cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endothelins stimulate mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade through either ETA or ETB

Endothelin (ET) has been shown to activate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). However, it has been unclear which of the ET receptors is coupled to MAPK activation. In the present study, we conducted experiments to determine which ET receptor is linked to MAPK activation. We found that both human ETA and ETB were coupled to the MAPK cascade in ETA or ETB cDNA-transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells. ET-1 was more potent than ET-3 in the activation of p42 MAPK, induction of MAPK kinase (MAPKK) gel retardation and uptake of [3H]thymidine in ETA-transfected cells, whereas sarafotoxin (S6c) showed no stimulatory effect on the kinases and [3H]thymidine uptake. ET-1, ET-3, and S6c had approximately the same potency to activate p42 MAPK, MAPKK gel retardation, and [3H]thymidine uptake in ETB-transfected cells. These data suggest that 1) ET isopeptides, through either ETA or ETB receptors, induce the MAPK cascade as well as cell proliferation; and 2) the different potencies of ET isopeptides for activation of the MAPK cascade and induction of cell growth are mainly due to their different affinities toward ETA and ETB.
Is reduced graphene oxide favorable for nonprecious metal oxygen-reduction catalysts?

Abstract Reduced graphene oxide (rGO), as a newly emerged carbon material, has attracted great attention concerning its applications for electrocatalysts. Presently, there are mixed opinions regarding the advantages to using rGO as a support for preparing nonprecious metal catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The primary goal of this work is to determine whether rGO would be favorable for non-precious metal catalysis of oxygen reduction or not. In the case of Fe-free catalysts, when polyaniline (PANI) was used as nitrogen/carbon precursor, the PANI-rGO catalyst is superior to the PANI-Ketjenblack (KJ) carbon black catalyst in terms of ORR activity and H 2 O 2 yield. When comparing the ORR activity of PANI-Fe-rGO to the traditional PANI-Fe-KJ, in more challenging acidic electrolyte, PANI-Fe-rGO performed no better than PANI-Fe-KJ. However, rGO does indeed enhance stability of the Fe–N–C catalyst in acidic media. In addition, in an alkaline electrolyte, ORR activity was significantly improved when using rGO in comparison to the KJ-supported Fe–N–C catalysts. Based on detailed comparisons of structures, morphologies, and reaction kinetics, the traditional KJ support with dominant microporous is able to accommodate more FeN x moieties that are crucial for the ORR in acid. Oppositely, the richness of nitrogen-doped graphene edge sites provided by rGO facilitates the ORR in the alkaline electrolyte.
Presidential Address: All in the Family, or "Gee, Our Old LaSalle Ran Great".

Document S1. Table S1xDownload (.15 MB ) Document S1. Table S1Document S2. Article plus Supplemental DataxDownload (2.08 MB ) Document S2. Article plus Supplemental Data
Canopy volume–aboveground biomass relationships of desert perennials and the effects of elevated CO2

Abstract Known allometric relationships between aboveground plant biomass and canopy volume allow standing biomass and net primary productivity (NPP) to be estimated non-destructively. Canopy volume–aboveground biomass relationships are published for many ecosystems, but not for most desert species. It is also unknown if elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide [CO2] affects canopy volume–aboveground biomass relationships in desert perennials, limiting efforts to model NPP in an elevated CO2 environment. We measured canopy volume and aboveground biomass for perennial plants in the Mojave Desert, USA, at the Nevada Desert FACE Facility (NDFF): four species before treatment and 22 species after 10 years (1997–2007) of elevated CO2. Canopy volume to aboveground biomass allometry was estimated for each of the nine most common species individually; the remaining 13 species and unidentified dead shrubs combined to form a single “other” group. The resulting slopes and intercepts, which were estimated using a robust v...
Direct and Indirect Antioxidant Activity of Polyphenol- and Isothiocyanate-Enriched Fractions from Moringa oleifera

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a fast-growing, tropical tree with various edible parts used as nutritious food and traditional medicine. This study describes an efficient preparatory strategy to extract and fractionate moringa leaves by fast centrifugal partition chromatography (FCPC) to produce polyphenol and isothiocyanate (ITC) rich fractions. Characterization and further purification of these fractions showed that moringa polyphenols were potent direct antioxidants assayed by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), whereas moringa ITCs were effective indirect antioxidants assayed by induction of NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) activity in Hepa1c1c7 cells. In addition, purified 4-[(α-l-rhamnosyloxy)benzyl]isothiocyanate and 4-[(4'-O-acetyl-α-l-rhamnosyloxy)benzyl]isothiocyanate were further evaluated for their ORAC and NQO1 inducer potency in comparison with sulforaphane (SF). Both ITCs were as potent as SF in inducing NQO1 activity. These findings suggest that moringa leaves contain a potent mixture of direct and indirect antioxidants that can explain its various health-promoting effects.
Cellularity and in vitro fatty acid biosynthesis in adipose tissue of meal-fed and nibbling rats.

SummaryEpididymal fat cells were of similar size in meal-fed and nibbling rats. Consequently, the differences in in vitro lipogenic capacity of the epididymal fat pads from meal-fed and nibbling rats were of similar magnitude whether the results were expressed on a tissue weight basis or on a fat cell basis. The results of these studies show that the enhanced lipogenic capacity observed in the adipose tissue from meal-fed rats results from a true metabolic adaptation and not a change in cell size.
AFP case surveillance in Hubei Province from 2009-2010

[Objective]To understand the epidemiological characteristics of acute flaccid paralysis(AFP) in Hubei Province,to identify the existed problem immediately,and provide evidence for improving the monitoring quality. [Methods]The individual questionnaire and follow-up table of AFP cases reported by AFP surveillance system was statistically analyzed in Hubei Province between 2009 and 2010. [Results]A total of 433 AFP cases were reported in Hubei Province from 2009-2010,the reported incidence of non-polio AFP cases of children under 15 years old was 1.98/10 0000 and 2.23/100 000,respectively.Ninety seven percent of cases were investigated within 48 hours,the collection rate of double stool samples of AFP cases within 14 days after onset of paralysis was 91.2%,the collection rate of adequate stool samples was 89.8%,the promptness rate of AFP cases follow-up within 75 days after onset of paralysis was 84.3%. [Conclusion]To control the poliomyelitis should improve the surveillance quality,especially in AFP case identification,timeliness of reporting and stool specimen collection,and continue to enhance OPV routine immunization.
Extended Pyelolithotomy: The use of Renal Artery Clamping and Regional Hypothermia

AbstractExtended pyelolithotomy is a technique applicable for removal of most staghorn, and large pelvic and caliceal calculi. Nephrotomy incisions can be avoided in many cases. The efficiency of extended pyelolithotomy in difficult cases can be improved by renal artery occlusion combined with regional renal hypothermia. Devascularization of the kidney produces softening of the renal substance, which facilitates stone removal. The operative method is described and 5 cases are presented.
Biosynthesis of the Cell Walls of the Algae

Algae constitute a large and diverse array of photosynthetic eukaryotes that are common to most of modern earth’s photic zones. Algae are critical to global primary production, CO2 sequestering and biomineralization as well as being of economic significance in the food, pharmaceutical and biofuel industries. The extracellular matrix of algal cells, most notably the cell wall, is of fundamental significance to survival and often serves as the major product of photosynthetic carbon fixation. The cell walls of most algae consist of a framework of fibrillar polysaccharides that are embedded in a matrix composed of neutral and charged polysaccharides along with various proteins, phenolics and complexed cations. The fibrillar components include mannans, xylans and most notably, cellulose, whose synthesis occurs in membrane-bound enzyme complexes. These load-bearing fibrillar components are inserted in complex networks of polysaccharides that include hemicelluloses and polyanionic polymers such as pectins, alginates, fucoidans and the sulfated galactans of red algae, agar and carageenan. These polymers are synthesized in the Golgi Apparatus, transported to cell surface sites via actin- and tubulin-based motors and deposited in the wall complex. Often, post-secretory crosslinking with cations alters the structural architecture of these polymers that, in turn, influences the strength and function of the cell wall. Proteins are also found in algal cell walls including highly glycosylated and hydroxyproline-rich forms, some of which have structural semblance to extensins and arabinogalactan proteins of land plants. Modern molecular and immunobinding studies are now probing the specific mechanisms in wall development including modulations that occur during morphogenesis and in response to environmental triggers.
Effect of Primary and Secondary Group Interaction upon Improvement in a Complex Movement Task

Abstract Four experimental groups, each of five subjects, were permitted varying degrees of interaction between six trials of a large maze task, performed without vision. Two were primary groups, and two secondary groups, while a fifth (control group) was kept isolated between trials. One primary and one secondary group were permitted to interact between all trials, while one primary and one secondary group were permitted to interact only between trials 3, 4, and 5 of the six trials. Group improvement was found to be a function both of the type of group engaging in the task, and of the number of interactions permitted. Superior improvement was recorded by the primary group interacting between all trials, and by groups interacting between all trials versus groups permitted to interact only after trial 3. Improvement of the interacting groups was significantly superior to that of the isolated controls.
Hurford: FLP Practice Pointers

Sometimes a case offers practice pointers: Hurford is one such case. Besides explaining what not to do (that is, what was actually done in the case), the Tax Court continually commented on what the decedent and her family might have done to improve their chances of success. The taxpayers in this case attempted to use family limited partnerships (FLPs) and a private annuity to reduce gift and estate taxes.
The promises and pitfalls of personalization in narratives to promote social change

ABSTRACTThis study tests the effects of personalized and depersonalized narratives on cognitive responses, narrative engagement, and support for obesity prevention policies. We first explicate three dimensions of personalization: (1) identifiability, (2) individualization, and (3) inner states description. We then report on a randomized experiment (N = 368) showing that depersonalized narratives were more effective than personalized stories and a no-exposure control group in promoting targeted social policies. Revealing a character’s inner states was most detrimental to the audience’s narrative engagement, reducing levels of transportation, identification, and empathy. Empathy, in turn, fully mediated the impact of inner states description on policy support. Results indicate that personalized narratives have the potential to weaken public support for health policies aimed at changing social factors.
Do patients learn from survivorship care plans

73Background: At the Cleveland Clinic, a formal, patient (pt) specific survivorship care plan (SCP) is given to all pts who have completed definitive treatment (DT) for loco-regionally advanced head and neck cancer (HNC). We sought to assess the impact of this SCP on pt understanding of disease and treatment, potential symptoms of recurrence, and follow up (FU) expectations. Methods: In an unselected series of HNC survivorship eligible pts, the same IRB approved survey was administered both before SCP delivery and again at the next routine FU. The survey evaluated pts’ pre-existing knowledge of the information included in the SCP, and whether it had improved and was retained over time. Results: Pre and post-survey responses were collected from 29 pts who had completed DT between 7-23 months (mo) prior. Eighteen (62%) had a diagnosis of oropharyngeal cancer, all were treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy and most (93%) received concurrent cisplatin. Only 24 of the 29 pts (83%) recalled receivi...
Li-ion transport in a representative ceramic–polymer–plasticizer composite electrolyte: Li7La3Zr2O12–polyethylene oxide–tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether

Ceramic–polymer hybrids carry the promise of forming composite electrolytes with high ionic conductivity, good stability and compatibility with electrodes, and excellent mechanical properties that cannot be achieved with conventional ceramic or polymer ion conductors. Small molecule additives often further enhance ion conduction. This work employs a representative composite comprising a ceramic Li-ion conductor, garnet-type Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO), a polymer Li-ion conductor, polyethylene oxide (PEO), and an additive, tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether (TEGDME). All the Li sites in bulk LLZO, PEO, and TEGDME, and at the interfaces of PEO/LLZO, PEO/TEGDME, and LLZO/TEGDME, have been clearly identified with high-resolution Li NMR. It is determined using the 6Li → 7Li isotope replacement strategy that Li-ion transport in this composite occurs mainly via TEGDME-associated phases. Changes in the bulk and interfacial structures of the composite will likely alter Li-ion pathways and thus lead to variation in ionic conductivity. As an example, the composite structure evolves over time, which results in a decrease in active Li sites and degradation of ionic conductivity.
A Conservator’s Perspective on Ancient Metallurgy

This chapter focuses on technological research on ancient metal artifacts carried out by conservators in museum settings. By virtue of their multi-disciplinary training and experience gained through the daily handling, examining, documenting, analyzing, and preserving archaeological and historic artifacts, conservators bring a unique skill set to the study their physical nature. Often in undertaken in collaboration with archaeologists, art historians, craftsmen, scientists, and a broad range of other professionals, conservation research may focus on manufacturing processes, the identification and characterization of materials, analysis of subsequent alterations and wear, mechanisms of decay, and preservation strategies. Basic methods of fabrication—casting and hammering—as well as metallurgical and mechanical joining processes and surface finishing and elaboration techniques are discussed here. Four cases studies of metalworking traditions in Egypt, Peru, and Cyprus illustrate relationships between ancient metalworking technologies and cultural practices and prejudices.
Maximizing benefits and minimizing impacts: dual-earner couples’ perceived division of household labor decision-making process

Researchers have thoroughly documented the various factors that influence couples’ division of household labor. Although numerous approaches have been taken to explain these factors that influence ...
The Baryonic Ladder: The Firm, the Market, and the Economy

This book has invoked physics as a guide to constructing models of economic behavior that obey basic rules at different scales. Even cursory examination of stock–bond correlations and the impact of macroeconomic news on capital markets suggests that econophysics hinges on perhaps no more than two sets of rules. First, the binary state of the economy matters. Whether a capital market is on the positive or negative side of mean returns matters. So do investor sentiment and the current phase of the business cycle. Second, comovement is the other great force in finance. Correlation indicates comovement between an asset and the broader market. For its part, the discount-rate component of beta addresses the vulnerability of stock values to macroeconomic forces far beyond strictly idiosyncratic cash-flow effects. The structural unity of economic dynamics at the individual, household, firm-specific, market-wide, and macroeconomic levels is reminiscent of scientific efforts to reconcile the Standard Model of particle physics with levels general relativity, through string theory or some other explanatory framework that can harmonize chromodynamics with cosmology.
An X-ray study of umohoite

Procession photographs of umohoite from Marysvale, Utan, indicate a primitive orthorhombic unit cell with dimensions a/sub o/ = 6.32 A: b/sub o/ = 7.48 A, c/sub 0/ = 12.4 and 14.5 to 17.0 A. The range of c/sub 0/ with humidity and with temperature is established. X-ray powder data for umohoite with c/sub o/ = 12.4 A are listed and indices have been assigned on the basis of the cell dimensions given. Powder data are also furnished for material with c/sub o/ = 14.5 A. (auth)
Indirect Mathematization in the Physical Sciences

This paper reflects upon and extends Husserl’s analysis of the indirect mathematization of nature by distinguishing three stages thereof: (1) Galileo’s extension of classical Euclidean geometry to the study of matter in motion; (2) the development (dependent upon the analytic geometry and the calculus) of the ideal of a fully formal, axiomatic science of nature; and (3) the challenges posed to this view of science by relativity theory, quantum mechanics. The differing mathematical conceptions involved in these challenges also occasion a revised view of how the world presents itself in and to the scientific experience.
The Dimensions of Service Quality

There are three aspects to services that distinguish it from physical goods: intangibility, heterogeneity, and inseparability.
Investigating oxidation growth routes in the flame synthesis of tungsten-oxide nanowires from tungsten substrates

Abstract Tungsten-oxide nanowires are synthesized directly from the surface of tungsten substrate probes inserted into counter-flow diffusion-flames to correlate as-formed morphologies with local conditions because of the quasi-one-dimensionality of the flow field. Computational simulations aid in designing the flame structure for the experiments with respect to relevant chemical species and temperature. The tungsten substrates are inserted into the flame structure on either the air side or fuel side of the flame reaction zone, permitting evaluation of the roles of H2O (or CO2) versus O2, which serve as reactant species in the growth of the resulting tungsten-oxide nanostructures. Furthermore, methane flames are compared with hydrogen flames, which only have H2O (and no CO2) as product species. The temperature profiles of the methane and hydrogen flames are purposefully matched to compare the effect of chemical species produced by the flame which serve as reactants for nanostructure growth. Single-crystalline, well-vertically-aligned, and dense WO2.9 nanowires (diameters of 20–50 nm, lengths of > 10 µm, and coverage density of 109–1010 cm−2) are obtained at a gas-phase temperature of 1720 K on the air-side of the methane flame. Comparisons among the probed locations and flame species indicate that the CO2 route is a heterogeneous one that helps in seeding the growth of nanowires at the nucleation stage, with subsequent vapor–solid growth occurring from other routes. Probing on the fuel side of the hydrogen flame isolates the H2O route and confirms that it is able to produce tungsten-oxide nanowires, albeit at a very reduced rate and yield. Moreover, given the thermodynamic unfavorability of H2O reaction with W to form gaseous W/O species, a self-photocatalytic mechanism is proposed where H2O decomposes to reactive OH on the surface of WOx, facilitating production of volatile W/O species for continued growth by the vapor–solid mechanism for the tungsten-oxide nanowires. The effect of gas-phase temperatures of 1280, 1500, and 1720 K are examined, with increasing temperatures corresponding to higher yield density because of increased nucleation and augmented formation of volatile W/O compounds.
Conclusion: Coping Strategies, Emerging Challenges and Opportunities

Why is it so important to gain a better understanding of the specific sources of educational exclusion in Ghana and to outline a number of reforms needed for its reduction? The answer appears obvious: to allow every child to complete at least the basic cycle of education and thus to improve equitable human and economic development and the living conditions of Ghanaians. However, well over one million children of basic school age are still outside the school system. By exploring political, economic, geographic, health and demographic factors affecting the education sector of today and tomorrow, the main purpose of the analysis has been to identify the conditions and characteristics of these out-of-school children and of educationally disadvantaged youth and young adults, the root causes of their vulnerability and exclusion and thereby help to inform decision-makers and actors who draft and implement public policy of possible ways to achieve universal education and promote more equitable skills development in Ghana.
Does it Matter How Small Geographic Areas are Constructed? Ward's Algorithm Versus the Plurality Rule

Objective: Illustrate Ward's clustering algorithm, an approach that creates small geographic areas based on similarity in the pattern of hospital use. Compare areas resulting from Ward's algorithm using all hospital discharges to 1) areas resulting from the plurality rule, the more widely used approach, and 2) areas resulting from Ward's algorithm using subsets of discharges.
The Cognitive Characteristics of Maritally Violent Men: Theory and Evidence

The empirical search for psychological characteristics that differentiate maritally violent men (MVM) from their nonviolent counterparts has led researchers toward the role of cognitive factors in marital violence. In the present review, we outline the theoretical rationale for such research and examine the accumulated empirical evidence. Researchers have investigated whether MVM endorse differential attributional processes, patriarchal attitudes, and maladaptive beliefs, typically using questionnaire methodologies. Although there is partial evidence that MVM distinguish themselves from nonviolent husbands across these cognitive constructs, numerous theoretical and methodological problems temper the generalizability of these findings. Specifically, we note the need for marital violence researchers to (1) more carefully consider the link between cognition, marital distress, and marital violence before concluding that a particular cognition is unique to MVM; and (2) incorporate advancements from social cognition research on the automaticity of cognitive processes into future investigations of the causes and correlates of marital violence.
Abstract 2037: E-cadherin enhances immune control of metastatic melanoma

The advent of checkpoint blockade therapies has transformed the clinical management of metastatic melanoma. These monoclonal antibodies, targeted against CTLA-4 and PD-1, have shown durable and long-lasting responses in a subset of melanoma patients. However, response rates remain incomplete, even when using combination therapy (CTLA-4 plus PD-1). Identifying predictive or controlling features of responsiveness has been urgent goal in oncology research. Our group and others have previously shown responding tumors display high levels of E-cadherin, a cell-cell adhesion molecule which defines an epithelial-like phenotype. The varying clinical responses observed to checkpoint blockade in metastatic melanoma, paired with the knowledge that E-cadherin expression correlates with such responses, provides impetus to study the significance of E-cadherin in the context of checkpoint blockade. Here, we present a novel B16F10 melanoma mouse model in which E-cadherin is exogenously expressed (B16.E-cad). The parental B16F10 line does not express E-cadherin and is poorly immunogenic and notoriously resistant to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Thus, B16.E-cad and the vector control model epithelial-like (responsive) and mesenchymal-like (non-responsive) phenotypes respectively. We find, compared to vector control, B16.E-cad exhibits delayed tumor growth, reduced metastatic potential, and increased overall survival in vivo, despite similar proliferation rates in vitro. Analysis of immune cell infiltration (FACS) performed on tumors grown in C57/BL6 mice revealed no differences between vector, B16.Ecad and B16.SIY. Conversely, transplantation of B16.E-cad into Rag1-/-mice abrogated tumor growth delay indicating an immune-mediated tumor response. Additionally, B16.Ead tumors displayed greater responses to combination checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Further, imunohistochemistry for E-cadherin performed on patient pretreatment tumor biopsies revealed negative staining was predictive of a non-responsive status. These data indicate an epithelial-like phenotype in melanoma tumors facilitates tumor immunosurveillance and responsiveness to immune checkpoint blockade. Citation Format: Bradley D. Shields, Brian Koss, Fade Mahmoud, Stephanie D. Byrum, Alan J. Tackett. E-cadherin enhances immune control of metastatic melanoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2037.
Design and rationale of a mixed methods randomized control trial: ADdressing Health literacy, bEliefs, adheRence and self-Efficacy (ADHERE) program to improve diabetes outcomes.

Abstract Background Improving medication adherence is one of the most effective approaches to improving the health outcomes of patients with diabetes. To date, enhancing diabetes medication adherence has occurred by improving diabetes-related knowledge. Unfortunately, behavior change often does not follow knowledge change. Enhancing communication between patients and healthcare professionals through addressing health literacy-related psychosocial attributes is critical. Objective Examine whether a patient-centered intervention augmenting usual care with a health literacy-psychosocial support intervention will improve medication adherence for patients with diabetes, compared to usual care. Methods This study is a randomized controlled trial with an intervention mixed methods design. Fifty participants being enrolled are English-speaking, 18–80 years old with diagnosed diabetes, take at least one diabetes medication, have low diabetes medication adherence (proportion of days covered less than 80% or based on clinical notes), and have poor diabetes control (hemoglobin A1c of ≥8%). Participants will be allocated to either a control group receiving usual care (n = 25) or an intervention group (n = 25) receiving usual care and a 6-session intervention focusing on the modifiable psychosocial factors that may influence medication adherence. A questionnaire will be administered at baseline and at the end of the intervention to all participants to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. Fifteen participants from the intervention group will be interviewed to explore participants’ experiences and perceptions of the intervention processes and outcomes. Conclusions The trial will examine if a patient-centered intervention that addresses patients’ health literacy and focuses on modifiable psychosocial factors will improve medication adherence among patients with diabetes.
Impact of Compiler's Feedback on Coding Performance.

One of the tasks of a computer programmer is to diagnose and debug programming errors generated by either a compiler or an interpreter. However, the ways that the feedback is composed and presented to the programmer generally result in frustration and discouragement, especially for novice programmers. In fact, almost all compilers generate cryptic feedback messages displayed using a red foreground color. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a compiler’s feedback on programming performance. This research hypothesized that the feedback provided by the majority of the compilers hinders novice programmers in their effort to learn programming concepts. To investigate this, the research explores ways to incorporate low-level emotional design elements as part of the compiler’s feedback to counterbalance the frustration caused by the cryptic compilers feedback messages. The study was a 3 by 3 repeated measures factorial design ANOVA with two independent variables: affect type (neutral, positive, and negative) and feedback design type (fColor, fPhraseValence, and fHybrid). In addition, this research defines debugging effectiveness (dependent variable) as a numerical count that depicts the number of execution attempts before correcting a programming error. The predicted result was that positive emotion could reduce frustration & help programmers correct the errors with fewer attempts. Surprisingly, this study suggested that feedback designed to evoke negative emotion tends to lead programmers to correct programming errors with fewer execution attempts. Overall, this research demonstrated that the nature and type of feedback messages could potentially affect programming performance.
Abstract 202: MiR-1200 Differentially Modulates Plasma LDL and HDL-cholesterol Levels to Reduce Hyperlipidemia and Atherosclerosis in Mice

High LDL and low HDL are risk factors for heart disease. Drugs that can lower LDL and increase HDL might be ideal for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. We performed a high throughput screen...
Bending of Elastic Plates: Generalized Fourier Series Method for the Robin Problem

An approximate method of solution is constructed for the Robin problem in a finite domain, for the system governing the bending of elastic plates with transverse shear deformation. The structure of this generalized Fourier series technique is inspired by the form of the integral representation formula for the solution. A numerical example is also shown, which illustrates the accuracy and efficiency of the procedure.
Early Childhood Parental Philosophies and Practices in Urban India: Education, Care, and Well-Being of Young Children in a Society Shaped by Traditional and Global Forces

This chapter provides a description of the sociocultural background against which concepts such as childhood, motherhood, and adult–child continuity are constructed within the Indian cultural worldview. A survey-based inquiry was conducted with parents of young children in urban India to gain insights into parents’ perceptions on adult–child relationships including those with extended family; parents’ attitudes with regard to the education of their young children; parents’ preferences for the skills and behaviors which in their view were important for their children to learn; and the impact of globalization, if any, on their parental beliefs and practices. A description is provided of the methodology and backgrounds of the parents who participated in the survey. The findings based on data analysis are organized into the following categories: the priority given to adult–child continuity across generations; the value placed by parents on knowledge, learning, and education; the importance accorded to strong character development and well-being of children; parents’ perceptions on the influence of globalization on their parenting, and how their parenting styles might differ from that of their parents. The findings and review of literature are referenced in discussing how the concepts of childhood, parenthood, and motherhood are socioculturally constructed within the contexts of traditional and global forces at play within Indian society, and the desire of many Indian parents to invest financially and emotionally in their children’s education to ensure that they are equipped with the skills required to succeed in a globalized world.
Modified parameterization of the Li-Petrasso charged-particle stopping power theory

Charged-particle energy loss or “stopping power” in plasmas has been studied theoretically and experimentally, with important applications in modeling fusion experiments. Dense plasmas relevant to inertial fusion are theoretically challenging, but several models have been developed. Here, we report several physically motivated modifications to the parameterization of the Li-Petrasso stopping-power model. The new parameterization described in this work leads to larger discrepancies between the Li-Petrasso model and both other theories and experimental data near the Bragg peak for plasma stopping, corroborating recent conclusions that the Li-Petrasso model is not accurate in this regime [Frenje et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 015002 (2019)]. Conversely, our modified parameterization agrees better with other theories in the high-velocity limit.
“What’s He a Judge Of?”: Blood Meridian’s Paths of Law:

This article reads Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian as a legal allegory. It focuses on the novel’s mysterious villain, Judge Holden, and traces three titular “paths of law.” First, it reads Blood M...
Oxidative Addition of Singlet Oxygen to Model Building Blocks of the Aerucyclamide A Peptide: A First-Principles Approach.

Singlet oxygen (1O2) is a significant source of biodamage in living organisms. 1O2 is a highly reactive excited electronic-state spin-configuration of molecular oxygen and is usually prepared via o...
The impact of front-of-package claims, fruit images, and health warnings on consumers' perceptions of sugar-sweetened fruit drinks: Three randomized experiments.

Abstract We aimed to examine the impact of claims, fruit images, and health warnings on consumers' perceptions of fruit-flavored drinks with added sugar (i.e., “fruit drinks”). We conducted three 2x2x2 randomized experiments with online convenience samples of U.S. adults (Study 1 n = 2139 in 2018, current e-cigarette users and smokers; Study 2 n = 670 in 2018, current e-cigarette users; Study 3 n = 1006 in 2019, general sample). Participants viewed a fruit drink that differed in the presence of a “100% Vitamin C” claim, a fruit image, or a health warning. On average across the three studies, consumers who saw a claim on a fruit drink believed that the drink was more healthful than those who did not see the claim (mean average differential effect (ADE) = 0.66, p .05). In Study 3, the “100% Vitamin C” nutrition claim only increased perceived product healthfulness when the drink did not also have a health warning (interaction p
The Signals of Opportunity Coherent Bistatic Scattering Simulator: A Free Open Source Framework [Software and Data Sets]

Signals of opportunity (SoOp) has the potential to offer cost-effective global remote sensing for land applications. Because of the complexity of SoOp scattering over land, comprehensive bistatic scattering models and simulators can help demonstrate its feasibility. To investigate this potential, we have developed a generalized, fully polarimetric forward model: the SoOp Coherent Bistatic Scattering (SCoBi) model. We have also developed a simulator framework, employing the SCoBi model to create an analysis environment for a community of researchers, scientists, and users with little or no electromagnetic background. We aim to enable studying and analyzing new SoOp methods with varying configurations; determining the optimal cases for specific missions; and generating, visualizing, and analyzing test data with the help of SCoBi.
Nebulized fentanyl for refractory dyspnea secondary to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): A case report.

Abstract We present a case where we evaluated the effectiveness of nebulized fentanyl in the treatment of refractive dyspnea in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with major complications and comorbidities. Nebulized fentanyl was used to successfully decrease the subjective symptoms of refractory dyspnea in this given patient. Nebulized fentanyl appears to be a cost-effective treatment option in patients that experience episodes of severe shortness of breath (SOB).
2D zonal integration with unordered data

Numerical integration of two-dimensional gradient data is an important step for many slope-measuring optical instruments. However, existing methods are limited by low accuracy or data location restrictions. The zonal integration algorithm in this paper is a generalized process that works with unordered data via Taylor series approximations of finite difference calculations. This method does not require iteration, and all significant steps rely on matrix calculations for a least-squares solution. Simultaneous integration and interpolation is achieved with high accuracy and arbitrary data locations.
The impact of Los Angeles Basin pollution and stratospheric intrusions on the surrounding San Gabriel Mountains as seen by surface measurements, lidar, and numerical models

Abstract. In this work, the impact of Los Angeles Basin pollution transport and stratospheric intrusions on the surface ozone levels observed in the San Gabriel Mountains is investigated based on a combination of surface and lidar measurements as well as WRF-Chem (Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry) and WACCM (Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model) runs. The number of days with observed surface ozone levels exceeding the National Ambient Air Quality Standards exhibit a clear seasonal pattern, with a maximum during summer, when models suggest a minimum influence of stratospheric intrusions and the largest impact from Los Angeles Basin pollution transport. Additionally, measured and modeled surface ozone and PM 10 were analyzed as a function of season, time of the day, and wind direction. Measurements and models are in good qualitative agreement, with maximum surface ozone observed for southwest and west winds. For the prevailing summer wind direction, slightly south of the ozone maximum and corresponding to south-southwest winds, lower ozone levels were observed. Back trajectories suggest that this is associated with transport from the central Los Angeles Basin, where titration limits the amount of surface ozone. A quantitative comparison of the lidar profiles with WRF-Chem and WACCM models revealed good agreement near the surface, with models showing an increasing positive bias as function of altitude, reaching 75 % at 15 km above sea level. Finally, three selected case studies covering the different mechanisms affecting the near-surface ozone concentration over the San Gabriel Mountains, namely stratospheric intrusions and pollution transport, are analyzed based on surface and ozone lidar measurements, as well as co-located ceilometer measurements and models.
Application of Limiting Performance Concepts to Structural Control Problems

The absolute optimal response of a system for a given performance index or objective function is referred to as limiting performance. In computing the limiting performance, portions of a system being designed are replaced by active control forces. Since no restrictions are placed on the control forces when finding the limiting performance, this response is optimum over all possible design configurations. Knowledge of the limiting performance or control of a system is of great importance to the designer since it provides a convenient means for evaluating a current design and aids in the selection of optimal configurations and parameters.
Termination of Employment

At a first glance, terminating an employee’s contract of employment seems to be more complicated in Germany than in other jurisdictions. If someone is familiar with the practice, however, this is not the case. One main difference in comparison to most other jurisdictions, is that employees are entitled to reinstatement if the dismissal is not supported by sufficient reasons. In all other situations, the employee is not entitled to any severance at all. Usually, courts cannot award a severance payment. Due to this situation – all or nothing – employer and employee mutually agree in more than 80% of all cases on a termination of the employment relationship in consideration of a severance payment. Negotiating the severance payment may be troublesome and time consuming, but will result in a fair severance payment in most situations.
Therapeutic misconception, misestimation, and optimism in participants enrolled in phase 1 trials

BACKGROUND: Ethical concerns about phase 1 trials persist. Important conceptual advances have been made in understanding concepts used to describe misunderstanding. However, a systematic, empirical evaluation of the frequency of misunderstanding incorporating recent developments is lacking. METHODS: The authors queried 95 participants in phase 1 trials to provide a more sophisticated estimate of the proportion who had therapeutic misconception (TM), defined as misunderstanding the research purpose or how research differs from individualized care, and therapeutic misestimation (TMis), defined as incorrectly estimating the chance of a research trial benefit as >20% or underestimating risk as 0%. RESULTS: Sixty-five of 95 respondents (68.4%) had TM, which was associated in a multivariate analysis with lower education and family income (P ¼ .008 and P ¼ .001, respectively), but TM was not associated with the vulnerability of having hardly any treatment options. Eighty-nine of 95 respondents (94%) had TMis, although only 18% reported this was a factual estimate. Although the risks of investigational agents and those exacerbated by research, such as uncertain outcomes, were mentioned (39% and 41% of respondents, respectively), risks novel to research, such as research biopsies, were rarely mentioned (3% of respondents). Although most of these respondents believed that their chance of benefit was greater and that their risk was lower than the population chance (optimists) (54.6%), a substantial minority of respondents (37.6%) were pessimists. CONCLUSIONS: TM continues to be prevalent. Estimates of personal benefit were not usually meant to report facts, it remains unknown whether respondents in the current study had TMis. Although they are not more vulnerable, phase 1 participants need improved understanding of key TM concepts, with attention to risks that are not present in standard of care. Cancer 2012;118:4571-8. V C 2012 American Cancer Society.
AIDS-related CNS cryptococcosis: Radiologic-pathologic correlation

PURPOSE This study evaluates the effectiveness of cranial CT and MR in detecting autopsy findings of AIDS-related CNS cryptococcosis. METHODS Final imaging studies compared with pathology were CT in eight patients (five with contrast) and MR in five patients (all with Gd-DTPA). RESULTS Neither modality effectively identified cryptococcal meningitis. Punctate hyperintensities were seen in all patients with MR and corresponded pathologically to both perivascular spaces dilated by cryptococcal infection and cryptococcomas. Pathologically, cryptococcomas were more common than dilated perivascular spaces. MR detected more cryptococcomas than did CT, but both modalities underestimated the number of lesions seen at autopsy. Contrast enhancement of cryptococcomas and cryptococcal meningitis was uncommon. CONCLUSIONS CNS cryptococcosis was more effectively demonstrated by MR than by CT, but both modalities underestimated the pathologic extent of the disease. Cryptococcal lesion contrast enhancement was unusual possibly because of the immunocompromised state of our patients and the unique characteristics of the organism itself.
Study on Related Party Transactions and Decision-Making Behavior of Controlling Shareholder Based on SPSS Software Technology

This paper uses SPSS software regression technology to analyze whether controlling shareholder employs related-party transaction to damage the performance of enterprises. The study selects samples in Chinese metal and nonmetal enterprise. We find that the enterprises with controlling shareholders have more related party transactions. The enterprises with president coming from controlling shareholder have more related party transactions than the enterprises with president coming from non-controlling shareholders. We also find the more the number of independent director, the less the number of related party transactions. The result suggests that related party transactions have close relationship with controlling shareholders. If the enterprise have concentrated ownership, the probability of the largest shareholder pursuing more benefit from tunneling activities will be greater.
Congenital anterior urethrocutaneous fistula associated with urethral duplication

Congenital anterior penile urethral fistula is a rare anomaly; only seven cases have been reported to date. This report outlines the clinical presentation and the embryologic mechanism of a case associated with urethral duplication.
Ex ante and ex post long-run average cost functions

The traditional, neoclassical derivation of the long-run average cost(LAC) function is based on minimizing the cost of a given output. However, there are a number of reasons why the theoretical concept of this ex ante LAC function is likely to differ significantly from ex post cost-output observations when output is stochastic. In agriculture, the farmer's decision making criterion is assumed to be one of minimizing the cost of producing some planned output level. Average cost is then a function, inter alia, of planned output rather than realized output. It is argued that there is no operational significance in the cost-realized output relationship; in practice, the farmer's concern is with the cost-planned output relationship. This paper proposes a two-stage procedure to estimate the latter relationship. Cross-section data on UK dairy farms for 1980/1 are used to show significant differences in the ex ante and ex post relationships.
5-HT1A receptor activation reduces fear-related behavior following social defeat in Syrian hamsters

Social defeat leads to selective avoidance of familiar opponents as well as general avoidance of novel, non-threatening intruders. Avoidance of familiar opponents represents a fear-related memory whereas generalized social avoidance indicates anxiety-like behavior. We have previously shown that serotonin signaling alters responses to social defeat in Syrian hamsters, although it is unclear whether serotonin modulates defeat-induced fear, anxiety, or both. In this study we focus on 5-HT1A receptors, in part, because their activation had been linked to the acquisition of conditioned fear. We hypothesized that pharmacological activation of 5-HT1A receptors prior to social defeat would reduce avoidance of familiar opponents and impair Arc expression in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), but not alter anxiety-like behavior. We administered 8-OH-DPAT, a 5-HT1A receptor agonist, prior to 3, 5-minute social defeats and 24h later exposed hamsters to a social interaction test to measure the conditioned defeat response immediately followed by either a Y-maze test or an open field test. In a separate experiment, we administered 8-OH-DPAT prior to 3, 5-minute social defeats and later removed the brains for Arc immunohistochemistry. Social defeat increased the number of Arc immunopositive cells in the central amygdala (CeA), prelimbic cortex (PL), and BLA, and 8-OH-DPAT treatment reduced Arc immunoreactivity in the PL. These results suggest that 5-HT1A receptor activation impairs the fear memory associated with social defeat, but does not alter defeat-induced anxiety. Overall, 5-HT1A receptor activation may impair Arc expression in select brain regions such as the PL and thereby disrupt the development of a fear memory essential for the conditioned defeat response.