cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Selenite reactivates silenced genes by modifying DNA methylation and histones in prostate cancer cells.

DNA hypermethylation is a common epigenetic alteration in human prostate cancer and is considered to contribute to development of this disease. Accumulating data suggest that dietary factors may alter cancer risk by modifications of epigenetic processes in the cell. The present study was designed to investigate whether selenium (Se) would alter epigenetic events to regulate methylation-silenced genes in human prostate cancer cells. DNA methylation, histone modifications and gene expression were studied in LNCaP cells after selenite treatment using polymerase chain reaction, western blot analysis, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay and enzymatic activity assay. Our study shows that selenite treatment caused partial promoter DNA demethylation and reexpression of the π-class glutathione-S-transferase (GSTP1) in LNCaP cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Selenite treatment decreased messenger RNA levels of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) 1 and 3A and protein levels of DNMT1. Selenite also decreased histone deacetylase activity and increased levels of acetylated lysine 9 on histone H3 (H3-Lys 9), but decreased levels of methylated H3-Lys 9. Selenite treatment reduced levels of DNMT1 and methylated H3-Lys 9 associated with the GSTP1 promoter, but increased levels of acetylated H3-Lys 9 associated with this promoter. Additionally, selenite treatment decreased general DNA methylation and caused partial promoter demethylation and reexpression of the tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli and cellular stress response 1, a gene involving tumor growth and metastasis. Our study demonstrates that Se can epigenetically modulate DNA and histones to activate methylation-silenced genes. These epigenetic modifications may contribute to cancer prevention by Se.
Use of alternative endpoints with the UPitt II method for assessing the toxicity of smoke

A small-scale combustion module and animal exposure system for evaluating flaming combustion and toxicity of smoke from burning polymers has been developed at the University of Pittsburgh and designated the UPitt II method. It is a radical departure from previous attempts to evaluate toxicity of smoke from burning polymers and represents a significant improvement over previous systems because well-defined burning conditions can be established over a wide range of imposed heat flux and ventilation levels, not possible to examine with previous methods. Thus, smoke toxicity can be evaluated under a range of burning conditions and differences in toxic potency and time to effect can be evaluated. A potential smoke hazard (PSH) index was developed which integrates the material performance characteristics which determine ease of ignition of a polymer with toxic potency, time to death, and rate of generation of toxicants. This paper describes sublethal endpoints that can be used with the UPitt II method and modifications to the PSH index for evaluating the toxicity of smoke generated by burning polymers.
Mental representations of affect knowledge

The circumplex structure derived from similarity ratings of affect words is assumed to be a conceptual representation of affect anchored in semantic knowledge. Recently, it been suggested that this structure is not based on semantic knowledge at all, but may instead reflect a type of episodic knowledge: The degree to which emotions covary in everyday life. In two experience-sampling studies, we compared the semantic and the episodic hypotheses by comparing participants’ similarity ratings to the observed covariations in their own affective experience computed from their momentary reports. In Study 2, participants also provided estimates of the degree to which their emotions covaried. Evidence from both studies indicate that similarity judgements are related both to semantic and episodic information, indicating that a pure episodic account of similarity ratings, and the mental representation of affect that they reflect, is untenable. Much of the psychological knowledge that we have generated is based on what people tell us in response to the questions we ask. No where is this more true than in research on emotion. We ask participants to judge the similarity of emotion words, the emotional content contained in facial expressions, pictures, or movies, or their own feeling states. Based on what participants can tell us, we infer something about the nature of emotion knowledge, emotional experience, or both, depending on what we think the questions assess. This last inferential step is often where the process of knowledge accumulation breaks down, because researchers do not always agree about which information participants rely upon when making judgements of emotion. The purpose of this paper is to
Degradation of Arachidonoyl-Labeled Phosphatidylinositols by Brain Synaptosomes

: Incubation of synaptosomes together with 1-acyl-2-[14C]arachi-donoyl-sn-glycerophosphoinositols (GPI) and sodium deoxycholate yielded diacylglycerols and free arachidonic acid. Diacylglycerol formation is attributed to hydrolysis by the diacyl-GPI-specific phospholipase C (EC 3.1.4.10), and this reaction requires sodium deoxycholate for optimal activity. The free arachidonic acid formed is attributed to hydrolysis of diacyl-GPI by phospholipase A (EC 3.1.1.5). Free fatty acid release was observed during incubation, even in the absence of bile salts, but this process was preferentially stimulated by sodium taurocholate. The release of fatty acids was not specific for diacyl-GPI, as similar release was obtained during incubation with other phosphoglycerides. In the presence of deoxycholate (2 mg/ml), the release of diacylglycerols was maximal at a diacyl-GPI concentration around 1.0 mM. However, the free fatty acid release was linear with respect to the substrate at least up to 1.4 mM. The rate of diacylglycerol release from diacyl-GPI was more rapid in the initial 30 min, whereas the free fatty acid release was linear with time up to 2 h. Under this incubation condition, calcium was found to stimulate both types of hydrolytic action, although the concentration needed to achieve this stimulation was rather high. This type of labeled precursor is potentially useful for studies of the different modes of diacyl-GPI degradation by enzymes in brain subcellular membranes.
Set-based estimation: towards task-directed sensing

A procedure is described for computing the solution set of parametric equations describing a sensor-object imaging relationship. Also discussed is the use of task-specific information to support set-based decision-making methods. Experimental results indicate that this is a promising approach to the problem of general task-directed sensing. >
Spatial filter selection for illumination-invariant color texture discrimination

Color texture contains a large amount of spectral and spatial structure that can be exploited for recognition. Recent work has demonstrated that spatial filters offer a convenient means of extracting illumination invariant spatial information from a color image. In this paper, we address the problem of deriving optimal fillers for illumination-invariant color texture discrimination. Color textures are represented by a set of illumination-invariant features that characterize the color distribution of a filtered image region. Given a pair of color textures, we derive a spatial filter that maximizes the distance between these textures in feature space. We provide a method for using the pair-wise result to obtain a filter that maximizes discriminability among multiple classes. A set of experiments on a database of deterministic and random color textures obtained under different illumination conditions demonstrates the improved discriminatory power achieved by using an optimized filler.
Reproductive delay in the female Cape ground squirrel (Xerus inauris)

Abstract We studied the simultaneous effects of social and environmental factors on the age of sexual maturity to identify the major determinants of reproductive delay in the cooperatively breeding female Cape ground squirrel (Xerus inauris). We verified inhibition of sexual maturity by monitoring reproductive behaviors and hormones (using a noninvasive fecal steroid hormone analysis) in prereproductive and reproductive females from 2 populations of squirrels found in southern Africa. We found that 2 social parameters hold the most influence on the timing of female sexual maturity; specifically, the number of adult breeding female group mates and related adult male group mates were associated with a substantial inhibition of female reproductive maturity. Subadult females in social groups with 0 or 1 adult breeding female became sexually mature significantly earlier than similar-aged females in social groups with ≥2 adult breeding females. Likewise, subadult females in social groups with <2 related adult m...
Preparation and X-ray structures of metal-free, dicobalt and dimanganese forms of soluble methane monooxygenase hydroxylase from Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath).

A three-component soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) enzyme system catalyzes the hydroxylation of methane to methanol at a carboxylate-bridged diiron center housed in the α-subunit of the hydroxylase (MMOH). Catalysis is facilitated by the presence of a regulatory protein (MMOB) and inhibited by MMOD, a protein of unknown function encoded in the sMMO operon. Both MMOB and MMOD are presumed to bind to the same region of the MMOH α-subunit. A colorimetric method for monitoring removal of Fe(II) from MMOH was developed using 1,10-phenanthroline and yields apo MMOH with <0.1 Fe/homodimer. With the use of this method, it was possible to investigate the X-ray structure of the apoenzyme and to perform metal reconstitution studies. Using MMOH from Methylococccus capsulatus (Bath), the effects of MMOB and MMOD on metal binding were studied and structural perturbations relevant to the function of this enzyme were identified. X-ray crystal structures of the apo, Mn(II)-soaked, and Co(II)-grown MMOH, determined to ...
An essential role for Akt1 in dendritic cell function and tumor immunotherapy

Current dendritic cell (DC) vaccine preparations involving ex vivo differentiation and maturation produce short-lived, transiently active DCs that may curtail T-cell responses in vivo. We demonstrate that Akt1, downregulation of which decreases DC lifespan, is critical for proinflammatory signal-mediated DC survival and maturation. Lipopolysaccharide or CD40 signaling stabilizes Akt1, promoting both activation and Bcl-2-dependent survival of DCs. Expression of a potent allele encoding a lipid raft-targeted Akt1, M(F)-DeltaAkt, is sufficient for maturation and survival of murine bone marrow-derived DCs in vivo. M(F)-DeltaAkt-transduced DCs enhanced T-cell proliferation, activation and long-term memory responses, enabling eradication of large pre-established lymphomas and aggressive B16 melanomas. Human myeloid DCs expressing constitutively active M(F)-DeltahAkt also survived significantly longer and promoted antigen-specific T-cell responses. Thus, Akt1 is a critical regulator of DC lifespan, and its manipulation in DCs can improve the clinical efficacy of DC-based tumor vaccines.
Functional consequences of cell type-restricted expression of laminin α5 in mouse placental labyrinth and kidney glomerular capillaries.

The labyrinth is the highly vascularized part of the rodent placenta that allows efficient transfer of gases, nutrients, wastes, and other molecules between the maternal and embryonic circulations. These two blood compartments are separated by blastocyst-derived trophoblasts and endothelial cells with an intervening basement membrane that contains laminin and other typical basement membrane components. Previously we reported that the labyrinth of laminin α5 knockout (LMα5−/−) embryos exhibits reduced vascularization and detachment of endothelial cells from the basement membrane, which normally contains LMα5. As very little is known about the origin of this vascular basement membrane, we investigated the cellular requirements for LMα5 expression in the mouse placental labyrinth. By fluorescence-activated cell sorting and RT-PCR we confirmed that both endothelial cells and trophoblasts normally express LMα5. Using Cre-loxP technology and doxycycline-mediated gene expression, we generated genetically mosaic placentas in which either the trophoblasts or the endothelial cells, but not both, expressed LMα5. We found that the overall architecture of the labyrinth was normal as long as one of these two cell types expressed LMα5, even if it was transgene-derived human laminin α5. These results suggest that laminin trimers containing α5 that are synthesized and secreted by endothelium or by trophoblasts are capable of integrating into the basement membrane and promoting normal vascularization of the placenta. Additional studies showed that endothelium-expressed human LMα5 can support vascularization of the kidney glomerulus, consistent with previous studies using a tissue grafting approach.
Bis(trimethylsiloxy)phosphine

[Bis(trimethylsiloxy)phosphine] [30148-50-6] C6H19O2PSi2 (MW 210.36) InChI = 1S/C6H19O2PSi2/c1-10(2,3)7-9-8-11(4,5)6/h9H,1-6H3 InChIKey = YSGHVVHSZCACTQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N (nucleophilic phosphorus reagent used to incorporate P(III) and P(V) into a wide range of electrophiles) Alternate Names: BTSP, bis(trimethylsilyl)phosphonite; bis(trimethylsilyl)hypophosphite. Physical Data: bp 42 °C (9 mm Hg). Solubility: soluble in dichloromethane, ether, and most organic solvents. Form Supplied in: colorless liquid. Preparative Method: BTSP is prepared in situ by heating an equimolar mixture of ammonium hypophosphite and hexamethyl disilazane (HMDS) at 120–130 °C under an argon atmosphere (eq 1). (1) Handling, Storage, and Precautions: care must be taken to maintain the in situ prepared reagent under a blanket of argon; highly combustible, instantly catches fire in air. Incompatible with strong acids, strong bases, oxidizing and reducing agents.
Environmental sustainability in education city: Green beacon or green island?

Most countries in the world are faced with the dilemma of missing one or more crucial ingredients that prevent them from engaging in environmental research or implementing environmentally friendly policies and practices. Some countries that have the resources to affect change suffer from a lack of political will, whereas others that may have the political will lack the human or technological resources or institutional capacity to affect a change. At present, Qatar is in a unique position for enhancing its environmental performance and sustainability. Endowed by a small population and the world's third largest natural gas reserves, economic resources pose little restraints, and could be converted into building a cleaner future. Education City, Qatar's leading vehicle for building a knowledge economy, incorporates some of the most ambitious environmental sustainability projects and initiatives in Qatar, including sustainable buildings seeking LEED-certification, environmental awareness campaigns, and relate...
Nimodipine and the evolution of hemorheological variables after acute ischemic stroke.

We studied the effects of the calcium channel antagonist nimodipine on the evolution of hemorheological variables during the first 3 weeks following ischemic stroke. We studied 13 patients and found that, compared to baseline levels, plasma fibrinogen concentration and low-shear whole-blood viscosity rose significantly in patients receiving placebo but not in those receiving nimodipine. Red blood cell aggregation rose in both groups but less so in nimodipine-treated patients. Hematocrit, high-shear whole-blood viscosity, and red blood cell deformability did not change significantly in either group. In conclusion, the use of nimodipine appears to alter the evolution of some hemorheological variables following acute ischemic stroke.
The Effects of Neurodevelopmental Treatment Versus Practice on the Reaching of Children With Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Background and Purpose. Children with cerebral palsy (CP) are frequently referred for physical therapy, yet the effectiveness of treatment has not been well-documented. In the relatively few available studies, outcomes are divided between support and lack of support for treatment. The purpose of this research was to document and evaluate the effects of a physical therapy program on the reaching movements of children with spastic CP. Subjects. Eight children with CP, 10 to 15 years of age, were treated daily for 5 days with a version of neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) and for 5 days with practice of reaching tasks. Methods. Changes in movement time, path, and smoothness of reach were quantified and described using kinematic analysis. Results. There were no differences in any of the variables following 5 days of NDT. There was a difference in movement time, but in no other variables, following 5 days of practice. When time in treatment, rather than type of treatment, was the independent variable, the data showed changes. Both movement time and movement units were reduced following 5 days of treatment. Movement time, movement units, and displacement, but not reaction time, were reduced following the completion of both types of treatment. Conclusion and Discussion. The two treatments in combination may be necessary to achieve these results. Alternatively, either treatment type alone, when given for at least 2 weeks, may produce similar results.
Reactance and Public Health Messages: The Unintended Dangers of Anti-tobacco PSAs

This study examined smokers’ reactions to antismoking messages that emphasized either the harms of secondhand smoke or vulnerability to smoking addiction and framed the need for smoking cessation using either gain or loss message frames. One hundred fifty-four college smokers participated in a study that used a 2 x 2 factorial design crossing message type (secondhand smoke appeals, smoking addiction appeals) and message frame (gain, loss) with the addition of a control group. The primary outcomes assessed were participants’ intentions to quit smoking and psychological reactance. Secondhand smoke appeals paired with a loss-framed smoking cessation message yielded greater reactance and lower intentions to quit compared to smoking addiction PSAs paired with a gain-framed smoking cessation message. Overall, loss framed smoking cessation messages elicited greater message reactance compared to gain framed smoking cessation messages.
Examining patient-centered communication and access for veterans with disabilities.

ABSTRACT Objective: To determine if there are significant differences in patient-centered communication and access to care experienced by veterans with disabilities compared to veterans without disabilities and nonveterans with disabilities and what variables contribute to the likelihood of poor patient-centered communication and access to care. Methods: χ2 analyses were used to determine differences in patient-centered communication and access to care. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify variables contributing to poor patient-centered care. Results: Veterans with disabilities were significantly less likely to say that a physician listened to their concerns, explained care so they understood, treated them with respect, spent enough time with them, and were less likely to get necessary care or experience a delay in getting care than veterans without disabilities. No significant differences were found when comparing patient-centered communication between veterans and nonveterans with disabili...
Bubble-based acoustic radiation force for monitoring intraocular lens elasticity

We test the hypothesis that local viscoelastic properties of the intraocular lens can be measured by applying acoustic radiation force to laser-generated bubbles. Presbyopia is an age-related condition resulting from increased stiffness of the lens, reducing its ability to accommodate. A technique to measure local lens viscoelastic properties is needed to better understand the onset of presbyopia and guide potential correction procedures. Laser-induced optical breakdown (LIOB) is used to create bubbles within porcine intraocular lenses. Optical breakdown occurs when sufficiently high threshold fluence is attained at the focus of femtosecond pulsed lasers, inducing plasma formation and bubble generation. The small transient gas bubbles can be used as targets for acoustic radiation force measurements prior to their ultimate collapse. While ultrasonic speckle is extremely limited within the lens, LIOB bubbles provide strong ultrasonic backscatter to measure lens viscoelastic properties. In this investigation, explanted porcine lenses are embedded within a gelatin phantom (5 w/w%) prior to laser treatment. An integrated optical-acoustical system has been constructed enabling simultaneous bubble creation and radiation force experiments. A two-element confocal ultrasonic transducer generates acoustic radiation force with the 1.5 MHz outer element while monitoring the bubble displacement within the lens using the 7.44 MHz inner element. Preliminary experiments have demonstrated the ability to create LIOB bubbles within explanted porcine lenses with lifetimes on the order of a few minutes and at any depth within the lens. Acoustic radiation force experiments with LIOB bubbles in porcine lenses exhibit exponential responses with time constants near 2 ms and maximum displacements on the order of 100 /spl mu/m. These results advance the development of an in vivo technique to measure local lens viscoelastic properties.
Niebla y Su único hijo

ABSTRACT: Details of plot and characterization, the selection of similar words, similarities in metafictional focus, and mechanisms of reception that overpower logic suggest that Su unico hijo is the point of departure for a large part of Niebla.
Performance of simultaneous high temporal resolution quantitative perfusion imaging of bladder tumors and conventional multi-phase urography using a novel free-breathing continuously acquired radial compressed-sensing MRI sequence

Abstract Purpose To investigate the feasibility of high temporal resolution quantitative perfusion imaging of bladder tumors performed simultaneously with conventional multi-phase MR urography (MRU) using a novel free-breathing continuously acquired radial MRI sequence with compressed-sensing reconstruction. Methods 22 patients with bladder lesions underwent MRU using GRASP (Golden-angle RAdial Sparse Parallel) acquisition. Multi-phase contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic GRASP was performed during free-breathing (1.4 × 1.4 × 3.0 mm3 voxel size; 3:44 min acquisition). Two dynamic datasets were retrospectively reconstructed by combining different numbers of sequentially acquired spokes into each dynamic frame: 110 spokes per frame for 25-s temporal resolution (serving as conventional MRU for clinical interpretation) and 8 spokes per frame for 1.7-s resolution. Using 1.7-s resolution images, ROIs were placed within bladder lesions and normal bladder wall, a femoral artery arterial input function was generated, and the Generalized Kinetic Model was applied. Results Biopsy/cystectomy demonstrated 16 bladder tumors (13 stage ≥ T2, 3 stage ≤ T1) and 6 benign lesions. All lesions were well visualized using 25-s clinical multi-phase images. Using 1.7-s resolution images, Ktrans was significantly higher in tumors (0.38 ± 0.24) than normal bladder (0.12 ± 0.02 = 8, p Conclusion GRASP allows simultaneous quantitative high temporal resolution perfusion of bladder lesions during clinical MRU examinations using only one contrast injection and without additional scan time.
Prediction by Regression in Multivariate Normal Distributions

In the context of the multivariate Normal regression model, a mean squared error of prediction is developed for making the choice of subset of explanatory variables for predicting the response variable in future samples.
Effects of Ascogregarina barretti (Eugregarinida: Lecudinidae) infection on emergence success, development time, and size of Aedes triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae) in microcosms and tires.

Biological control and population regulation potential of Ascogregarina barretti (Vavra), a parasite of Aedes triseriatus (Say), was assessed using simulated tree holes in a laboratory experiment and discarded tires in a field experiment. In the laboratory experiment, emergence, development time, and size of male A. triseriatus were not affected by A. barretti infection when food was limited. However, severely infected female mosquitoes had prolonged development time and were smaller compared with noninfected females when larvae had to compete for food. In the field experiment, A. barretti infection did not affect emergence success, development time, or size of A. triseriatus males or females. We conclude that A. barretti has no potential as a control agent for A. triseriatus, but it may have a role in population regulation mediated through a lowering of female fecundity.
Current practices in a captive breeding colony of 13-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus)

The authors provide an update to their 2006 report on the successful large-scale captive breeding of the 13-lined ground squirrel (TLGS; Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) in their colony, now a single-source supplier of purpose-bred TLGSs for several research institutions. With funding from the National Institutes of Health, the authors have expanded their capacity for breeding pairs and built a dedicated hibernaculum to house torpid animals in the facility. The authors report new information on housing, diet, environmental enrichment, breeding, behavior and health. They also report the findings of several in-house studies on the health, behavior and well-being of their TLGSs.
Book Review: An Introduction to the Structural Econometrics of Auction Data. By Harry J. Paarsch and Han Hong; with Contributions by M. Ryan Haley. The MIT Press, 2006. ISBN 0-262-16235-0.

This is the first book that gives a comprehensive introduction to the structural econometrics of auction data (SEAD). This book is well structured, carefully organized, and nicely written. What is ...
Clinical pharmacy: the past, present and future

Clinical pharmacy is discussed in terms of its historical basis, current status and future trends. Topics covered include the origins and current scope of clinical pharmacy practice, controversial issues in clinical pharmacy practice and education, and the quest for quality in clinical pharmacy practice.
Review: Henri Labrouste: Structure Brought to Light

Henri Labrouste: Structure Brought to Light Museum of Modern Art, New York City 10 March–24 June 2013 Henri Labrouste (1801–75) has one of the most durable architectural reputations of the modern era. His complex work has lent itself to regular interpretation and reinterpretation, allowing almost every generation to have the Labrouste that it wanted—to love or to hate. The recent luminous exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art sought to define a Labrouste for our own times while preserving the traces of all the earlier Labroustes. That was a great deal to accomplish, and most of it got done. Figure 1 Drawings of the Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve and other artifacts, displayed on tables modeled on those in the library reading room (Museum of Modern Art, New York) Like many architectural historians born in the middle years of the twentieth century, I first encountered Labrouste in the pages of Sigfried Giedion’s Space, Time, and Architecture .1 Giedion’s Labrouste was the architect of the iron book stacks of the Bibliotheque Nationale; he was portrayed as a rarity among the historical revivalists of the nineteenth century, one who dared to use the new materials of his era (iron and glass) to advance modern notions of space, which Giedion traced back to the baroque. Giedion thus made Labrouste a proto-modernist, distinguishing him from the legions of ordinary Beaux-Arts architects, whose school Le Corbusier had excoriated in Vers une architecture as a hothouse of the unnatural, “where blue hortensias and green chrysanthemums are forced.”2 To save Labrouste, however, Giedion had to ignore the green chrysanthemums of his historically ornamented facades. The ambitious and beautiful MoMA exhibition focused on the Bibliotheque Nationale and the Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve, and organizers Barry Bergdoll (MoMA), Corinne Belier (Cite de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine), and Marc Le Cœur (Bibliotheque Nationale de France) clearly aimed to resuscitate this modernist Labrouste. The title Structure Brought to Light , while syntactically perplexing …
Reluctantly Governed: The Struggles of Early Educators in a Professional Development Course That Challenged Their Teaching in a High-Stakes Neo-Liberal Early Education Context.

This article documents the pedagogical and practical struggles of a sample of early educators in a large urban school district in the USA who engaged in a professional development course which offered them alternative conceptions of teaching that critically questioned the norms and practices of their high-stakes neo-liberal early education system. Examining the evolution of some of these teachers’ conceptions and practices illuminates the challenges that exist in attempting to address culturally relevant issues with students in a highly scripted and surveilled teaching context. It also reveals three key issues that early educators, teacher educators, and those who advocate for early childhood education should consider when developing and/or enacting alternative conceptions of teaching in similar neo-liberal early education environments.
Simultaneous Determination of Eight Kinds of Illegal Adulterant in Dietary Supplements by High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

An analytical method for the simultaneous separation and determination of 8 kinds of chemical drug with solide phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry system which incorporates electrospray ionazation interface has been developed.The sample was dissolved with mobile phase,then subjected to be purified by solid phase extraction with Oasis MCX cartridge.Separation was carried out on a Zorbax SB C18 column with a mobile phase consisting of 5 mmol/L phosphate buffer solution(pH=2.7) and methanol.The detection wavelength was 210 nm.The average recoveries for the eight drugs were 60.4%~93.1% with relative standard deviations of 1.13%~9.82% and the limits of detection were 0.5~3.0 mg/L,respectively.
Homogenization of high-frequency wave propagation in linearly elastic layered media using a continuum Irving-Kirkwood theory

Abstract This article presents an application of a recently developed continuum homogenization theory, inspired by the classical work of Irving and Kirkwood, to the homogenization of plane waves in layered linearly elastic media. The theory explicitly accounts for the effects of microscale dynamics on the macroscopic definition of stress. It is shown that for problems involving high-frequency wave propagation, the macroscopic stress predicted by the theory differs significantly from classical homogenized stress definitions. The homogenization of plane waves is studied to illustrate key aspects and implications of the theory, including the characteristics of the homogenized macroscopic stress and the influence of frequency on the determination of an intermediate asymptotic length scale. In addition, a method is proposed for predicting the homogenized stress field in a one-dimensional bar subjected to a frequency-dependent forced vibration using only knowledge of the boundary conditions and the material’s dispersion solution. Furthermore, it is shown that due to the linearity of the material, the proposed method accurately predicts the homogenized stress for any time-varying displacement or stress boundary condition that can be expressed as a sum of time-periodic signals.
The toxicity of methotrexate in male fertility and paternal teratogenicity

Introduction: There is a high prevalence of methotrexate (MTX) use in males of reproductive age. The scope of this paper reviews what is known regarding risks to fertility and partners’ pregnancy o...
Nasogastric Tube Placement in the Bariatric Patient

The nasogastric tubes (NGTs) are a commonly used instrument in the field of surgery. Most NGTs are single- or double-lumen tubes made of flexible plastic which are inserted through the nasal passageways down the throat and into the stomach. Measured markings and standardized techniques allow for the blind insertion of NGTs on a routine basis by physicians and nurses. NGTs are used to decompress the stomach, remove gastric contents in the case of a blockage, and also administer medications or feeding in patients unable to swallow on their own.
Metastasectomy for melanoma in the VATS era

e20001 Background: The role for metastasectomy in the setting of metastatic melanoma remains ill-defined. The aim of this study is to evaluate resection of limited metastases in the setting of mela...
A phase I trial for the use of intravesical cabazitaxel, gemcitabine, and cisplatin (CGC) in the treatment of BCG-refractory nonmuscle invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.

313Background: Salvage intravesical chemotherapy has shown benefit in patients with high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer who fail first line therapy. Our preclinical murine intravesical tri...
Tracking the Impact of Policy Changes on Public Health Practice

An editorial is presented which addresses the impacts of policy changes on the practice of public health in America as of 2017, and it mentions U.S. President Donald Trump's Executive Order on Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States, as well as public health surveillance in the country. The U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is examined, along with women's health issues, elections, and environmental deregulation in the country.
Oscillating Droplets: Chemical Micro-Oscillators

The synchronization of coupled oscillators is a striking manifestation of self-organization that nature employs to orchestrate essential processes of life, such as the beating of the heart. Chemical reaction-diffusion processes have been paradigmatic systems in understanding such synchronization.
"to assert our Right before it be quite lost": The Leisler Rebellion in the Delaware River Valley

On April 10, 1690, Englands Lords of Trade and Plantations commanded Pennsylvania proprietor William Penn, who had returned to England in 1684, to "attend them on the 17th of the month" and address a series of charges received from de facto New York Governor Jacob Leisler. Leisler accused Penn's New World Quaker government of refusing to declare for England s new Protestant monarchs, William and Mary, while aiding and abetting the American interests of the exiled Roman Catholic King James II. As one of King James's closest friends, Penn had been arrested soon after William's December, 1688, entrance into London. Released on bail, he was in the intervening year rearrested and released twice more, and remained under heavy surveillance for his friendship with the former king.1 At the same time that the Lords were reviewing Penns actions, they were determining how to treat Jacob Leisler. Leisler had assumed the New York government after that province s militia rebelled against King James in May, 1689. The subsequent flight of James's New York Lieutenant Governor, Francis Nicholson, left the province in a political vacuum and, while awaiting instructions from the new king, a provincial convention composed of delegates from various counties had elevated Leisler to the role of interim governor. Leisler thereupon implemented a program that in late-twentieth-century America seems distinctly modern: a return to the traditional values of "true Christianity" (that is, orthodox Calvinism), abolition of monopolies and special privileges, no taxation without representation, and devolution of governmental authority to local communities.2 Leisler bitterly polarized Americans. Though historians usually treat him as a uniquely New York personality, contemporary commentators reveal that he had wide impact from New England to the Chesapeake. In 1692 Connecticut justice Gershom Bulkeley identified that colony's political split into Leislerian and anti-Leislerian camps; seventy years later Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson wrote that New England events after 1691 were "prejudiced" by the party legacy that Leisler left.3 Early national historians saw in Leisler the impetus behind the development of an American political ideology independent of Europe. As William Dunlap wrote in 1839, "We see in that party of which Leisler was the head, the germ of our present democratic representative government."4
Absolute three-dimensional shape measurement with a known object

This paper presents a novel method for absolute three-dimensional (3D) shape measurement that does not require conventional temporal phase unwrapping. Our proposed method uses a known object (i.e., a ping-pong ball) to provide cues for absolute phase unwrapping. During the measurement, the ping-pong ball is positioned to be close to the nearest point from the scene to the camera. We first segment ping-pong ball and spatially unwrap its phase, and then determine the integer multiple of 2π to be added such that the recovered shape matches its actual geometry. The nearest point of the ball provides zmin to generate the minimum phase Φmin that is then used to unwrap phase of the entire scene pixel by pixel. Experiments demonstrated that only three phase-shifted fringe patterns are required to measure absolute shapes of objects moving along depth z direction.
Composite fermions in bands with N -fold rotational symmetry

We study the effect of band anisotropy with discrete rotational symmetry ${C}_{N}$ (where $N\ensuremath{\ge}2)$ in the quantum Hall regime of two-dimensional electron systems. We focus on the composite Fermi liquid (CFL) at half-filling of the lowest Landau level. We find that the magnitude of anisotropy transferred to the composite fermions decreases very rapidly with $N$. We demonstrate this by performing density matrix normalization group calculations on the CFL, and comparing the anisotropy of the composite fermion Fermi contour with that of the (noninteracting) electron Fermi contour at zero magnetic field. We also show that the effective interaction between the electrons after projecting into a single Landau level is much less anisotropic than the band, a fact which does not depend on filling and thus has implications for other quantum Hall states as well. Our results confirm experimental observations on anisotropic bands with warped Fermi contours, where the only detectable effect on the composite Fermi contour is an elliptical distortion $(N=2)$.
Pre-injury psychosocial and demographic predictors of long-term functional outcomes post-TBI.

ABSTRACTObjective: To determine whether pre-injury psychosocial and demographic factors differentially influence long-term functional outcomes post-TBI.Setting: Urban rehabilitation hospital.Participants: 149 individuals, ages 16–75, who sustained a mild complicated, moderate or severe TBI, were enrolled in a TBI Model System (TBIMS), and had functional outcome data five-15 years post-injury.Design: Archival data were analysed with SPSS-18 using multiple regression to determine amount of variance accounted for in five functional domains. Predictors included age at injury, pre-injury education, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), pre-injury incarceration and psychiatric history.Measures: Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique (CHART), including Cognitive Independence, Physical Independence, Mobility, Occupation and Social Integration domains.Results: Models were significant for Cognitive and Physical Independence, Mobility, and Occupation. Incarceration and psychiatric history accounted for the most varia...
Assessment and Management of Psychosocial Needs: Social Work Utilization in Comprehensive Cleft Team Care.

Objective:To determine family-reported psychosocial stressors and social worker assessments and interventions within a comprehensive cleft team.Design:Single-institution prospective provider-comple...
The Laboratory Measurement of Load, Stress, and Strain in Earth Materials

This chapter discusses the laboratory measurement of load, stress, and strain in earth material. When conducting tests on soils and rocks, load may be applied in various ways. The application of deadweight loads, either direct or through lever systems, is simple and very convenient when the load must be maintained at a constant value as in creep testing. When the rate of deformation of the specimen must be controlled, the testing machine may incorporate screw jacks or hydraulic jacks. Screw jacks are generally limited to tests of small magnitude. The assumption of perfect elasticity implies that there is a constant stress-strain relationship, which may be described in terms of linear dimension by Young's modulus, in volumetric space by the bulk modulus and Poisson's ratio, and in terms of shear deformation by the modulus of rigidity. On the basis of these assumptions, it is possible to deduce the stress distribution from measurements of the applied axial load and the observed linear strains over the surface of the material.
The Social Bases of Intellectual Functioning

Let us recognize from the beginning that biology constrains and conditions intellectual functioning and development and probably helps to account for some measure of differences that exist across individuals. Let us also recognize, however, that there remains a great deal of variation in intellectual functioning—across the life course, social strata, societies, and history—that can be analyzed as a function of the social and physical environments in which development occurs.
Analysis of trace metals and cyanide in complicated waste matrices

The analysis for soluble heavy metals and cyanide in waste materials and other complex matrices can be assisted by the use of chloroform. Chloroform was used in a test procedure designed to simulate codisposal of waste with municipal refuse. Chloroform was found to be effective in removing interferences to metals analysis. 4 refs.
Robert Cover and Legal Pluralism

This short talk focuses on three aspects of Robert Cover's brand of legal pluralism: First, Cover's account of legal pluralism went beyond the simple recognition of non-state legal orders; just as important for him was the claim that non-state communities could generate and defend distinct readings of the state's own legal order. Second, Cover's jurisprudence assigned a central role to state violence and non-state communities' resistance. Violence and resistance were vital to his account not only because they are the way of the world but because they help render legal pluralism real. Third, Cover's well-known focus on the narrative dimension of the law was intertwined with his famous image of the law as a bridge between the present world and the ideal. Both the real and the ideal are narratives – stories – and that law is, in a sense, the feat of engineering that connects these two separated narratives.
Thanksgiving Day Alcohol Use: Associations With Expectations and Negative Affect.

Thanksgiving is known for celebration, indulgence, and, unfortunately, alcohol-related consequences. No research to date, however, has explored predictors of Thanksgiving drinking that may help to ...
Promoting electrocatalytic CO2 reduction on nitrogen-doped carbon with sulfur addition

Abstract Electrochemical reduction of CO2 on metal-free N-doped carbon (N-C) catalysts offers an emerging route to transform CO2 into value-added fuels. However, it suffers poor efficiency when operated at low overpotentials. Herein, we demonstrated that sulfur (S) addition could greatly enhance catalytic CO2 reduction activity and selectivity of N-C. The N,S-codoped carbon catalysts exhibited a high CO Faradaic efficiency of 92% and a CO current of 2.63 mA cm−2 at a low overpotential of 490 mV, much better than that of the S-free N-C counterpart. By correlating dopant configurations with catalytic performance of model catalysts and combining theoretical density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we revealed that incorporating S in N-C leads to the generation of a higher density of pyridinic N that serves as the determining active site for CO2 activation. In addition, S dopants significantly promote the catalytic reactivity and selectivity of pyridinic and graphitic N by decreasing the free energy barrier for key intermediate *COOH formation. The experimental findings and theoretical understanding of the dual-doping promotion effects reported in this work have provided insights on designing high-performance carbon catalysts for CO2 conversion.
Using Time Series Analysis to Estimate Complex Regular Cycles in Daily High School Attendance

The Trigonometric Box-Cox ARMA Trend Seasonal (TBATS) model has been designed to estimate complex cyclical patterns (e.g., weeks within years) in time series data. This paper seeks to evaluate its ...
Optimal composition of tasks in cloud manufacturing platform: a novel hybrid GWO-GA approach

Abstract Emerging cloud manufacturing paradigm aims towards providing highly integrated solutions via enabling cooperation between distributed manufacturing resources and capabilities. Implementation of this groundbreaking idea, however, is facing serious challenges springing from the currently centralized industrial structures. In order to help it make its way out, researchers have to address a number of pivotal issues in this regard. Service composition and optimal selection (SCOS), which tackles the problem of optimally selecting and combining available resources into a composite service is one of them. To deal with this NP-hard problem, we developed a novel hybrid algorithm based on the recently-introduced grey wolf optimizer (GWO) in which evolutionary operators are also embedded into the hunting mechanism of the basic algorithm. This approach not only makes it possible to adapt an algorithm with continuous structure such as GWO to solve a combinatorial problem such as SCOS, but also empowers it with providing higher exploration through crossover and mutation operators. Experiments conducted clearly proves the superior performance of the proposed algorithm over existing discrete variations of GWO and genetic algorithm, especially in large-scale SCOS problems.
Creating fans from scratch: A qualitative analysis of child consumer brand perceptions of a new sport team

• No branded imagery utilized by children younger than age 7.• Adult brand associations such as success and logo found in child drawings.• Adult brand associations like acceptance and community pri...