cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Single-Molecule Electronic Measurements of DNA Polymerase I

Single-molecule techniques based on optical, electronic, and mechanical mechanisms have all proven useful for studying enzymes like DNA polymerases. Electronic devices, in particular, provide exciting new opportunities for understanding polymerase activity, especially with regard to improving DNA sequencing technologies. Recently, single molecule kinetics of the Klenow fragment (KF) of polymerase I have been studied by bioconjugating KF to single-walled carbon nanotube field-effect transistors. Continuous recordings of KF processing various DNA templates have extended over 600 seconds and through >10,000 bond-forming events, providing new insights into KF's processivity, kinetic variability, and tolerance of various dNTP analogs (1,2). For example, we show that the average duration of each incorporation event appears invariant across all analog and native dNTPs, indicating that analog structure has no impact on the timing of this step of the catalytic cycle. Despite similar timings, however, polymerization with some analogs have revealed alternate conformational states that do not occur with native dNTPs. The electronic technique's particular sensitivity to allosteric motions implicates a special role for KF's O-helix as it tests the stability of nascent base pairs with these analogs. The results help explain polymerases’ tolerance for dNTP analogs, despite having highly evolved mechanisms for specific recognition of and discrimination among dNTPs.1. T.J. Olsen, et. al., “Electronic Measurements of Single-Molecule Processing by DNA polymerase I (Klenow fragment),” JACS 135, 7855 (2013).2. K.M. Pugliese, et. al., “Processive Incorporation of Deoxynucleoside Triphosphate Analogs by Single-Molecule DNA Polymerase I (Klenow Fragment) Nanocircuits.” JACS 137, 9587 (2015).
Stop Signal Reaction Time Deficits in a Lifetime Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Sample.

Objectives: Several studies have found impaired response inhibition, measured by a stop-signal task (SST), in individuals who are currently symptomatic for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The aim of this study was to assess stop-signal reaction time (SSRT) performance in individuals with a lifetime diagnosis of OCD, in comparison to a healthy control group. This is the first study that has examined OCD in participants along a continuum of OCD severity, including approximately half of whom had sub-syndromal symptoms at the time of assessment. Methods: OCD participants were recruited primarily from within the OCD clinic at a psychiatric hospital, as well as from the community. Healthy controls were recruited from the community. We used the stop signal task to examine the difference between 21 OCD participants (mean age, 42.95 years) and 40 healthy controls (mean age, 35.13 years). We also investigated the relationship between SST and measures of OCD, depression, and anxiety severity. Results: OCD participants were significantly slower than healthy controls with regard to mean SSRT. Contrary to our prediction, there was no correlation between SSRT and current levels of OCD, anxiety, and depression severity. Conclusions: Results support prior studies showing impaired response inhibition in OCD, and extend the findings to a sample of patients with lifetime OCD who were not all currently above threshold for diagnosis. These findings indicate that response inhibition deficits may be a biomarker of OCD, regardless of current severity levels. (JINS, 2016, 22, 785–789)
Effect of Chronic Furosemide on Salt and Water Intake of Ponies

Abstract Furosemide is used acutely in racehorses and chronically for treatment of edema and congestive heart failure, but the behavioral effects on horses of chronic administration of this drug have not been studied. The objectives of this study were to measure salt and water intake as well as sodium and water losses in ponies treated chronically with furosemide. The salt and water intake of ponies was measured daily for 3 weeks before and 3 weeks during treatment with furosemide at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg/d. Fecal dry matter was measured for 9 days before and during furosemide treatment by collecting a fecal sample from each pony's stall and drying it overnight in a 100°C oven. Urine volume and urine sodium content were measured daily for three consecutive days during pretreatment, treatment, and post-treatment periods so that sodium and water status could be calculated. Sodium chloride intake increased in ponies treated daily with furosemide from 7.9 ± 2.2 (standard error of the mean) to 20.3 ± 2.4 g/d and was significantly higher than control for all weeks of treatment (P
Phosphorus Homeostasis and Related Disorders

Publisher Summary Phosphorus plays an important role in cellular physiology and skeletal mineralization, serving as a constituent of nucleic acids and hydroxyapatite, a source of the high energy phosphate in adenosine triphosphate, an essential element of the phospholipids in cell membranes, and a factor influencing a variety of enzymatic reactions (e.g., glycolysis) and protein functions (e.g., the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin by regulation of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate synthesis). The critical role that phosphorus plays in cell physiology has resulted in development of elaborate mechanisms designed to maintain phosphate balance. Under usual conditions, phosphate homeostasis depends for the most part on the renal mechanisms that regulate tubular phosphate transport. Alternatively, during times of severe phosphate deprivation, the phosphate contained in bone mineral provides a source of phosphate for the metabolic needs of the organism. The variety of diseases, therapeutic agents, and physiological states that affect phosphate homeostasis are numerous and reflect a diverse pathophysiology. Rational choice of an appropriate treatment for many of these disorders depends on determining the precise cause for the abnormality. Several clinical states that represent primary disorders of phosphate homeostasis include X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets/osteomalacia (XLH); autosomal-dominant hypophosphatemic rickets (ADHR); autosomal recessive hypophosphatemic rickets (ARHR); tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO); hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets with hypercalciuria (HHRH); Dent's disease; Fanconi's syndrome (FS), types I and II; and tumoral calcinosis (TC).
Central line-associated bloodstream infections in the NICU: Successes and controversies in the quest for zero

Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) are among the most common healthcare-acquired infections in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) population and are associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality, as well as increased healthcare costs, and duration of hospitalization. Over the past decade, numerous local, statewide, and national quality improvement initiatives have resulted in a significant reduction in CLABSI rates. The majority of successful initiatives have utilized similar strategies to implement and sustain their efforts, including education of NICU staff in the principles of quality improvement, creation and implementation of central line insertion and maintenance bundles and methods for assessing compliance, formation of dedicated central line insertion and maintenance teams, and utilization of reliable and effective methods for collecting, analyzing, and displaying data. Despite this progress, continued work toward discovery of better practices, such as the safest and most effective agent for cutaneous antisepsis or identification of optimal outcome and process measures, is required if further progress is to be made. Additionally, sustained progress in reducing the burden of neonatal infections may require a shift in focus away from CLABSI and toward the reporting, investigation, and prevention of all NICU-onset bacteremia.
Teaching Medical Students About Conflicts of Interest.

A long-standing ethos surrounds the practice of medicine. In that ethos physicians cannot fulfill their healing purpose without showing a high level of professionalism toward patients. It is part of medicine’s social contract, a contract through which scrutiny by public interest typically tells physicians how well they are doing and how well they have been taught. Medical educators within the span of modern memory still believe the careful selection of students maximizes the likelihood new learners, in addition to acquiring medical knowledge and skills, can understand and adopt traditional values of professionalism. Matriculating students harboring some sense of social responsibility are thought to be more inclined to embrace these values, particularly if they are shared by likeminded peers. Such principles include service, competency, altruism, integrity, promoting the public good, transparency, and accountability.
Patterns of second-line chemotherapy and its effect on survival in patients treated within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

8090 Background: Second-line chemotherapy (2-L) improves overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic NSCLC. In 2004, erlotinib and pemetrexed were approved as 2-L agents. In this study we ana...
The Berkeley Controversy over Nuclear Weapons.

Should a public university continue to run the nuclear weapons laboratories for the U.S. government? The Issue has shaken the University of California at Berkeley.
El Cuerpo y Su Conceptualización Posmoderna en Pájaros de la Playa

En el siglo veinte la epidemia de SIDA llega a ser “el mal del siglo”, una verdadera pandemia cuyas propiedades eran muy poco comprendidas. Sin embargo, a pesar de la propagacion de la enfermedad y de la alta tasa de mortandad causada por ella, el SIDA no llego a ser una tematica importante de las obras de ficcion latinoamericanas. Ignacio Trejo Fuentes, en su articulo titulado “Novela sobre el SIDA (y otras cosas)” explica que a pesar de los “terribles efectos psicosociales, la literatura mexicana, (y diriamos latinoamericana en general), se ha ocupado muy poco, casi nada, del asunto: la bibliografia al respecto tiene que ver con estudios de caracter medico, estadistico, pero en la llamada literatura de ficcion (o de creacion) brilla por su ausencia…”.
Screening and Identifying Membrane Proteins Favorable for Crystallization

This unit addresses several critical challenges associated with membrane protein crystallography by screening membrane proteins from Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Sus scrofa cerebral tissue for biochemical properties favorable for crystallization. First, a tissue sample or cell pellet is obtained. The cells are isolated, washed, and then lysed either by sonication, bead beating, or manual homogenization. Membrane proteins are fractionated from the lysates by centrifugation and solubilized in a mild detergent suitable for crystallization, such as n-dodecyl-β-maltoside (DDM). Detergent extracts are then centrifuged, heat precipitated, and filtered to remove insoluble, thermally unstable, and/or aggregated proteins. Samples are then prepared for analysis by mass spectrometry: proteins are precipitated by methanol/chloroform extraction and subjected to reduction, alkylation, and protease digestion. The resulting peptides are passed through a detergent removal column, desalted, rehydrated in 0.1% formic acid (v/v), and identified by LC-MS/MS. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Nongravitational forces on comets.

Methods are presented and discussed for determining the effects of nongravitational forces on the orbits of comets. These methods are applied to short-period and long-period comets. Results are briefly described.
Domestication of Plants

The domestication of plants was a signature technology initiated by humans during the transition from hunting–gathering to agriculture, about 12 000 years ago. The initial phase of domestication represents a selection for increased adaptation to human cultivation, consumption, and utilization. Through multidisciplinary domestication research, a broad range of subjects is addressed, including the geographic and ecological origin of crop plants, the inheritance of domestication traits, the dispersal of crop plants from their centers of origin, and the timing and speed of domestication. With adaptation to changing human needs, domestication research has had a significant impact for continued crop improvement.
Developmental shifts in social cognition: socio-emotional biases across the lifespan in rhesus monkeys

Humans exhibit a suite of developmental changes in social cognition across the lifespan. To what extent are these developmental patterns unique? We first review several social domains in which humans undergo critical ontogenetic changes in socio-cognitive processing, including social attention and theory of mind. We then examine whether one human developmental transition—a shift in socio-emotional preferences—also occurs in non-human primates. Specifically, we experimentally measured socio-emotional processing in a large population of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) ranging from infancy to old age. We tested whether macaques, like humans, also exhibited developmental shifts from a negativity bias at younger ages, indicating preferential attention to negative socio-emotional stimuli, to a positivity bias at older ages. We first assessed monkeys’ (n = 337) responses to negative socio-emotional stimuli by comparing their duration of looking towards photos of negative conspecific signals (threat displays) versus matched neutral expressions. In contrast to the pattern observed in humans, we found that older monkeys were more attentive to negative emotional stimuli than were younger monkeys. In a second study, we used the same method to examine monkeys’ (n = 132) attention to positive (affiliative displays) versus matched neutral expressions. Monkeys did not exhibit an overall preference for positive stimuli, nor major age-related changes in their attention. These results indicate that while monkeys show robust ontogenetic shifts in social preferences, they differ from humans by exhibiting an increasing negativity bias with age. Studies of comparative cognitive development can therefore provide insight into the evolutionary origins of human socio-cognitive development. Humans are characterized by complex and flexible social behavior. Understanding the proximate psychological mechanisms and developmental processes that underpin these social behaviors can shed light on the evolutionary history of our species. We used a comparative developmental approach to identify whether a key component of human social cognition, responses to emotionally-charged social stimuli, are shared with other primates. Humans exhibit important shifts in this aspect of our social cognition: younger individuals attend more to negative stimuli, whereas older adults tend to focus on positive information. These shifts are thought to appropriately tailor our age-dependent social goals. We found that, unlike humans, rhesus monkeys show an increasing negativity bias with age. By examining primate cognition across the lifespan, this work can help disentangle how complex forms of social behavior emerge across species.
Decreased sedimentation efficiency of petro- and non-petro-carbon caused by a dispersant for Macondo surrogate oil in a mesocosm simulating a coastal microbial community

Abstract Large amounts of mucous-rich oil-containing marine snow formed in surface waters adjacent to the Deepwater Horizon spill. This marine oil snow (MOS) was implicated in oil delivery to the seafloor. Whether the use of chemical dispersants increased or decreased MOS sedimentation remains controversial. We conducted mesocosm experiments testing the effects of oil and oil plus a dispersant on MOS formation and sedimentation, in coastal seawater . The four treatments used were a surrogate Macondo oil water accommodated fraction (“WAF”), two concentrations of chemically-enhanced WAF (“CEWAF” and diluted CEWAF, “DCEWAF”) containing a dispersant and oil, and Controls (no additions). Based on radiocarbon and 13 C NMR results, the presence of dispersants enhanced the amounts of petro-carbon being incorporated into the sinking oil-carrying aggregates (aka MOS). However, most of the chemically-dispersed oil preferentially partitioned into the colloidal and suspended particulate fractions rather than into the rapidly forming MOS. Thus the oil and non-petro-carbon sedimentation efficiency in treatments with a dispersant was much lower, compared to those in the Control and WAF treatments, during the four-day mesocosm experiment. Formation of MOS and its subsequent sinking sequestered the oil in two stages: first via terrestrial-derived detritus containing humic compounds, and subsequently via freshly produced material, such as exopolymeric substances produced by phytoplankton and bacteria.
The effect of w/c ratio and aggregate volume fraction on chloride penetration in non-saturated concrete

Abstract The diffusion of moisture and chloride in non-saturated concrete is considered as two coupled transport processes. Two coupling terms are added in the governing equations based on Fick’s first law to represent the interaction between the moisture and chloride during the transport processes. The first coupling term is for the effect of moisture movement on chloride transfer, and the other is for the effect of chloride transfer on moisture movement. In this paper, an experimental study was conducted to investigate the effect of the variation of the water-cement ratio and the aggregate volume fraction on the coupling parameter associated with the first coupling term (DCl-H). To this end, a chloride ponding test was designed and performed on two sets of fully and partially saturated concrete samples made with different water-cement ratios and aggregate volume fractions. The coupling parameter was determined based on the obtained test data. The results indicate that the coupling parameter DCl-H is strongly dependent on the concentration of chloride ions, water to cement ratio, and volume fraction of aggregate. A material model for the coupling parameter was developed using the experimental results.
Design Trends and Challenges of Advanced Waferlevel Manufacturing and Fanout

Fan-out is arguably the fastest-growing advanced packaging technology, driven predominately by mobile processing and wireless. These designs often contain single large die, or multiple die, yet are limited in the number of available routing layers. Without the benefit of high layer counts and with substrates not much larger than the die extents, providing the ability to plan and optimize the design can significantly and positively impact the ability to provide a routable solution. This paper will discuss the challenges of designing a large FO-WLP device, as well as the capabilities required to plan, optimize, and implement the interconnect in the design in as few layers as possible. We will discuss the challenges at each phase of the design: from initial system planning and feasibility, assignment, early SI analysis, optimization and implementation, and finally sign-off.
A Nationwide Analysis on the Impact of Schizophrenia Following Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Matched-Control Analysis of 49,176 Medicare Patients.

Abstract Background The influence of schizophrenia on total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is limited in the literature. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether patients with schizophrenia undergoing primary TKA have (1) longer in-hospital length of stay (LOS); (2) higher readmission rates; (3) higher medical complications; (4) higher implant-related complications; and (5) higher costs of care compared to controls. Methods Patients with schizophrenia undergoing primary TKA were identified within the Medicare claims database. The study group was randomly matched in a 1:5 ratio to controls according to age, sex, and medical comorbidities. The query yielded 49,176 patients with (n = 8,196) and without (n = 40,980) schizophrenia undergoing primary TKA. Primary outcomes analyzed included in-hospital LOS, 90-day readmission rates, 90-day medical complications, 2-year implant-related complications, in addition to day of surgery and 90-day costs of care. A P-value less than .01 was considered statistically significant. Results Schizophrenia patients had longer in-hospital LOS (3.73 days vs 3.22 days, P Conclusion This study demonstrates that patients with schizophrenia have longer in-hospital LOS, higher readmission rates, higher complications, and increased costs of care after primary TKA.
TOP2B Enzymatic Activity on Promoters and Introns Modulates Multiple Oncogenes in Human Gliomas

Oncogene expression varies across gliomas. We discovered that TOP2B modulates transcription and splicing of multiple oncogenes in Drosophila brain tumors and human gliomas. TOP2B regulated transcription at sites where it was active, but not where found natively binding. TOP2B activity localized in enhancers, promoters and introns of PDGFRA and MYC, facilitating their expression. TOP2B levels and genomic localization was associated with PDGFR and MYC expression across gliomas specimens. Susceptibility to MST-16, a TOP2 inhibitor drug, correlated with baseline PDGRA expression across glioma cell lines. Our results indicate that TOP2B activity exerts a pleiotropic role in transcriptional regulation of oncogenes in a subset of gliomas. Modulation of oncogenes by TOP2-targeting drugs is the basis for a personalized approach for cancer therapy.
Guillain-Barre syndrome

Guillain-Barre syndrome is the most common and most severe acute flaccid paralysis, usually preceded by an infection or immune stimulation. A literature review of the last five years in Pubmed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science databases was done. Data were collected from epidemiological studies using the keywords. Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is an acute, severe, and fulminant polyradiculoneuropathy. It has ascending muscle weakness, rapid evolution, the involvement of respiratory muscles with an evolution period of up to four weeks. It has the Classic and Variant forms of clinical presentation. Guillain-Barre Syndrome is a rapidly progressive disease. The diagnosis is clinical but requires exams such as electroneuromyography and cerebrospinal fluid analysis, so that treatment can be started as soon as possible to improve prognosis and increase survival of affected patients.
Autofluorescence Bronchoscopy Video Analysis for Lesion Frame Detection

Because of the significance of bronchial lesions as indicators of early lung cancer and squamous cell carcinoma, a critical need exists for early detection of bronchial lesions. Autofluorescence bronchoscopy (AFB) is a primary modality used for bronchial lesion detection, as it shows high sensitivity to suspicious lesions. The physician, however, must interactively browse a long video stream to locate lesions, making the search exceedingly tedious and error prone. Unfortunately, limited research has explored the use of automated AFB video analysis for efficient lesion detection. We propose a robust automatic AFB analysis approach that distinguishes informative and uninformative AFB video frames in a video. In addition, for the informative frames, we determine the frames containing potential lesions and delineate candidate lesion regions. Our approach draws upon a combination of computer-based image analysis, machine learning, and deep learning. Thus, the analysis of an AFB video stream becomes more tractable. Using patient AFB video, 99.5%/90.2% of test frames were correctly labeled as informative/uninformative by our method versus 99.2%/47.6% by ResNet. In addition, ≥97% of lesion frames were correctly identified, with false positive and false negative rates ≤3%.Clinical relevance—The method makes AFB-based bronchial lesion analysis more efficient, thereby helping to advance the goal of better early lung cancer detection.
Quelle est la méthode radiographique la plus fiable pour évaluer l’arche plantaire médiale ? Application sur une population d’adolescents souffrant d’une scoliose idiopathique

Abstract Background The foot arch is known to be altered in subjects with postural malalignment. Foot arch morphology can be studied simultaneously with body's balance by measuring foot radiographic parameters on full-body biplanar x-rays. There is no consensus on which is the most reliable method to use to draw the foot axes. The aim was to determine the most reliable methods to draw the main foot axes and apply these findings in order to study the difference of foot parameters between adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and control subjects. Hypotheses 1) distant and clear anatomical landmarks are needed to draw the foot axes accurately; 2) foot longitudinal arch parameters differ between AIS and controls. Methods In total, 90 AIS patients and 36 controls have undergone full body biplanar X-rays from which 3D spino-pelvic and postural parameters were collected for each patient. Six radiological foot angles were evaluated on the 2D lateral radiographs: calcaneal pitch (CPA), talar declination (TDA), first metatarsal declination (FMDA), talo-calcaneal (TCA), calcaneal first metatarsal (CFMA) and Meary. Angles were calculated based on three major axes of the foot: talar, calcaneal, and first metatarsal. Two to three methods were used to draw each axis and the reliability of each method was assessed (3 operators, 2-times each). Then, differences of the foot parameters between AIS and controls, and determinants of these differences among 3D spino-pelvic and postural parameters were evaluated. Results The most reliable methods for drawing the three axes of the foot were those using distant and clear anatomical landmarks on talus, calcaneum and first metatarsal and used for the subsequent analysis. The AIS group showed a significantly lower TDA (22° vs. 24°, p = 0.014) and CFMA (141° vs. 144°, p = 0.045), and higher FMDA (18° vs. 15°, p = 0.008) and Meary's angle (− 5° vs. − 9°, p = 0.005) when compared to controls. Differences were found to be determined mainly by the center of auditory meatus sagittal plumbline. Discussion This is the first study to evaluate the most reliable method to draw foot axes on the lateral radiograph of biplanar X-rays in order to assess radiological foot arch parameters. AIS patients were shown to have more elevated foot arch compared to controls.
The Hurwitz order

With the preceding chapters on lattices and orders in hand, we are now prepared to embark on a general treatment of quaternion algebras over number fields and the arithmetic of their orders. Before we do so, for motivation and pure enjoyment, in this chapter we consider the special case of the Hurwitz order. Not only is this appropriate in a historical spirit, it is also instructive for what follows; moreover, the Hurwitz order has certain exceptional symmetries that make it worthy of specific investigation.
Additive manufacturing of high-strength multiphase nanostructures in the binary Ni–Nb system for the discovery of new types of superalloys

Ni-based superalloys have been studied extensively due to their impressive mechanical properties, including strength and creep resistance at high temperatures. Growing interest surrounding additive manufacturing (AM) methods has led to recent investigations of alloys that are traditionally difficult to process, including Ni-based superalloys. Recent work has shown that AM methods enable high-throughput materials discovery and optimization of difficult- or impractical-to-process alloys, including those with high or even majority refractory element compositions. This work focuses on AM-enabled investigations of composition-dependent mechanical and microstructural properties for Ni–Nb binary alloys. Specifically, we report on the mechanical behavior of compositionally-graded NixNb1−x and uniform composition Ni59.5Nb40.5 specimens made with AM. The AM fabrication process resulted in extraordinarily high strength, attributed to the formation of a dual-phase microstructure consisting of δ-Ni3Nb and µ-Ni6Nb7 intermetallic compounds with nanostructured and multimodal grain size and eutectic lamellar spacing.
Ethical dilemmas in anesthesia mission trips.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Health inequities continue to exist globally especially when it comes to surgical and anesthesia services. Due to the lack of physician anesthesiologists in low- and middle-income countries, there has been an increase in the number of medical mission trips. Although these volunteers are attempting to fulfill a need they must be mindful and remember to adhere to ethical principles as they work collaboratively with host institutions. We will review the ethical dilemmas inherent in anesthesia mission trips. RECENT FINDINGS Physician volunteers for medical missions may cause significant harm to patients and host communities if they do not work in tandem with host institutions. SUMMARY Medical missions fulfill acute medical needs and have the opportunity to make a positive contribution to host communities by fulfilling local needs and supporting educational efforts for local providers.
The dynamic behavior of charged aerosols

Abstract A general sectional method for computation of the size-charge distribution during simultaneous charging and coagulation of ions and particles is developed. The time evolution of the ion (unipolar or bipolar) concentration and of the aerosol size-charge distribution is simulated under particle-particle coagulation, electrostatic dispersion, ion recombination, and ion and particle production and loss. Numerical examples illustrating the sectional method are presented.
Abstract P410: Added Sugars Intake, Diet Quality and All-Cause Mortality Among US Adults: Prospective Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III

Objectives: To better understand the relationship between added sugars intake and diet quality, and to estimate associations between added sugars intake with all-cause mortality Methods: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III data were linked to mortality data (1988-2006), among 13,902 US adults between ages 18-74 yr having energy intake within 500-3500calories for women and 800-4000 calories for men, no history of a heart attack, stroke, or congestive heart failure. Usual intake of added sugars and energy were estimated using the NCI method and categorized into gender-specific quartiles. Diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index 2005 score (HEI-2005). Associations between added sugars intake and mortality were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, body mass index (BMI), and usual total energy intake after testing for multiplicative interaction by each of these covariates. Results: Mean intake of added sugar was 17.2 (95% Confid...
Contending perspectives on post‐communist transition

Examines critically the promises and dilemmas of capitalist transition and economic transformation in the context of a post‐communist society such as Russia. Discusses the strategies for economic reform, the direction of change and the pace and magnitude of reforms.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF WAVE RECORDS

The establishment of quantitative relationships between recorded wave-system characteristics and other phenomena requires numerical description of the wave record. Current concepts applied to time histories of wave activity at a point are discussed. Characteristic statistical regularities found in wave measurements are described. Examples given show the application of statistical techniques' to the description of wave systems in terms of the distribution of spectral energy as well as the distributions of "individual" wave heights and periods. Results from the prediction, from one point to another, of surface time histories illustrate the application of approximate spectral information.
MO-EE-A4-01: Stability of T1 Relaxation Time and DCE-MRI Measures

Purpose: With the increased interest in using MR as a means of assessing therapy response, it is important to assess longitudinal systematic variations. In this study, T1 and contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) variations during a dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) acquisition were assessed on three scanners at three time points. Method and Materials: CNR and T1measures were calculated from images of a modified Eurospin TO‐5 phantom (DiagnosticSonar, Scotland) consisting of 19 compartments with T1 values ranging from 208–1630 ms. Three GE Excite HD scanners were evaluated. Multiple TI (N=10) inversion recovery (IR), multiple flip angle (N=7) fast spoiled gradient echo (FSPGR), and FSPGR DCE data were acquired at three time points (baseline, 1 hr, 1 week). T1measurements were obtained using both IR and FSPGR data. CNR measurements were computed using the longest T1 sample as a reference. Correlation and Bland‐Altman repeatability (same scanner) and agreement (different scanners)measures were computed. Results: Correlations of the IR‐ and FSPGR‐based T1measures were significant for all three scanners (R2>0.996; slopes ranging from 0.84–1.11). Short‐term (1 hr) and one‐week FSPGR repeatability results ranged from 7.0–9.1ms and 10.0–17.4 ms, respectively, with limits of agreement ranging from −15.5–15.1 ms and −21.5–31.7 ms, respectively. The FSPGR BA analyses indicated a linear increase in T1 differences with increasing T1 and the maximum difference was 343 ms. The IR based measurements did not demonstrate such a linear trend and differences were less than 40 ms. Short‐term (1 hr) IR/FSPGR repeatability and limits of agreement results ranged from 91.3–185.1 ms and −330.7–39.5 ms, respectively. Intra‐DCE scan CNR variations ranged from 0.3–0.6% across scanners and time points. Conclusion: The clinical scanners evaluated demonstrate good repeatability of T1 and CNR measurements on a given scanner with larger variations seen between different scanners, even from the same vendor.
The Fate of Holocaust Memories: Transmission and Family Dialogues

Hiding with her family in the south of France in 1942, eight-year-old Chaya Roth promised herself she would someday write about what she saw happening. Nearly sixty years passed before she began to...
Integral Force/Moment Waterjet Model for CFD Simulations

An integral force/moment waterjet model for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is derived for ship local flow/powering predictions, including sinkage and trim. The waterjet induced reaction forces and moment and waterjet/hull interaction stern force replicate the effects of the waterjet without requiring detailed simulations of the waterjet system. The model extends the International Towing Tank Conference (IITC) waterjet model for sinkage and trim by using an alternative control volume also appropriate for CFD and by including vertical forces and pitching moment in the waterjet/hull force/moment balance. The same grid is used for both without and with waterjet simulations. The CFD waterjet model requires limited waterjet geometry (inlet and outlet areas and locations, and weight of working fluid) and several waterjet flow (mass flow rate, inlet pressure force, inlet and outlet momentum correction factors and flow angles, and stern force and location) input variables. The CFD waterjet model can be used for local flow predictions by using waterjet flow input variables provided by ITTC waterjet model test data, including additional data for waterjet induced inlet pressure and stern forces. It can also be used for powering predictions once waterjet flow input variable correlations are available based on CFD for the waterjet system and/or experimental data. The CFD waterjet model is demonstrated for local flow predictions for the DTMB 5594 high-speed sealift ship model for which ITTC waterjet model test data, including additional data for waterjet induced stern forces, are available. Correlations for the waterjet flow input variables are shown to be feasible using a combination of CFD and experimental data for the waterjet system for three different hulls.
A note on Prandtl boundary layers

This note concerns nonlinear ill-posedness of the Prandtl equation and an invalidity of asymptotic boundary layer expansions of incompressible fluid flows near a solid boundary. Our analysis is built upon recent remarkable linear illposedness results established by Gerard-Varet and Dormy and an analysis by Guo and Tice. We show that the asymptotic boundary layer expansion is not valid for nonmonotonic shear layer flows in Sobolev spaces. We also introduce a notion of weak well-posedness and prove that the nonlinear Prandtl equation is not well-posed in this sense near nonstationary and nonmonotonic shear flows. On the other hand, we are able to verify that Oleinik's monotonic solutions are well-posed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Metabotropic glutamate receptors and drug addiction

Historically, brain catecholamine systems have been the primary focus of studies examining the neural substrates of drug addiction. In the past two decades, however, a wealth of evidence has accumulated indicating a pivotal role for glutamatergic neurotransmission in mediating addictive behaviors as well as long-term neuroplasticity associated with chronic drug use. As a result, there has been increased interest in developing glutamate-based therapies for the treatment of addictive disorders. Metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors are classified into subcategories designated as Group I (mGlu1 and mGlu5), Group II (mGlu2 and mGlu3), and Group III (mGlu4, mGlu6, mGlu7, and mGlu8) and have received a great deal of attention due to their mediation of slower modulatory excitatory neurotransmission. Pharmacological ligands targeting these receptors have demonstrated reduced incidences of excitotoxicity or severe adverse side effects as compared to those targeting ionotropic glutamate (iGlu) receptors. Behavioral genetic and pharmacological studies have explored the role of individual mGlu receptor subtypes in regulating various addiction-related behaviors, and several mGlu receptor ligands have been the subject of clinical testing for other medical conditions. WIREs Membr Transp Signal 2012,1:281–295. doi: 10.1002/wmts.18 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Differential host cell gene expression and regulation of cell cycle progression by nonstructural protein 11 of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

Nonstructural protein 11 (nsp11) of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a viral endoribonuclease with an unknown function. The regulation of cellular gene expression by nsp11 was examined by RNA microarrays using MARC-nsp11 cells constitutively expressing nsp11. In these cells, the interferon-β, interferon regulatory factor 3, and nuclear factor-κB activities were suppressed compared to those of parental cells, suggesting that nsp11 might serve as a viral interferon antagonist. Differential cellular transcriptome was examined using Affymetrix exon chips representing 28,536 transcripts, and after statistical analyses 66 cellular genes were shown to be upregulated and 104 genes were downregulated by nsp11. These genes were grouped into 5 major signaling pathways according to their functional relations: histone-related, cell cycle and DNA replication, mitogen activated protein kinase signaling, complement, and ubiquitin-proteasome pathways. Of these, the modulation of cell cycle by nsp11 was further investigated since many of the regulated genes fell in this particular pathway. Flow cytometry showed that nsp11 caused the delay of cell cycle progression at the S phase and the BrdU staining confirmed the cell cycle arrest in nsp11-expressing cells. The study provides insights into the understanding of specific cellular responses to nsp11 during PRRSV infection.
Health Care Reform in the 1990s: Where Does Long-Term Care Fit In?

Although the impetus behind the nation's quest for health care reform is primarily public dissatisfaction over glaring deficiencies in America's acute care system, the way the nation finances and delivers long-term care may be even more badly in need of reform. This article outlines some of the critical policy issues that must be addressed in devising a new national policy for long-term care, with special emphasis on President Clinton's proposal. The focus is on decisions that must be made in designing a major new home-care program.
Robust Sports Ratings Based on Least Absolute Errors

Abstract Rating sports teams based on scores of previous games can be done by estimating the parameters of the standard linear model. Previously proposed estimates have been based on a modified version of least squares in which games with large victory margins were downweighted due to the sensitivity of least squares to outlying observations. This paper considers the least absolute value or L 1 estimate as an alternative method for rating teams. An advantage of L 1 is that it is intrinsically less sensitive to outlying observations, and hence automatically accounts for extreme outcomes. For the ratings version of the linear model it is shown that L 1 is the median of a team's normalized scores and least squares is the average. For teaching purposes the rating problem provides a nonstandard instance of the linear model that students find interesting. Students can tune the estimators to give recent games more weight, and they can compare L 1 to other regression quantiles. Because the estimators can be expre...
Thoracic spinal neuron responses to repeated myocardial ischemia and epicardial bradykinin

Bradykinin has been strongly implicated as a mediator of cardiac nociception. During coronary artery occlusion, the content of bradykinin in coronary sinus blood increases. In non-cardiac tissues nociception to bradykinin exhibits tachyphylaxis, however, this phenomenon has not been rigorously studied in the heart. This raises the question that repeated coronary occlusions may also result in tachyphylaxis, thereby reducing cardiac sensation on subsequent ischemic stimulation. We therefore examined the hypothesis that repetitive episodes of myocardial ischemia and of epicardial application of bradykinin demonstrate tachyphylaxis. Mongrel cats were anesthetized with α-chloralose and heart rate, arterial pressure, and thoracic spinal neuron firing rate were recorded during 60 s of anterior descending coronary occlusion or local epicardial application of bradykinin (10 μM). Neurons were identified by cutaneous receptive fields in the left shoulder area. Sixty-one of 93 neurons tested responded with an increase in firing rate to coronary artery occlusion only (n=24), bradykinin only (n=19) or to both (n=18). On repetitive coronary occlusion, 14 of 25 neurons demonstrated tachyphylaxis compared to 12 of 15 tested with bradykinin (p<0.05). Similar responses were observed in thoracic spinal neurons that projected to the brain. In neurons demonstrating tachyphylaxis, dorsal cervical cold block partially restored the neuronal activation to coronary occlusion but not to bradykinin. We conclude, based on neuronal responses to repetitive stimuli, that afferent spinal responses to coronary occlusion and bradykinin are different. These data suggest that bradykinin is not the sole mediator of myocardial ischemic pain. The tachyphylaxis to repeated coronary artery occlusions may contribute to the clinical phenomenon of silent myocardial ischemia.
Induced systemic protection in plants

Abstract Plants, like animals, have inducible disease resistance mechanisms. Induction of systemic protection in plants results in non-specific sensitization to fungal, bacterial and viral agents. The resistance mechanism(s), however, are expressed only after infection. Since, amongst other factors, disease outcome is highly dependent on recognition and activation of defense mechanisms, induced protection may facilitate recognition of the pathogen as non-self and/or provide a faster and more intense host defense response.
Long continental pollen sequence from Washington State (U.S.A.): correlation of upper levels with marine pollen-oxygen isotope stratigraphy through substage 5e

Abstract Fossil pollen from a 7.70-m core and a pit excavated 2.20 m deep in a mire at Humptulips, located on glacial drift of the Olympic Peninsula in western Washington State, presents a continuous record of vegetation since the Middle Pleistocene. Chronostratigraphic relations, established from sedimentation rates based on finite and infinite radiocarbon dates in the upper 2 m of the deposit, cover the last glacial cycle, Illinoian glaciation, and apparently older millennia. The pollen stratigraphy, contained in 16 pollen assemblage zones, shows a sequence of vegetation types including tundra, park tundra, woodland, and closed confierous forest. Comparison with pollen and oxygen isotope stratigraphy of marine core Y72 11 1 from the Pacific Ocean off Oregon establishes direct continental-marine correlation of upper levels at Humptulips through substage 5e.
Defining the Putative Inhibitory Site for a Selective Negative Allosteric Modulator of Human α4β2 Neuronal Nicotinic Receptors

Neuronal nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) have been implicated in several diseases and disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and nicotine addiction. To understand the role of nAChRs in these conditions, it would be beneficial to have selective molecules that target specific nAChRs in vitro and in vivo. Our laboratory has previously identified a novel allosteric site on human α4β2 nAChRs using a series of computational and in vitro approaches. At this site, we have identified negative allosteric modulators that selectively inhibit human α4β2 nAChRs, a subtype implicated in nicotine addiction. This study characterizes the allosteric site via site-directed mutagenesis. Three amino acids (Phe118, Glu60, and Thr58) on the β2 subunit were shown to participate in the inhibitory properties of the selective antagonist KAB-18 and provided insights into its antagonism of human α4β2 nAChRs. SAR studies with KAB-18 analogues and various mutant α4β2 nAChRs also provided information concerning how different physiochemical features influence the inhibition of nAChRs through this allosteric site. Together, these studies identify the amino acids that contribute to the selective antagonism of human α4β2 nAChRs at this allosteric site. Finally, these studies define the physiochemical features of ligands that influence interaction with specific amino acids in this allosteric site.
Improved treatment of thrombosed hemodialysis access sites with thrombolysis and angioplasty

Improved treatment of thrombosed hemodialysis access sites with thrombolysis and angioplasty. We treated percutaneously 135 expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) prosthetic grafts which had thrombosed using thrombolysis with urokinase followed by balloon angioplasty. Functional patency was re-established in 38 of 62 (61%) using single catheter technique, and in 62 of 73 (85%) using crossed catheter technique (P
Kainic acid induced hippocampal seizures in rats: comparisons of acute and chronic seizures using intrahippocampal versus systemic injections

Hyppocampal epilepsy is a recently defined syndrome occurring in 65% of all temporal lobe epilepsies as defined by: 1) electrographic (EEG) onset in the hippocampus (HC) prior to EEG seizures elsewhere, 2) post-resection hippocampal sclerosis and mossy fiber synaptic reorganizations and 3) relief of typical complex partial seizures after surgical resection of the hyppocampus. We used intrahippocampal kainic acid injections V2 in rats at different developmental ages (postnatal 7 through adult) to develop long term spontaneous HC EEG spikes, EEG seizures, and behavioral seizures. Split-screen video/EEG monitoring demonstrated that this intrahippocampal kainic acid model produced progressive development of: 1) ipsilateral interictal spikes, 2) later polyspike complexes, 3) bilaterally-asynchronous EEG spiking, 4) unilateral HC EEG seizure onsets with occasional secondarily generalized spread to apposite HC and motor cortex to elicit complex partial seizures, and 5) in all seizing rats there was mossy fiber synaptic reorganization, even when injected at age 7 days. These results indicate that the intrahippocampal kainic acid injection model is similar to human hippocampal epilepsy.