cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metal / ceramic adhesion: a first principles study of MgO/Al and MgO/Ag

The energetics of adhesion and the electronic structure are determined for MgO/Ag(100) and MgO/Al(100) interfaces via local density-functional calculations. At the interface, both Ag and Al atoms energetically favour the site directly above the O atom, which is consistent with recent high-resolution transmission electron microscopy experiments on MgO/Ag(100). For that site, electron density distributions in the metal surface regions are reminiscent of a charge array imaging only the surface Mg and O ions. This implies a substantial ionic component to the adhesive bond. The screening charge distributions appear smoother in the A1 case than in the Ag case, suggesting a direct role of the Ag d electrons in the screening. Despite the ionic contribution to the bonding, the adhesive energy versus interfacial separation curves obey the same, universal form originally discovered for bimetallic adhesion. This could be explained by a significant metallic and/or covalent contribution to the metal/ceramic bonds. Furt...
A comprehensive assessment of methods for de-novo reverse-engineering of genome-scale regulatory networks.

De-novo reverse-engineering of genome-scale regulatory networks is an increasingly important objective for biological and translational research. While many methods have been recently developed for this task, their absolute and relative performance remains poorly understood. The present study conducts a rigorous performance assessment of 32 computational methods/variants for de-novo reverse-engineering of genome-scale regulatory networks by benchmarking these methods in 15 high-quality datasets and gold-standards of experimentally verified mechanistic knowledge. The results of this study show that some methods need to be substantially improved upon, while others should be used routinely. Our results also demonstrate that several univariate methods provide a “gatekeeper” performance threshold that should be applied when method developers assess the performance of their novel multivariate algorithms. Finally, the results of this study can be used to show practical utility and to establish guidelines for everyday use of reverse-engineering algorithms, aiming towards creation of automated data-analysis protocols and software systems.
Impact of Computerized Decision Support on Blood Pressure Management and Control: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial to examine the effectiveness of computerized decision support (CDS) designed to improve hypertension care and outcomes in a racially diverse sample of primary care patients.
Comments on Guyer

Paul Guyer's paper “Naturalistic and Transcendental Moments in Kant's Moral Philosophy” raises a set of issues about how Kantian ethics should be understood in relation to present day “philosophical naturalism” that are very much in need of discussion. The paper itself is challenging, even in some respects iconoclastic, and provides a highly welcome provocation to raise in new ways some basic questions about what Kantian ethics is and what it ought to be. Guyer offers us an admirably informed and complex argument, both historical and philosophical, that tangles with some of the most difficult problems in Kant's moral philosophy. It begins with some ambitious and controversial claims about Kant's moral philosophy prior to the Groundwork of 1785. It then offers an interpretation, and also a fundamental criticism, of the Groundwork's attempt to establish the moral law based on the idea of freedom of the will. And finally, it raises – and expresses some opinions on – the large and vexed questions of the relat...
Modeling of aquaporin 1-mediated transmural water transport and the resulting oncotic paradox

The earliest observable prelesion event in atherosclerosis, macromolecular transport across the vessel wall, occurs via advection by transmural pressure-driven water transport, characterized by the hydraulic conductivity (Lp), defined as the ratio of water flux to the transmural pressure difference. The discovery of the presence of aquaporin-1 (AQP) in aortic endothelial cells suggests a new possibility of water transport across the endothelial cell (EC), alongside the generally accepted paracellular route. In this study, we propose a new filtration theory to explain the experimentally observed pressure-dependent effect of AQP-blocking on the Lp of rat aorta. However, given the isotonic lumen, this AQP-mediated pure water inflow into the arterial subendothelial intima (SI) should set up an oncotic pressure gradient that opposes the AP-driven flow through the cell. How then could trans-AQP flow persist for many hours, as indicated by chemical blocking of AQP experiments? To resolve this paradox, we have extended our filtration theory to also include the mass transfer of oncatically active small solutes like albumin. This addition non-linearly couples the mass transfer, the fluid flow and the wall mechanics. We employ finite difference methods to simultaneously solve the filtration and mass-transfer problem as a long-time solution of an unsteady problem. Our results agree well with the experimental data and suggest that AQPs contribute about 30% to the phenomenological endothelial Lp. We have also found that, due to media filtration, at steady state, the albumin concentration in the SI is in fact higher than in the glycocalyx. This results in higher osmotic pressure in the SI, which drives the fluid flow into the SI from the luminal side of the EC and not the other way around. Controlling endothelial Lp, via AQP expression, might serve as a future therapeutic target to inhibit pre-atherosclerotic events.
Gold detector: modular CCD area detector for macromolecular crystallography

We have designed, fabricated, and tested a modular CCD area detector system for macromolecular crystallography at synchrotron x-ray sources, code-named the `gold' detector system. The sensitive area of the detector is 150 mm X 150 mm, with 3,072 X 3,072 pixel sampling, resulting in roughly a 50 micrometers pixel raster. The x-ray image formed on the face of the detector is converted to visible light by a thin phosphor layer. This image is transferred optically to nine CCD sensors by nine square fiberoptic tapers (one for each CCD), arranged in a 3 X 3 array. Each taper demagnifies the image by a factor of approximately 2. Each CCD has a 1,024 X 1,024 pixel raster and is read out through two independent data channels. After each x-ray exposure period the x-ray shutter is closed and the electronic image is digitized (16-bit) and read out in 1.8s. Alteratively, the image may be binned 2 X 2 during readout, resulting in a 1,536 X 1,536 raster of 100 micrometers pixels; this image can be read out in 0.4s. The CCD sensors are operated at -40 degree(s)C to reduce electronic noise. The detector is operated under full computer control: all operational parameters (readout rates, CCD temperature, etc.) can be adjusted from the console. The image data (18 MByte/image) are transferred via a fast VME system to a control processor and ultimately to disk storage. During April 1994 we carried out a complete set of measurements at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL) for a full characterization of the gold detector. Characterization includes quantitative evaluation of the instrument's conversion gain (signal level/x-ray photon); detective quantum efficiency (DQE); point-spread function; sensitivity as a function of x-ray energy; geometrical distortion of images; spatial uniformity; read noise; and dark image and dark image noise. Characterization parameters derived from these measurements show that this detector will be extraordinarily valuable for macromolecular crystallography.
Viral infections in children receiving anticancer chemotherapy

Fever is a frequent and serious complication in paediatric oncology patients, and often related to infection. The absolute neutrophil and lymphocyte count may be significantly diminished due to cytotoxic chemotherapy and occasionally the neoplastic disease itself, resulting in a host more vulnerable to infections. Symptoms and signs of infection may be minimal or absent in patients with neutropenia as a decrease in the number of neutrophils is associated with a diminished inflammatory response. Arola et al. found proof of a respiratory virus infection in 37% of febrile children with cancer while the clinical diagnosis of respiratory tract infection was only 17%. 1 Outcome measures. Viruses were isolated or antigens detected on venous blood samples, nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs), throat swabs, urine and faeces, where possible. Blood for aerobic and anaerobic culture was obtained from an indwelling intravenous catheter and/or a peripheral vein. Results. Thirty-four patients were analysed for a total of 102 febrile episodes. Evidence of a viral and bacterial infection was found in 31 (30%) and 24 (24%) episodes, respectively. Within these, a combined viral and bacterial infection was demonstrated in 6 (6%) episodes. A total of 35 viral isolates were identified in 31 febrile episodes: herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) ( N=14), HSV-2 (N=2), cytomegalovirus (CMV) (N=10), rotavirus (N=5), adenovirus (N=2), para-influenza type 3 ( N=1) and hepatitis B (N=1). The blood culture was positive in 24 febrile episodes. The absolute neutrophil count (ANC) on admission was below 0.5 x 10 9 /l in 57 (56%) episodes and thus considered neutropenic. Infectious agents were more frequently identified in neutropenic (54%) than in non-neutropenic (40%) episodes and were more likely to be of bacterial (30%) than viral (15.5%) origin. However, this difference was not significant. Conclusions. In addition to bacterial infections, viruses are clearly an important cause of fever in children receiving anticancer chemotherapy. Diagnostic tests for viral infections should be used more frequently, and could be of considerable value in evaluating fever and establishing appropriate therapy in these patients.
Perceptions of influence on child's competence among fathers in the military context

This study compared the beliefs of fathers serving in the military with those of a matched sample of civilian fathers on the time spent with their kindergarten child and their perceptions of their influence as well as their spouse's influence on their child's cognitive and emotional competence. Parents are considered prime agents of change during early childhood. However, fathers who serve in the military face challenges unique to this context and reflective of the frequent and intense demands on their time and attention. Results suggest that, in a time of peace, military and civilian fathers share similar perceptions and time reported spent with their child. Mothers were perceived to be equivalent in their influence to the military father.
Modeling amphibian energetics, habitat suitability, and movements of western toads, Anaxyrus (=Bufo) boreas, across present and future landscapes

Abstract Effective conservation of amphibian populations requires the prediction of how amphibians use and move through a landscape. Amphibians are closely coupled to their physical environment. Thus an approach that uses the physiological attributes of amphibians, together with knowledge of their natural history, should be helpful. We used Niche Mapper™ to model the known movements and habitat use patterns of a population of Western toads (Anaxyrus (=Bufo) boreas) occupying forested habitats in southeastern Idaho. Niche Mapper uses first principles of environmental biophysics to combine features of topography, climate, land cover, and animal features to model microclimates and animal physiology and behavior across landscapes. Niche Mapper reproduced core body temperatures (Tc) and evaporation rates of live toads with average errors of 1.6 ± 0.4 °C and 0.8 ± 0.2 g/h, respectively. For four different habitat types, it reproduced similar mid-summer daily temperature patterns as those measured in the field and calculated evaporation rates (g/h) with an average error rate of 7.2 ± 5.5%. Sensitivity analyses indicate these errors do not significantly affect estimates of food consumption or activity. Using Niche Mapper we predicted the daily habitats used by free-ranging toads; our accuracy for female toads was greater than for male toads (74.2 ± 6.8% and 53.6 ± 15.8%, respectively), reflecting the stronger patterns of habitat selection among females. Using these changing to construct a cost surface, we also reconstructed movement paths that were consistent with field observations. The effect of climate warming on toads depends on the interaction of temperature and atmospheric moisture. If climate change occurs as predicted, results from Niche Mapper suggests that climate warming will increase the physiological cost of landscapes thereby limiting the activity for toads in different habitats.
Comparing Words with Works: A Study of Pugin's St. Augustine's Church

Opportunities to compare the written words of a designer with the products of their design process are rare. In the case of nineteenth-century architect and designer, A. W. N. Pugin such an opportunity exists. Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812–1852) was an important figure in the English Gothic Revival movement. He was not only a designer but a writer who zealously preached his design principles. The breadth of Pugin's design work is astonishing given the brevity of his career. He not only designed buildings of various types, he also designed the finishes and furnishings found within. While Pugin is primarily remembered as an architect, he was also a gifted interior designer. Like Frank Lloyd Wright and others who came after him, Pugin's work embodied a holistic approach to design. For Pugin a structure, its interior spaces, furnishings, and decorative objects were to be part of a cohesive whole, to function physically and visually together. As a writer he created beautifully illustrated pattern books in which the Gothic style was featured. Books were also published that outlined his design principles. It is in those books that we find his rules for “proper” and “moral” architecture and interior spaces based on the Gothic design style. Rooted in Roman Catholic symbolism and ritual, the Gothic style seemed to Pugin to represent a moral fortitude that Classical design could not. Pugin associated pagan worship practices with Classical design and therefore believed that the only “true” design principles to follow where those related to the Gothic style of architecture. Pugin's major design principles were published in four books, Contrasts, True Principles, Present State and An Apology. The current study examines the principles found in An Apology and compares them with design work for a project of great significance in Pugin's life. St. Augustine's Church in Ramsgate, England was built with Pugin's own funds on his land next to the family home on a cliff overlooking the sea. As both client and designer Pugin followed his principles closely as descriptions of the interior spaces, furnishings, and decorative objects reveal. Comparing Pugin's written principles with the details of the spatial plan, ecclesiastical objects, and fittings within the church offers a glimpse of his creative process. Today, St. Augustine's Church stands as a manifestation of Pugin's written principles.
Correlates of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Young Adults with Spina Bifida

Objective Based on social ecological theory, this study was designed to examine the unique relationships between multi-level ecological factors and psychological symptoms in young adults with spina bifida (SB). Method A sample of 61 individuals with SB, 18–25 years of age, completed standardized self-report measures of attitude toward SB, satisfaction with family functioning, Chronic Care Model (CCM) services, and depressive and anxiety symptoms. A chart review yielded SB clinical data. Results High rates of depressive and anxiety symptoms were found. Hierarchical regression analysis identified the proximal individual (attitude toward SB) and family (satisfaction with family functioning) factors as more strongly related to depressive symptoms than the distal healthcare system factor (CCM services). Self-reported pain was the only ecological factor associated with anxiety symptoms. Conclusions Study findings provide a potential foundation for multi-factor screening of young adults with SB at risk for psychological symptoms.
Control of denitrification in a septage-treating artificial wetland: the dual role of particulate organic carbon.

Abstract We examined the factors controlling organic carbon (C) cycling and its control of nitrogen (N) removal via denitrification in an aerated artificial wetland treating highly concentrated wastewater to nutrient-removal standards. Processing of organic material by the septage-treating wetland affected the biological reactivity (half-life, or t1/2) of organic C pools through microbial degradation and gravity fractionation of the influent septage. Primary sedimentation fractionated the initial septage material (t1/2=8.4 d) into recalcitrant waste solids (t1/2=16.7 d) and highly labile supernatant (t1/2=5.0 d), allowing this reactive fraction to be further degraded during treatment in aerobic wetland tanks until a less labile material (t1/2=7.3 d) remained. Organic C contributions from in situ fixation by nitrifying bacteria or algae in these tanks were small, about 1% of the C degradation rate. In the aerated tanks, denitrification was correlated with particulate organic C loading rates, although the average C required (0.35 mg C L−1 h−1) to support denitrification was only 12% of the total C respiration rate (2.9 mg C L−1 h−1). Additions of plant litter (2.5 g C L−1) to the aerated tanks under normal operating conditions doubled denitrification rates to 0.58 mg N L−1 h−1, and reduced effluent nitrate levels by half, from 12.7 to 6.4 mg N L−1. However, C degradation within the plant litter (0.15 mg C L−1 h−1) was sufficient to have accounted for only 35% of the additional denitrification. Evidence from laboratory and full-scale plant litter additions as well as process monitoring indicates that the stimulation of denitrification is due to the respiration-driven formation of anaerobic microsites within particulate organic C. In this aerated highly C-loaded septage-treating wetland, anaerobic microsite, rather than C substrate availability limits denitrification.
Perspectives on leisure of LDS women who are stay-at-home mothers.

The purpose of this study was to explore the meanings of leisure for women who belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, lived in Utah, and were stay-at-home mothers. Particular attention was given to the religious, cultural, and role-determined forces that shaped their lives and leisure. A phenomenological approach was used. Thirteen women were identified through a criteria-based snowball sampling technique. Emerging theory indicated that cultural beliefs and values can contribute to feelings of entitlement to leisure because of the support for leisure and life roles given by one's faith, family, and community.
Precipitation isotopes link regional climate patterns to water supply in a tropical mountain forest, eastern Puerto Rico

Like many mountainous areas in the tropics, watersheds in the Luquillo Mountains of eastern Puerto Rico have abundant rainfall and stream discharge and provide much of the water supply for the densely populated metropolitan areas nearby. Projected changes in regional temperature and atmospheric dynamics as a result of global warming suggest that water availability will be affected by changes in rainfall patterns. It is essential to understand the relative importance of different weather systems to water supply to determine how changes in rainfall patterns, interacting with geology and vegetation, will affect the water balance. To help determine the links between climate and water availability, stable isotope signatures of precipitation from different weather systems were established to identify those that are most important in maintaining streamflow and groundwater recharge. Precipitation stable isotope values in the Luquillo Mountains had a large range, from fog/cloud water with δ2H, δ18O values as high as +12 ‰, −0.73 ‰ to tropical storm rain with values as low as −127 ‰, −16.8 ‰. Temporal isotope values exhibit a reverse seasonality from those observed in higher latitude continental watersheds, with higher isotopic values in the winter and lower values in the summer. Despite the higher volume of convective and low-pressure system rainfall, stable isotope analyses indicated that under the current rainfall regime, frequent trade -wind orographic showers contribute much of the groundwater recharge and stream base flow. Analysis of rain events using 20 years of 15 -minute resolution data at a mountain station (643 m) showed an increasing trend in rainfall amount, in agreement with increased precipitable water in the atmosphere, but differing from climate model projections of drying in the region. The mean intensity of rain events also showed an increasing trend. The determination of recharge sources from stable isotope tracers indicates that water supply will be affected if regional atmospheric dynamics change trade- wind orographic rainfall patterns in the Caribbean.
Endolithic Infestation of Carbonate Substrates Below the Sediment-Water Interface

ABSTRACT Carbonate substrates prepared from conch shells and inorganic cleaved calcite were planted both at and below the sediment-water interface in a back barrier sound of North Carolina, within a mudbank of Florida Bay, and along a barrier reef transect in Belize. SEM examination of plastic casts of microboring networks formed the primary basis of study, supplemented by light microscopy of isolated endolithic organisms and TEM examination of doubly embedded material. A diverse assemblage of endolithic forms was detected in substrates planted at the sediment-water interface. In contrast, a less diverse and distinctly different assemblage of endolithic forms was found within substrates planted as much as 160 cm below the sediment-water interface. This is the first known report of such activity within buried marine sediments. The most abundant subsurface endoliths were two coccoid forms, separated on the basis of size, surficial texture, and morphology. Each type had several growth variants believed to be stages of binary, cellular fission. Other endolithic forms detected include a filamentous, irregular, polygonal network, an irregular, flattened mass, and a regular, crenulate, flattened disc. TEM examination of one of the coccoid forms suggests a p ocaryotic blue-green algal or bacterial origin. The affinities of the other forms are unknown, but resemble endolithic traces attributed to fungi, bacteria, and Actinomycetes. The regular discoids and irregular flattened masses are found only in association with the filamentous form and may be reproductive bodies. Subsurface endoliths appear to be restricted to finer-grained, reducing sediments, and may be utilizing the more abundant interstitial nutrient supply as well as, or instead of, organic matrices within the mollusk substrates. Endolithic activity within buried marine carbonate sediments has important consequences in that it broadens the environmental conditions under which microborings may form, suggests that endolithic heterotrophs may significantly affect the surrounding microenvironment within sediments, and may result in porosity development during early sediment burial.
ENHANCEMENT FACTORS FOR SIMULTANEOUS ABSORPTION OF TWO GASES

Abstract The process of simultaneous absorption of two gases in an inert liquid is examined. It is shown that by a suitable combination of the asymptotic solutions for small and large values of M, (a dimensionless reaction rate constant), the enhancement factors of the two gases can be calculated very accurately for alt reaction rates. Using a [5/5] Pade approximant and an e 5 −-Shanks transformation, we have also extended our previous results (Sen, 1988) for slow and intermediate reaction regimes. A detailed comparison of the results obtained by the Pade approximants. Shanks transformations, matched asymptotic expansions and numerical solutions is presented for a wide range of diffusivities and reaction rates.
New performance bounds for semiconductor manufacturing plants: batch tools and setups

The state space approach to obtaining performance bounds via the average cost inequality allows for the incorporation of model elements such as batch tools and setup modes. We demonstrate with an example how one may construct linear programs to obtain performance bounds for queueing network models of semiconductor manufacturing plants.
Functional Replacement of the RING, B-Box 2, and Coiled-Coil Domains of Tripartite Motif 5α (TRIM5α) by Heterologous TRIM Domains

Tripartite motif 5α (TRIM5α) restricts some retroviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), from infecting the cells of particular species. TRIM5α is a member of the TRIM family of proteins, which contain RING, B-box, coiled-coil (CC), and, in some cases, B30.2(SPRY) domains. Here we investigated the abilities of domains from TRIM proteins (TRIM6, TRIM34, and TRIM21) that do not restrict HIV-1 infection to substitute for the domains of rhesus monkey TRIM5α (TRIM5α rh ). The RING, B-box 2, and CC domains of the paralogous TRIM6 and TRIM34 proteins functionally replaced the corresponding TRIM5α rh domains, allowing HIV-1 restriction. By contrast, similar chimeras containing the components of TRIM21, a slightly more distant relative of TRIM5, did not restrict HIV-1 infection. The TRIM21 B-box 2 domain and its flanking linker regions contributed to the functional defectiveness of these chimeras. All of the chimeric proteins formed trimers. All of the chimeras that restricted HIV-1 infection bound the assembled HIV-1 capsid complexes. These results indicate that heterologous RING, B-box 2, and CC domains from related TRIM proteins can functionally substitute for TRIM5α rh domains.
Delay in ED arrival resulting from a remote helipad at a trauma center

Abstract Introduction: Ground transport from a remote helipad at a trauma center may delay patient arrival in the ED and affect patient morbidity and mortality. Prehospital care providers must be aware of the magnitude of any delay when selecting the most expedient means of transport for trauma patients. This study quantities the time required for a 0.6-mile ground transport from a remote trauma center helipad to an ED through two traffic signals along one city street. Methods: The trauma registry was queried for all patients transported directly from the scene to the regional trauma center by helicopter between January 1993 and October 1996. Prehospital records were used to supplement missing time data; patients with incomplete data were excluded. Ground transport time was calculated by subtracting the time that the helicopter arrived at the remote helipad from the time the ambulance arrived at the ED. Mean ground transport time and standard deviation were calculated. Results: Three-hundred-eighty-nine trauma patients were transported directly from the scene to the regional trauma center by helicopter. Complete data were available for 345 patients (89%). Mean ground transport time was 5.2 ± 2.3 minutes. Conclusion: The need for ground ambulance transport from this remotely located trauma center helipad adds more than 5 minutes to total prehospital time. This delay in ED arrival may be significant for some patients and should be taken into account when selecting the most appropriate mechanism of patient transport and planning helipad construction.
Spiral Disk Assembly for HSCCC: Column Design and Basic Studies on Chromatographic Resolution and Stationary Phase Retention

Abstract A set of four separation disks equipped with spiral channel(s) was designed for our type‐J high speed countercurrent chromatography (J‐HSCCC) centrifuge to improve retention of the stationary phase of polar solvent systems. Four different spiral disks were tested: two had a single spiral channel with different depths and the other two had four spiral channels connected in series to provide a greater spiral pitch. Performance of each disk was tested in terms of chromatographic resolution and/or stationary phase retention using three different two‐phase solvent systems, including 1‐butanol/acetic acid/water (4:1:5, v/v/v) for dipeptide separation; 12.5% (w/w) polyethylene glycol (PEG) 1000–12.5% (w/w) dibasic potassium phosphate for protein separation; and 4% (w/w) PEG8000–5% (w/w) dextran T500 in 10 mM dibasic sodium phosphate for determination of stationary phase retention. The results show that the spiral column retains a satisfactory amount of stationary phase for all solvent systems, even at a...
Serum uric acid in relation to endogenous reproductive hormones during the menstrual cycle: findings from the BioCycle study

Study question Do uric acid levels across the menstrual cycle show associations with endogenous estradiol (E2) and reproductive hormone concentrations in regularly menstruating women? Summary answer Mean uric acid concentrations were highest during the follicular phase, and were inversely associated with E2 and progesterone, and positively associated with FSH. What is known already E2 may decrease serum levels of uric acid in post-menopausal women; however, the interplay between endogenous reproductive hormones and uric acid levels among regularly menstruating women has not been elucidated. Study design, size, duration The BioCycle study was a prospective cohort study conducted at the University at Buffalo research centre from 2005 to 2007, which followed healthy women for one (n = 9) or 2 (n = 250) menstrual cycle(s). Participants/materials, setting, methods Participants were healthy women aged 18-44 years. Hormones and uric acid were measured in serum eight times each cycle for up to two cycles. Marginal structural models with inverse probability of exposure weights were used to evaluate the associations between endogenous hormones and uric acid concentrations. Main results and the role of chance Uric acid levels were observed to vary across the menstrual cycle, with the lowest levels observed during the luteal phase. Every log-unit increase in E2 was associated with a decrease in uric acid of 1.1% (β = -0.011; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.019, -0.004; persistent-effects model), and for every log-unit increase in progesterone, uric acid decreased by ≈ 0.8% (β = -0.008; 95% CI: -0.012, -0.004; persistent-effects model). FSH was positively associated with uric acid concentrations, such that each log-unit increase was associated with a 1.6% increase in uric acid (β = 0.016; 95% CI: 0.005, 0.026; persistent-effects model). Progesterone and FSH were also associated with uric acid levels in acute-effects models. Of 509 cycles, 42 were anovulatory (8.3%). Higher uric acid levels were associated with increased odds of anovulation (odds ratio 2.39, 95% CI: 1.25, 4.56). Limitations, reasons for caution The change in uric acid levels among this cohort of healthy women was modest, and analysis was limited to two menstrual cycles. The women in this study were healthy and regularly menstruating, and as such there were few women with high uric acid levels and anovulatory cycles. Wider implications of the findings These findings demonstrate the importance of taking menstrual cycle phase into account when measuring uric acid in premenopausal women, and confirm the hypothesized beneficial lowering effects of endogenous E2 on uric acid levels. These findings suggest that there could be an underlying association affecting both sporadic anovulation and high uric acid levels among young, regularly menstruating women. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and elucidate the connection between uric acid and reproductive and later cardiovascular health.
Lymph Node Dissection in the Management of Renal Cell Carcinoma

Radical nephrectomy and regional lymphadenectomy have been the cornerstone of therapy for renal cell carcinoma for several decades; however, debate regarding the potential advantages of lymph node dissection for renal cell carcinoma continues. Currently, there are no definitive data indicating a survival advantage to lymphadenectomy, and systematic complete lymph node dissection adds time to the procedure and requires manipulation of the great vessels, which some surgeons may find challenging. This article examines the rationale for lymphadenectomy in the management of renal cell carcinoma and reviews the limited literature on the subject.
Possibility of induced seismicity in the vicinity of the Sleepy Hollow oil Field, southwestern Nebraska

An array of four seismographs operating in northwestern Kansas and southwestern Nebraska detected 31 earthquakes in the magnitude range 0.6 to 2.9 from March 1979 to March 1980. Of these, 22 were recorded at enough stations to allow accurate location, and at least three of them were felt by local residents. Sixteen of the located events occurred in the immediate vicinity of the most productive oil field in Nebraska: the Sleepy Hollow Field. A mail canvass revealed a well-constrained “felt” area about 10 km across which coincides remarkably well with the oil field. Water injection has been used as a method of enhanced recovery in this field since 1966. Some of the earthquakes occurred on possible downward extensions of faults in the deeper sedimentary rocks and granite basement, implying that some of the seismicity may be induced. Deeper events and other supporting data, however, suggest current tectonic activity on the Chadron-Cambridge Arch. The recently installed eight-station Sleepy Hollow Seismic Network should provide the data necessary to test these hypotheses.
Attribution of Ability: An Unexpected Recency Effect

This experiment investigated observers' attribution of ability based on a student's performance. 115 subjects viewed a graphical representation of one of four patterns of alleged performance on a series of concept-formation exercises: success in the first half and failure in the second half, failure in the first half and success in the second half, success in both halves, or failure in both halves. In contrast to the typical finding of a primacy effect in ability attribution, results showed a strong recency effect. Thus, the student's performance on the second half of the learning task was the major determinant of attribution of ability.
Leadership is Positively Related to Athletic Training Students' Clinical Behaviors

Context: Leadership development by health professionals positively affects patient outcomes. Objective: To 1) determine if there is any relationship between demonstrated leadership behaviorsandclin...
The G protein Gαs acts as a tumor suppressor in sonic hedgehog signaling-driven tumorigenesis

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are critical players in tumor growth and progression. The redundant roles of GPCRs in tumor development confound effective treatment; therefore, targeting a single common signaling component downstream of these receptors may be efficacious. GPCRs transmit signals through heterotrimeric G proteins composed of Gα and Gβγ subunits. Hyperactive Gαs signaling can mediate tumor progression in some tissues; however, recent work in medulloblastoma and basal cell carcinoma revealed that Gαs can also function as a tumor suppressor in neoplasms derived from ectoderm cells including neural and epidermal stem/progenitor cells. In these stem-cell compartments, signaling through Gαs suppresses self-renewal by inhibiting the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) and Hippo pathways. The loss of GNAS, which encodes Gαs, leads to activation of these pathways, over-proliferation of progenitor cells, and tumor formation. Gαs activates the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway and inhibits activation of SHH effectors Smoothened-Gli. In addition, Gαs-cAMP-PKA activation negatively regulates the Hippo pathway by blocking the NF2-LATS1/2-Yap signaling. In this review, we will address the novel function of the signaling network regulated by Gαs in suppression of SHH-driven tumorigenesis and the therapeutic approaches that can be envisioned to harness this pathway to inhibit tumor growth and progression.
European Elm Scale Control Investigations

Foliage applications of Sevin® (1-naphthyl N -methylcarbamate), Diazinon® (O,O-diethyl O-(2-isopropyl-4-methyl-6-pyrimidinyl) phosphorothioate), Guthion® (O,O-dimethyl S -(4-oxo-1,2,3-benzotriazin-3-(4 H )-ylmethyl) phosphorodithioate), and several mixtures of DDT and malathion emulsions, gave excellent control of European elm scale ( Gossyparia spuria (Modeer)) when applied between July 1 to July 14. Sprays applied during June or in late July and August failed to give satisfactory control. Sprays containing dieldrin and endrin gave no control. Control was obtained with systemics injected into trunks of elms when crawlers were emerging from under old female scales, but not when the injections were made 2 weeks prior to crawler emergence. Soil treatments, either soil saturation or applications of granules, produced very erratic results. Although superior dormant oils when applied at dosages from 3% to 5% with a hydraulic sprayer gave good immediate kill, control was only temporary because European elm scale populations soon reached injurious levels again.
Using Filter Banks to Improve Interceptor Performance Against Weaving Targets

It is well known that interceptor performance against a weaving or spiraling target can be improved by use of a special purpose weave guidance law. However the weave guidance law requires knowledge of the target weave frequency. When the target weave frequency is unknown an extended Kalman filter is usually considered for the problem because it can be used to estimate the target weave frequency. However, the performance of the extended Kalman filter is sensitive to initialization errors. This paper offers an unusual linear Kalman filter bank approach, where each filter is tuned to a different target weave frequency, as a potential solution for estimating the target weave frequency. Rather than combining individual filter outputs in some probabilistic sense, a straightforward algorithm is presented for choosing the filter that is most closely tuned to the actual target weave frequency. This paper demonstrates that this filter bank approach is superior to that of the extended Kalman filter for the weaving target problem.
Sexual Health After Cancer Therapy.

There are more than 14.5 million cancer survivors in the United States in 2016. Although there are no definitive statistics, in one survey of cancer survivors, 46% reported sexual health problems related to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and 71% said that they had received no care for sexual dysfunction. The impact of prostate cancer treatments on erectile dysfunction (ED) is well known. However, the review by Voznesensky et al highlights the fact that treatment of men with other malignancies, including bladder, testicular, colorectal, and those treated with marrow or peripheral stemcell transplant, can alsoplayhavoc with erectile function. The authors explain the anatomy and physiology of normal erections and explain how surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy can cause ED, dry ejaculation, climacturia (leaking urine during orgasm), or anorgasmia (difficulty reaching orgasm). They provide a thorough discussion of the standard approaches to ED and conclude that patients should be referred to urologists for treatment of cancer-related ED.
Harsh Parenting and Food Insecurity in Adolescence: The Association With Emerging Adult Obesity.

Abstract Purpose As the first study of its kind, the overall purpose of this article was to examine the relationships and interactions between harsh parenting (HP) and food insecurity (FI) in adolescence on the development of overweight/obesity (OW/OB) in emerging adulthood. Methods Data came from the Iowa Youth and Families Project, a longitudinal study of 451 adolescent youth and their families that began in 1989 in the rural Midwest. Adolescents were aged 13 years at the initial assessment, and weight status in emerging adulthood was measured 10 years later at age 23. Results Experiencing HP in adolescence predicted greater odds of OW/OB at 23 years old. Higher body mass indexes of the adolescent and his or her father in adolescence also increased the odds of being OW/OB at 23 years. Having parents with higher levels of education lowered the odds of being OW/OB in emerging adulthood. Finally, females who experienced high levels of FI and HP in adolescence had higher odds of OW/OB at 23 years in comparison to males. Conclusions HP, in combination with FI in adolescence, predicted OW/OB for females in emerging adulthood but not for males. This study contributes to an understanding of the interplay between multiple influences in adolescence: namely, parenting and economic influences. Assessing antecedents to OW/OB in emerging adulthood via multiple pathways provides a more complex understanding of how and why adolescents turn into OW/OB adults.
Investigating the reinforcement effect of few layer graphene and multi-walled carbon nanotubes in acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene

Abstract The reinforcement effects of two dimensional (2-D) few layer graphene (FLG) and one dimensional (1-D) multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) were investigated using tensile testing machine. Both, FLG and MWCNT were dispersed well in ABS matrix but preferably reside in the styrene-acrylonitrile phase rather than in the polybutadiene phase. The reinforcement tendency of FLG in ABS was higher than MWCNT; tensile strength was increased up to 43% for ABS/FLG and 22% for ABS/MWCNT. While, tensile modulus of ABS/FLG and ABS/MWCNT was enhanced up to 71% and 54%, respectively. Modified rule of mixture (MRoM) and Halpin-Tsai (H-T) models were employed to predict the rate of increase in the Young’s modulus of ABS/FLG and ABS/MWCNT. H-T model correlated the reinforcement tendencies more effectively than MRoM model possibly due to the difference in the length efficiency factor. Moreover, the HV of the ABS/FLG was significantly increased as compared to ABS/MWCNT clearly indicating the shape difference for reinforcing the ABS matrix as 2-D platelet dispersion of graphene hindered the deformation more effectively owing to the effective load transfer from polymer matrix to the filler as compared to 1-D MWCNT.
Parathyroid imaging with technetium-99m-sestamibi: an initial institutional experience.

Background The ideal method for preoperative localization of abnormal parathyroid glands has yet to be determined. Technetium-99m-sestamibi, previously used for myocardial perfusion studies, has recently been introduced for parathyroid imaging. Methods From August 1991 to September 1993, 44 patients underwent Tc-99m-sestamibi scanning (45 scans) and surgical exploration for hyperparathyroidism at our institution. These 44 patients form the database for this retrospective study. Twenty-eight patients had persistent hyperparathyroidism, six had recurrent disease, three had prior thyroid operation, and seven underwent first time neck operations. The nature of disease was complex and varied: single gland, 26; primary hyperplasia, 5; multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1, 5; familial, 3; secondary or tertiary, 5. One patient with single gland disease and one patient with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 had parathyroid carcinoma. All patients had biochemical confirmation of hyperparathyroidism. Results Twenty-six (58%) of 45 scans accurately predicted the location(s) of all abnormal gland(s) involved (true positive). Surgical removal of these glands was curative. Sixteen (36%) of 45 scans were false negative because they did not show all abnormal glands involved; however, 7 of these 16 scans did localize at least one abnormal gland. The overall sensitivity of this test was 62% when all abnormal glands were considered but increased to 79% with the demonstration of at least one abnormal gland. These values increased to 80% and 90% (p = 0.03), respectively, in the last 20 patients when the injected dose of Tc-99m-sestamibi was increased from 10 to 15 mCi. Thirty-seven of 44 patients were cured after operation. Six of the seven patients who experienced surgical failure had multigland disease, one of which was malignant. Sestamibi scans correctly identified abnormal cervical glands in 18 (58%) of 31 patients and abnormal mediastinal glands in six (75%) of eight patients. Conclusions Tc-99m-sestamibi scanning is helpful in the reoperative setting as an adjunct to localizing abnormal parathyroid tissue. A higher percentage of positive tests occurs in patients with mediastinal and single gland disease. A higher dose of Tc-99m-sestamibi (15 mCi) significantly improves test sensitivity.
Parasites and Strange Bedfellows: A Study in Catullus' Political Imagery

For almost all present-day readers, Catullus is a compelling love poet; for Quintilian, he was a master of the savage political lampoon. These two views of the same author are not mutually exclusive. Yet a natural wish to establish Catullus as a great ‘lyric poet’, as twentieth-century scholars understand the term, has sometimes trapped his admirers into a false dichotomy: his invectives are denied any claim to artistic merit, and the Roman rhetorician's preference for them is dismissed as an odd lapse of taste. Such a pronouncement hardly does justice to Quintilian's aesthetic judgment. Nor does it give due recognition to Catullus' noteworthy achievements in the iambic mode. Even in the harshest of his lampoons, modern techniques of literary analysis reveal a level of sophistication as high as in any of the famous love lyrics, together with an equivalent degree of emotional complexity. In this paper I intend to support that thesis through an exploration of one significant characteristic of certain pasquinades: the use of standard invective topoi as condensed metaphors of political corruption.
Genetic rhetorical criticism: An alternative methodology for studying multi-versioned rhetorical works

ABSTRACTThis essay presents genetic rhetorical criticism as an alternative methodology for the study of multi-versioned rhetorical works. In contrast to methodologies of textual authentication, which focus on the synchronic delivery of public address, genetic rhetorical criticism focuses on the diachronic movement of writing that both precedes and exceeds the work’s introduction to public history. It does so by affirming the value of unauthorized versions of rhetorical works, which deepen the field’s understanding of both particular rhetorical works and the textual dynamics of rhetoric. To support these claims, this essay reassesses the textual histories of both Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” and Kenneth Burke’s A Rhetoric of Motives. Engaging both works simultaneously shows that there are fundamental features of textuality that unite speech-centered and writing-centered rhetorical works. It also demonstrates that the textual histories of rhetorical works can support multiple scholarly interpretat...
Motivational factors in vision therapy: comparison of computerized vs. manipulative techniques.

Vision therapy (VT) a learning process that requires the patient to be motivated. Various modalities are used by practitioners to stimulate interest. This study compares the motivating effect of computers and manipulatives (i.e., physical objects that are handled). Fifteen subjects were compared on three motivational standards: time on task, negative behaviors and patient choice of procedure; these standards were compared for two computerized VT procedures and two VT procedures using manipulatives. The visual abilities used for therapy were stereopsis and spatial visualization. Although both methods were motivating, the computerized techniques were clearly superior in all three measures for both visual abilities Computerized vision therapy is an excellent modality for facilitating motivation for vision therapy vision therapy, motivation, computers, manipulatives, stereopsis, spatial visualization