cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Self-assembly of J-aggregate nanotubes and their applications for sensing dopamine.

J-aggregates are an attractive supramolecular structure with interesting excitation properties found in the light-harvesting antenna of green sulfur bacteria. To structurally mimic the light-harvesting antenna, we synthesize J-aggregate nanotubes with a sharp and intense absorption band (J-band) by the coassembly of lithocholic acid (LCA) and 3,3′-dipropylthiadicarbocyanine iodide (DiSC3(5)) in aqueous solution. We show that the J-aggregate nanotubes can be used as a supramolecular probe for the sensitive and selective detection of dopamine (DA) in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solution with the detection limit of ∼0.4 nM by simply observing the intensity change of the J-band due to the efficient photoinduced electron transfer from the J-aggregate nanotubes to the adsorbed DA.
Return to sports after surgery to correct adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a survey of the Spinal Deformity Study Group.

Abstract Background context There are no guidelines for when surgeons should allow patients to return to sports and athletic activities after spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Current recommendations are based on anecdotal reports and a survey performed more than a decade ago in the era of first/second-generation posterior implants. Purpose To identify current recommendations for return to sports and athletic activities after surgery for AIS. Study design/setting Questionnaire-based survey. Patient sample Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis after corrective surgery. Outcome measures Type and time to return to sports. Methods A survey was administered to members of the Spinal Deformity Study Group. The survey consisted of surgeon demographic information, six clinical case scenarios, three different construct types (hooks, pedicle screws, hybrid), and questions regarding the influence of lowest instrumented vertebra (LIV) and postoperative physical therapy. Results Twenty-three surgeons completed the survey, and respondents were all experienced expert deformity surgeons. Pedicle screw instrumentation allows earlier return to noncontact and contact sports, with most patients allowed to return to running by 3 months, both noncontact and contact sports by 6 months, and collision sports by 12 months postoperatively. For all construct types, approximately 20% never allow return to collision sports, whereas all surgeons allow eventual return to contact and noncontact sports regardless of construct type. In addition to construct type, we found progressively distal LIV resulted in more surgeons never allowing return to collision sports, with 12% for selective thoracic fusion to T12/L1 versus 33% for posterior spinal fusion to L4. Most respondents also did not recommend formal postoperative physical therapy (78%). Of all surgeons surveyed, there was only one reported instrumentation failure/pullout without neurologic deficit after a patient went snowboarding 2 weeks postoperatively. Conclusions Modern posterior instrumentation allows surgeons to recommend earlier return to sports after fusion for AIS, with the majority allowing running by 3 months, noncontact and contact sports by 6 months, and collision sports by 12 months.
Lanthanide concentrations in the olivine phase of the Brenham pallasite

The lanthanide abundances in olivine phase of the Brenham meteorite were reexamined. The result suggests that the previous data on the same material represent a serious impurity effect. This would remove a problem in interpretation of the lanthanide abundance pattern previously obtained for this meteoritic material. The newly measured concentrations of lanthanides are the lowest ones ever found in meteoritic as well as terrestrial silicate material.
Cooperative effects for CYP2E1 differ between styrene and its metabolites.

Abstract1. Cooperative interactions are frequently observed in the metabolism of drugs and pollutants by cytochrome P450s; nevertheless, the molecular determinants for cooperativity remain elusive. Previously, we demonstrated that steady-state styrene metabolism by CYP2E1 exhibits positive cooperativity.2. We hypothesized that styrene metabolites have lower affinity than styrene toward CYP2E1 and limited ability to induce cooperative effects during metabolism. To test the hypothesis, we determined the potency and mechanism of inhibition for styrene and its metabolites toward oxidation of 4-nitrophenol using CYP2E1 Supersomes® and human liver microsomes.3. Styrene inhibited the reaction through a mixed cooperative mechanism with high affinity for the catalytic site (67 µM) and lower affinity for the cooperative site (1100 µM), while increasing substrate turnover at high concentrations. Styrene oxide and 4-vinylphenol possessed similar affinity for CYP2E1. Styrene oxide behaved cooperatively like styrene, b...
Diagnosis and Management of Alopecia in Children

Alopecia in childhood is a source of high concern, frustration, and anxiety. Delineating types of alopecia and those that are chronic or potentially related to underlying medical problems is important. There are 5 common types of hair loss in children: alopecia related to tinea capitis, alopecia areata spectrum/autoimmune alopecia, traction alopecia, telogen effluvium, and trichotillomania/trichotillosis. Hair-cycle anomalies including loose anagen syndrome can lead to sparse-appearing hair. Rarer reasons for alopecia in children include pressure-induced alopecia, alopecia related to nutritional deficiency or toxic ingestion, and androgenetic alopecia. Congenital lesions should be considered for areas of localized alopecia occurring at birth.
Caution and Cooperation: The American Civil War in British-American Relations

This series focuses on works that expand the parameters of U.S. foreign relations. Chronologically broad and topically diverse, it is designed to further the internationalization - indeed, globalization - of the field by publishing a wide variety of innovative books, including interdisciplinary studies, that place the United States within a larger, transnational context. Areas of focus include, but are not limited to, identity formation and projection, borderlands studies, comparative history, and cultural transfer.This book offers a provocative reinterpretation of Civil War - era diplomacy. It has long been a mainstay in historical literature that the Civil War had a deleterious effect on Anglo-American relations and that Britain came close to intervention in the conflict. Historians assert that it was only a combination of desperate diplomacy, the Confederacy's military losses, and Lincoln's timely issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation that kept the British on the sidelines. Phillip E. Myers seeks to revise this prevailing view by arguing instead that wartime relations between Britain and the United States were marked by caution rather than conflict.Using a wide array of primary materials from both sides of the Atlantic, Myers traces the various sources of potential Anglo-American wartime turmoil as well as the various reasons both sides had for avoiding war. And while he does note the disagreement between Washington and London, he convincingly demonstrates that transatlantic discord was ultimately minor and neither side seriously considered war against the other.Myers further extends his study into the postwar period to see how that bond strengthened and grew, culminating with the Treaty of Washington in 1871. As Myers points out, that relationship only grew in the decades and century to come. The Civil War was not, as so many have believed for so long, an unpleasant interruption in British-American affairs; instead, it was an event that helped bring the two countries closer together seal the friendship.Soundly researched and cogently argued, "Caution and Cooperation" will surely prompt discussion among Civil War historians, foreign relations scholars, and readers of history.
Modeling spatial and volumetric changes in the Atchafalaya delta, Louisiana

Abstract The Atchafalaya River has two outlets: the Wax Lake Outlet and Lower Reach. The Lower Reach empties into Atchafalaya Bay approximately 200 km west of the modern bird‐foot delta of the Mississippi River, while the Wax Lake Outlet empties into Atchafalaya Bay about 18 km further west. Historically, the last significant episode of sedimentation occurred in the Atchafalaya Bay area about 1,500 years ago. Between 1962 and 1972 the appearance of the first subaerial exposures of a new delta lobe began with a rapid expansion of the delta front environment, and progradation of a distal bar. Following waning flows of the 1975 flood events, an extensive network of distributary mouth bar deposits and complex branching of seaward extending distributaries emerged. Changes in the volume and areal extent of sediment issuing from the two mouths of the Atchafalaya River were examined using NASA's ELAS and Delta Data System's AGIS image processing and Geographic Information System software. CAMS (Calibrated Airborn...
Contributions of animal agriculture to meeting global human food demand

Abstract Animal products provide one-sixth of human food energy and more than one-third of the protein on a global basis. Much of this comes from the conversion of human-inedible materials to high quality human food. Animal agriculture makes many additional contributions to human well-being, including fiber, draught power and transportation, and nutrient-recycling functions important to the efficiency and sustainability of food production systems. Projections for the future indicate large increases in per capita demand for animal food products, mostly in developing countries. There is strong evidence that increasing foods of animal origin in diets of young children with currently low levels of these foods leads to marked improvement in both physical and mental development. Prospects for the increased feed conversion efficiencies and feed supplies, including feed grains, needed to meet projected demand are discussed. Achieving the increases appears feasible, though not certain. Greater attention on a global basis to maintaining the quantity and productivity of agricultural land, and greater investment in research on both crop and animal production are needed. Ultimately food supply and other aspects of quality of life for all people are very much dependent on how soon and at what level human population is stabilized.
Views from the Top and Bottom: Lawmakers and Practitioners Discuss Sex Offender Laws

The perceptions and attitudes that policymakers and criminal justice practitioners have about sexual offending and sexual victimization affects how state lawmakers respond to sex crimes, and how practitioners implement sex offender legislation. Policymakers continue to create new sex offender laws and, as such, the number of convicted sex offenders continues to rise. Thus, policymakers and criminal justice practitioners are increasingly important players in the public policy response to sexual criminals. To better understand the motivation, rationale, content, and purpose of statewide sex offender laws, and their role in the day-to-day management of convicted sex offenders, a non-probability sample of policymakers (n = 61) and criminal justice practitioners (n = 25) from across the country were interviewed. Results indicated that nearly all respondents from both groups were familiar/very familiar with their state-level sex offender laws. Policymakers and practitioners also mentioned the influential role that specific victimizations play in creating a perceived need for more sex offender legislation. The politicians and the practitioners view the laws as effective public safety mechanisms. Still, both groups noted serious problems with the laws. Furthermore, policymakers had a more negative attitude about the efficacy of sex offender therapy than criminal justice respondents. Suggestions for future research and policy implications are offered.
Deflection Response of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Pultruded Components in Hot Weather Climates

Presented in this paper are the experimental results pertaining to the deflection response of E-glass/polyester pultruded structural elements when subjected to bending and temperature profiles comparable to those encountered in hot weather conditions. Experiments were conducted on tubular components subjected to an applied force resulting in a maximum stress corresponding to 4% of the composite material strength. In one case, five component tests were carried out in an environmental condition in which the air temperature was first gradually increased from 20° ± 2°C to 72° ± 2°C, then decreased to 60° ± 2°C in 1 h. In another case, one component was tested under an air temperature that was first gradually increased from 20 to 60°C, then kept at 60° ± 2°C for 215 h. Test results are compared with those obtained in another study at laboratory conditions (22° ± 2°C). It is concluded that the increase in the deflection of glass-reinforced pultruded components in hot climates is substantial and must always be accounted for in the design of pultruded structures.
Experimental and theoretical analysis of energy capability of RESURF LDMOSFETs and its correlation with static electrical safe operating area (SOA)

Thermal and electrical destruction of 55 V single and double reduced surface field (RESURF) lateral double-diffused MOSFETs (LDMOSFETs) in smart power ICs are investigated by experiments, simulations, and theoretical modeling. Static safe operating area (SOA) and single pulse dynamic SOA (energy capability) have been studied and correlated. Single RESURF device failure and hence the energy capability is controlled by electrical phenomenon for drain to source voltage near breakdown voltages, whereas the energy capability of the double RESURF device is shown to be controlled by thermal phenomenon for voltage ranges up to about 5 V below the breakdown voltage. Measured energy capability data have been used to obtain critical temperatures for device failure, which decreases with an increase in drain to source voltage. We have empirically shown using experimental data that if the dynamic SOA of the device comes within about 2-5/spl times/ of the static SOA boundary, the device failure is strongly influenced by avalanche multiplication. An analytical model based on Green's function formulation is derived and proposed which can predict energy capability of LDMOSFETs for a wide range of device geometry. The calculated data show excellent matching with the measurements and are within /spl plusmn/10%. A new technique of distributing power within a device by applying less power at the center and more at the edges is proposed, which realizes significant improvement in energy capability by optimizing the temperature distribution within the device.
A custom-made device to unlock extracoronal locking-type attachments.

aAssociate Professor, Department of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Loma Linda University. bAssociate Professor, Department of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Loma Linda University. cProfessor, Director, Division of Postdoctoral Prosthodontics, Department of Restorative Sciences and Biomaterials, Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston University. (J Prosthet Dent 2008;100:406-407) Two of the most common implant complications with the use of attachments are overdenture clip/ attachment loosening (30%) and overdenture clip/attachment fracture (17%).1 These problems are related to the nature of the nylon or plastic clips available for use with implant-retained overdentures. A metal attachment that engages the implant bar (SwissLoc NG; Attachments Intl, Inc, San Mateo, Calif ) (Fig. 1) can also be used in addition to the clips. The use of a locking, plunger-type metal attachment prolongs the useful life of plastic clips. These plunger attachments are commonly placed on the buccal surface of the overdenture flange with a mesial depression in the surrounding acrylic resin to facilitate removal by the patient’s fingernail. This buccal placement is convenient and practical, and will not interfere with esthetics when placed in a mandibular denture. However, when these attachments are placed in a maxillary denture, esthetic concerns and flange thickness commonly prevent their placement on the facial surface of the denture flange, and they are usually placed on the palatal surface of the implant-supported overdenture. Because of the depression in the acrylic resin, the plunger head may be annoying to the patient’s tongue and can cause tongue soreness (Fig. 2). When the plunger head is at the same level as the surrounding acrylic resin, access to unlock the attachment is not feasible. The purpose of the article is to describe a method of making a device to disengage a palatally placed plunger-type attachment (Fig. 3). PROCEDURE
An identification problem for vibrating cracked beams

Abstract An identification procedure to determine the crack characteristics (location and size of the crack) from dynamic measurements is developed and tested. This procedure is based on minimization of either the “mean-square” or the “max” measure of difference between measurement data (natural frequencies and mode shapes) and the corresponding predictions obtained from the computational model. Necessary conditions are obtained for both formulations. The method is tested for simulated damage in the form of one-side or symmetric cracks in a simply supported Bernoulli-Euler beam. The sensitivity of the solution of damage identification to the values of parameters that characterize damage is discussed.
Performance of the electronics for the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) is a second generation solar neutrino water Cherenkov detector using 1000 tonnes of D/sub 2/O viewed by almost 10000 20 cm photomultiplier tubes. The observatory, located 6800 ' below ground in INCO Ltd's Creighton mine near Sudbury Ontario, recently began full time operation. The SNO electronics provides deadtimeless sub-ns time and 0.1-1000 photoelectrons (pe) of charge measurement. While the solar neutrino event rate is low, the electronics must handle backgrounds in excess of 1 kHz and bursts in excess of 1 MHz. The integrated trigger system handles multiple independent triggers via 10000:1 analog sums. The electronics use three full custom integrated circuits plus standard commercial chips. There are 14 different printed circuit boards mounted in custom crates and racks. The DAQ interface is VME compatible.
Synthesis of (S)-(+)-parasorbic acid and (S)-(+)-2-tridecanol acetate: Bakers' yeast reductions of γ and δ ketosulfones

Abstract The enantioselective reduction of 4-(p-toluenesulfonyl) butane-2-one and 5-(p-toluenesulfonyl) pentane-2-one with bakers' yeast gave the corresponding (S) alcohols in high optical purities and moderately good yields. The alcohol 2a was converted to (S)(+)parasorbic acid ( 4 ), while 2b was used for the preparation of (S)(+)-2-tridecanol acetate ( 7 ), using short synthetic sequences.
tNOX as a serum marker for detection and estimation of tumor burden in prostate cancer

A27 The utility of tNOX, a pan-cancer, cancer-specific member of a family of growth-related and drug-responsive cell surface hydroquinone (NADH) oxidases with protein disulfide thiol interchange activity, was explored as a serum marker for early detection and staging of prostate cancer. Plasma samples were obtained from a Phase II clinical trial carried out at two Australian hospitals of the synthetic isoflavene phenoxodiol for the treatment of patients with late-stage metastatic prostate cancer that were insensitive to standard hormonal therapy. Phenoxodiol was administered orally in capsules three times daily on a continuous basis over treatment cycles of 12 weeks to 19 patients at increasing fixed doses of 20 (4), 80 (6), 200 (5) or 800 (4) mg (number of patients in parentheses). Plasma samples obtained prior to, at the midpoint of and at the end of the chemotherapeutic schedule were analyzed quantitatively for tNOX protein based on 2-D gel separations and correlated with the patient9s serum levels of PSA as an independently quantifiable clinical endpoint. For all patients where PSA levels increased during the trial, tNOX and PSA values were correlated (r = 0.98 ∓ 0.03) and extrapolated to zero for both parameters. In contrast to relative PSA levels, there was no correlation between circulating tNOX amounts and absolute PSA levels among the 19 patients. The nine patients with progressive disease based on PSA levels exhibited, on average, a 40% greater amount of circulating tNOX protein compared to those patients exhibiting stable (7) or declining (3) PSA levels. At the highest dose of 800 mg, all 4 patients showed at least a partial response to phenoxodiol treatment based on circulating tNOX amounts whereas PSA levels indicated a response in 2 of the 4 patients. Overall, analysis of serum tNOX levels revealed a response to drug in 10 of the 19 patients which correlated well with the same number of patients where PSA levels were either stable or indicative of at least a partial response. The findings suggest that levels of circulating tNOX may provide a reliable marker superior to PSA for estimation of tumor burden during and after therapy for patients with prostate cancer.
INTERGENERATIONAL ROOTS OF EARLY ONSET SUBSTANCE USE

This study examines intergenerational continuity in drug use across three generations of respondents in the same family. The data are from the Rochester Intergenerational Study, an ongoing, prospec...
A 53-year-old woman with a leiomyosarcoma of the breast

In this day and age of mammographic screening, increased awareness of breast cancer, and more accurate secondary imaging modalities such as ultrasound (US), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET), one would think advanced breast cancer would become a thing of the past. It hasn’t, and caring for such patients doesn’t always follow in a straightforward fashion. We present a case of a breast leiomyosarcoma and discuss management and therapy of these unusual neoplasms.
Function of calmodulin in postsynaptic densities. II. Presence of a calmodulin- activatable protein kinase activity

Because the calmodulin in postsynaptic densities (PSDs) activates a cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, we decided to explore the possibility that the PSD also contains a calmodulin-activatable protein kinase activity. As seen by autoradiographic analysis of coomassie blue-stained SDS polyacrylamide gels, many proteins in a native PSD preparation were phosphorylated in the presence of [γ-(32)P]ATP and Mg(2+) alone. Addition of Ca(2+) alone to the native PSD preparation had little or no effect on phosphorylation. However, upon addition of exogenous calmodulin there was a general increase in background phosphorylation with a statistically significant increase in the phosphorylation of two protein regions: 51,000 and 62,000 M(r). Similar results were also obtained in sonicated or freeze thawed native PSD preparations by addition of Ca(2+) alone without exogenous calmodulin, indicating that the calmodulin in the PSD can activate the kinase present under certain conditions. The calmodulin dependency of the reaction was further strengthened by the observed inhibition of the calmodulin-activatable phosphorylation, but not of the Mg(2+)-dependent activity, by the Ca(2+) chelator, EGTA, which also removes the calmodulin from the structure (26), and by the binding to calmodulin of the antipsychotic drug chlorpromazine in the presence of Ca(2+). In addition, when a calmodulin-deficient PSD preparation was prepared (26), sonicated, and incubated with [γ-(32)P]ATP, Mg(2+) and Ca(2+), one could not induce a Ca(2+)-stimulation of protein kinase activity unless exogenous calmodulin was added back to the system, indicating a reconstitution of calmodulin into the PSD. We have also attempted to identify the two major phosphorylated proteins. Based on SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, it appears that the major 51,000 M(r) PSD protein is the one that is phosphorylated and not the 51,000 M(r) component of brain intermediate filaments, which is a known PSD contaminant. In addition, papain digestion of the 51,000 M(r) protein revealed multiple phosphorylation sites different from those phosphorylated by the Mg(2+)-dependent kinase(s). Finally, although the calmodulin-activatable protein kinase may phosphorylate proteins I(a) and I(b), the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, which definitely does phosphorylate protein I(a) and I(b) and is present in the PSD, does not phosphorylate the 51,000 and 62,000 M(r) proteins, because specific inhibition of this kinase has no effect on the levels of the phosphorylation of these latter two proteins.
The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study in Finland.

The U.S. National Cancer Institute and the Finnish National Public Institute jointly sponsored a large double-blind, placebo-controlled primary-prevention trial to examine the effects of vitamin E and β-carotene supplementation on reducing the incidence of lung cancers in male smokers, ages 50–69 years. Supplementation did not result in a significant reduction in lung cancer, and a higher incidence of lung cancer was observed in the group receiving β-carotene. These results should be examined within the context of the population studied before they are cited as definitive.
Endothelin-A Receptor Antagonism Attenuates the Hypertension and Renal Injury in Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rats

The aim of this study was to examine the role of endothelin-A (ET A ) receptors in mediating the hypertension and renal injury associated with high salt intake in Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) rats. To achieve this goal, we examined the effects of chronic selective ET A antagonist (A-127722) treatment at a dose of 10 mg/kg/d on arterial pressure, renal function, and morphology in DS and Dahl salt-resistant (DR) rats placed on a high sodium (8% NaCl) diet (HSD) for 3 weeks. Placement of DS rats (n=13) on HSD for 3 weeks caused a progressive increase in systolic pressure (from 118±3 to 186±15 mm Hg). The increase in systolic pressure was significantly attenuated (from 125±4 to 167±12 mm Hg) in DS rats treated with A-127722 (n=13). Mean arterial pressure (MAP) measured directly at the end of the study was also significantly lower by 18 mm Hg ( P A receptor blockade in DS rats. The hypertension in DS rats was associated with marked proteinuria (from 4.1±1.1 to 74.3±5.3 mg/24 h/100 g body weight) that was significantly attenuated (from 5.7±1.2 to 55.2±6.5 mg/24 h/100 g body weight) in DS rats treated with A-127722. The percentage of glomeruli displaying fibrosis, hypercellularity, and hyalinization was also significantly reduced after treatment with A-127722 in DS rats. Arterial pressure, protein excretion, renal hemodynamics, and morphologic structure were not significantly changed in response to ET A receptor blockade in DR rats placed on HSD. These data indicate that endothelin-A receptor activation may play a role in the exacerbation of hypertension and development of renal injury in DS rats.
Low-frequency scattering from cylindrical structures at oblique incidence

Classical Rayleigh scattering theory is extended to the case of a homogeneous dielectric cylinder of arbitrary cross section whose transverse dimensions are much smaller than the wavelength. By assuming that the surface fields can be approximated by those of the infinite cylinder, the far zone scattered field is expressed in terms of polarizability tensors, whose properties are discussed. Numerical results are presented for circular, semicircular, triangular, and square cylinders. The results are applicable to the remote sensing of twigs, stalks, and vegetation needles at centimeter and millimeter wavelengths. >
EPR/ENDOR characterization of the physical and electronic structure of the OEC Mn cluster.

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy has often played a crucial role in characterizing the various cofactors and processes of photosynthesis, and photosystem II and its oxygen evolving chemistry is no exception. Until recently, the application of EPR spectroscopy to the characterization of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) has been limited to the S2-state of the Kok cycle. However, in the past few years, continuous wave-EPR signals have been obtained for both the S0- and S1-state as well as for the S2^Y Z -state of a number of inhibited systems. Furthermore, the pulsed EPR technique of electron spin echo electron nuclear double resonance spectroscopy has been used to directly probe the 55 Mn nuclei of the manganese cluster. In this review, we discuss how the EPR data obtained from each of these states of the OEC Kok cycle are being used to provide insight into the physical and electronic structure of the manganese cluster and its interaction with the key tyrosine, YZ. fl 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Use of statins by medicare beneficiaries post myocardial infarction: poor physician quality or patient-centered care?

Even though guidelines strongly recommend that patients receive a statin for secondary prevention after an acute myocardial infarction (MI), many elderly patients do not fill a statin prescription ...
Treatment-related alteration of cortisol predicts change in neuropsychological function during acute treatment of late-life anxiety disorder.

Objective Older adults with anxiety disorders are burdened by impairment in neurocognition, which may be mediated by elevated circulating cortisol levels. In a randomized controlled trial of acute serotonin-reuptake inhibitor treatment for late-life anxiety disorder, we examined whether change in salivary cortisol concentrations during treatment predicted improvements in measures of memory and executive function. Methods We examined 60 adults aged 60 years and older, who took part in a 12-week trial of escitalopram versus placebo for generalized anxiety disorder. All subjects had pre-treatment and post-treatment assessments that included monitoring of peak and total daily cortisol and a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation. Results Salivary cortisol changes during treatment showed significant associations with changes in immediate and delayed memory but no association with executive tasks (measures of working memory and set shifting). Analyses suggested that a decrease in cortisol due to serotonin-reuptake inhibitor treatment was responsible for the memory changes: memory improvement was seen with cortisol reduction among patients receiving escitalopram but not among patients receiving placebo. Conclusion Serotonin-reuptake inhibitor-induced alteration in circulating cortisol during treatment of generalized anxiety disorder predicted changes in immediate and delayed memory. This finding suggests a novel treatment strategy in late-life anxiety disorders: targeting hypothalamic–pituitary– adrenal axis dysfunction to improve memory. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of Digoxin on Responsiveness to the Pressor Actions of Angiotensin and Norepinephrine in Man

Abnormalities in sodium metabolism, including the presence of endogenous circulating digitalis-like sodium transport inhibitors, have been implicated in the genesis of essential hypertension. Digitalis has also been reported to affect adrenal steroid output in vitro. We studied the effects of 4 days of treatment with the digitalis glycoside digoxin upon blood pressure, the renin-aldosterone axis, and pressor and steroidogenic responses to graded norepinephrine, angiotensin, and ACTH infusions in six normal men after pretreatment with dexamethasone. Digoxin produced no significant changes in blood pressure, urinary electrolyte or aldosterone excretions, PRA or aldosterone concentrations, or the incremental responses of aldosterone or cortisol to angiotensin or ACTH. However, digoxin significantly augmented pressor responsiveness to both norepinephrine and angiotensin without significantly affecting the steady state baroreceptor-heart rate reflex. These findings support the hypothesis that digitalis-like factors may have important effects upon arterial blood pressure control in man.
Comparing Boosting and Bagging Techniques With Noisy and Imbalanced Data

This paper compares the performance of several boosting and bagging techniques in the context of learning from imbalanced and noisy binary-class data. Noise and class imbalance are two well-established data characteristics encountered in a wide range of data mining and machine learning initiatives. The learning algorithms studied in this paper, which include SMOTEBoost, RUSBoost, Exactly Balanced Bagging, and Roughly Balanced Bagging, combine boosting or bagging with data sampling to make them more effective when data are imbalanced. These techniques are evaluated in a comprehensive suite of experiments, for which nearly four million classification models were trained. All classifiers are assessed using seven different performance metrics, providing a complete perspective on the performance of these techniques, and results are tested for statistical significance via analysis-of-variance modeling. The experiments show that the bagging techniques generally outperform boosting, and hence in noisy data environments, bagging is the preferred method for handling class imbalance.
MSCs in Solid Tumors and Hematological Malignancies: From Basic Biology to Therapeutic Applications

Compelling experimental evidence has recently unveiled that the tumor microenvironment plays a crucial role in tumor progression. Importantly, bone ­marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells interact with tumor cells, and these interactions trigger a series of signaling responses that ultimately favor tumor progression and survival. In this chapter, we will describe how the stroma can influence tumor fate and also how we can utilize these stromal cells to deliver antitumoral therapeutic agents based on their innate tropism for tumors and injury sites.
Two Threats to Political Science Internships: Press Attacks and Incorrect Student Assumptions

Students now consider internships essential to career success; many do multiple internships in the course of their undergraduate education. At the same time, the idea of internships has come under fire in the press, with articles and even books equating unpaid internships with exploitation by unscrupulous employers.Both of these phenomena, the popularity internships as well as their shady reputation, pose problems for those of us who run academic internship programs in political science. Their popularity makes students believe incorrectly that they know what an internship is, a misperception that can lead them not to take academic work seriously and can produce conflict when they are told that the internship they did over the summer will not give them credit. Their bad press threatens to create new layers of bureaucratic obstruction to legitimate academic internship programs.This paper examines these two threats in detail, based on the author's own experience. The paper concludes with an analysis of the elements required for a internship to be worthy of academic credit, and some proposals of how to protect academic internship programs from these dual threats.
The North Dakota Space Robotics Program: Teaching Spacecraft Development Skills to Students Statewide with High Altitude Ballooning

The University of North Dakota is serving as the lead institution in a statewide effort to develop student spacecraft engineering skills. This effort, which is part of the North Dakota Space Robotics Program (NDSRP), provides students the ability to participate in the design, development and fabrication of a small satellite analog that is launched by a high altitude balloon. The first iteration of the NDSRP Near-Spacecraft Project is generating a functional prototype of a remote sensing payload, which will perform onboard image processing. This project included undergraduate and graduate students from two institutions and five different academic departments. The students involved learned and applied skills related to teamwork, project management and interdisciplinary communication. They also participated in an industry-analog distributed work environment.
The Analysis of Cesarean Section Rates in 18 Years in the Women and Children's Hospital of Guangdong Province

Objective;To investigate the changing trend of cesarean section rates in 18 years in our hospital. Methods; Samples taken from 4 months ( March, June, September, December) of one in every 3 years during 18 years peroid (from 1985 to 2002) were analysed and a total of 1001 cases were collected. Results; Cesarean section rates increased since the mid - 1990's and particularly since 1997. The cause of this trend may be related to the following reasons (1) Widely utilization of B ultrasound and fetal monitoring methods; (2) Improvements of skill and safety of cesarean section; (3) Social factors; (4) Indications changes of cesarean section. Conclusion; The decrease of perinatal mortality rate was not relevant to cesarean section rate, but dependent more on qualified obstetric care.
Tolerance of Hooker’s Evening Primrose Transplants to Preemergence Herbicides

No research has investigated the phytotoxic response of hooker’s evening primrose (Oenothera elata) plug transplants to preemergence herbicides. Varied phytotoxic responses of common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) to preemergence herbicides suggest that options may exist for the safe control of weeds present within hooker’s evening primrose when grown as an agronomic field crop. Enhanced weed control during early establishment may reduce competition for water and nutrients as well as increase seed yield and oil content. Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine the phytotoxic effect of preemergence herbicides on hooker’s evening primrose plug transplants grown in the greenhouse. Research was conducted in 2010 and 2011 at the Plant and Soil Science greenhouse complex at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. Herbicide treatments were applied on 13 July 2010 and 5 Apr. 2011 and consisted of oxadiazon at 3 lb/acre, isoxaben at 0.5 lb/acre, oryzalin at 2 lb/acre, prodiamine at 1.5 lb/acre, dithiopyr at 0.5 lb/acre, s-metolachlor at 1.8 lb/acre, pendimethalin at 0.6 lb/acre, and isoxaben D trifluralin at 2.5 lb/acre. One 4-month-old hooker’s evening primrose plug (2 inches wide) was transplanted into each pot (3 gal) 2 days after treatment (DAT). Dithiopyr and s-metolachlor treatments exhibited similar lack of phytotoxicity as the untreated control 7 DAT. Phytotoxicity ‡13% was observed for trifluralin D isoxaben, pendimethalin, prodiamine, oryzalin, isoxaben, and oxadiazon 7 DAT, with the highest level of phytotoxicity (24%) exhibited by trifluralin D isoxaben treatments. Hooker’s evening primrose phytotoxicity decreased (plants grew out of the damage) for all treatments except trifluralin D isoxaben, pendimethalin, and oryzalin 28 DAT. Oryzalin (16%) and trifluralin D isoxaben (60%) were the only two treatments that did not exhibit similar phytotoxicity to the untreated control 28 DAT. There were no significant differences in aboveground or belowground biomass nor plant growth index (PGI) of any of the treatments when compared with the untreated control 28 DAT. Based upon the results of this trial, pendimethalin, prodiamine, dithiopyr, s-metolachlor, oryzalin, isoxaben, and oxadiazon may be used for preemergence weed control in hooker’s evening primrose without causing excessive phytotoxicity (>20%), potential yield loss, or both. Trifluralin D isoxaben treatments exhibited 60% hooker’s evening primrose phytotoxicity 28 DAT, which resulted in too low of an initial plant stand to warrant use.
Language motivated approaches for human action recognition and spotting

Action recognition has become an important area of computer vision research. "Given a sequence of images with people performing different actions over time, can a system be designed to automatically recognize what action is being performed in the sequence, and in what specific frames it occurred?". Till date, much of the computer vision community has approached this problem from a single action perspective where the problem is reduced to classifying a sequence of images containing one action. Hence given an image sequence, the assumption already exists that only one major action from a known class of actions occurs in that sequence. This dissertation targets not only the recognition of actions, but also the problem of spotting actions (or localization) from video data. Our proposed approach involves the sharing of sub-actions to understand the underlying patterns of motions in actions and the use of these for recognition and spotting. Firstly, as a proof-of-concept, we build a framework using a predefined sequence of sub-actions to model an action. We then perform experiments to show that our framework is indeed useful for action recognition and spotting. Next, we build upon our previous approach and learn sub-actions automatically rather than defining them manually. In order to obtain statistical insight into the underlying patterns of motions in actions, we have developed a dynamic, hierarchical Bayesian model which connects low-level visual features in videos with poses, motion patterns and classes of activities. This process is somewhat analogous to the method of detecting topics or categories from documents based on the word content of the documents, except that our documents are dynamic. The proposed generative model harnesses both the temporal ordering power of dynamic Bayesian networks such as hidden Markov models (HMMs) and the automatic clustering power of hierarchical Bayesian models such as the latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) model. We have introduced a probabilistic framework for detecting and localizing pre-specified actions (or ges- tures) in a video sequence, analogous to the use of filler models for keyword detection in speech processing. We demonstrate the robustness of our classification model and our spotting framework by recognizing actions in unconstrained real-life video sequences and by spotting gestures via a one-shot-learning approach. Due to advancements in human action recognition, there are currently several publicly available datasets which have a large number of actions collected from various sources of media, reflecting real world scenarios. We have evaluated the proposed methods on these datasets and outperformed several techniques described in the literature. We have proposed a new robust framework for modeling actions which gives a better insight into building blocks of actions rather than just performing recognition.
Improving the quality of QUS imaging using full angular spatial compounding

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) imaging techniques make use of information from backscattered echoes discarded in conventional B-mode imaging. Using scattering models and spectral fit methods, properties of tissue microstructure can be estimated. The variance of QUS estimates is usually reduced by processing data obtained from a region of interest (ROI) whose dimensions are larger than the resolution cell of B-mode imaging, which limits the spatial resolution of the technique. In this work, the use of full angular (i.e., 360deg) spatial compounding is proposed to extend the trade-off between estimate variance and spatial resolution of QUS. Simulations were performed using an f/4, 10-MHz transducer with 50% -6-dB bandwidth and a synthetic phantom consisting of two eccentric circular cylindrical regions. The inner and outer cylinders had radii of 7 mm and 12.5 mm, respectively, and nine scatterers per resolution cell. The average scatterer diameters (ASDs) for the outer and inner cylinders were 50 mum and 25 mum, respectively. ASD estimates were obtained using radio frequency data at up to 128 angles of view. When using ROIs of size 16lambda by 16lambda, the use of multiple view data reduced the ASD standard deviations in the outer and inner cylinders from 7.4 mum and 14.4 mum to 1.5 mum and 2.5 mum, respectively. When using ROIs of size 8lambda by 8lambda, the use of multiple view data reduced the ASD standard deviations in the outer and inner cylinders from 13.7 mum and 19.6 mum to 2.5 mum and 3.7 mum, respectively. Experimental validation was obtained using a 10 MHz, f/4 transducer to analyze a 2 cm diameter homogeneous agar phantom with embedded glass spheres of diameters between 45 mum and 53 mum. When using ROIs of size 10lambda by 10lambda and 32 angles of view, the ASD standard deviation was reduced from 24.6 mum to 4.8 mum. This value was below 10.4 mum, the ASD standard deviation obtained using single view data and ROIs of size 20lambda by 20lambda. Therefore, the use of full angular compounding was found to significantly improve the trade-off between spatial resolution in QUS imaging and precision of QUS estimates. These results suggest that QUS imaging can achieve optimal performance on a platform capable of producing views of an object from 360deg, e.g., a tomographic breast scanner.
Political environment and voluntary disclosure in the U.S.: Evidence from the Carbon Disclosure Project

We investigate whether the political leaning of the state where a given firm is headquartered is related to that firm's decision to voluntarily disclose climate change information. We study S&P 500 firms that were surveyed by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and find that firms headquartered in more Democratic states are more likely to disclose carbon emissions information to the CDP. Furthermore, firms in more Democratic states are more likely to permit public disclosure of their survey responses and tend to receive higher disclosure scores. We consider two political variables, one based on political power and one based on public political preference. Our results are consistent with political power driving the firm's willingness to voluntarily disclose information about climate change. These results suggest that the relation between the political environment and disclosure is more closely linked to concerns over regulatory threats as opposed to acquiescence to social norms.
Demographic, clinical, and outcomes characteristics associated with screening colonoscopy in colorectal cancer patients.

554Background: Screening colonoscopy has well established role in CRC prevention. Factors associated with underutilization of screening colonoscopy, and how underutilization affects the CRC outcomes is unclear. We conducted a retrospective study with an aim to identify demographic, clinical and outcome characteristics associated with screening colonoscopy in patients with CRC. Methods: The Indiana Network for Patient Care (INPC) was used to identify patients diagnosed with CRC between 2001-2015. The INPC is the largest and longest tenured clinical data warehouse of the Indiana Health Information Exchange in the USA. Patient demographic (age, race, gender, median household income, insurance type, geographical location), clinical (BMI, year of diagnosis, stage, tumor location, CEA, surgery, chemotherapy, comorbidity) and outcome characteristics were obtained. Only patients who had colonoscopy prior to diagnosis were included, and divided those who received screening colonoscopy versus diagnostic colonoscopy...
Substitutions in the Homologous Family CsPbmBi3Te5+m and Preliminary Thermoelectric Results

We report analogs of the homologous family CsPb m Bi 3 Te 5+ m , namely Cs 0.74 K 0.76 Bi 3.5 Te 6 , CsNa 0.98 Bi 4.01 Te 7 , Cs 0.69 Ca 0.65 Bi 3.34 Te 6 , Rb 0.82 Pb 0.82 Bi 3.18 Te 6 , Rb 0.19 K 1.31 Bi 3.50 Te 6 , RbSnBi 3 Te 6 , Rb 0.94 Ca 0.94 Bi 3.06 Te 6 and RbYbBi 3 Te 6 . They all crystallize in the orthorhombic space group Cmcm and are isostructural to CsPbBi 3 Te 6 the first member of the family except for CsNa 0.98 Bi 4.01 Te 7 which is isostructural to CsPb 2 Bi 3 Te 7 , the second member of the family. Preliminary thermoelectric measurements on Cs 0.76 K 0.74 Bi 3.5 Te 6 show electrical conductivity values in the range of 600-1000 S/cm. The thermopower shows n-type charge transport with room temperature values of ∼ -35 µV/K. By comparison, the electrical conductivity at room temperature of Rb 0.82 Pb 0.82 Bi 3.18 Te 6 was ∼1400S/cm, while the thermopower was ∼ -20 µV/K.