cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Examining Collaboration within U.S. National Park Service Advisory Committees

This study develops an evaluative tool for assessing collaboration within U.S. National Park Service (NPS) Federal Advisory Committees. Advisory committees are one of the mechanisms the NPS uses for active community participation. However, questions concerning the effective use of advisory committees have arisen in recent years, and because of this, a mass review of these committees, ordered by the Trump Administration, has led to questions about the efficacy and success of advisory committees. While a traditional metric that is used to judge success of these committees is the percent of recommendations that are implemented by the NPS, this metric does not recognize the synergistic benefits these forums provide for interaction, discussion, and collaboration. Drawing on an index of nine indicators that are extracted from the body of literature on collaborative governance, such as leadership and openness, a novel tool was created to measure collaboration within advisory committees. Through an analysis of committee meeting minutes spanning six cases, this paper finds that advisory committees tend to be collaborative and demonstrate that these committees are more than just a veil of participation or simply filling a required part of the public participation process. Committees were also found to play a valuable partnership role in the parks, acting as a liaison for the local communities and increasing transparency of NPS decision making. From the information presented, formal federal advisory committees offer a means to build greater collaborative partnerships with local representatives and experts. While members of the public did play an active role in a few of the committees analyzed, greater attention should be given to inclusion of members of the local populace during committee meetings, if one of the primary purposes of the specific committee is to garner the support of the local communities and strengthen the recommendations for adoption. The index and tool developed in this paper provides a method for management officials to further evaluate their committees, and their interactions with representatives and the local populace more generally, to better understand the collaborative role their committees can play. Although this paper focused on committees with ties to local communities, the tool and the insights garnered on key collaborative indicators, could be applied too national-level committees and non-FACA committees. Subscribe to JPRA
The Electronic Medical Record and Nephrology Fellowship Education in the United States: An Opinion Survey.

Background and objectives An unintended consequence of electronic medical record use in the United States is the potential effect on graduate physician training. We assessed educational burdens and benefits of electronic medical record use on United States nephrology fellows by means of a survey. Design, setting, participants, & measurements We used an anonymous online opinion survey of all United States nephrology program directors (n=148), their faculty, and fellows. Program directors forwarded survey links to fellows and clinical faculty, indicating to how many they forwarded the link. The three surveys had parallel questions to permit comparisons. Results Twenty-two percent of program directors (n=33) forwarded surveys to faculty (n=387) and fellows (n=216; 26% of United States nephrology fellows). Faculty and fellow response rates were 25% and 33%, respectively; 51% of fellows agreed/strongly agreed that the electronic medical record contributed positively to their education. Perceived positive effects included access flexibility and ease of obtaining laboratory/radiology results. Negative effects included copy-forward errors and excessive, irrelevant documentation. Electronic medical record function was reported to be slow, disrupted, or completely lost monthly or more by >40%, and these were significantly less likely to agree that the electronic medical record contributed positively to their education. Electronic medical record completion time demands contributed to fellow reluctance to do procedures (52%), participate in conferences (57%), prolong patient interactions (74%), and do patient-directed reading (55%). Sixty-five percent of fellows reported often/sometimes exceeding work-hours limits due to documentation time demands; 85% of faculty reported often/sometimes observing copy-forward errors. Limitations include potential nonresponse and social desirability bias. Conclusions Respondents reported that the electronic medical record enhances fellow education with efficient and geographically flexible patient data access, but the time demands of data and order entry reduce engagement in educational activities, contribute to work-hours violations, and diminish direct patient interactions.
Copper-Clad Aluminum Windings as an Alternative Conductor for High-Power Electric Vehicle Wireless Charging

In this paper, copper and copper-clad aluminum winding conductors were compared. The effective resistances as functions of frequency for the cored coils were compared using the 3D finite element model frequency sweep analysis for low, medium, and high frequencies. To compare equivalent designs, both coils were designed to have similar direct-current resistance. Benefits of the copper-clad aluminum over the copper coils are presented.
Our place in the multiverse

Stephen Baxter´s World Engines series examines whether humanity can get off this planet without destroyingthe universe, or at least, not every universe. It is gripping but frustrating
Temperature but not nutrient addition affects abundance and assemblage structure of colonizing aquatic insects

Abiotic conditions are important considerations in the species sorting process, which ultimately determines the distribution and abundance of species. Freshwater ecosystems will be impacted by ongoing temperature rise and other anthropogenically induced changes, such as nutrient enrichment and eutrophication. Changing characteristics of freshwater habitats will likely impact organisms in numerous ways, including through effects on colonization dynamics. Species are expected to colonize habitat patches where fitness will be the highest for themselves and their offspring, and how habitat selection interacts with changing environments remains an important question. We conducted a warming experiment to test the habitat selection preferences of aquatic beetles and hemipterans between habitat patches (mesocosms) of varying temperatures (via heaters), nutrient addition, and their interaction. Overall, insect abundance and richness were higher in unheated patches, with taxon-specific variation in response to heating. Although nutrients had limited effects on environmental conditions in mesocosms, their addition had no significant effects on insects. Insect assemblages had unique structures across heating treatments, with lower beta diversity and higher effective numbers of species in the warmest mesocosms. Our data support the importance of spatial variation in abiotic factors during the habitat selection process, and in determining species distributions and abundances as shallow lentic ecosystems are impacted by rising global temperatures.
Post PCI severe gastrointestinal bleeding in the setting of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura: a treatment dilemma

Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a serious complication encountered commonly in patients on chronic anticoagulation and/or antiplatelet agents. There is a lack of guidelines on how to manage antiplatelet/anticoagulant therapy in patients with thrombocytopenia and GI bleeding. This poses a clinical dilemma when a clinician encounters serious GI bleeding in clinical practice. We present a patient with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and chronic thrombocytopenia who suffered severe GI bleeding less than 2 weeks after a percutaneous coronary intervention while being treated with dual antiplatelet therapy and oral anticoagulation.
Regression analysis to predict growth performance from dietary net energy in growing-finishing pigs

Data from 41 trials with multiple energy levels (285 observations) were used in a meta-analysis to predict growth performance based on dietary NE concentration. Nutrient and energy concentrations in all diets were estimated using the NRC ingredient library. Predictor variables examined for best fit models using Akaike information criteria included linear and quadratic terms of NE, BW, CP, standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys, crude fiber, NDF, ADF, fat, ash, and their interactions. The initial best fit models included interactions between NE and CP or SID Lys. After removal of the observations that fed SID Lys below the suggested requirement, these terms were no longer significant. Including dietary fat in the model with NE and BW significantly improved the G:F prediction model, indicating that NE may underestimate the influence of fat on G:F. The meta-analysis indicated that, as long as diets are adequate for other nutrients (i.e., Lys), dietary NE is adequate to predict changes in ADG across different dietary ingredients and conditions. The analysis indicates that ADG increases with increasing dietary NE and BW but decreases when BW is above 87 kg. The G:F ratio improves with increasing dietary NE and fat but decreases with increasing BW. The regression equations were then evaluated by comparing the actual and predicted performance of 543 finishing pigs in 2 trials fed 5 dietary treatments, included 3 different levels of NE by adding wheat middlings, soybean hulls, dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS; 8 to 9% oil), or choice white grease (CWG) to a corn-soybean meal-based diet. Diets were 1) 30% DDGS, 20% wheat middlings, and 4 to 5% soybean hulls (low energy); 2) 20% wheat middlings and 4 to 5% soybean hulls (low energy); 3) a corn-soybean meal diet (medium energy); 4) diet 2 supplemented with 3.7% CWG to equalize the NE level to diet 3 (medium energy); and 5) a corn-soybean meal diet with 3.7% CWG (high energy). Only small differences were observed between predicted and observed values of ADG and G:F except for the low-energy diet containing the greatest fiber content (30% DDGS diet), where ADG and G:F were overpredicted by 3 to 6%. Therefore, the prediction equations provided a good estimation of the growth rate and feed efficiency of growing-finishing pigs fed different levels of dietary NE except for the pigs fed the low-energy diet containing the greatest fiber content.
Time as a factor

As in physics, chemistry, and biology, it is common also in soil science to study changes with time as the independent variable, or x axis in a graphical representation. These kinds of relationships are called chrono-functions. Some processes of soil formation, such as podzolization, are simple and rapid enough to be studied by means of laboratory experiments (Fisher & Yam 1984). Most soil-forming processes are too slow for such an approach, and chronofunctions are derived by comparing changes in soils of different age. If such studies are to reflect purely the effect of time on soil formation, then all the studied soils should also be comparable in climate, organisms, topography, and parent material. Such a study set of soils is called a chronosequence. The best known kinds of chrono-sequences are on flights of terraces abandoned on valley walls by downcutting streams (Harden 1982a) and on concentric moraines dumped successively by retreating glaciers (Burke & Birkeland 1979). Chrono-sequence studies are also useful for estimating rates of deformation and recurrence intervals of earthquakes along faults. The security of large permanent engineering works, such as dams and nuclear power plants, in tectonically active areas depends on such studies of soils (Shlemon 1985).
Water Resources and Unconventional Fossil Fuel Development: Linking Physical Impacts to Social Costs

The production of crude oil and natural gas from unconventional reservoirs has become a growth sector within the North American energy industry, and current projections indicate that the production of some of these unconventional fossil fuels will continue accelerating in the foreseeable future. This shift in the energy industry has been accompanied by rising concerns over potential impacts on water resources because producing these fuels is thought to require more water per unit of energy produced than conventional sources and may lead to greater degradation of water quality. In this paper, we address these emerging environmental issues by (a) providing a comprehensive overview of the existing literature on the water quantity and quality implications of producing the main unconventional fossil fuels in North America and (b) characterizing the differences in social costs that arise from the extraction and production of these fuels versus those from conventional fossil fuel production.
TREATMENT OF CONGENITAL MEGACOLON IN 50 INFANTS

Fifty infants less than 1 year old with Hirschsprung9s disease were treated at Children9s Memorial Hospital in the past 6 years. Thirty-two of the 35 barium enema studies yielded "diagnostic" roentgenographic studies, and 3 were "negative" for Hirschsprung9s disease. Fourteen of the 50 infants had a history of diarrhea. Enterocolitis in infants may be extremely rapid in onset and progression. It should be vigorously treated with rectal irrigations and intravenous fluids. Nineteen patients (38%) had aganglionic segments extending above the rectosigmoid colon, and eight (16%) were aganglionic proximal to the splenic flexure. This includes three patients with aganglionosis of the entire colon and one that was aganglionic from the jejunum to anus. Emphasis is placed on an aggressive combined attack by pediatrician, radiologist, pathologist, and surgeon to diagnose and prepare the sick infant as early as possible for colostomy or definitive abdominal-perineal pull-through operation. Twelve infants with an average weight of 12.5 lb were operated on primarily with no deaths or complications. It is our belief that definitive surgery can be done with greater ease in an infant than in older children, but careful selection and preparation of the patient and meticulous operative technique must be exercised. The important criteria for selection of infants for immediate resection are the absence of emaciation and enterocolitis, although the infant may be small. Twenty-six infants had colostomy and resection with no deaths or complications. Our raw mortality figures show 10 deaths in 50 patients (20%). There were 7 deaths in 47 surgical patients (15%).
Physical frailty in late-life depression is associated with deficits in speed-dependent executive functions.

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the association between physical frailty and neurocognitive performance in late-life depression (LLD). Methods Cross-sectional design using baseline data from a treatment study of late-life depression was used in this study. Individuals aged 60 years and older were diagnosed with major depressive disorder at time of assessment (N = 173). All participants received clinical assessment of depression and completed neuropsychological testing during a depressive episode. Physical frailty was assessed using an adaptation of the FRAIL scale. Neuropsychological domains were derived from a factor analysis that yielded three factors: (i) speeded executive and fluency, (ii) episodic memory, and (iii) working memory. Associations were examined with bivariate tests and multivariate models. Results Depressed individuals with a FRAIL score >1 had worse performance than nonfrail depressed across all three factors; however, speeded executive and fluency was the only factor that remained significant after controlling for depression symptom severity and demographic characteristics. Conclusions Although physical frailty is associated with broad neurocognitive deficits in LLD, it is most robustly associated with deficits in speeded executive functions and verbal fluency. Causal inferences are limited by the cross-sectional design, and future research would benefit from a comparison group of nondepressed older adults with similar levels of frailty. Research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying associations among depression symptoms, physical frailty, and executive dysfunction and how they are related to the cognitive and symptomatic course of LLD.
Primer ID Validates Template Sampling Depth and Greatly Reduces the Error Rate of Next Generation Sequencing of HIV-1 Genomic RNA Populations

Validating the sampling depth and reducing sequencing errors are critical for studies of viral populations using next-generation sequencing (NGS). We previously described the use of Primer ID to tag each viral RNA template with a block of degenerate nucleotides in the cDNA primer. We now show that low-abundance Primer IDs (offspring Primer IDs) are generated due to PCR/sequencing errors. These artifactual Primer IDs can be removed using a cutoff model for the number of reads required to make a template consensus sequence. We have modeled the fraction of sequences lost due to Primer ID resampling. For a typical sequencing run, less than 10% of the raw reads are lost to offspring Primer ID filtering and resampling. The remaining raw reads are used to correct for PCR resampling and sequencing errors. We also demonstrate that Primer ID reveals bias intrinsic to PCR, especially at low template input or utilization. cDNA synthesis and PCR convert ca. 20% of RNA templates into recoverable sequences, and 30-fold sequence coverage recovers most of these template sequences. We have directly measured the residual error rate to be around 1 in 10,000 nucleotides. We use this error rate and the Poisson distribution to define the cutoff to identify preexisting drug resistance mutations at low abundance in an HIV-infected subject. Collectively, these studies show that >90% of the raw sequence reads can be used to validate template sampling depth and to dramatically reduce the error rate in assessing a genetically diverse viral population using NGS. IMPORTANCE Although next-generation sequencing (NGS) has revolutionized sequencing strategies, it suffers from serious limitations in defining sequence heterogeneity in a genetically diverse population, such as HIV-1 due to PCR resampling and PCR/sequencing errors. The Primer ID approach reveals the true sampling depth and greatly reduces errors. Knowing the sampling depth allows the construction of a model of how to maximize the recovery of sequences from input templates and to reduce resampling of the Primer ID so that appropriate multiplexing can be included in the experimental design. With the defined sampling depth and measured error rate, we are able to assign cutoffs for the accurate detection of minority variants in viral populations. This approach allows the power of NGS to be realized without having to guess about sampling depth or to ignore the problem of PCR resampling, while also being able to correct most of the errors in the data set.
The importance of reactant positioning in enzyme catalysis: A hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics study of a haloalkane dehalogenase

Abstract Hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations using Austin Model 1 system-specific parameters were performed to study the SN2 displacement reaction of chloride from 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) by nucleophilic attack of the carboxylate of acetate in the gas phase and by Asp-124 in the active site of haloalkane dehalogenase from Xanthobacter autotrophicus GJ10. The activation barrier for nucleophilic attack of acetate on DCE depends greatly on the reactants having a geometry resembling that in the enzyme or an optimized gas-phase structure. It was found in the gas-phase calculations that the activation barrier is 9 kcal/mol lower when dihedral constraints are used to restrict the carboxylate nucleophile geometry to that in the enzyme relative to the geometries for the reactants without dihedral constraints. The calculated quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics activation barriers for the enzymatic reaction are 16.2 and 19.4 kcal/mol when the geometry of the reactants is in a near attack conformer from molecular dynamics and in a conformer similar to the crystal structure (DCE is gauche), respectively. This haloalkane dehalogenase lowers the activation barrier for dehalogenation of DCE by 2–4 kcal/mol relative to the single point energies of the enzyme's quantum mechanics atoms in the gas phase. SN2 displacements of this sort in water are infinitely slower than in the gas phase. The modest lowering of the activation barrier by the enzyme relative to the reaction in the gas phase is consistent with mutation experiments.
Unity amidst heterogeneity in theories of concepts

This commentary raises two concerns with Machery's approach in Doing without Concepts. The first concern is that it may be possible to preserve a unified theory of concepts by distinguishing facts about concept individuation from facts about cognitive structures and processes. The second concern questions the sharpness of the distinction Machery draws between psychological and philosophical conceptions of concepts.
Lead(II) ion sorption and transport using polymer inclusion membranes containing tri-octylphosphine oxide

Abstract A polymer material composed of cellulose triacetate as support, dioctyl terephthalate or o-nitrophenyl octyl ether as plasticizer (solvent) and tri-octylphosphine oxide as complexant, was investigated as a solid extractant for Pb(II) ion sorption and as a membrane material for lead(II) ion transport. The influence of the counter-ion on sorption and transport processes was investigated. High permeabilities of PbI2 and Pb(SCN)2 complexes were observed for both solvents studied. The transport mechanism is described in terms of diffusion coefficients (D) and distribution constants (KP).
Infection-induced viscerosensory signals from the gut enhance anxiety: Implications for psychoneuroimmunology

Infection and inflammation lead to changes in mood and cognition. Although the "classic" sickness behavior syndrome, involving fatigue, social withdrawal, and loss of appetites are most familiar, other emotional responses accompany immune activation, including anxiety. Recent studies have shown that gastrointestinal bacterial infections lead to enhanced anxiety-like behavior in mice. The bacteria-induced signal is most likely carried by vagal sensory neurons, and occurs early on (within 6h) during the infection. These signals induce evidence of activation in brain regions that integrate viscerosensory information with mood, and potentiate activation in brain regions established as key players in fear and anxiety. The findings underline the importance of viscerosensory signals arising from the gastrointestinal tract in modulation of behaviors appropriate for coping with threats, and suggest that these signals may contribute to affective symptoms associated with gastrointestinal disorders.
TIA-1 regulates the production of tumor necrosis factor alpha in macrophages, but not in lymphocytes.

Objective To determine whether TIA-1 differentially regulates the production of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) in macrophages and lymphocytes. Methods Peritoneal macrophages derived from wild-type and TIA-1−/− mice were cultured in the absence or presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) before comparison of the production of TNFα protein by intracellular flow cytometry and the secretion of TNFα protein by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In parallel experiments, splenocytes were cultured in the absence or presence of concanavalin A (Con A), phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)/ionomycin, or anti-CD3/anti-CD28 before comparing the production of TNFα protein. Finally, the relative expression of TIA-1 protein in macrophages and splenocytes was compared using immunoblotting analysis. Results LPS-activated peritoneal macrophages derived from TIA-1−/− mice produced significantly more TNFα than macrophages from wild-type controls. In contrast, splenic lymphocytes (CD3+, CD4+, or CD8+) derived from wild-type and TIA-1−/− mice produced similar amounts of TNFα in response to Con A, PMA/ionomycin, or anti-CD3/anti-CD28. Lymphocytes and macrophages expressed similar amounts of TIA-1 protein, indicating that differential expression of TIA-1 cannot account for these results. Conclusion TIA-1 is the target of a regulatory pathway that operates in activated macrophages, but not in activated lymphocytes. Developing drugs that target this pathway might prevent the pathologic overexpression of TNFα without subverting the T lymphocyte response to microbial pathogens.
Photosynthesis in vitro I. Achievement of high rates

Abstract Photosynthetic 14 CO 2 fixation, at rates up to half the expected maximum in vivo rates for spinach leaves, has been achieved with a system reconstituted from washed, broken spinach chloroplasts and soluble components from previously isolated whole chloroplasts. This 14 CO 2 fixation is strictly light-dependent, and the resulting products are principally intermediate compounds of the reductive pentose phosphate cycle. This complete cycle is operating in the reconstituted system, since only the carboxylation product, 3-phosphoglycerate, is required as a primer.
Tanzanite as conflict gem: Certifying a secure commodity chain in Tanzania

Abstract Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, the Wall Street Journal published an article claiming that al Qaeda sympathizers were using an obscure gemstone commodity known as tanzanite to raise funds for terrorist activities. Despite subsequent disclaimers by the US State Department, this allegation effectively marked tanzanite as a “conflict gem,” and set in motion a complex set of political maneuvers designed to rehabilitate the tanzanite industry’s reputation. This paper analyzes the immediate fallout from the Wall Street Journal article and the subsequent effects of anti-terrorist rhetoric on the tanzanite industry. I explore the origins of the “conflict gem” discourse and the political movement that has taken shape over the past decade to reform gemstone mining. Drawing on theories developed by critics of the fair trade movement, I examine a series of steps taken by the main corporate miner active in the tanzanite industry to re-brand and certify tanzanite as “conflict-free.” I underscore the degree to which these efforts have been inflected by new security provisions embodied in the USA Patriot Act.
Food-specific serum immunoglobulin E measurements in children presenting with food allergy

Abstract Background In children with food allergy, multiple food-specific serum IgE levels to common food allergens are frequently measured. Objective To compare food-specific serum IgE measurements among common food allergens in children with food allergy to determine the characteristics of the measurements, their ability to discriminate between foods associated and not associated with a presenting clinical reaction, and their change over time. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted of food-specific serum IgE to cow's milk, egg white and yolk, peanuts, almond, and soy, for up to 3 subsequent measurements, in 291 children with food allergy. A food-specific serum IgE level lower than 0.35 kU/L was considered a negative measurement. The correlation of IgE measurements with presenting symptoms was conducted for each food in 172 children. Results Of 1,312 food-specific serum IgE measurements, 69.8% were positive. The median (interquartile range) IgE level for foods associated with the presenting complaint was 7.3 kU/L (2.7–31) and that for foods not associated with a clinical complaint was 2.2 kU/L (0.38–13). The difference was statistically significant ( P = .01) only for cow's milk. Specific IgE levels were highest for peanuts, followed by cow's milk, eggs, soy, and almonds, and trended upward over time. Conclusion In children presenting with clinical symptoms of a reaction to a food allergen, measurements of food-specific serum IgE to other common food allergens are commonly positive. An increase in food-specific serum IgE occurs over time.
Texture in digital breast tomosynthesis: a comparison between mammographic and tomographic characterization of parenchymal properties

Studies have demonstrated a relationship between mammographic texture and breast cancer risk. To date, texture analysis has been limited by tissue superimposition in mammography. Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) is a novel x-ray imaging modality in which 3D images of the breast are reconstructed from a limited number of source projections. Tomosynthesis alleviates the effect of tissue superimposition and offers the ability to perform tomographic texture analysis; having the potential to ultimately yield more accurate measures of risk. In this study, we analyzed texture in DBT and digital mammography (DM). Our goal was to compare tomographic versus mammographic texture characterization and evaluate the robustness of texture descriptors in reflecting characteristic parenchymal properties. We analyzed DBT and DM images from 40 women with recently detected abnormalities and/or previously diagnosed breast cancer. Texture features, previously shown to correlate with risk, were computed from the retroareolar region. We computed the texture correlation between (i) the DBT and DM, and (ii) between contralateral and ipsilateral breasts. The effect of the gray-level quantization on the observed correlations was investigated. Low correlation was detected between DBT and DM features. The correlation between contralateral and ipsilateral breasts was significant for both modalities, and overall stronger for DBT. We observed that the selection of the gray-level quantization algorithm affects the detected correlations. The strong correlation between contralateral and ipsilateral breasts supports the hypothesis that parenchymal properties appear to be inherent in an individual woman; the texture of the unaffected breast could potentially be used as a marker of risk.
Short communication: Effect of trans-10,cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid on activation of lipogenic transcription factors in bovine mammary epithelial cells

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of trans-10,cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (t10c12CLA) on the activation of transcription factors that potentially regulate lipid synthesis in a bovine mammary epithelial cell line (MAC-T). Cells were transfected with luciferase reporter constructs containing sterol response element (SRE and SRE complex) for sterol regulatory element binding protein-1, peroxisome proliferator response element for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, or liver X receptor response element for liver X receptor. Different concentrations of t10c12CLA (0, 25, 50, 75, or 100μM) were applied to cells to determine the activation of transcription factors. The influence of t10c12CLA bond structure on transcription factor activation was also investigated by treating cells with different 18:1 fatty acid isomers (trans-10 18:1 or cis-12 18:1) at 100μM. Cells were harvested for luciferase assay after 24h of treatment. Compared with linoleic acid and cis-9,trans-11 CLA controls, the SRE reporters had significantly lower activity in t10c12CLA-treated cells at 50 and 75μM for SRE complex and SRE, respectively. Lower SRE and SRE complex activation was observed in t10c12CLA treatment at 25, 50, and 75μM compared with 0μM. The peroxisome proliferator response element and liver X receptor response element reporters did not respond differently between the t10c12CLA treatment and controls. Compared with t10c12CLA, both trans-10 18:1 and cis-12 18:1 increased the activities of SRE and SRE complex reporters by 1.3- to 4.2-fold. In conclusion, t10c12CLA has an inhibitory role in lipogenic transcription factor activation of SRE, and this negative effect is due to the conjugation of trans-10 and cis-12 double bonds in the fatty acid. Furthermore, we found no support for a regulatory role of response elements for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ or liver X receptor in the t10c12CLA inhibition of mammary lipid synthesis.
Harry stack sullivan: Opening the door for a transpersonal vision?

Abstract As an apparently typical neo‐Freudian theorist, Harry Stack Sullivan may appear to have had little to offer to the development of transpersonal thought. Yet a closer examination of his work reveals several elements in his theorizing that (1) are surprising, given his intellectual heritage, and (2) allow for the extension of his theorizing in the direction of a transpersonal perspective. Sullivan's views on the nature and origin of anxiety, the inescapability of anxiety, empathy, and the need for sleep are examined with an eye toward parallels between his views and a transpersonal perspective. It is suggested that these elements of Sullivan's work provide a type of bridge between conventional and transpersonal perspectives on self and personality development.
Comments on bufferbloat

While there has been much buzz in the community about the large depth of queues throughout the Internet---the so-called "bufferbloat" problem---there has been little empirical understanding of the scope of the phenomenon. Yet, the supposed problem is being used as input to engineering decisions about the evolution of protocols. While we know from wide scale measurements that bufferbloat can happen, we have no empirically-based understanding of how often bufferbloat does happen. In this paper we use passive measurements to assess the bufferbloat phenomena.
Microbial structuring of marine ecosystems

Despite the impressive advances that have been made in assessing the diversity of marine microorganisms, the mechanisms that underlie the participation of microorganisms in marine food webs and biogeochemical cycles are poorly understood. Here, we stress the need to examine the biochemical interactions of microorganisms with ocean systems at the nanometre to millimetre scale--a scale that is relevant to microbial activities. The local impact of microorganisms on biogeochemical cycles must then be scaled up to make useful predictions of how marine ecosystems in the whole ocean might respond to global change. This approach to microbial oceanography is not only helpful, but is in fact indispensable.
Plasma noradrenaline increases with age.

WE measured plasma noradrenaline (NA) levels in about 20 individuals who were to serve as normal control subjects and noted that older subjects tended to have higher NA levels. Extending the study to teenage and elderly subjects revealed that basal levels of plasma NA correlate with age and that the increase in plasma NA in response to stress is similarly related to age. There is considerable evidence that sensitivity to NA and NA metabolism change with increasing age. In rabbits and cats the threshold for cardiovascular response to low levels of NA decreases with old age1. In ageing rats uptake of NA into the heart is greater than in young animals2 and there is a diminished inotropic response of aged rat myocardium to a fixed concentration of NA (ref. 3). Cardiac monoamine oxidase activity increases severalfold during the life span of a rat while dopa decarboxylase decreases during the first year2. In man, propranalol, which blocks β-adrenergic receptors, reduces heart rate and cardiac output during exercise, but this effect is considerably smaller in older subjects4. The response of heart rate to hypoxia and hypercapnia is attenuated in older men5.
Transformation of polymerization of polar vinyl monomers by discrete and hybrid metal catalysts

Chiral metallocene cations, discrete main group anions, dually active ion pairs and nucleophile/electrophile pairs have been utilized to transform the polymerization of polar vinyl monomers from one type to another. These discrete or hybrid catalysts have enabled the development of five types of such polymerizations, including stereospecific and living coordination polymerization, asymmetric coordination polymerization, single-site anionic polymerization, bimolecular polymer-transfer polymerization, and diastereospecific ion-pairing polymerization.
Using a Gradient Vector to Find Multiple Periodic Oscillations in Suspension Bridge Models

(2005). Using a Gradient Vector to Find Multiple Periodic Oscillations in Suspension Bridge Models. The College Mathematics Journal: Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 16-26.
Cambodian System of Writing and Beginning Reader with Drills and Glossary

This volume consists of four parts: (1) The Cambodian Writing System, a formal description of the relationship between the writing system and the phonology of the language; (2) Programmed Reading Exercises, a series of highly structured reading drills to train the student to read all regular Cambodian word shapes; (3) Beginning Cambodian Reader, fifty reading selections, graded in length and difficulty, ranging from short, simple narratives to essays on various aspects of Cambodian culture; and (4) Cambodian-English Glossary, containing some 2,000 words.
Computer Simulation of Potato Processing

The ERRC food process simulator computer program is described. With the potato flake process as a prototype, we show that the simulation computer program predicts composition and texture. It is written in a user friendly Fortran, requiring no Fortran knowledge by the user and can be used with an IBM* compatible PC. The program can be expanded, with appropriate models, to other food processes.
Age-dependent loss of corticosterone modulation of central serotonin 5-HT1A receptor binding sites.

A loss of endocrine and neurotransmitter system interactions, including corticosterone regulation of 5-HT1Areceptors, may underlie the age-related deficits in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis including adapting to stress. In this study, female Fischer 344 rats, (ages 3, 13, and 18 months), were bilaterally adrenalectomized and supplemented for 3 weeks with placebo or corticosterone (200 mg or 600 mg) containing 21 day sustained-release pellets implanted subcutaneously (LC, MC, or HC, respectively). Scatchard analysis using the 5-HT1A receptor agonist [3H]8-hydroxy-2-(di-N-propylamino) tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) demonstrated a significant decrease in hippocampal receptor density in 3 month and 13 month MC groups (-35.2 and -32.1%, respectively) as compared to age-matched LC groups; a significant decline in 5-HT1A receptor density in 3 month and 13 month HC groups was found compared to age-matched MC groups (−16.7 and −22.0%, respectively). However, these hormone treatments (LC or HC) failed to alter hippocampal 5-HT1A binding site density in the 18 month groups. Cortical 5-HT1A receptor densities were altered in a similar age-dependent manner. In contrast, the density of hypothalamic 5-HT1A receptors in the 18 month LC group was significantly increased above that in the 3 month LC group. An additional indicator of the hippocampal response to corticosterone, the distribution of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), revealed an age-related decline in responsiveness to hormone treatment in the oldest group. The present study has identified an age-associated deficit in the regulation of hippocampal 5-HT1A receptors by corticosterone which may underlie the diminished capacity of the aging HPA axis to cope with stress. J. Neurosci. Res. 53:86–98, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Comment regarding the functional form of the Schmidt law

Abstract Star formation rates on the galactic scale are described phenomenologically by two distinct relationships, as emphasized recently by Elmegreen [Elmegreen, B.G., 2002. ApJ, 577, 206. astro-ph/0207114 .]. The first of these is the Schmidt law, which is a power-law relation between the star formation rate SFR and the column density Σ. The other relationship is that there is a cutoff in the gas density below which star formation shuts off. The purpose of this paper is to argue that: (1) these two relationships can be accommodated by a single functional form of the Schmidt law, (2) this functional form is motivated by the hypothesis that star formation is a critical phenomenon, and that as a corollary, (3) the existence of a sharp cutoff may thus be an emergent property of galaxies, as was argued by Seiden [Seiden, P.E.,1983. ApJ, 266, 555.], as opposed to the classical view that this cutoff is due to an instability criterion.
Infrared transmitting fluoride glasses: fibers

Recently zirconium fluoride-based glasses have emerged as leading candidates for ultralow-loss fiber applications in the mid-IR region because of their superior glass-forming ability relative to many other halide glasses. However, compared with the silica-based glass systems, the fluorozirconate glasses generally exhibit an extremely narrow working range of only ~75°C and a much larger change in shear viscosity with respect to small temperature fluctuations in the fiber drawing regime.1 These departures from the oxide glass behavior can result in severe devitrification or frequent fiber rupture during the drawing process. To suppress the crystallization tendency and the high activation energy for viscous flow of the zirconium fluoride glasses, it is necessary to incorporate modifiers such as AIF3, LiF, NaF, PbF2, and SbF3. Multicomponent zirconium fluoride-based optical fiber glass systems currently under extensive investigation include ZrF4-BaF2- LaF3-AIF3-LiF-PbF2.1 ZrF4-BaF2-GdF3-AIF3- SbF3,2 ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AIF3-NaF,3 and ZrF4- HfF4-BaF2-ThF4-LaF3-AIF3-LiF-NaF.4
Neurobiological Models in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Effects on Public Perception and Patient Care

ABSTRACT Concurrent with the many controversies that have surrounded the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there has been an increasing understanding of the neurobiology of trauma and PTSD. The result of this work has provided considerable evidence that trauma can change the brain and that individuals with PTSD are affected by a range of neurobiological alterations. These neurobiological findings are likely to have some impact on the controversies surrounding the field and significant implications for how the public views the trauma survivor as well as how survivors view themselves. After providing a brief primer on some of the most recent neurobiological findings, the clinical implications of such a “brain-based” model of PTSD are discussed.
Changes in DPTA‐Fe levels in a loamy sand as influenced by ionic strength

Abstract A laboratory column study was conducted to determine the influence of eluent ionic strength on Fe transport and DPTA‐Fe levels in a coarse‐textured soil. Leaching solutions consisted of either 10‐2, 10‐4 mol L‐1 KC1 or distilled H2O, adjusted to pH 4.8. Approximately, two pore volumes, 750 ml of solution, were applied to the soil columns., after which the columns were analyzed for pH and DPTA‐Fe with depth. Soil leached with 10‐2 mol L‐1 KC1 exhibited lower DPTA‐Fe levels compared to the 10‐4 mol L‐1 KC1 and H2O treatment. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), inositol hexaphosphate and Fe in collected leachates increased with low ionic strength treatments. Changes in the distribution pattern of DPTA‐Fe in the soil columns and in leachate Fe were attributed to increased dissolution of Fe oxides by soluble organic acids and inositol hexaphosphate.
Modeling of pneumatic valve dispenser for printing viscous biomaterials in additive manufacturing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is establishing a general mathematical model and theoretical design rules for 3D printing of biomaterials. Additive manufacturing of biomaterials provides many opportunities for fabrication of complex tissue structures, which are difficult to fabricate by traditional manufacturing methods. Related problems and research tasks are raised by the study on biomaterials’ 3D printing. Most researchers are interested in the materials studies; however, the corresponded additive manufacturing machine is facing some technical problems in printing user-prepared biomaterials. New biomaterials have uncertainty in physical properties, such as viscosity and surface tension coefficient. Therefore, the 3D printing process requires lots of trials to achieve proper printing parameters, such as printing layer thickness, maximum printing line distance and printing nozzle’s feeding speed; otherwise, the desired computer-aided design (CAD) file will not be printed successfully in 3D printing. ...
The Women’s Health Initiative: the latest findings from long-term follow-up

JoAnn Manson speaks to Hannah Branch, Commissioning Editor Dr JoAnn Manson is board-certified endocrinologist, epidemiologist and specialist in women’s health and preventive medicine. She is a Professor of Medicine and the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School (MA, USA). In addition, she is Chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine, and Co-Director of the Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Dr Manson is Principal Investigator of several notable NIH-funded investigations, including the Women’s Health Initiative Clinical Center in Boston (MA, USA) and the VITAL trial. She has been honored with a number of awards, such as the American Medical Women’s Association’s Woman in Science Award, the American Heart Association’s Distinguished Scientist Award and the Bernadine Healy Award for Visionary Leadership in Women’s Health. She is also an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National ...
Metacognitive control over the distribution of practice: When is spacing preferred?

The authors clarify the source of a conflict between previous findings related to metacognitive control over the distribution of practice. In a study by L. Son (2004), learners were initially presented pairs of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) vocabulary words and their common synonyms for 1 s, after which they chose to study the pair again immediately (massed practice), later (spaced practice), or not at all (done). Learners chose spaced practice less as pair difficulty increased. A. S. Benjamin and R. D. Bird (2006), using different materials and procedures and a longer presentation duration (5 s), concluded just the opposite. The authors adopted Son’s materials and procedures and replicated her findings with a 1-s stimulus duration. However, the declining choice of spacing as item difficulty increased largely reflected learners’ failure to fully perceive items with brief presentations. With longer presentations, ensuring full perception, the choice of spaced practice increased with greater pair difficulty, in agreement with Benjamin and Bird. Theoretical implications are discussed in the context of discrepancy-reduction and proximal-learning perspectives.