cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High salt intake and cardiovascular disease: is there a connection?

bioactivity of xenoestrogens in animals: fetal exposure to low doses of methoxychlor and other xenoestrogens increases adult prostate size in mice. Toxicol Ind Health 1999;15:12 27. Thigpen JE, Setchell KD, Goelz MF, Forsythe DB. The phytoestrogen content of rodent diets (letter). Environ Health Perspect 1999;107:A182 28. Boettger-Tong H, Murthy L, Chiappetta C, et al. A case of a laboratory animal feed with high estrogenic activity and its impact on in vivo responses to exogenously administered estrogens. Environ Health Perspect 1998;106:369 29. Newbold RR, Hanson RB, Jefferson WN, et al. Increased tumors but uncompromised fertility in the female descendants of mice exposed developmentally to diethylstilbestrol. Carcinogenesis 1998;19:1655 30. North K, Golding J. A maternal vegetarian diet in pregnancy is associated with hypospadias. The ALSPAC Study Team. Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood. BJU Int 2000;85:107
A GROUP OF PARATYPHOID BACILLI FROM ANIMALS CLOSELY RESEMBLING THOSE FOUND IN MAN.

1. In addition to the paratyphoid bacilli already named there exists a group which occurs in a variety of animals and which culturally is the same as Bacillus schottmulleri. As a rule this group can be separated from the latter by the type of clumps formed when bouillon cultures are used as antigens, while other antigens and complement fixation tests have failed to differentiate it. Agglutination absorption tests sharply separate the animal from the human paratyphoids. 2. No differences have been detected between organisms of this group derived from a number of animals and a common name for them is desirable, but for the present it seems better to call them calf-, swine-, mouse-, etc., typhus, according to the animal from which they were isolated. 3. Evidence exists in the literature that these organisms have been associated with food infections in man, particularly with what have been called paratyphoid B infections, but this function, as well as the part they play in animal diseases, is a subject for further study. 4. Well defined groups of paratyphoid such as Bacillus cholerae suis, the Voldagsen bacillus, Bacillus abortus equi, and Bacillus enteritidis are found in animals in addition to the organisms considered in this paper, and every attempt should be made to range newly isolated organisms in one or the other of these well recognized groups. 5. One of the objects in continuing this work was to find a method of differentiating these animal from the human paratyphoids less complicated than agglutination absorption. This object was not realized; the two groups are very similar and agglutination absorption seems to be the only means of classifying them.
Protein Kinase A Signaling

Protein kinase A (PKA) signaling, in "classic" endocrine cell functioning, is known to mediate cAMP effects, generated through adenylate cyclase as a response to the activation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). This signaling system is highly versatile; its flexibility is supported by a number of adenylate cyclases, four PKA regulatory and three catalytic subunits, and several phosphodiesterases that close the negative feedback loop of cAMP generation, most molecules that are expressed in a tissue-specific manner. A central question, however, remains: how do the hundreds of GPCRs mediate their specific effects? Tissue specificity of the expression of the various components of the PKA system, albeit necessary, cannot be the only answer. It helps more to view PKA as a central hub that interacts with a variety of other signaling pathways in endocrine cells, not only mediating but also communicating cAMP effects to the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), protein kinase C and B (PKC and PKB/Akt, respectively). The net result of these complex interactions, evidence for which is reviewed in this chapter, is what we know as "cAMP effects." It is, perhaps, because of this complexity that investigations of PKA signaling in vivo and in vitro often give contradictory results and are difficult to interpret.
Part 1: optical communication over the clear turbulent atmospheric channel using diversity

Optical communication over the clear atmosphere provides a means for high data rate communication (gigabits per second) over relatively short distances (kilometers). However, turbulence in the atmosphere leads to fades of varying depths, some of which may lead to heavy loss of data. We consider spatial diversity at both the transmitter and receiver, as well as time diversity as a means to mitigate the short-term loss of signal strength. Using direct detection receivers and binary pulse position modulation as an example, we derive the outage probability of spatial diversity and time diversity systems that use equal gain combining (EGC), optimal combining, and select-max combining. The power gain of using these diversity systems is found to be substantial, and the performance of equal gain combining is found to be almost as good as optimal combining. Hence, we feel diversity should be considered as one of the system techniques to improve channel performance in clear atmospheric optical channels.
Food limitation of egg production by a marine, planktonic copepod in the sea off southern California1

The in situ rate of egg production (B) and female size of Paracalanus paruus, a particlegrazing copepod, water temperature, and the concentrations of chlorophyll a and particulate nitrogen were measured in 31 collections from the euphotic zone of the sea off southern California. B was correlated positively with chlorophyll a and female size and negatively with temperature. A multiple regression of log B on chlorophyll a, particulate nitrogen, female size, and temperature accounts for 44% of the variation in log B. B was predicted best by an empirical function of food concentration when the food available in nature was considered to be phytoplankton rather than of all types of particulate matter >5 p. An index of immediate food limitation was derived from laboratory data as a function of food concentration. When applied to extensivk measurements of chlorophyll a in the euphotic zone, this index indicates that Paracalanus was often food limited and that food limitation increased along an onshore-offshore transect. Paracalanus was rarely food limited in Santa
Effect of length of the engineered tendon construct on its structure-function relationships in culture.

Constructs containing autogenous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) seeded in collagen gels have been used by our group to repair rabbit central patellar tendon defect injuries. Although these cell–gel composites exhibit improved repair biomechanics compared to natural healing, they can be difficult to handle at surgery and lack the necessary stiffness to resist peak in vivo forces early thereafter. MSCs are typically suspended in collagen gels around two posts in the base of a well in a specially designed silicone dish. The distance between posts is approximately the length of the tendon wound site. MSCs contract the gel around the posts prior to removal of the construct for implantation at surgery. We hypothesized that in vitro construct alignment and stiffness might be enhanced in the midregion of the longer construct where the end effects of the posts on the bulk material (St. Venant effects) could be minimized. Rabbit MSCs were seeded in purified bovine collagen gel at 0.04 M cells/mg collagen. The cell–gel mixture was pipetted into silicone dishes having two post-to-post lengths (short: 11 mm and long: 51 mm) but equivalent well widths and depths and post diameters. After 14 days of incubation, tensile stiffness and modulus of the constructs were measured using equivalent grip-to-grip lengths. Collagen fiber orientation index or OI (which measures angular dispersion of fibers) was quantified using small angle light scattering (SALS). Long constructs showed significantly lower angular dispersion vs. short constructs (OI of 41.24°±1.57° vs. 48.43°±1.27°, mean±SEM, p<0.001) with significantly higher linear modulus (0.064±0.009 MPa vs. 0.024±0.004 MPa, p=0.0022) and linear stiffness (0.031±0.005 MPa vs. 0.018±0.004 N/mm, mean±SEM, respectively, p=0.0404). We now plan to use principles of functional tissue engineering to determine if repairs containing central regions of longer MSC-collagen constructs improve defect repair biomechanics after implantation at surgery.
Ridge-width dependence on high-temperature continuous-wave quantum-cascade laser operation

We report continuous-wave (CW) operation of quantum-cascade lasers (/spl lambda/=6 /spl mu/m) up to a temperature of 313 K (40/spl deg/C). The maximum CW optical output powers range from 212 mW at 288 K to 22 mW at 313 K and are achieved with threshold current densities of 2.21 and 3.11 kA/cm/sup 2/, respectively, for a high-reflectivity-coated 12-/spl mu/m-wide and 2-mm-long laser. At room temperature (298 K), the power output is 145 mW at 0.87 A, corresponding to a power conversion efficiency of 1.68%. The maximum CW operating temperature of double-channel ridge waveguide lasers mounted epilayer-up on copper heatsinks is analyzed in terms of the ridge width, which is varied between 12 and 40 /spl mu/m. A clear trend of improved performance is observed as the ridge narrows.
A Clinical Tool for Evaluating the Familial Basis of Speech and Language Disorders

Recently, researchers have suggested a familial basis to some speech and language disorders. Although speech-language pathologists have long noted anecdotal reports of family histories for speech and language disorders, they have not routinely or systematically collected this information and utilized it in their clinical practice. This article reports on a tool, devised through research, that assesses family history for speech, language, and learning disorders, and that can be used to construct pedigrees. This information may then be used to establish risk for speech and language disorders, to identify children for early intervention programs, and to predict outcome.
Predictors of Increased Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator Use Among Hospitals Participating in the Massachusetts Primary Stroke Service Program

Background—We sought to determine if intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) use for acute ischemic stroke increased in Massachusetts in association with the Primary Stroke Service program, a statewide stroke center designation and quality improvement initiative. Methods and Results—We analyzed prospectively acquired data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health between October 2004 and June 2008, including 10 045 consecutive emergency department–based acute ischemic stroke encounters arriving ≤3 hours after stroke onset at 69 participating Massachusetts PSS hospitals. The overall rate of IV tPA use was 854 of 3866 (22.1%) of patients arriving ≤2 hours of symptom onset. IV tPA use increased steadily from 2005 (the first full year of the program) to 2008 (18.4%, 21.9%, 22.6%, 25.5%; P=0.001). Patients treated with IV tPA were more likely to be younger (72.3±14.1 versus 74.7±14.0 years, P<0.005) and to have presented after emergency medical services rerouting in July 2005 (96% versus 94%...
Muscle Ring Finger 1, but not Muscle Ring Finger 2, Regulates Cardiac Hypertrophy In Vivo

Muscle ring finger (MuRF) proteins have been implicated in transmitting mechanical forces to cell signaling pathways through their interactions with the giant protein titin. Recent evidence has linked mechanically-induced stimuli with the control of serum response factor activity and localization through MuRF2. This observation is particularly intriguing in the context of cardiac hypertrophy, where serum response factor transactivation is a key event necessary for the induction of cardiac hypertrophy in response to increased afterload. We have previously reported that MuRF1, which is also a titin-associated protein, exerts antihypertrophic activity in vitro. In the present study, we induced cardiac hypertrophy in mice lacking MuRF1 and MuRF2 to distinguish the physiologic role of these divergent proteins in vivo. We identified for the first time that MuRF1, but not MuRF2, plays a key role in regulating the induction of cardiac hypertrophy, likely by its direct interactions with serum response factor. These studies describe for the first time distinct and nonoverlapping functional characteristics of MuRF1 and MuRF2 in response to cardiac stress in vivo.
History of the Rochester Epidemiology Project: Half a Century of Medical Records Linkage in a US Population

The Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) has maintained a comprehensive medical records linkage system for nearly half a century for almost all persons residing in Olmsted County, Minnesota. Herein, we provide a brief history of the REP before and after 1966, the year in which the REP was officially established. The key protagonists before 1966 were Henry Plummer, Mabel Root, and Joseph Berkson, who developed a medical records linkage system at Mayo Clinic. In 1966, Leonard Kurland established collaborative agreements with other local health care providers (hospitals, physician groups, and clinics [primarily Olmsted Medical Center]) to develop a medical records linkage system that covered the entire population of Olmsted County, and he obtained funding from the National Institutes of Health to support the new system. In 1997, L. Joseph Melton III addressed emerging concerns about the confidentiality of medical record information by introducing a broad patient research authorization as per Minnesota state law. We describe how the key protagonists of the REP have responded to challenges posed by evolving medical knowledge, information technology, and public expectation and policy. In addition, we provide a general description of the system; discuss issues of data quality, reliability, and validity; describe the research team structure; provide information about funding; and compare the REP with other medical information systems. The REP can serve as a model for the development of similar research infrastructures in the United States and worldwide.
Trends in concentrations of atmospheric gaseous and particulate species in rural eastern Tennessee as related to primary emission reductions

Abstract. Air quality measurements at Look Rock, Tennessee – on the western edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park – were begun in 1980 and expanded during the 1980s to a National Park Service (NPS) IMPROVE network station. Measurements were expanded again by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA, 1999–2007) to examine the effects of electric generating unit (EGU) emission reductions of SO2 and NOx on air quality at the station. Analysis of temporal trends (1999–2013) has been conducted at the site in collaboration with activities related to the 2013 Southeast Atmosphere Study (SAS) at Look Rock and other southeastern US locations. Key findings from these trend studies include the observation that primary pollutant levels have consistently tracked emission reductions from EGUs and other primary sources in the region, but reductions in secondary pollutants such as particulate sulfate and, specifically, ozone have been smaller compared to reductions in primary emissions. Organic carbonaceous material (OM) remains a major contributor (30–40 % in the period 2009–2013) to fine particulate mass at the site, as confirmed by ACSM measurements at the site in 2013. A large portion (65–85 %) of carbon in OM derives from modern carbon sources based on 14C measurements. Important parameters affecting ozone levels, fine mass, and visibility also include the specific diurnal meteorology at this ridge-top site, its location in a predominantly mixed-deciduous forest, and the presence of primary sources of precursors at distances of 50–500 km from the site in all directions.
Hyperspectral imaging of hemoglobin saturation in tumor microvasculature and tumor hypoxia development

Tumor hypoxia has been shown to have prognostic value in clinical trials involving radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery. Tumor oxygenation studies at microvascular levels can provide understanding of oxygen transport on scales at which oxygen transfer to tissue occurs. To fully grasp the significance of blood oxygen delivery and hypoxia at microvascular levels during tumor growth and angiogenesis, the spatial and temporal relationship of the data must be preserved and mapped. Using tumors grown in window chamber models, hyperspectral imaging can provide serial spatial maps of blood oxygenation in terms of hemoglobin saturation at the microvascular level. We describe our application of hyperspectral imaging for in vivo microvascular tumor oxygen transport studies using red fluorescent protein (RFP) to identify all tumor cells, and hypoxia-driven green fluorescent protein (GFP) to identify the hypoxic fraction. 4T1 mouse mammary carcinoma cells, stably transfected with both reporter genes, are grown in dorsal skin-fold window chambers. Hyperspectral imaging is used to create image maps of hemoglobin saturation, and classify image pixels where RFP alone is present (tumor cells), or both RFP and GFP are present (hypoxic tumor cells). In this work, in vivo calibration of the imaging system is described and in vivo results are shown.
Deletion of Marek's Disease Virus Large Subunit of Ribonucleotide Reductase Impairs Virus Growth In Vitro and In Vivo

SUMMARY. Marek's disease virus (MDV), a highly cell-associated lymphotropic alphaherpesvirus, is the causative agent of a neoplastic disease in domestic chickens called Marek's disease (MD). In the unique long (UL) region of the MDV genome, open reading frames UL39 and UL40 encode the large and small subunits of the ribonucleotide reductase (RR) enzyme, named RR1 and RR2, respectively. MDV RR is distinguishable from that present in chicken and duck cells by monoclonal antibody T81. Using recombinant DNA technology we have generated a mutant MDV (Md5ΔRR1) in which RR1 was deleted. PCR amplification of the RR gene in Md5ΔRR1-infected duck embryo fibroblasts (DEF) confirmed the deletion of the 2.4 kb RR1 gene with a resultant amplicon of a 640-bp fragment. Restriction enzyme digests with SalI confirmed a UL39 deletion and the absence of gross rearrangement. The biologic characteristics of Md5ΔRR1 virus were studied in vitro and in vivo. The Md5ΔRR1 replicated in DEF, but significantly slower than parental M...
The Role of Extracellular Fluid on the Electrical and Electromechanical Properties of Bone: A Review

The cells in living bone – osteocytes, osteoblasts and osteoclasts – are embedded in a porous material consisting of an organic-inorganic composite solid containing a distribution of fixed charges, permeated by ionic fluids flowing through a complex network of channels. In the weight-bearing long bones of the body, the largest of these channels are up to a few hundred microns in diameter and contain blood vessels which are connected to the blood supply in the central canal of the long bones. These channels establish fluid connectivity with the cells (osteocytes) responsible for maintenance of the bone tissue through small canals (canaliculi) with diameters ranging down to a tenth of a micron. Outside the blood vessels, perivascular fluid permeates these channels. The solid matrix is itself porous with a high degree of composite material organization beginning at the macromolecular level. The internal connectivity of the pore fraction of the solid, which is not as extensive as the network of channels, and the connectivity of this pore fraction with the fluid channels may affect physiological functions, through its influence on mechanical, electrical and electromechanical properties of the extracellular matrix. It seems apparent that the structure and physical properties of the extracellular material of bone will largely determine the physicochemical environment of the cells. Thus, a materials characterization of the extracellular matrix of living bone has become an essential part of the efforts to advance our knowledge of bone physiology and pathology. This paper is a review of the present state of knowledge of the electrical and electromechanical properties of this material with emphasis on studies that appear to have the most physiological significance.
Increase in Work Productivity of Depressed Individuals With Improvement in Depressive Symptom Severity

Reducing symptom severity in individuals with major depression can significantly improve occupational functioning, but it does not guarantee a complete return to premorbid functioning. A few sociodemographic and clinical features may be important factors in a patient’s full return to productivity.
Drug fluency: a potential marker for cocaine use disorders.

The goal of the current study was to tailor semantic fluency to increase its sensitivity and ecological validity in the study of drug use disorders. On a newly modified “drug” fluency task, individuals with cocaine use disorders who tested positive for cocaine at study day named more drug-related words than control subjects. The number of words provided on the classical semantic fluency task (animals and fruits/vegetables) did not differ between the groups. While the individuals with cocaine use disorders who tested negative for cocaine at study day did not differ from the control subjects in total words named on this task, a qualitative analysis indicated that both cocaine subgroups provided significantly more words pertaining to the experience of using drugs (paraphernalia, administration) than the matched control subjects. These results demonstrate that compared to classical neurocognitive assessment tools, newly tailored measures may be more sensitive to cocaine use disorders, psychopathologies that are often characterized by mild neuropsychological deficits but a well-circumscribed attentional bias to drug-related cues. Future studies are needed to probe the exact cognitive processes and neural circuitry underlying performance on this cue-sensitive 1-min measure.
PITALRE, the Catalytic Subunit of TAK, Is Required for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Tat Transactivation In Vivo

The human cdc2-related kinase PITALRE is the catalytic component of TAK, the Tat-associated kinase. Previously, we have proposed that TAK is a cellular factor that mediates Tat transactivation function. Here we demonstrate that transient overexpression of PITALRE specifically squelches Tat-1 activation of both a transfected and an integrated human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) long terminal repeat (LTR), suggesting that PITALRE mediates Tat function as a multiprotein complex. A catalytic mutant of PITALRE, D167N, was found to be more efficient than wild-type PITALRE in squelching Tat transactivation. Neither wild-type PITALRE nor D167N was able to squelch transactivation of the human T-cell leukemia type 1 LTR by the Tax protein. Additionally, we show that artificial targeting of PITALRE to a nascent RNA element, in the absence of Tat, activated HIV-1 LTR expression. These results indicate that a PITALRE-containing complex mediates transactivation by Tat and suggest that Tat proteins function by localizing such a PITALRE-containing complex to the site of the transcribing provirus.
Annotation and analysis of 10,000 expressed sequence tags from developing mouse eye and adult retina

Background: As a biomarker of cellular activities, the transcriptome of a specific tissue or cell type during development and disease is of great biomedical interest. We have generated and analyzed 10,000 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from three mouse eye tissue cDNA libraries: embryonic day 15.5 (M15E) eye, postnatal day 2 (M2PN) eye and adult retina (MRA). Results: Annotation of 8,633 non-mitochondrial and non-ribosomal high-quality ESTs revealed that 57% of the sequences represent known genes and 43% are unknown or novel ESTs, with M15E having the highest percentage of novel ESTs. Of these, 2,361 ESTs correspond to 747 unique genes and the remaining 6,272 are represented only once. Phototransduction genes are preferentially identified in MRA, whereas transcripts for cell structure and regulatory proteins are highly expressed in the developing eye. Map locations of human orthologs of known genes uncovered a high density of ocular genes on chromosome 17, and identified 277 genes in the critical regions of 37 retinal disease loci. In silico expression profiling identified 210 genes and/or ESTs over-expressed in the eye; of these, more than 26 are known to have vital retinal function. Comparisons between libraries provided a list of temporally regulated genes and/or ESTs. A few of these were validated by qRT-PCR analysis. Conclusions: Our studies present a large number of potentially interesting genes for biological investigation, and the annotated EST set provides a useful resource for microarray and functional genomic studies.
Selective sensitivity of macrophages to cytotoxicity by inhibitors of macromolecular synthesis: induction of apoptosis.

Initial studies designed to measure the effect of inhibiting RNA synthesis by dactinomycin on macro- phage functions revealed that the cells were uniformly killed at concentrations that have been routinely used to inhibit RNA synthesis in other cell types. We, thus, deter- mined the dose curve for the cytotoxicity of dactinomycin for macrophages and two other cell types, L929 cells and splenic lymphocytes. Macrophages were extremely sensi- tive to the cytotoxicity of dactinomycin compared to the other cell types. Submicromolar concentrations that in- duced 100% cytotoxicity in macrophages caused little death in L929 cells or lymphocytes. Concentrations of dactinomycin that inhibited RNA synthesis by 40% in macrophages induced almost complete cell death but in- hibition of over 80% of RNA synthesis in L929 cells or lymphocytes induced no measurable cytotoxicity. Macro- phages did take up more dactinomycin than other cells but the amount was not sufficient to account for the large differences in cytotoxicity. We next tested the effects of doxorubicin and cycloheximide and found that macro- phages were also extremely sensitive to killing by these compounds, and there was a very close association be- tween the amount of inhibition of protein synthesis and the amount of toxicity. The morphology of macrophages exposed to these agents was consistent with death by apoptosis. This was further supported by assays measur- ing membrane integrity and DNA fragmentation. These data demonstrate that inhibition of macromolecular syn- thesis in macrophages, by different mechanisms, causes macrophages to undergo apoptosis. They further suggest that, in contrast to other cell types that require protein synthesis for apoptosis, macrophages require the synthe- sis of certain proteins to avoid apoptosis. J. Leukoc. Biol. 57: 635-642; 1995.
Beware of Navel Oranges

This talk was given for the purpose of providing insight into leadership in law schools. Thirteen principles and irreverent topics are discussed: establish a set of principles; you’ll almost never know whether people like you because you are the dean or because of your scintillating personality; actually, you can ignore the last observation. People like you because of your spouse or partner; you better have a tough skin; ninety-percent of your decisions are irrelevant; if you stick around long enough, everything devolves into whether you should have let the faculty make a decision; the most important thing I needed to know about being a dean I learned in Political Science 101; it is one of life’s ironies that it is a failure if you actually have to first mention to a prospective donor the idea of a major gift. Of course, if neither you nor they mention the gift, it’s an even bigger failure; never buy boxed wine; the amount of money you raise is in direct correlation to the amount of weight you gain; show humility; you learn to hate everything that you once did as a faculty member; beware of navel oranges; everything you need to know about clinical wars; understand what cynicism is; and, be brief.
Thermal Fatigue Effects on Mechanical Properties of T650 Carbon/Cyanate Ester Pultruded Composites

The effect of thermal cycling on tensile and flexural properties of Cytec T650 carbon/Lonza Primaset PT-30 cyanate ester pultruded composite rods used for brush seals for turbine engines was evaluated. Each thermal cycle consisted of 4 minutes each of heating and cooling with 28 minutes of hold at 600°F and 28 minutes of hold at RT. Tensile and three-point bend flexure tests were conducted after thermal cycling for 100, 200, 400, 600 and 800 cycles. Thermal cycling reduced the tensile strength and fracture strain at almost linear rate with the number of cycles while the tensile modulus remained unchanged. The flexural stiffness did not change for the first 100 cycles and then decreased as much as 28% after 800 thermal cycles. Optical and SEM microscopy analysis showed signs of thermal degradation due to thermal cycling.
Nucleation, Hydroxylation, and Crystallization Effects in ALD SrO

The atomic layer deposition (ALD) of SrO thin films from strontium bis(tri(isopropyl)cyclopentadienyl) (Sr(C5iPr3H2)2) and H2O was studied by using in situ real-time spectroscopic ellipsometry (RTSE), ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GI-XRD). It is found that with H2O as the oxidant, deposition temperature strongly affects film composition. At 250 °C films consist of polycrystalline Sr(OH)2 while at 350 °C polycrystalline SrO is observed. The growth per cycle (GPC) is found to be sensitive not only to the crystalline phase (Sr(OH)2 vs SrO) but also the crystalline orientation. For films prepared at high temperatures and subsequently cooled for continued growth at lower temperatures, an unusual transient growth per cycle (GPC) enhancement of over 160% for more than 100 cycles is observed. The enhancement is found to be related to the orientation of the Sr(OH)2 phase, which is influenced by the underlying crystal texture of the substrate. Substrate nuc...
Review of the Genus Ommatius Wiedemann (Diptera: Asilidae) in Eastern United States with Descriptions of Five New Species

The number of described species of Ommatius Wiedemann for continental eastern North America is increased to a total of seven. Ommatius tibialis Say and O. gemma Brimley are redescribed, and a neotype is designated for the former. The new species described are O. floridensis, O. wilcoxi, O. ouachitensis, O. oklahomensis, and O. texanus. All five species superficially resemble O. tibialis, but can be separated on the basis of genitalic characters. A key is presented which separates the seven species.
Research on a Common Scheme for Large Scale DDoS Attack Source Traceback

This paper presents a common marking scheme for large scale DDoS attack source traceback based on PPM. Compared to other schemes, this scheme can be applied to direct and reflected DDoS attack source traceback by using Reflection Relay Algorithm. Furthermore, this scheme encodes the router's IP using techniques from algebraic coding theory, encodes and authenticates the edge information with HMAC method whose secret key is updated periodically, and can decode the information and reconstruct the attack paths effectively, even without the ISP's router map. Through an analysis, this scheme is robust and compatible with IPv4 protocol. In our emulation result, our scheme had a better performance in astringency and false positive test than FMS and CHEN's scheme.
Study on Dynamics of Gastric Mucosa Epithelial Cell in Children Infected by Helicobacter Pylori

Objective To explore the pathogenic mechanism of gastric mucosa epithelial cell in children infected by helicobacter pylori(Hp).Methods Two index of cell proliferation and apoptosis had adoptted to represent the cell dynamic of gastric mucosa epithelial cell.Sixty chronic gastritis children were studied.All children underwent upper digestive tract endoscopy and biopsy specimens were taken.Hp infection from 30 Hp-positive,30 Hp-negative cases were determined with microscopic examination with Giemsa staining and the rapid unease test.The findings with cell proliferation studied by immunostaining were correlated;The status of gastric apoptosis was tested by DNA fragmentation in situ using terminal deoxynucleotidy/transferase-mediated 2′-deoxyuridine 5′-triphosphate(dUTP) biotin nick and labeling(TUNEL).CagA antibody was test by Western Blot 2.1.Results The proliferative index and apoptosis index in children with Hp and CagA positive gastritis including 30 cases were much higher than those of Hp negative gastritis children [(11.56±4.21)% vs (5.85±2.21)%,(10.58±5.31)% vs (2.86±0.64)%,t=7.570,8.096 Pa0.001).There were significant differences of the proliferative index and apoptosis index in 21 Hp positive cases who had eradication treatment between before treatment and after treatment [(11.50±4.11)% vs (6.30±3.26)%;(10.58±4.02)% vs (3.74±2.30)%,t=3.968,6.69 Pa0.001].After treatment,the proliferative index and apoptosis index in 7 Hp positive cases had no significant difference compared with before treatment (Pa0.5).Conclusions Hp positive gastritis improved gastric epithelial cell proliferation and apoptosis,which indicate that Hp infection is one of the reason of cell dyna-mic change of gastric mucosa epithelial cell.
Nutritional status of primary and secondary school students in Changping District of Beijing City from 2011-2012

[Objective]To understand the nutritional status of primary and secondary school students in Changping District of Beijing City from 2011-2012.[Methods]The physical examination data of primary and secondary school students in Changping District from 2011-2012 were analyzed.[Results] Among 53 991 primary and secondary school students,malnutrition detection rate was 13.97%,most with mild malnutrition(89.15%),more girls than boys(P 0.05),town worse than countryside(but P 0.05),secondary school higher than elementary school and high school(P 0.05);Nutrition surplus detection rate was 34.86%,obesity(21.72%) higher than overweight(13.15%),more boys than girls(P 0.05),town higher than countryside(P 0.05),secondary school higher than elementary school and high school(P 0.05).[Conclusion]Malnutrition and nutrition surplus coexists in primary and secondary school students in Changping District.Relevant departments should strengthen nutrition education and carry out targeted interventions.
Erratum for Abdul Majid et al., Draft Whole-Genome Sequence of Urease-Producing Sporosarcina koreensis.

Volume 4, no. 2, [e00096-16][1], 2016. Page 1: In the Funding Information section, grant number “09-546-2-206” should read “6-059-2-023.” [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1128/genomeA.00096-16
Legal responses to placebo-controlled trials in developing countries

ABSTRACTThe conduct of clinical trials involving placebo in developing countries in the presence of an existing effective treatment triggered an intense debate on the standard of care to be provided to those populations. Charges of exploitation of vulnerable groups and double standards have been raised by several scholars. In response to these concerns, the Declaration of Helsinki (DoH) was revised in 2000, 2008 and 2013, eventually endorsing the golden standard instead of the local standard of care. The European Union (EU) adopted a strategy on the Marketing Authorization of medicinal products tested in third countries, improved with Regulation 536/2014 on clinical trials on medicinal products for human use. Additional rules have been enacted by other international organizations (UNESCO, Council of Europe). The present paper has the aim of analyzing scope and content of existing international and regional standards on placebo.
Katrina at 10 and Counting

The New Orleans public schools (NOPS) have been viewed as a test site for today’s national school reform agenda (Merrow, 2013). There persists a consistent beforeand-after-Katrina narrative that situates public schools as the problem in need of fixing and decentralization as the sole tool for the job. And yet, a very familiar dichotomy of have-and have-not schools has re-emerged ten years after that upheaval, one that mirrors the city’s deeply divided racial and cultural history.
Interface Trap Profiles in 4H- and 6H-SiC MOS Capacitors with Nitrogen- and Phosphorus-Doped Gate Oxides

We report results on the interface trap density (D it) of 4H- and 6H-SiC metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) capacitors with different interface chemistries. In addition to pure dry oxidation, we studied interfaces formed by annealing thermal oxides in NO or POCl3. The D it profiles, determined by the C–ψ s method, show that, although the as-oxidized 4H-SiC/SiO2 interface has a much higher D it profile than 6H-SiC/SiO2, after postoxidation annealing (POA), both polytypes maintain comparable D it near the conduction band edge for the gate oxides incorporated with nitrogen or phosphorus. Unlike most conventional C–V- or G–ω-based methods, the C–ψ s method is not limited by the maximum probe frequency, therefore taking into account the “fast traps” detected in previous work on 4H-SiC. The results indicate that such fast traps exist near the band edge of 6H-SiC also. For both polytypes, we show that the total interface trap density (N it) integrated from the C–ψ s method is several times that obtained from the high–low method. The results suggest that the detected fast traps have a detrimental effect on electron transport in metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) channels.
Regulation of Platelet Functions by Targeting STAT3 with a g-Quartet Oligonucleotide.

Abstract Collagen exposed on the subendothelial matrix supports platelet adhesion and aggregation at the site of vessel injury. Its interaction with the platelet membrane receptor GP V/FcRγ chain initiates intracellular signals that recruit the hematopoietic tyrosine kinase Syk to immunoreceptor tyrosine activation motifs (ITAMs) within the FcRγ cytoplasmic tail, leading a cascade of intracellular signal events that eventually activate platelets. In the present study, we demonstrated that collagen and the collagen-related peptide (CRP) stimulation also dose-dependently (2.5–10 mg/ml, 10 min) phosphorylated the signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) at the tyrosine residue 705 (Tyr705) in platelets, indicating that STAT3 participates in collagen-induced platelet activation, likely through a non-transcriptional mechanism. To test this hypothesis, we determined whether a STAT3-blocking G-rich oligonucleotide (T40214, GGGCGGGCGGGCGGGC) blocks platelet activation and aggregation induced by collagen or CRP. T40214 was designed based on G-rich DNA sequences, which were originally identified in the telomeres DNA to have the ability to form the protein-binding rigid G-quartet structures. It was formed through four guanine (G) bases into cyclic Hoogsteen H-bonding. NMR determined the tertiary structure of T40214 as two stacked identical G-quartets in the center and two G-C-G-C loop domains on the top and bottom, respectively. It has previously been shown to inhibit STAT3 phosphorylation in cancer cell lines and to induce tumor apoptosis in vivo. T40214 was delivered into platelets using nano-particle polyethylenimine (PEI) as the carrier. The treatment of washed platelets with T40214 inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation induced by collagen (10 mg/ml, 10 min), while the scramble oligonucleotides did not. Incubation of washed platelets and platelets-rich plasma (PRP) with T40214 inhibited collagen-induced platelets aggregation. Finally, thrombus formation on immobilized collagen was significantly reduced when whole blood treated with T40214 (10ug/ml) under a wall shear stress of 30 dyn/cm2. Results demonstrate a novel role of STAT3 in regulating the collagen-induced intracellular signal and platelet functions. The STAT3-blocking G-quartet offers a new class of potential platelet-regulating reagents derived from screening tertiary structure of the G-rich DNA sequences that form protein-binding G-quartets.
Gravitomagnetism in Quantum Mechanics

We give a systematic treatment of the quantum mechanics of a spin zero particle in a combined electromagnetic field and a weak gravitational field that is produced by a slow moving matter source. The analysis is based on the Klein-Gordon equation expressed in generally covariant form and coupled minimally to the electromagnetic field. The Klein-Gordon equation is recast into Schroedinger equation form, which we then analyze in the nonrelativistic limit. We include a discussion of some rather general observable physical effects implied by the Schroedinger equation form, concentrating on gravitomagnetism. Of particular interest is the interaction of the orbital angular momentum of the particle with the gravitomagnetic field.
Using an Attorney Mastery Scale

This article advocates the use of a grading system that compares students’ work to that of practicing attorney. The scale incorporates professionalism, research writing, citation, mechanics, and legal analysis as scoring factors.
Rapid Rates of Pol II Elongation in the Drosophila Embryo

Summary Elongation of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is thought to be an important mechanism for regulating gene expression [1]. We measured the first wave of de novo transcription in living Drosophila embryos using dual-fluorescence detection of nascent transcripts containing 5′ MS2 and 3′ PP7 RNA stem loops. Pol II elongation rates of 2.4–3.0 kb/min were observed, approximately twice as fast as earlier estimates [2–6]. The revised rates permit substantial levels of zygotic gene activity prior to the mid-blastula transition. We also provide evidence that variable rates of elongation are not a significant source of differential gene activity, suggesting that transcription initiation and Pol II release are the key determinants of gene control in development.
Influence of local and landscape factors on distributional dynamics: a species-centred, fitness-based approach.

National Park Service; Tucson Audubon Society; TE Inc.; Defenders of Wildlife; Center for Biological Diversity; US Fish and Wildlife Service; Sonoran Joint Venture; Arizona Zoological Society; Sierra Club
Abstract 63: Targeting osteosarcoma with graphene oxide-associated anti-HER2 antibodies

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary cancer of the bone affecting children and adolescents. While over the last two decades the neoadjuvant chemotherapy has improved survival of the patients with resectable OS, the prognosis for unresectable or recurrent tumors remains poor due to the lack of effective treatment. Given that a majority osteosarcomas overexpress HER2, a phase II clinical trial of anti-HER2 antibody trastuzumab in conjunction with chemotherapy has been carried out to treat metastatic OS. However, no significant therapeutic benefit was observed. We recently reported that association of anti-CD20 antibody rituximab with a nanomaterial graphene oxide (GO) substantially enhances the anti-lymphoma activity of the antibody. Here we have studied antitumor activity of GO-associated trastuzumab (TRA). Similar to RTX, TRA could be stably associated with functionalized GO through non-covalent interactions, and GO-associated TRA (TRA/GO) showed markedly enhanced HER2 binding activity with capacity to aggregate (cap) HER2 on the target cells. Treating HER2+ OS as well as Ewing’s sarcoma cell lines in culture with TRA/GO resulted in rapid sarcoma cell death within 12 hr, while free TRA or the cytotoxin-conjugated TRA (ado-trastuzumab emtansine) showed no significant cytotoxic effects. TRA/GO manifested no cytotoxicity to human lymphocytes, in contrast to chemotherapeutic drugs such as doxorubicin and oxaliplatin. We find that the ability to kill the sarcoma cells results from the unique capacity of TRA/GO to simultaneously induce oxidative stress as well as intense detrimental HER2 signaling, which leads to a complete disappearance of a major tyrosine-phosphorylated protein and caspase 8, and a partial loss of RIPK1 along with an increase in RIPK3 levels within 5 min, followed by necroptosis of the target cells. Intravenous administration of TRA/GO rapidly eradicated established xenograft human OS in the lung as well as at subcutaneous locations in NOD/rag ko /g ko immunodeficient mice in the absence of chemotherapy, resulting in indefinite survival of the animals. In contrast, free TRA treatment failed to do so. No appreciable side effects were observed of TRA/GO in vivo. These results therefore demonstrate a novel strategy to substantially enhance the therapeutic capacity of anti-cancer antibodies. Given the increasing variety of human malignancies that are found to overexpress Her2, including sarcomas, carcinomas and neurological malignancies, our findings should have broad therapeutic implications. As TRA/GO does not harm lymphocytes, TRA/GO-based therapy may constitute a unique opportunity to implement immunotherapy that is now known to play an important role in control tumor progression. Citation Format: Xinjian Chen. Targeting osteosarcoma with graphene oxide-associated anti-HER2 antibodies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 63. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-63
Admissions criteria predictors of dental hygiene graduates' job satisfaction.

The relationship of a dental hygiene program's admissions criteria to its graduates' subsequent job satisfaction was examined. One hundred thirteen subjects who had graduated from an associate degree-granting dental hygiene program between the years 1977 and 1986 responded to a mailed questionnaire that obtained demographic information and job satisfaction measures. The admissions criteria were collected from records on file at the dental hygiene program. Responses to the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) were tabulated to obtain a general job satisfaction score and to obtain selected job satisfaction subscale scores on variety, compensation, advancement, and achievement. It was hypothesized that there would be no relationship between the admissions criteria and the selected job satisfaction scale scores. A total of five stepwise multiple regression analyses was performed, with each of the five satisfaction scale scores as the dependent variable and the admissions criteria entered as independent variables. No variables were entered into a regression equation, as no correlations were significant at p less than .05. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the general job satisfaction percentile score as the dependent variable and year of graduation as the independent variable was conducted. When combined as groups, those who graduated in the first five years (1977-81) expressed statistically significant lower general job satisfaction (p = .0072) than the graduates from 1982-1986. The analysis of the admissions criteria and job satisfaction scores must be looked at cautiously, as the sample was limited to graduates from a particular dental hygiene program.
The problem of finding passageways in foliage with biomimetic sonar

Bats living in densely vegetated habitats must have the ability to find passageways in foliage. To explore the sensing problem posed by this navigation task, a sonar head that mimicked a bat's biosonar periphery and emitted a bat-like chirp was placed on a linear track to scan artificial foliages (plastic leaves resembling broad-leaf foliage) interrupted by gaps of controllable width. The first approach to detecting the gaps tested has been based on comparing echo energy levels received when facing a gap as opposed to a closed foliage. The ability to detect a gap in this way depends on the employed beamwidth and the distance to the foliage, i.e., the narrower the beam and closer the sonar head, the narrower a gap can be detected. However, narrower beams were also found to increase the variability in the energy of the returned echoes which could impact the ability to reliably distinguish the different levels of echo energy associated with closed foliage and gaps. Since bats tend to have wide beams due to their limited size relative to the employed wavelengths, it may be hypothesized that the animals have evolved alternative approaches to improve the ability of detecting narrow passageways at a distance.