cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Employment Insecurity and the Frayed American Dream

This paper reviews literature on employment insecurity and situates objective and subjective employment insecurity in the context of the contemporary economy. I draw on the argument about shifting social contracts to explain both real and perceived pervasive employment insecurity and the frayed American Dream. Employment insecurity derives from the macro-economic changes that produced the social structure of accumulation identified as flexible accumulation that requires employment insecurity as both a form of labor discipline and profit-enhancing strategy. This paper argues that contemporary employment insecurity is both objective and subjective and affects how individuals understandtheirworld andtheirselves.Tothislatterpoint,Ilookatresearchongenerationaldifferences in the experience of employment insecurity. This article builds directly on my (1995,1996, and 2012) earlier work theorizing the transformation of social life in terms of shifting social contracts. Here, I address employment insecurity and focus on understanding that insecurity as a product of a number of interconnected macro-level changes over time. Those social contracts took a variety of forms; of particular interest now is the demise of a social structure of accumulation (SSA) that coordinated class interests and established long-term employment stability that has been replaced by a newSSA defined by“flexible accumulation” (Rubin 1995, 1996; Vallas 1999). 2 In this SSA, employers sought more flexible uses
Social Change through Imagery and Values of Teen‐Age Africans in Northern Rhodesia

N ANY society undergoing rapid technological and social change, such as is occurring on the copper-belt of Northern Rhodesia, young people form an interesting focus for study of change. In the community where this study was made, there were some 50,000 Africans of many different Bantu tribes with Bemba as their lingua franca, some 5,000 Europeans, and a few hundred Indians. The copper-mining industry, in existence since 1925, dominates the economic life and greatly influences the social life. The majority of men work in the mines. European culture is being communicated to the Africans in many ways, among which are the mass media. About a third of the adults were literate in English or a vernacular language, or both; half listened to the radio; twofifths attended movies. The percentages include men and women, but a much higher proportion of men. These Africans are now in contact with, and to some degree participating in, a new technical and moral order. As Redfield has pointed out, "each precivilized society was held together by largely undeclared but continually realized ethical conceptions" (Redfield 1953:15). Today, the African's awareness of a new moral order makes explicit what had been largely implied in the past. The new technical order is of course more explicit and easier to observe than the moral order. This is both explicit and implicit, and the rather limited degree of social contact between Europeans and Africans does not tend to give either group a clear understanding of each other's moral order. Nor is the European moral order homogeneous. It is represented by upper, middle and working class Englishmen, South Africans, Boers, missionaries, government officials, mine officials, mine foremen, and the like, all of whom present different versions of a European moral order. It is axiomatic that values are the core of a moral order, and we use Kluckhohn's definition of value, "a conception, explicit or implicit, distinctive of an individual or characteristic of a group, of the desirable which influences the selection from available modes, means and ends of action" (Kluckhohn 1951: 395). As Northrop points out, values are rarely transferred intact from one culture to another, and new facts coming into a culture tend to be conceptualized in terms of old concepts (Northrop 1953: 330-332). We would add that the conceptualization may also be conditioned by psychological needs, including those growing out of anxieties induced by a rapidly changing way of life. In the transition from a traditional preindustrial culture to a modern industrial one, all members of the society can be placed somewhere on a continuum with traditional and modern values at opposite ends. Young people in their teens living in urban communities and attending schools, are obviously
Recent developments in multiple sclerosis therapeutics

Multiple sclerosis, the most common neurologic disorder of young adults, is traditionally considered to be an inflammatory, autoimmune, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Based on this understanding, the initial therapeutic strategies were directed at immune modulation and inflammation control. These approaches, including high-dose corticosteroids for acute relapses and long-term use of parenteral interferon-β, glatiramer acetate or natalizumab for disease modification, are at best moderately effective. Growing evidence supports that, while an inflammatory pathology characterizes the early relapsing stage of multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative pathology dominates the later progressive stage of the disease. Multiple sclerosis disease-modifying therapies currently in development attempt to specifically target the underlying pathology at each stage of the disease, while avoiding frequent self-injection. These include a variety of oral medications and monoclonal antibodies to reduce inflammation in relapsing multiple sclerosis and agents intended to promote neuroprotection and neurorepair in progressive multiple sclerosis. Although newer therapies for relapsing MS have the potential to be more effective and easier to administer than current therapies, they also carry greater risks. Effective treatments for progressive multiple sclerosis are still being sought.
Why the dalton should be redefined exactly in terms of the kilogram

With a redefined kilogram fixing the Planck constant, h, and a redefined mole fixing the Avogadro constant, NA, as recently proposed, retaining the carbon-12-based dalton creates a fundamental incompatibility in the stoichiometric equations. To avoid this incompatibility, the dalton should be redefined, as well: exactly in terms of the fixed-h kilogram. Specifically, with the mole defined as mol = N*/NA, where N* is an exact dimensionless constant, the dalton should be redefined as Da = (1/1000N*) kg, exactly, so that NA/mol−1 remains exactly equal to the gram-to-dalton mass-unit ratio—as required by the fundamental compatibility condition relating the kilogram, mole and dalton. This would necessarily decouple the dalton from the carbon-12 reference mass, ma(12C)/12, used for cataloguing nuclidic mass ratios to extremely high precision. Relative atomic masses, defined as Ar(X) = ma(X)/Da, would then have uncertainties dominated by that of ma(12C)/kg; but since this would be of order 10−9 or less, the values of relative atomic masses, to the precision used in stoichiometry, would be totally unaffected. This is a much more straightforward and easily comprehended strategy than those using confusing inexact correction factors or the equivalent, as recommended in recent publications and implicitly endorsed by the CGPM.
The Opinions of Little Orphan Annie and Her Friends

PUBLIC SPECULATION and a number of earlier articles on the effect of reading comic cartoon strips directed the author's attention to the problem of determining the social idealism expressed in such cartoon strips as Little Orphan Annie, Dick Tracy, Li'l Abner, Joe Palooka, Terry and the Pirates and others.1 It has been said that Joseph Patterson guided his comics as cunningly as his anti-Roosevelt campaigns.2 "By design or not, they all seem to be in harmony with the editorial views of the cartoonist's bosses, Capt. Joseph Patterson and Col. Robert McCormick."3 It is the purpose of this article to present a detailed analysis of Little Orphan Annie, a strip, which has, unlike many others, a record of more adult than child readers.4
Functional MRI Limitations and Aspirations

Most would agree that knowing precisely what was happening in the brain during the act of thinking would help in our pursuit to understand what think- ing really is. This chapter describes the basics, limits, and future directions of one of the more effective tools we have to observe the human brain while it is functioning - functional MRI. Functional MRI emerged in the early 1990s, and has since grown explosively in utility. In this chapter, an in-depth exploration is carried out of what limits functional MRI to a spatial resolution of millimeters and a temporal resolution of seconds. In addition, issues of how sensitive functional MRI is in detecting brain activity and how deeply we can interpret the signal changes are explored. Lastly, the chapter ends with a discussion on how imaging might be essential, or perhaps irrelevant, to understanding thinking.
Gender and sexual standards in dating relationships

This study explored the current status of sexual standards for dating relationships. A sample of 148 male and 148 female U.S. college students read a brief vignette describing a couple, Bob and Cathy, who were involved in either a causal or serious romantic/sexual relationship. Subjects then completed several scales as they thought Bob or Cathy would have answered them. The measures included love attitudes, sexual attitudes, and items on dating and marriage desirability. The study was a 2 (gender of subject) × 2 (gender of target) × 2 (casual vs. serious relationship) factorial design. Perception of a casual or serious relationship affected the love attitudes, sexual attitudes, and dating and marriage desirability attributed to the stimulus person. There were few effects for gender of the stimulus person or gender of the subject. The data suggest that relationship context is extremely important in evaluating sexual activity.
Roentgenographic evaluation of nephroptosis

Abstract Vertical and medial nephroptosis was assessed on 60 consecutive excretory urographic examinations. Ptosis, both vertical and medial, was seen more commonly in females, and vertical ptosis was more frequent than medial ptosis. In our series there was no significant evidence of predominance on the right side. Dietl crisis, nausea, vomiting, hypotension, oliguria, or orthostatic hypertension were not encountered. Nephtroptosis was mostly asymptomatic. In thos patients with symptoms, lumbar pain was common and could be either aggravated or relieved by change in position. A new sign, paradoxic displacement, is described. This could be of value to the surgeon and radiotherapist in evaluating enlargement of huge abdominal — a difficult task to acess huge abdominal mass - a difficult task to assess clinically.
Patient-Ventilator Dyssynchrony: Clinical Significance and Implications for Practice

The cost of providing care to critically ill patients in the United States consumes roughly 15% of all health care dollars, or 1% of the gross national product.1 Contributing to this economic burden are patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) who require mechanical ventilation and patients with complications from their dependence on this technology.2,3 In fact, 50% of ICU patients receive mechanical ventilation.4 Often, sedation is required to increase patients’ tolerance of the endotracheal tube, reduce anxiety, and facilitate sleep. In particular, sedation is used frequently to reduce patient-ventilator dyssynchrony (PVD).5–9 Sassoon and Foster10 define PVD as a mismatching between the patient’s breaths (neural) and ventilator-assisted breaths (phase asynchrony), as well as the inability of the ventilator’s flow delivery to match the patient’s flow demand (flow asynchrony). This definition suggests a faulty interaction between the patient and ventilator that is commonly managed by sedation and advanced ventilator modes and adjustments. The correction of PVD is complex and multifaceted given the current capabilities of traditional ventilators. An imperfect solution exists because the sensitivity and responsiveness of both the patient and the ventilator during the interaction is confounded by factors related to the patient and the ventilator. However, in light of the most serious complications (hypoxemia, barotrauma, prolonged mechanical ventilation, and discomfort) of PVD, and an imperfect solution for the resolution of PVD at the current time, nurses continue to face the challenge of preventing the consequences of PVD as well as complications due to oversedation or undersedation. In this article, we discuss the factors contributing to PVD; the manifestations, measurement, types, and causes of PVD; nursing implications; and future directions for improvement, with nursing research questions proposed for consideration.
The perception of the passage of time among death-involved hospital patients.

The present study attempted to evaluate the extent of the relationship between death involvement and temporal orientation among hospitalized suicidal, terminal, geriatrically ill, and normal patients. Their perception of the passage of time was evaluated by (a) behavioral estimations of elapsed time and (b) a survey of their opinions concerning the passage of time. The latter method included an evaluation of various consequences of the rate of time passage. The results indicated that the suicidal patients, closely followed by the geriatrically ill, overestimated time intervals to a much greater extent than did the normal and terminal patients. The suicidal subjects expressed a great deal of impulsiveness and described themselves as feeling miserable to a much greater degree than did the other groups.
Superresolution inverse ultrasound scattering

Summary form only given, as follows., A new approach is developed to solve inverse-scattering-based ultrasound imaging. This technique is based on the inversion of the Lippman-Schwinger equation with the use of constraints. It is found that by requiring the impedance profile to be set of consecutive layers, one obtains a system of nonlinear equations, relating the reflection amplitude to the parameters of the mode. Upon use of the Born approximation this set of equations can be reduced to a linear prediction spectral estimation problem, which can be solved exactly using the LPSVD algorithm of R. Kumaresan and D.W. Tufts (1982). In model calculations performed with simulated data, it is found not only that the resolution is better, but also that the performance in noisy conditions is significantly improved, and that the quality of the results is not as dependent on the bandwidth as it usually is for the standard Fourier-transform-based Born approximation. When the actual impedance profile is not a set of layers, one can still get good results provided the number of data points is high enough to allow a reasonable fit in terms of the model constraint. >
Climatic Influence on Sedimentology and Geomorphology of the Rio Ramis Valley, Peru

Abstract Fluctuations in regional precipitation and in base-level (the level of Lake Titicaca) trigger changes in fluvial erosion and deposition in the largest tributary valley of Lake Titicaca, the Rio Ramis, Peru. Relationships between fluvial sedimentation and terrace formation demonstrate that large-scale aggradational and downcutting events are associated with specific regional climatic events that have been previously documented in the Lake Titicaca basin and elsewhere on the Altiplano. Five laterally extensive terrace tracts (A through E) are present within the valley. Downcutting of the Ramis valley is correlative with base-level (Lake Titicaca level) fall caused by a decrease in precipitation. Aggradation is correlative with base-level rise during increasing precipitation. Sedimentary facies underlying the terraces record deposition in a large paleolake followed by deposition of both meandering and braided fluvial sediments. The highest terrace in the valley—E—is underlain by a thick sequence of lacustrine strata that was deposited during an extremely wet period in the Lake Titicaca region that terminated at about 40,000 cal yr BP. These lacustrine strata were subsequently downcut, likely at a time of large drop in lake-level, resulting in a deeply incised valley. The main phase of fluvial aggradation in the valley (sediments underlying the D through B terraces) was slow, spanning about 25,000 years. It occurred before, during, and after the Last Glacial Maximum (from before 35,140 ± 790 cal yr BP until about 10,421 ± 181 cal yr BP), a time period that was mostly characterized in the Lake Titicaca basin by high precipitation rates and high base-levels. The aggradation resulted in almost 40 m of sediment accumulation in the valley and was followed by rapid (about 2,000 years), but episodic, incision into the underlying fluvial sediments to form the C and B terraces, as well as the erosional surface beneath the modern fill terrace (A). This erosional phase corresponded to several periods of local base-level (Lake Titicaca) lowering between 10,241 ± 181 and 1,668 ± 76 cal yr BP. The modern fill terrace has aggraded about 2 m above modern river level, likely within the last 1,500 years.
Lactobacillus reuteri strains reduce incidence and severity of experimental necrotizing enterocolitis via modulation of TLR4 and NF-κB signaling in the intestine

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the leading gastrointestinal cause of mortality and morbidity in the premature infant. Premature infants have a delay in intestinal colonization by commensal bacteria and colonization with potentially pathogenic organisms. Lactobacillus reuteri is a probiotic that inhibits enteric infections, modulates the immune system, and may be beneficial to prevent NEC. In previous studies, L. reuteri strains DSM 17938 and ATCC PTA 4659 differentially modulated inflammation in vitro; however, the strains had equivalent anti-inflammatory responses in LPS feeding-induced ileitis in neonatal rats in vivo. The impact of these two strains in the prevention of NEC has not been previously investigated. NEC was induced in newborn rats by orogastric formula feeding and exposure to hypoxia. L. reuteri was added to the formula to prevent NEC. NEC score, Toll-like receptor (TLR)-signaling genes, phospho-IκB activity, and cytokine levels in the intestine were examined. Both strains significantly increased survival rate and decreased the incidence and severity of NEC, with optimal effects from DSM 17938. In response to probiotic, mRNA expression of IL-6, TNF-α, TLR4, and NF-κB was significantly downregulated, while mRNA levels of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 were significantly upregulated. In parallel, L. reuteri treatment led to decrease intestinal protein levels of TLR4 and cytokine levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in newborn rats with NEC. Both strains significantly inhibited not only intestinal LPS-induced phospho-IκB activity in an ex vivo study but also decreased the levels of phospho-IκB in the intestines of NEC rat model. Cow milk formula feeding produced a similar but milder proinflammatory profile in the intestine that was also ameliorated by 17938. Our studies demonstrate that each of the two L. reuteri strains has potential therapeutic value in our NEC model and in enteritis associated with cow milk feeding. These results support the concept that L. reuteri may represent a valuable treatment to prevent NEC.
INTENSITY DEPENDENT NONLINEAR MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PASSIVE OPTICAL LIMITING

Passive optical limiting devices based on nonlinear optical (NLO) materials exhibit a throughput radiation level that is related to the magnitude of the nonlinear material parameters. We model both optically ‘thick’ and optically ‘thin’ limiters based on intensity dependent, χ(3) nonlinearities and predict the magnitude of the nonlinearities required to provide protection for the human eye from laser induced damage for a specific optical system. These calculated nonlinearities are given in terms of a required index change, n2, or absorption change, β.
Group Therapy Among OEF/OIF Veterans: Treatment Barriers and Preferences

ABSTRACTOperation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) combat Veterans are at risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many are seeking treatment from the Veterans Health Administration; yet, it is an ongoing challenge to engage some Veterans in sustained mental health services, especially group therapy for PTSD. This pilot study assessed OEF/OIF Veterans' prior use of mental health treatment and perceived barriers to and interest in group therapy for PTSD using a survey distributed in one outpatient OEF/OIF PTSD specialty clinic in the Midwest. The 110 OEF/OIF Veterans reported experience with a range of mental health treatment services and most frequently identified perceptions of the group process to be barriers to engaging in group therapy. Specifically, OEF/OIF Veterans endorsed concerns about taking part in a group, expressing emotions, being misunderstood, and disliking the group composition. A clear preference for individual over group therapy for PTSD treatme...
Validation of a Unified Nondiffusive-Diffusive Phonon Transport Model for Nanoscale Heat Transfer Simulations

Heat transfer in the vicinity of nanoscale hot-spots is qualitatively different from that in the macroscale, which effect stems from the breakdown of Fourier law due to phonon nondiffusive transport. In this work, we validate a recently proposed alternative, high-fidelity phonon transport model, the unified nondiffusive-diffusive (UND) model, which takes into account the mixed ballistic-diffusive nature of heat transport, as well as reduces to the Fourier law as a limiting case. In the UND model, the nondiffusive phonons are treated using the Boltzmann transport equation, while the diffusive phonon gas is treated by the Fourier law. The numerical results of Maznev et al. for the geometry and spatial dependence of variables corresponding to the transient gratings experiments of Johnson et al. are used for validation of the model.© 2014 ASME
A Hardware Architecture for Better Portable Graphics (BPG) Compression Encoder

This paper proposes a hardware architecture for the newly introduced Better Portable Graphics (BPG) compression algorithm. Since its introduction in 1987, the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) graphics format has been the de facto choice for image compression. However, the new compression technique BPG outperforms JPEG in terms of compression quality and size of the compressed file. The objective of this paper is to present a hardware architecture for enhanced real time compression of the image. The complexity of the BPG encoder library is reduced by using hardware compression wherever possible over software compression because of the real time requirements, possibly in embedded systems with low latency requirements. BPG compression is based on the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), which is considered a major advance in compression techniques. In this paper, only image compression is considered. The proposed architecture is prototyped in Matlab/Simulink. The experimental results prove that the visual quality of BPG compression is higher than that of JPEG with equal or reduced file size. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first ever proposed hardware architecture for BPG compression.
Design principles of sensory processing in cerebellum-like structures: Early stage processing of electrosensory and auditory objects

Cerebellum-like structures are compared for two sensory systems: electrosensory and auditory. The electrosensory lateral line lobe of mormyrid electric fish is reviewed and the neural representation of electrosensory objects in this structure is modeled and discussed. The dorsal cochlear nucleus in the auditory brainstem of mammals is reviewed and new data are presented that characterize the responses of neurons in this structure in the mouse. Similarities between the electrosensory and auditory cerebellum-like structures are shown, in particular adaptive processes that may reduce responses to predictable stimuli. We suggest that the differences in the types of sensory objects may drive the differences in the anatomical and physiological characteristics of these two cerebellum-like structures.
Where Do All the Triangles Go

(1975). Where Do All the Triangles Go? The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 82, No. 5, pp. 499-501.
Abstract 5452: High-fat diet induces inflammation by increasing estrogen levels through Stat3, estrogen receptor alpha and aromatase in the mouse prostate.

High-fat diet (HFD), an unfortunate lifestyle choice common in the Western world, is associated with inflammation and thereby is regarded as a risk factor for various diseases including obesity, diabetes, and cancer. The molecular mechanism(s) responsible for HFD-induced inflammation in the prostate gland are not well understood. Estrogen receptor alpha (ER-α), signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat)-3 and aromatase are important signaling molecules constitutively activated during inflammation and have been shown to be upregulated in prostate cancer. We have previously reported that HFD activates a pro-inflammatory response in the prostate through elevated expression of Stat-3 (Prostate 72:233-43, 2012). In the current study, we sought to investigate a possible link between intraprostatic inflammation, HFD feeding, signaling molecules involved in inflammation viz. ER-α, Stat-3, p-Stat3 (Ser727) and aromatase. C57BL/6 mice were fed either a regular diet (RD) or a HFD for 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Serum, visceral fat and prostate tissues were obtained for analysis. HFD intake caused an increase in fat and serum testosterone levels. No significant changes were observed in the testosterone levels in the prostate. A marked increase in estrogen levels was noted in the prostate and visceral fat at 8 weeks of HFD intake. HFD feeding resulted in a significant increase in the expression of aromatase, ER-α, Stat-3 and p-Stat3 (Ser727) at the message and protein levels. Immunoprecipitation and ChIP analysis demonstrated an increased association between aromatase, p-Stat-3 and ER-α in the HFD group. IHC analysis revealed higher expression of Stat-3, ER-α and aromatase in the prostate, accompanied by the morphologic evidence of increased intraprostatic inflammation in the HFD group. Taken together, our findings suggest that HFD increases estrogen levels by increased binding of ER-α and p-Stat-3 to the promoter of aromatase and their interaction is associated with increased intraprostatic inflammation which might contribute to the initiation and development of prostate cancer. Citation Format: Natarajan Bhaskaran, Sanjeev Shukla, Vijay S. Thakur, Melissa A. Babcook, Gregory T. MacLennan, Guiming Liu, Firouz Daneshgari, Sanjay Gupta. High-fat diet induces inflammation by increasing estrogen levels through Stat3, estrogen receptor alpha and aromatase in the mouse prostate. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5452. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5452
Involvement of luteinizing hormone as a luteotropin in the golden hamster.

SummaryHypophysectomy (PX) or anti-LH treatment resulted in vaginal bleeding followed by absortion as well as luteal and follicular degeneration in 8-day pregnant hamsters. The effects were successfully reversed by daily injections of 50 μg LH in sesame oil–beeswax (82 vs 94% in controls) or 25 μg LH plus 2 mg prolactin (78%). Partial reversal was observed with 100 μg LH (50%) or 200 μg FSH plus 2 mg prolactin (31%). Lower doses of LH with or without prolactin, were ineffective. Hypophysectomy on Day 12 caused expulsion of fetuses by Day 14 or 15 in 3 out of 9 animals. These results support a luteotropic and progestational role for LH in the pregnant hamster.
Order and Homogeneity of Family Specific Brand-switching Processes

> Most empirical work on Markov processes for brand choice has been based on aggregative data. This article explores the validity of the crucial assumption that underlies such analyses, i.e., that all the families in the sample follow a Markov process with the same or similar transition probability matrices. The results show that there is a great deal of diversity among families' switching processes, and that many of them are of zero rather than first order. The last few years have seen an increasing use of stochastic process models as representations of consumer brand-switching behavior. These models allow for the myriad of stimuli that enter into the brand choice decision by means of response uncertainty. The problem of describing and predicting this type of behavior is reduced to one of specifying the relevant probability law governing the consumer's choice among competing brands under a given set of personal and environmental conditions. Many of the features of observed brand-switching behavior are consistent with relatively simple probability models, whereas a deterministic model dealing with such behavior would have to be prohibitively complex. Many factors may affect the probabilities in these stochastic models. Most attention has been focused on the ways in which the probability that a consumer will purchase a given brand depend upon his recent purchase history-the subject of this article. The fact that purchase probabilities probably also depend on relative prices, promotion, and other market factors, as well as on the time since the consumer last purchased a unit
Analysis of Newly Diagnosed Pneumoconiosis in Luoyang from 2008 to 2011

Objective To explore the characteristics of newly diagnosed pneumoconiosis in Luoyang,and to provide a basis for prevention of pneumoconiosis. Methods Two hundred and sixty-seven cases of newly diagnosed pneumoconiosis in Luoyang from 2008 to 2011 were statistically analyzed by job distribution,types of pneumoconiosis,working age and diagnosed age. Results The total cases of newly diagnosed pneumoconiosis were increased year by year.The cases increased significantly in 2010,2011,and the cases of the first stage of pneumoconiosis were the most.Among the 267 cases,there were 67 coal miners(25.09%),45 grinders(16.85%),43 molders(16.10%) and 30 compounders(11.24%).Silicotics including the first stage,the second stage and the third stage made up 90.26% of all the cases.The sufferers' diagnosed age of the first stage of pneumoconiosis(48.92±10.57) was lower than those of the second stage and the third stage(54.22±10.78,53.94±9.11),(P0.05).And the sufferers' working ages of the first stage and the second stage of pneumoconiosis(17.79±9.89,18.16±12.74) were both higher than that of the third stage(10.49±11.48),(P0.05). Conclusions Coal miners,grinders,molders and compounders in the industries of coal,glass and minerals are the focal point of the prevention of pneumosilicosis.More attention should be paid to the prevention of pneumosilicosis,moreover,the three-grade prevention should be done better.
Studies on pure red cell aplasia. VI. Development of two-stage erythroblast cytotoxicity method and role of complement.

Abstract Human marrow cells were incubated with 59 Fe for 21 hours to produce 59 Fe-labeled erythroblasts. When these labeled cells were incubated with 6 pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) plasmas, 3 produced an increased release of 59 Fe from the erythroblasts into the supernatant media. The increased release of 59 Fe has previously been shown to represent a release of hemoglobin and is an index of erythroblast cytotoxicity. To characterize the effect of the PRCA plasmas a two-stage incubation method was adopted. Using this method 4 of 7 PRCA plasmas produced an increased release of 59 Fe. The plasmas of 10 of 11 polytransfused patients with diseases other than PRCA did not increase the release of 59 Fe above the normal level. Using the two-stage method it has been shown that marrow cell contact with PRCA γG-globulins is necessary in the first stage, and cell contact with fresh frozen normal plasma is necessary in the second stage. The second-stage normal plasma is inactivated by 56 °C. heat-treatment and by treatment with suramin, zymosan, and ethylene-glycol-tetra-acetic-acid (EGTA), 3 inhibitors of complement, indicating that the cofactor may be complement. The presence of the cytotoxic factor in the γG-globulin fraction and its apparent dependence on complement indicate that it may be an antibody or an immune complex.
Endovascular Intervention Suite Design

The need for a sound structural design, in this modern age of endovascular intervention, is paramount. With the forever evolving technology, it is often difficult to keep up with the latest trends in room design. There are, however, several key basic factors that remain unchanged in the design venue. Availability for your core operating room equipment which includes a scrub sink, anesthesia equipment, substerile area for the autoclave, and ample equipment storage area is required. In order to fulfill the dual role of an operating arena and an imaging suite, the modern endovascular suite must be outfitted with a state-of-the-art imaging system.
Late ureteral obstruction and hematuria from de novo angiosarcoma in a renal transplant patient.

Abstract A patient is described with a long-term functioning renal allograft who presented with ureteral obstruction and hematuria from an angiosarcoma. The diagnosis of ureteral obstruction was established preoperatively with computerized tomography guided anterograde pyelography. This represents the first documented case of an angiosarcoma occurring de novo in a renal allograft recipient. Continued awareness is needed of the increased risk of malignancy following transplantation.
The United States research strategy on pertussis.

Wide-scale use of whole-cell vaccines has fed to good control of pertussis disease in the United States; however, this control has been achieved at the cost of common and uncommon adverse events of known frequencies. Agencies of the U.S. Public Health Service actively stimulated the development of new pertussis vaccines by directly supporting basic and applied research and increasing interactions with industry and with health authorities in other countries. This international cooperation resulted in a better understanding of the pathogenesis of pertussis and in the final development and clinical testing of several candidate acellular pertussis vaccines.
Abstract A115: Annexin A1: A novel gene target of miRNA-21

Introduction: Numerous studies have reported miRNA-21 (miR-21) to be deregulated in a wide variety of cancers, including breast. miR-21 regulates a number of processes and pathways relevant to tumorigenesis including PDCD4, a regulator of apoptosis; PTEN, a suppressor of PI3K/AKT signaling; Smad7 and MSH2, regulators of TGFβ signaling; and Sprouty 1, an inhibitor of ERK-MAPK signaling. Here we describe an additional gene target of miR-21, annexin A1 that may be particularly relevant in the biology of triple negative breast cancer. Methods: To identify post-transcriptionally regulated genes that may play a role in breast cancer progression, we screened proteome and transcriptome of MCF10A breast cancer progression panel, reported by Choong et al (2010) and Rhee et al (2008) respectively. This resulted in the identification of Annexin A1. To identify miRNAs that have the potential to regulate annexin A1, we performed an in silico screen for miRNAs targeting annexin A1 using the miRNA algorithm TargetScan, and found miR-21 as a potential regulator. To validate if miR-21 indeed regulates annexin A1 we performed transient transfections to modulate miRNA levels in cells and subsequently performed western blot analysis and luciferase assay to measure the annexin A1 protein and reporter levels respectively. To measure endogenous and modulated levels of miRNAs and their effect on mRNA targets we performed QPCR on RNA samples obtained cell lines. Results: Our in silico analysis, suggested that annexin A1 was a potential downstream target of miR-21 with probability of conserved site targeting (PCT ) Citation Format: Anjana Bhardwaj, Nivetha Ganesan, Constance T. Albarracin, Isabelle Bedrosian. Annexin A1: A novel gene target of miRNA-21. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Breast Cancer Research: Genetics, Biology, and Clinical Applications; Oct 3-6, 2013; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2013;11(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A115.
Cytosine deamination and the precipitous decline of spontaneous mutation during Earth's history

The hydrolytic deamination of cytosine and 5-methylcytosine residues in DNA appears to contribute significantly to the appearance of spontaneous mutations in microorganisms and in human disease. In the present work, we examined the mechanism of cytosine deamination and the response of the uncatalyzed reaction to changing temperature. The positively charged 1,3-dimethylcytosinium ion was hydrolyzed at a rate similar to the rate of acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of 1-methylcytosine, for which it furnishes a satisfactory kinetic model and a probable mechanism. In agreement with earlier reports, uncatalyzed deamination was found to proceed at very similar rates for cytosine, 1-methylcytosine, cytidine, and cytidine 5′-phosphate, and also for cytosine residues in single-stranded DNA generated from a phagemid, in which we sequenced an insert representing the gene of the HIV-1 protease. Arrhenius plots for the uncatalyzed deamination of cytosine were linear over the temperature range from 90 °C to 200 °C and indicated a heat of activation (ΔH‡) of 23.4 ± 0.5 kcal/mol at pH 7. Recent evidence indicates that the surface of the earth has been cool enough to support life for more than 4 billion years and that life has been present for almost as long. If the temperature at Earth9s surface is assumed to have followed Newton9s law of cooling, declining exponentially from 100 °C to 25 °C during that period, then half of the cytosine-deaminating events per unit biomass would have taken place during the first 0.2 billion years, and
Preresidency Publication Number Does Not Predict Academic Career Placement in Neurosurgery

Objective It is unclear if preresidency and/or residency research work impacts academic neurosurgery placement post residency. The goal of this study is to evaluate the impact that preresidency and residency research publication has on attaining academic faculty positions. Methods Alumni information was collected from 65 of the 108 (60%) neurosurgery residency websites. Graduates from these programs between 2005 and 2015 ( n = 949) were analyzed to determine factors associated with an academic career. Information on publications, citations, and H-index were obtained from Web of Science. Current position was designated as academic if the physician had a teaching position at a university hospital and private if the physician was not affiliated with a university hospital. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with academic faculty positions post residency. Results Of the 949 physicians included in the analysis, 339 (36%) were in academic positions, 518 (55%) in private practice, and 92 (10%) were still in training. More than a fifth (212, or 22%) of physicians performed a research fellowship (8.2%) or attained a Ph.D. (14.1%) during medical school. Among those who had completed training, an academic career was associated with having 2 or more publications during residency (odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval, CI]: 3.87 [1.59–9.45]; P P P Conclusions These findings may help guide residency programs to identify and/or cultivate neurosurgeons to become academic neurosurgeons.
Structure and Evolution of a Prograding Reservoir Delta in the Damodar River, India

The Damodar River is an ephemeral river with a braided stream pattern in many sections during the flood stage. Flood discharge is concentrated during summer monsoons. Damming of this river has produced two deltas, one corresponding to the live storage level ('upper delta') and the other at flood storage level ('lower delta'). The progradation of the upper delta over the topset beds of the lower delta coupled with fluctuations in lake level has produced a cyclic progradational deltaic sequence in the reservoir. A significant zoning of the sedimentary structures is observed in the different parts of the delta. Parallel lamination is the major structure in the bottomset area; cross-stratification, ripple drift lamination and deformational structures predominate the foreset area; and horizotal and cross-stratification charactcrize the topset area. Cyclic sedimentation units with their characteristic sedimentary structures and grain size arc also characteristic of the topset area. The alluvial valley section is dominated by multiple units of a variety of cross-stratifications and some upper flow regime flat beds.
High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) to detect compartmental bone loss on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT): A feasibility study.

209Background: ADT causes bone loss, yet standard bone density (DXA) measurements do not distinguish cortical vs. trabecular bone loss and are falsely elevated in patients (pts) with sclerotic metastases, potentially underestimating fracture risk. HR-pQCT of the tibia and radius is a validated method to assess compartmental bone density and architecture that may overcome these limitations. Methods: Cross-sectional study of prostate cancer pts who underwent HR-pQCT (Scanco XtremeCT) of the radius and tibia and DXA scans within 6 months of initiating ADT. The relationship between HR-pQCT and relevant clinical variables was assessed using Spearman’s rank correlation method. Results: 22 pts were enrolled. Median baseline characteristics included: age = 64.5 (range 53-90), serum testosterone (T) level = 17 ng/dL (6-978), and interval between ADT start and HR-pQCT = 1.6 months (0-5.7). 5 pts (23%) were osteopenic as assessed by DXA. The correlation between HR-pQCT and clinical variables in shown in the Table. O...
Improved survival with definitive chemoradiation compared to definitive radiation alone in squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva: A review of the National Cancer Database

Abstract Background It is unclear whether definitive chemoradiation (CRT) results in improved overall survival compared to radiation therapy (RT) alone in patients with vulvar cancer who are not candidates for surgery. We compared these treatment strategies in the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Methods We identified 1352 patients with pathologically-confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva treated with definitive RT ( n =353) or definitive CRT ( n =999) between 2003 and 2014 in the NCDB. Exclusion criteria were metastatic disease at diagnosis, RT dose Results The median age overall was 66 (23–90) years. The CRT group was younger ( p p p =0.004). The 5-year overall survival was higher in the CRT group compared to RT (49.9% vs. 27.4%, p p =0.003). The effect remained significant after propensity score matching (HR: 0.78 [0.63–0.97], p =0.023). On subgroup analysis, patients with FIGO stage I only had a trend towards improved survival with CRT ( p =0.058). Conclusions In the NCDB, definitive chemoradiation was associated with higher overall survival compared to radiation alone in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva who did not receive surgery. These findings suggest that concurrent chemoradiation may be beneficial for select patients in the definitive setting.
‘Prejudices are Tyrants of the Soul’: Pedagogy and Préjugés in Revolutionary France

ABSTRACTThrough an analysis of textbooks, educational pamphlets, and the correspondence and minutes of the Committee of Public Instruction (22 September 1792–26 October 1795), I argue that authors ...
DNA vaccines with rapid intracellular degradation are more effective for inducing CTL

DNA vaccines have several advantages over conventional vaccines, such as ease of construction, low expense for mass production, high temperature stability, and ability to induce a full spectrum of exceptionally long-lasting immune responses, including cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL) [6, 13]. Furthermore, because the transgene antigen is synthesized by cells of the host animal, it may be processed for immune recognition via a protein degradation pathway that is distinct from that of exogenous protein antigen.
Introductory Remarks, Session II

This morning’s topics are related to the “wear and tear” hypothesis of aging. The name most commonly associated with early studies involving this hypothesis is that of Max Rubner, who around the turn of the century published a book whose subject is the relationship of duration of life to growth and nourishment. The first two papers to be presented are concerned chiefly and rather directly with effects of oxygen which is considered by many to be the prime agent that produces much of the “wear and tear” in question through its univalent reduction which results in the production of free radicals.
Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Based Highly Efficient Theranostic Nanoplatform for Two-Photon Bioimaging and Two-Photon Excited Photodynamic Therapy of Multiple Drug Resistance Bacteria

Near-infrared (NIR) light between 700 and 2500 nm, which is in the range of the first, second, and third biological windows, has the capability to penetrate biological tissues and blood, which provides a huge advantages of higher penetration depth. However, because of the lack of available biocompatible single photon probes in NIR window, there is an urgent need for new theranostic material, which could be used for two-photon bioimaging as well as for two-photon photodynamic therapy (PDT) in biological window. Driven by the need, the current manuscript reports gold nanoclusters (GNCs) attached graphene quantum dot (GQD) based two-photon excited theranostic nanoplatform with high two-photon absorption, very strong two-photon luminescence, as well as two-photon stability in NIR region. Experimental result shows strong two-photon luminescence and two-photon-induced PDT, which is based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) mechanism, where graphene quantum dots with very high two-photon absorption ...
Violence and fertility

A study finds association between the occurrence of intimate partner violence and marital fertility among Tsimane forager-horticulturalists, independent of proximate explanations, suggesting that intimate partner violence may persist as an evolutionary strategy to enhance male fitness.
‘A new discovery’ of Charles Hoole: method and practice in seventeenth-century English education

This article offers the first modern explication of the educational writings of Charles Hoole (1610–1667), arguing that his writings offer significant insight into the educational aims and methods ...