cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Campylobacter Prevalence in Lactating Dairy Cows in the United States

The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal Campylobacter in lactating dairy cows from various regions of the United States. Participating commercial dairy farms were chosen at random and were part of a national survey to determine E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella prevalence in dairy cows. Farms had no previous history of Campylobacter problems. Fecal samples were collected rectally from 720 cows on farms in the northeast (four farms), in the desert southwest (three farms), and in the Pacific west (two farms). A minimum of 60 fecal samples per visit were collected from each farm. Thirty isolates were analyzed using the RiboPrinter Microbial Characterization System to obtain ribosomal RNA patterns. Twenty isolates were tentatively identified as Campylobacter jejuni, two as Campylobacter coli, three as Campylobacter spp., and five as unknown. Individual single-visit farm prevalence ranged from 0 to 10%. The disk diffusion method, employing 11 antibiotics, was used to test the antibiotic sensitivities of 27 of the isolates. Eight isolates were resistant to two or more antibiotics, 13 isolates were resistant to one antibiotic, and 6 were totally susceptible. Under the conditions of this study, the authors conclude that Campylobacter prevalence in lactating dairy cows in the United States is low, there is no difference in prevalence on the basis of geographical location, the predominant species is C. jejuni, and that the majority of these isolates are sensitive to antibiotics.
Local and National Policy-Based Interventions: To Improve Children’s Nutrition

Government agencies have great power to improve public health through federal, state, and local policies. Many examples illustrate how government involvement can help protect or improve the public’s health, including mandated car seats for children, child immunizations, smoking bans in public places, and high tobacco taxes.
The Letters of Her Strange Alphabet

Each of these poems approaches the text of death in a different way. After 30 years as a nurse, Veneta Masson is not surprised when Old Mother Death sits down beside her and waits, “shuffling/the letters of her strange alphabet.” The poet edges closer to “La Muerte,” ready to listen, ready to learn. Dwaine Rieves also attempts to listen. He looks back at death’s presence in a busy Intensive Care Unit and remembers a detail—“a sofa dissolving in pink.” “The Words” have disappeared. The people have disappeared. But Dr. Rieves recalls the tone and texture of the room in which messages of life and death were spoken, an ordinary room, but not an ordinary memory. Arthur Ginsberg senses the possibility of his own death from cancer, acknowledging that we know very little about what goes on within our own bodies. In fact, the enemy may already be “spreading hot tentacles deep within my bedrock.” What was once a fantasy—turning one’s eye within—is now, at least in part, a realistic possibility. In “Colonoscopy” the internal journey becomes humorous and metaphorical. The tipsy poet imagines a cruise along his personal Nile, observing the monuments and “well preserved hieroglyphs.” Are these glyphs actually the strange alphabet of death? Like all good light verse, “Colonoscopy” touches on deeper truths. There is only so much we can learn; the rest is chance. Wayne Liebman acknowledges the role of chance in death’s monopoly. La Muerte always wins the game. Her “Monopoly” of outcomes is supreme. But in the day-to-day moves we make—like buying Baltic Avenue, for example—there are real choices. We can choose life. We can choose poetry. We can also choose forgiveness. In “Dr. Williams, After the Stroke,” George Young evokes the image of the elderly William Carlos Williams, disabled by a stroke, pecking on “this damn typewriter” his last poems. And in this case a
SURVEY OF ARCTIC ALASKAN WILDLIFE FOR INFLUENZA A ANTIBODIES: LIMITED EVIDENCE FOR EXPOSURE OF MAMMALS

Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are maintained in wild waterbirds and have the potential to infect a broad range of species, including wild mammals. The Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska supports a diverse suite of species, including waterfowl that are common hosts of IAVs. Mammals co-occur with geese and other migratory waterbirds during the summer breeding season, providing a plausible mechanism for interclass transmission of IAVs. To estimate IAV seroprevalence and identify the subtypes to which geese, loons, Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus), caribou (Rangifer tarandus), and polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are potentially exposed, we used a blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA) and a hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay to screen for antibodies to IAVs in samples collected during spring and summer of 2012–16. Apparent IAV seroprevalence using the bELISA was 50.3% in geese (range by species: 46–52.8%), 9% in loons (range by species: 3–20%), and 0.4% in Arctic foxes. We found no evidence for exposure to IAVs in polar bears or caribou by either assay. Among geese, we estimated detection probability from replicate bELISA analyses to be 0.92 and also found good concordance (>85%) between results from bELISA and HI assays, which identified antibodies reactive to H1, H6, and H9 subtype IAVs. In contrast, the HI assay detected antibodies in only one of seven loon samples that were positive by bELISA; that sample had low titers to both H4 and H5 IAV subtypes. Our results provide evidence that a relatively high proportion of waterbirds breeding on the Arctic Coastal Plain are exposed to IAVs, although it is unknown whether such exposure occurs locally or on staging or wintering grounds. In contrast, seroprevalence of IAVs in concomitant Arctic mammals is apparently low.
Clinical features, laboratory characteristics and outcomes of patients with renal versus cardiac light chain amyloidosis.

This study evaluated the differences in clinical features of 1077 newly diagnosed AL amyloidosis patients with renal involvement (n = 229, 21%), both cardiac and renal involvement (n = 443, 41%) and cardiac involvement (n = 405, 38%). Significant differences in dFLC (difference in involved and uninvolved light chains) were noted (renal, both, cardiac median: 83, 234 and 349 mg/l, P < 0.001). The proportion of patients with ≥ 10% bone marrow plasma cells (BMPCs) was lowest in renal only patients: 44%, 57%, 64%, respectively, P < 0.001. In a multivariate linear regression model incorporating organ involvement type and BMPCs ≥10%, organ involvement was a significant predictor of dFLC (P < 0.001). Median overall survival (OS) across the three groups was 83 vs. 19 vs. 16 months (P < 0.001) in patients not undergoing transplant and 5-year OS in patients undergoing transplant was 90% vs. 75% vs. 64% (P = 0.007), respectively. In conclusion, renal involvement alone or renal + cardiac involvement in AL amyloidosis is associated with lower circulating light chain burden, which cannot be fully explained by BMPC burden alone. Increased sensitivity of the kidney to light chains, given significant interactions with the renal tubular system and secretion of modified light chain products may play a role in pathogenesis of renal AL amyloidosis and warrants further investigation.
[N,N′-Bis(2-pyridyl­methyl)­oxamidato]­palladium(II) monohydrate chloro­form hemisolvate

The title compound, [Pd(C14H12N4O2)]·H2O·0.5CHCl3, features a Pd2+ metal center chelated by the four N atoms of the organic ligand N,N′-bis(2-pyridyl­methyl)­ox­amide. The asymmetric unit is composed of two similar independent Pd(C14H12N4O2) mol­ecules, two water mol­ecules and one mol­ecule of CHCl3. Hydro­gen bonds between the carbonyl O atoms of the chelating ligand and the water molecules link the mol­ecules into two-dimensional layers parallel to the crystallographic ac plane.
Prevalence and Patterns of Dental Care Utilization among US-Born and Non–US Born Hispanics in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos:

Objectives:Access to routine dental services is important to maintaining good oral health. The aims of this study were to describe the dental care utilization patterns of a diverse group of Hispani...
A Robust MPC-based Hierarchical Control Strategy for Energy Management of Hybrid Electric Vehicles in Presence of Uncertainty.

This paper focuses on developing a control theoretic solution for energy management of power-split Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) in presence of uncertainty in future torque demand and vehicle velocity. We propose a hierarchical control structure that solves the energy management problem over the whole driving cycle in the high-level by means of pseudospectral optimal control method. This solution is then utilized in the low-level controller, which uses a tube-based Model Predictive Control (MPC) controller, as a reference trajectory and also for modeling its terminal cost for each finite time horizon. Simulation results show the efficacy of our control strategy in terms of constraint satisfaction, real-time applicability, and fuel economy in presence of uncertainty in the driving cycle.
Pelvic injury prognosis is more closely related to vascular injury severity than anatomical fracture complexity: the WSES classification for pelvic trauma makes sense

The most common cause of death in cases of pelvic trauma is exsanguination caused by associated injuries, not the pelvic injury itself. For patients with relatively isolated pelvic trauma, the impact of vascular injury severity on outcome remains unclear. We hypothesized that the severity of the pelvic vascular injury plays a more decisive role in outcome than fracture pattern complexity. Medical records of patients with pelvic fracture at a single center between January 2016 and December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Those with an abbreviated injury scale (AIS) score ≥ 3 in areas other than the pelvis were excluded. Lateral compression (LC) type 1 fractures and anteroposterior compression (APC) type 1 fractures according to the Young-Burgess classification and ischial fractures were defined as simple pelvic fractures, while other fracture types were considered complicated pelvic fractures. Based on CT, vascular injury severity was defined as minor (fracture with or without hematoma) or severe (hematoma with contrast pooling/extravasation). Patient demographics, clinical parameters, and outcome measures were compared between the groups. Severe vascular injuries occurred in 26 of the 155 patients and were associated with poorer hemodynamics, a higher injury severity score (ISS), more blood transfusions, and a longer ICU stay (3.81 vs. 0.86 days, p = 0.000) and total hospital stay (20.7 vs. 10.1 days, p = 0.002) compared with minor vascular injuries. By contrast, those with complicated pelvic fractures (LC II/III, APC II/III, vertical shear, and combined type fracture) required a similar number of transfusions and had a similar length of ICU stay as those with simple pelvic fractures (LC I, APC I, and ischium fracture) but had a longer total hospital stay (13.6 vs. 10.3 days, p = 0.034). These findings were similar even if only patients with ISS ≥ 16 were considered. Our results indicate that even in patients with relatively isolated pelvic injuries, vascular injury severity is more closely correlated to the outcome than the type of anatomical fracture. Therefore, a more balanced classification of pelvic injury that takes both the fracture pattern and hemodynamic status into consideration, such as the WSES classification, seems to have better utility for clinical practice.
Access to Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Does Candidate Age Matter?

Background Liver transplantation (LT) offers an effective alternative treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite its growing acceptance and longer life expectancy rates, survival data in older patients are conflicting and consensus guidelines are lacking in terms of a cut-off age range for operations. Study Design We explored our prospectively maintained institutional database to identify patients diagnosed with HCC between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2019. Long-term oncologic outcomes were analyzed in patients undergoing LT or hepatic resection, with patient age considered as the primary variable. Results In total, 1,629 patients with HCC were identified, of whom 700 were considered for curative operations (LT, n = 538; resection, n = 162). Patients older than 65 years were less likely to be considered for LT (p Conclusions Although older candidates were less likely to be considered for LT in the management of HCC, judicious matching can lead to OS data comparable with their younger counterparts. Previous age misconceptions need to be challenged without the concern of worse long-term oncologic outcomes after surgery.
Measuring Group Advantage: A Comparative Study of Fair Ranking Metrics

Ranking evaluation metrics play an important role in information retrieval, providing optimization objectives during development and means of assessment of deployed performance. Recently, fairness of rankings has been recognized as crucial, especially as automated systems are increasingly used for high impact decisions. While numerous fairness metrics have been proposed, a comparative analysis to understand their interrelationships is lacking. Even for fundamental statistical parity metrics which measure group advantage, it remains unclear whether metrics measure the same phenomena, or when one metric may produce different results than another. To address these open questions, we formulate a conceptual framework for analytical comparison of metrics. We prove that under reasonable assumptions, popular metrics in the literature exhibit the same behavior and that optimizing for one optimizes for all. However, our analysis also shows that the metrics vary in the degree of unfairness measured, in particular when one group has a strong majority. Based on this analysis, we design a practical statistical test to identify whether observed data is likely to exhibit predictable group bias. We provide a set of recommendations for practitioners to guide the choice of an appropriate fairness metric.
Analysis of Radiation Modality and Timing on Complication Rates in Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Two-Stage Expander/Implant Reconstruction.

Purpose/Objective(s) Two stages expanders/Implant (TE/I) is a common reconstruction approach for breast cancer patients. Modality and Timing of radiation (RT) in relation to the exchange surgery of expanders to implant remains controversial. Materials/Methods After IRB approval, we analyzed 661 patients who underwent immediate TE/I with and without (RT) at our institution from 2000-2019. Patients were divided to No radiation (NR), Radiation to expanders before exchange to implants (RTE) and Radiation to Implants after exchange surgery (RTI). RT was delivered either with 3D conformal photon +/- electron boost (EB) or proton therapy. Primary endpoints were reconstruction complications incidence rates across groups defined as infection/necrosis (I/N) requiring debridement; capsular contracture (CC) requiring capsulotomy and overall reconstruction failure (ORF: removal of permanent implant for any complication with and without salvage reconstruction). Subgroup analysis was done to explore impact of different RT modalities on complications and local control. Logistic regression and Cox models were used. Results Median follow-up was 7.2 years. 352/661 (53.2%) didn't receive RT, 309/661 (46.7%) received RT. Among the latter, 220/309 (71.1%) received RTE before exchange and 89/309 (28.9%) received RTI after exchange. Additionally, 146/309 (47.2%) received No EB, 146/309 (47.2%) received EB and 17/309 (5.5%) received protons. There was no significant difference in tumor characteristics between RTI and RTE. The 5-year cumulative incidence of any complications was 19%, 38%, 34% in NR, RTE and RTI groups respectively. The complications proportions among RTE vs RTI cohorts were 22.7% vs 15.7% for I/N, 13.6% vs 19.1% for CC and 39.5% vs 31.5% for ORF, respectively. Among Proton patients, 8/17 (47%) developed CC compared to 16.4% (24/146) and 10.3% (15/146) in EB and NO EB groups, respectively. Also, 52.9%, 41.8% and 30.8% suffered from overall reconstruction failure in proton, EB and No EB groups, respectively. Adjusted multivariable analysis showed no difference between RTI and RTE in terms of infection/necrosis and capsular contracture. Yet, RTE remained significantly associated with overall reconstruction failure compared to RTI (39.5% vs 31.5%; OR 2.11; P = 0.02). in multivariable analysis, protons were significantly associated with CC requiring capsulotomy compared to both EB and NO EB groups (OR: 5.4, P = 0.01; and OR:10.9 P Conclusion Early radiation to the expander before the exchange to implant significantly increased overall reconstruction failure without improving local control. Protons significantly increased capsular contracture rates and overall reconstruction failure leading to more revision surgeries.
Regulation of Glucose Transporter and Hormone Receptor Cycling by Insulin in the Rat Adipose Cell

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the regulation of glucose transporter and hormone receptor cycling by insulin in the rat adipose cell. The direct measurement of glucose uptake into rat adipose cells is clearly complicated by the cell's ability to rapidly metabolize this transport substrate. This problem has been overcome by using nonmetabolizable glucose analogs—such as L-arabinose, L-xylose, 2-deoxyglucose, and 3-O-methylglucose—of which the latter is now considered the analog of choice. In almost the entire cell types so far investigated, insulin has been shown to be internalized and degraded through receptor-mediated endocytosis. Unlike many cell types, chronic exposure of the rat adipose cell to insulin results in very little apparent loss of cell surface insulin receptors-so-called “down-regulation.” The rapidity with which the insulin receptor is internalized in the rat adipose cell parallels the stimulation of both glucose transport and the redistribution of IGF-II receptors by insulin. The rapidity with which the insulin receptor is internalized in the rat adipose cell parallels the stimulation of both glucose transport and the redistribution of IGF-II receptors by insulin.
Constrained by Emotion: Women, Leadership, and Expressing Emotion in the Workplace

Both men and women are held to norms of appropriate emotional expression in the workplace, but emotional expressions by women tend to come under greater scrutiny than those by men. For instance, women incur social and economic penalties for expressing masculine-typed emotions because they violate proscriptions against dominance for women. At the same time, when women express female-typed emotions, they are judged as overly emotional and lacking emotional control, which ultimately undermines women’s competence and professional legitimacy. In this chapter, we argue that gender stereotypes about emotion constrain women’s behavior in the workplace more than men’s in that they have a narrower range of how much and which types of emotion they can express without penalty. We discuss the consequences of these constraints on the well-being of working women and examine how the amount of emotional latitude women experience shifts with their social status as well as race.
The evolution of the U‐shaped double layer at the auroral cavity‐ionosphere boundary in Earth's upward current region

[1] The evolution of the ionosphere-auroral cavity boundary is studied using a two-dimensional electrostatic particle-in-cell simulation. The boundary is modeled as a double layer which forms by imposing a density cavity as part of the initial conditions. The density cavity consists of a contact discontinuity which separates the cold, dense ionosphere on one side and the hot, tenuous auroral cavity on the other side. The simulation consists of hot electrons, H+ and O+ antiearthward traveling ion beams, hot magnetospheric H+and cold ionospheric electrons. A U-shaped double layer is formed by initializing the ion beams with a perpendicular shear in the parallel drift velocity. We show that the strength and obliqueness angle of the evolved double layer depends most strongly on the ratio of the ion beam's gyrofrequency to the plasma frequency, and that the U-shaped double layer is quasi-stable on simulation time scales. Finally, we show that the oblique double layer causes perpendicular ion heating in the ion beams and that a ring distribution forms in a weakly magnetized species. However, we find that at high altitudes above the double layer, the dominant effect on the shape of ion phase space and the ion temperature is the turbulence in the auroral cavity, leading to the conclusion that oblique double layers have little lasting effect on the shape and temperature of the ion beams.
Viewpoint: Sentencing Guidelines Needn't Be Scrapped

U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff of the Southern District of New York has offered an important voice on a wide range of issues in federal practice, typically from the bench. In 2011, for example, he refused to rubber-stamp a $285 million proposed civil settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and banking giant Citigroup. Rakoff recently sounded off from the podium on the current state of federal sentencing. On March 7, as the keynote speaker at the 27th Annual National Institute on White Collar Crime in Las Vegas, Rakoff railed against the numerical calculations and formulaic approach that still drives criminal sentencing in federal court: the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.Rakoff said the guidelines represent a set of numbers "drawn from nowhere" that continue to steer most federal judges imposing criminal sentences. He's right. The U.S. Sentencing Commission, the congressionally created entity responsible for the guidelines, has never articulated on what basis they equate another $50,000 in loss, the next 40 victims of a scheme, or an additional 20 grams of heroin (each carries a two-level increase in "offense level points" under the guidelines). Rakoff concluded, "Basically, my modest proposal is that they should be scrapped in their entirety."I, like other academics and (former) federal practitioners, agree in part.
As Tiny Worlds Turn

Rotational force produced by sunlight may help explain the movement of small asteroids, unusual asteroid orbits, and asteroid pairs.
Estimation of the Boundary of an Inclusion of Known Material from Scattering Data

An interesting type of probabilistic inverse problem associated with the scattering of elastic waves from inhomogeneities in solids is that in which the prior statistics of the inhomogeneity is non-Gaussian. Here we consider a relatively simple example of such a problem in which the inhomogeneity is an inclusion with known material but unknown boundary. The appropriate measurement model for longitudinal-to-longitudinal backscatter has the typical signal-plus-noise form in which the noise is assumed to be Gaussian and the signal is given by the application of the Born approximation to an inclusion described by a characteristic function for a random domain. The so-called signal also incorporates the transfer function characterizing the response of the measurement system to a fictitious point scatterer. Assuming a discretized physical space represented by a lattice of points, the prior random properties of the characteristic function are described by a set of independent random variables, each of which has the values 0 and 1 at each point with prescribed probabilities. Thus, in a prior sense, all possible domains (including sets of separate domains) are represented (at least within the resolution implied by the lattice). Our problem is to find the most probable (in the posterior sense) characteristic function given the results of the scattering measurements. We have found that the direct maximization of the posterior probability with respect to the characteristic function is cornputationally intractable. We have devised a computationally convenient method obtained by maximizing the appropriate probability function of the characteristic function and the additive noise while regarding the measurement model as a continuous set of constraints to be handled by the conjugate vector method. With appropriate analytical manipulations we finally obtained a convex function of the Lagrange multiplier vector to be minimized by computational means. Using synthetic input test data, we have estimated the inclusion boundaries for a number of cases. Compared with conventional imaging techniques, the estimations of the boundary geometries are surprisingly good even for rather sparse sets of input data.
Exogenous testosterone treatment decreases diaphragm neuromuscular transmission failure in male rats

The effect of chronic exogenous testosterone (T) treatment on neuromuscular transmission in the diaphragm (Dia) muscle of adult male rats was determined. The contribution of neuromuscular transmiss...
Environmental influences on body weight and behavior in developing rats after neonatal 6-hydroxydopamine

There is less hyperactive motor activity and better avoidance performance in rat pups treated with 6-hydroxydopamine as neonates and reared with vehicle-treated littermates than in pups reared in litters composed solely of other 6-hydroxydopamine-treated animals. Thus, in this experimental model of hyperactivity, an environmental manipulation provides an alternative to pharmacologic agents in reducing activity and improving learning performance.
The Epidemiology of Social Anxiety Disorder in the United States: Results From the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions

Objective To present nationally representative data on 12-month and lifetime prevalence, correlates and comorbidity of social anxiety disorder (SAD) among adults in the United States as determined by the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Design Face-to-face survey. Setting The United States. Participants Adults (aged 18 and over) residing in households and group quarters (N = 43,093). Main outcome measures Prevalence and associations of SAD with sociodemographic and psychiatric correlates and Axis I and II disorders. Results The prevalence of 12-month and lifetime DSM-IV SAD was 2.8% (95% CI = 2.5 to 3.1) and 5.0% (95% CI = 4.6 to 5.4), respectively. Being Native American, being young, or having low income increased risk, while being male, being of Asian, Hispanic, or black race/ethnicity, or living in urban or more populated regions reduced risk. Mean age at onset of SAD was 15.1 years, with a mean duration of 16.3 years. Over 80% of individuals with SAD received no treatment, and the mean age at first treatment was 27.2 years. Current and lifetime SAD were significantly related to other specific psychiatric disorders, most notably generalized anxiety, bipolar I, and avoidant and dependent personality disorders. The mean number of feared social situations among individuals with SAD was 7.0, with the majority reporting anxiety in performance situations. Conclusions Social anxiety disorder was associated with substantial unremitting course and extremely early age at onset. Social anxiety disorder often goes untreated, underscoring the need for health care initiatives geared toward increasing recognition and treatment. Comprehensive evaluation of patients with SAD should include a systematic assessment of comorbid disorders, and novel approaches to the treatment of comorbid SAD are needed.
Apical Membrane Stretch Promotes Sodium Conductance in Type II Pneumocytes• 1817

Aim: During inspiration, expansion of alveolar sacs promotes clearance of alveolar fluid. We hypothesize that stretch-activated conductance channels on the alveolar (apical) side of type II pneumocytes(TIIPs) contribute to fluid clearance. The purpose of this initial study is to probe TIIPs for stretch-activated changes in membrane potential (DY).Methods: Vesicles prepared from the apical (AP) and basolateral (BL) membranes of juvenile porcine TIIPs were suspended in 250 mM buffered mannitol (pH 7.4). Vesicle DY was continuously monitored during vacuum-induced (-0.6 atm) membrane stretch in the presence of DY-sensitive, fluorescent indicator, DiOC5(3), and presence or absence of Na+, K+ or choline salts. DiOC5(3) was calibrated to DY by imposition of transmembrane H+ and K+ gradients. Results: Vacuum-induced stretch of AP membranes initiated depolarization of DY (32-48 mV) in the presence of 25 mM Na+ salts (NaCl, Na gluconate). Within 3-5 mins of depolarization and continued vacuum exposure, repolarization of membranes ensued. During repeated vacuum exposures, depolarization and repolarization were preserved. In the absence of salts or presence of non-Na+ salts (KCl, choline Cl), vacuum-induced depolarization of AP membrane DY was not observed. Gramicidin, a Na+-channel forming ionophore, and gadolinium, a blocker of stretch-dependent Na+ conductance, individually inhibited vacuum-induced, Na+-dependent depolarization. In contrast to AP vesicles, BL vesicles failed to exhibit vacuum-induced depolarizations under any of the tested conditions.Conclusions: Vacuum-induced stretch of AP - but not BL - membranes promotes Na+-dependent, gadolinium-sensitive membrane depolarization consistent with stretch-sensitive, Na+ conductance. We speculate that cyclic activation of this AP conductance contributes to alveolar fluid absorption during respiration.Funded by Children's Health Foundation
MicroRNA related cofilin abnormality and the pathological consequences in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Background: Rod-like structures composed of actin and the actin-binding protein cofilin are found in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. Recent studies in cells demonstrate that abnormal actin-cofilin rods form in response to various stressors. However, the mechanisms of rod formation are largely unknown. We hypothesize that microRNA regulated cofilin expression plays an important role in cofilin rod formation in AD. Methods: We used a wide range of biochemical, molecular and cellular methods to test our hypothesis. Results: We have shown that cofilin expression levels are increased in a transgenic mouse model of AD (Tg19959), and that rod-like inclusions, including cofilin and actin, develop in brain tissue and in neurons from these mice. Although cofilin protein levels are increased, cofilin mRNA levels are not, suggesting that the increase in cofilin protein levels maybe due to post-transcriptional regulation. We hypothesize that microRNAs regulations involved. Based on bioinformatic analysis, miR-103/ 107 are predicted to interact with the 3’UTR of cofilin mRNA. To confirm a functional interaction between miR-103/107 and the predicted target region in the cofilin 3’UTR, we construct a miR luciferase reporter. Our luciferase assay results suggest that miR-103/107 bind the putative target sequence in the cofilin 3’UTR and functionally repress translation of the upstream gene. Conversely, when endogenous miR-103 levels are reduced by anti-sense oligos, cofilin protein levels increased, as seen by Western blotting. Using quantitative RT-PCR, we show that decreased miR-103 and miR-107 in Tg19959 mouse brain compared to wild-type littermates. We also observe over expression of activated cofilin protein is sufficient to induce rod formation in primary neurons. In addition, our image data have shown shortened neurites and abnormal mitochondria in neurons containing cofilin rods. Conclusions: Taken together, our data indicates the deficiency of miR-103 and 107 increase cofilin protein level, resulting in formation of rod structure in a transgenic mouse model of AD. The rod formation has pathological consequences including neurite development, mitochondrial morphology and dynamics. These are the first observations that miRNAs involved protein regulationmay contribute to formation of abnormal cytoskeletal aggregates in AD pathogenesis. Furthermore, these studies will give us fresh insights into AD pathogenesis and provide new therapeutic targets.
MVSS: Michigan Visual Sonification System

Visual Sonification is the process of converting visual properties of objects into sound signals. This paper describes the Michigan Visual Sonification System (MVSS) that utilizes this process to assist the visually impaired in distinguishing different objects in their surroundings. MVSS uses depth information to first segment and localize salient objects and then represents an object's appearance using histograms of visual features. A dictionary of invariant visual features (or words) is created in an a-priori off-line learning phase using Bag-of-Words modeling. The histogram of a segmented object is then converted to a sound signal, the volume and 3D placement of which is determined by the relative position of the object with respect to the user. The system then relies on the considerable discriminating power of the human brain to localize and “classify” the sound, thus enabling the user to distinguish between visually distinct object classes. This paper describes the different components of MVSS in detail and presents some promising initial experimental results.
The implications of divergence in spatial nesting patterns in the geminate Caribbean and Pacific sergeant major damselfishes

Abstract Male Caribbean Abudefduf saxatilis, and Pacific, A. troschelii, sergeant majors nest in colonies, but nest densities in the Pacific are much greater than in the Caribbean. The relatively dense within-colony aggregations in the Pacific have apparently been favoured by the screening effects of defence by peripheral males against foraging groups of the wrasse, Thalassoma lucasanum, resulting in lower rates of predation on embryos guarded by males with centrally placed nests. Males with centrally placed nests were also more likely to spawn successfully than were those with peripheral nests, suggesting that aggregated nesting has been further reinforced by female preferences for males with nests in which risk of predation on embryos is lowest. In the Caribbean, where similar predation on embryos was absent, relatively slight within-colony spatial aggregation of nesting was observed. This tendency might be maintained by female preferences for males with close nearest-neighbour distances because males that failed to spawn had longer nearest-neighbour distances than those that did spawn, but the difference was only marginally significant. Alternatively, because the Caribbean and Pacific species are thought to have been derived from a single population following the uplift of the isthmus of Panama, it is possible that spatial aggregation represents a residual tendency, originally favoured by selection under ancestral conditions.
A theory of comparative response times and “difference” judgments

Abstract In two experiments, subjects performed three tasks: First, they learned associations between names of hypothetical persons and adjectives that described them. Second, they judged “differences” in likeableness between pairs of names. Third, they pressed one of two keys to indicate which person of each pair was more (or less) likeable. Response times showed the traditional distance effect, end effect, and semantic congruity effect. A simple model was developed to describe response times and “difference” ratings, using a single scale of subjective magnitude. The second experiment applied this model to measure the likeableness of persons described by two or four adjectives. This experiment indicated that adjectives do not combine by a parallel-averaging model. Instead, “difference” ratings and comparative response times were consistent with Birnbaum's configural-weight theory, in which the weight that a stimulus receives depends on its relation to the other stimuli to be combined. In the case of impression formation, the less favorable information receives greater weight. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that ratings of “differences” and choice response times are mediated by the same scale of subjective value.
Statistical hypothesis pruning for identifying faces from infrared images

Abstract A Bayesian approach to identify faces from their IR facial images amounts to testing of discrete hypotheses in presence of nuisance variables such as pose, facial expression, and thermal state. We propose an efficient, low-level technique for hypothesis pruning, i.e. shortlisting high probability subjects from given observed image(s). (This subset can be further tested using some high-level model for eventual identification.) Hypothesis pruning is accomplished using wavelet decompositions (of the observed images) followed by analysis of lower-order statistics of the coefficients. Specifically, we filter infrared (IR) images using bandpass filters and model the marginal densities of the outputs via a parametric family that was introduced by Grenader and Srivastava [IEEE Trans. Pattern Anal. Mach. Intell. 23 (2001) 424]. IR images are compared using an L2-metric between the Marginals computed directly from the parameters. Results from experiments on IR face identification and statistical pruning are presented.
Membrane permeation kinetics of nortestosterone: effect of methyl groups on thermodynamics

Abstract The kinetics and thermodynamics of nortestosterone and its methyl derivatives in permeation through silicone membrane were investigated. The permeation parameters involved, such as diffusivity, solubility and permeability, as a function of temperature ranging from 10 to 50°C, were carefully studied as well. An unusual deviation was observed in the Arrhenius plot of the temperature dependence of diffusivity and solubility, which could be explained as the result of a conformation change at temperature beyond 30°C. It was postulated that the removal of 19-methyl group would increase the flexibility of steroidal structure and susceptibility to temperature, leading to the increase in diffusivity and exothermic reactions in solution processes as temperature is raised above 30°C. Hence, an enhancement in the overall rate of membrane permeation was observed.
The rhodopsin content and the visual threshold of human rods.

Abstract 1. The bleaching of rhodopsin by known light energies, and the course of its regeneration in the dark were measured in the living human eye by retinal densitometry. The results fitted Rushton's kinetic equation. Thus the pigment level at any time after any known bleach could be predicted. 2. Rod dark adaptation curves were traced following bleachings that ranged from 0.1 up to 99 per cent. Except during the first 5 min all these curves coincided with the predicted rhodopsin regeneration curves. The threshold was raised 1000-fold for 10 per cent bleached.
Ethnicity and recruitment rates in clinical research studies

Abstract The concept of a majority population in American is rapidly giving way to a collection of minority populations. To ensure representative study sample populations, nurse researchers must gain the ability to access many culturally and ethnically diverse groups. By examining common challenges to recruitment, many of the pitfalls of minority recuitment may be avoided. In looking at past clinical research studies and evaluating their successes and failures, nurse researchers can gain insight into how to design clinical research studies with sample populations representative of the increasingly diverse American population. Through careful planning, gaining knowledge of target populations, and inventive recruitment methods, the changing face of the American population can be represented in nursing research.
Emotional reactivity in depression: diminished responsiveness to anticipated reward but not to anticipated punishment or to nonreward or avoidance

Objectives:This study compared depressed and nondepressed participants' emotional reactivity to anticipated reward, anticipated punishment, failure to obtain a reward, and successful avoidance of punishment.Experimental design:This study compared residualized change scores on target emotions for cur
Closed loop polarimetric glucose sensing using the pockels effect

The development of a noninvasive glucose sensor is important for the regulation and control of diabetes. In this investigation, we present the results of a potential noninvasive optical polarimetric glucose sensor. The results were obtained using a single Pockels to modulate the signal and to close the loop in this system. A good linear relationship was seen between the output voltage of the sensor and the in vitro concentration of glucose for the hyperglycemie range (100–600 mg/dl). In addition, the calibration curves for this system showed excellent linearity with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.999 for a rotation range of −800 mdeg to 800 mdeg.
USE OF FIREARMS FOR SUICIDE IN CANADA

Summary.-A study over the provinces of Canada in 1980 indicated that, when firearms were less readily available, people used firearms less often for suicide but may have switched more often to other methods for suicide. Following Cook (1782), firearm availabhty was assessed using the accidental death rate from firearms and the percentage of homicides using firearms for the provinces of Canada in 1980. These data and the suicide rate by each method were obtained with the help of Beth Sander of Statistics Canada in Ottawa. The original intent had been to use all 12 regions; however, Newfoundland had no homicides in 1980 and Prince Edward Island and the Yukon had no homicides using firearms. The Yukon and the Northwest Territories each had only one accidental death from firearms, thereby providing an unreliable death rate. Consequently, the data analyses were run for only the eight largest provinces. The percentage of homicides in which firearms were used was not related to the suicide rate in which firearms were used or to the percentage of suicides in which firearms were used (Pearson rs = 0.14 and 0.04). However, the accidental death rate from firearms was positively related to the suicide rate using firearms and negatively to the suicide rate using all other methods (rs = 0.63 and - 0.63, respectively, one-tailed p< .05). The accidental death rate from firearms was also related to the percentage of suicides in which firearms were used (r = 0.75, p < .01). The present study has indicated that one measure of the availabhty of firearms (the accidental death rate from firearms) was associated with the use of firearms for suicide over the eight largest Canadian provinces in 1780. The more firearms were available, the higher the suicide rate from firearms and the lower the suicide rate from all other methods. This pattern of results suggests that people may have switched to other methods for suicide where firearms were not readily available.
Structure and mechanical properties of Al/AlxOy vacuum- deposited laminates

Abstract High yield strength materials can be fabricated by many techniques. A method proposed by Koehler is to alternate thin layers of a high shear modulus material with thin layers of a low shear modulus material. The layers must be less than one hundred atomic layers in thickness and must be single crystals of similar lattice spacing epitaxially grown on top of each other. The mechanical effect is to inhibit dislocation formation and the mobility of dislocations through the solid. The stress required to move a dislocation through the laminate can be of the order of 1% of the lower modulus material. A novel technique has been developed to produce a laminate of Al/AlxOy by a pulsed gas process in an electron beam gun system. Samples of 25 μm and thicker have been readily produced. The surface finish of the growing deposit appears to remain as smooth as the glass substrate. The tensile testing data for layer spacings of 50–1200 nm show that the material obeys a Hall-Petch relation for yield strength. The friction stress was measured directly on a pure vapor-deposited sample at 27 MPa. The K value was found to be 0.086 MN m- 3 2 .
Biochemical defence of pro-oxidant plant allelochemicals by herbivorous insects

A new aspect of interactions among insect herbivores and defensive chemistry of plants in the regulation of oxygen toxicity exerted by pro-oxidant allelochemicals is described. Endogenous oxygen toxicity results from activation of the ground state of molecular oxygen to the superoxide anion radical (O2·−), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydroxyl radical (·OH), lipid hydroperoxides (LOOHs), and peroxyl radicals (LO2· or RO2·). The strongly lipid-peroxidizing singlet oxygen (1ΔgO2) is also produced during light activation of photosensitizers. Ingestion of pro-oxidants exacerbates oxygen toxicity by increasing the production of these deleterious forms of oxygen. The role of ascorbate, α-tocopherol, glutathione, carotenoids and urate as antioxidants in insects is apparent, but needs more work for the elucidation of their roles. The major defence mechanism includes a group of antioxidant enzymes represented by superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione-S-transferase's peroxidative activity (GSTPX), glutathione reductase (GR), and DT-diaphorase, SOD converts O2·− radicals to H2O2 and O2, CAT decomposes H2O2 to H2O and O2, GSTPX reduces LOOHs to LOHs with GSH as reductant, and GSSG formed from GSH during the GSTPX reaction is reduced to GSH by GR. DT-diaphorase is an important antioxidant in that it reduces quinones by a two-electron reduction to stable products, thereby preventing the one-electron reduction to semiquinone radicals which generate O2·− radicals. Therefore, these enzymes are crucial for insect herbivores for preventing the free-radical cascade of oxygen, and terminating the toxic lipid peroxidation chain reaction, in response to the endogenous and potential exogenous oxidant-induced injury.
Preferred versus Non-Preferred Hand: A Comparative Study.

When a tactile-kinesthetic approach is used to remediate a student's reading difficulties, the practitioner is using a procedure that involves some type of tracing over letters or words. Grace Fernald (1943) developed one type of a tactilekinesthetic method of teaching reading that was used for children who could not learn through traditional methods. A tactile-kinesthetic approach is also incorporated in some basal programs to reinforce learning for letters and words that are being taught in a phonetic or whole word approach. This approach, which has been known or used in the fields of reading and learning disabilities for some time, usually involves using the preferred or dominant hand. In researching the mechanisms that are used to help the blind process the print material of the sighted population, I found that most often the non-preferred hand is used for tactile or touch processing. Braille, which is one method of teaching reading to the legally blind, consists of a series of raised geometric shapes that translate into speech sounds or words when they are felt by the fingers of the blind reader. Braille is usually taught using the non-preferred hand. Studies
Influence of pKa on the biotransformation of indene H1-antihistamines by CYP2D6.

Abstract Structure–activity relationship studies were conducted to reduce CYP2D6-mediated metabolism in a series of indene H1-antihistamines. Reductions in pKa via incorporation of a β-fluoro substituent or a heteroaryl moiety were shown to reduce contributions to metabolism through this pathway. Several compounds, including 8l, 8o, and 12f were identified with promising primary in vitro profiles and reduced biotransformation via CYP2D6.