∗

Abstract In this paper we use techniques from the efficiency measurement literature to evaluate the performance of six US beer firms in terms of their ability to translate advertising messages into sales. We employ quarterly data from the 1983 to 1993 period. Our results suggest that Anheuser–Busch was relatively efficient in its advertising and its choice of media mix, whereas most of the other firms in our sample were not.
Dynamic difficulty using brain metrics of workload

Dynamic difficulty adjustments can be used in human-computer systems in order to improve user engagement and performance. In this paper, we use functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to obtain passive brain sensing data and detect extended periods of boredom or overload. From these physiological signals, we can adapt a simulation in order to optimize workload in real-time, which allows the system to better fit the task to the user from moment to moment. To demonstrate this idea, we ran a laboratory study in which participants performed path planning for multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in a simulation. Based on their state, we varied the difficulty of the task by adding or removing UAVs and found that we were able to decrease error by 35% over a baseline condition. Our results show that we can use fNIRS brain sensing to detect task difficulty in real-time and construct an interface that improves user performance through dynamic difficulty adjustment.
Who is most vulnerable to social rejection? The toxic combination of low self-esteem and lack of negative emotion differentiation on neural responses to rejection.

People have a fundamental need to belong that, when satisfied, is associated with mental and physical well-being. The current investigation examined what happens when the need to belong is thwarted—and how individual differences in self-esteem and emotion differentiation modulate neural responses to social rejection. We hypothesized that low self-esteem would predict heightened activation in distress-related neural responses during a social rejection manipulation, but that this relationship would be moderated by negative emotion differentiation—defined as adeptness at using discrete negative emotion categories to capture one's felt experience. Combining daily diary and neuroimaging methodologies, the current study showed that low self-esteem and low negative emotion differentiation represented a toxic combination that was associated with stronger activation during social rejection (versus social inclusion) in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula—two regions previously shown to index social distress. In contrast, individuals with greater negative emotion differentiation did not show stronger activation in these regions, regardless of their level of self-esteem; fitting with prior evidence that negative emotion differentiation confers equanimity in emotionally upsetting situations.
An All-Fiber 2- $\mu$ m Wavelength-Tunable Mode-Locked Laser

We report an all-fiber thulium-doped wavelength-tunable mode-locked laser operating near 2 μm . Reliable self-starting mode locking over a large tuning range (>50 nm) using a fiber-taper-based carbon nanotube saturable absorber is observed. Spectral tuning is achieved by stretching another fiber taper. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of an all-fiber wavelength tunable mode-locked laser near 2 μm .
The MIDAS data-mining project at Stanford

The article summarizes recent research into data-mining techniques that are in progress at Stanford: 1. The Google search engine: beating Yahoo et al. at their own game. 2. Query flocks: generalizing association rules/market baskets in a query precompiler that uses a relational DBMS effectively. 3. Synthesizing knowledge from the Web: exploiting the Web's redundancy to extract data automatically. 4. Detecting low-frequency events: unlike marketing, where you only care about items that lots of people buy, extracting intelligence from text usually requires looking for a small number of unexpected juxtapositions of terms.
Quadriceps Inhibition Induced by an Experimental Knee Joint Effusion Affects Knee Joint Mechanics during a Single-Legged Drop Landing

BackgroundArthrogenic quadriceps muscle inhibition accompanies knee joint effusion and impedes rehabilitation after knee joint injury.HypothesisWe hypothesized that an experimentally induced knee joint effusion would cause arthrogenic quadriceps muscle inhibition and lead to increased ground reaction forces, as well as sagittal plane knee angles and moments, during a single-legged drop landing.Study DesignControlled laboratory study.MethodsNine subjects (4 women and 5 men) underwent 4 conditions (no effusion, lidocaine injection, “low” effusion [30 mL], and “high” effusion [60 mL]) and then performed a single-legged drop landing. Lower extremity muscle activity, peak sagittal plane knee flexion angles, net sagittal plane knee moments, and peak ground reaction forces were measured.ResultsVastus medialis and lateralis activity were decreased during the low and high effusion conditions (P < .05). However, increases in peak ground reaction forces and decreases in peak knee flexion angle and net knee extension...
Stochastic Security in Wireless Mesh Networks via Saddle Routing Policy

The security problem in multihop wireless networks is more severe than that in wired networks since its transmission media is the unprotected air. In this paper, we show how to increase the effective throughput via carefully choosing the multi-path routing for given source and destination nodes, where we call the total packets from the mesh routers to the gateway nodes that are not attacked by an attacker as effective throughput. We assume that the attacker has limited resources for attacking while attacking a node or a link will incur some certain cost. We show that it is NP-hard to find an optimum routing policy even if the attacking strategy is given. We model the problem as a two-player game between the routing policy designer and the attacker and propose a multi-path routing protocol for several possible attacks. We propose several routing protocols that can approximately maximize the total throughput achieved by the gateway nodes. Moreover, we theoretically prove that our routing protocols can achieve an effective network throughput (with packets which are not attacked) within a constant factor of the optimum in the worst case. Our theoretic results are confirmed by extensive simulations studies.
A structured interview guide for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.

• The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) is the most widely used scale for patient selection and follow-up in research studies of treatments of depression. Despite extensive study of the reliability and validity of the total scale score, the psychometric characteristics of the individual items have not been well studied. In the only reliability study to report agreement on individual items using a test-retest interview method, most of the items had only fair or poor agreement. Because this is due in part to variability in the way the Information is obtained to make the various rating distinctions, the Structured Interview Guide for the HDRS (SIGH-D) was developed to standardize the manner of administration of the scale. A test-retest reliability study conducted on a series of psychiatric inpatients demonstrated that the use of the SIGH-D results in a substantially improved level of agreement for most of the HDRS items.
Sex differences in learning processes of classical and operant conditioning

Males and females learn and remember differently at different times in their lives. These differences occur in most species, from invertebrates to humans. We review here sex differences as they occur in laboratory rodent species. We focus on classical and operant conditioning paradigms, including classical eyeblink conditioning, fear-conditioning, active avoidance and conditioned taste aversion. Sex differences have been reported during acquisition, retention and extinction in most of these paradigms. In general, females perform better than males in the classical eyeblink conditioning, in fear-potentiated startle and in most operant conditioning tasks, such as the active avoidance test. However, in the classical fear-conditioning paradigm, in certain lever-pressing paradigms and in the conditioned taste aversion, males outperform females or are more resistant to extinction. Most sex differences in conditioning are dependent on organizational effects of gonadal hormones during early development of the brain, in addition to modulation by activational effects during puberty and adulthood. Critically, sex differences in performance account for some of the reported effects on learning and these are discussed throughout the review. Because so many mental disorders are more prevalent in one sex than the other, it is important to consider sex differences in learning when applying animal models of learning for these disorders. Finally, we discuss how sex differences in learning continue to alter the brain throughout the lifespan. Thus, sex differences in learning are not only mediated by sex differences in the brain, but also contribute to them.
Induction of a high incidence of lung tumors in C57BL/6 mice with multiple ethyl carbamate injections

Murine pulmonary adenomas progress to malignancy with many similarities to human pulmonary adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer. Inbred mice vary in their susceptibility to lung tumor development, and induced genetic modifications are a powerful tool for understanding this susceptibility. Many transgenic and null mutations relevant to lung cancer pathogenesis were derived on the highly resistant C57BL/B6 (B6) background. Since the inability to reliably induce lung tumors in B6 mice limits these studies, we systematically examined several carcinogenesis protocols in B6 mice. Ten weekly ethyl carbamate (EC) doses caused a nearly 100% lung tumor incidence with a tumor multiplicity >2; multiple EC dosing is thus an alternative to the time-consuming transfer of transgenes and null mutations to susceptible backgrounds.
Risk factors, stroke prevention treatments, and prevalence of cerebral microbleeds in the Framingham Heart Study.

Background and Purpose—Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are associated with increased risk of stroke and poor cognition. Vascular risk factors and medications used for stroke prevention may increase the risk of CMB. We examined the prevalence of CMB and the association of these risk factors with CMB, postulating that risk factors for cerebral amyloid angiopathy would be associated with lobar CMB and markers of hypertensive vasculopathy with deep CMB. Methods—We include 1965 Framingham Original and Offspring participants (age, 66.5±11.0 years; 54% women) and evaluated the age- and sex-specific prevalence of CMB. We related various vascular and genetic (apolipoprotein E [APOE]) risk factors and medication use to the presence of CMB overall and stratified by brain location (deep, lobar, or mixed). Results—CMBs were observed in 8.8% of participants, being mostly lobar (63%). CMB prevalence increased with age (P<0.0001) and was higher in men (P<0.001). Hypertension increased risk of any CMB, and in deep and mixed l...
Smooth muscle protein-22-mediated deletion of Tsc1 results in cardiac hypertrophy that is mTORC1-mediated and reversed by rapamycin

Constitutive activation of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), a key kinase complex that regulates cell size and growth, is observed with inactivating mutations of either of the tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) genes, Tsc1 and Tsc2. Tsc1 and Tsc2 are highly expressed in cardiovascular tissue but their functional role there is unknown. We generated a tissue-specific knock-out of Tsc1, using a conditional allele of Tsc1 and a cre recombinase allele regulated by the smooth muscle protein-22 (SM22) promoter (Tsc1c/cSM22cre+/-) to constitutively activate mTOR in cardiovascular tissue. Significant gene recombination (∼80%) occurred in the heart by embryonic day (E) 15, and reduction in Tsc1 expression with increased levels of phosphorylated S6 kinase (S6K) and S6 was observed, consistent with constitutive activation of mTORC1. Cardiac hypertrophy was evident by E15 with post-natal progression to heart weights of 142 ± 24 mg in Tsc1c/cSM22cre+/- mice versus 65 ± 14 mg in controls (P < 0.01). Median survival of Tsc1c/cSM22cre+/- mice was 24 days, with none surviving beyond 6 weeks. Pathologic and echocardiographic analysis revealed severe biventricular hypertrophy without evidence of fibrosis or myocyte disarray, and significant reduction in the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (P < 0.001) and fractional index (P < 0.001). Inhibition of mTORC1 by rapamycin resulted in prolonged survival of Tsc1c/cSM22cre+/- mice, with regression of ventricular hypertrophy. These data support a critical role for the Tsc1/Tsc2-mTORC1-S6K axis in the normal development of cardiovascular tissue and also suggest possible therapeutic potential of rapamycin in cardiac disorders where pathologic mTORC1 activation occurs.
Isolated DNA repeat region from fcrA76, the Fc-binding protein gene from an M-type 76 strain of group A streptococci, encodes a protein with Fc-binding activity

Summary The DNA repeat region of fcrA76, the gene encoding a group A streptococcal Fc-binding protein, was sub-cloned in-frame into an Escherichia coli plasmid expression vector. The expressed protein product displayed the same Fc-binding properties as the full-length Fc-binding protein expressed from fcrA76. The affinity-purified, full-length Fc-binding protein was found to compete with staphylococcal protein A or streptococcal protein G for binding to beads coated with human IgG. These results are consistent with earlier studies suggesting that the binding sites on human IgG for protein A, protein G and the type II Fc-binding protein from group A streptococci are located at the interface of the CH2 and CH3 domains of the Fc region.
Symptom reporting: A focus on process.

Why is symptom reporting important? This question can be answered from at least three perspectives: a) that of public health; b) that of medicine; and c) that of the lay person. From the public health perspective, symptom reports obtained in household surveys provide a major source of data on the incidence and prevalence of a variety of diseases (Dingle, 1973). Survey data is particularly valuable in tracking acute infectious and epidemic conditions such as the flu (Dingle, 1973), as well as chronic conditions for which there is no special reporting system or registry such as exist for cancer. These numbers can play a critical role in the detection and control of disease and are important for planning and public health policy.
In Vitro Activity of Retapamulin and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns in a Longitudinal Collection of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from a Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Mupirocin is a topical antimicrobial used to decolonize patients who carry methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and the topical agent retapamulin may be a potential alternative therapy. The goal of this study was to determine the in vitro activity of retapamulin as well as a panel of 15 antimicrobial agents, including mupirocin, for 403 MRSA isolates collected longitudinally from a naive population at the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System. The MICs for retapamulin had a unimodal distribution, ranging from 0.008 to 0.5 μg/ml. One isolate had an MIC of >16 μg/ml, was also resistant to clindamycin and erythromycin, and was recovered from the nares of a patient undergoing hemodialysis. Twenty-four isolates (6%) and 11 isolates (3%) demonstrated low-level resistance (MICs of 8 to 64 μg/ml) and high-level resistance (MICs of ≥512 μg/ml), respectively, to mupirocin. Isolates were recovered from 10 patients both before and after mupirocin therapy. Of those, isolates from 2 patients demonstrated MIC changes postmupirocin therapy; in both cases, however, strain typing demonstrated that the pre- and postmupirocin strains were different. A total of 386 isolates (96%) had vancomycin MICs of ≤1.0 μg/ml; 340 isolates (84%) were resistant to levofloxacin, 18 isolates (4.5%) were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and 135 isolates (33%) had elevated MICs of 4 μg/ml for linezolid. The baseline levels of resistance were low for mupirocin (9%) and even lower for retapamulin (0.25%) Although the use of mupirocin is currently the standard therapy for decolonization practices, the activity of retapamulin warrants its consideration as an alternative therapy in MRSA decolonization regimens.
Interfacial Electric Field Effects on a Carbene Reaction Catalyzed by Rh Porphyrins

An intramolecular reaction catalyzed by Rh porphyrins was studied in the presence of interfacial electric fields. 1-Diazo-3,3-dimethyl-5-phenylhex-5-en-2-one (2) reacts with Rh porphyrins via a putative carbenoid intermediate to form cyclopropanation product 3,3-dimethyl-5-phenylbicyclo[3.1.0]hexan-2-one (3) and insertion product 3,3-dimethyl-2,3-dihydro-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4(1H)-one (4). To study this reaction in the presence of an interfacial electric field, Si electrodes coated with thin films of insulating dielectric layers were used as the opposing walls of a reaction vessel, and Rh porphyrin catalysts were localized to the dielectric-electrolyte interface. The charge density was varied at the interface by changing the voltage across the two electrodes. The product ratio was analyzed as a function of the applied voltage and the surface chemistry of the dielectric layer. In the absence of an applied voltage, the ratio of 3:4 was approximately 10:1. With a TiO2 surface, application of a voltage induced a Rh porphyrin-TiO2 interaction that resulted in an increase in the 3:4 ratio to a maximum in which 4 was nearly completely suppressed (>100:1). With an Al2O3 surface or an alkylphosphonate-coated surface, the voltage caused a decrease in the 3:4 ratio, with a maximum effect of lowering the ratio to 1:2. The voltage-induced decrease in the 3:4 ratio in the absence of TiO2 was consistent with a field-dipole effect that changed the difference in activation energies for the product-determining step to favor product 4. Effects were observed for porphyrin catalysts localized to the electrode-electrolyte interface either through covalent attachment or surface adsorption, enabling the selectivity to be controlled with unfunctionalized Rh porphyrins. The magnitude of the selectivity change was limited by the maximum interfacial charge density that could be attained before dielectric breakdown.
Decreasing nurse staffing costs in a hospital setting: development and support of core staff stability.

The nursing shortage is a well-documented phenomenon that has impacted health care settings worldwide. A corresponding magnitudinal cost factor is linked directly to this dilemma, as health care organizations struggle to meet professional nurse staffing, safety, and quality requirements. The acute care hospital setting in South Florida is one of the hardest hit by the bedside nurse shortage. Nurse staffing presents as a cost accounting challenge that demands the application of management control systems by creative, energetic, and financially savvy nursing system administrators. Future-oriented planning is critical if repercussions of a foreseeable progressive worsening of this condition are to be avoided and control of future patient outcomes achieved.
Evaluation of Measles Surveillance System in Chuzhou City in 2002-2006

Objective To understand epidemiological characteristics of measles and evaluate the effect of measles surveillance systems(MSS) in Chuzhou and provide the basis for measles control.Methods By investigating the measles cases which were reported from MSS and testing the measles, rubella IgM antibody,we analyzed and evaluated performance of MSS and the control measures of measles.Results Annual average incidence was 2.65/100,000 in 2002~2006.The incidence of measles decreased from 7.59/10,0000 in 2005 to 1.77/10,0000 in 2006.The peak time of the measles incidence was from March to June.Two peaks could be observed in March-July and October-December which accounted for 56%,40% of the total cases respectively in the year with higher measles incidence.Of the 574 cases,those vaccinated measles vaccine accounted for 21.08% and those with unkown immunity history accounted for 60%.Infant cases under 8 months old accounted for 5%.Among 32 cases which aged 8~12 month old,68% cases had not immunization history.Conclusion Iimely and effectiveely voccinating with mv was the basis in measles control.Strengthening the measles surveillance and improving the quality are the key measure to accelerate measles control.
Many-Person Instruments for Computer Music Performance

In this paper we explore the concept of instruments which are played by more than one person, and present two case studies. We designed, built and performed with Feedbork, a two-player instrument comprising two iPads which form a video feedback loop, and Barrel, a nine-player instrument made up of eight Gametrak controllers fastened to a steel industrial barrel. By splitting the control of these instruments into distinct but interdependent roles, we allow each individual to easily play a part while retaining a rich complexity of output for the whole system. We found that the relationships between those roles had a significant effect on how the players communicated with each other, and on how the performance was perceived by the audience.
Introduction to Coastal Ocean Observing Systems

Coastal ocean observing systems (COOS) play a vital role in advancing our understanding of continental shelf and estuarine oceanographic conditions worldwide and in providing essential information to complex coastal ocean stewardship issues. This introduction highlights some of the technological, scientific, organizational, and societal advances of COOS since its inception over a decade ago. The selected chapters contributed by COOS participants around the world provide examples of scientific synthesis and applications of acquired data using state-of-the-art coastal ocean observing and modeling technologies, and of the partnerships, governance structure, data management, and stakeholder relationships required for growth and contribution to topics such as maritime safety, water quality, coastal hazards, fisheries, ecosystems, and climate.
Pediatric Pyoderma Gangrenosum: A Retrospective Review of Clinical Features, Etiologic Associations, and Treatment.

Background/Objectives Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a neutrophilic dermatosis rarely seen in children. Its features have not been well characterized in children. We sought to characterize the clinical features, etiologic associations, and treatment of PG in children younger than 18 years. Methods We performed a retrospective review of children younger than 18 years with PG at the Mayo Clinic from January 1976 to August 2013. Results Thirteen children with PG were identified (n = 8; 62% female). All had ulcerations, with 62% having pustular lesions. Sites of involvement included the trunk (77%), lower extremities (77%), upper extremities (38%), and head and neck (38%). Nine (69%) had an underlying comorbidity, including seven with Crohn's disease (54%), one with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (8%), and one with pyogenic arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum, and acne syndrome (8%). Treatments included topical or local care (92%) and systemic therapies (85%) such as oral corticosteroids (62%) and sulfasalazine or related 5-aminosalicylate drugs (46%). The clinical course did not correlate with that of the underlying systemic disease and response to treatment varied. Conclusion Pediatric PG has a more varied anatomic distribution and a greater predominance of pustular lesions than PG in adults and a strong association with inflammatory bowel disease.
Multimodal Analysis of Serious Games for Cognitive and Physiological Assessment

Serious games usually refer to virtual games used for training, simulation, or education and can engage users in cognitive and physical tasks. The design of serious games may offer insights on users' cognitive and physical behaviors while they try to accomplish structured tasks. In this study, we concentrate on the design principles of serious games that can be used for assessment, which we employed for our own design. To test our prototype, we conducted an experiment with control participants. Results from surveys, our collected game features, and sensor outputs were compared and analyzed with hypotheses based on previous research studies. Finally, we interpret the results of our experiment, and we describe issues and real life uncertainties that associate with sensor errors.
Abstract 2880: Modulating disease susceptibility in a model of human colon cancer by microbiome rederivation

To understand the impact of differences in complex microbiota on colon cancer susceptibility, we utilized the Pirc (Polyposis In Rat Colon) model of familial human colon cancer to correlate the longitudinal changes of the gut microbiota with early adenoma development. Recent human epidemiologic studies have shown associations of gut microbiota differences in patients with colorectal cancer vs. controls. To test if differences in the gut microbiota modulate susceptibility, we used the F344/NTac-ApcPirc/+ rat model and altered the microbiome through embryo rederivation using three distinct strains of surrogate dams: F344/NHsd, LEW/SsNHsd, and Crl:SD, all harboring different commensal microbiota. Fecal samples from the pups and dams were collected at various time points. Extracted DNA was sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq platform for the 16S rRNA gene V4 hypervariable region. Adenoma development was monitored periodically via colonoscopy and terminal tumor counts and histology were performed at 180 days. We found the complex microbiota of the surrogates to be distinct from one another and that the pups resembled their respective dams. At the terminal time-point, rats harboring the LEW microbiota had significantly reduced colonic tumor burden (number and size) compared to both F344 (p At weaning, we found the LEW microbiota to be unique with a high percentage of Prevotella copri. Pups with the LEW microbiota also differed significantly from the other pups by an additional 8 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). At 6 months of age, the relative abundance of P. copri, and 5 additional OTUs correlated with decreased tumor burden in these pups (Spearman’s, p≤0.05). Conversely, higher prevalence of family Peptococcaceae and Akkermansia muciniphila were positively correlated (p Our results indicate that microbial alteration through rederivation affects colon cancer susceptibility. The prevalence or lack of specific OTUs at weaning can potentially serve as predictors of tumor burden at later stages. More importantly, the study points towards differences in the microbiota of the offspring acting as modulators of disease phenotype affecting initiation or progression of colon cancer. Citation Format: James Amos-Landgraf, Susheel Busi, Aaron Ericsson, Marina McCoy, Taybor Parker, Rebecca Schehr, Miriam Hankins, Craig Franklin, Elizabeth Bryda. Modulating disease susceptibility in a model of human colon cancer by microbiome rederivation. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2880. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2880
Ukraine and the New Economic Cold War

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the politics of two rival loans to Ukraine, one from Russia and one from the IMF. While the Russian loan was made at the behest of the elected government of Ukraine as a gesture of solidarity between two closely intertwined post-Soviet economies experiencing similar difficulties, the IMF loan was not only a tool of vain US policy to retain purchase on fast-developing events in Ukraine, it was made in violation of the IMF’s own rules. The loans form a critical chapter the contemporary transition from the geopolitical economy of US and Western dominance to one of multipolarity.
Interfacial Structure and Evolution of the Water-Silica Gel System by Reactive Force Field Based Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Nanoporous silica gel structures and associated interfaces formed on the surface of silicate and borosilicate glasses play an important role in understanding the dissolution mechanisms of these glasses. Interfacial models that consist of bulk silica, nanoporous hydrated silica gel, and bulk water were constructed and their evolution was studied to understand the water–glass reaction fronts using the Reactive Force Field (ReaxFF)-based molecular dynamics simulations. The short- and medium-range structures of the gel and the interfaces as well as water diffusion and silica dissolution behaviors were studied in detail. It was found that the gel region exhibited an increase in Si–O network connectivity with time, consistent with recent NMR results, due to cross-linking of siloxane bonds in the gel and the dissolution of less connected [SiO4] groups into the water region. Higher network connectivity of the silica gel can regulate transport of ions and plays the role of passivation. Dissolved silica clusters in...