cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Paricalcitol and Endothelial Function in Chronic Kidney Disease Trial

Altered vitamin D metabolism and low levels of the active form of this vitamin, 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D, is a hallmark of chronic kidney disease (CKD), but there is still no randomized controlled trial testing the effect of active forms of vitamin D on vascular function in patients with CKD. Paricalcitol and ENdothelial fuNction in chronic kidneY disease (PENNY) is a double-blinded randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01680198) testing the effect of an active form of vitamin D, paricalcitol (2 μg/d×12 weeks) on endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasodilatation in 88 patients with stage 3 to 4 CKD and parathormone >65 pg/mL (paricalcitol, n=44; placebo, n=44). Paricalcitol treatment reduced parathormone (-75 pg/mL; 95% confidence interval, -90 to -60), whereas parathormone showed a small rise during placebo (21 pg/mL; 95% confidence interval, 5-36). Blood pressure did not change in both study arms. Baseline flow-mediated dilation was identical in patients on paricalcitol (3.6±2.9%) and placebo (3.6±2.9%) groups. After 12 weeks of treatment, flow-mediated dilation rose in the paricalcitol but not in the placebo group, and the between-group difference in flow-mediated dilation changes (the primary end point, 1.8%; 95% confidence interval, 0.3-3.1%) was significant (P=0.016), and the mean proportional change in flow-mediated dilation was 61% higher in paricalcitol-treated patients than in placebo-treated patients. Such an effect was abolished 2 weeks after stopping the treatment. No effect of paricalcitol on endothelium-independent vasodilatation was registered. Paricalcitol improves endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in patients with stage 3 to 4 CKD. Findings in this study support the hypothesis that vitamin D may exert favorable effects on the cardiovascular system in patients with CKD.
Difference between the two iron-binding sites of transferrin

THE protein transferrin has a central role in iron metabolism, transporting the metal between absorption, utilisation, excretion, reclamation and storage areas. Although two ferric ions are bound at apparently equivalent iron-binding sites1, the sites behave in a non-equivalent manner. Since the initial report by Fletcher and Huehns2, there have been observations in vivo and in vitro of the unique biological specificity for transferrin iron bound at each site3–8. Physicochemical evidence for any difference between iron binding at each site is sparse. Price and Gibson9 observed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectral differences arising from each site under the influence of the chaotropic agent perchlorate. Aisen et al.10 observed EPR differences between sites for the chromium complex and Young and Perkins11 reported that bicarbonate displaces only one oxalate anion from the (oxalate)2–Fe2–transferrin complex. We now report experiments on the pH-dependent dissociation of diferric transferrin which indicate that there is a difference in the iron-binding properties of each site.
Survey and synthesis of intra- and interspecific variation in stomatal sensitivity to vapour pressure deficit

Responses of stomatal conductance (gs) to increasing vapour pressure deficit (D) generally follow an exponential decrease described equally well by several empirical functions. However, the magnitude of the decrease ‐ the stomatal sensitivity ‐ varies considerably both within and between species. Here we analysed data from a variety of sources employing both porometric and sap flux estimates of gs to evaluate the hypothesis that stomatal sensitivity is proportional to the magnitude of gs at low D (£ 1k Pa). To test this relationship we used the function gs = gsref ‐ m ·l nD where m is the stomatal sensitivity and gsref = gs at D = 1 kPa. Regardless of species or methodology, m was highly correlated with gsref (average r 2 = 0·75) with a slope of approximately 0·6. We demonstrate that this empirical slope is consistent with the theoretical slope derived from a simple hydraulic model that assumes stomatal regulation of leaf water potential. The theoretical slope is robust to deviations from underlying assumptions and variation in model parameters. The relationships within and among species are close to theoretical predictions, regardless of whether the analysis is based on porometric measurements of gs in relation to leaf-surface D (Ds), or on sap flux-based stomatal conductance of whole trees (GSi), or stand-level stomatal conductance (GS) in relation to D. Thus, individuals, species, and stands with high stomatal conductance at low D show a greater sensitivity to D, as required by the role of stomata in regulating leaf water potential.
Diagnostic laparoscopy prior to planned hepatic resection for colorectal metastases.

Hypotheses (1) A clinical risk score (CRS) is useful in selecting patients for diagnostic laparoscopy prior to planned resection of colorectal metastasis. (2) Preventing unnecessary celiotomy in these patients undergoing laparoscopy is associated with shorter hospital stays and earlier administration of systemic chemotherapy. Design Retrospective analysis of data collected in a prospective database. Setting Tertiary cancer hospital. Patients Two hundred seventy-six patients who underwent laparoscopy prior to planned partial hepatic resection (n = 264) for colorectal metastases or prior to hepatic artery infusion pump placement for colorectal metastases (n = 12). Main Outcome Measures The yield of laparoscopy for patients with potentially resectable tumors was analyzed in the context of a CRS, calculated by assigning 1 point for each of the following adverse, disease-related factors: lymph node–positive primary tumor, disease-free interval less than 12 months, more than 1 hepatic tumor, hepatic tumor greater than 5 cm, and cardio embryonic antigen level less than 200 ng/mL. The CRS represents the sum for each patient. Length of hospital stay and time to initiation of chemotherapy were compared in those patients determined to be unresectable. Results Staging laparoscopy prevented nontherapeutic celiotomy in 10% of patients submitted to operation for a potentially curative partial hepatectomy (26 of 264) and in 33% of patients scheduled for pump placement only (4/12). The CRS correlated closely with the likelihood of identifying radiographically occult unresectable disease: 0 or 1, 4%; 2 or 3, 21%; and 4 or 5, 38%. Likewise, the percentage of patients avoiding an unnecessary celiotomy increased progressively with increasing CRS: 0 or 1, 0%; 2 or 3, 11%; and 4 or 5, 24%. Preventing an unnecessary celiotomy with laparoscopy was associated with a decreased length of hospital stay ( P P = .045). Conclusions Diagnostic laparoscopy does not need to be performed routinely in all patients prior to hepatic resection for colorectal cancer metastasis. Laparoscopy has a very low yield in patients with a CRS of 1 or less and is unnecessary. The yield of laparoscopy increases with increasing CRS. Preventing celiotomy with laparoscopy is associated with a decreased length of hospital stay and earlier initiation of postoperative chemotherapy.
Discovery of tetrahydropyridopyrimidine phosphodiesterase 10A inhibitors for the treatment of schizophrenia

We describe the discovery of potent and orally bioavailable tetrahydropyridopyrimidine inhibitors of phosphodiesterase 10A by systematic optimization of a novel HTS lead. Lead compound THPP-1 exhibits nanomolar potencies, excellent pharmacokinetic properties, and a clean off-target profile. It displays in vivo target engagement as measured by increased rat striatal cGMP levels upon oral dosing. It shows dose-dependent efficacy in a key pharmacodynamic assay predictive of antipsychotic activity, the psychostimulant-induced rat hyperlocomotion assay. Further, THPP-1 displays significantly fewer preclinical adverse events in assays measuring prolactin secretion, catalepsy, and weight gain, in contrast to the typical and atypical antipsychotics haloperidol and olanzapine.
Platelet function in donors undergoing intermittent-flow centrifugation plateletpheresis or leukapheresis.

Platelet dysfunction and prolonged bleeding have been seen in man when glucose polymer solutions, such as dextran, are used for volume replacement. Hydroxyethyl starch (HES) is a glucose polymer slightly different from dextran, which is used as a sedimenting agent in leukaphcresis procedures. This controlled study was performed to evaluate the effect of HES on platelet function in centrifugation leukapheresis donors. Plateletpheresis using the same machines and techniques but without HES was the control. Platelet function was assessed by bleeding time, platelet count, adhesiveness to glass beads and aggregation to collagen, epinephrine and several concentrations of ADP, before and after the pheresis procedures. Except for a decrease in platelet count after both procedures, no other major changes in platelet function were seen. After one exposure in previously unpheresed donors, HES does not induce platelet dysfunction.
A taxonomy for solar fuels generators

A number of approaches to solar fuels generation are being developed, each of which has associated advantages and challenges. Many of these solar fuels generators are identified as “photoelectrochemical cells” even though these systems collectively operate based on a suite of fundamentally different physical principles. To facilitate appropriate comparisons between solar fuels generators, as well as to enable concise and consistent identification of the state-of-the-art for designs based on comparable operating principles, we have developed a taxonomy and nomenclature for solar fuels generators based on the source of the asymmetry that separates photogenerated electrons and holes. Three basic device types have been identified: photovoltaic cells, photoelectrochemical cells, and particulate/molecular photocatalysts. We outline the advantages and technological challenges associated with each type, and provide illustrative examples for each approach as well as for hybrid approaches.
What Extent of Pancreatic Resection Do Patients with MEN-1 Require?

Context The surgical management of pancreatic endocrine tumors in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1) is controversial and complicated by the fact that these tumors are frequently multifocal. The degree of tumor resection is determined by weighing the risk of malignancy or tumor recurrence against the risks of endocrine/exocrine insufficiency with complete gland removal. Methods A retrospective review was performed identifying 4 patients with MEN-1 and pancreatic endocrine tumors treated with pancreatic resection over a 2-year period at our institution. Results Mean age at operation was 35 years. Surgical approach was determined by size of tumor(s) and presence of multifocality. MRI and EUS were performed in all patients. While EUS identified a greater number of tumors when compared to MRI (median 5 versus 1), both studies grossly underestimated the total number of tumors found on final pathology. Three patients underwent laparoscopic total pancreatectomy for multifocal disease with diffuse pancreatic involvement, finding a median of 12 tumors. One patient underwent laparoscopic subtotal pancreatectomy for a presumed single pancreatic tail mass, but was found to have multifocal disease on final pathology consisting of 7 tumors. The average number of tumors found on final pathology was 13.5 with an average size of 2.6 cm. The median number of lymph nodes analyzed was 14. Diffuse, multifocal disease was present in all 4 patients. No major postoperative complications were observed. Conclusion In patients with MEN-1 and pancreatic endocrine tumors, preoperative workup underestimates extent of disease and total pancreatectomy should be considered for complete tumor removal. Image: Mayo Clinic Hospital , Jacksonville. FL, USA.
Synergism Between Dissolved Oxygen and Cadmium Toxicity in Five Species of Aquatic Insects

Abstract Continuous-flow bioassays were employed to determine the relationship between dissolved oxygen and cadmium upon five species of aquatic insects, as measured by survival and the amount of cadmium found within the insect. Results indicate the toxicity of cadmium increases as the dissolved oxygen concentration increases. This may be explained by an observed increase in the amount of cadmium found in the insect as the dissolved oxygen concentration increases. Oxygen consumption has been reported to increase as the dissolved oxygen concentration increases ( Petty, 1967 ; Ericksen, 1963 ; Fox et al. , 1937 ). In this study, using a fixed cadmium concentration, the amount of cadmium found in the insect also increased with an increase in the dissolved oxygen. Therefore, cadmium absorption may be coupled to metabolism.
Preemptive Forecasts Using an Ensemble Kalman Filter

Abstract An ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) estimates the error statistics of a model forecast using an ensemble of model forecasts. One use of an EnKF is data assimilation, resulting in the creation of an increment to the first-guess field at the observation time. Another use of an EnKF is to propagate error statistics of a model forecast forward in time, such as is done for optimizing the location of adaptive observations. Combining these two uses of an ensemble Kalman filter, a “preemptive forecast” can be generated. In a preemptive forecast, the increment to the first-guess field is, using ensembles, propagated to some future time and added to the future control forecast, resulting in a new forecast. This new forecast requires no more time to produce than the time needed to run a data assimilation scheme, as no model integration is necessary. In an observing system simulation experiment (OSSE), a barotropic vorticity model was run to produce a 300-day “nature run.” The same model, run with a different v...
Optical Link on Silicon Employing Ge/SiGe Quantum Well Structures

We demonstrate an optical link on silicon employing Ge/SiGe quantum well waveguide modulators and photodetectors. Modulators show >3 dB contrast ratio for <6 V drive for a 22 nm wavelength range. Photodetectors show external responsivity up to 0.26 A/W and high-speed detection at 2.5 Gb/s.
Engaged Research in a University Setting: Results and Reflections on Three Decades of a Partnership to Improve Juvenile Justice

Michigan State University’s Adolescent Project (MSUAP) was founded in the mid-1970s to create university-community collaboration through which innovative educational experiences would be offered, best practice intervention practices employed, and sound scientific methodology used to address the pressing social issue of juvenile delinquency. The project sought to create a more effective alternative to the juvenile justice system through the use of highly trained and supervised mentors (MSU undergraduate students); to scientifically examine the efficacy of this mentoring program, the relative efficacy of multiple intervention models, and the impact of the project on students, the university, and the local community; and, contingent upon success, to create a long-term collaboration between MSU and the local community. Through a series of longitudinal field experiments the project has demonstrated that youth who participated engaged in repeat offenses at significantly lower rates than those youth randomly assigned to a control group.
Application of Unstructured-Grid Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM) to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxie zone

We describe the application of Unstructured-Grid Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM) to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxia region. The model was forced with the observed freshwater fluxes from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers, surface winds, heat fluxes, tides, and offshore conditions. The simulations were carried from April to September 2002, and the model skill was evaluated against several independent series of observations that included tidal gauge data, ADCP data, shipboard measurements of temperature and salinity, vertical salinity and sigma-t profiles, and satellite imagery. We use trajectories of Lagrangian particles released from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers to delineate the regions of strong riverine influence under different wind forcing. We also show that the frequency of cold fronts strongly influences the seasonal cycle of water column stratification.
Single low-dose un-adjuvanted HBsAg nanoparticle vaccine elicits robust, durable immunity.

Abstract Chitosan nanoparticles were evaluated as a vaccine delivery system for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in the absence of adjuvant. Nano-encapsulated HBsAg (HBsAg chitosan-NP) was endocytosed more rapidly and efficiently by dendritic cells compared to soluble HBsAg. FRET analysis demonstrated that intact nanoparticles were taken up by DCs. To determine the immunogenicity of adjuvant-free nano-encapsulated HBsAg, mice were immunized with a single dose of non-encapsulated HBsAg, HBsAg chitosan-NP, or HBsAg alum. Mice immunized with adjuvant-free nanoparticle elicited anti-HBs antibodies at significantly higher titers compared to mice immunized with HBsAg alum. Elevated numbers of BAFF-R + B cells and CD138 + plasma cells account for the heightened anti-HBs response in nanoparticle immunized mice. Increases in Tfh cells provide a mechanism for the accumulation of anti-HBs secreting cells. Thus, chitosan nanoparticle vaccines represent a promising un-adjuvanted platform to generate robust and durable immunity to HBsAg and other subunit antigens following a single low-dose administration. From the Clinical Editor In this study, chitosan nanoparticle vaccines are demonstrated as a promising un-adjuvanted platform to generate robust and durable immunity to HBsAg and other subunit antigens following a single low-dose administration in a murine model. The authors also demonstrated superior antibody response induction compared with non-encapsulated HBs antigen and HBsAg aluminum.
Linguistic Power in Virtual Communities: the Ebonics Debate on the Internet

The recent controversy over the issue of Ebonics has been well documented in both the print media and in the electronic media, in particular, on the internet. The impact of electronic discourse has been the focus of a number of researchers (Birkerts, 1998; Lakoff, 1998; Vitanza, 1999). However, the locus of research of most theorists has been on the metalanguage of this discourse genre, and on its role in the creation of unique discourse communities (Foertsch, 1995; Hawisher and Moran, 1993). Few studies have examined the extent to which this medium functions to create and sustain group ideologies. This study presents a content analysis of the electronic debate on Ebonics that spanned over eighteen months, drawing scholars from all over the world, and culminating in over seventy individual postings on an electronic bulletin board. What this study demonstrates is that in contesting issues, using the national social debate on Ebonics, linguists seek to assert their power as a group by excluding and marginalizing those parties that do not belong. The data analysis illustrates the linguistic devices through which such othering is constructed and maintained. The resultant electronic debate while overtly framed about Ebonics, covertly functions to assert the status of linguists as a group.
A myelin protein is encoded by the homologue of a growth arrest-specific gene.

Abstract Striking features of the cellular response to sciatic nerve injury are the proliferation of Schwann cells in the distal nerve stump and the downregulation of myelin-specific gene expression. Once the axons regrow, the Schwann cells differentiate again to reform the myelin sheaths. We have isolated a rat cDNA, SR13, which is strongly downregulated in the initial phase after sciatic nerve injury. This cDNA encodes a glycoprotein that shares striking amino acid similarity with a purified myelin protein and is specifically precipitated by a myelin-specific antiserum. Immunohistochemistry experiments using peptide-specific polyclonal antibodies localize the SR13 protein to the myelin sheath of the sciatic nerve. Computer-aided sequence analysis identified a pronounced homology of SR13 to a growth arrest-specific mRNA (Gas-3) that is expressed in resting but not in proliferating 3T3 mouse fibroblasts. SR13 is similarly downregulated during Schwann cell proliferation in the rat sciatic nerve. The association of the SR13 as well as the Gas-3 mRNA with nonproliferating cells in two different experimental systems suggests a common role for these molecules in maintaining the quiescent cell state.
Molecular Markers for Atherosclerosis

Although cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in both men and women of all racial groups in the United States, recent clinical trials clearly show that treatment of risk factors such as hyperlipidemia reduces both morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease [1]. One of the key necessities for implementation of preventive strategies is to identify high-risk individuals. The cost-effectiveness of therapy varies greatly depending on the risk status of the individual considered for therapy. Treatment of low-risk individuals may not be affordable by government or private health-care plans. For these reasons, the intensity of lipid-lowering therapy is dependent on the risk status of the patient in the treatment guidelines used in both the United States and in Europe. Patients who have clinical evidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) or other vascular disease are at increased risk, and patients who have more extensive atherosclerosis as documented by coronary angio...
Modeling and simulation of a thin film power transfer cell for medical devices and implants

Recently, a highly efficient method to transmit power wirelessly using mid-range resonant coupling was reported. Based on this method, we present a multilayer thin film design of power transfer cells for medical applications. Consisting of a tape coil in the exterior layer and strips in the interior layer separated by an insulation layer, these cells have an equivalent structure of multiple inductors and capacitors, forming several resonant frequencies. In order to verify these frequencies, a mesh current analysis is performed computationally. Our experiments show that this analysis is accurate. The results of this study are useful for the design of high-performance thin film cells for wireless power transfer.
Infrared studies of carbon monoxide hydrogenation over alumina-supported ruthenium

Abstract The nature of the species present on a Ru Al 2 O 3 catalyst during CO hydrogenation was studied by means of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Three forms of adsorbed CO were identified, designated as linearly adsorbed, diadsorbed, and μ-bridge adsorbed. The coverage by the linearly adsorbed form of CO obeys a Langmuir isotherm under reaction conditions. The equilibrium constant associated with this isotherm is given by KCO = 1.1 × 10−9 exp(25,000/RT) atm−1. The diadsorbed species is associated with individual Ru atoms and clusters and, in contrast to linearly adsorbed CO, does not readily undergo hydrogenation at temperatures below 548 K. The μ-bridge form of adsorbed CO may involve either a pair of Ru sites or a Ru site and an adjacent Lewis acid site. Hydrocarbon, formate, and carbonate structures were also observed in the course of this study. It was established, however, that these species are present on the alumina support and are not intermediates of CO hydrogenation over Ru.
Generation of Gd(OCOCF3)3.3H2O from the Water Catalyzed Reaction of Gd Metal with CF3COOH. X-Ray Crystal Structure of Gd(OCOCF3)3.3H2O

Abstract The water catalyzed reaction of gadolinium metal with trifluoroacetic acid produces Gd(III)(OCOCF3)3.3H2O in quantitative yields. The X-ray structure of Gd(OCOCF3)3.3H2O shows Gd(III) to be in a square anti-prismatic geometry through bridging -OCOCF3 groups in a dimeric composition. X-ray data for Gd(OCOCF3)3.3H2O show that it is monoclinic, space group P21/c, a = 9.178 (1), b = 18.849 (1), c = 9.759 (1) A, Z = 4, R = 0.041 and R' = 0.055.
Reversal of cognitive decline: A novel therapeutic program

This report describes a novel, comprehensive, and personalized therapeutic program that is based on the underlying pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, and which involves multiple modalities designed to achieve metabolic enhancement for neurodegeneration (MEND). The first 10 patients who have utilized this program include patients with memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), or subjective cognitive impairment (SCI). Nine of the 10 displayed subjective or objective improvement in cognition beginning within 3-6 months, with the one failure being a patient with very late stage AD. Six of the patients had had to discontinue working or were struggling with their jobs at the time of presentation, and all were able to return to work or continue working with improved performance. Improvements have been sustained, and at this time the longest patient follow-up is two and one-half years from initial treatment, with sustained and marked improvement. These results suggest that a larger, more extensive trial of this therapeutic program is warranted. The results also suggest that, at least early in the course, cognitive decline may be driven in large part by metabolic processes. Furthermore, given the failure of monotherapeutics in AD to date, the results raise the possibility that such a therapeutic system may be useful as a platform on which drugs that would fail as monotherapeutics may succeed as key components of a therapeutic system.
Experiments in a Jazz Aesthetic: Art, Activism, Academia, and the Austin Project

Experiments in a Jazz Aesthetic: Art, Activism, Academia, and the Austin Project is one part historic document, one part literary anthology, one part road map, one part aesthetic theory, and one pa...
Shear-induced structure in polymer-clay nanocomposite solutions.

The equilibrium structure and shear response of model polymer–clay nanocomposite gels are measured using X-ray scattering, light scattering, optical microscopy, and rheometry. The suspensions form physical gels via the “bridging” of neighboring colloidal clay platelets by the polymer, with reversible adsorption of polymer segments onto the clay surface providing a short-range attractive force. As the flow disrupts this transient network, coupling between composition and stress leads to the formation of a macroscopic domain pattern, while the clay platelets orient with their surface normal parallel to the direction of vorticity. We discuss the shear-induced structure, steady-shear rheology, and oscillatory-shear response of these dynamic networks, and we offer a physical explanation for the mesoscale shear response. In contrast to flow-induced “banding” transitions, no stress plateau is observed in the region where macroscopic phase separation occurs. The observed platelet orientation is different from that reported for polymer–melt clay nanocomposites, which we attribute to effects associated with macroscopic phase separation under shear flow.
Reducing medication costs to prevent cardiovascular disease: A community guide systematic review

Introduction Hypertension and hyperlipidemia are major cardiovascular disease risk factors. To modify them, patients often need to adopt healthier lifestyles and adhere to prescribed medications. However, patients' adherence to recommended treatments has been suboptimal. Reducing out-of-pocket costs (ROPC) to patients may improve medication adherence and consequently improve health outcomes. This Community Guide systematic review examined the effectiveness of ROPC for medications prescribed for patients with hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Methods We assessed effectiveness and economics of ROPC for medications to treat hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or both. Per Community Guide review methods, reviewers identified, evaluated, and summarized available evidence published from January 1980 through July 2015. Results Eighteen studies were included in the analysis. ROPC interventions resulted in increased medication adherence for patients taking blood pressure and cholesterol medications by a median of 3.0 percentage points; proportion achieving 80% adherence to medication increased by 5.1 percentage points. Blood pressure and cholesterol outcomes also improved. Nine studies were included in the economic review, with a median intervention cost of $172 per person per year and a median change in health care cost of -$127 per person per year. Conclusion ROPC for medications to treat hypertension and hyperlipidemia is effective in increasing medication adherence, and, thus, improving blood pressure and cholesterol outcomes. Most ROPC interventions are implemented in combination with evidence-based health care interventions such as team-based care with medication counseling. An overall conclusion about the economics of the intervention could not be reached with the small body of inconsistent cost-benefit evidence.
Deconstructing Binary Race and Sex Categories: A Comparison of the Multiracial and Transgendered Experience

Millions of people are multiracial and cannot be classified as being of one distinct race. Similarly, millions of people are transgendered and cannot easily be categorized as either male or female. Racial classification systems have existed for centuries and have been the subject of extensive commentary and critique for decades. Sex and gender classification systems, on the other hand, just started to become the subject of litigation in the last half of the twentieth century and it is only during the last decade that sex classification systems have become the topic of extensive scholarly discussion. Race and sex classification systems originally were based upon two assumptions: (1) race and sex are binary; and (2) race and sex can be biologically determined. Racial categorization has moved away from these two simplistic assumptions. Most scholars and legal institutions now agree that race cannot be defined by biological factors and that race has been socially constructed. Sex classification systems, on the other hand, are still primarily based on the assumptions that sex is binary, unambiguous, and can be biologically determined, despite scientific research that indicates that none of these assumptions is completely accurate. An understanding of the issues that have arisen under a binary racial classification system may assist legal institutions and gender scholars and activists as they seek to understand and modify the current sex classification system. This article explores whether some of the major issues being discussed by race scholars engaged in the "multiracial" category debate should be considered by legal institutions and scholars as they analyze the effect of binary sex/gender classification systems on sexual minorities.
Are subcutaneous transmitters better than intracoelomic? The relevance of reporting methodology to interpreting results

Biologists rely on published scientific papers to increase their knowledge and to guide their future work. Papers comparing techniques can be especially influential when several options exist for accomplishing a task. In this paper, I use a recent publication comparing the effects on birds of several methods for attaching or implanting radio transmitters to illustrate the need for clear and accurate reporting of the techniques used. Because of deficiencies in methodology, in stating methodology, and in following cited methodology I argue that the conclusions drawn by the authors are not supportable.
PP03.6 – 2785: MELAS: Getting straight to the point!

Background MELAS (Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy, Lactic Acidosis, and Stroke-Like Episodes) can present mimicking childhood stroke. Recognition of this condition enables rapid genetic diagnosis, obviating the need of extensive mitochondrial investigations including muscle biopsy. Case A previously well eight year old girl with normal development presented with a short history of fever and vomiting. She went on to develop encephalopathy and lethargy and was noted to have right sided weakness. Neurological examination demonstrated brisk reflexes on her right side. A brain MRI revealed extensive abnormal high signal in the left occipital and temporal lobes and left thalamus with no diffusion restriction. Serum and CSF lactate levels were elevated at 4.5 and 4.1 mmol/L respectively. A family history of cardiomyopathy and diabetes was elicited in her mother. A clinical diagnosis of MELAS was made at this stage. Serum mitochondrial DNA studies confirmed the presence of m.3243A>G mutation at a level of 96%. Subsequent investigations identified the same mutation in her mother at a level of 55%. Our patient made good clinical recovery and was discharged with neurometabolic follow-up. Discussion MELAS is a maternally inherited multisystem mitochondrial disorder with varying phenotypes. In contrast to ischaemic strokes, changes on brain imaging usually do not conform to the distribution of arteries and diffusion restriction is absent. Traditionally, the work-up of a suspected mitochondrial disorder involves muscle biopsy, which typically shows ragged red fibres in MELAS. However, this stage of investigation can now be avoided with the advent of molecular genetic testing as m.3243A>G mutations are responsible for 80% of cases of MELAS. Conclusion A diagnosis of MELAS should be suspected when a patient presents with the above constellation of signs and symptoms. Molecular genetic testing provides rapid confirmation and may avoid the need for unnecessary invasive investigations.
Human Rights Frames in Grassroots Organizing: CADRE and the Effort to Stop School Pushout

The United States Department of Education reported that, during the 2008-09 school year, an estimated 4.1% of students enrolled in a public or private high school dropped out of school. The dropout rates for Latino and African American students were considerably higher at 6% and 6.6%, respectively. The trends of high dropout rates and low high school completion are symptoms of a wider phenomenon known as the “School-to-Prison Pipeline.The School-to-Prison Pipeline represents the intersection of numerous school policies that channel students away from education and towards the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Misbehaving and under-performing students become less likely to spend time in the classroom and more likely to find themselves swept up in the criminal justice system due to zero-tolerance, exclusionary discipline policies; high-stakes testing regimes that impose pressure on schools, implicitly or explicitly encouraging low-performing students to leave; and the encroachment of law enforcement officers into schools. This crisis in education can be viewed from a number of angles. The American Civil Liberties Union highlights it as one of the major civil rights violations currently facing the United States. Increasingly, advocacy groups also envision the School-to-Prison Pipeline, including its component problems of ineffective discipline policies and school dropout, as a human rights issue. Local advocacy and grassroots groups across the country have turned to human rights frameworks to address challenges and injustices, drawing support and motivation from international treaties that create legal obligations and a “vision of good governance” protecting a wide range of fundamental rights. One organization that has taken this approach toward the issue of school dropout is Community Asset Development Redefining Education (CADRE), a membership-based group of African American and Latino parents and caregivers working in South Los Angeles to address concerns that the public schools were failing to meet the needs of low-income, minority students. CADRE uses an international human rights framework to draw attention to the ways in which school district policies fail to protect the basic human rights of students and parents, working to “win new policies and challenge existing ones as part of a movement towards educational and racial justice. This article treats each of these elements in turn. Part II introduces the School-to-Prison Pipeline and related problems currently facing American education. Part III explains the basics of social movement frames, one of the key tools in constructing successful movements for change. Part IV explores the international human rights master frame that CADRE adopted as the basis for assessing conditions in schools and motivating efforts for policy change. Finally, Part V presents an account of CADRE’s human rights-based organization on educational issues as a case study illustrating the use of the human rights frame in a local context.
S5.1 The other vaginitides: update on desquammative inflammatory vaginitis and refractory Candida vaginitis

Desquammative Inflammatory Vaginitis (DIV) is now recognised as a not uncommon caused of purulent vaginitis with a profuse discharge accompanying dyspareunia and vaginal burning. Less well recognised are the vestibular and vulvar manifestations of this chronic idiopathic and likely immune mediated inflammatory process which occurs exclusively in Caucasian women usually in the peri-menopausal period. The syndrome must be differentiated from trichomoniasis since both share several clinical manifestations including markedly elevated vaginal pH and inflammatory cell infiltrate, but several features to be discussed allow correct diagnosis. DIV is likely precipitated by oestrogen deficiency explaining it9s unique epidemiology. Treatment consisting of high potency steroids and other local anti-inflammatory agents results in rapid improvement but cure frequently requires prolonged long term therapy. A new clinical entity of recurrent vaginitis due either to drug resistant Candida albicans and other Candida species including Candida glabrata will be discussed. These frustrating cases constitute a major therapeutic challenge because of intrinsic or acquired fluconazole resistance and frequent cross resistance to the entire Azole drug class. Therapeutic options are few, moreover, in vitro breakpoints defining Azole drug resistance have not been established. Prolonged exposure to fluconazole appears responsible. Cases will be presented describing several forms of refractory drug resistant vaginal candidiasis.
Selectivity of the peripheral auditory system of spadefoot toads (Scaphiopus couchi) for sounds of biological significance

Scaphiopus couchi is a primitive anuran whose vocal repertoire consists of a mating call and a release call. The two calls are distinct and differ in trill rate. Reception of airborne sound is achieved by means of a poorly differentiated region of skin on the head which serves as an eardrum. Whereas more modern anurans possessthree distinct types of auditory nerve fibers, spadefoot toads possess onlytwo types: a low-frequency-sensitive group which exhibits tone-on-tone inhibition and a high-frequency-sensitive group which is not inhibitable. The sharpness of frequency tuning of primary fibers in each group is comparable to more advanced vertebrate species. While the response properties of auditory fibers in the high-frequency-sensitive group are well matched to the spectral and temporal features in the spadefoot's mating call and release call, the low-frequency-sensitive fibers do not respond to these calls. Instead they may be involved in detection of bodily transmitted sounds during clasping, as well as other low-frequency sounds in the environment. The two groups of auditory fibers probably derive from separate auditory organs within the inner ear. Thresholds of auditory nerve fibers in spadefoot toads are relatively poorer than in more advanced anurans, which likely is due to their less developed eardrum. The role of tone-on-tone inhibition in the peripheral auditory system is questioned with regard to its significance in processing sounds of biological value.
Algorithm development, optimization, and simulation framework for a phase-locking fiber laser array

This research project aims to provide a software framework to test and simulate optimization algorithms for a phase locked fiber laser array. The adaptive phase coherent fiber laser array system is a prominent innovation in the areas of optical communications and directed energy projection [1][2]. In comparison with a monolithic large aperture system, the phase locked array exhibits dramatic improvements in cost, size, and energy density at the center of the beam [2].
IF Analog Filters

This book chapter presents the intermediate frequency filters that are used in SSB receivers and exciters to shape the desired signal spectrum and to reduce the unwanted signals. The following topics are highlighted: passband and stopband characteristics; filter arrangements; filter types: LC filter, mechanical filter, crystal filters, and SAW filter; and envelope delay distortion.
Brook Trout, Brown Trout, and Ectoparasitic Copepods Salmincola edwardsii: Species Interactions as a Proximate Cause of Brook Trout Loss Under Changing Environmental Conditions

AbstractChanges in environmental conditions are expected to affect stream temperature and ultimately the presence of native Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis in Wisconsin streams. While change in climate may be an ultimate cause of Brook Trout loss, proximate causes may involve factors other than intolerance to high temperatures. Here I present data to support the hypothesis that species interactions among Brook Trout, naturalized Brown Trout Salmo trutta, and ectoparasitic copepods Salmincola edwardsii in the context of changing environmental conditions can lead to declines in Brook Trout recruitment and abundance. While S. edwardsii are endemic to Wisconsin streams and infect Brook Trout, they do not infect Brown Trout. Salmincola edwardsii were first documented in Ash Creek, Wisconsin, in 2010 and became epizootic in 2012. Conditions in 2012 conducive to an epizootic included anomalously warm stream temperatures, relative drought conditions, and an increasing sympatric population of Brown Trout. Infect...
pHost: distributed near-optimal datacenter transport over commodity network fabric

The importance of minimizing flow completion times (FCT) in datacenters has led to a growing literature on new network transport designs. Of particular note is pFabric, a protocol that achieves near-optimal FCTs. However, pFabric's performance comes at the cost of generality, since pFabric requires specialized hardware that embeds a specific scheduling policy within the network fabric, making it hard to meet diverse policy goals. Aiming for generality, the recent Fastpass proposal returns to a design based on commodity network hardware and instead relies on a centralized scheduler. Fastpass achieves generality, but (as we show) loses many of pFabric's performance benefits.We present pHost, a new transport design aimed at achieving both: the near-optimal performance of pFabric and the commodity network design of Fastpass. Similar to Fastpass, pHost keeps the network simple by decoupling the network fabric from scheduling decisions. However, pHost introduces a new distributed protocol that allows end-hosts to directly make scheduling decisions, thus avoiding the overheads of Fastpass's centralized scheduler architecture. We show that pHost achieves performance on par with pFabric (within 4% for typical conditions) and significantly outperforms Fastpass (by a factor of 3.8×) while relying only on commodity network hardware.
Size of nest‐cavity entrance influences male attractiveness and paternal provisioning in house wrens

In altricial birds, parental provisioning is plastic and can respond to a variety of environmental stimuli. In this study, we manipulated the size of entrances into artificial nest cavities (i.e. nestboxes) in a population of house wrens Troglodytes aedon as a means of manipulating a male's sexual attractiveness, and examined changes in parental provisioning. Nest cavities with large entrances are less desirable as nesting sites, and the males at these sites are less attractive to females. Therefore, we predicted that males at boxes that had large entrances would invest more in parental care (i.e. those that succeeded in finding a mate would provision their offspring at a higher rate) than males at nestboxes with small entrances. As predicted, males provisioned their offspring with food at the highest rates at nestboxes with enlarged entrances, and male provisioning effort positively predicted the number of fledglings they produced per egg. Males at these boxes provisioned more than their mates and more than females and males at nestboxes with small entrances. At nestboxes with small entrances, males provisioned at the same rate as females, and female provisioning did not differ significantly between treatments, on average. Male and female provisioning rates were negatively correlated, such that the increase in provisioning by males at nestboxes with enlarged entrances did not enhance nestling condition, likely because food delivery by females declined with increased provisioning by males. However, the amount of time females spent providing warmth for their ectothermic young increased with increases in male provisioning, suggesting that levels of male parental care altered the mode, not necessarily the extent, of care provided by females. These findings suggest that male provisioning is related to sexual attractiveness, and that sexual conflict over biparental care may not be as simple as the assessment of food provisioning might otherwise suggest.
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Under Direct Visualization in Homograft Valve Endocarditis

Prosthetic valve endocarditis is a very grave and often terminal disease. Surgical valve replacement remains the cornerstone treatment for this disease. However, it is often contraindicated. Herein, we describe the implantation under direct visualization of a self-expandable transcatheter heart valve in a prohibitive surgical risk patient with homograft aortic valve endocarditis.
Predictors of change of trabecular bone score (TBS) in older men: results from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study

Among older men, characteristics that predict longitudinal changes in trabecular bone score (TBS) are different from characteristics that predict changes in bone mineral density (BMD). Most notably, weight loss is strongly associated with concomitant loss in BMD but with concomitant increases in TBS, when measured on Hologic densitometers. Our objective was to compare and contrast predictors of changes in TBS, total hip BMD, and lumbar spine BMD. Our study population was 3969 Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) cohort participants (mean age 72.8 years) with repeat measures of TBS, lumbar spine and total hip BMD, body mass index (BMI) less than 37 kg/m2, and no use of bisphosphonate or glucocorticoid medications. TBS was scored (Med-Imaps Software version 2.1) and BMD measured on Hologic densitometers. One thousand four hundred forty-four men had a TBS decrease > 0.04 units (estimated least significant change for TBS), 795 men had a TBS increase > 0.04 units, and 1730 men had TBS change ≤ 0.04 units over mean follow-up of 4.6 years. Older age was not associated with TBS change, but was associated with greater decline in lumbar spine and total hip BMD. Compared to stable weight, > 10% weight loss was strongly associated with an increase in TBS [effect size = 1.24 (95% CI 1.12, 1.36)] and strongly associated with a decrease in total hip BMD [− 1.16 (95% CI − 1.19, − 1.03)]. Other predictors discordant for longitudinal changes of TBS and BMD included baseline BMI, walk speed, and ACE inhibitor use. Predictors of changes in TBS are different from predictors of changes in lumbar spine and total hip BMD. At least when assessed on Hologic densitometers, weight loss is associated with subsequent declines in spine and total hip BMD but subsequent increase in TBS. Faster walk speed may protect against loss of hip BMD, but is not associated with longitudinal changes of TBS.