cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Risk of Second Cancers in Patients with Colorectal Carcinoids

INTRODUCTION: It is often stated that patients with colorectal carcinoid tumors have an increased risk of developing other malignancies. However, this risk has not been conclusively documented. A comprehensive evaluation is needed to more thoroughly assess the risk of second cancers in patients with colorectal carcinoids. METHODS: A search of the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result database from 1973 to 1996 revealed 2,086 patients with colorectal carcinoids. This subset of patients was examined for occurrence of second cancers. The observed incidence of cancer for each site was compared with the expected incidence based on the gender-adjusted and age-adjusted cancer rates in the remaining Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result file. A Poisson distribution probability was used to determine the significance of these comparisons. RESULTS: Patients with colorectal carcinoids had an increased rate of cancer in the colon and rectum (P < 0.001), small bowel (P < 0.001), esophagus/stomach (P = 0.02), lung/bronchus (P < 0.001), urinary tract (P = 0.005), and prostate (P < 0.001), when compared with a control population. Most of the gastrointestinal tract cancers were synchronous cancers, whereas lesions outside the gastrointestinal tract were most commonly metachronous tumors. CONCLUSIONS: A significantly increased risk of synchronous colorectal, small-bowel, gastric, and esophageal cancers and metachronous lung, prostate, and urinary tract neoplasms is clearly demonstrated. After the diagnosis of colorectal carcinoid tumors, patients should undergo appropriate screening and surveillance for cancer at these sites.
Health Sciences Librarians' Awareness and Assessment of the Medical Library Association Code of Ethics for Health Sciences Librarianship: The Results of a Membership Survey

OBJECTIVE The Medical Library Association (MLA) Board of Directors and president charged an Ethical Awareness Task Force and recommended a survey to determine MLA members' awareness of and opinions about the current Code of Ethics for Health Sciences Librarianship. METHODS THE TASK FORCE AND MLA STAFF CRAFTED A SURVEY TO DETERMINE: (1) awareness of the MLA code and its provisions, (2) use of the MLA code to resolve professional ethical issues, (3) consultation of other ethical codes or guides, (4) views regarding the relative importance of the eleven MLA code statements, (5) challenges experienced in following any MLA code provisions, and (6) ethical problems not clearly addressed by the code. RESULTS Over 500 members responded (similar to previous MLA surveys), and while most were aware of the code, over 30% could not remember when they had last read or thought about it, and nearly half had also referred to other codes or guidelines. The large majority thought that: (1) all code statements were equally important, (2) none were particularly difficult or challenging to follow, and (3) the code covered every ethical challenge encountered in their professional work. IMPLICATIONS Comments provided by respondents who disagreed with the majority views suggest that the MLA code could usefully include a supplementary guide with practical advice on how to reason through a number of ethically challenging situations that are typically encountered by health sciences librarians.
Nonlinear stochastic controllers for power-flow-constrained vibratory energy harvesters

Abstract This study addresses the formulation of nonlinear feedback controllers for stochastically excited vibratory energy harvesters. Maximizing the average power generated from such systems requires the transducer current to be regulated using a bi-directional power electronic converter. There are many applications where the implementation of these types of converters is infeasible, due to the higher parasitic losses they must sustain. If instead the transducer current is regulated using a converter capable of single-directional power-flow, then these parasitic losses can be reduced significantly. However, the constraint on the power-flow directionality restricts the domain of feasible feedback laws. The only feasible linear feedback law imposes a static relationship between current and voltage, i.e., a static admittance. In stochastic response, the power generation performance can be enhanced significantly beyond that of the optimal static admittance, using nonlinear feedback. In this paper, a general approach to nonlinear control synthesis for power-flow-constrained energy harvesters is presented, which is analytically guaranteed to outperform the optimal static admittance in stationary stochastic response. Simulation results are presented for a single-degree-of-freedom resonant oscillator with an electromagnetic transducer, as well as for a piezoelectric bimorph cantilever beam.
Robotic surgery for cervical cancer

The development of robotic technology has facilitated the application of minimally invasive techniques for the treatment and evaluation of patients with early, advanced, and recurrent cervical cancer. The application of robotic technology for selected patients with cervical cancer and the data available in the literature are addressed in the present review paper. The robotic radical hysterectomy technique developed at the Mayo Clinic Arizona is presented with data comparing 27 patients who underwent the robotic procedure with 2 matched groups of patients treated by laparoscopic (N = 31), and laparotomic radical hysterectomy (N = 35). A few other studies confirmed the feasibility and safety of robotic radical hysterectomy and comparisons to either to the laparoscopic or open approach were discussed. Based on data from the literature, minimally invasive techniques including laparoscopy and robotics are preferable to laparotomy for patients requiring radical hysterectomy, with some advantages noted for robotics over laparoscopy. A prospective randomised trial is currently being perfomred under the auspices of the American Association of Gyneoclogic Laparoscopists comparing minimally invasive radical hysterectomy (laparoscopy or robotics) with laparotomy. For early cervical cancer radical parametrectomy and fertility preserving trachelectomy have been performed using robotic technology and been shown to be feasible, safe, and easier to perform when compared to the laparoscopic approach. Similar benefits have been noted in the treatment of advanced and recurrent cervical cancer where complex procedures such as extraperitoneal paraortic lymphadenectomy and pelvic exenteration have been required. Conclusion: Robotic technology better facilitates the surgical approach as compared to laparoscopy for technically challenging operations performed to treat primary, early or advanced, and recurrent cervical cancer. Although patient advantages are similar or slightly improved with robotics, there are multiple advantages for surgeons.
Use of Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry to Image (44) Calcium Uptake in the Cell Walls of Apple Fruit

Calcium, an important agent in regulating cell wall autolysis during fruit ripening, interacts with pectic acid polymers to form cross-bridges that influence cell separation. In the present study, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) was used to determine whether the cell walls of apple fruit were able to take up exogenously applied44Ca, which was infiltrated into mature fruit. SIMS, which has the ability to discriminate between isotopes, allowed localization of the exogenously applied44Ca and the native40Ca. The results indicated that the total amount of calcium present in the cell walls was enriched with44Ca and that heterogeneity of44Ca distribution occurred in the pericarp. Isotope ratio images showed microdomains in the cell wall, particularly in the middle lamella intersects that oppose the intercellular spaces. These domains may be the key areas that control cell separation. These data suggest that exogenously applied calcium may influence cell wall autolysis.
A 200-Mb/s 10-mW super-regenerative receiver at 60 GHz

This paper presents a low-power and high-speed super-regenerative receiver operating at the 60-GHz using 65-nm CMOS technology. The receiver uses the simplicity and power efficiency architecture for short-range communication. The proposed receiver achieves a data rate of 200 Mb/s with current consumption of 10 mA at a supply voltage of 1 V. The corresponding energy consumption of 50 pJ per receiver bit was an excellent tradeoff between cost, performance and power consumption.
Strategic Leadership and Political Change on the Canadian Supreme Court: Analyzing the Transition to Chief Justice

Abstract. This study discusses theoretical concepts from two strands of public law literature, namely rational choice accounts of strategic behaviour and notions of judicial leadership, and examines their relevance for explaining changes in judicial behaviour on the Canadian Supreme Court. Specifically, we test whether a justice who is elevated to the chief position strategically alters his/her patterns of judicial behaviour. The study uses a multiple regression equation that controls for rival hypotheses, and uncovers evidence of strategic change by all three modern chief justices. While Justices Dickson and Lamer appear to have consolidated their position as task leaders once they were promoted to the helm of the Court, Justice McLachlin made a remarkable change in her dissent behaviour to emerge as the preeminent social leader on her own Court. The study demonstrates that rational choice models of strategic behaviour and judicial leadership are useful theoretical frameworks for explaining changes in behaviour once recent Canadian justices were promoted to the chief position. Moreover, the findings illustrate the importance of incorporating critical institutional features when studying changing behaviour in other high courts around the world.Resume. Cette etude discute des concepts theoriques de deux composantes de la litterature du droit public, a savoir les temoignages de choix rationnel en fait de comportement strategique et les notions de leadership judiciaire, et examine leur pertinence pour expliquer les changements de comportement judiciaire a la Cour supreme du Canada. Plus precisement, nous cherchons a determiner si un juge qui devient juge en chef impose des changements strategiques a son comportement judiciaire. L'etude utilise une equation de regression multiple qui neutralise les hypotheses rivales, et decouvre des preuves de changement strategique chez les trois juges en chef contemporains. Tandis que les juges Dickson et Lamer semblent avoir consolide leur position de responsables de tâche apres leur accession a la tete de la Cour, Madame le juge McLachlin transforma son comportement de dissidente pour devenir le leader social confirme de sa propre Cour. L'etude demontre que les modeles de choix rationnel en fait de comportement strategique et de leadership judiciaire sont des cadres theoriques utiles pour expliquer les changements de comportement des juges canadiens recemment promus a la position de juges en chef. En outre, l'etude demontre qu'il est important d'incorporer certaines caracteristiques institutionnelles cles lorsqu'on examine les changements de comportement dans d'autres tribunaux de grande instance de par le monde.
Monitoring Applications and Evaluating Changes

The chapters that follow presents case examples of various applications of intraoperative monitoring. After a discussion of the patient problem, the application of monitoring is presented. The authors have provided examples of IOM changes which may signal adverse neurophysiological conditions. When this occurs, a search for the etiology and possible corrective or supportive measures is important. This introduction attempts to provide an overview of that search since all team members must participate in that endeavor.
Molecular recognition of single-stranded RNA: Neomycin binding to poly(A)

Poly(A) is a relevant sequence in cell biology due to its importance in mRNA stability and translation initiation. Neomycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic that is well known for its ability to target various nucleic acid structures. Here it is reported that neomycin is capable of binding tightly to a single-stranded oligonucleotide (A30) with a Kd in the micromolar range. CD melting experiments support complex formation and indicate a melting temperature of 47 °C. The poly(A) duplex, which melts at 44 °C (pH 5.5), was observed to melt at 61 °C in the presence of neomycin, suggesting a strong stabilization of the duplex by the neomycin.
Patient-perceived risk associated with epilepsy and its medication treatment

Regardless of the expert advice of health care practitioners, it is ultimately the patient's decision how to best manage his or her condition. This decision can be influenced by the perceived risk of both the disease and its treatment. The objective of this study was to develop a survey to evaluate perceived risk associated with epilepsy and its medication treatment. Risk was evaluated in five domains: performance, financial, social, psychological, and physical. A 40-item patient-perceived risk questionnaire was developed and administered to patients at one university-affiliated epilepsy clinic. Pearson correlation and regression analysis was used to identify significant components of overall perceived risk. A total of 64 patients completed the survey. Performance and physical risk significantly explained 34% of the variance in overall perceived risk associated with epilepsy. The overall perceived risk associated with the treatment of epilepsy was explained by performance, physical, psychological, and social risks (r(2)=0.386). Thus, the treatment of epilepsy poses more challenges for patients to maintain their lifestyle than the disease itself.
Morphology of acetylcholinesterase-containing neurons in primary cultures of dissociated rat cerebral cortex

Acetylcholinesterase-containing neurons were investigated in primary cultures of cerebral cortex. Neuronal cholinesterase staining was essentially totally attributable to acetylcholinesterase based on its pattern of sensitivity to pharmacological inhibitors. The mean percentage of stained neurons in the cultures was 2.17. Stained neurons of all morphologies were detected: however, the majority of the cells possessed bipolar morphology. The stained bipolar neurons were not a homogeneous morphological population.
Two Mutations in β-Tubulin 2 Gene Associated with Thiophanate-Methyl Resistance in Colletotrichum cereale Isolates from Creeping Bentgrass in Mississippi and Alabama

Turfgrass anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum cereale (≡C. graminicola), has become a common disease of creeping bentgrass putting greens during the summer in Mississippi and Alabama over the last 15 years. Thiophanate-methyl is a single-site mode-of-action fungicide applied to control C. cereale. In vitro bioassays were performed to evaluate the sensitivity of 103 isolates to thiophanate-methyl concentrations ranging from 0.039 to 10 μg/ml. Eighty-three isolates were collected from creeping bentgrass in Mississippi and Alabama that had been exposed to thiophanate-methyl. An additional 20 isolates were included from nonexposed turfgrasses. Radial colony growth in amended media was relative to nonamended media for all in vitro bioassays. With thiophanate-methyl at 10 μg/ml, relative growth of exposed isolates ranged from 77.5 to 130.7% with a mean of 99.3% compared with nonexposed, baseline isolates that ranged from 0.0 to 48.7% with a mean of 20.4%. A representative sample of thiophanate-methyl-exposed and nonexposed isolates was used to determine the mechanism of resistance by comparing amino acid sequences of the β-tubulin 2 protein. All of the thiophanate-methyl-exposed isolates that were sequenced had a point mutation resulting in substitutions from glutamic acid to alanine at position 198 or from phenylalanine to tyrosine at position 200 of the β-tubulin 2 protein. These amino acid substitutions in C. cereale isolates from Mississippi and Alabama appear to confer resistance to thiophanate-methyl and differ from those reported previously for this pathogen.
Organizational Involvement and Social Control

This paper focuses on the nature of organizational involvement-the orientations of patients to the types of social control to which they are subjected. Patients' affect tends to be positive and polarized. Complex organizations have predominant involvement profiles. Hospitals are characterized by positive involvement. However, due to the variability of hospital structures, it was found that patients had varying kinds and degrees of involvement. As the utilization of coercive power increases, negative involvement increases sharply and positive involvement decreases. Finally, it was found that the total amount of control exercised is inversely related to positive involvement. O ne of the major propositions of Amitai Etzioni's Compliance Theory is that type of sanction and nature of lower participant involvement influence each other.' This paper will test a hypothesis reflecting part of this, that is, that type of sanctions used by organizations affects approval of them by the recipients. Furthermore, the data suggest that frequency of any kind of sanctions reduces ap-
Volvulus as a complication of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction syndrome

Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction syndrome (CIPS) is a severe motility disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that presents with continuous or recurrent symptoms and signs of intestinal obstruction without evidence of a structural lesion occluding the intestinal lumen. Mechanical obstruction might occur in these patients as well but is typically difficult to distinguish from an exacerbation of CIPS. We report two pediatric cases in which mechanical obstruction by volvulus mimicked an exacerbation of CIPS, requiring surgical intervention. Conclusion: Awareness of the possibility of true mechanical obstruction in CIPS patients during an exacerbation episode is needed, as this is a severe condition and usually requires surgical intervention.
Engineering multigene expression in vitro and in vivo with small terminators for T7 RNA polymerase

Engineering protein expression in vitro or in vivo is usually straightforward for single genes, but remains challenging for multiple genes because of the requirement of coordinated control. RNA and protein overexpression strategies often exploit T7 RNA polymerase and its natural TPhi Class I terminator. However, this terminator's inefficiency and large size (100 bp) are problematic for multigene construction and expression. Here, we measure the effects of tandem copies of a small (18 bp) Class II T7 terminator from vesicular stomatitis virus on transcription in vitro and on translation in vitro and in vivo. We first test monomeric and dimeric gene constructs, then attempt extension to pentameric gene constructs. "BioBrick" versions of a pET vector and translation factor genes were constructed to facilitate cloning, and His-tags were incorporated to allow copurification of all protein products for relatively unbiased analysis and easy purification. Several results were surprising, including imbalanced expression of the pentameric constructs in vivo, illustrating the value of synthetic biology for investigating gene expression. However, these problems were solved rationally by changing the orders of the genes and by adding extra promoters to the upstream gene or by moving to a more predictable in vitro translation system. These successes were significant, given our initial unexpected results and that we are unaware of another example of coordinated overexpression of five proteins. Our modular, flexible, rational method should further empower synthetic biologists wishing to overexpress multiple proteins simultaneously.
Tropospheric SF6: Age of air from the Northern Hemisphere midlatitude surface

[1] Observations of SF6 are used to quantify the mean time since air was in (“mean age” from) the Northern Hemisphere (NH) midlatitude surface layer. The mean age is a fundamental property of tropospheric transport that can be used in theoretical studies and used to evaluate transport in comprehensive models. Comparisons of simulated SF6 and an idealized clock tracer confirm that the time lag between the SF6 mixing ratio at a given location and the NH midlatitude surface provides an accurate estimate of the mean age. The ages calculated from surface SF6 measurements show large meridional gradients in the tropics but weak gradients in the extratropics, with near-zero ages at the surface north of 30°N and ages around 1.4 years south of 30°S. Aircraft measurements show weak vertical age gradients in the lower and middle troposphere, with only slight increases of age with height in the NH and slight decreases with height in the Southern Hemisphere. There are large seasonal variations in the age at tropical stations (annual amplitudes around 0.5–1.0 year), with younger ages during northern winter, but only weak seasonal variations at higher latitudes. The seasonality and interannual variations in the tropics and Southern Hemisphere are related to changes in locations of tropical convection. There is qualitative agreement, in both spatial and temporal variations, between the simulated ages and observations. The model ages tend to be older than observed, with differences of ~0.2 year in the Northern Hemisphere upper troposphere and throughout the Southern Hemisphere troposphere.
Urgent inhibitor issues: targets for expanded research

Although up to 80% of high-responding inhibitors in patients with severe factor VIII deficiency can be eliminated using heterogeneous regimens for immune tolerance induction, the residual morbidity in this population of haemophilic patients is far from trivial. There is an exigent need for focussed basic, translational and clinical research to extend our understanding of the pathogenesis of haemophilic inhibitor development. In this article, we identify four key research needs, including (i) whether presently available clotting factor concentrates (CFCs) have differential antigenicity, giving rise to clinically relevant immunogenicity; (ii) the interplay of quantitative and qualitative (e.g. age at first exposure) influences of CFCs as well as host-environmental factors (e.g. vaccination effects) on inhibitor development; (iii) the therapeutic role (if any) that concurrent immune tolerance with suppressive or immune-competitive therapeutic strategies play in inhibitor eradication and (iv) pending any major therapeutic advances, alternative or enhanced strategies for treating acute haemorrhage and for preventing chronic haemorrhagic events in these patients.
Birthing and Family Medicine: More Than Obstetrics

The term birth injury usually applies to an injury sustained by either a woman or her infant in the course of giving birth. In this case the injury was sustained by the delivering family physician. What initially seemed like a minor injury turned out to require a significant career modification. The writer reflects on the personal impact of his choice to provide maternity care as a family physician. The unexpected end to this part of his practice, brought on by the injury, allows an opportunity to assess the effect of other “birth” experiences that are inherent to long-term patient–doctor relationships in family medicine.
Evolving Functional Perspectives Within Supply Chain Management

Since its introduction over three decades ago, the field of supply chain management (SCM) has undergone numerous transformations. Today it is a prevailing theme in scholarly and popular research, and numerous disparate disciplines claim its ownership. Despite the field's evolution there continues to be little agreement on the domain and unifying theory of SCM, as well as a consensus definition. The result has been a lack of clarity as to the scope of SCM, �siloed� research methodologies, and parallel research efforts. We interviewed 50 academic scholars across disciplines, as well as 20 SCM business executives, to extract commonality of opinion and discuss the future of SCM. The most important of these findings are the identification of �common ground� regarding the definition and scope of SCM, establishment of the need for interdisciplinary research, the recognition of the existence of �inner� and �outer core� functions central to SCM, and the nature of functional involvement in interdisciplinary research. In this paper we present these findings and provide a path forward based on the collective wisdom of these scholars and executives.
Parity violation and the polarization of nucleons from hyperon decay

A general expression for the polarization of nucleons, from hyperon decay is obtained. It is shown that this polarization is purely longitudinal in the rest frame of the hyperon. Such longitudinal polarization will have a component transverse to the nucleon momentum in the laboratory system and is thus detectable by means of nuclear scattering.
Humans, Machines, and Conversations An Ethnographic Study of the Making of Automatic Speech Recognition Technologies

This essay investigates the design of automatic speech recognition (ASR) technologies as a site at which the human qualities of ‘hearing’ and ‘understanding’ are mimicked in machines. On the basis of an observational study, it explains the major work components and debates in ASR, such as research paradigms and strategies, as well as the intricacies of instruments and experimentation. Key arguments concern the tensions, conflicts, and ambiguities that emerge from the intersection of disparate research paradigms in ASR. The study emphasizes the actors’ success in establishing a local context of stable, practical rationality in which they negotiate the complementary and conflicting research objectives of building speech recognition machines, on one hand, and understanding human hearing, on the other. The conclusion is cast in terms of a ‘functional contingency’, a concept that characterizes this setting in which researchers successfully make machines ‘recognize speech’ and in so doing make the machines part...
The relation between adolescent alcohol use and peer alcohol use: A longitudinal random coefficients model.

Longitudinal latent growth models were used to examine the relation between changes in adolescent alcohol use and changes in peer alcohol use over a 3-year period in a community-based sample of 363 Hispanic and Caucasian adolescents. Both adolescent alcohol use and peer alcohol use were characterized by positive linear growth over time. Not only were changes in adolescent alcohol use closely related to changes in peer alcohol use, but the initial status on peer alcohol use was predictive of later increases in adolescent alcohol use and the initial status on adolescent alcohol use was predictive of later increases in peer alcohol use. These results are inconsistent with models positing solely unidirectional effects between adolescent alcohol use and peer alcohol use.
Presence and growth of naturalized Escherichia coli in temperate soils from lake superior watersheds

The presence of Escherichia coli in water is used as an indicator of fecal contamination, but recent reports indicate that soil populations can also be detected in tropical, subtropical, and some temperate environments. In this study, we report that viable E. coli populations were repeatedly isolated from northern temperate soils in three Lake Superior watersheds from October 2003 to October 2004. Seasonal variation in the population density of soilborne E. coli was observed; the greatest cell densities, up to 3 × 103 CFU/g soil, were found in the summer to fall (June to October), and the lowest numbers, ≤1 CFU/g soil, occurred during the winter to spring months (February to May). Horizontal, fluorophore-enhanced repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR (HFERP) DNA fingerprint analyses indicated that identical soilborne E. coli genotypes, those with ≥92% similarity values, overwintered in frozen soil and were present over time. Soilborne E. coli strains had HFERP DNA fingerprints that were unique to specific soils and locations, suggesting that these E. coli strains became naturalized, autochthonous members of the soil microbial community. In laboratory studies, naturalized E. coli strains had the ability to grow and replicate to high cell densities, up to 4.2 × 105 CFU/g soil, in nonsterile soils when incubated at 30 or 37°C and survived longer than 1 month when soil temperatures were ≤25°C. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the growth of naturalized E. coli in nonsterile, nonamended soils. The presence of significant populations of naturalized populations of E. coli in temperate soils may confound the use of this bacterium as an indicator of fecal contamination.
Variable response to inhaled nitric oxide after cardiac surgery

Background. Inhaled nitric oxide (NO) is a promising therapy that may be valuable in the control of pulmonary hypertension in cardiac surgical patients. Patients with valvular heart disease have remodeling of the pulmonary vascular bed that contributes to pulmonary hypertension. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of inhaled NO in cardiac surgical patients with pulmonary hypertension with and without valvular heart disease. Methods. The effect of inhaled NO (40 ppm) on pulmonary hemodynamics in patients with pulmonary hypertension (mean pulmonary artery pressure ≥30 mm Hg) was studied in the operating room after cardiac operation. Fifteen patients with valvular heart disease comprised the study group; 25 patients undergoing aortocoronary bypass grafting were controls. Results. In patients undergoing aortocoronary bypass grafting, inhaled NO produced a 24% decrease in mean pulmonary artery pressure (33 ± 1 to 25 ± 1 mm Hg; p −5 ; p −5 before, during, and after NO. Conclusions. Among cardiac surgical patients with pulmonary hypertension, the response to inhaled NO is variable. Despite the promise of inhaled NO as a pulmonary vasodilator in cardiac surgical patients, these data suggest that alternative therapies are needed to control pulmonary hypertension in patients with pulmonary hypertension from valvular heart disease.
Visualizing DNA Replication at the Single-Molecule Level

Recent advances in single-molecule methodology have made it possible to study the dynamic behavior of individual enzymes and their interactions with other proteins in multiprotein complexes. Here, we describe newly developed methods to study the coordination of DNA unwinding, priming, and synthesis at the DNA-replication fork. The length of individual DNA molecules is used to measure the activity of single replisomes engaged in coordinated DNA replication. First, a tethered-particle technique is used to visualize the formation and release of replication loops. Second, a fluorescence imaging method provides a direct readout of replication rates and processivities from individual replisomes. The ability to directly observe transient reaction intermediates and characterize heterogeneous behavior makes these single-molecule approaches important new additions to the tools available to study DNA replication.
Factors influencing the recruitment and abundance of Didemnum in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island

Auker, L. A., and Oviatt, C. A. 2008. Factors influencing the recruitment and abundance of Didemnum in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. - ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 765-769.The non-indigenous colonial tunicate Didemnum sp. A has been observed in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, since 2000. We compared weekly recruitment of the species and environmental parameters (i.e. temperature, salinity, chlorophyll a, dissolved oxygen, pH, and nutrient concentrations) over a 6-month period among three sites: (i) the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography dock (GSO), (ii) the Department of Environmental Management pier at Fort Wetherill (FW), and (iii) the Prudence Island T-wharf. At the GSO and FW, divers surveyed the sites for percentage cover of Didemnum. To assess the spread of Didemnum in the bay and what factors may predict the tunicate’s presence, we also surveyed intertidal sites in October and November 2005, noting Didemnum presence, salinity, number of boats and moorings, and distances to major ports at each site. GSO had the highest percentage cover of adults and the highest recruitment of the tunicate (p < 0.01), reaching average peak values of 319 individuals per 100 cm 2 in September 2005. Temperature and salinity demonstrated the best correlation with recruitment, and higher boat and mooring numbers may be a reliable predictor of tunicate presence. Further monitoring is needed to assess the potential spread of Didemnum throughout Narragansett Bay.
Parental longevity is associated with cognition and brain ageing in middle-aged offspring

Background: offspring of long-lived individuals have lower risk for dementia. We examined the relation between parental longevity and cognition and subclinical markers of brain ageing in community-dwelling adult offspring. Methods: offspring participants with both parents in the Framingham Heart Study, aged ≥55 years and dementia-free underwent baseline and repeat neuropsychological (NP) testing and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Parental longevity was defined as having at least one parent survive to age ≥85 years. To test the association between parental longevity and measures of cognition and brain volumes, we used multivariable linear and logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, education and time to NP testing or brain MRI. Results: of 728 offspring (mean age 66 years, 54% women), 407 (56%) had ≥1 parent achieve longevity. In cross-sectional analysis, parental longevity was associated with better scores on attention (beta 0.21 ± 0.08, P = 0.006) and a lower odds of extensive white matter hyperintensity on brain MRI (odds ratio 0.59, 95% CI: 0.38, 0.92, P = 0.019). The association with white matter hyperintensity was no longer significant in models adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors and disease. In longitudinal analysis (6.7 ± 1.7 years later), offspring with parental longevity had slower decline in attention (0.18 ± 0.08, P = 0.038), executive function (beta 0.19 ± 0.09, P = 0.031) and visual memory (beta −0.18 ± 0.08, P = 0.023), and less increase in temporal horn volume (beta −0.25 ± 0.09, P = 0.005). The associations persisted in fully adjusted models. Conclusion: parental longevity is associated with better brain ageing in middle-aged offspring.
Ipilimumab-induced colonic perforation

Biologic immune modulators such as ipilimumab have demonstrated the efficacy against metastatic melanoma. We present a recent case of a 52-year-old male who initially developed mild colitis following the initiation of ipilimumab treatment for metastatic melanoma. Despite initial improvement with immediate cessation of drug and initiation of high-dose steroid therapy his clinical condition worsened and the patient presented to our facility in extremis from colonic perforation. Following an extended right hemicolectomy his postoperative period was extended due to continued symptomatic enteritis. After 3 weeks colonoscopy revealed that the autoimmune event had begun to subside; his condition improved, resulting in discharge. We discuss this particular side effect with respect to ipilimumab adjuvant therapy in melanoma.
Mesoporosity and functional group dependent endocytosis and cytotoxicity of silica nanomaterials.

We report different mesoporosity-dependent and functional group-dependent cytotoxicity and endocytosis of various silica nanomaterials on suspended and adherent cells. This dependency further varied with incubation time and particle dosage, and appeared to be associated with the particles’ endocytotic efficiency and their chemical and physical properties. We studied two common mesoporous nanomaterials (MSNs), MCM-41 and SBA-15, and one type of solid-cored silica microsphere, paralleled by their quaternary amine functionalized counterparts. Compared to SBA-15, MCM-41 has a larger surface area but smaller pore size, whereas SMS exhibits low surface area and poor porosity. In Jurkat cells, SBA-15 and MCM-41 exhibited different cytotoxicity profiles. However, no significant cell death was detected when treated with the aminated MSNs, indicating that the positively charged quaternary amines prevented cellular injury from mesoporous nanoparticles. Furthermore, the effective internalization of MSN but not aminat...
Circulating and dietary omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and incidence of CVD in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background Dietary guidelines support intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in fish and vegetable oils. However, some controversy remains about benefits of PUFAs, and most prior studies have relied on self-reported dietary assessment in relatively homogeneous populations. Methods and Results In a multiethnic cohort of 2837 US adults (whites, Hispanics, African Americans, Chinese Americans), plasma phospholipid PUFAs were measured at baseline (2000–2002) using gas chromatography and dietary PUFAs estimated using a food frequency questionnaire. Incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) events (including coronary heart disease and stroke; n=189) were prospectively identified through 2010 during 19 778 person-years of follow-up. In multivariable-adjusted Cox models, circulating n-3 eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid were inversely associated with incident CVD, with extreme-quartile hazard ratios (95% CIs) of 0.49 for eicosapentaenoic acid (0.30 to 0.79; P trend=0.01) and 0.39 for docosahexaenoic acid (0.22 to 0.67; P trend<0.001). n-3 Docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) was inversely associated with CVD in whites and Chinese, but not in other race/ethnicities ( P -interaction=0.01). No significant associations with CVD were observed for circulating n-3 alpha-linolenic acid or n-6 PUFA (linoleic acid, arachidonic acid). Associations with CVD of self-reported dietary PUFA were consistent with those of the PUFA biomarkers. All associations were similar across racial-ethnic groups, except those of docosapentaenoic acid. Conclusions Both dietary and circulating eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, but not alpha-linolenic acid or n-6 PUFA, were inversely associated with CVD incidence. These findings suggest that increased consumption of n-3 PUFA from seafood may prevent CVD development in a multiethnic population.
What ought probably means, and why you can't detach it

Some intuitive normative principles raise vexing ‘detaching problems’ by their failure to license modus ponens. I examine three such principles (a self-reliance principle and two different instrumental principles) and recent stategies employed to resolve their detaching problems. I show that solving these problems necessitates postulating an indefinitely large number of senses for ‘ought’. The semantics for ‘ought’ that is standard in linguistics offers a unifying strategy for solving these problems, but I argue that an alternative approach combining an end-relational theory of normativity with a comparative probabilistic semantics for ‘ought’ provides a more satisfactory solution.
The Effect of Relative Performance Evaluation on Investment Efficiency and Firm Performance

This study examines the effect of relative performance evaluation (RPE) on managers’ investment decisions and firm performance. Principal-agent theory suggests that RPE use in CEO compensation plans can improve incentive alignment when firm performance is affected by common shocks, thus motivating managers to increase shareholder wealth. I test this theory using contract details explicitly disclosed in proxy statements. I find that RPE firms are generally less likely to over- or under-invest than non-RPE firms, consistent with RPE use improving incentive alignment. I also find some evidence that RPE firms have higher total shareholder return (TSR) than similar non-RPE firms when contracting specifically on TSR. In addition, the positive effects of RPE on firm performance increase with the extent of common risk for firm and peer performance. Together, these results suggest that RPE use in CEO compensation plans reduces agency costs and improves incentive alignment.
Mechanisms for the generation of gas-exchange surface area in rat lung

During development, rat lung seems to make use of the mechanisms of 1) expansion, 2) replication, and 3) subdivision to increase its gas-exchange surface area. To quantitate the contribution of each one of these mechanisms from birth to adulthood, four models of lung development have been mathematically evaluated: 1) existing saccules at birth septate (subdivide) during the first 2 postnatal weeks, creating smaller alveoli that undergo a continuous expansion up to adulthood; 2) same as the previous model except that new alveoli are also formed by means other than septation after the second postnatal week; 3) same as the previous model except that the alveoli formed by means other than septation start forming immediately after birth; and 4) saccules continue to be formed up to adulthood and subsequently septate, forming alveoli. In an evaluation of these models mathematically, it was found that expansion followed by replication is the most important mechanism for the generation of gas-exchange surface area in all four models in the maturing lung. Although the contribution of septation is important during early postnatal life, its importance decreases with age.
Bridging the Gap Between Bulk and Nanostructured Photoelectrodes: The Impact of Surface States on the Electrocatalytic and Photoelectrochemical Properties of MoS2

Molybdenite (MoS2) is a material that has been previously studied for its photoelectrochemical properties in bulk form and, more recently, for its electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution properties in various nanostructured forms. Herein, we aim to address the properties of bulk and nanostructured MoS2 in order to assess the future potential of harnessing nanostructured MoS2 as a more efficient photocathode for photoelectrochemical hydrogen production. Using an in-situ method to progressively create defects at the surface of bulk MoS2, we show that losses due to recombination of photogenerated charge carriers at surface states occur concurrently with an enhancement in catalytic activity for hydrogen evolution. We further explore how these surface defects affect the measured flat-band potential, and we discuss the consequences of the distinct electronic properties of bulk versus nanostructured MoS2. Our results for MoS2 show that differences in morphological length scales (bulk vs nanoscale) give rise to uniqu...
Digital droplet multiple displacement amplification (ddMDA) for whole genome sequencing of limited DNA samples

Multiple displacement amplification (MDA) is a widely used technique for amplification of DNA from samples containing limited amounts of DNA (e.g., uncultivable microbes or clinical samples) before whole genome sequencing. Despite its advantages of high yield and fidelity, it suffers from high amplification bias and non-specific amplification when amplifying sub-nanogram of template DNA. Here, we present a microfluidic digital droplet MDA (ddMDA) technique where partitioning of the template DNA into thousands of sub-nanoliter droplets, each containing a small number of DNA fragments, greatly reduces the competition among DNA fragments for primers and polymerase thereby greatly reducing amplification bias. Consequently, the ddMDA approach enabled a more uniform coverage of amplification over the entire length of the genome, with significantly lower bias and non-specific amplification than conventional MDA. For a sample containing 0.1 pg/μL of E. coli DNA (equivalent of ~3/1000 of an E. coli genome per droplet), ddMDA achieves a 65-fold increase in coverage in de novo assembly, and more than 20-fold increase in specificity (percentage of reads mapping to E. coli) compared to the conventional tube MDA. ddMDA offers a powerful method useful for many applications including medical diagnostics, forensics, and environmental microbiology.
INTERNAL FRICTION ASSOCIATED WITH PHASE TRANSFORMATION IN Ti-H ALLOYS

Low frequency(f=0.5—1Hz)internal friction(IF)of Ti-H alloys con-taining 0.12—1.12 wt-% hydrogen was found to be dependent on hydrogen content.(1)The IF peaks of high hydrogen alloys(0.80—1.12 wt-%)were observed at 325℃ duringheating and 225~C during cooling. These were associated with the eutectoid transformation.(2)The IF peaks of low hydrogen alloy(0.12wt-%)were found at lower temperature belowthe eutectoid temperature.(3)A double peak appeared in the alloy with 0.44wt—%hydrogen during cooling which is attributed to the eutectoid transformation and the precip-itation of hydride from α solution.The possible different mechanisms of dissolution andprecipitation peaks of hydride are discussed.
Multiple plasmacytomas in skin : harbinger of aggressive B-immunocytic malignancy

A 55-year-old alcoholic man with chronic atypical mycobacterial lung disease developed multiple plasmacytomas in the skin over a 6-month period. There was no evidence of either multiple myeloma or plasma cell leukemia at the time of diagnosis; however, evidence of multiple myeloma became apparent about 7 months later, and the man died, despite therapy for this condition, about 22 months after the initial diagnosis of his plasma cell disorder. Despite the apparent rarity of this clinical presentation, the available evidence suggests it is a harbinger of a relatively aggressive B-immunocytic malignancy.
Consumption of Extremity: Cultural Proliferation of Hyper-Authenticity and the Corollary

Consumer culture theory (CCT) views identity project as a process and a practice through and by which consumers’ cultural bricolage of the self is embodied and enacted in negotiation with the hegemonic market influences, such as globalization, brands, and gendered consumption environment (Arnould and Thompson 2005). The subsumption of distinction under consumer identity project, which also manifests as an unprecedentedly important part of consumer culture, necessitates consumers’ proactive devotion to distinction-making (Firat and Venkatesh 1995) and thus interests consumer researchers. Nevertheless, the extant literature on distinction tends to stay within the normative boundary of distinction that all can conceive, perceive, simulate, and emulate, with a slight exception for gender and sexual-orientation issues (e.g., Kates 2002, 2004). Accordingly, negotiation, compromise, reconcilement, cooperation, and rapprochement have thus far been the preferred (in fact, almost required) methods to present idiosyncratic identities (Giesler 2008; Holt 2002).
Sleep-related problems in the US working population: prevalence and association with shiftwork status

Objective To estimate the prevalence of a comprehensive set of self-reported sleep problems by job characteristics, including shiftwork status, among a representative sample of US workers. Methods Data for 6338 workers aged ≥18 years were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Short sleep duration was defined as Results The prevalence of short sleep duration (37.6% overall) was highest among night shift workers (61.8%; p Conclusions Self-reported short sleep duration, poor sleep quality, impaired ADL score and insomnia are common among US workers especially among night shift workers. Although these findings should be confirmed with objective sleep measures, they support the need for intervention programmes to improve sleep quantity and quality among night shift workers.