cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Obesity Hypertension Is Related More to Insulin’s Fatty Acid Than Glucose Action

Abstract Although resistance to insulin-mediated glucose disposal has emerged as a link between abdominal obesity and hypertension, abnormalities of nonesterified fatty acid metabolism may play a greater role. Analyses were performed on existing data from 17 abdominally obese subjects (11 hypertensive, 6 normotensive) to determine whether fatty acid concentration and turnover were related to blood pressure independently of hyperinsulinemia and resistance to insulin-mediated glucose disposal. Glucose utilization, fatty acid concentration, and fatty acid turnover were obtained fasting and during euglycemic hyperinsulinemia at 10 and 40 mU·m −2 ·min −1 . Analyses were also performed on another group of 30 subjects with a wide range of risk factors who had blood pressure data as well as glucose and fatty acid measurements during an insulin tolerance test. Fatty acid concentration and turnover were markedly more resistant to suppression by insulin in obese hypertensive than in lean or obese normotensive individuals. In the 17 obese subjects, blood pressure measured at screening, in the laboratory, and over a period of 24 hours correlated significantly with fatty acid concentration and turnover but not with glucose disposal measured during the hyperinsulinemic clamp. These correlations remained significant after fasting insulin, the insulin area under the curve during an oral glucose tolerance test, and glucose disposal during the clamp were controlled for. In the second group of subjects, plasma fatty acids 15 minutes after intravenous insulin also correlated with blood pressure. These correlations remained significant after insulin and an index of sensitivity to insulin-mediated glucose disposal were statistically controlled for. The data indicate that blood pressure is related to the effects of insulin on fatty acid metabolism. The findings raise the possibility that resistance of hormone-sensitive lipase to insulin participates in elevating the blood pressure of abdominally obese hypertensive subjects by increasing fatty acid concentration and turnover.
Effects of Alkalinization of Lidocaine on the Pain of Skin Infiltration and Intravenous Catheterization

Abstract Study Objective: To test the hypothesis that alkalinization of lidocaine decreases the pain of skin infiltration in surgical patients. Design: Double-blind, randomized, prospective study. Setting: Preoperative holding units, Brigham and Women's Hospital. Patients: 184 adult surgical patients. Interventions: We compared the efficacy of 1% lidocaine with and without 0.1 mEq/ml of sodium bicarbonate (NaHC0 3 ) for relief of pain of (1) skin infiltration and (2) intravenous (IV) catheterization prior to surgery. Measurements and Main Results: Patients evaluated the intensity of pain using a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS). There were no differences between study groups (lidocaine with NaHCO 3 , n=89; lidocaine alone, n=95) with respect to site of catheterization or catheter gauge used. Lidocaine plus NaHC0 3 caused significantly less pain on skin infiltration (median VAS=4; range=0 to 51) than did lidocaine alone (VAS = 8; range=0 to 48; p p = 0.01). Conclusions: Pain resulting from skin infiltration of lidocaine solutions can be diminished by adding NaHC0 3 However, catheter size is more important than the presence or absence of NaHC0 3 in determining the pain of IV catheterization.
Reactive Oxygen Species Mediate Alpha-adrenergic Receptor-stimulated Hypertrophy in Adult Rat Ventricular Myocytes

Norepinephrine (NE) causes hypertrophic growth of cardiac myocytes via stimulation of alpha1-adrenergic receptors (alpha1-AR). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can act as signaling molecules for cell growth. Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that ROS mediate alpha1-AR-stimulated hypertrophic growth in adult rat ventricular myocytes (ARVM). NE increased the level of intracellular ROS as assessed by lucigenin chemiluminescence or cytochrome c reduction, and this effect was prevented by the superoxide dismutase (SOD)-mimetic MnTMPyP. NE also caused the induction of MnSOD mRNA. alpha1-AR stimulation with NE (1 microM) in the presence of propranolol (2 microM) for 48-96 h caused a hypertrophic growth phenotype characterized by a 36+/-3% increase in 3H-leucine incorporation, a 49+/-14% increase in protein accumulation, a six-fold induction of atrial natriuretic peptide mRNA, actin filament reorganization, and the induction of MnSOD mRNA. These responses were all prevented by pretreatment with the alpha1-AR-selective antagonist prazosin (100 n M) or the SOD-mimetics MnTMPyP (50 microM) and Euk-8 (100 microM). MnTMPyP had no effect on alpha1-AR-stimulated 3H-inositol phosphate turnover or the hypertrophic phenotype caused by the protein kinase C activator phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate. Thus, ROS play a critical role in mediating the hypertrophic growth response to alpha1-AR-stimulation in ARVM.
Reed frog diversification in the Gulf of Guinea: overseas dispersal, the progression rule, and in situ speciation.

Oceanic islands accumulate endemic species when new colonists diverge from source populations or by in situ diversification of resident island endemics. The relative importance of dispersal versus in situ speciation in generating diversity on islands varies with a number of archipelago characteristics including island size, age, and remoteness. Here, we characterize interisland dispersal and in situ speciation in frogs endemic to the Gulf of Guinea islands. Using mitochondrial sequence and genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism data, we demonstrate that dispersal proceeded from the younger island (Sao Tome) to the older island (Principe) indicating that for organisms that disperse overseas on rafts, dispersal between islands may be determined by ocean currents and not island age. We find that dispersal between the islands is not ongoing, resulting in genotypically distinct but phenotypically similar lineages on the two islands. Finally, we demonstrate that in situ diversification on Sao Tome Island likely proceeded in allopatry due to the geographic separation of breeding sites, resulting in phenotypically distinct species. We find evidence of hybridization between the species where their ranges are sympatric and the hybrid zone coincides with a transition from agricultural land to primary forest, indicating that anthropogenic development may have facilitated secondary contact between previously allopatric species.
Intracellular Elevations of Free Calcium Induced by Activation of Histamine H1 Receptors in Interphase and Mitotic HeLa Cells: Hormone Signal Transduction is Altered during Mitosis

A broad range of membrane functions, including endocytosis and exocytosis, are strongly inhibited during mitosis. The underlying mechanisms are unclear, however, but will probably be important in relation to the mitotic cycle and the regulation of surface phenomena generally. A major unanswered question is whether membrane signal transduction is altered during mitosis; suppression of an intracellular calcium [( Ca2+]i) transient could inhibit exocytosis; [Ca2+]i elevation could disassemble the mitotic spindle. Activation of the histamine H1 receptor interphase in HeLa cells is shown here by Indo-1 fluorescence to produce a transient elevation of [Ca2+]i. The [Ca2+]i transient consists of an initial sharp rise that is at least partially dependent on intracellular calcium followed by an elevated plateau that is absolutely dependent on extracellular calcium. The [Ca2+]i transient is completely suppressed by preincubation with the tumor promoter, phorbol myristate acetate, but is unaffected by preincubation with pertussis toxin (islet-activating protein). In mitotic (metaphase-arrested) HeLa cells, the [Ca2+]i transient is largely limited to the initial peak. Measurement of 45Ca2+ uptake shows that it is stimulated by histamine in interphase cells, but not in mitotics. We conclude that the histamine-stimulated generation of the second messenger, [Ca2+]i, in mitotic cells is limited by failure to activate a sustained calcium influx. The initial phase of calcium mobilization from intracellular stores is comparable to that in interphase cells. Hormone signal transduction thus appears to be altered during mitosis.
Pharmacological Enhancement of Cognition in Individuals with Schizophrenia

w n “ i fi a f n d c t o t t T he principal pharmacological treatment for schizophrenia, antipsychotic medications, reduces the severity of positive symptoms but has little or no effect on the cognitive impairents that are the major determinants of long-term social and ccupational outcome. In addition to their limited effectiveness, all edications currently used to treat schizophrenia are derivative of erendipitous discoveries over a half century ago. These problems mphasize the need for a new approach to developing pharmacoogical interventions in schizophrenia that begins with the identifiation of molecular targets on the basis of their role in the pathohysiology of an illness (1). One such target, 2 subunit-containing -aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) receptors, is the subject of a randomized clinical trial conducted by Buchanan et al. (2) through the National Institute of Mental Health–funded Treatment Units for Research on Neurocognition in Schizophrenia Network and reported in this issue of Biological Psychiatry. The rationale for the study derives from the following hypothesis: increased levels of GABAA receptor 2 subunit protein and mesenger RNA in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of subjects with chizophrenia represent a compensatory response to deficient ABA synthesis in the chandelier subclass of parvalbumin-expressng GABA neurons that signal to postsynaptic pyramidal neurons ia 2-containing GABAA receptors (3). Thus, enhancing this signaling with a drug that selectively activates 2-containing GABAA receptors and that does so only when GABA is normally released from presynaptic chandelier neurons would augment the intrinsic compensatory response and improve the function of the affected neural network. Specifically, positive modulation of 2-containing GABAA receptors was predicted: 1) to increase the power of the frontal lobe band (30 – 80 Hz) oscillations that are impaired in schizophrenia (4), and 2) to improve performance on these tasks because working memory and related cognitive control tasks seem to be dependent on oscillations (5). Preclinical studies demonstrated, consistent with this hypothesis, that compounds with relatively selective agonist activity for 2-containing GABAA receptors improved working memory (6) and increased oscillations (7) in pharmacological models of schizophrenia in monkeys and mice, respectively. In healthy human volunteers, TPA023 (a.k.a. MK-0777), a relatively selective positive modulator of GABAA receptors containing 2 or 3 subunits, had a cognitive-sparing profile compared with typical benzodiazepines, which are nonselective positive modulators of GABAA receptors ontaining 1, 2, 3, or 5 subunits (8). Finally, in a small, proof-ofconcept, randomized clinical trial, subjects with schizophrenia treated with MK-0777 showed increased frontal oscillations and improved performance on several working memory tasks, including the AX-type continuous performance test and N-Back, relative to subjects receiving placebo (9). In contrast, in the larger, multisite, randomized clinical trial conducted by Buchanan et al., subjects
Transport and coastal zooplankton communities in the northern California Current system

[1] Alongshore transport was estimated from the gridded AVISO altimeter data and water level data from NOAA tide gauges (1993–2010) for the northern California Current (NCC) system. The biomass of the cold neritic copepods including Calanus marshallae, Pseudocalanus mimus and Acartia longiremis (dominants in the eastern Bering Sea, coastal Gulf of Alaska, and NCC) was estimated from a 15 year time series of zooplankton samples (1996–2010) collected biweekly at a coastal station 9 km off Newport Oregon U.S.A. The alongshore currents and the biomass of the cold neritic copepods exhibit a strong seasonal pattern and fluctuate in opposite phase: positive alongshore current (from south) leads to low biomass in winter and negative alongshore current (from north) leads to high biomass in summer. When the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is positive, i.e., warm conditions around the northeast Pacific, there is more movement of water from the south in the NCC during winter. When the PDO is negative, there is more movement of water from the north during summer. The mean biomass of cold neritic copepods was positively correlated with the survival rate of juvenile coho salmon and cumulative transport was negatively correlated with coho salmon survival, i.e., in years when a greater portion of the source waters feeding the NCC enters from the north, the greater the salmon survival. We conclude that alongshore transport manifests PDO signals and serves as a linkage between large scale forcing to local ecosystem dynamics.
EDI benefits and barriers

Summarizes previous logistics research into the benefits of, and barriers to, electronic data interchange (EDI). Argues that information management in general, and EDI in particular, is vitally important for today’s international freight forwarder. Presents the findings from empirical studies of international freight forwarders and customers of international freight forwarders with respect to EDI benefits and barriers. Suggests that numerous opportunities exist for further research into EDI benefits and barriers across various logistics constituencies.
Industrial Policy and Growth

The paper highlights how the rationales and instruments of industrial policy have changed since the 1960s. It finds that theories of industrialization have come full circle, as many of the assumptions behind the market failure paradigm have made a comeback. The policy implications of these theories, however, have not been similarly resurrected. It makes an explicit comparison between the strategies of East Asia and Latin America, and reviews the explanations for their divergent performance. It identifies a "back to the future" quality of Latin America's situation, pointing to the region's balance of payments constraint and dependence on commodity-like industrial products.
Efficient and fair MAC for wireless networks with self-interference cancellation

Recent advances in PHY layer design demonstrated efficient self-interference cancellation and full-duplex in a single band. Building a MAC that exploits self-interference cancellation is a challenging task. Links can be scheduled concurrently, but only if they either (i) don't interfere or (ii) allow for self-interference cancellation. Two issues arise: Firstly, it is difficult to construct a schedule that fully exploits the potentials for self-interference cancellation for arbitrary traffic patterns. Secondly, designing an efficient and fair distributed MAC is a daunting task; the issues become even more pronounced when scheduling under the constraints. We propose ContraFlow, a novel MAC that exploits the benefits of self-interference cancellation and increases spatial reuse. We use full-duplex to eliminate hidden terminals, and we rectify decentralized coordination inefficiencies among nodes, thereby improving fairness. Using measurements and simulations we illustrate the performance gains achieved when ContraFlow is used and we obtain both a throughput increase over current systems, as well as a significant improvement in fairness.
Enhancing Involvement and Skills with a Student-Led Method of Case Analysis:

A student-led approach to classroom case analysis is proposed that focuses on both process and output by dividing responsibility among "presentation," "solution," "critique," and "hand-in" student groups. A comparison to the more traditional method shows enhanced involvement, satisfaction, career preparation, and skill development.
Natural radioactive isotopes in the atmosphere at Kodiak and Wales, Alaska

The concentrations of natural radioisotopes of the radon and thoron series in the air in Alaska have been determined from data collected by NRL air-monitor equipment operated at Kodiak (1950–1960) and Wales (1953–1959). Seasonal variations in the concentrations of these activities at both sites have been observed; the average concentrations are compared with those at other sites where similar measurements have been made. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1962.tb01347.x
Redesign of a retractor used in cleft palate surgery

Cleft palate is a birth defect in which the failure of fusion of the palatal shelves leaves a defect in the roof of the mouth. The exposure for surgical correction of the defect is enhanced with a mouth gag, or retractor, to prop open the patient's mouth. Current mouth gag design can be improved for better adjustability. The proposed redesign corrects many limitations by adding interchangeable parts and more secure components.
The strength and source of asymmetric international diversification

We find that correlations between international markets continue to increase over time compared to previous research, with only Asian markets providing lower correlations relative to American and European markets. Consistent with previous studies, the benefits from international diversification are asymmetric, with reduced diversification benefits during bear markets. We extend previous results by examining the characteristics and causes of the returns affecting these asymmetric correlations, relating these results to the herding behavior of investors across markets rather than to fundamental economic reasons. Specifically, we determine that the increase in correlations among markets is most closely associated with the larger correlations from the largest positive return time intervals in bear markets rather than the negative returns. Use of stock index futures avoids issues inherent in the use of international cash indexes.
An Exploratory Comparison of the Policing Views of Nigerian and US College Students

That the police have the onerous duty of maintaining law and order in society is not in contention; however, the extent to which the public are satisfied with police maintenance of law and order varies from society to society. There has been very little research on views about policing in Nigeria. Based on survey data collected from 758 college students, this exploratory study compares and contrasts college students' views of policing in Nigeria and the USA. The results uncover both intra- and international differences in views on various areas of policing, including general confidence in the police, trust in and support for the police, and specific attitudes toward police civility, effectiveness, accountability, aggressive policing and community policing.
Polymer beacons for luminescence and magnetic resonance imaging of DNA delivery.

The delivery of nucleic acids with polycations offers tremendous potential for developing highly specific treatments for various therapeutic targets. Although materials have been developed and studied for polynucleotide transfer, the biological mechanisms and fate of the synthetic vehicle has remained elusive due to the limitations with current labeling technologies. Here, we have developed polymer beacons that allow the delivery of nucleic acids to be visualized at different biological scales. The polycations have been designed to contain repeated oligoethyleneamines, for binding and compacting nucleic acids into nanoparticles, and lanthanide (Ln) chelates [either luminescent europium (Eu3+) or paramagnetic gadolinium (Gd3+)]. The chelated Lns allow the visualization of the delivery vehicle both on the nm/μm scale via microscopy and on the sub-mm scale via MRI. We demonstrate that these delivery beacons effectively bind and compact plasmid (p)DNA into nanoparticles and protect nucleic acids from nuclease damage. These delivery beacons efficiently deliver pDNA into cultured cells and do not exhibit toxicity. Micrographs of cultured cells exposed to the nanoparticle complexes formed with fluorescein-labeled pDNA and the europium-chelated polymers reveal effective intracellular imaging of the delivery process. MRI of bulk cells exposed to the complexes formulated with pDNA and the gadolinium-chelated structures show bright image contrast, allowing visualization of effective intracellular delivery on the tissue-scale. Because of their versatility, these delivery beacons posses remarkable potential for tracking and understanding nucleic acid transfer in vitro, and have promise as in vivo theranostic agents.
Adaptive force sonorheometry for assessment of whole blood coagulation

Background: Viscoelastic diagnostics that monitor the hemostatic function of whole blood (WB), such as thromboelastography, have been developed with demonstrated clinical utility. By measuring the cumulative effects of all components of hemostasis, viscoelastic diagnostics have circumvented many of the challenges associated with more common tests of blood coagulation.
DISEASE CONTROL, SURVIVAL, AND FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME AFTER MULTIMODAL TREATMENT FOR ADVANCED-STAGE TONGUE BASE CANCER

Background. Surgicalresectionandpostoperative radiation for advanced-stage malignancies of the oral cavity, oropharynx, and hypopharynx result in a dismal overall survival of 38%. Patients with carcinoma of the tongue base frequently have advanced disease at the time of presentation, and combined- modality therapy is usually required to achieve cure. Because of the poor survival rates with advanced malignancies with standard therapy, new and innovative approaches continue to be devel- oped in an attempt to have a greater impact on disease control, patient survival, and functional outcome after therapy. This study examines functional outcome, survival, and disease control in patients receiving an intensified treatment regimen with concom- itant chemoradiotherapy, surgery, and intraoperative radiother- apy for previously untreated, resectable, stage III and IV squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue base. Methods. Forty patients with previously untreated, resect-
Family problem-solving training

Abstract A rational, democratic family atmosphere appears to facilitate children's cognitive and social development. Family problem-solving training is a behavioral family intervention designed to encourage such an atmosphere while remedying parents' and children's specific long-standing complaints. During training the family writes a series of contingency contracts without the advice of a therapist but guided by a board game. Each time they play this game, the family practices a strategy of problem solving which they can use in their informal discussions, and they become familiar with a formal approach to problem solving which they can use at home long after training ends. The contracts which the family carries out at home during training resolve their major complaints. This paper describes training in sufficient detail to permit dissemination and replication. Innovative replications require theoretical information about the core features of an intervention; such features which should remain constant reg...
Salicylic acid modified high performance epoxy matrices

This study focuses on the processing-structure-property relations for salicylic acid modified high performance epoxy matrix systems for carbon fiber composites. Differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical data have shown that as the concentration of salicylic acid increases, the degree of cure first increases, reaches a maximum, and then decreases steadily. Analysis of the results indicated that small amounts of salicyclic acid accelerates the amine-epoxide reactions resulting into crosslinked networks with increased degree of cure; increasing amounts, however, give rise to networks with reduced crosslinking by reducing the net available diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS) content in the system by a reaction of the DDS with salicylic acid. Overall, this study has demonstrated that salicyclic acid modification offers the potential for monitoring and controlling amine-epoxide reactions that may influence the application and usage of epoxy matrices in composite systems.
Longitudinal study of acute haematologic toxicity in cervical cancer patients treated with chemoradiotherapy

Author(s): Zhu, He; Zakeri, Kaveh; Vaida, Florin; Carmona, Ruben; Dadachanji, Kaivan K; Bair, Ryan; Aydogan, Bulent; Hasan, Yasmin; Yashar, Catheryn M; Mell, Loren K | Abstract: IntroductionAcute hematologic toxicity (HT) limits optimal delivery of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for patients with pelvic malignancies. We tested the hypothesis that pelvic bone marrow (PBM) dose-volume metrics were associated with weekly reductions in peripheral blood cell counts in cervical cancer patients undergoing CRT.MethodsWe included 102 cervical cancer patients treated with concurrent cisplatin (40 mg/m(2) /week) and pelvic radiotherapy treated at three US centres. No patient received granulocyte-monocyte colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) or platelet transfusions. Using linear-mixed effects modelling, we analysed weekly reductions in log-transformed peripheral blood cell counts as a function of time (weeks), mean PBM dose and the PBM volume receiving ≥10 Gy (V(10)), 20 Gy (V(20)), 30 Gy (V(30)) and 40 Gy (V(40)).ResultsIncreases in mean PBM radiation dose, V(20), V(30) and V(40) were all significantly associated with a greater weekly reduction in white blood cell (WBC) and absolute neutrophil counts (ANCs). We estimated that with every 1 Gy increase in mean PBM dose, ln(ANC) was reduced by 9.6/μL per week (95% confidence interval, 1.9-17.3, P = 0.015). Subregion analysis also identified significant associations between weekly reductions in ln(WBC) and ln(ANC) within lumbosacral spine, ischium and proximal femora, as opposed to ilium.ConclusionsPBM radiation dose-volume metrics are significantly associated with weekly reductions in peripheral blood cell counts in cervical cancer patients undergoing CRT, particularly within the lower pelvis and lumbosacral spine.
The Meaning and Method of Afa Divination Among the Northern Nsukka Ibo

To the Nsukka Ibo the world tends to be a not always clearly defined blend of material and spiritual forces, with the spiritual in the ascendancy insofar as most serious material happenings are ascribed ultimately to the work of the spirits. The spirits, briefly, are of two groups: those who become mortal time after time-the ancestors, who are reincarnated, live, and then die to be reincarnated again, although not always, along with certain trickster spirits such as ogbanje who torment mothers by being born as children who constantly die and are reborn; and those spirits who are always immortalthe high god, Chukwu and his various creative manifestations, and the numberless intermediary spirits called dlusi. Not personalized, but in a sense part of the magico-spiritual world is undefined ogwu or "medicine." In Ibo societies life expectancy is not great (it averages 40 years if one lives to the age of five), and the people are subject to numerous and rather constant ailments ranging from leprosy and smallpox to the common cold which often is followed by death from combined bronchial pneumonia, malaria, and dysentery. Furthermore, matters such as impotency and sterility 1441
A diet pattern with more dairy and nuts, but less meat is related to lower risk of developing hypertension in middle-aged adults: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

Dietary intake among other lifestyle factors influence blood pressure. We examined the associations of an ―a priori‖ diet score with incident high normal blood pressure (HNBP; systolic blood pressure (SBP) 120–139 mmHg, or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 80–89 mmHg and no antihypertensive medications) and hypertension (SBP ≥ 140 mmHg, DBP ≥ 90 mmHg, or taking antihypertensive medication). We used proportional hazards regression to evaluate this score in quintiles (Q) and each food group making up the score relative to incident HNBP or hypertension over nine years in the Atherosclerosis Risk of Communities (ARIC) study of 9913 African-American and Caucasian adults aged 45–64 years and free of HNBP or hypertension at baseline. Incidence of HNBP varied from 42.5% in white women to 44.1% in black women; and incident hypertension from 26.1% in white women to 40.8% in black women. Adjusting for demographics and CVD risk factors, the ―a priori‖ food score was inversely associated with incident hypertension; but not HNBP. Compared to Q1, the relative hazards of hypertension for the food score Q2–Q5 were 0.97 (0.87–1.09), 0.91 (0.81–1.02), 0.91 (0.80–1.03), and 0.86 (0.75–0.98); ptrend = 0.01. This inverse relation was largely attributable to greater intake of dairy products and nuts, and less meat. These findings support the 2010 Dietary Guidelines to consume more dairy products and nuts, but suggest a reduction in meat intake.
Identification and function of the centrosome centromatrix

Centrosomes direct the organization of microtubules in animal cells. However, in the absence of centrosomes, cytoplasm has the potential to organize microtubules and assemble complex structures such as anastral spindles. During cell replication or following fertilization, centrioles that are incapable of organizing microtubules into astral arrays are introduced into this complex cytoplasmic environment. These centrioles become associated with pericentriolar material responsible for centrosome-dependent microtubule nucleation, and thus the centrosome matures to ultimately become a dominant microtubule organizing center that serves as a central organizer of cell cytoplasm. We describe the identification of a novel structure within the pericentriolar material of centrosomes called the centromatrix. The centromatrix is a salt-insoluble filamentous scaffold to which subunit structures that are necessary for microtubule nucleation and abundant in the cytoplasm bind. We propose that the centromatrix serves to concentrate and focus these subunits to form the microtubule organizing center. Since binding of these subunits to the centromatrix does not require nucleotides, we propose a model for centrosome assembly which predicts that the assembly of the centromatrix is a rate-limiting step in centrosome assembly and maturation.
Longitudinal associations between anhedonia and internet-related addictive behaviors in emerging adults

Internet addiction (including online gaming) has been associated with depression. However, most prior research relating internet addiction symptomatology to depressive symptoms has been cross-sectional, conducted with children and adolescents, and only examined depressive symptoms as a broad construct. The purpose of the current study was to examine potential longitudinal associations between anhedonia (i.e., difficulty experiencing pleasure, a key facet of depression) and internet-related addictive behaviors in 503źat-risk emerging adults (former attendees of alternative high schools). Participants completed surveys at baseline and approximately one year later (9-18 months later). Results indicated that trait anhedonia prospectively predicted greater levels of compulsive internet use and addiction to online activities as well as a greater likelihood of addiction to online/offline video games. These findings suggest that anhedonia may contribute to the development of internet-related addictive behaviors in the emerging adult population. Thus, interventions that target anhedonia in emerging adulthood (e.g., bupropion treatment or behavioral activation therapy) may help prevent or treat internet addiction. Prior work related internet addiction (IA) to depression, but not to its facets.We studied if one facet, anhedonia, prospectively relates to IA in emerging adults.Trait anhedonia predicted IA as indexed by two different measures.Trait anhedonia also predicted addiction to online/offline video games.Interventions that target anhedonia in emerging adulthood may help with IA.
Temporal trends of single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging in patients without prior coronary artery disease: A 22-year experience at a tertiary academic medical center.

Background Between 1990 and 2006, there was a large national increase in utilization of single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (SPECT) for assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD). We aim to examine the trends of SPECT test results and patients’ characteristics at Mayo Clinic Rochester. Methods Using the Mayo Clinic nuclear cardiology database, we examined all SPECT tests performed between January 1, 1991, and December 31, 2012, in patients without prior CAD. The study cohort was divided into 5 time periods: 1991-1995, 1996-2000, 2001-2005, 2006-2010, and 2011-2012. Results There were 35,894 eligible SPECT tests (mean age 62.5 ± 12 years, 54% men). Annual utilization of SPECT increased significantly in 1992-2002 but then decreased without evidence of test substitution with stress echocardiography. There were modest changes in CAD risk factors over time. Testing of asymptomatic patients doubled (21.9% in 1991-1995 to 40% in 2006-2010) but later decreased to 33.6% in 2011-2012. Tests on patients with typical angina decreased dramatically (18.3% in 1991-1995 to 6.7% in 2011-2012). Summed stress score, summed difference score, and high-risk SPECT tests all decreased over time in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients regardless of stress modality (exercise vs pharmacologic). Conclusions In Mayo Clinic Rochester, annual SPECT utilization in patients without prior CAD increased in 1992-2002 but then decreased. Despite similar CAD risk factors and decreased utilization after 2003, more tests were low risk; summed stress score, summed difference score, and high-risk tests all decreased. Our findings confirm previous observations that SPECT was increasingly used in patients with a lower prevalence of CAD.
Discovering knowledge models in an open-ended educational game using concept formation

Developing models of the knowledge and skills being exercised in a task is an important component of the design of any instructional environment. Developing these models is a labor intensive process. When working in explor- atory and open-ended environments (EOLEs) the difficulty of building a knowledge model is amplified by the amount of freedom afforded to learners within the environment. In this paper we demonstrate a way of accelerating the model development process by applying a concept formation algorithm called TRESTLE. This approach takes structural representations of problem states and integrates them into a hierarchical categorization, which can be used to assign concept labels to states at different grain sizes. We show that when applied to an open-ended educational game, knowledge models developed from concept labels using this process show a better fit to student data than basic hand- authored models. This work demonstrates that it is possible to use machine learning to automatically acquire a knowledge component model from student data in open-ended tasks.
Collaborative study of the analysis of mestranol in combination with norethindrone or norethynodrel.

A collaborative study of the analysis of mestranol in combination with norethindrone or norethynodrel by column chromatography and ultraviolet determination is presented. The study consisted of 4 samples which were a commercial norethindrone tablet a synthetic norethindrone mixture a commercial norethynodrel tablet and a synthetic norethynodrel mixture. The samples were analyzed by 13 collaborators. Average mestranol recoveries were 100.4 99.9 98.7 and 101.2% respectively.
Fuel Moisture Differences in a Mixed Native and Non-Native Grassland: Implications for Fire Regimes

Non-native plants have far-reaching effects on many terrestrial ecosystems. There are several examples of non-native species altering fire regimes, either by increasing or decreasing the potential intensity and severity of fires. To investigate this phenomenon, we sampled fuel moisture content of four native grass species (Festuca californica Vasey, Danthonia californica Bol., Elymus glaucus Buckley, and Bromus carinatus Hook. & Arn.) and four non-native grass species (Phalaris aquatica L., Cynosurus echinatus L., Arrhenatherum elatius [L.] J. Presl & C. Presl, and Anthoxanthum odoratum L.) in northern California grasslands across the 2012 growing season. No significant differences in moisture content were found between native and non-native groups (P = 0.337). Across all dates, moisture content of the eight grass species differed (P < 0.001). The non-native annual Cynosurus echinatus had the lowest moisture content in August (21 %), and fell well below ignition thresholds before the other grasses. Phalaris aquatica, an aggressive perennial non-native, had the highest moisture content for all months and differed significantly from all species for all dates (P < 0.05). Our results suggest that some non-native species have the capacity to alter fire behavior by either increasing or decreasing fire intensity and rate of spread. These findings reveal another way non-native species complicate restoration and management of fire-dependent ecosystems.
Auger generation as an intrinsic limit to tunneling field-effect transistor performance

Many in the microelectronics field view tunneling field-effect transistors (TFETs) as society's best hope for achieving a >10× power reduction for electronic devices; however, despite a decade of considerable worldwide research, experimental TFET results have significantly underperformed simulations and conventional MOSFETs. To explain the discrepancy between TFET experiments and simulations, we investigate the parasitic leakage current due to Auger generation, an intrinsic mechanism that cannot be mitigated with improved material quality or better device processing. We expose the intrinsic link between the Auger and band-to-band tunneling rates, highlighting the difficulty of increasing one without the other. From this link, we show that Auger generation imposes a fundamental limit on ultimate TFET performance.
Motivation in Schizophrenic Performance: A Review

A review is presented dealing with factors other than purely cognitive or perceptual which affect (usually deleteriously) schizophrenics' performance on laboratory tasks. Physiological and psychological responsiveness, stimulus factors, response predispositions and reinforcement classes are discussed. It is concluded that the literature currently provides few clear conclusions but points to problem areas requiring immediate attention.
The attachment of colloidal particles to environmentally relevant surfaces and the effect of particle shape

Despite the prevalence of nonspherical colloidal particles, the role of particle shape in the transport of colloids is largely understudied. This study investigates the attachment of colloidal particles onto environmentally relevant surfaces while varying particle shape and ionic strength. Using quartz crystal microbalance and atomic force microscopy measurements, the role of particle shape was elucidated and possible mechanisms discussed. The attachment of both spherical and stretched polystyrene colloidal particles onto a smooth alginate-coated silica surface showed qualitative agreement with DLVO theory. Attachment onto a Harpeth humic acid (HHA) surface, however, significantly deviated from DLVO theory due to its high surface heterogeneity and extended confirmation from the silica surface. This extended confirmation provided increased potential for spherical particle entanglement, while the enlarged major axis of the stretched particles hindered their ability to attach. As ionic strength increased, the HHA layer condensed and provided less potential for spherical particle entanglement and therefore the selectivity for spherical particle attachment vanished. The findings presented in this study suggest that colloidal particle shape may play a complex and important role in predicting the transport of colloidal particles, especially in the presence of natural organic matter-coated surfaces.
Applying Relational Dependency Discovery Framework to Geo-spatial Data Mining

Identifying dependencies and relationships amongst data collected from disparate sources is a difficult problem. When the data to be analyzed are geo-spatial data, the problem becomes harder because meaningful data dependencies may not be derived until the right granularity of geo-spatial objects is used to organize the data. We propose a computational framework in which dependencies between geo-spatial referencing variables are automatically examined through trial and error. We present the computation model which uses a set of heuristic rules to derive meaningful dependencies. This model assumes the dependency derivation engine is to be used repeatedly to find the right granularity of the geo-spatial objects with which the discovered dependencies may exhibit most "interesting" relationships. We demonstrate how the model works with an example data set. We also illustrate that the uncovered dependencies can be depicted over a GIS system for easier understanding of the dependencies by the end users.
Molecular Analysis of Gene Rearrangements and Mutations in Acute Leukemias and Myeloid Neoplasms

A subset of acute leukemias and other myeloid neoplasms contains specific genetic alterations, many of which are associated with unique clinical and pathologic features. These alterations include chromosomal rearrangements leading to oncogenic fusion proteins or alteration of gene expression by juxtaposing oncogenes to enhancer elements, as well as mutations leading to aberrant activation of a variety of proteins critical to hematopoietic progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation. Molecular analysis is central to diagnosis and clinical management of leukemias, permitting genetic confirmation of a clinical and histologic impression, providing prognostic and predictive information, and facilitating detection of minimal residual disease. This unit will outline approaches to the molecular diagnosis of the most frequent and clinically relevant genetic alterations in acute leukemias and myeloid neoplasms. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Environmental regulation of intrinsic photosynthetic capacity: an integrated view

Environmental modulation of photosynthetic capacity is reviewed in the context of its assessment and its regulation, genetic differences among species and ecotypes, and links to plant stress tolerance and productivity. Modulation of intrinsic photosynthetic capacity matches investment in photosynthetic components to opportunity for CO2 uptake and productivity in specific environments, with exceptionally high rates during particularly narrow windows of opportunity. Response varies among species and ecotypes and should be evaluated on multiple reference bases as well as chloroplast, leaf, and whole plant scales. Photosynthetic capacity, total foliar vascular transport capacity, and plant sink strength are modulated in concert. Switching among alternative target sinks and alternative foliar vascular architectures may provide avenues for co-optimization of productivity and stress tolerance.
Outdoor Ambient Air Pollution and Neurodegenerative Diseases: the Neuroinflammation Hypothesis

Accumulating research indicates that ambient outdoor air pollution impacts the brain and may affect neurodegenerative diseases, yet the potential underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. The neuroinflammation hypothesis holds that elevation of cytokines and reactive oxygen species in the brain mediates the deleterious effects of urban air pollution on the central nervous system (CNS). Studies in human and animal research document that neuroinflammation occurs in response to several inhaled pollutants. Microglia are a prominent source of cytokines and reactive oxygen species in the brain, implicated in the progressive neuron damage in diverse neurodegenerative diseases, and activated by inhaled components of urban air pollution through both direct and indirect pathways. The MAC1-NOX2 pathway has been identified as a mechanism through which microglia respond to different forms of air pollution, suggesting a potential common deleterious pathway. Multiple direct and indirect pathways in response to air pollution exposure likely interact in concert to exert CNS effects.
Modifying Arrhythmia Behavior Preablation With Drug Therapy May Improve Single Procedure Efficacy of a Limited Ablation Strategy in Patients With Persistent Atrial Fibrillation

Wide area circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (PVI), also referred to as antral PVI, is the most frequently utilized strategy in patients undergoing atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation.1 Although widely practiced, the single procedure success rate of this approach has consistently been better in patients with paroxysmal as than in those with persistent AF.1–3 This discrepancy has been attributed to the difference in the mechanism(s) underlying the 2 types of AF.4 It has been posited that early on in the course of AF, triggers predominate. As the arrhythmia becomes more established, there are changes in the underlying substrate, which promote AF persistence, that is, AF begets AF.4,5 Although this hypothesis remains to be proven, it has nevertheless resulted in the development of adjunctive substrate modification strategies for enhancing procedural efficacy in patients with more persistent forms of AF. These include empirical linear lesions across potential reentrant channels, targeting complex fractionated electrograms (CFEs), ablating ganglionated plexi or AF nests, etc.4,6,7 Initial experience from operators/centers who developed some of these techniques showed their benefit in improving long-term ablation outcomes beyond PVI in patients with persistent AF.4,6,7 However, these initial favorable results have not been consistently reproduced, particularly when tested in prospective randomized comparisons. Our group was one of the first to conduct a prospective randomized study (RASTA trial [Randomized Ablation Strategies for the Treatment of Persistent Atrial Fibrillation]) to assess the efficacy of CFE ablation for enhancing single procedure efficacy beyond PVI in an exclusive group of patients with persistent and long-standing persistent AF. We found that freedom from atrial arrhythmias at 1 year after a single ablation procedure off antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) therapy was significantly worse in patients randomized to additional CFE ablation beyond PVI …
Spectroscopy of Metastable Xenon Atoms in High Pressure Plasma Discharges

Three plasma discharge systems operating at pressures between 450 and 760 Torr are used to excite rare gas atoms and of particular interest to this work the metastable 6 s [ 3 2 ] 2 (Racah notation) state of xenon. This metastable state of rare gas atoms is of interest of due to its ability to operate as a ground level for a lasing scheme operating in the near infrared with the potential to be scaled to higher power. Spectroscopic measurements of the metastable xenon population densities and the spectral broadening of the 904.545 nm transition are presented.
Transverse Orientation of Acid Layers in the Crystallites of a Precise Polymer

Recently we reported an unusual multilayered structure in a linear polyethylene containing precisely periodic carboxylic acid groups pendant to every 21st carbon atom (p21AA). Within the ordered domains, p21AA executes tight chain folds at the location of each acid group, and the chain-fold surfaces participate in hydrogen bonds with adjacent fold surfaces to form acid-rich layers. Here, we investigate the bulk morphologies of p21AA after isothermal crystallization and, using X-ray scattering and polarized optical microscopy, find p21AA to be semicrystalline. By analyzing X-ray peak widths, creating real-space models of lamellae, and performing in-situ X-ray scattering during tensile deformation, we find that, contrary to the typical structure of polymer crystallites, the polymer stems lie in the plane of the lamellae such that the acid layers are transverse (within 30° of orthogonal) to the crystallite plane. This surprising structure, not reported before to our knowledge, could be useful for designing s...