cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Safety and Efficacy of Influenza Vaccine in Children

OBJECTIVE:To describe the safety and efficacy of influenza vaccines in asthmatic children.DATA SOURCES:Literature was identified by a MEDLINE search (2002–March 2003). Key search terms included asthma, exacerbation, children, vaccine, and influenza.DATA SYNTHESIS:Concerns that the influenza vaccine may exacerbate asthma attacks have kept many asthmatic children from receiving this immunization. Researchers have conducted studies to determine the burden of influenza on asthmatic children, the safety of influenza vaccines, and their benefit in the presence of glucocorticoid burst therapy in the same population.CONCLUSIONS:Influenza vaccines tested are safe and efficacious in asthmatic children.
Cross-sections for production of 7Be from light targets by 2·2 GeV protons

Abstract The cross-sections for the production of 7Be from 14N, 15N, 16O, and 18O by bombardment with 2·2 GeV protons have been measured to be 8·6 ± 0·8, 5·4 ± 0·5, 8·8 ± 0·4, and 5·5 ± 0·4 mb, respectively.
Clinical features of neonatal seizures.

Objectives: Identification of seizures in neonates is difficult. This study analyses the clinical features of seizures in a cohort of neonates. Methodology: The clinical events of 41 neonates referred for investigation of suspected seizures were studied with prolonged video/electroencephalographic (EEG) telemetry. Results: Sixteen neonates had no seizures recorded; 25 had confirmed seizures, 13 with clinical correlates. Each neonate with electroclinical seizures had paroxysms of abnormal movements in stereotyped patterns. These patterns were consistently found to have electrical correlates. Focal clonic movements were seen most frequently. Multiple clinical features characterized the seizure repertoire in six neonates. In five neonates the clinical features became less evident during monitoring and these seizures were difficult to recognize. This change was associated with anticonvulsant administration in three cases. Conclusions: Electroclinical seizures are characterized by abnormal paroxysmal stereotyped behaviour, often with multiple clinical features. Recommendations for the management of abnormal neonatal events are proposed.
Shorter circular staple is height associated with lower anastomotic stricture rate in laparoscopic gastric bypass

Abstract Background Anastomotic stenosis, leak, and hemorrhage are common stapler-related complications of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. In May 2007, we transitioned from a 25-mm diameter, 4.8-mm-height circular stapler to a 25-mm, 3.5-mm-height circular stapler. We hypothesized that the staple height would be associated with a decreased incidence of perioperative complications. Methods The records of 360 consecutive patients who had undergone laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass from May 1, 2006 to March 31, 2008 were retrospectively abstracted. The National Surgical Quality Improvement Project and Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative databases were used to collect the patient demographics and track complications of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Data were collected on the rates of anastomotic stenosis requiring dilation of the gastrojejunostomy, anastomotic leak, hemorrhage requiring transfusion, and wound infection. Patients with a 4.8-mm staple height gastrojejunostomy were compared with those with a 3.5-mm staple height gastrojejunostomy for differences in complications. Results The groups were similar with respect to age, gender, body mass index, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, sleep apnea, and surgery duration. In the 4.8- and 3.5-mm staple height groups, 15% and 6.1% required gastrojejunal dilation, respectively ( P = .01). A trend was seen toward a decrease in postoperative hemorrhage (5% versus 2.8%) with the shorter staple height. No anastomotic leaks occurred, and the incidence of wound infection (1.7% versus 2.2%) was similar between the 2 groups. Conclusion In the present study, the use of a 25-mm, 3.5-mm staple height circular stapler was associated with a decreased rate of anastomotic stenosis.
SUBSTANCE P INDUCED RELEASE OF MACROPHAGE MIGRATION INHIBITORY FACTOR FROM RAT BLADDER EPITHELIUM

ABSTRACTPurpose: Substance P (SP), a neuropeptide mediator of neurogenic inflammation, induces vasodilatation, plasma extravasation and hypersensitivity in the bladder. SP induced inflammation is enhanced and maintained by the release of additional mediators. The rat urothelium contains pre-formed macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a known proinflammatory cytokine, suggesting that it may mediate bladder neurogenic inflammation. We documented the time course of SP effects on rat bladder inflammation.Materials and Methods: Subcutaneous SP administration induced neurogenic inflammation. The bladder, urine and serum were removed 15, 30, 60 and 120 minutes following treatment, and changes in MIF, nerve growth factor (NGF), c-fos and cox-2 were determined.Results: SP induced significant MIF and NGF release from the bladder following 30 minutes of exposure. cox-2 protein was detected at significant levels following 60 minutes of SP exposure. Basal c-fos protein could be detected in control bladders wi...
Software for estimating sparse Hessian matrices

The solution of a nonlinear optimization problem often requires an estimate of the Hessian matrix for a function f. In large scale problems, the Hessian matrix is usually sparse, and then estimation by differences of gradients is attractive because the number of differences can be small compared to the dimension of the problem. In this paper we describe a set of subroutines whose purpose is to estimate the Hessian matrix with the least possible number of gradient evaluations.
The innate immune response to coxsackievirus B3 predicts progression to cardiovascular disease and heart failure in male mice

Men are at an increased risk of dying from heart failure caused by inflammatory heart diseases such as atherosclerosis, myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). We previously showed that macrophages in the spleen are phenotypically distinct in male compared to female mice at 12 h after infection. This innate immune profile mirrors and predicts the cardiac immune response during acute myocarditis. In order to study sex differences in the innate immune response, five male and female BALB/c mice were infected intraperitoneally with coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) or phosphate buffered saline and their spleens were harvested 12 h later for microarray analysis. Gene expression was determined using an Affymetrix Mouse Gene 1.0 ST Array. Significant gene changes were verified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction or ELISA. During the innate immune response to CVB3 infection, infected males had higher splenic expression of genes which are important in regulating the influx of cholesterol into macrophages, such as phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and the macrophage scavenger receptor compared to the infected females. We also observed a higher expression in infected males compared to infected females of squalene synthase, an enzyme used to generate cholesterol within cells, and Cyp2e1, an enzyme important in metabolizing cholesterol and steroids. Infected males also had decreased levels of the translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO), which binds PLA2 and is the rate-limiting step for steroidogenesis, as well as decreased expression of the androgen receptor (AR), which indicates receptor activation. Gene differences were not due to increased viral replication, which was unaltered between sexes. We found that, compared to females, male mice had a greater splenic expression of genes which are important for cholesterol metabolism and activation of the AR at 12 h after infection. Activation of the AR has been linked to increased cardiac hypertrophy, atherosclerosis, myocarditis/DCM and heart failure in male mice and humans.
Pesticide exposure and risk for Parkinson's disease

Objective: Chronic, low-dose exposure to pesticides is suspected to increase the risk for Parkinson’s disease (PD), but data are inconclusive. Methods: We prospectively examined whether individuals exposed to pesticides have higher risk for PD than those not exposed. The study population comprised participants in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort, a longitudinal investigation of US men and women initiated in 1992 by the American Cancer Society. Follow-up surveys were conducted in 1997, 1999, and 2001. The 143,325 individuals who returned the 2001 survey and did not have a diagnosis or symptoms of PD at baseline (1992) were included in the analyses. Results: Exposure to pesticides was reported by 7,864 participants (5.7%), including 1,956 farmers, ranchers, or fishermen. Individuals exposed to pesticides had a 70% higher incidence of PD than those not exposed (adjusted relative risk, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.2–2.3; p 0.002). The relative risk for pesticide exposure was similar in farmers and nonfarmers. No relation was found between risk for PD and exposure to asbestos, chemical/acids/solvents, coal or stone dust, or eight other occupational exposures. Interpretation: These data support the hypothesis that exposure to pesticides may increase risk for PD. Future studies should seek to identify the specific chemicals responsible for this association. Ann Neurol 2006;60:197–203
Rethinking Empowerment: Evidence from Local Empowerment Zone Programs

The legacy of the federal government’s Empowerment Zone initiative is contested. The evidence undergirding the initiative’s legacy, however, is based primarily on models that estimate national effects. We use an alternative evaluation strategy that places greater emphasis on local Empowerment Zones as distinct programs. Our findings show that several cities did produce improvements that likely can be attributed to the EZ initiative. The results, however, are not consistent across outcomes or cities. Our findings suggest that what happens locally is a vital concern for federal urban policy and also informative for local communities with responsibility for crafting and executing revitalization strategies.
Essential Domains of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Rad8 Required for DNA Damage Response

Schizosaccharomyces pombe Rad8 is a conserved protein homologous to S. cerevisiae [Rad5][1] and human HLTF that is required for error-free postreplication repair by contributing to polyubiquitylation of [PCNA][2]. It has three conserved domains: an E3 ubiquitin ligase motif, a SNF2-family helicase domain, and a family-specific HIRAN domain. Data from humans and budding yeast suggest that helicase activity contributes to replication fork regression and template switching for fork restart. We constructed specific mutations in the three conserved domains and found that both the E3 ligase and HIRAN domains are required for proper response to DNA damage caused by a variety of agents. In contrast, mutations in the helicase domain show no phenotypes in a wild-type background. To determine whether Rad8 functionally overlaps with other helicases, we compared the phenotypes of single and double mutants with a panel of 23 nonessential helicase mutants, which we categorized into five phenotypic groups. Synthetic phenotypes with rad8∆ were observed for mutants affecting recombination, and a rad8 helicase mutation affected the HU response of a subset of recombination mutants. Our data suggest that the S. pombe Rad8 ubiquitin ligase activity is important for response to a variety of damaging agents, while the helicase domain plays only a minor role in modulating recombination-based fork restart during specific forms of replication stress. [1]: http://www.yeastgenome.org/cgi-bin/locus.fpl?dbid=S000004022 [2]: http://www.yeastgenome.org/cgi-bin/locus.fpl?dbid=S000000292
Molecular Dynamics Studies of Hydrofluorocarbons in Faujasite-type Zeolites: Modeling Guest-Induced Cation Migration in Dry Zeolites

We have developed and applied a new force field for simultaneously modeling the dynamics of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and exchangeable Na cations in faujasite-type zeolites. Our aim is to account for (i) the zeolite’s capacity of separating HFC isomers, (ii) the experimentally observed unusual cation migration in Na-Y from the ‚-cages into the supercages upon the adsorption of HFCs, and (iii) the abnormal trans/ gauche ratio in these systems. Energy minimizations and molecular dynamics simulations performed with this force field give excellent agreement with experimental data on heats of adsorption, guest -host distances, infrared spectra, and conformer ratios for different coverages of HFC-134 (CF2H-CF2H) and HFC-134a (CH2F-CF3 )i n Na-X (Si:Al ) 1.2) and Na-Y (Si:Al ) 2.4). The force field also accounts partially for the observed cation migration at intermediate loadings and fully at high loadings. The extent of migration is found to be influenced by the competition among Na-O, Na-F, and Na-Na interactions. The Na-O interaction disfavors migration because Na(I′) sites are found to be energetically more favorable than Na(III′) sites; the Na-F attraction obviously favors migration; and surprisingly, the Na -Na repulsion also favors migration because moving Na cations into supercages leads to better cation dispersion. This migration occurs
Ventral brain stem compression in pediatric and young adult patients with Chiari I malformations.

OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were as follows: 1) to determine the incidence and degree of ventral brain stem compression (VBSC) in pediatric and young adult patients with Chiari I malformations, and 2) to correlate VBSC with other imaging and clinical factors to help determine what amount of VBSC is successfully treated with a posterior decompressive procedure alone. METHODS: The magnetic resonance images and clinical histories of 40 pediatric and young adult patients with Chiari I malformations were analyzed for subjective grade of VBSC, distance of tonsillar descent, odontoid's relation to Chamberlain's and Wackenheim's line, clival length, foramen magnum diameter, syringomyelia, scoliosis, hydrocephalus, presenting clinical status, treatment, and outcome. To objectively measure the amount of ventral cervicomedullary encroachment by the odontoid and its investing tissues into the rostral spinal canal, a line (B-C2) was drawn between the basion and posteroinferior aspect of the C2 body on a sagittal magnetic resonance image. A line perpendicular to this line, pB-C2, was drawn through the odontoid tip to the ventral dura, and a distance (representing the amount of ventral canal encroachment) was measured. RESULTS: Flattening and distortion of the ventral brain stem were present in 48 and 28% of the patients, respectively. Only two patients had basilar invagination by traditional definitions, pB-C2 measurements correlated with the subjective grade of VBSC (P < 0.05), age, and distance of tonsillar descent (P < 0.05). Eye motion abnormalities and upper cervical osseous anomalies were associated with higher pB-C2 measurements. All patients with a pB-C2 measurement of less than 9 mm were treated successfully with posterior fossa decompression alone despite any subjective VBSC. Some patients with pB-C2 measurements greater than 9 mm had either preoperative neurological deficits or neurological worsening after posterior fossa decompression referable to VBSC. CONCLUSION: Patients with a pB-C2 measurement of less than 9 mm do not require treatment directed at VBSC. In select patients with pB-C2 measurements of 9 mm or greater, reduction of VBSC may be prudent before posterior fossa decompression.
Ocular manifestations of ataxia-telangiectasia.

Abstract PURPOSE: To report the manifestations of ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) on the ocular sensory and motor systems. DESIGN: A prospective observational case series. METHODS: In a single tertiary care institition, a comprehensive ophthalmologic evaluation was made of patients with A-T as part of a systemic/neurologic evaluation. Sixty-three A-T patients between the ages of 2 and 28 years were examined. RESULTS: In 58 A-T patients whose visual acuity could be measured, best-corrected visual acuity in the better eye was 20/20 to 20/30 in 39 (67%), 20/40 to 20/50 in 17 (29%), and 20/60 to 20/80 in 2 (4%). The mean geometric visual acuity of the better eye was 20/31. Telangiectatic vessels were seen in the bulbar conjunctiva in 57 of 63 patients (91%) and on the skin of the face of 21 patients (33%). Twenty-four of 63 patients (38%) had strabismus. Esodeviations were the most common, seen in 15 individuals. Apraxia of horizontal gaze was observed in 19 of 63 patients (30%). Hypometric saccades were evident in 48 (76%), pursuit abnormalities in 43 (63%), and nystagmus in 18 (29%). Accommodation was deficient in the 54 patients in whom it was measured. No posterior segment vascular anomalies were detected. CONCLUSIONS: Visual acuity of 20/50 was present in 96% of the patients we examined. Telangiectatic vessels on the bulbar conjunctiva were seen in nearly every patient, though these are of no functional significance. Ocular motor abnormalities, especially strabismus, are a common finding in A-T. Poor accommodation and abnormal eye movements may lead to reading difficulty reported by patients with A-T.
Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Phosphorylation of Splicing Factor 45 (SPF45) Regulates SPF45 Alternative Splicing Site Utilization, Proliferation, and Cell Adhesion

The regulation of alternative mRNA splicing factors by extracellular cues and signal transduction cascades is poorly understood. Using an engineered extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) that can utilize ATP analogs, we have identified the alternative mRNA splicing factor 45 (SPF45), which is overexpressed in cancer, as a novel coimmunoprecipitating ERK2 substrate. ERK2 phosphorylated SPF45 on Thr71 and Ser222 in vitro and in cells in response to H-RasV12, B-RAF-V600E, and activated MEK1. Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1) and p38α also phosphorylated SPF45 in vitro and associated with SPF45 in cells. SPF45 was differentially phosphorylated in cells by all three mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases in response to phorbol myristate acid (PMA), H(2)O(2), UV, and anisomycin stimulation. ERK and p38 activation decreased SPF45-dependent exon 6 exclusion from fas mRNA in a minigene assay in cells. Stable overexpression of SPF45 in SKOV-3 cells dramatically inhibited cell proliferation in a phosphorylation-dependent manner through inhibition of ErbB2 expression. SPF45 overexpression also induced EDA inclusion into fibronectin transcripts and fibronectin expression in a phosphorylation-dependent and -independent manner, respectively, specifically affecting cellular adhesion to a fibronectin matrix. These data identify SPF45 as the first splicing factor regulated by multiple MAP kinase pathways and show effects of both SPF45 overexpression and phosphorylation.
Guidance Matters: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Race-Related Policy Vocabularies Shaping Leadership Preparation

Despite the federal government’s historical effort to ensure educational equity via policies targeting issues critical to U.S. urban cities, a transformation has taken place in the discourses shapi...
Rate control and fairness scheduling for downlink utility-based power control systems

In this paper, we treat the rate control and fairness scheduling problem for downlink UBPC systems. An hierarchical rate allocation scheme is proposed, which is based on the analytical performance analysis for the physical-layer constraints in the UBPC system. Using such a rate control algorithm together with the opportunistic fairness scheduling scheme, the UBPC system achieves rate allocation more fairly in the sense that the instantaneous system throughput and the number of feasible users can be maximized, and meanwhile the long-term fairness can be well guaranteed. We present the simulation results to demonstrate the performance of the proposed algorithms in terms of the throughput and the fairness.
The Influence of Fictive Kin Relationships and Religiosity on the Academic Persistence of African American College Students Attending an HBCU

Academic persistence among African American college students has become an important issue due to the consistent lack of increase in retention and graduation rates of these students attending 4-year institutions. Despite the importance of this issue in the field of education, little has been done to study how cultural factors may influence college students’ academic success. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the ways in which fictive kin relationships and religiosity impact academic persistence in African American college students. Fourteen African American college students attending a Historically Black University were interviewed for the study. Participants were juniors and seniors who were expected to graduate within 2 years. Findings suggest that both fictive kin relationships within the university setting and surrounding community and religiosity to include prayer and attending religious services are used as coping methods contributing to the academic persistence of African America...
Basolateral Amygdala-Nucleus Accumbens Interactions in Mediating Glucocorticoid Enhancement of Memory Consolidation

Systemic or intracerebral administration of glucocorticoids enhances memory consolidation in several tasks. Previously, we reported that these effects depend on an intact basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) and efferents from the BLA that run through the stria terminalis (ST). The BLA projects directly to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) via this ST pathway. The NAc also receives direct projections from the hippocampus and, therefore, may be a site of convergence of BLA and hippocampal influences in modulating memory consolidation. In support of this view, we found previously that lesions of either the NAc or the ST also block the memory-modulatory effect of systemically administered glucocorticoids. The present experiments examined the effects of lesions of the NAc or the ST on the memory-modulatory effects of intracerebral glucocorticoids on inhibitory avoidance training. Microinfusions of the specific glucocorticoid receptor agonist 11β,17β-dihydroxy-6,21-dimethyl-17α-pregna-4,6-trien-20yn-3-one (RU 28362; 1.0 or 3.0 ng) into either the BLA or the hippocampus of male Sprague Dawley rats administered immediately after training enhanced the 48 hr retention performance in a dose-dependent manner. Bilateral lesions of the NAc or the ST alone did not affect retention performance but blocked the memory enhancement induced by intra-BLA or intrahippocampal glucocorticoid receptor agonist administration. These findings indicate that the BLA–NAc pathway plays an essential role in mediating glucocorticoid effects on memory consolidation and suggest that the BLA interacts with hippocampal effects on memory consolidation via this pathway.
Enabling Sustainable Thinking in Undergraduate Engineering Education

In this paper we address the need for curricular changes that foster sustainable thinking and review a number of engineering curricular changes at selected universities, drawing comparisons to medical and other fields. For each engineering program, we examined the level at which sustainability concepts and active-learning methods were integrated into its curricula. A majority of the universities examined ‘‘bolted-on’’ various components of sustainability or student-centered learning into their existing programs. Only one university examined has made significant efforts to redesign engineering education in terms of sustainability and pedagogy. A number of barriers hindering the re-orientation of engineering curricula toward ‘‘sustainable’’ engineering are discussed.
Further evidence that high-density lipoprotein is a chameleon-like lipoprotein

This editorial refers to ‘Serum amyloid A: high-density lipoproteins interaction and cardiovascular risk’ by S. Zewinger et al ., doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehv352. Zewinger et al. 1 studied 3310 patients undergoing coronary angiography in the Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Health (LURIC) Study and determined that serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations predicted all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Patients with low SAA levels and higher high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels had lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. In contrast, patients with high SAA levels and higher HDL cholesterol levels had increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. The authors derived a formula to calculate the levels of biologically ‘effective’ HDL cholesterol based on SAA and HDL cholesterol data from the LURIC Study. They validated this approach using two other populations, one with high SAA levels and very high risk for cardiovascular events: 1255 participants with type 2 diabetes on haemodialysis in the German Diabetes and Dialysis Study (4D) and a population-based survey of inhabitants of Augsburg, Germany (KORA S4 Study). In the KORA S4 Study, 4261 participants were recruited; subjects with previous myocardial infarction ( n = 77), stroke ( n = 48) or with missing values for HDL cholesterol or SAA were excluded ( n = 102) as well as those lost to follow-up ( n = 7). In these populations, HDL cholesterol levels did not predict outcomes, but higher levels of the calculated biologically ‘effective’ HDL cholesterol were associated with reduced risk for all-cause mortality as well as reduced cardiovascular endpoints. In vitro studies showed that SAA-supplemented HDL reduced endothelial nitric oxide (NO) production and increased endothelial production of reactive oxygen species, leading to the loss of the ability of the HDL to decrease adhesion of mononuclear cells to TNF-α-treated endothelial cells. The authors concluded that ‘SAA turned HDL into a pro-inflammatory particle’. In 1994, Liao et al. 2 demonstrated that mildly …
Neuroendocrine mechanisms by which selective Leydig cell castration unleashes increased pulsatile LH release

A novel pharmacological model of acute reversible Leydig cell "castration" induced by a steroidogenic enzyme inhibitor, ketoconazole, achieves marked hypoandrogenemia in healthy men with an attendant 2.5-fold increase in 24-h mean serum luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations. Mechanistically, the unleashing of amplified pulsatile LH release can be accounted for by any of three distinct models of deconvolution-estimated gonadotropin secretion, all of which are marked by a nearly twofold acceleration in LH secretory burst frequency. In addition, the models variously also predict concomitant prolongation of the endogenous LH half-life, an augmented LH secretory burst mass and duration, and/or the emergence of significant basal LH secretion. The nyctohemeral (cosinor analysis) rhythmicity of serum LH concentrations is not disturbed when androgenic negative-feedback signaling is withdrawn abruptly, but the apparent process randomness of LH release increases, as quantified by higher approximate entropy values. Thus we conclude that an intact (closed loop) androgen-mediated negative-feedback network in the adult human male is required to sustain low-frequency pulsatile LH release in a quantifiably orderly manner.
Ecosystem development following deglaciation: A new sedimentary record from Devils Lake, Wisconsin, USA

Abstract Processes and rates of ecosystem development can be reconstructed using lacustrine sedimentary sequences, but this approach often requires records that contain the start of primary succession. Most lakes in the upper Midwestern U.S. were formed by glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age approximately 11,700 cal yr BP. Devils Lake, Wisconsin is a rare example of a lake from this region whose sediments extend into the Pleistocene and may include the Last Glacial Maximum. Sediment magnetic, geochemical, pollen, and charcoal records were generated from a 10 m core whose basal sediments may be 28,000 years old. Together with a previously published pollen record, these proxies combine to reveal a history of long-term climatic, vegetative and geologic change during the late Pleistocene to Holocene. We identify six sedimentary units that indicate a series of consecutive events rather than a predictable trajectory of ecosystem development at the site. Productivity in the lake was low during the late Pleistocene and increased during the Holocene, as reflected by the sediment lithology, which shows a sudden shift from glacial vivianite-rich and organic-poor clastic-dominated sediments to Holocene diatomaceous sapropels. Several important processes initiated around 17,000 cal yr BP, including the onset of organic matter accumulation and fire in the terrestrial ecosystem. However, the post-glacial landscape was not devoid of vegetation because pollen assemblages indicate that terrestrial vegetation, likely a spruce tundra, survived near the site. A switch to a hardwood forest period during the Holocene also led to a change in the fire regime, with increased frequency of burning. Aquatic ecosystem productivity lagged terrestrial ecosystem productivity throughout the record. Nutrient cycling (as recorded by sedimentary δ15N) was variable but not directional, and appeared to be correlated with climate conditions early in the record, and terrestrial ecosystem processes later in the record. Throughout the Holocene magnetic mineral concentration decreased as productivity increased, and the source of magnetic material shifted from almost exclusively lithogenic to approximately 50% derived from soil or biogenic sources. Magnetic grain size, Ambrosia pollen percentages, and charcoal concentration increased and δ15N decreased in the most recent part of the record, due to anthropogenic influence in the region including agricultural activities.
Another ERISA Twist: The Mysterious Case of Pegram and the Missing Fiduciary

In Pegram v. Herdrich, 530 U.S. 211 (2000), the Supreme Court addressed the question whether physicians who are owners of an HMO can be acting as ERISA fiduciaries when they make decisions about which interventions they will provide for their own patients while rendering medical care. The Seventh Circuit had ruled that these physicians can be ERISA fiduciaries and that such financial relationships can constitute a conflict of interest that, in turn, can breach their ERISA fiduciary duty. After observing that HMOs cannot function without at least some resource controls such as financial incentives, the Court ruled that it need not rule on breaches of fiduciary duty, because physicians who are making "mixed" decisions - in which determinations about eligibility for benefits are mixed with medical decisions about which interventions are appropriate for an individual patients' care - are not fiduciary decisions. This Article argues that the Court's analysis was incorrect, because under at least some circumstances physicians can indeed serve as ERISA fiduciaries, even while in the act of directly providing care to their own patients. One particularly clear case is the physician who is paid via capitation. A close examination of ERISA's distinctive statutory definition of "fiduciary" shows that, because capitation gives the physician complete control over a designated range of financial resources, the capitated physician's decisions about resource use (including which costly interventions to order for their own patients) can fully satisfy ERISA's definition, at least with the ambit of capitated resource control. In any given instance, the question whether a treating physician is also acting as an ERISA fiduciary depends on the exact financial arrangements under which he is functioning. To determine that a treating physician has the type of resource control that renders him an ERISA fiduciary, however, does not imply that each and every medical decision he makes for his patients is therefore a fiduciary decision. Indeed, most medical care decisions are not. Rather, this Article shows that only a certain limited subset of medical care decisions are fiduciary, and it provides criteria to discern which are which. At that point it becomes possible to discuss the conflicts of interest that can arise when treating physicians also serve as ERISA fiduciaries. In the context of this analysis, the Article explains why courts, including the Supreme Court, are deeply confused about the financial structures by which health care is now delivered.
Micropatterned sensing hydrogels integrated with reconfigurable microfluidics for detecting protease release from cells.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a central role in the breakdown of the extracellular matrix and are typically upregulated in cancer cells. The goal of the present study is to develop microwells suitable for capture of cells and detection of cell-secreted proteases. Hydrogel microwells comprised of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were photopatterned on glass and modified with ligands to promote cell adhesion. To sense protease release, peptides cleavable by MMP9 were designed to contain a donor/acceptor FRET pair (FITC and DABCYL). These sensing molecules were incorporated into the walls of the hydrogel wells to enable a detection scheme where cells captured within the wells secreted protease molecules which diffused into the gel, cleaved the peptide, and caused a fluorescence signal to come on. By challenging sensing hydrogel microstructures to known concentrations of recombinant MMP9, the limit of detection was determined to be 0.625 nM with a linear range extending to 40 nM. To enhance sensitivity and...
A Conversation About Spectral Data

Spectral data emerge from a relationship formed between a living researcher and a deceased person in a qualitative study. That relationship generates a variety of data (e.g., St. Pierre’s [1997] em...
The Interrelation of Population, Food Supply, and Building in Pre-Conquest Central Mexico

This paper is frankly exploratory, designed to test the possibility of applying historical and archaeological evidence to the solution of certain problems in demography and human ecology for which it is impossible to secure data of more conventional character. The Central Mexican region was selected because it contained for a very long time perhaps the densest population on the North American continent and because the annalistic as well as archaeological information concerning it is remarkably copious. Specifically the area is defined for present purposes as that included in the present states of Vera Cruz, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Puebla, Mexico, Federal District, Morelos, Oaxaca, Michoacan, and Guerrero. This territory is not an ethnic or economic entity since it includes both coastal and highland cultures together with numerous independent linguistic stocks. On the other hand it corresponds to the most intensive area of archaeological investigation outside of Yucatan and is more or less coterminous with the so-called “Aztec Empire” as the latter existed in 1520.
An Access Control Model for Online Social Networks Using User-to-User Relationships

Users and resources in online social networks (OSNs) are interconnected via various types of relationships. In particular, user-to-user relationships form the basis of the OSN structure, and play a significant role in specifying and enforcing access control. Individual users and the OSN provider should be enabled to specify which access can be granted in terms of existing relationships. In this paper, we propose a novel user-to-user relationship-based access control (UURAC) model for OSN systems that utilizes regular expression notation for such policy specification. Access control policies on users and resources are composed in terms of requested action, multiple relationship types, the starting point of the evaluation, and the number of hops on the path. We present two path checking algorithms to determine whether the required relationship path between users for a given access request exists. We validate the feasibility of our approach by implementing a prototype system and evaluating the performance of these two algorithms.
Case 2: Cardiovascular Shock Following Acute Gastroenteritis in a 17-year-old Boy.

1. Lina Merjaneh, MD* 2. Lillian R. Meacham, MD* 1. *Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA. A 17-year-old boy presents to the emergency department with a 3-day history of watery and explosive diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, progressive weakness, and light-headedness. Other family members had diarrhea a few days before and all have recovered. On physical examination, the lethargic and dehydrated teen has a blood pressure of 85/45 mm Hg, heart rate of 120 beats/min, and respiratory rate of 24 breaths/min. His height is 163 cm (4th percentile) and weight is 55 kg (10th percentile). He has dry mucous membranes and sunken eyes with left exotropia. His abdomen is soft and nontender with hyperactive bowels sounds. His pubic hair and genitalia are at Sexual Maturity Rating 1. He has cold extremities, with a capillary refill of 4 seconds. The rest of the physical findings are normal. Initial laboratory evaluation shows metabolic acidosis with pH of 7.24, bicarbonate of 15 mEq/L (15 mmol/L), sodium of 139 mEq/L (139 mmol/L), potassium of 4.6 mEq/L (4.6 mmol/L), glucose of 83 mg/dL (4.6 mmol/L), blood urea nitrogen of 31 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L), and creatinine of 1.4 mg/dL (123.8 μmol/L). He receives aggressive fluid resuscitation with 4 L normal saline without significant improvement. He requires dopamine infusion for 2 days in the pediatric intensive care unit to maintain his blood pressure in the normal …
Taking responsibility for occlusion: the perfect occlusion.

Patients free from occlusal dysfunction rarely have their teeth together. But, when occlusion does occur (i.e., swallowing), the contacts should be simultaneous and in such a manner as to direct the vector of force down the long axis of the tooth or implant. The incline planes should not touch.
Influence of Cultural Conditions on Cytotoxin Production by Salmonella enteritidis.

The ability of Salmonella enteritidis strain 11013 to produce cytotoxic activity against Vero cells was determined under different cultural conditions. The toxin, which was not neutralizable with antiserum to Shiga toxin or Escherichia coli verotoxin-1 or verotoxin-2, was principally cell-associated and was produced primarily during the early stationary phase of growth. Trypticase soy broth was the best of three media evaluated for toxin production. Bacteria produced toxin in the range of pH 4.5 to 8.0 and at 12 to 42°C, with the optimal pH and temperature for toxin production at pH 7.0 and 37°C, respectively. Release of cellular cytotoxin into growth media was induced by growing salmonellae at extremes of pH (4.5 or 8.0) or at high incubation temperature (42°C). The Vero cell CD50 of S. enteritidis lysates of cells grown under optimal conditions was a titer of 150 ± 50 per mg of lysate protein. Although the significance of ingesting preformed Salmonella cytotoxin in human disease is unknown, it can be implied from these results that toxin would not be produced in foods held refrigerated at ≤7°C or acidified at ≤pH 4.0.
Where to Kill the Cyber Kill-Chain: An Ontology-Driven Framework for IoT Security Analytics

In this paper we propose an ontology-based framework for the Internet of Things (IoT) to safeguard against Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). The framework grasps the understanding of attack kill-chain, leveraged attack patterns and vulnerabilities and aligns them with network semantics to gauge their applicability on IoT systems. Followed by that, it automatically infers efficient solutions for changing attack tactics by performing cost-benefit analysis of viable countermeasures through rule-based ontology reasoning. Our work leverages existing ontologies of well-known Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) standards by extending them with new concepts and aligning with a novel IoT ontology. The framework automatically extracts relevant information from XML-based threat feeds, populates it as ontology instances and maps it with IoT configurations to perform the desired reasoning. The practicality of approach has been illustrated by evaluating a sample IoT network against a variety of real-world APTs.
Pulmonary ventilation imaging in asthma and cystic fibrosis using oxygen-enhanced 3D radial ultrashort echo time MRI.

Background A previous study demonstrated the feasibility of using 3D radial ultrashort echo time (UTE) oxygen-enhanced MRI (UTE OE-MRI) for functional imaging of healthy human lungs. The repeatability of quantitative measures from UTE OE-MRI needs to be established prior to its application in clinical research. Purpose To evaluate repeatability of obstructive patterns in asthma and cystic fibrosis (CF) with UTE OE-MRI with isotropic spatial resolution and full chest coverage. Study Type Volunteer and patient repeatability. Population Eighteen human subjects (five asthma, six CF, and seven normal subjects). Field Strength/Sequence Respiratory-gated free-breathing 3D radial UTE (80 μs) sequence at 1.5T. Assessment Two 3D radial UTE volumes were acquired sequentially under normoxic and hyperoxic conditions. A subset of subjects underwent repeat acquisitions on either the same day or ≤15 days apart. Asthma and CF subjects also underwent spirometry. A workflow including deformable registration and retrospective lung density correction was used to compute 3D isotropic percent signal enhancement (PSE) maps. Median PSE (MPSE) and ventilation defect percent (VDP) of the lung were measured from the PSE map. Statistical Tests The relations between MPSE, VDP, and spirometric measures were assessed using Spearman correlations. The test–retest repeatability was evaluated using Bland–Altman analysis and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Results Ventilation measures in normal subjects (MPSE = 8.0%, VDP = 3.3%) were significantly different from those in asthma (MPSE = 6.0%, P = 0.042; VDP = 21.7%, P = 0.018) and CF group (MPSE = 4.5%, P = 0.0006; VDP = 27.2%, P = 0.002). MPSE correlated significantly with forced expiratory lung volume in 1 second percent predicted (ρ = 0.72, P = 0.017). The ICC of the test–retest VDP and MPSE were both ≥0.90. In all subject groups, an anterior/posterior gradient was observed with higher MPSE and lower VDP in the posterior compared to anterior regions (P ≤ 0.0021 for all comparisons). Data Conclusion 3D radial UTE OE-MRI supports quantitative differentiation of diseased vs. healthy lungs using either whole lung VDP or MPSE with excellent test–retest repeatability. Level of Evidence: 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017.
A comparison of three fiber tract delineation methods and their impact on white matter analysis

Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) is an important method for studying white matter connectivity in the brain in vivo in both healthy and clinical populations. Improvements in dMRI tractography algorithms, which reconstruct macroscopic three-dimensional white matter fiber pathways, have allowed for methodological advances in the study of white matter; however, insufficient attention has been paid to comparing post-tractography methods that extract white matter fiber tracts of interest from whole-brain tractography. Here we conduct a comparison of three representative and conceptually distinct approaches to fiber tract delineation: 1) a manual multiple region of interest-based approach, 2) an atlas-based approach, and 3) a groupwise fiber clustering approach, by employing methods that exemplify these approaches to delineate the arcuate fasciculus, the middle longitudinal fasciculus, and the uncinate fasciculus in 10 healthy male subjects. We enable qualitative comparisons across methods, conduct quantitative evaluations of tract volume, tract length, mean fractional anisotropy, and true positive and true negative rates, and report measures of intra-method and inter-method agreement. We discuss methodological similarities and differences between the three approaches and the major advantages and drawbacks of each, and review research and clinical contexts for which each method may be most apposite. Emphasis is given to the means by which different white matter fiber tract delineation approaches may systematically produce variable results, despite utilizing the same input tractography and reliance on similar anatomical knowledge.
The future: Combination systemic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a potentially curable tumor by surgical resection, local ablation, or liver transplantation. However, the majority of patients with HCC present with advanced stage disease, which is most commonly, accompanied by severe background liver disease. Hence, curative treatments are feasible for only a small fraction of patients with localized disease.
Information-Processing Theories

Cognitive theories are generally organized in terms of the processing of information and have frequently used the flow chart as a tool for explication. When applied to the study of motivated behavior they are often referred to as expectancy theories, for they are based on the assumption that people’s behavior is a function of their expectations about achieving desired outcomes. By processing information about behavior-outcome relationships, people are said to form expectations and make decisions about what behaviors to engage in.
Effect of exogenous glucagon and free fatty acids on gluconeogenesis in fasting neonatal pigs.

Thirty-two pigs (1 d old) were used to determine if exogenous glucagon and(or) free fatty acids (FFA oleic acid) would enhance gluconeogenesis and glucose homeostasis during fasting. Pigs were acquired at birth, fitted with an indwelling arterial cannula (via umbilicus) and fasted 24 h to deplete liver glycogen. A jugular cannula was inserted nonsurgically 8 to 10 h before initiation of a primed-continuous infusion consisting of control (excipient), glucagon (Glu), oleic acid (FFA), or both glucagon and oleic acid (Glu-FFA). Plasma Glu averaged 395 pg/ml preinfusion and was similar across treatments. The concentration increased fivefold (P less than .05) by 80 min for Glu and Glu-FFA pigs and remained constant thereafter (160 min: 2,379, 2,258 pg/ml; 240 min: 2,355, 2,274 pg/ml, respectively). Glucagon infusion did not alter plasma glucose after 240 min of infusion (control, 50 vs Glu, 51 mg/dl); however, Glu-FFA effected an increase (60 mg/dl, P less than .10). In contrast, pigs infused with FFA alone had a lower glucose concentration (40 mg/dl, P less than .10). Rate of glucose synthesis was determined using liver slices, acquired immediately postinfusion, with alanine and lactate as substrate (7.5 mM). The rate of synthesis was not altered by Glu or Glu-FFA infusion (2.91, 2.43 mumol glucose X g-1 X h-1 vs 2.91 for control). In contrast, exogenous FFA reduced synthesis to 1.85 mumol glucose X g-1 X h-1 (P less than .05) with lactate as substrate. It appears that Glu is not the primary factor limiting gluconeogenesis in fasting newborn pigs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Deformation, Kinematics and Dynamics

This chapter will systematically discuss the differential geometry, kinematics and dynamics of deformation in continuous media. To discuss deformation geometry, the deformation gradients will be introduced in the local curvilinear coordinate system, and the Green and Cauchy strain tensors will be presented. The length and angle changes will be discussed through Green and Cauchy strain tensors. The velocity gradient will be introduced for discussion of the kinematics, and the material derivatives of deformation gradient, infinitesimal line element, area and volume in the deformed configuration will be presented. The Cauchy stress and couple stress tensors will be defined to discuss the dynamics of continuous media, and the local balances for the Cauchy momentum and angular momentum will be discussed. Piola-Kirchhoff stress tensors will be presented and the Boussinesq and Kirchhoff local balance of momentum will be discussed. The local principles of the energy conservation will be discussed by the virtual work principle. This chapter will present an important foundation of continuum mechanics. From such a foundation, one can further understand other approximate existing theories in deformable body and fluids.