cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estrogen receptor activation in normal mammary gland.

Cytoplasmic estrogen receptor (CER) activation and nuclear estrogen receptor (NER) forms have been examined in normal virgin and lactating mammary gland by 1) measuring [3H]estradiol-receptor dissociation kinetics, and by 2) sucrose density gradient analysis of sedimentation behavior on high salt gradients. The data show two forms of CER in both virgin and lactating mammary gland: 1) a fast dissociating-nonactivated form which sediments at 4 S, and 2) a slow dissociating-activated form which sediments at 5 S. The 5 S slow dissociating estrogen receptor (ER) is the predominant form found in the nucleus. CER are activated by exposure to elevated temperature, high salt concentration, dilution, or ammonium sulfate fractionation. This is demonstrated by an increase in the proportion of the slow dissociating, 5 S ER form. Sodium molybdate inhibits activation and prevents heat- or ammonium sulfate-induced increase in the amount of the slow-dissociating CER as well as the 4 S to 5 S increase in sedimentation coef...
In utero exposure to antiepileptic drugs: Teratogenicity and neonatal morbidity

Clinical studies have extensively documented the various risks posed by in utero exposure to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). However, it is difficult to sort out the extent to which any given AED is responsible for a particular outcome, given the disparities in patients taking the drugs, their type and severity of epilepsy, and the various possible AEDs, as well as the vast number of outcomes that could be assessed. This review focuses on AED exposure during pregnancy and how it affects the risks of neonatal morbidity and major congenital malformations.
Effect of a Diffuse Nuclear Charge Distribution on the Hyperfine-Structure Interaction

A diffuse nuclear charge distribution, with approximately the trapezoidal Hofstadter shape, is used to calculate the effect of the distributed nuclear charge on the magnetic-dipole hyperfine-structure (hfs) interaction between the nucleus and the atomic electron. For a surface or a uniform charge distribution model this effect is known as the Breit-Rosenthal-Crawford-Schawlow correction to the point-charge interaction. The hfs interactions calculated with the diffuse and with the uniform charge distributions differ by over 4% for medium to heavy nuclei. The results, combined with our previously calculated values for the Bohr-Weisskopf correction (the effect on the hfs due to the nonpunctual distribution of nuclear magnetization), allow a more realistic determination of the total hfs anomalies, caused by the extended nuclear electric and magnetic structures, and therefore also of ${|\ensuremath{\psi}(0)|}^{2}$, the probability of the electron wave function at the origin.
The 3-D viscous flow CFD analysis of the propeller effect on an advanced ducted propeller subsonic inlet

A time marching Navier-Stokes code called PARC3D was used to study the 3-D viscous flow associated with an advanced ducted propeller (ADP) subsonic inlet at take-off operating conditions. At a free stream Mach number of 0.2, experimental data for the inlet-with-propeller test model indicated that the airflow was attached on the cowl windward lip at an angle of attack of 25 degrees became unstable at 29 degrees, and separated at 30 degrees. An experimental study with a similar inlet and with no propeller (through-flow) indicated that flow separation occurred at an angle of attack a few degrees below the value observed when the inlet was tested with the propeller. This tends to indicate that the propeller exerts a favorable effect on the inlet performance. During the through-flow experiment a stationary blockage device was used to successfully simulate the propeller effect on the inlet flow field at angles of attack. In the present numerical study, this flow blockage was modeled via a PARC3D computational boundary condition (BC) called the screen BC. The principle formulation of this BC was based on the one-and-half dimension actuator disk theory. This screen BC was applied at the inlet propeller face station of the computational grid. Numerical results were obtained with and without the screen BC. The application of the screen BC in this numerical study provided results which are similar to the results of past experimental efforts in which either the blockage device or the propeller was used.
Fast Multi-scale Template Matching Using Binary Features

Template matching is one of the key problems in computer vision and has been widely used in tracking, recognition and many other applications. Traditional methods are usually slow because the template needs to be matched to every location in the image and the matching involves element-by-element floating point multiplications. The process is even slower when multiscale matching is needed. This makes it not suitable for time-critical applications. In this paper, we present a novel approach to accelerate multiscale template matching. The main computation saving is achieved by representing the template as a linear combination of a small number of Haar-like binary features. This representation replaces the element-by-element floating point multiplications with several additions thus significantly improves the speed. In addition, such simple features can easily adapt to template scale changes with negligible extra computation cost. Experiments show that the proposed method can achieve speed improvement up to two orders of magnitude
Transcendência e Antropologia do Cristianismo: linguagem, mudança e individualismo

Nas ultimas decadas, temos presenciado o surgimento de uma Antropologia do Cristianismo. Destacam-se, nesse campo emergente, as seguintes questoes-chave: 1) o papel do Cristianismo em esforcos de promocao de mudanca social; 2) o carater distintivo das interpretacoes Cristas sobre a linguagem; 3) a tendencia do Cristianismo a fomentar o individualismo. Este artigo oferece um relato sintetico desses precessos considerando como as diversas interpretacoes cristas da tensao entre transcendencia e mundano conformam as maneiras pelas quais diversas igrejas lidam com essas questoes.
A new species of Cymbasoma (Copepoda: Monstrilloida) from Florida with a redescription of C. quadridens

Monstrilloid copepods from a series of zooplankton samples collected in the coastal area of Miami, Florida, were examined taxonomically. Several adult females were found to belong to an undescribed species of Cymbasoma within the C. rigidum species complex. It can be distinguished from its congeners by the body proportions, shape of head, cephalic ornamentation pattern, genital double somite with straight lateral margins, and structure of the fifth legs, which have a small, inner lobe arising from the distal 1/5 of segment. This species shows intraspecific variability in some characters (i.e. shape of head, cephalic and genital ornamentation patterns); hitherto, such variation has been reported only in another species of Cymbasoma. Our finding supports the idea of the nominal species C. rigidum comprising a taxonomic complex with several undescribed taxa. The other species recorded in the area was Cymbasoma quadridens Davis, 1947. This was first described from a single male specimen collected in 1947 in Biscayne Bay, Florida, and has not been recorded thereafter. The type specimen now being unusable, this species is redescribed herein based on another topotypic male specimen collected near the type locality. New data are added about the armature of its antennules and swimming legs, cuticular ornamentation, and structure of the genital complex.
Primary ciliary dyskinesia

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare, genetically heterogeneous disorder of motile cilia. In PCD, genetic abnormalities of ciliary ultrastructure and function impair mucociliary clearance, which results in recurrent infection of the lung, as well as the middle ear and sinuses. The genetic defects in respiratory cilia are also frequently shared by specialized cilia (embryonic nodal cilia), which direct the asymmetry of thoracic and abdominal organs; thus, situs inversus and/or situs ambiguus occurs in ∼50% of PCD patients. Sperm tail (flagellar) structures are also affected, and most PCD males are infertile. There has been exciting progress in defining the molecular pathogenesis of PCD, and clinical genetic screening tests have been established for two genes (DNAI1 and DNAH5) that are common causes of PCD. Diagnostic testing now involves a combination of methods, including the measurement of nasal nitric oxide (nNO), which facilitates the identification of more PCD patients and expands our understanding of the PCD clinical phenotype. Early recognition and therapeutic intervention are likely to revolutionize clinical care and likely benefit long-term outcomes. Future efforts will continue to focus on further defining the molecular basis of PCD and exploring the interface/overlap of PCD with other genetic disorders involving “sensory” ciliopathies.
An Investigation of Alternative Schools in One State: Implications for Students With Disabilities:

Despite the continued growth of inclusive practices, an increasing number of students with disabilities are being served in alternative school settings. However, the number of students served in these settings, and the services they are receiving, remains virtually unexplored. This study reports the results of a survey of alternative schools in one Midwestern state. Particular attention was paid to the participation of students with disabilities in these settings and the services they are receiving. Results indicated that, despite access to valuable supports and services, some students with disabilities placed in alternative settings may be experiencing significant service gaps. Of serious concern is the placement of students who have committed criminal offenses. Implications include a pressing need for data collection and increased advocacy.
Dispatching the wandering mind? Toward a laboratory method for cuing “spontaneous” off-task thought

Cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists study most phenomena of attention by measuring subjects' overt responses to discrete environmental stimuli that can be manipulated to test competing theories. The mind wandering experience, however, cannot be locally instigated by cleverly engineered stimuli. Investigators must therefore rely on correlational and observational methods to understand subjects' flow of thought, which is only occasionally and indirectly monitored. In an effort toward changing this state of affairs, we present four experiments that develop a method for inducing mind wandering episodes—on demand—in response to task-embedded cues. In an initial laboratory session, subjects described their personal goals and concerns across several life domains (amid some filler questionnaires). In a second session, 48 h later, subjects completed a go/no-go task in which they responded to the perceptual features of words; unbeknownst to subjects, some stimulus words were presented in triplets to represent the personal concerns they had described in session 1. Thought probes appearing shortly after these personal-goal triplets indicated that, compared to control triplets, priming subjects' concerns increased mind wandering rate by about 3–4%. We argue that this small effect is, nonetheless, a promising development toward the pursuit of an experimentally informed, theory-driven science of mind wandering.
New approach: Sample preparation methodology for P-V metal void inspection

The metal void information is very important for engineers to monitor the stability of the process and equipment during mass production and process tuning. However, traditional methods (X-S and P-V) are not efficient for metal void inspection. Therefore, the novel methodology is developed in this paper to provide a time efficient sample preparationm ethod and acceptable view region for plane-view metal void inspection instead of traditional methodology. This new approach involves the bevel polish technique and metal void inspection procedure. Thus the sample will be efficiently polished on a small slope and each layer could be inspected in the SEM simultaneously. By using this methodology can create a large inspection area for metal voids and dramatically reduce the cycle time of metal void inspection procedure to help engineers quickly get accurate metal void information.
Time interleaved optical sampling for ultra-high speed A/D conversion

A scheme is proposed for increasing the sampling rate of analogue-to-digital conversion by more than an order of magnitude by combining state-of-the-art A/D converters with photonic technology. Ultra-high speed sampling is performed optically by a multiwavelength pulse train. Wavelength demultiplexers convert the high repetition rate data stream of samples into parallel data streams that can be handled by available electronic A/D converters.
Benefits of humor in reduction of threat-induced anxiety.

The benefits of humor in reducing anxiety were investigated in a laboratory study, in which subjects were falsely led to believe they would receive a shock in 12 min. Participants were 53 undergrad...
No Increased Mortality With Early Aortic Aneurysm Disease

Objective In addition to increased risks for aneurysm-related death, previous studies have determined that all-cause mortality in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) patients is excessive and equivalent to that associated with coronary heart disease. These studies largely preceded the current era of coronary heart disease risk factor management, however, and no recent study has examined contemporary mortality associated with early AAA disease (aneurysm diameter between 3 and 5 cm). As part of an ongoing natural history study of AAA, we report the mortality risk associated with presence of early disease. Methods Participants were recruited from three distinct health care systems in Northern California between 2006 and 2011. Aneurysm diameter, demographic information, comorbidities, medication history, and plasma for biomarker analysis were collected at study entry. Survival status was determined at follow-up. Data were analyzed with t -tests or χ 2 tests where appropriate. Freedom from death was calculated via Cox proportional hazards modeling; the relevance of individual predictors on mortality was determined by log-rank test. Results The study enrolled 634 AAA patients; age 76.4 ± 8.0 years, aortic diameter 3.86 ± 0.7 cm. Participants were mostly male (88.8%), not current smokers (81.6%), and taking statins (76.7%). Mean follow-up was 2.1 ± 1.0 years. Estimated 1- and 3-year survival was 98.2% and 90.9%, respectively. Factors independently associated with mortality included larger aneurysm size (hazard ratio, 2.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.26-3.57 for diameter >4.0 cm) and diabetes (hazard ratio, 2.24; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-4.47). After adjusting for patient-level factors, health care system independently predicted mortality. Conclusions Contemporary all-cause mortality for patients with early AAA disease is lower than that previously reported. Further research is warranted to determine important factors that contribute to improved survival in early AAA disease.
Sedation Assessment in Critically Ill Adults

OBJECTIVE:To review methods for assessing sedation in critically ill adults, discuss their impact on patient outcomes, and provide recommendations for implementing these methods into clinical practice in the intensive care unit (ICU).DATA SOURCES:A computerized search of MEDLINE from 1980 through June 2000 and a manual search of abstracts presented at recent critical care meetings were performed.STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:Sedation assessment tools that have been used to titrate therapy in adult, critically ill patients were identified. Special emphasis was placed on sedation assessment instruments that have been prospectively validated. Objective methods that have been used to assess sedation therapy were also identified.DATA SYNTHESIS:Twenty-three adult sedation assessment instruments were identified. Few scales have been prospectively evaluated for validity (n = 6) or reliability (n = 7). Other methods of sedation assessment were identified (e.g., bispectral index monitor); however, most of the...
Development of Scan Strategy for Dual Doppler Retrieval in a Networked Radar System

The NSF engineering research center for Collaborative and Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere has developed a networked weather radar test-bed to monitor and respond to severe thunderstorms and severe wind. For acquisition of radar reflectivity and other scalar fields, each radar is an independent unit and only the radar range equation is of primary concern. However, with respect to the acquisition of wind velocity, pairs or triplets of radar need to be considered as units and the perspective observation angles are of primary concern, besides the constraint in range. Multiple candidate pairs exist for most of the test-bed coverage and choice has to be made in scan strategy. In addition, the whole network is required to update the observations within a finite time period. This further limits the number of sweeps depending on the sector width to be scanned. All these constraints are consolidated together in generating the scan strategy based on the best dual-Doppler pair. In this paper, the method to generate dual Doppler scan strategy is presented. The method is tested in field experiments for scan evaluation and the results are presented.
Nadolol inhibits reactive oxygen species generation by leukocytes and linoleic acid oxidation.

We studied the effect of short-term nadolol administration on the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by polymorphonuclear leukocytes and mononuclear cells in 8 normal subjects. At a oral dose of 40 mg/day for 5 days, nadolol produced a decrease in the ROS generation by leukocytes. ROS generation by polymorphonuclear leukocytes decreased by 38% from 134 ± 44 mV at baseline to 83 ± 34 mV after 5 days (p = 0.005), and ROS generation by mononuclear cells decreased by 33% from 174 ± 69 mV at baseline to 117 ± 55 mV after 5 days (p = 0.015). There was also a significant reduction in linoleic acid oxidation as reflected by the lower levels of 9- and 13- hydroxy-octadecadienoic acid after 5 days. There was no change in the plasma thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances, a less sensitive index of oxidative damage to lipids. There was also no significant change in the levels of metatyrosine and orthotyrosine, which are known indexes of oxidative damage to amino acids and proteins. The absence of a significant change in metatyrosine, orthotyrosine, and thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances may reflect the short duration of nadolol administration and the decreased ROS load. Because ROS may induce lipid peroxidation, this inhibitory effect of nadolol on ROS generation by leukocytes and linoleic acid oxidation may inhibit low-density lipoprotein oxidation and thus atherogenesis. This effect may partly explain the favorable outcomes observed in patients with coronary artery disease on long-term β-blocker therapy.
Widely Tunable 40 Gbps Transmitter Utilizing a High-Impedance Traveling-Wave EAM and SG-DBR Laser

A tunable transmitter featuring an SG-DBR laser is integrated with an undercut-etched, high impedance traveling-wave EAM. This device demonstrates 40 Gbps operation with >8.5 dB extinction over 25 nm tuning with 2.1 V drive.
Alkali Activated Cementitious Materials: An Overview

Alkali-activated cementitious materials have considerable potential, with properties ranging from very high early strength to very high long term strength and low porosity. The role of alkalis in activating industrial by-products such as ground granulated (glassy) blast-furnace slag, ultra-fine silica fume or other by-product silicas, glassy fly ashes, and other amorphous materials is discussed. These by-product materials are activated by alkali additions which break the strong silicon oxygen bonds in the silicate or alumino-silicate network, accompanied by the formation of new reaction products. The role of the different components in multi-component activated cements on the reactivity and the nature of the resultant products is discussed. Characterization of starting materials and reaction products by XRD, SEM (including environmental SEM), chemical, and particle characterization techniques has been made. Additional results include investigation of pore solution chemistry as a function of time. Some inferences for long term durability are discussed.
Low-Latitude Circulation and Mass Transport Pathways in a Model of the Tropical Atlantic Ocean*

An eddy-resolving numerical ocean circulation model is used to investigate the pathways of low-latitude intergyre mass transport associated with the upper limb of the Atlantic meridional overturning cell (MOC). Numerical experiments with and without applied wind stress and an imposed MOC exhibit significant differences in intergyre transport, western boundary current intensity, and mesoscale ring production. The character of interaction between low-latitude wind- and overturning-driven circulation systems is found to be predominantly a linear superposition in the annual mean, even though nonlinearity in the form of diapycnal transport is essential to some segments of the mean pathway. Within a mesoscale band of 10‐100 day period, significant nonlinear enhancement of near-surface variability is observed. In a realistically forced model experiment, a 14 Sv upperocean MOC return flow is partitioned among three pathways connecting the equatorial and tropical wind-driven gyres. A frictional western boundary current with both surface and intermediate depth components is the dominant pathway and accounts for 6.8 Sv of intergyre transport. A diapycnal pathway involving wind-forced equatorial upwelling and interior Ekman transport is responsible for 4.2 Sv. Translating North Brazil Current rings contribute approximately 3.0 Sv of intergyre transport.
Molecular classification of triple-negative tumors

Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are among the most clinically challenging because of their poor prognosis and paucity of treatment options. In part through our genomic profiling studies, breast cancer is now appreciated as being composed of multiple diseases. One of these diseases, the basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) subtype, is now known to represent a unique disease entity with a distinct etiology and biology. Over the years, BLBC has become more commonly known as TNBC because the majority of these tumors lack expression of ER, PR and HER2; however, not all TNBC are BLBC, and not all BLBC are TNBC. Recently, we discovered that a significant subset of TNBC is comprised of a new subtype, the claudin-low, which is important because it is biologically distinct from BLBC and has a number of features reminiscent of mammary stem cells [1]. In addition, luminal A, luminal B, and HER2-enriched tumors are also identified within TNBCs in various small proportions, which highlights the complexity of the clinically based classification. We have explored the treatment sensitivity of the various intrinsic subtypes to neoadjuvant anthracycline/taxane-based chemotherapy using a large publicly available dataset [2]. Across all patients, and within TNBC, basal-like tumors were found associated with a higher likelihood of achieving a complete pathological response (pCR) than the rest of the subtypes, including the claudin-low. In multivariate logistic regression models for pCR prediction, we observed that the intrinsic molecular subtypes virtually always make the final model, even if clinical variables and other genomic predictors are included. In addition, our analyses show that those tumors that achieve a pCR showed a better survival outcome than those that did not, regardless of their molecular subtype; this effect is much larger within the basal-like subtype, which is concordant with previous findings. This intriguing association between residual disease after therapy and poor outcome in basal-like and claudin-low tumors points to intratumor cell heterogeneity as a possible explanation, where resistant and aggressive cell clones might already exist in the pretreated tumor. Our preliminary analyses using a combination of fluorescent activated cell sorting and global gene expression on numerous preclinical models of basal-like breast cancers including cell lines and primary tumor xenografts suggest the existence of at least two cell populations in many BLBC models. These different cell populations are currently being tested for tumor-initiating cell activities, and additional studies focusing on these populations changing with treatment are also being performed.
Reconsideration of low Reynolds number flow-through constriction microchannels using the DSMC method

Gaseous flow through a microchannel is treated numerically and analytically in order to assess pressure and mass flow losses due to a constriction of a finite length. Numerical modeling of two-dimensional (2-D) microchannel flow in the slip and transitional regimes is carried out using the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. The prediction of pressure losses and mass flow based on a simple analytic model for constriction microchannel flow are found to be in excellent agreement with DSMC simulations. Constriction has a dramatic effect on pressure loss and mass flow rate for the considered cases. The DSMC results indicate that the flow in the constriction microchannel separates in the transition section, but the separation does not significantly impact pressure distributions.
Pore fluids and the LGM ocean salinity—Reconsidered

Abstract Pore fluid chlorinity/salinity data from deep-sea cores related to the salinity maximum of the last glacial maximum (LGM) are analyzed using estimation methods deriving from linear control theory. With conventional diffusion coefficient values and no vertical advection, results show a very strong dependence upon initial conditions at −100 ky. Earlier inferences that the abyssal Southern Ocean was strongly salt-stratified in the LGM with a relatively fresh North Atlantic Ocean are found to be consistent within uncertainties of the salinity determination, which remain of order ±1 g/kg. However, an LGM Southern Ocean abyss with an important relative excess of salt is an assumption, one not required by existing core data. None of the present results show statistically significant abyssal salinity values above the global average, and results remain consistent, apart from a general increase owing to diminished sea level, with a more conventional salinity distribution having deep values lower than the global mean. The Southern Ocean core does show a higher salinity than the North Atlantic one on the Bermuda Rise at different water depths. Although much more sophisticated models of the pore-fluid salinity can be used, they will only increase the resulting uncertainties, unless considerably more data can be obtained. Results are consistent with complex regional variations in abyssal salinity during deglaciation, but none are statistically significant.
Branching vs. Linear Time: Semantical Perspective

The discussion of the relative merits of linear- versus branching-time frameworks goes back to the early 1980s. We revisit here this issue from a fresh perspective and postulate three principles that we view as fundamental to any discussion of process equivalence. We show that our principles yield a unique notion of process equivalence, which is trace based, rather than tree based.
Intrarenal Reflux and its Relationship to Renal Scarring

Intrarenal reflux found during voiding cystourethrography in children has been suggested to be a significant factor in the production of renal damage. To investigate its incidence and effect on renal growth the records and roentgenograms of 150 children with known vesicoureteral reflux were reviewed. Of these children 15 had evidence of intrarenal reflux. Their IVPs were studied for signs of renal parenchymal damage at the time of the initial voiding cystogram as well as up to 4 years later. Evidence of renal damage was seen in 4 of the 15 patients with intrarenal reflux. These same 4 children had gross vesicoureteral reflux.
Thin Films of Sodium Birnessite-Type MnO2: Optical Properties, Electronic Band Structure, and Solar Photoelectrochemistry

Inexpensive and earth-abundant, manganese oxides (MnxOy) have attracted considerable attention for catalysis, but fewer efforts have focused on their semiconducting properties. In this study, crystalline Na birnessite-type MnO2 thin films were investigated for their surface and bulk chemistry in the context of hydrogen production by photoelectrochemical water splitting. Thin films were synthesized by electrodeposition onto fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates, imaged by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) as well as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV–vis spectroscopy. Three different electrochemical methods (illuminated open circuit potential, potential of photocurrent onset, and Mott–Schottky plots) were used to probe the flat-band potential required to construct a band diagram for the material. Photostability, conductivity, and band structure are discussed as potential causes of the low external quantum efficiency (<1%) for the birnessite-type...
Analysis and Lessons of the Blackout in Brazil Power Grid on November 10,2009

On November 10,2009,a widespread electrical blackout occurred in Brazil.The pre-fault situation,causes,spread and restoration of the blackout are described in this paper based on the official investigation report of Brazil Operador Nacional do Sistema Eletrico(ONS).The lessons and experiences of the blackout are analyzed and summarized.Some recommendations for guaranteeing the security and stability of China Power Grid and preventing the occurrence of blackout in China are presented.
Heritable aspects of uterine anomalies. I. Three familial aggregates with Müllerian fusion anomalies.

Familial aggregates of incomplete Mullerian fusion have been reported, but the role of genetic factors has not been elucidated. In the last several years, we have fortuitously encountered three families in which several members were affected with Mullerian fusion anomalies. In two families, several members had incomplete Mullerian fusion as traditionally described. In the third family, several members had the hand-foot-genital syndrome, a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized not only by Mullerian fusion defects but also by skeletal (hand and foot) malformations. The etiologic heterogeneity of Mullerian fusion defects is considered.
A New Quantitative Test for Sperm Penetration into Cervical Mucus

A new experimental and theoretical procedure is described for characterizing the penetration of spermatozoa into cervical mucus in vitro. Semen is introduced to a prescribed volume of mucus contained in a flat capillary tube. Use of the tube enables the surface area of semen-mucus contact to be fixed, and provides excellent visualization of sperm movement in the mucus. The time interval of semen-mucus contact is also controlled. The number of motile sperm and their swimming speeds are determined in both the semen and mucus by hemocytometer counts and simple time-exposure photomicrography. The assay provides two new measures of the sperm-mucus interaction. The number of successful sperm entries into the mucus is compared with the number of original collisions between seminal sperm and the semen-mucus interface. The comparison is expressed as a ratio of the numbers of sperm in these two groups, viz., PSC = percentage of successful collisions. The vitality of spermatozoa that do succeed in entering the mucus is assessed by comparing their swimming speeds with those of sperm in the semen. This second comparison is also expressed as a ratio, viz., VR = velocity ratio = mean swimming speed in mucus/mean swimming speed in semen. The clinical application of the method to human semen and cervical mucus is described, and sample results are presented.
Internalized Racism and Past-Year Major Depressive Disorder Among African-Americans: the Role of Ethnic Identity and Self-Esteem

Although a large body of research focuses on discrimination as a risk for depression among African-Americans, only a dearth of research focuses on internalized racism (i.e., endorsement of negative stereotypes of one’s racial group) as a risk factor. In addition, no studies have yet to examine mediators and/or moderators of the relationship between internalized racism and depression. To this end, the present study examined the mediating and moderating roles of (a) self-esteem and (b) ethnic identity on the relationship between internalized racism and past-year major depressive disorder (MDD), in a nationally representative sample of African-American adults (N = 3570) from the National Survey of American Life. Results from this study revealed an indirect association between internalized racism and past-year MDD via self-esteem, but no indirect relationship via ethnic identity. Further, results show that both self-esteem and ethnic identity individually moderate the relationship between internalized racism and past-year MDD. Collectively, these findings suggest a need to further investigate mechanisms through which internalized racism impacts mental health and factors that strengthen and/or weaken the association between internalized racism and depression.
Creative color designs for product packaging

This demo showcases our recent work on assisting CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) companies with their product packaging designs by providing color palettes that are visually appealing, novel and consistent with targeted brand messages. Specifically, we start by mining a large collections of images of different products and brands to learn about colors and color combinations that frequently appear among them. Then for given brand, product and particular marketing messages, we apply the mined color knowledge, along with a color message graph that exploits both color psychology principles and Thesaurus data, to generate quintillions of potential color designs. Metrics such as visual aesthetics and novelty are then used to prune the initial design sets, which returns a top list to guide human designers to complete the final design.
Video Modeling via Spatio-Temporal Adaptive Localized Learning (STALL)

In this paper, we propose an adaptive approach for modeling video signals through localized learning in the spatio- temporal domain. Unlike existing models based on explicit motion estimation, ours exploits the temporal redundancy by a Least- Square based filter whose coefficients are trained from a local spatio-temporal window. Both filter support and training window can be made adaptive to the motion characteristics of video. Such spatio-temporal adaptive localized learning (STALL) can be viewed as an implicit motion estimation procedure and is particularly suitable for modeling the class of video material with slow and rigid motion. Under the new framework, we consider the applications of STALL into video denoising, video super- resolution and video coding. Preliminary experimental results are highly encouraging, which demonstrate the potential of the new model.
In Vitro Gallstone Lithotripsy: Effect of Peripheral Calcification on Fragmentation and Sonographic Evaluation of Fragment Size

Twenty-one gallstones were fractured by shock wave lithotripsy in vitro to study the effect of calcification on fragmentation and to assess the use of sonography for the evaluation of fragment size. Roentgenograms were made of 21 surgically removed gallstones, ranging from 9 mm to 13 mm in diameter, which had been placed in a water bath. The amount and extent of calcification were determined by study of the radiographs. Then the stones were placed into a water-filled condom, lowered into a water bath under ultrasound guidance, and fractured by a commercially available shock wave gallstone lithotripsy device. All stones required from one to 42 shock waves (SW) for initial fragmentation and from six to 888 SW for complete fragmentation (using ultrasound imaging, all fragments estimated to be < 5 mm). Stones with a calcified rim required an average of three times as many SW (P < .05) as non-calcified stones for initial fracture, but no significant difference in number of SW was required for complete fragmentation (median 61 SW v 64 SW).
Concepts From Dynamical Systems

This chapter is a survey of facts and results from dynamical systems theory that are used throughout the book. Our primary goal is to fix notation and terminology for later chapters, and recall some aspects of the theory that are usually not discussed in introductory books. For the sake of easier reading, we keep the discussion informal, avoiding technical notation and proofs as much as possible. While most omitted details can be found in graduate level introductory books to dynamical systems, some of the more advanced topics are covered only in research articles. In either case, we shall supply references that treat the subject in greater depth. In addition, we encourage the reader to use Appendices A and B as references on the basics of differential geometry and functional analysis.
A Foe More Than a Friend: Law and the Health of the American Urban Poor

Social epidemiologists insist fundamental social conditions play a large role in the health problems of the American urban poor, but these well-intentioned scholars and practitioners do not necessarily appreciate how greatly law is intertwined with those social conditions. Law helps create and maintain the urban poor’s shabby and unhealthy physical environment, and law also facilitates behaviors among the urban poor that can result in chronic health conditions. Then, too, law shapes and configures the very poverty that consigns the urban poor to the inner city with its limited social capital and political clout. Overall, law creates and perpetuates the health problems of the urban poor more than it eliminates or ameliorates them. Social epidemiologists and others concerned with improving the urban poor’s health might therefore approach law as a foe more than a friend.
POSTMODERNISM, SOCIAL SCIENCE, AND HISTORY: RETURNING TO AN UNFINISHED AGENDA

Recognizing that the vogue of postmodernism has passed, Simon Susen seeks to assess whatever enduring impact it may have had on the social sciences, including historiography. Indeed, the postmodern turn, as he sees it, seems to have had particular implications for our understanding of the human relationship with history. After five exegetical chapters, in which he seems mostly sympathetic to postmodernism, Susen turns to often biting criticism in a subsequent chapter. He charges, most basically, that postmodernists miss the self-critical side of modernity and tend to overreact against aspects of modernism. That overreaction is evident especially in the postmodern preoccupation with textuality and discourse, which transforms sociology into cultural studies and historiography into a form of literature. But as Susen sees it, a comparable overreaction has been at work in the postmodern emphasis on new, “little” politics, concerned with identity and difference, at the expense of more traditional large-scale politics and attendant forms of radicalism. His assessment reflects the “emancipatory” political agenda he assigns to the social sciences. Partly because that agenda inevitably affects what he finds to embrace and what to criticize, aspects of his discussion prove one-sided. And he does not follow through on his suggestions that postmodernist insights entail a sort of inflation of history or historicity. Partly as a result, his treatment of “reason,” universal rights, and reality (including historiographical realism) betrays an inadequate grasp of the postmodern challenge—and opportunity. In the last analysis, Susen's understanding of the historical sources of postmodernism is simply too limited, but he usefully makes it clear that we have not put the postmodernist challenge behind us.
1.1 μm Superficially porous particles for liquid chromatography: Part II: Column packing and chromatographic performance

The predicted advantages of superficially porous particles over totally porous particles are decreased eddy dispersion, longitudinal diffusion, and resistance to mass transfer contributions to the theoretical plate height. While sub-2 micron superficially porous particles are commercially available, further improvements in performance are predicted by decreasing the particle diameter and decreasing the porous layer thickness. 1.1 μm superficially porous particles with 187A pores have been synthesized using a layer-by-layer method tuned for production of smaller diameter particles. Following synthesis, these particles were packed into 30 μm i.d. capillary columns and their chromatographic performance evaluated using electrochemical detection. Based on the initial studies, the column efficiency did not meet theory, but was similar to the commercially available products tested. It is believed that the column packing process plays a critical role in the sub-par column performance. To determine if column efficiency could be predicted by solvent-particle interactions, in-solution optical microscopy and sedimentation velocity of particles in various slurry solvents were investigated and compared to column performance. Aggregating slurry solvents, such as methanol were found to produce columns with increased efficiency. The hmin for a column packed with an acetone slurry and a methanol slurry at 3mg/mL were found to be 6.3 and 3.5, respectively. Increasing the slurry concentration to 25mg/mL further improved the efficiency, producing a column with an hmin of 2.6. These efficiency results were accurately predicted by in-solution optical microscopy.
Inhibition of PCSK9 does not improve lipopolysaccharide-induced mortality in mice.

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a secreted protein that targets LDL receptors (LDLRs) for degradation in liver. Blocking the interaction of PCSK9 with the LDLR potently reduces plasma LDL cholesterol levels and cardiovascular events. Recently, it has been suggested that inhibition of PCSK9 might also improve outcomes in mice and humans with sepsis, possibly by increasing LDLR-mediated clearance of endotoxins. Sepsis is a complication of a severe microbial infection that has shared pathways with lipid metabolism. Here, we tested whether anti-PCSK9 antibodies prevent death from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxemia. Mice were administered PCSK9 antibodies prior to, or shortly after, injecting LPS. In both scenarios, the administration of PCSK9 antibodies did not alter endotoxemia-induced mortality. Afterward, we determined whether the complete absence of PCSK9 improved endotoxemia-induced mortality in mice with the germ-line deletion of Pcsk9 Similarly, PCSK9 knockout mice were not protected from LPS-induced death. To determine whether low LDLR expression increased LPS-induced mortality, Ldlr-/- mice and PCSK9 transgenic mice were studied after injection of LPS. Endotoxemia-induced mortality was not altered in either mouse model. In a human cohort, we observed no correlation between plasma inflammation markers with total cholesterol levels, LDL cholesterol, and PCSK9. Combined, our data demonstrate that PCSK9 inhibition provides no protection from LPS-induced mortality in mice.
Heterogeneity among studies in rates of decline of antiretroviral therapy adherence over time: results from the multisite adherence collaboration on HIV 14 study.

Objective To use electronic drug monitoring to determine if adherence to HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) changes over time, whether changes are linear, and how the declines vary by study. Design We conducted a longitudinal study of pooled data from 11 different studies of HIV-infected adults using ART. The main outcome was ART adherence (percent of prescribed doses taken) measured by electronic drug monitoring. We modeled and compared changes in adherence over time using repeated measures linear mixed effects models and generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs). Indicator variables were used to examine the impact of individual studies, and the variation across studies was evaluated using study-specific parameter estimates calculated by using interaction terms of study and time. Results The mean age of the subjects was 41 years, 35% were female, most had high school education or less, and 46% were African American. In GAMMs, adherence declined over time. The GAMMs further suggested that the decline was nonlinear, and in both sets of models, there was considerable study-to-study variability in how adherence changed over time. Limitations Findings may not be generalizable to non-US populations or to patients not in clinical studies. Conclusions Although overall ART adherence declined with time, not all studies showed declines, and a number of patterns of change were seen. Studies that identify clinical and organizational factors associated with these different patterns are needed. Models of changes in adherence with time should take account of possible nonlinear effects.
Vascular development in very young conifer seedlings: Theoretical hydraulic capacities and potential resistance to embolism.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Conifers have the highest rates of mortality during their first year, often attributed to water stress; yet, this tree life stage is the least studied in terms of hydraulic properties. Previous work has revealed correlations between xylem anatomy to both hydraulic transport capacity and resistance to hydraulic dysfunction. In this study, we compared xylem anatomical and plant functional traits of Pseudotsuga menziesii, Larix occidentalis, and Pinus ponderosa seedlings over the first 10 wk of growth to evaluate potential maximum hydraulic capabilities and resistance to drought-induced embolism. We hypothesized that, based on key functional traits of the xylem, predicted xylem embolism resistance of the species will reflect their previously determined drought tolerances with L. occidentalis, P. menziesii, and P. ponderosa in order of least to most embolism-resistant xylem. METHODS Xylem and pit anatomical characteristics and additional hydraulic-related functional traits were compared at five times during the first 10 wk of growth using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). KEY RESULTS Based on thickness to span ratio, torus to pit aperture overlap, and torus thickness, primary xylem appeared to be not only more hydraulically conductive but also less embolism-resistant than secondary xylem. By week 10, P. menziesii was predicted to have the most embolism-resistant xylem followed by P. ponderosa and L. occidentalis. CONCLUSIONS Theoretical measurements suggest that hydraulic transport capacities and vulnerability to embolism varied for each species over the first 10 wk of growth; thus, the timing of germination and onset of limited soil moisture is critical for growth and survival of seedlings.
On the Freezing Time of Supercooled Drops in Developing Convective Clouds

Abstract. In this study, the particle size distributions (PSDs) measured in fresh developing maritime convective clouds sampled during the Ice in Clouds-Tropical (ICE-T) project are shown and compared with the PSDs modeled using a parcel model containing a spectral bin microphysics scheme. The observations suggest that the first ice in convective clouds is small. To interpret the observed ice PSDs, the freezing times and temperatures of supercooled drops are analyzed. The results indicate that the freezing time is longer for large drops than it is for small drops. Due to instrumental limitations, freezing drops cannot be identified until they exhibit obvious shape deformation. If the updraft is strong enough, large freezing drops can be carried upwards to a lower temperature than their nucleation temperature before obvious shape deformation occurs. In models, drop freezing is assumed to be instantaneous, which is not realistic; thus, the model yields a broader first ice PSD than is observed. This study allows us to interpret the observed ice PSDs in fresh developing convective clouds from the perspective of the freezing time of supercooled drops and notes the deficiency of instantaneous drop freezing in models. To better understand the mechanisms of drop freezing and ice initiation in convective clouds, more laboratory experiments and in situ measurements are needed in the future.