cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rapid determination of deca-brominated diphenyl ether(BDE209) in human milk by GC-NCI-MS

Objective:To establish a rapid gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization-mass spectric method(GC-NCI-MS) for the quantitative determination of deca-brominated diphenyl ether(BDE209) by separated target in human milk.Methods:The frozen dry human milk samples were purified by mixture silica columns with hexane and dichloromethane and determined by GC-NCI-MS.Results:The correlation coefficients were above 0.9999,the instrumental detection limits were 4.4 pg and the method detection limits(MDLs) were 0.08 ng.Between 0.01 and 1.0 μg/L concentration,the average recovery ranged between 61.2% and 116%.The relative standard deviations ranged between 4.9 and 8.6% for BDE209 measured in human milk samples.Conclusion:It is a rapid,accurate,precise,low-limit and high-recovery method for the trace analysis of the BDE209 in human milk.
Feasibility of the Establishment of Community Hypertensive Patients Self- management Group Relying on Social Network

Objective To understand the social network and its characteristics among hypertensive patients in the community and explore the feasibility of establishing and expanding self- management group relying on the social networking of the patients. Methods 1 074 hypertensive patients were extracted from 4 community health service stations of Xicheng district with Multi- stage random sampling method. They were investigated about age,gender and blood pressure using questionnaires and physical examination. Degree centrality was investigated by nomination generation method. Useing proportion,degree centrality and Spearman's rank correlation were adopted to describe and analyze. Results Social network degree centrality in patients with hypertension was 0 accounting for 31. 0%( 333 /1 074),1 accounting for 41. 4%( 445 /1 074),greater than or equal to 2 accounting for only 27. 6%( 296 /1 074). 64. 5%( 287 /445) of the patients whose centrality degree was 1 chose their family members as the main social networks relationship; 61. 1%( 181 /296) of centrality degree being more than 2 chose community wardmates. 8. 7%( 93 /1 074) of the patients took part in the community activities and the number was positively correlated with social network degree centrality of hypertensive patients( rs= 0. 521,P 0. 05). There were key persons in the small group within the same community activity organization. Conclusion Social network among the hypertensive patients of community is loose,but it's more closely tied between patients within the same organization,which can be used as a basis to expand the coverage of hypertension self- management group. Social network analysis helps to select leaders in the self management group.
Autogenous bone grafts versus alloplastic material in maxillofacial surgery

Today there are new possibilities for using cranial bone grafts in facial as well as in cranial surgery. The principal indication for use of calvarial grafts is in small children with craniofacial malformations. They can also be used to correct traumatic orbital defects and to reconstruct the mandible.
Initial Effects of Reproduction Cutting Treatments on Residual Hard Mast Production in the Ouachita Mountains

We compared indices of total hard mast production (oak and hickory combined) in 20, second­ growth, pine-hardwood stands under five treatments to determine the effects of different reproduction treatments on mast production in the Ouachita Mountains. We evaluated mast production in mature unharvested controls and stands under four reproduction cutting methods (single-tree selection, group selection, shelterwood, and clearcut with wildlife tree retention) during the first 6 yr after initial harvest. Mean Whitehead mast production indices were greater in shelterwoods and clearcuts with wildlife tree retention than in unharvested stands 5 of the 6 yr of study, indicating individual trees in these stands produced greater amounts of hard mast. Stand production values for the 6 yr combined indicated group selections generally produced the greatest amounts of total hard mast, probably because competing pines in the matrix were thinned and hard mast-producing tree densities were unchanged after harvest. However, wide variation in residual density of mast trees existed among stands of the same treatment. Our results indicate hard mast production can be affected by different silvicultural treatments and managers should consider the importance of residual mast production along with other objectives when determining silvicultural treatments to apply. South. J. Appl. For. 27(4):253-258.
Detection of hepatitis B virus DNA in serum by polymerase chain reaction. Application for clinical diagnosis.

Abstract Standard methods of virus DNA detection using the polymerase chain reaction can be time consuming and can involve multiple steps in which contamination with exogenous DNA can occur. Therefore, we developed a simplified method for detecting hepatitis B virus DNA in serum. The main advantages of this method are that it can be performed rapidly, consists of only several steps, and has a false positive rate of
The fitness effects of a point mutation in Escherichia coli change with founding population density

Although intraspecific competition plays a seminal role in organismal evolution, little is known about the fitness effects of mutations at different population densities. We identified a point mutation in the cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) gene in Escherichia coli that confers significantly higher fitness than the wildtype at low founding population density, but significantly lower fitness at high founding density. Because CRP is a transcription factor that regulates the expression of nearly 500 genes, we compared global gene expression profiles of the mutant and wildtype strains. This mutation (S63F) does not affect expression of crp itself, but it does significantly affect expression of 170 and 157 genes at high and low founding density, respectively. Interestingly, acid resistance genes, some of which are known to exhibit density-dependent effects in E. coli, were consistently differentially expressed at high but not low density. As such, these genes may play a key role in reducing the crp mutant’s fitness at high density, although other differentially expressed genes almost certainly also contribute to the fluctuating fitness differences we observed. Whatever the causes, we suspect that many mutations may exhibit density-dependent fitness effects in natural populations, so the fate of new mutations may frequently depend on the effective population size when they originate.
Does carbon dioxide insufflation impact adenoma detection rate? A single-center retrospective analysis.

Background and study aims: Carbon dioxide (CO2) has been associated with reduced post-procedural pain and improved patient satisfaction when compared to air insufflation (AI). The effect of CO2 insufflation (CO2I) on the adenoma detection rate (ADR) remains unclear. The aims of this study are to compare ADR in patients undergoing screening colonoscopy with AI vs. CO2I and identify predictors of ADR. Patients and methods: Single-center retrospective cohort study of 2,107 patients undergoing screening colonoscopy at the University of Florida Hospital between November 2011 and June 2015. Patient demographics, procedural parameters, and histology results were retrospectively obtained from a prospectively maintained colonoscopy database. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to identify predictors of ADR. Results: A total of 2107 colonoscopies (644 with AI and 1463 with CO2I) were analyzed. Overall ADR was 27.8 %. There was no significant difference in ADR between AI (27.6 %) vs. CO2I (27.8 %) (P = 0.93). Method of insufflation (AI vs. CO2I) was not significantly associated with ADR (OR 0.9; 95 % CI:0.7 – 1.2). Older age (OR: 1.02; 95 % CI: 1.001 – 1.03 per year increase), male gender (OR 1.48; 95 % CI: 1.17 – 1.87), and longer scope withdraw time (OR 1.13; 95 % CI: 1.1 – 1.16 per minute) were associated with a higher ADR. Fellow involvement was negatively associated with ADR (OR 0.60; 95 % CI: 0.47 – 0.77). Conclusion: ADR was similar between patients who underwent screening colonoscopy with AI vs. CO2I. While CO2I has been associated with improved patient comfort and post-procedural recovery time, there is no definitive evidence to suggest that this method of luminal distention enhances ADR.
Unraveling the Age Hardening Response in U-Nb Alloys

Complicating factors that have stymied understanding of uranium-niobium’s aging response are briefly reviewed, including (1) niobium inhomogeneity, (2) machining damage effects on tensile properties, (3) early-time transients of ductility increase, and (4) the variety of phase transformations. A simple Logistic-Arrhenius model was applied to predict yield and ultimate tensile strengths and tensile elongation of U-4Nb as a function of thermal age. Fits to each model yielded an apparent activation energy that was compared with phase transformation mechanisms.
Dopamine Inhibition Differentially Controls Excitability of Substantia Nigra Dopamine Neuron Subpopulations through T-Type Calcium Channels

While there is growing appreciation for diversity among ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons, much less is known regarding functional heterogeneity among the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) neurons. Here, we show that calbindin-positive dorsal tier and calbindin-negative ventral tier SNc dopaminergic neurons in mice comprise functionally distinct subpopulations distinguished by their dendritic calcium signaling, rebound excitation, and physiological responses to dopamine D2-receptor (D2) autoinhibition. While dopamine is known to inhibit action potential backpropagation, our experiments revealed an unexpected enhancement of excitatory responses and dendritic calcium signals in the presence of D2-receptor inhibition. Specifically, dopamine inhibition and direct hyperpolarization enabled the generation of low-threshold depolarizations that occurred in an all-or-none or graded manner, due to recruitment of T-type calcium channels. Interestingly, these effects occurred selectively in calbindin-negative dopaminergic neurons within the SNc. Thus, calbindin-positive and calbindin-negative SNc neurons differ substantially in their calcium channel composition and efficacy of excitatory inputs in the presence of dopamine inhibition.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons can be divided into two populations: the calbindin-negative ventral tier, which is vulnerable to neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease, and the calbindin-positive dorsal tier, which is relatively resilient. Although tonic firing is similar in these subpopulations, we find that their responses to dopamine-mediated inhibition are strikingly different. During inhibition, calbindin-negative neurons exhibit increased sensitivity to excitatory inputs, which can then trigger large dendritic calcium transients due to strong expression of T-type calcium channels. Therefore, SNc neurons differ substantially in their calcium channel composition, which may contribute to their differential vulnerability. Furthermore, T-currents increase excitation efficacy onto calbindin-negative cells during dopamine inhibition, suggesting that shared inputs are differentially processed in subpopulations resulting in distinct downstream dopamine signals.
You can do it if you really try: The effects of motivation on thinking for pleasure

People find it difficult to enjoy their own thoughts when asked to do so, but what happens when they are asked to think about whatever they want? Do they find thinking more or less enjoyable? In the present studies, we show that people are more successful in enjoying their thoughts when instructed to do so. We present evidence in support of four reasons why this is: without instructions people do not realize how enjoyable it will be to think for pleasure, they do not realize how personally meaningful it will be to do so, they believe that thinking for pleasure will be effortful, and they believe it would be more worthwhile to engage in planning than to try to enjoy their thoughts. We discuss the practical implications of thinking for pleasure for promoting alternatives to the use of technology.
Simulating storm surge waves for structural vulnerability estimation and flood hazard mapping

Wave action during storm surge is a common cause of building damage and therefore a critical consideration when estimating structural vulnerability and mapping flood risk. Traditional depth-damage curves, however, relate building vulnerability solely to inundation depth and therefore neglect an important damage mechanism. Similarly, flood mapping studies typically emphasize expected inundation rather than wave conditions. In this study, we consider the impact of wave effects on vulnerability estimation and flood mapping using a pair of hydrodynamic models (ADCIRC + SWAN and BOUSS1D) to simulate inland storm surge flooding. The models are used to simulate flooding in a heavily impacted coastal community (Ortley Beach, New Jersey) during Hurricane Sandy (2012) and to estimate inland hazard parameters characterizing inundation, wave and velocity effects. To quantify structural vulnerability, fragility curves are developed by statistically relating the simulated hazard parameters to surveyed building damage. The results indicate that dynamic hazard characteristics such as significant wave height are the dominant predictors of severe structural damage. The flood simulation is also used to map the variation of surge and wave effects in the community. Comparing this analysis to flood zones delineated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the community’s Flood Insurance Rate Map reveals severe wave action and building damage in a significant portion of the community deemed least exposed to flood impact. It is suspected that this misrepresentation of risk resulted from overconfidence in the performance of the community’s frontal dune under severe surge and wave actions.
Two Sides to Every Story: Early Specialization in Medical Education

Early specialization has many benefits, including increased training efficiency, early career benefits, and decreased training costs. Additionally, external pressures such as the rising costs of medical education, work hour restrictions during training, and the expanding base of medical knowledge make continuous restructuring of medical training inevitable, and overall, beneficial. However, changes must be considered carefully to limit loss of breadth and training quality and ensure trainee knowledge of their field of choice.
Sex-specific associations between extreme sleep duration and prevalence of cardio-cerebral vascular disease: a community-based cross-sectional study.

Abstract Background Most previous studies on sleep duration and cardio-cerebral vascular disease (CCVD) association have not adequately controlled for many confounders. The current study prospectively examined the association of sleep duration with CCVD prevalence in a Chinese community population; cardiovascular risk factors, chronic diseases, and sleep quality were taken into consideration. Methods A cross-sectional study conducted in Pudong New Area of Shanghai, China. Through three-stage sampling, 10,657 adults aged ≥15 years were randomly selected. Self-reported sleep duration and CCVD prevalence were obtained using a structured questionnaire. Medical records of the subjects were reviewed by investigators for further confirmation. Relationships between sleep duration and CCVD prevalence were examined using logistic regression models. Results Compared to midrange sleep duration (7 h), the multivariate-adjusted OR of CCVD prevalence was 1.550 (95% CI 1.192–2.017) for sleeping 5 h, 1.427 (95% CI 0.983–2.072) for sleeping 9 h. In an analysis stratified by sex, participants with a long sleep duration (>9 h) demonstrated significantly increased prevalence (OR = 3.623, 95% CI 1.862–7.052) for stroke only in men. Conclusions The relationship between extreme sleep durations and CCVD were influenced by sex in a Chinese community population. Further studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms of the association between extreme sleep duration and CCVD, as well as sex-specificity in the relationship.
Drug Therapy in Adult Congenital Heart Disease Heart Failure

As in acquired heart failure (HF), drug therapy is a major component of HF treatment in ACHD. However its precise role and the optimum treatment strategies are controversial in this evidence-sparse field. This chapter offers a structured and systematic approach to considering the best pharmaceutical intervention for the various types of ACHD-related HF. The current literature is reviewed and suggestions made about how best to apply this to clinical practice. The importance of expert opinion and consolidated experience in treating complex ACHD patients with HF cannot be overemphasised.
Investigation of normal colonic crypt behaviors through agent-based simulations

When studying colonic cancer, medical doctors can use simulations of parts of the colon, called crypts, to test hypotheses about system dynamics instead of testing live patients. Researchers have gained valuable y human colonic crypt over the past few years; however, much is still not known about the process; computational models are one approach for obtaining a fuller understanding of crypt behaviors. Existing modeling methods, such as global stochastic or global deterministic mathematical models, fail to include accurate depictions at a crypt's cellular level---where cancer is suspected to develop.To address this problem, we present the development of a simulation of a normal human colonic crypt using agent-based modeling to more fully understand how crypt dynamics at the cellular level maintain the form and function of the colonic epithelium. In particular, we focus on cell-matrix regulation of cell cycle through chemical feedback regulations of APC and WNT. Choosing agent-based modeling to simulate this complex system allows researchers to succinctly describe human colonic crypts with both deterministic and stochastic behavior at the cellular level, and to formulate hypothesis about the effect of state changes---especially in crypt formation---and to validate those hypotheses.
Kenny-Caffe syndrome.

Kenny-Caffe Syndrome is rarely found. From 1966-1993 only 22 cases were reported worldwide. The author presented a case of Kenny-Caffe Syndrome who showed typical findings, i.e. short stature, small slender long bones with medullary stenosis, thickened cortex of the long bones, hypocalcemia with tetany at 1 month of age, hyperphosphatemia, hyperopia of both eyes and normal IQ. A review of the literature summarizing the clinical and laboratory findings of this syndrome is also presented.
Rethinking active surveillance for prostate cancer in African American men

Active surveillance (AS) is a treatment modality for prostate cancer that aims to simultaneously avoid overtreatment and allow for the timely intervention of localized disease. AS has become the de facto standard of care for most men with low-risk prostate cancer. However, few African American (AA) men were included in the prospective observational cohorts that resulted in a paradigm shift in treatment recommendations from active intervention toward AS. It has been established that AA men have an increased prostate cancer incidence, higher baseline prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values, more aggressive prostate cancer features, greater frequency of biochemical recurrence after treatment, and higher overall cancer-specific mortality compared to their Caucasian counterparts. As such, this has given many physicians pause before initiating AS for AA patients. In the following manuscript, we will review the available literature regarding AS, with a particular focus on AA men. The preponderance of evidence demonstrates that AS is as viable a management method for AA with low-risk prostate cancer as it is with other racial groups.
Hatchetman Attack: A Denial of Service Attack Against Routing in Low Power and Lossy Networks

Low power and lossy networks (LLNs) are rapidly burgeoning as an important part of ubiquitous communication infrastructure, and serving as a major building block for emerging Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications. A novel routing protocol for low power and lossy networks, referred to as RPL, has been standardized to provide efficient and reliable communication in LLNs, and enable the integration of resources-constrained devices into the Internet. However, due to the lack of resources, physical protection, and security requirements of inherent routing protocol, RPL-based LLNs are admittedly vulnerable to Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks that primarily disrupt network protocols and interfere with on-going communications. In this paper, we investigate a new type of DoS attack, called hatchetman attack, in promptly emerging RPL-based LLNs. In hatchetman attack, the malicious node manipulates the source route header of the received packets, and then generates and sends a large number of invalid packets with error route to legitimate nodes, which cause the legitimate nodes to drop the received packets and reply an excessive number of Error messages back to the DODAG root. As a result, a great number of packets are dropped by legitimate nodes and excessive Error messages exhaust the communication bandwidth and node energy, which lead to a denial of service in RPL-based LLNs. We conduct extensive simulation experiments for performance evaluation of hatchetman attack and comparison with jamming attack and original RPL without adversary. The simulation results indicate that the hatchetman attack is an extremely severe attack in RPL-based LLNs.
Characterization of morphology in ring-opening metathesis polymerized novel solid block copolymer electrolytes by atomic force microscopy and X-ray scattering

Abstract Block copolymers present the ability to design solid polymer electrolytes to include both ion conductivity and structural features which may lead to improved safety in lithium ion batteries. We report a morphology study of novel block copolymer electrolytes that were synthesized using ring opening metathesis polymerization. The monomers have an oxanorbornene dicarboximide backbone where the first block has oligomeric (n = 12) ethylene oxide (OEO) side chains and the second block has phenyl side groups. The former block achieves high salt solubility, while the latter block is a structural component with a high glass transition temperature. Block copolymers have been synthesized covering a range of compositions from 38 to 70 wt % of the phenyl containing block, and have been studied neat and with bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide lithium salt. The resulting morphologies were investigated using atomic force microscopy and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Solvent vapor annealing was found to enhance ordering in the neat copolymer thin films and the addition of salt with solvent vapor annealing further increased long range order. Cylinder and lamellar structures dominate the observed morphologies and the addition of salt increases ordering and the range block copolymer compositions with lamellar structure. SAXS results demonstrate modest ordering, reinforce the observations from AFM, and show an increase in domain size with an increase in salt concentration.
The Validation of Mathematical Indices of Communication Structure.

Considering their widespread use and importance in mathematical sociology, mathematical psychology, social anthropology, and organizational communication, amazingly little research attention has be...
MATLAB Implementation Details of a Scalable Spectral Clustering Algorithm with the Cosine Similarity

We present the implementation details of a scalable spectral clustering algorithm with cosine similarity (ICPR 2018, Beijing, China), which are based on simple, efficient matrix operations. The sensitivity of its parameters is also discussed.
Abstract 388: Impact of Individual Acute Phase Serum Amyloid A Isoforms on HDL Metabolism in Mice

The acute phase reactant serum amyloid A (SAA) is an HDL apolipoprotein that exhibits biological activities as a pro-inflammatory mediator, but its physiological function(s) are poorly understood. ...
Spread Spectrum Techniques for Interference Mitigation in Large Bandwidth

Communication links are vulnerable to signal fratricide and intentional interference. Therefore, there is a strong interest for interference resistant links to enable secure communication protocols. One way to achieve interference immunity is by exploiting Spread Spectrum (SS) coding techniques with significant coding gain. With access to large bandwidth, it is now possible to spread the signal below the noise floor and secure reliable communication. The focus of this paper is to present a Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum – Binary Phase Shift Keying (DSSS-BPSK) modulation link with over 1 GHz signal bandwidth, in presence of collocated multiple high power interferers. It is observed that DSSS results in better bit error rate (BER) performance. This improvement was in presence of an interferer-signal (I/S) ratio of 34.34 dB.
Clinical Validation of a Ray-Casting Analytical Dose Engine for Spot Scanning Proton Delivery Systems

Purpose:To describe and validate the dose calculation algorithm of an independent second-dose check software for spot scanning proton delivery systems with full width at half maximum between 5 and ...
Significance of the Microfluidic Flow Inside the Organ of Corti

We study the vibration modes of a short section in the middle turn of the gerbil cochlea including both longitudinal and radial interstitial fluid spaces between the pillar cells (PC) and the sensory hair cells to determine the role of the interstitial fluid flow within the organ of corti (OoC). Three detailed finite element (FE) models of the cochlear short section (CSS) are studied. In model 1, the CSS is without fluids; model 2 includes the OoC fluid, but not the exterior scalae fluids; and model 3 is the CSS with both scalae and OoC fluids. We find that: (1) the fundamental mode shape of models 1 or 3 is similar to the classical basilar membrane (BM) bending mode that includes pivoting of the arch of corti, and hence determines the low frequency vibrational mode shape of the cochlea in the presence of the cochlear wave. (2) The fundamental mode shape of model 2 is characterized by a cross-sectional shape change similar to the passive response of the cochlea. This mode shape includes a tilting motion of the inner hair cell (IHC) region, a fluid motion within the tunnel of corti (ToC) in the radial direction and along the OoC, and a bulging motion of the reticular lamina (RL) above the outer hair cell (OHC). Each of these motions provides a plausible mode of excitation of the sensory hair cells. (3) The higher vibrational modes of model 1 are similar to the electrically evoked response within the OoC and suggests that the higher vibrational modes are responsible for the active response of the cochlea. We also observed that the fluid flow through the OoC interstitial space is significant, and the model comparison suggests that the OoC fluid contributes to the biphasic BM motion seen in electrical stimulation experiments. The effect of fluid viscosity on cilium deflection was assessed by performing a transient analysis to calculate the cilium shearing gain. The gain values are found to be within the range of experimentally measured values reported by Dallos et al. (1996, The Cochlea, Springer-Verlag, New York).
Chapter 5 – Glycotranscriptomics

Publisher Summary Carbohydrate structures attached to glycoproteins, glycolipids, and proteoglycans play key roles in a variety of biological recognition events. This chapter discusses the range of proteins and activities that are relevant to the broad-based profiling of glycan-related gene expression. The development of tools to determine the presence and abundance of transcripts encoding the full spectrum of glycan-related proteins in cells and tissues is the first step in the broader goal of determining the global regulation of glycan structures in animal systems. The techniques for detection of transcript abundance in biological samples can be categorized as hybridization, sequence, or amplification-based methods. An overview of each method along with their benefits and drawbacks is presented with examples of information gained by the application of these techniques within the field of glycobiology. Broad-based transcriptional profiling of glycan-related genes provides insights into the global regulation of glycan synthesis and degradation in animal systems. The relevant pathways provide a frame of reference for the scope of target genes that need to be profiled in order to fully understand the global regulation of glycan structures in animal systems. These pathways include enzyme systems required for activated sugar precursor biosynthesis and transport, glycan biosynthesis, modification, and catabolism, and glycan recognition by lectins. Cloning strategies are employed to identify the respective glycan-related genes. The use of biochemical pathway information as a bridge between the two disparate data sets is discussed.
Periconceptional stressors and social support and risk for adverse birth outcomes.

The prevalence of preterm birth and low birth weight has been increasing slightly in recent years. A few studies have suggested that psychosocial stress during pregnancy may increase risk for these adverse birth outcomes. To extend those observations, we analyzed various major life event stressors separately and cumulatively as potential risk factors for preterm birth and low birth weight using granular categories of each outcome in a large, population-based study. Additionally, we assessed if greater social support buffered any effects. Data were from a nested prevalence study of 4395 women in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study who delivered live-born non-malformed infants (controls) between 2006 and 2011. Participants completed a standardized, computer-assisted interview between 6 weeks and 24 months after delivery that included questions on stress and social support from 3 months before pregnancy to the 3rd month of pregnancy. Cumulative stress and support indices were also calculated. Preterm birth was divided into “early preterm” (< 32 weeks), “late preterm” (32–36 weeks) and “term.” Low birthweight was divided into “very low birth weight” (< 1500 g), “low birth weight” (1500–2499 g) and “normal birth weight” (≥2500 g). Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using Poisson regression. For women reporting relationship difficulties, there was a suggestive risk of early preterm birth (RR: 1.9, 95%CI: 0.9–3.9) and very low birthweight (RR: 2.0, 95%CI: 0.9–4.4). For women reporting that they or someone close to them were victims of abuse, violence, or crime, there was an increased risk of low birthweight (RR: 1.8, 95%CI: 1.1–2.7) and late preterm birth (RR: 1.5, 95%CI: 1.0–2.2). There were no strong associations observed between social support questions and the various outcomes. Our results add some support to prior evidence that certain stressors may be associated with increase selected adverse birth outcomes risk. We did not find strong evidence that social support buffered the observed risks in our study.
Ondansetron use in early pregnancy and the risk of late pregnancy outcomes

Background The effects of ondansetron, used off-label to treat nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, on common pregnancy complications are understudied. Modest effects of a commonly used drug could result in adverse events for large numbers of pregnant women. Therefore, our objective was to compare the risk of stillbirth, preterm birth, gestational hypertensive disorders, small for gestational age, and differences in birth weight between women prescribed ondansetron and women prescribed alternative antiemetics in early pregnancy. Methods A cohort of pregnant women receiving a prescription for ondansetron or comparator antiemetics (metoclopramide or promethazine) during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy was identified using electronic health record data from a health care system in North Carolina, USA. Confounding by multiple covariates was controlled using stabilized inverse probability of treatment weights. Weighted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) accounted for competing events. Results We identified 2677 eligible pregnancies with antiemetic orders, 66% for ondansetron. The small number of stillbirths (n = 15) resulted in an imprecise estimate of the association with ondansetron (HR = 1.60; 95%CI 0.51, 4.97). No association was observed for preterm birth (HR = 0.90; 95%CI 0.67, 1.20) or gestational hypertensive disorders (HR = 0.87; 95%CI 0.68, 1.12). We observed an association with small for gestational age (HR = 1.37; 95%CI 0.98, 1.90), however mean birth weight among term births was similar between groups. Conclusions Our results do not suggest that ondansetron increases the risk of preterm birth or gestational hypertensive disorders. The weak association observed between ondansetron use and small for gestational age warrants further investigation.
A progressive education? How childhood changed in mid-twentieth-century English and Welsh schools, by Laura Tisdall: BOOK REVIEW

Adequately explaining progressive education has presented something of a challenge to historians of education, despite numerous attempts to document its origins, iterations and applications. Laura ...
Shapes and recession cones in mixed-integer convex representability

Mixed-integer convex representable (MICP-R) sets are those sets that can be represented exactly through a mixed-integer convex programming formulation. Following up on recent work by Lubin et al. (2017, 2020) we investigate structural geometric properties of MICP-R sets, which strongly differentiate them from the class of mixed-integer linear representable sets (MILP-R). First, we provide an example of an MICP-R set which is the countably infinite union of convex sets with countably infinitely many different recession cones. This is in sharp contrast with MILP-R sets which are at most infinite unions of polyhedra that share the same recession cone. Second, we provide an example of an MICP-R set which is the countably infinite union of polytopes all of which have different shapes (no pair is combinatorially equivalent, which implies they are not affine transformations of each other). Again, this is in sharp contrast with MILP-R sets which are at most infinite unions of polyhedra that are all translations of a finite subset of themselves. Interestingly, we show that a countably infinite union of convex sets sharing the same volume can be MICP-R only if the sets are all translations of a finite subset of themselves (i.e. the natural conceptual analogue to the MILP-R case).
On the application of fracture fatigue entropy to multiaxial loading

Abstract An experimental and theoretical analysis of low carbon steel 1018 subjected to multiaxial loading is presented. Different loading conditions, including tension–compression, torsion, in-phase, and out-of-phase, are applied to investigate the effect of loading type on fatigue life. The fracture fatigue entropy (FFE) framework is then used to predict life using both hysteresis loops and thermography. The results show that the out-of-phase loading leads to the minimum fatigue life, while the torsion exhibit the maximum life at a similar equivalent strain. The FFE predictions using thermography successfully captured the specimens' fatigue life subjected to the multiaxial fatigue loading independent of the loading condition. Furthermore, the results show that the strain energy obtained from the hysteresis loop is a good measure of dissipation energy in the cases of tension–compression, torsion, and in-phase loading conditions. Accordingly, the predicted life using the hysteresis loop agrees well with the thermographic and experimental results. However, in the case of out-of-phase loadings, the plastic strain energy obtained from the hysteresis loop deviates from the dissipation energy because the stored energy originated from the internal state variable variation. Accordingly, the predicted life using the thermography is more accurate than the hysteresis loop, which agrees well with the experimental results.
Thermal Detoxification of Trichothecene Contaminated Commodities

The need for detoxification of commodities contaminated by trichothecene mycotoxins has been known to be of significance by Bamburg et al. (1971). The yellow rain controversy (Mirocha, 1983) has made the interest in trimethecenes world-wide. Stahr, et al. (1985) has shown that T-2 toxin and diacetoxysoirpenol can be volatilized and trapped for analysis. Thermally removing the toxins from commodities was attempted in this work.
Abstract W P91: Regulating Set-ß’s Subcellular Localization Toggles Its Function Between Inhibiting and Promoting Axon Growth and Regeneration

The failure of the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS) neurons to regenerate axons after stroke remains a major problem. Manipulation of various cell-autonomous factors along with overcoming the inhibitory adult CNS environment only partially restores regeneration. Transcriptional regulators like Set-β are well-positioned to regulate intrinsic axon regeneration capacity, which declines developmentally in maturing CNS neurons. Set-β also functions at the cellular membranes and its subcellular localization is disrupted in Alzheimer’s disease, but many of its biological mechanisms have not been explored in neurons. We found that Set-β was upregulated postnatally in CNS neurons. Remarkably, nuclear Set-β suppressed whereas Set-β localized to cytoplasmic membranes promoted neurite growth in primary CNS neurons. Furthermore, mimicking serine 9 phosphorylation blocked the ability of nuclear Set-β to suppress neurite growth. Finally, recruitment of Set-β to cellular membranes through gene therapy promoted optic nerve axons regeneration in vivo. Thus, Set-β differently regulates axon growth and regeneration depending on subcellular localization and phosphorylation, suggesting a novel mode of regulation of cellular behavior through disparate activities in different cellular compartments, which could be clinically relevant for treating stroke injury in CNS.
Self-assembly dynamics for the transition of a globular aggregate to a fibril network of lysozyme proteins via a coarse-grained Monte Carlo simulation

The self-organizing dynamics of lysozymes (an amyloid protein with 148 residues) with different numbers of protein chains, Nc = 1,5,10, and 15 (concentration 0.004 – 0.063) is studied by a coarse-grained Monte Carlo simulation with knowledge-based residue-residue interactions. The dynamics of an isolated lysozyme (Nc = 1) is ultra-slow (quasi-static) at low temperatures and becomes diffusive asymptotically on raising the temperature. In contrast, the presence of interacting proteins leads to concentration induced protein diffusion at low temperatures and concentration-tempering sub-diffusion at high temperatures. Variation of the radius of gyration of the protein with temperature shows a systematic transition from a globular structure (at low T) to a random coil (high T) conformation when the proteins are isolated. The crossover from globular to random coil becomes sharper upon increasing the protein concentration (i.e. with Nc = 5,10), with larger Rg at higher temperatures and concentration; Rg becomes smaller on adding more protein chains (e.g. Nc = 15) a non-monotonic response to protein concentration. Analysis of the structure factor (S(q)) provides an estimate of the effective dimension (D ≥ 3, globular conformation at low temperature, and D ∼ 1.7, random coil, at high temperatures) of the isolated protein. With many interacting proteins, the morphology of the self-assembly varies with scale, i.e. at the low temperature (T = 0.015), D ∼ 2.9 on the scale comparable to the radius of gyration of the protein, and D ∼ 2.3 at the large scale over the entire sample. The global network of fibrils appears at high temperature (T = 0.021) with D ∼ 1.7 (i.e. a random coil morphology at large scale) involving tenuous distribution of micro-globules (at small scales).
Compositional variation in normal MORB from 22°–25°N: Mid‐Atlantic Ridge and Kane Fracture Zone

Basalts collected by dredging between 23°N and 25°N include samples from the active spreading ridges, median valley walls, and older walls of the Kane Fracture Zone transform fault at about 24°N. Chemical analyses of over 100 basalts and basalt glasses show the depletion in large ion lithophile elements characteristic of ‘normal’ ocean ridge basalts. Basalt suites recovered from the median valley north and south of the fracture zone are almost identical geochemically. There is no evidence of present or past volcanic activity within the transform zone. Petrogenesis of the basalts, as deduced from both petrographic and geochemical evidence, indicates that simple low-pressure equilibrium crystallization during ascent in shallow vents or flow in seafloor lava tubes can account for a large part of the major element and trace element variation within discrete data subsets. However, more complex models are required to explain relations between samples showing large differences in large ion lithophile element enrichments. A subset of samples of intermediate composition can be explained by simple mixing of highly fractionated basalt with mafic parental basalt. A number of basalts enriched in Al2O3 may reflect accumulation and partial resorption of plagioclase. By comparison to existing phase equilibria experiments, it is shown that a basalt-type common to the area is a logical choice as a mantle-derived primary magma; it is close to the composition of average normal MORB with wt % TiO2 ≅ 1.50, Mg# ≅ 66, and normative olivine 10–15 wt %. This composition is inferred to have separated from the mantle at a pressure of about 8–9 kbar. Rare examples of more mafic ‘primary’ basalt are present and are inferred to represent melts which escaped from the mantle at higher pressures. We outline a comprehensive hypothesis for melting, fractionation, and mixing which we believe may be adequate to explain compositional variation in these and other suites of ‘normal MORB.’ An important consequence of this model is that MORB presently at a given position on a low-pressure, multiply saturated cotectic may have reached that point by a variety of paths; some may be nearly direct mantle derivatives, while others may have experienced a complex history of polybaric and low-pressure fractionation and/or mixing.
Medical Imaging Data Reconciliation, Part 4: Reconciliation of Radiology Reports and Clinical Outcomes Data

An accurate clinical assessment of how radiology report data affect health care outcomes cannot be performed without the standardization, integration, and longitudinal analysis of radiology report and clinical outcomes data. The creation of such a technology can be accomplished by creating a standardized finding-specific radiology and clinical database, in which individual report findings are assigned extensible markup language tags and tracked over time with associated clinical data. The derived knowledge can in turn be used to improve overall outcomes through the data-derived analysis of reporting accuracy, imaging utilization, the timeliness of clinical care, and compliance with best practice guidelines.
Community health training for internal medicine residents working with community partners.

Abstract Graduate and undergraduate medical training are incorporating public health curricula into their programs to enable future physicians to participate in public health activities and improve the health of the communities. This paper highlights two approaches to a community health curriculum implemented at the Cambridge Health Alliance Internal Medicine Training Program from 2008–2010. Between 2008 and 2009, the residency program incorporated a longitudinal curriculum for first-year residents. The goal of the curriculum was to expose residents to basic community health research models while giving them time to participate in a 1-year practicum with the Cambridge Public Health Department. Strengths included increasing resident knowledge about the local public health department and providing residents with an opportunity to work with staff and patients in that setting. Limitations of such a design included staff time constraints for coordinating with community partners as well as resident dissatisfaction with being involved in only select portions of an evolving project. This curriculum was therefore revised into a 1-month ambulatory block consisting of didactics and a practicum with the local YWCA in September 2010. Residents felt that this design yielded more time in didactics than in the practicum. Both designs offer important learning points in terms of practically incorporating public health activities in a tightly scheduled residency-training program. The current paper highlights the importance of partnering with a community organization such as a public health department or the YWCA. Emphasis is placed on the contributions that residents can make to these organizations while they learn how to integrate clinical and community health activities.
Siderophore production by phytopathogenic microbial species

Abstract The production of siderophores (microbial iron transport agents) and siderophore-like substances was examined in the gram-negative bacterial plant pathogens, Agro-bacterium tumefaciens, Erwinia carotovora carotovora, Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola, and Erwinia amylovora, and in the saprophytic bacterium Agrobacterium radiobacter. This attribute was found to be widespread among the organisms surveyed. All but 2 of 27 different strains of A. tumefaciens and A. radiobacter investigated produced catechol-containing compounds during low-iron culture. One of these non-cat-echol-producing strains formed no detectable siderophore, and the other produced hydroxamate-like substances. The compound 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid as well as two water-soluble, ninhydrin-reacting catechols were found in iron-deficient cultures of E. c. carotovora 78. These phenolates enhanced the growth of the organism when stressed for iron. In response to iron-limiting growth, P. s. phaseolicola G50 produced substances which reacted with iron to give one purple and two orange-colored compounds. A mixture of these ferric complexes had growth factor activity for the organism when it was cultured in an iron-poor medium. Neither catechol nor hydroxamate-type siderophores were produced by E. amylovora Ea178 or Ea213. However, siderophore activity was detected in the supernatant fluids of low-iron cultures of both strains.
Time-lapse (4-D) seismic monitoring of primary production of turbidite reservoirs at South Timbalier Block 295, offshore Louisiana, Gulf of Mexico

Two seismic surveys acquired over South Timbalier Block 295 field (offshore Louisiana) record significant differences in amplitude that are correlated to hydrocarbon production at multiple reservoir levels. The K8 sand, a solution-gas-drive reservoir, shows increases in seismic amplitude associated with gas exsolution. The K40 sand, a water-drive reservoir, shows decreases in seismic amplitude associated with increases in water saturation. A methodology is presented to optimize the correlation between two seismic surveys after they have been individually processed (poststack). This methodology includes rebinning, crosscorrelation, band-pass filtering, and cross-equalization. A statistical approach is developed to characterize the correlation between the seismic surveys. This statistical analysis is used to discriminate seismic amplitude differences that record change in rock and fluid properties from those that could be the result of miscorrelation of the seismic data. Time-lapse seismic analysis provides an important new approach to imaging hydrocarbon production; it may be used to improve reservoir characterization and guide production decisions.