cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chloride ions catalyze the formation of cis adducts in the binding of anti-benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide to nucleic acids.

Abstract The alkylation of DNA by racemic 7r,8t-dihydroxy-9t,10t-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (anti-BPDE) exhibits a strong preference for formation of trans adducts between the N2 deoxyguanosine alkylation site and the (+)-enantiomer of anti-BPDE. In the presence of 10 mM buffer with no added salt, 98% of the adducts formed with native calf thymus DNA result from trans opening of the epoxide ring. The strong selectivity for trans adduct formation obtained with duplex DNA at low salt concentration is found to a lesser degree with poly(G) but is nearly absent with dAMP. When DNA adducts are formed in 10 mM MgCl2 or 1 M NaCl, the proportion of cis adducts increases to approximately 7 and approximately 26%, respectively. At low salt, 10 mM MgCl2, and 1 M NaCl, deoxyguanosine adducts are approximately 1%, 6%, and 24% cis, whereas deoxyadenosine adducts are approximately 11%, 14%, and 37% cis, respectively. NaCl also increases the proportion of cis adducts formed with poly(G) and dAMP. It is proposed that the increase in cis-adduct formation due to salt results from SN1 attack of chloride ion on the BPDE carbocation, forming a trans chlorohydrin, followed by SN2 attack of DNA.
Concept analysis of concussion

PURPOSE: Concussion has been estimated to occur in 1.6-3.8 million adolescent athletes in the United States each year. However, because of conceptual ambiguity regarding its definition, the true incidence is estimated to be significantly higher. This article seeks to identify and support a single definition for the term concussion. CONCLUSIONS: Defining attributes, antecedents, and consequences of concussion allow for a better understanding of this concept. Sample cases from pediatric clinical practice further clarify the concept as it applies to pediatric nursing. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: A clear definition has the potential to increase knowledge and recognition of concussion injury, leading to strategies that would decrease the risk of long-term effects and devastating outcomes. Language: en
Validity of the comprehensive receptive and expressive vocabulary test in assessment of children with speech and learning problems

The current researchers investigated construct, predictive, and differential validity for the Comprehensive Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test (CREVT). Participants were 243 public school students, ages 5.5 to 17.25 years. They represented four primary disabilities: Learning Disability (n = 115), Learning Disability with Speech Impairment (n = 29), Mental Retardation (n = 40), and Speech Impairment (n = 59). Adequate construct validity for the CREVT was documented, using the Wechsler Intelligence Test for Children–III as a criterion. Also, the CREVT significantly predicted the scores on the Wide Range Achievement Test–3. Lastly, the CREVT effectively differentiated between students with disabilities. These findings suggest that the CREVT may be helpful in identifying the presence of learning problems. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 39: 613–619, 2002.
Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies in the classification of vasculitis.

▪ Abstract Two important types of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) have been identified: anti-proteinase 3 and anti-myeloperoxidase antibodies. In the appropriate clinical setting, the presence of either is virtually diagnostic of the subset of vasculitis that includes Wegener's granulomatosis, microscopic polyangiitis (microscopic polyarteritis), the Churg-Strauss syndrome, idiopathic pauci-immune necrotizing and crescentic glomerulonephritis, and related and overlapping forms of these vasculitidies. The finding of ANCA throughout this group identifies these syndromes as belonging to a single category or spectrum of disease.
Crystallization of 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol substituted poly(ethylene terephthalate). I. Thermal behavior and isothermal crystallization

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to evaluate the thermal behavior and isothermal crys- tallization kinetics of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) co- polymers containing 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol as a comono- mer unit. The addition of comonomer reduces the melting temperature and decreases the range between the glass tran- sition and melting point. The rate of crystallization is also decreased with the addition of this comonomer. In this case it appears that the more flexible glycol group does not significantly increase crystallization rates by promoting chain folding during crystallization, as has been suggested for some other glycol-modified PET copolyesters. The melt- ing behavior following isothermal crystallization was exam- ined using a Hoffman-Weeks approach, showing very good linearity for all copolymers tested, and predicted an equilib- rium melting temperature (Tm 0 ) of 280.0°C for PET ho- mopolymer, in agreement with literature values. The re- maining copolymers showed a marked decrease in Tm 0 with increasing copolymer composition. The results of this study support the claim that these comonomers are excluded from the polymer crystal during growth. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals,
Air pollution and associated human mortality: the role of air pollutant emissions, climate change and methane concentration increases from the preindustrial period to present

Abstract. Increases in surface ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (≤2.5 μm aerodynamic diameter, PM2.5) are associated with excess premature human mortalities. We estimate changes in surface O3 and PM2.5 from pre-industrial (1860) to present (2000) and the global present-day (2000) premature human mortalities associated with these changes. We extend previous work to differentiate the contribution of changes in three factors: emissions of short-lived air pollutants, climate change, and increased methane (CH4) concentrations, to air pollution levels and associated premature mortalities. We use a coupled chemistry-climate model in conjunction with global population distributions in 2000 to estimate exposure attributable to concentration changes since 1860 from each factor. Attributable mortalities are estimated using health impact functions of long-term relative risk estimates for O3 and PM2.5 from the epidemiology literature. We find global mean surface PM2.5 and health-relevant O3 (defined as the maximum 6-month mean of 1-h daily maximum O3 in a year) have increased by 8 ± 0.16 μg m−3 and 30 ± 0.16 ppbv (results reported as annual average ±standard deviation of 10-yr model simulations), respectively, over this industrial period as a result of combined changes in emissions of air pollutants (EMIS), climate (CLIM) and CH4 concentrations (TCH4). EMIS, CLIM and TCH4 cause global population-weighted average PM2.5 (O3) to change by +7.5 ± 0.19 μg m−3 (+25 ± 0.30 ppbv), +0.4 ± 0.17 μg m−3 (+0.5 ± 0.28 ppbv), and 0.04 ± 0.24 μg m−3 (+4.3 ± 0.33 ppbv), respectively. Total global changes in PM2.5 are associated with 1.5 (95% confidence interval, CI, 1.2–1.8) million cardiopulmonary mortalities and 95 (95% CI, 44–144) thousand lung cancer mortalities annually and changes in O3 are associated with 375 (95% CI, 129–592) thousand respiratory mortalities annually. Most air pollution mortality is driven by changes in emissions of short-lived air pollutants and their precursors (95% and 85% of mortalities from PM2.5 and O3 respectively). However, changing climate and increasing CH4 concentrations also contribute to premature mortality associated with air pollution globally (by up to 5% and 15%, respectively). In some regions, the contribution of climate change and increased CH4 together are responsible for more than 20% of the respiratory mortality associated with O3 exposure. We find the interaction between climate change and atmospheric chemistry has influenced atmospheric composition and human mortality associated with industrial air pollution. Our study highlights the benefits to air quality and human health of CH4 mitigation as a component of future air pollution control policy.
A New Lagrangian Model of Arctic Sea Ice

A new Lagrangian sea ice model for the Arctic Ocean has been developed to accommodate the assimilation of integral measures of ice displacement over periods of days or weeks. The model is a two-layer (thick ice and open water) dynamic model with 600‐700 cells spaced at roughly 100 km. The force balance equation is solved for each cell with standard wind and water stress terms, a Coriolis term, and an internal ice stress term. The internal stress is found using a viscous‐plastic rheology and an elliptical yield curve. The strain rate is determined by the ‘‘Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics’’ formalism, which determines the spatial derivatives of the velocity by a weighted summation of the velocities of adjacent cells. A length scale of 150 km is used. The model is driven with observed geostrophic winds and climatological-mean ocean currents. Ice growth and melt are found from a seasonal- and thickness-based lookup table because the current focus is on the model dynamics. The model ice velocity simulations are compared to observed buoy motion. Over the 5-yr period 1993‐97 the correlation of the daily averaged model velocity with buoy velocities is R 5 0.76 (N 5 42 553, rms difference 5 0.072 m s21, speed bias 51 0.009 m s21, angle bias 5 8.08). This compares favorably with the correlation of a state-of-the-art Eulerian coupled ice‐ocean model, where R 5 0.74 in the summer and 0.66 in the winter over the same 5-yr period.
Abortion: three rival versions of suffering.

This paper explores three rival versions of suffering in the debate over abortion. The first version is that of a woman who has inquired about abortion second is that of the fetus and third is that of the community in which the woman lives. They are referred to as rivals because they compete with one another for a physicians sympathy. An example of this rivalry is that by addressing the putative suffering of the fetus the physician only increases the suffering of the woman who requests an abortion and that part of the community is sympathetic to her request. On the other hand by redressing the suffering of a woman who wants an abortion a physician disappoints and hurts others. In conclusion suffering although analytically useful cannot itself resolve the abortion debate. Reflection on abortion may however achieve the more modest goal of making people understand better the difficulty faced by physicians in responding to the moral debate over abortion.
pH influenced molecular switching with micelle bound cavitands.

A series of resorcinarene host–amphiphilic guest complexes have been developed where guest orientation in the host is drastically influenced by pH. Guests appended with a trimethylammonium and a tert-butyl group switch orientation by 180° in response to a buildup of negative charge in the cavitand host.
Ethnicity, digital divides and uses of the Internet for health information

We explore racial and cognitive influences on online health information searches.We model social locators, self efficacy and motivations on health search behaviors.The predictive influence of self-efficacy and online use motivations is supported.Ethnicity is not a significant determinant of online health information searches.Social locators are less telling than cognitive factors in explaining search behavior. The present study investigates the influence of racial/ethnic and cognitive factors on use of the Internet as a channel for public health information. A random sample of 310 residents age 18years or older provided valid survey responses. Multivariate analyses establish the importance of self efficacy in determining online search motivations, outcome expectancies and behaviors, although we fail to confirm the existence of any kind of "racial divide" in Internet use. The relatively modest role played by ethnicity-in determining online uses and self efficacy - underscores the significance of using attitudinal variables alongside traditional demographic and media use measures of communication technology use.
Lactose Transport in Escherichia coli

Although many transport systems for nonelectrolytes have been studied over the years, few have been investigated as thoroughly as the lactose transport system of Escherichia coli. This has been due, in part, to the availability of the genetic approach. The study of a variety of mutants has been important in the understanding of the mechanism of energy coupling and in facilitating the purification of the transport protein. In addition, the availability of a wide variety of chemical analogs of lactose has greatly simplified the study of this system.
Annual block scheduling for internal medicine residents with 4+1 templates

AbstractInternal Medicine residency programmes have traditionally been structured around monthly or 4-week blocks where a different rotation is assigned to each block over the year. A subset of those rotations carry the requirement of one or two half-day sessions of clinic duty per week. In the last several years, a growing number of Internal Medicine residency programmes have moved away from this traditional structure and have adopted an ‘X+Y’ template, where the resident spends X weeks on a rotation without clinic duty and then Y weeks mostly in clinic. This paper addresses the ‘4+1’ annual block scheduling problem as adopted by the Department of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio (UTHSC-SA). We believe it is the first attempt to investigate the problem formally; specifically, we develop a series of optimization models that can be used to construct individual block schedules for the academic year and to assign clinic sessions to the residents during their ambulatory...
A New Proof of the Double Butterfly Theorem

The butterfly problem, which dates back to at least 1815, seems to hold a continual interest. It has had a variety of proofs and extensions in recent years. A synopsis of this celebrated problem is given in [4] and a very comprehensive update is given in [1]. In this note, we provide a new proof of one of its extensions-namely, the double butterfly theorem. This theorem, as given by D. Jones in [3], is
The conditioned Babkin reflex in human newborns

A study is reported which appears to obtain conditioned responding in the human newborn through the pairing of a recently discovered hand-mouth reflex with a kinesthetic conditioning stimulus. The procedure, which is short and does not require elaborate equipment, has potential usefulness as a test for differential conditionability of newborns.
Slow Light Near Two Absorbing Rb Resonances

We consider group delay and broadening using two strongly absorbing resonances. Large pulse bandwidths and large group delays with small broadening are achieved. We report up to 50 pulse delays with 40% broadening.
Calculated structures, relative energies and electrostatic potentials of some tetraaza cyclic systems

A computational analysis of two tetraazapentalenes, a tetraazacyclooctatetraene, and some of their dinitro and difurazan derivatives is reported. Optimized structures were obtained at the 3-21G level with the ab initio SCF GAUSSIAN-82 procedure, and these were then used to compute STO-5G molecular electrostatic potentials. The tetraazapentalenes were found to have a high degree of electron delocalization, and to be much more stable than the tetraazacyclooctatetraene, which has localized double bonds. However the difurazan derivatives show a complete reversal of these relative stabilities. In all of the molecules, there are strong negative electrostatic potentials associated with the doubly coordinated nitrogens, indicative of basic character. These become weaker as other portions of the system become more electron withdrawing. A buildup of positive potential is observed above the bond between the triply coordinated bridgehead nitrogens in the tetraazapentalenes; this should be an attractive site for the initial approach of a nucleophile. The positive buildup becomes progressively stronger in going to the dinitro and the difurazan derivatives.
Disorderly community partners and broken windows policing

How do residents in community groups define deviance, community, and their relationship to local government? Relying upon approximately two years of multi-method ethnography, I argue that despite law enforcement attempts at dissuasion, community group members utilize the broken windows theory to portray street vending as a harbinger of crime. Residents request police action and demand government services based on the self-adopted identities of victim and consumer-citizen. The police, in turn, enact a model of community policing in which the public is restricted to a supportive role as informants and guarantors of quality-of-life issues. Both sides of the partnership deploy broken windows arguments in conflicting visions about the disorderly other.
Analysis of constitution of yin-deficiency and diminished ovarian reserve

Objective: To explore the distribution of TCM constitutional types in the patients with diminished ovarian reserve(DOR),in order to find the basis of the early intervention and the turnover of DOR.Methods: 168 cases of DOR were investigated according to standardized Constitution Scale in Chinese Medicine(CSCM) in order to survey the distributional regularity of constitutional types.Results: The most common type of constitution in the patients with DOR was Yin-deficiency,the second was Qi-stagnation,and the third was blood stasis.Conclusion: It is important to improve Yin-deficiency for prevention and early intervention according to the relationship of Yin-deficiency constitution and DOR,as well as TCM idea 'treating disease before its onset'.
Investigation of Blood Lead Level of the Children in Kindergartens in Danyang

Objective To investigate the blood lead level of 3~6 years old children and influence factors of lead in DanYang,for providing evidence of prevention. Methods 316 blood samples from children in 5 kindergartens (located in different areas) in DanYang were collected. GFAAS were used to determine blood lead level. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. Results Mean blood lead level was 0.388±0.158 μmol/L among 3~6 years old children in DanYang. The blood lead level of 24.7% children was equal or more than 0.483 μmol/L. The blood lead level of 47.5% children in DanHua kindergarten was equal or more than 0.483 μmol/L. Mean blood lead level of children in 5 kindergartens was 0.451 μmol/L ~0.277 μmol/L respectively with statistical significance(0.426±0.150 μmol/L、0.277±0.102 μmol/L、0.337±0.088 μmol/L、0.435±0.168 μmol/L、0.451±0.189 μmol/L). Mean blood lead level of boys(0.413 μmol/L) was higher than that of girls(0.363 μmol/L). Conclusion Mean blood lead level of children in DanYang was in the middle level in China. The mean blood lead level of children in industrial area, city center and around traffic main line were higher than that of other areas.
Toward intelligent welding robots: virtualized welding based learning of human welder behaviors

Combining human welders (with intelligence and sensing versatility) and automated welding robots (with precision and consistency) can lead to next-generation intelligent welding robots that can perform precision welding similar to or even outperform skilled welders. In this study, an innovative human-machine welding paradigm, virtualized welding, is proposed that can transfer human intelligence to welding robots. A welding robot is augmented with sensors to observe the welding process and performs actual welding. A human welder operates a virtual welding torch and freely adjusts its movement in 3D space based on the visual feedback from the sensors. The adjustments together with the reconstructed 3D weld pool surfaces are recorded, analyzed, and utilized to form models representing human welder intelligence. To demonstrate the concepts behind the virtualized welding system and modeling method proposed, human welder’s adjustments are “selectively” learned and transferred to the welding robot to perform automated gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). Experimental results verified the effectiveness of the learned human response models. A foundation is thus established to rapidly extract human intelligence and transfer it into welding robots.
Cardiac Involvement in Peripheral Neuropathies.

Cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is the least recognized and understood complication of peripheral neuropathy. However, because of its potential adverse effects including sudden death, CAN is one of the most important forms of autonomic neuropathies. CAN presents with different clinical manifestations including postural hypotension, exercise intolerance, fluctuation of blood pressure and heart rate, arrhythmia, and increased risk of myocardial infarction. In this article, the prevalence, clinical presentations, and management of cardiac involvement in certain peripheral neuropathies, including diabetic neuropathy, Guillain-Barre syndrome, chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy, human immunodeficiency virus-associated neuropathy, hereditary neuropathies, and amyloid neuropathy are examined in detail.
Infectious complications during autotransplantation

Infections occurring after autologous bone marrow transplantation are similar to infections reported in the early and mid posttransplant periods after allogeneic transplant. The viral and bacterial complications linked with acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease that occur in the mid to late post-transplant periods are uncommon after autologous transplant. The most common bacterial, fungal, and viral infections that occur after autologous transplant as well as management strategies for controlling them are discussed.
Education for Justice: Experiences and Prospects for Further Internationalization

This chapter discusses the internationalization of criminal justice education in the United States, highlighting the experiences of John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York (USA), a leader in international criminal justice education. Since 2001, it has offered an undergraduate degree in international criminal justice, and since 2010, a Master of Arts in International Crime and Justice. Both programs are unique in the United States and among very few in the world. This chapter discusses the development of the most recent program, the Master of Arts program: its curriculum, faculty, the students it attracts and graduates, and the prospects of these programs for the future. The chapter then moves on to discuss international curricular initiatives in women, crime and criminal justice. It ends with a discussion of why and how nations around the world might encourage similar curricular development, and how the work of intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations might contribute to such developments as well as benefit from them.
Orion: A Framework for GPU Occupancy Tuning

An important feature of modern GPU architectures is variable occupancy. Occupancy measures the ratio between the actual number of threads actively running on a GPU and the maximum number of threads that can be scheduled on a GPU. High-occupancy execution enables a large number of threads to run simultaneously and to hide memory latency, but may increase resource contention. Low-occupancy execution leads to less resource contention, but is less capable of hiding memory latency. Occupancy tuning is an important and challenging problem. A program running at two different occupancy levels can have three to four times difference in performance.We introduce Orion, the first GPU program occupancy tuning framework. The Orion framework automatically generates and chooses occupancy-adaptive code for any given GPU program. It is capable of finding the (near-)optimal occupancy level by combining static and dynamic tuning techniques. We demonstrate the efficiency of Orion with twelve representative benchmarks from the Rodinia benchmark suite and CUDA SDK evaluated on two different GPU architectures, obtaining up to 1.61 times speedup, 62.5% memory resource saving, and 6.7% energy saving compared to the baseline of optimized code compiled by nvcc.
Transient Focal Neurological Events

Abstract The most common temporary focal neurological events are transient ischemic attacks, migrainous accompaniments, seizures, and functional psychogenic episode.
Osteonecrosis and Thrombophilia: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment

We describe three patients: two women, ages 47 and 69, and a man, age 54, with Ficat stages I, II, and I–II primary osteonecrosis at entry. Coagulation tests revealed heterozygosity for the G20210A prothrombin gene mutation, resistance to activated protein C, and heterozygosity for the factor V Leiden mutation, respectively. In two patients, ages 47 and 54, exogenous testosterone appeared to interact with the prothrombin and factor V Leiden mutations, promoting onset of osteonecrosis. Testosterone was stopped. In all three cases, long-term anticoagulation (4, 13, and 10 years) completely relieved pain, there was no joint collapse, and the Ficat stages were unchanged or improved. In patients with primary osteonecrosis (Ficat stages I–II) and major gene thrombophilias, long-term anticoagulation for 4, 13, and 10 years as in our three patients can ameliorate pain, restore normal joint function, prevent joint collapse, and lead to stable or improved X-rays and MRIs, providing a medical approach to treatment of primary osteonecrosis.
Isolation, Culturing, and Differentiation of Primary Myoblasts from Skeletal Muscle of Adult Mice

Myogenesis is a multi-step process that leads to the formation of skeletal muscle during embryonic development and repair of injured myofibers. In this process, myoblasts are the main effector cell type which fuse with each other or to injured myofibers leading to the formation of new myofibers or regeneration of skeletal muscle in adults. Many steps of myogenesis can be recapitulated through in vitro differentiation of myoblasts into myotubes. Most laboratories use immortalized myogenic cells lines that also differentiate into myotubes. Although these cell lines have been found quite useful to delineating the regulatory mechanisms of myogenesis, they often show a great degree of variability depending on the origin of the cells and culture conditions. Primary myoblasts have been suggested as the most physiologically relevant model for studying myogenesis in vitro. However, due to their low abundance in adult skeletal muscle, isolation of primary myoblasts is technically challenging. In this article, we describe an improved protocol for the isolation of primary myoblasts from adult skeletal muscle of mice. We also describe methods for their culturing and differentiation into myotubes.
Slower icosahedral cluster rejuvenation drives the brittle-to-ductile transition in nanoscale metallic glasses

Abstract The brittle-to-ductile transition (BDT) in nanoscale multi-element metallic glasses (MGs) has been shown to strongly depend on the element composition and sample aspect ratio. However, the inherent microstructural evolution at the atomic level that leads to such BDT, in particular, the impact from the population and distribution of the full icosahedral clusters, has been largely unexplored. In this paper, we systematically probe the inherent shear band and icosahedral cluster evolutions of CuxZr100-x (x = 25, 50 and 75) MGs under different aspect ratios using molecular dynamics simulations. During tensile loading, the initial full icosahedra with local fivefold high-symmetry in CuxZr100-x MGs gradually transform into low-symmetry ones before reaching the maximum stress, which leads to the stress softening. Upon further tensile loading, high-symmetry full icosahedra gradually rejuvenate from low-symmetry ones far away from the shear bands (SBs), accompanied by irreversible atomic rearrangements near the SBs, both resulting in the limited plasticity of MGs. We attribute the observed BDT behavior upon decreasing the aspect ratio primarily to the slower rejuvenation or reformation rates of major full icosahedra. This study provides fundamental guidance for the optimal design of the composition, aspect ratio, and size of MGs for structural materials with high strength and ductility.
Cardio- and neurometabolic effects of lower-body pressure-supported exercise in obese non-diabetic women: Resetting autonomic imbalance?

Overnutrition and underactivity cause most chronic disease via inflammation and stress. Life-style change of diet is largely unsuccessful and exercise is painful, uncomfortable and difficult for people with diabesity, cardiorespiratory and joint diseases and cognitive decline affecting their ability to ambulate and adhere to exercise guidelines. Diets or exercise causing weight loss are stressful and trigger numerous redundant counter regulatory mechanisms defending lean body mass, explaining failures to sustain these behaviors. In this hypothesis generating pilot study we used a NASA-developed weight supporting lower-body positive pressure (LBPP) treadmill providing comfortable low-amount, low intensity walking, challenging current exercise guidelines. Methods: Sixteen nondiabetic, untrained, Black volunteer women (BMI 28-50), age 18-56 years were studied by anthropometry, analyses of energy expenditure and blood chemistry: oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) with insulin, C-peptide, GLP-1 and FFA and fasting lipids, cytokines, adipokines and appetitive peptides, before and after 10 weeks of twice weekly 30-minute weight supported LBPP treadmill sessions. Results: We found novel baseline associations between gluco- and neuro-regulatory peptides and plasma lipids, inflammatory cytokines and appetitive hormones related to neurogenesis, mood and energy balance. Post-study, independent of body weight or energy expended there were significant decreases in OGTT plasma insulin (p=0.002) and GLP-1 (p=0.060) and fasting triglycerides (p=0.029), ghrelin (p=0.008) and changes in most molecules including increased leptin and beta-endorphin. Correlations between changes among different classes of peptides were highly significant, notably leptin and adiponectin, and beta-endorphin and oxytocin and orexin A. We propose synergy between low-amount, low-intensity exercise at levels below thresholds of increased sympathetic tone, and baro-physiological effects of LBPP normalizing parasympathetic tone. Conclusion: Brief, low-dose, lower-body positive-pressure weight-supported treadmill exercise improved cardiometabolic fitness and exhibited favorable changes in neuro-regulatory peptides without weight loss in inner-city obese Black women.
The P1 visual-evoked potential, red light, and transdiagnostic psychiatric symptoms.

Abstract A reduced P1 visual-evoked potential amplitude has been reported across several psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia-spectrum, bipolar, and depressive disorders. In addition, a difference in P1 amplitude change to a red background compared to its opponent color, green, has been found in schizophrenia-spectrum samples. The current study examined whether specific psychiatric symptoms that related to these P1 abnormalities in earlier studies would be replicated when using a broad transdiagnostic sample. The final sample consisted of 135 participants: 26 with bipolar disorders, 25 with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, 19 with unipolar depression, 62 with no current psychiatric disorder, and 3 with disorders in other categories. Low (8%) and high (64%) contrast check arrays were presented on gray, green, and red background conditions during electroencephalogram, while an eye tracker monitored visual fixation on the stimuli. Linear regressions across the entire sample (N = 135) found that greater severity of both clinician-rated and self-reported delusions/magical thinking correlated with a reduced P1 amplitude on the low contrast gray (neutral) background condition. In addition, across the entire sample, higher self-reported constricted affect was associated with a larger decrease in P1 amplitude (averaged across contrast conditions) to the red, compared to green, background. All relationships remained statistically significant after covarying for diagnostic class, suggesting that they are relatively transdiagnostic in nature. These findings indicate that early visual processing abnormalities may be more directly related to specific transdiagnostic symptoms such as delusions and constricted affect rather than specific psychiatric diagnoses or broad symptom factor scales.
Mutations and prognosis in myelodysplastic syndromes: karyotype-adjusted analysis of targeted sequencing in 300 consecutive cases and development of a genetic risk model.

To develop a genetic risk model for primary myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), we queried the prognostic significance of next-generation sequencing (NGS)-derived mutations, in the context of the Mayo cytogenetic risk stratification, which includes high-risk (monosomal karyotype; MK), intermediate-risk (non-MK, classified as intermediate/poor/very poor, per the revised international prognostic scoring system; IPSS-R), and low-risk (classified as good/very good, per IPSS-R). Univariate analysis in 300 consecutive patients with primary MDS identified TP53, RUNX1, U2AF1, ASXL1, EZH2, and SRSF2 mutations as "unfavorable" and SF3B1 as "favorable" risk factors for survival; for the purposes of the current study, the absence of SF3B1 mutation was accordingly dubbed as an "adverse" mutation. Analysis adjusted for age and MK, based on our previous observation of significant clustering between MK and TP53 mutations, confirmed independent prognostic contribution from RUNX1, ASXL1, and SF3B1 mutations. Multivariable analysis that included age, the Mayo cytogenetics risk model and the number of adverse mutations resulted in HRs (95% CI) of 5.3 (2.5-10.3) for presence of three adverse mutations, 2.4 (1.6-3.7) for presence of two adverse mutations, 1.5 (1.02-2.2) for presence of one adverse mutation, 5.6 (3.4-9.1) for high-risk karyotype, 1.5 (1.1-2.2) for intermediate-risk karyotype and 2.4 (1.8-3.3) for age >70 years; HR-weighted risk point assignment generated a three-tiered genetic risk model: high (N = 65; 5-year survival 2%), intermediate (N = 100; 5-year survival 18%), and low (N = 135; 5-year survival 56%). The current study provides a practically simple risk model in MDS that is based on age, karyotype, and mutations only.
Mapping the expansion of coyotes (Canis latrans) across North and Central America.

The geographic distribution of coyotes (Canis latrans) has dramatically expanded since 1900, spreading across much of North America in a period when most other mammal species have been declining. Although this considerable expansion has been well documented at the state/provincial scale, continent-wide descriptions of coyote spread have portrayed conflicting distributions for coyotes prior to the 1900s, with popularly referenced anecdotal accounts showing them restricted to the great plains, and more obscure, but data-rich accounts suggesting they ranged across the arid west. To provide a scientifically credible map of the coyote’s historical range (10,000–300 BP) and describe their range expansion from 1900 to 2016, we synthesized archaeological and fossil records, museum specimens, peer-reviewed reports, and records from wildlife management agencies. Museum specimens confirm that coyotes have been present in the arid west and California throughout the Holocene, well before European colonization. Their range in the late 1800s was undistinguishable from earlier periods, and matched the distribution of non-forest habitat in the region. Coyote expansion began around 1900 as they moved north into taiga forests, east into deciduous forests, west into costal temperate rain forests, and south into tropical rainforests. Forest fragmentation and the extirpation of larger predators probably enabled these expansions. In addition, hybridization with wolves (C. lupus, C. lycaon, and/or C. rufus) and/or domestic dogs has been documented in the east, and suspected in the south. Our detailed account of the original range of coyotes and their subsequent expansion provides the core description of a large scale ecological experiment that can help us better understand the predator-prey interactions, as well as evolution through hybridization.
Association between Silicone Breast Implants and Autoimmune Diseases

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Silicone breast implants have, for a long time, been considered as biologically inert and harmless. However the relationship between silicone breast implants and the risk of autoimmune diseases has generated intense medical interest. The aim of our review is to summarize the data linking silicone breast implants and autoimmune diseases, including the most recent association with autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA).METHODS: The clinical research included articles from the last 16 years using the MeSH terms “breast implants” and “autoimmune diseases” and also the following terms: “autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants” and “Shoenfeld’s syndrome”. The Oxford 2011 Levels of Evidence was used to assign a level-of-evidence.Eligible articles included those who described a population of adult women (>17 years), which have breast implants versus women without implants. The clinical outcome measured was the development of an autoimmune disease.RESULTS: Of the 268 obtained articles, five matched eligibility criteria (one meta-analysis, two systematic reviews and two cohort studies). Results show that although studies could not confirm an association between silicone breast implants and classical autoimmune diseases, a few studies demonstrated an association between implantsand undefined symptoms such as fatigue, arthralgia, myalgia and cognitive symptoms, which resembled a newly introduced syndrome, known as ASIA.CONCLUSIONS: Evidence remains inconclusive about any association between silicone breast implants and classical autoimmune diseases. ASIA seems to be linked to previous exposition to an adjuvant such as silicone. However, we will need better evidence from large studies with accurate methodology to determine whether any true association exists between ASIA syndrome and silicone breast implants.
Tamoxifen and the endometrium.

Tamoxifen, a nonsteroidal antiestrogen, was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1978 for the treatment of patients with breast cancer. Large clinical trials involving over 75,000 patients have demonstrated an improved recurrence-free and overall survival benefit in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Long-term adjuvant tamoxifen is the endocrine treatment of choice for selected patients with breast cancer, and there are currently large-scale trials to evaluate its role as a chemopreventative agent in healthy women at risk for breast cancer. Consequently, a large number of women, including healthy young patients with no history of cancer, will be subjected to the long-term effects of tamoxifen. One of the most significant complications of long-term tamoxifen use is the possible development of endometrial cancer. The purpose of this chapter is to review the current literature regarding tamoxifen use in breast cancer patients and associated benign and malignant uterine neoplasia. In addition, the role of screening for endometrial cancer in tamoxifen-treated breast cancer patients is explored.
Applications of Affinity Binding to the Development of Heparin Removing and Sensing Devices

Affinity binding between a specific ligand and a receptor has been widely used in the development of immunoassays, purification of biological materials, and fabrication of biosensors. Because of the high specificity in the interaction between a receptor (e. g., antibody, binding protein, etc.) and its ligand, a sensing or purifying system thus developed would normally possess unique selectivity. In this chapter, we will discuss the applications of the affinity approach to the development of a heparin removal system and two heparin sensing devices (one is a disposable paper strip, and the other is a probe-type heparin electrode). These systems are established utilizing the specific binding of heparin either with its clinical antagonist (i. e., protamine) or with a strong heparin-complexing reagent, tridodecylmethylammonium chloride (TDMAC). These devices should be of significant value because they can improve the safety of current extracorporeal blood circulation (ECBC) procedures or provide a safeguard to heparin therapy.
Chapter 5 – Biomarkers in Acute Kidney Injury

Publisher Summary Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been defined conceptually as a rapid decline in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) that occurs over hours or days. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common and the absolute incidence of AKI has increased during the last decade. Between 5% and 20% of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) have an episode of AKI. Up to 4.9% of critically ill patients in the ICU will require renal replacement therapy. AKI requiring renal replacement therapy in the ICU has a high mortality of over 50%. The commonest causes of AKI are septic shock, ischemia and nephrotoxins. Serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) have typically been used to diagnose AKI. In the recently developed RIFLE criteria for AKI, AKI is defined as a 50% increase in serum creatinine over baseline classification of AKI divides AKI into five stages which are risk, injury, failure, loss of function, and end-stage kidney disease.
Integration: Putting It All Together

This chapter describes the neuronal integration mechanism in the body. The basic mechanisms used in integrating synaptic potentials are generally the same in all neurons, but the details depend on the exact neuronal type. Projection neurons, such as motor neurons, are polarized; they receive inputs on their dendrites and soma and transmit action potentials via axons. Integration in dendrites is either passive (electrotonic) or active—involving patches of membrane capable of firing action potentials. Local circuit neurons, which are nonpolarized and do not have axons, have another means of integration. These cells receive inputs on dendrites and the soma, but the fibers and synapses that bring in these inputs to the target cell are also the ones that take the latter's output away. Therefore, as the presynaptic elements of these two-way junctions are located very close to the outgoing postsynaptic activity, the graded electrotonic and summation decay of the postsynaptic potentials is sufficient to modulate the output of these axonless cells.
A 53-Year-Old Woman with Pain, Burning, Tingling, and Numbness in the Distal Limbs

Small fiber neuropathy (SFN) is a common neuromuscular disorder which can be associated with many medical conditions. The most common associated condition is glucose dysmetabolism, including diabetes and prediabetes. Glucose dysmetabolism can be seen in over one third of patients with pure length-dependent SFN. Here we describe a case of diabetic SFN to illustrate the clinical features, skin biopsy findings, and management.
Post-fire fuel succession in a rare California, USA, closed-cone conifer

Increasing frequency and size of wildfires over the past few decades have prompted concerns that populations of obligate seeding species may be vulnerable to repeat, short-interval fires that occur prior to these species reaching maturity. The susceptibility of populations to this risk is partially dependent on the amount and characteristics of fuel loading over time and their influence on fire behavior and effects. This study characterized fuel dynamics and modeled fire behavior across a time-since-fire chronosequence in stands of the rare, serotinous conifer, Baker cypress (Hesperocyparis bakeri [Jeps.] Bartel), ranging in age between 3 and 147 years post fire. Litter and fine woody fuel loading (1- to 100-hour) were highest in the 10-year-old and 147-year-old stands, while coarse fuel loading (1000-hour) peaked in the 10-year-old stand and subsequently decreased with time since fire. Duff loading consistently increased with time since fire. Cone production had not occurred in the first 10 yr of stand development. Foliar moisture content in Baker cypress was inversely correlated with stand age, and older foliage had lower moisture content than younger foliage. Modeled surface fire behavior was highest in the 10-year-old and 107-year-old stands in accordance with higher litter, fine woody fuel, or shrub fuel accumulation. While foliar moisture content was higher in younger stands and influenced the critical fireline intensity, we did not observe changes in fire type. Fine-fuel loading in Baker cypress stands followed a U-shaped pattern over time (first decreasing, then stable, then increasing), consistent with findings in other forests with stand-replacing fire regimes. Our results indicated that early-successional stages of Baker cypress forests have sufficient fuels to allow for the spread of wildfire and 10-year-old stands could burn with substantive fire behavior prior to cone production. Whenever possible, we recommend suppressing wildfire in stands less than 20 yr old to avoid substantial decreases or local extirpation of these rare Baker cypress populations. Our results highlight the importance of knowing the cone production patterns, fuel dynamics, and corresponding fire behavior over the development of obligate-seeder species to assess the risk of population loss due to short-interval fires.
Footprints of Nanoscale DNA-Silver Cluster Chromophores via Activated-Electron Photodetachment Mass Spectrometry.

DNA-templated silver clusters (AgC) are fluorescent probes and biosensors whose electronic spectra can be tuned by their DNA hosts. However, the underlying rules that relate DNA sequence and struct...
Creatinine versus cystatin C for renal function-based mortality prediction in an elderly cohort: The Northern Manhattan Study.

BACKGROUND Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is routinely utilized as a measure of renal function. While creatinine-based eGFR (eGFRcr) is widely used in clinical practice, the use of cystatin-C to estimate GFR (eGFRcys) has demonstrated superior risk prediction in various populations. Prior studies that derived eGFR formulas have infrequently included high proportions of elderly, African-Americans, and Hispanics. OBJECTIVE Our objective as to compare mortality risk prediction using eGFRcr and eGFRcys in an elderly, race/ethnically diverse population. DESIGN The Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS) is a multiethnic prospective cohort of elderly stroke-free individuals consisting of a total of 3,298 participants recruited between 1993 and 2001, with a median follow-up of 18 years. PARTICIPANTS We included all Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS) participants with concurrent measured creatinine and cystatin-C. MAIN MEASURES The eGFRcr was calculated using the CKD-EPI 2009 equation. eGFRcys was calculated using the CKD-EPI 2012 equations. The performance of each eGFR formula in predicting mortality risk was tested using receiver-operating characteristics, calibration and reclassification. Net reclassification improvement (NRI) was calculated based on the Reynolds 10 year risk score from adjusted Cox models with mortality as an outcome. The primary hypothesis was that eGFRcys would better predict mortality than eGFRcr. RESULTS Participants (n = 2988) had a mean age of 69±10.2 years and were predominantly Hispanic (53%), overweight (69%), and current or former smokers (53% combined). The mean eGFRcr (74.68±18.8 ml/min/1.73m2) was higher than eGFRcys (51.72±17.2 ml/min/1.73m2). During a mean of 13.0±5.6 years of follow-up, 53% of the cohort had died. The AUC of eGFRcys (0.73) was greater than for eGFRcr (0.67, p for difference<0.0001). The proportions of correct reclassification (NRI) based on 10 year mortality for the model with eGFRcys compared to the model with eGFRcr were 4.2% (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS In an elderly, race/ethnically diverse cohort low eGFR is associated with risk of all-cause mortality. Estimated GFR based on serum cystatin-C, in comparison to serum creatinine, was a better predictor of all-cause mortality.