cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Expansion of lymphokine-activated killer cells for clinical use utilizing a novel culture device

Abstract The major problems encountered in the application of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell therapy in man are the massive culture volumes required for LAK cell induction and the paucity of LAK cells available for administration (human doses are ⩽ 10% of effective murine LAK cell doses). We have, therefore, developed and tested a plastic porous culture device, Sclair plastic bags (E.I. DuPont De Nemours Co.), that can be utilized at virtually any volume and does not require rotation for optimal use. Normal or patient lymphocytes were cultured in the device or in plastic 16 mm wells at 1–20 × 106/ml RPMI 10% human sera with 1500 pM interleukin-2 for 4 days: LAK cell activity did not decline despite high cell densities. The device was equal to the 16 mm wells in induction of normal donor and patient LAK cell activity when either autologous fresh tumor or Raji targets were used. In a non-therapeutic clinical evaluation we isolated and stored in liquid nitrogen autologous tumor cells from 11 patients with cancer. 2–6 weeks post-operatively lymphocytes and mononuclear cells from these patients and paired normal donors were obtained and LAK cells were induced in Sclair bags or standard culture wells. Autologous patient LAK cell activity and normal donor LAK cell activity against patient's tumor cells were equivalent in the Sclair culture device and culture well system. Lymphocyte recovery and [3H]thymidine incorporation were also similar. Subsequently, we developed an expansion scheme utilizing the device in which cell density was maintained at optimal levels by changing media and reducing cell concentration after 6, 10 and 14 days of culture. We were able to expand LAK cell number 5–10-fold with no loss of LAK cell activity in this time frame utilizing both normal and patient cells. In this system plasma and sera were equivalent in their capacity to support LAK cell expansion but
Retarding Effect of Lowered Heart Rate on Coronary Atherosclerosis

The role of heart rate in the development of coronary atherosclerosis was assessed in adult male cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Heart rate was lowered in six animals by surgical ablation of the sinoatrial node. A sham procedure, which included all of the surgical steps except for sinoatrial node ablation, was carried out in eight animals. All of the monkeys were fed an atherogenic high cholesterol diet for 6 months, and heart rates were monitored repeatedly by telemetry during 24-hour test periods. Coronary atherosclerosis in animals with postoperative heart rates less than the preoperative mean for all of the animals that underwent surgery was less than half that of animals with heart rates above the mean or of diet-fed control animals not subjected to surgery. Groups did not differ in blood pressure, serum lipids, or body weight. These results suggest that heart rate in itself may contribute to the mechanisms by which behavioral patterns and physical training influence coronary artery disease.
Efficient soldering index materials for fixed partial dentures and implant substructures.

Multiple-unit fixed partial dentures routinely require an intraoral index to ensure accurate fit. One of the most commonly used materials is Duralay acrylic resin, which has yielded satisfactory clinical results, but one disadvantage has been a prolonged setting time. This study compared the setting times of two autopolymerizing resins, Duralay and G. C. Pattern resin. The dimensional accuracy of these materials was also compared with one light-cured resin, G.C. Unifast light-cure resin. All three materials were suitable to relate castings with clinically acceptable outcomes, and chairside time could be saved with the use of recently introduced indexing materials.
The O(1D) Distribution of Comet Austin 1989c1 = 1990 V

Flat field images of Comet Austin 1990 V were obtained from the morning sky, and a log of the observations is presented. Absolute intensity calibrations of the comet images are obtained along with scans of the cometary forbidden O I 6300 emission. The O(1D) distribution of the comet is found, and the OH mean lifetime at 1 AU is determined to be (1.1 +/- 0.3) 10 exp 5 s.
Fabrication of SiCN MEMS by photopolymerization of pre-ceramic polymer

This paper describes the use of photopolymerization of a liquid polysilazane as a novel, versatile and cost-effective means of fabricating SiCN ceramic MEMS. SiCN is a new class of polymer-derived ceramics whose starting material is a liquid-phase polymer. By adding a photo initiator to the precursor, photolithographical patterning of the pre-ceramic polymer can be accomplished by UV exposure. The resulting solid polymer structures are then crosslinked under isostatic pressure, and pyrolyzed to form an amorphous ceramic capable of withstanding over 1500°C. By adding and curing successive layers of liquid polymer on top of one another, multi-layered ceramic MEMS can be easily fabricated. The use of photopolymerization can also be used to make thin, membrane-like ceramic structures. Key issues concerning the fabrication process are discussed. By combining photopolymerization with other in-house developed techniques such as polymer-based bonding and flip-chip bonding, three SiCN MEMS devices for high-temperature applications have been fabricated: an electrostatic actuator, a pressure transducer, and a combustion chamber. These represent a wide range of MEMS, demonstrating the versatility of this technique.
Changes in Glitazone Use Among Office-Based Physicians in the U.S., 2003–2009

OBJECTIVE Little is known regarding recent changes in glitazone use. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Interrupted time series analyses of nationally representative office-visit data using IMS Health9s National Disease and Therapeutic Index. RESULTS From 2003 through 2005, glitazone use increased steadily. From February 2005 to January 2007, rosiglitazone use decreased by 16% (95% CI −20 to −11) annually; pioglitazone use increased at an annual rate of 14% (9–18). During a period of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisories, rosiglitazone use declined sharply from 0.42 million monthly treatment visits (February 2007) to 0.13 million monthly visits (May 2008). Pioglitazone use remained stable, accounting for ∼5.8 million physician visits (77% of all glitazone use) where a treatment was used during the final 12 months of observation. CONCLUSIONS The combined effect of scientific publications, advisories, and media exposure was associated with a substantial decrease in rosiglitazone use. Despite a class-level FDA advisory, pioglitazone use was not similarly affected.
Physical Optics Modeling Of Systems With Multiple Lasers

Many laser systems use several laser beams which may interact either coherently or incoherently. Most physical optics codes model the propagation of a single laser beam. Some codes can analyze the kinetics of multiple laser lines. A powerful computer code, called LOTS2, has been developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory by UNM which allows the simultaneous treatment of different laser beam trains. These beams may have different wavelengths, apertures, divergences, substantially different Fresnel numbers, and need not be colinear. Multiphoton phenomena such as Raman processes and isotope separation may be studied as well as conventional single photon phenomena. LOTS2 has a virtual memory feature that allows computer arrays to be larger than the central memory of mainframe machines such as the CDC 7600 and Cray 1. The separability of the diffraction propagation mathematics has been exploited to allow cylindrical lenses and high aspect ratio beam cross sections to be modeled. Considerable effort has been devoted to making the code easy to use.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Do airborne particle and allergen exposures in inner city homes of asthmatic children differ from exposures in suburban homes of asthmatic children

Abstract Background Exposure to excessive home cockroach allergens and to pollutants has been implicated in asthma morbidity in inner city children. We asked whether home exposures differ in inner city and suburban asthmatic children. Methods Indoor PM 10, PM 2.5, and airborne and dust allergen levels were measured in the homes of 106 asthmatic children, 100 living in inner city Baltimore and 6 living in the surrounding counties. Home conditions and health outcome measures were also compared. Results Inner city and suburban children had similar asthma symptoms, medications and healthcare provider visits, but differed with respect to inhaled steroid use (17%, 50%, p=0.08) and asthma-induced activity limitations (66%, 17%, p=0.026). The inner city homes had more cigarette smoking (65%, 0%, p=0.009), more mouse (68%, 0%) and cockroach (70%, 0%) infestation (p=0.002), were in poorer repair (77%, 0%, p p p 3 , 37.3 μg/m 3 ) than in suburban homes (medians 20.1 μg/m 3 , 10.8 μg/m 3 ). The inner city homes had higher dust-borne mouse (medians 3550 ng/g, 21.0 ng/g) and cockroach (medians 4.3 u/g, 0.39 u/g) allergen levels ( p Conclusions Our data suggest that homes of inner city Baltimore asthmatic children are in worse repair and have higher levels of many airborne pollutants, but similar airborne mouse allergen levels, compared with homes of suburban asthmatic children.
Stimulation of nuclear DNA synthesis in rat kidney by renal decapsulation.

Summary By means of autoradiography, cellular proliferation in the kidney, induced by unilateral renal decapsulation, was studied in rats over a 72-hour period. Surgical removal of the capsule from one kidney produced a 6-fold increase in incorporation of 3 H-thymidine into nuclei of the proximal and distal tubular epithelium in the decapsulated kidney, as compared to the intact contralateral kidney and as compared to the kidneys of controls that had been subjected to sham operation. The increase in DNA-synthesis began approximately 20 hours after decapsulation, reached a peak after 42 hours, and then declined, but was still above the control levels after 72 hours. As early as 12 hours after decapsulation, there was regenerative proliferation of fibroblasts in epicortical regions of decapsulated kidneys. The intact contralateral kidneys showed no increase in incorporation of 3 H-thymidine into the nuclei of tubular epithelial cells or of capsular fibroblasts.
Radiolarian distribution and the late pleistocene history of the Southeastern Indian Ocean

Abstract A factor analysis, of radiolarian assemblages in 36 trigger-core tops from the Southeast Indian Ocean (between latitudes 40° to 65° S and longitudes 80° to 120° E) gives three temperature-related factors and one related primarily to near-bottom processes. A paleoecologic equation was written relating the surface factor values to the present-day observed sea-surface temperatures for summer and winter. By means of a regression technique, paleotemperatures were estimated at the level of the last glacial maximum (18, 000 years B.P.) in five Eltanin cores and for the last 600, 000 years in core E45-74. The average temperature difference along a longitudinal transect of cores crossing the Antarctic Convergence was 2.2° colder 18, 000 years ago than today. The estimated sea-surface paleotemperatures in E45-74 showed high correlations with radiolarian species diversity indices, the Subantarctic and Antarctic factor values, percent of CaCO3, δ13O, number of radiolarian fragments and percent Antarctissa strelkovi. Based on paleotemperatures and factor values down this core, it is estimated that the Antarctic Convergence was displaced northward to the position of E45-74 six times in the last 600, 000 years.
Everyday Music Listening: Absorption, Dissociation and Trancing

In Everyday Music Listening: Absorption, Dissociation and Trancing, Ruth Herbert is making the case that absorption, dissociation and trancing are essential elements of music listening, that they i...
Endogenous carbon monoxide in control of respiration

It is being increasingly appreciated that gas molecules such as nitric oxide (NO) function as chemical messengers in the nervous system. Recent studies suggest that carbon monoxide (CO) is another gas molecule that has similar biological actions as NO. The purpose of this article is to highlight the current information on the significance of endogenously generated CO in control of breathing. In mammalian cells, CO is generated during oxidative cleavage of heme by heme oxygenases (HO) and molecular oxygen is essential for this reaction. Two forms of HO have been identified including an inducible HO-1, that resembles stress-inducible protein HSP-32, and a constitutively expressed HO-2. HO-2 is expressed in many respiratory related neural structures including airway ganglion, carotid body, petrosal and nodose ganglia., nucleus of the tractus solitarius (nTS), and neurons of the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). Basal expression of HO-1 is either very low or even absent, but can be elevated during oxidative stress and hypoxia. Physiological studies have shown that CO might be of importance in vagally mediated contractions of airways. Several lines of evidence indicate that endogenously generated CO is a physiological modulator of the ventilatory response to hypoxia via its actions on carotid bodies and perhaps at brainstem neurons. In addition, CO might play a role in ventilatory adaptation to hypoxia, as low oxygen is a potent inducer of HO-1. Many of the neuronal structures that express HO also contain NOS, the enzyme that generates NO. Much remains to be studied on regulatory interactions between CO and NO and their impact on breathing.
Pathogenesis of Acute Kidney Injury: Foundation for Clinical Practice

The pathogenesis of acute kidney injury (AKI) is complex, involving such factors as vasoconstriction, leukostasis, vascular congestion, cell death, and abnormal immune modulators and growth factors. Many targeted clinical therapies have failed, are inconclusive, or have yet to be tested. Given the complexity of the pathogenesis of AKI, it may be naive to expect that one therapeutic intervention would have success. Some examples of detrimental processes that can be blocked in preclinical models to improve kidney function and survival are apoptotic cell death in tubular epithelial cells, complement-mediated immune system activation, and impairment of cellular homeostasis and metabolism. Modalities with the potential to decrease morbidity and mortality in patients with AKI include vasodilators, growth factors, anti-inflammatory agents, and cell-based therapies. Pharmacologic agents that target these diverse pathways are being used clinically for other indications. Using combinatorial approaches in future clinical trials may improve our ability to prevent and treat AKI.
Numerical iterative filters applied to first kind Fredholm integral equations

A numerical study of Strand iterative filters and generalizations thereof applied to linear first kind Fredholm integral equations $$Kx\left( s \right) = \int\limits_a^b {k\left( {s, t} \right)x\left( t \right)dt = y\left( s \right)} $$ is carried out. Comparisons are made with inversion using singular value decompositions and direct methods.
Cervical adenocarcinoma arising in florid mesonephric hyperplasia: Report of a case with immunocytochemical studies

Abstract A case of mesonephric adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix arising in florid mesonephric hyperplasia is reported. The reviewed literature contained many cases of cervical "mesonephroma" but only a few of these were considered to be demonstrably of mesonephric origin. These tumors were usually associated with proliferating mesonephric remnants in the cervix. Similar tubuloglandular mesonephric proliferations without formation of a frankly malignant tumor have also been described in the cervix, most recently as florid mesonephric hyperplasia. This latter entity appears to be benign. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was focally positive in this cervical adenocarcinoma, suggesting that CEA may not be useful in distinguishing this variant from the more common mullerian adenocarcinoma of the cervix.
Factor structure of the wechsler memory scale-revised (WMS-R) in a clinical sample: A methodological reappraisal

Abstract Principal components and common factors of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) were derived from a clinical sample (N = 168) of males referred for neuropsychological evaluation at a rural Veterans Administration Medical Center. One general memory component accounting for 54% of the variance was consistently identified, whether the analyses included the eight immediate subtests alone, all 12 immediate and delayed-recall subtests, or the WMS-R and VIQ/PIQ combined. Minimal support for a second factor which contributed 9.4% of the total variance was found only after Verbal and Performance IQ scores were included in the analysis. The failure of these data to support previous reports of multiple WMS-R components is attributed in part to different factor retention criteria. Principal-component loadings nominally exceeded those derived by common factor analysis. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
Relaxin Modulates Proinflammatory Cytokine Secretion from Human Decidual Macrophages

Relaxin (RLN) is a systemic hormone from the corpus luteum, and its levels remain low during normal human gestation. Indeed, elevation of circulating RLN has long been associated with preterm birth, for which there has been no physiological explanation. Recent studies have shown that RLN suppresses endotoxin-induced cytokine secretion from THP-1 monocytic cells by acting on the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), but its effects on primary macrophages are unknown. Therefore, in the present study, we examined the effects of RLN on cytokine secretion from primary decidual macrophages (DMs) obtained at term before labor. Unlike THP-1 cells, RLN had no effects on the cytokine responses induced by either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or interleukin (IL) 1B, mimicking infection-induced or sterile inflammation, respectively. However, RLN alone for 4 h significantly decreased (P < 0.05) colony-stimulating factor 2 (CSF2; also known as granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor) and IL8 but for 24 h significantly increased IL6 (P < 0.01). We show that DMs express both the RLN receptor (RXFP1) and the GR. RLN suppression of CSF2 and IL8 was sensitive to the GR-antagonist mifepristone (RU-486). However, RLN activation of RXFP1 induced a dose-dependent cAMP response, which when mimicked by forskolin also caused significantly increased (P < 0.05) secretion of IL6. Thus, RLN may be anti-inflammatory in DMs via activation of the GR but proinflammatory via activation of RXFP1 and cAMP. In summary, we have shown that RLN targeting DMs may modulate proinflammatory cytokine secretion at the maternal-fetal interface and contribute to the localized inflammatory response associated with parturition in women.
On the question of time causality for HF ray fields traversing caustics

Summary form only given. A preliminary study has been performed which develops an exact, causal analytical solution to the physical optics (PO) approximation for the on-axis transient scattering from a 2-D parabolic cylinder whose concave face is illuminated by an axially incident impulsive plane wave. This analytical time-domain PO (or TD-PO) solution indicates, upon comparison with the corresponding TD-UTD (uniform theory of diffraction) solution, that the TD-UTD is noncausal for observation points beyond the focus (caustic), as expected; however, the causal part of the early TD-UTD solution compares very well analytically and provides numerical results which agree extremely well with the TD-PO solution, indicating that the causal part of the TD-UTD is not really affected by the noncausal portion of the response. >
Evolving criteria for confirmation of trace level residues in food and drugs by mass spectrometry. Part II

Case study reflecting an interpretation of the development status of confirmation liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry (LC,MS), MS,MS, and quantification at trace levels
Crystal violet as a nuclear stain for gaffkya tetragena and other bacteria

A method is given to stain the nucleus of Gaffkya tetragena and other bacteria. Only water solutions of crystal violet, mercuric chloride, and nigrosin are used. While the application of heat (50°C. for 20 seconds) is not absolutely necessary, it facilitates the decolorizing process. Some of the nuclei of cells from old cultures were found in various stages of division. The nucleus of a mature cell divides, and each daughter nucleus undergoes a second division usually in a plane at right angles to that of the first division. The nuclear division indicates cell development in units of four cells each. The method was found reliable for demonstrating the nucleus at various periods and stages of growth.
45 Degree polymer micro-mirror integration for board-level three-dimensional optical interconnects

We introduced here a novel method to fabricate polymer optical waveguides with integrated 45° total internal reflection (TIR) micro-mirrors by contact photolithography on printed circuit boards (PCBs) to achieve fully embedded optical interconnects. The 45° TIR mirrors were shaped at the ends of the waveguides in one step to provide surface normal light coupling between waveguides and optoelectronic devices. A tank of de-ionized (D.I.) water is used to couple the ultraviolet (UV) exposure beam through the core polymer layer at 45° angle during the contact photolithography process, and then the 45 mirror facet will be formed after the post-process. Compared to the conventional glass prism-polymer coupling interface, this novel water-polymer interface provides a simple, convenient, and cost efficient solution. This technique is not only compatible with PCB manufacturing facility and technology, but also suitable to large panel board-level manufacturing for optical interconnects. The 45° angle can be controlled with an accuracy of ±1° and has a high reproducibility. The average insertion loss of the 45° TIR uncoated mirrors is around 1.6dB.
Chylous ascites following retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy. Report of 2 cases with guidelines for diagnosis and treatment

Two cases of chylous ascites following retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy are presented. The first case, a 3-year-old girl, undersent a right radical nephrectomy and retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for Wilms' tumor. Chylous ascites developed postoperatively and resolved after 3 months of supportive therapy. The second case, a 45-year-old woman, underwent a right radical nephrectomy and retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for renal carcinoma. Chylous ascites occurred postoperatively and resolved after a single paracentesis. Diagnosis, evaluation, and therapeutic modalities are outlined and the literature is reviewed.
Early and late results of coronary angioplasty and bypass in octogenarians.

Abstract Early and late results were evaluated for octogenarians undergoing first time revascularization with percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The study group consisted of 142 patients with CABG and 53 with PTCA. The groups with PTCA and CABG differed with respect to number of patients with angina class III to IV (92 and 67%, respectively; p
EBLearn: Open-Source Energy-Based Learning in C++

Energy-based learning (EBL) is a general framework to describe supervised and unsupervised training methods for probabilistic and non-probabilistic factor graphs. An energy-based model associates a scalar energy to configurations of inputs, outputs, and latent variables. Learning machines can be constructed by assembling modules and loss functions. Gradient-based learning procedures are easily implemented through semi-automatic differentiation of complex models constructed by assembling predefined modules. We introduce an open-source and cross-platform C++ library called EBLearn to enable the construction of energy-based learning models. EBLearn is composed of two major components, libidx: an efficient and flexible multi-dimensional tensor library, and libeblearn: an object-oriented library of trainable modules and learning algorithms. The latter has facilities for such models as convolutional networks, as well as for image processing. It also provides graphical display functions.
Topicalization, Focalization, Lexical Insertion, and Scrambling

In this reply, I show that Russian examples that Bailyn (2001) uses to argue against Boskovic and Takahashi's (1998) analysis of scrambling are irrelevant to the analysis because they in fact do not involve scrambling. I also establish a crosslinguistic correlation between lack of articles and availability of scrambling and provide an account of the correlation under Boskovic and Takahashi's approach to scrambling.
THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MOVEMENTS ON ARTICULATIONS OF RACE AND GENDER IN BLACK WOMEN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHIES:

Using Black women's autobiographies published between 1960 and 1975, this article examines how the oppositional discourses of the civil rights and women's movements influence articulations of gender and race. Discursive analysis of the autobiographies reveals a crucial distinction between articulations of racist and sexist experiences and articulations of sociohistorical structures of sexism and racism. Insofar as social movement discourse bridges individual experience with structural explanations of experience, the available discourses on gender and race from the civil rights and women's movements become pivotal. Finally, Black feminist concerns over hegemonic domination are addressed.
The spreading of variable-viscosity axisymmetric radial gravity currents : applications to the emplacement of Venusian ' pancake ' domes

The Magellan images of Venus have revealed a number of intriguing volcanic features, including the steep-sided or 'pancake' domes. These volcanic domes or flows have morphologies that suggest formation by a single continuous emplacement of lava with a higher viscosity than that of the surrounding basaltic plains. Numerous investigators have suggested that such high viscosity is due to high silica content, leading to the conclusion that the domes are evidence of evolved magmatic products on Venus. However, viscosity depends on crystallinity as well as on silica content: high viscosity could therefore also be due to a cooler (and therefore higher crystal content) lava. Models of dome emplacement which include both cooling and composition factors are thus necessary in order to determine the ranges of crystallinity and silica content which might lead to the observed gross dome morphologies. Accordingly, in this study domes are modelled as radial viscous gravity currents with an assumed cooling-induced viscosity increase to include both effects. Analytical and numerical results indicate that pancake dome formation is feasible with compositions ranging from basaltic to rhyolitic. Therefore, observations of gross dome morphology alone are insufficient for determining composition and the domes do not necessarily represent strong evidence for evolved magmatism on Venus.
Boundary-value descriptor systems: well-posedness, reachability and observability

In this paper we introduce the class of two-point boundary-value descriptor systems (TPBVDS), discrete-time systems described by possibly linear dynamics and a set of boundary conditions constraining the values of the system 'state' at the two endpoints of the system's interval of definition. By introducing a standard form for regular pencils we obtain a new and simple generalized Cayley-Hamilton theorem that simplifies our investigation of well-posedness, Green's function solutions, and reachability and observability for TPBVDS. There are two distinct notions of reachability and observability that one can define for TPBVDS, associated with processes that propagate inward from and outward toward the boundaries. We investigate each of these in detail, obtaining, among other things, far simpler forms for the reachability and observability results than found previously in the literature. In addition, we describe several methods for the efficient solution of TPBVDS, one involving recursions from each end of t...
Environmental regulation of dormancy loss in seeds of Lomatium dissectum (Apiaceae).

Lomatium dissectum (Apiaceae) is a perennial, herbaceous plant of wide distribution in Western North America. At the time of dispersal, L. dissectum seeds are dormant and have under-developed embryos. The aims of this work were to determine the requirements for dormancy break and germination, to characterize the type of seed dormancy, and to determine the effect of dehydration after embryo growth on seed viability and secondary dormancy.
The Association of Fetal and Early Childhood Growth with Adult Mental Distress: Evidence from the Johns Hopkins Collaborative Perinatal Study Birth Cohort

Objectives: Early childhood physical growth may have an impact on the development of adult mental distress. The primary objectives were to (1) assess the association of early growth in weight (adjusted for height) with adult mental distress, and (2) determine if specific sub-types, or patterns, of early physical growth are associated with adult mental distress. Methods: Subjects were all Johns Hopkins Collaborative Perinatal Study cohort subjects with complete birth size information that successfully completed the Pathways to Adulthood follow-up in early adulthood. Variability in the timing of growth in weight adjusted for height from birth to age 7.5 years was taken into account using a nonhierarchical linear model. Two critical periods of growth were considered as tertiles of change in weight adjusted for height from birth to age seven and birth to age 1 year. Mental distress in adulthood (ages 29-32) was measured using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Results: Small for gestational age subjects were at increased risk of later mental distress, but not uniformly so. Those born with low weight and length for gestational age were a distinct subgroup of those born small for gestational age, and had unique patterns of risk for adult mental distress when early growth was considered. Conclusions: Acceleration and deceleration in weight for height change is associated with mental distress over multiple periods of early life and acts differentially between those periods. Furthermore, the association of early childhood growth with the likelihood of adult mental distress is dependent on prenatal growth.
The Potato's Contribution to Population and Urbanization: Evidence From A Historical Experiment

We exploit regional variation in suitability for cultivating potatoes, together with time variation arising from their introduction to the Old World from the Americas, to estimate the impact of potatoes on Old World population and urbanization. Our results show that the introduction of the potato was responsible for a significant portion of the increase in population and urbanization observed during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. According to our most conservative estimates, the introduction of the potato accounts for approximately one-quarter of the growth in Old World population and urbanization between 1700 and 1900. Additional evidence from within-country comparisons of city populations and adult heights also confirms the cross-country findings.
Normalized Antecedent Precipitation Index

Antecedent precipitation too often remains a subjectively determined and arbitrarily implemented parameter in rainfall-runoff modeling. Antecedent moisture can account for a several-fold difference in runoff from the same storm in an otherwise identical watershed. The antecedent precipitation index and the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s antecedent moisture condition triad are conventional expressions of antecedent precipitation. Unfortunately, neither index consistently characterizes the runoff consequence of watershed moisture preceding a rainfall event. A normalized antecedent precipitation index is proposed that modifies the conventional index in three aspects: inclusion of antecedent precipitation earlier in the day of the event, normalization to the station mean, and normalization to antecedent series length. The proposed index, based on daily rainfall record, is theoretically simple and mathematically continuous. Initial results show the proposed index to outperform single curve number-based results, even when the curve number is fit to historic rainfall-runoff records. The proposed index enhances delineation of the antecedent moisture condition for estimates based on that parameter and provides a basis for runoff estimates where the initial watershed moisture condition is probabilistic.
¿Campesinos, Banqueros o ahorristas? La economía y la aprobación presidencial en Uruguay

How the public translates economic information into opinions about their leaders is a fundamental question at the intersection of political economy and mass politics. A prominent study by MacKuen, Erikson, and Stimson (1992) found evidence in support of a rational-expectations model of economic voting, whereby the public judges the president not on how past economic performance as affected them personally (like a “peasant”) but rather according to full information about national economic forecasts and/or the implications of current policies for future performance (like a “banker”). We test how well this model travels to Uruguay using an original monthly time series on presidential approval, objective indicators of economic conditions, and consumer confidence levels. Results reject both the “peasant” and the “banker” logic and, instead, suggest Uruguayans translate information about the economy into personal economic prospections and judge the president accordingly. Since this process borrows the personal/egotropic element of the “peasant” logic and the prospective element of the “banker” logic, blending these caricatures we conclude the political economy of presidential approval in Uruguay resembles that of a “piggybanker”
Fractionated stereotactic radiation therapy for vestibular schwannomas: Dosimetric factors predictive of hearing outcomes

Abstract Purpose To determine dosimetric factors predictive of hearing loss in vestibular schwannoma (VS) patients treated with definitive fractionated stereotactic radiation therapy (FSRT), and to report tumor control, serviceable hearing preservation, and cranial nerve toxicities. Methods and materials We identified 45 patients (29 men and 16 women) with unilateral sporadic VS, who underwent definitive FSRT. All patients had serviceable hearing prior to treatment, defined as Gardner-Robertson Class 1 or 2. All patients underwent an audiogram before the start of treatment and serial audiometric assessments after treatment. The median audiometric follow-up time was 35.2 months (range, 5.0-89.7 months). Patients underwent a median of 4.5 (range, 1-9) posttreatment audiograms. The ipsilateral cochlea was contoured retrospectively, and dosimetric data were used to determine factors predictive of losing serviceable hearing. The median clinical follow-up time was 29.9 months (range, 1.5-83.6 months). Results At the time of the last audiometric follow-up, 62% of patients retained serviceable hearing. The actuarial 1-, 2-, and 3-year serviceable hearing preservation rates were 83%, 75%, and 51%, respectively. The estimated median time to loss of serviceable hearing was 42.2 months. On multivariate analysis, cochlear volume P = .029) and mean cochlear dose P = .030) were statistically significant variables associated with serviceable hearing preservation. The actuarial tumor control was 100%. Three of 39 patients (8%) developed hemifacial spasm after FSRT (House-Brackmann Grade 3), 2 of which completely resolved. No patients experienced deterioration in trigeminal nerve function after FSRT. Conclusions Fractionated stereotactic radiation therapy can provide excellent tumor control with acceptable clinical outcomes. The mean dose to the cochlea is highly predictive of the probability of maintaining serviceable hearing after FSRT.
The Role of Short Sales in Disciplining Earnings Management

This paper studies the interaction between short sales and earnings management. It shows that informed short sale and uninformed short sale play different roles in disciplining earnings management. Informed short sale deters earnings management ex-ante and helps detect earnings management ex-post. Therefore, informed short sale increases firm value. On the other hand, uninformed short sale deters earnings management ex-ante but distorts firm's ex-post decision. Whether or not uninformed short sale should be restricted depends on the trade-off between the ex-ante reduction in earnings management and the ex-post increase in distortion.
Peripheral Synucleinopathy in Early Parkinson's Disease: Submandibular Gland Needle Biopsy Findings.

Introduction Finding a peripheral tissue biopsy site to diagnose early PD would be of value for clinical care, biomarker validation, and as research enrollment criteria. Whereas autopsy and advanced PD studies suggest that the submandibular gland is an important biopsy site, there are no studies in early PD. The aim of this study was to determine whether needle biopsy of the submandibular gland reveals Lewy type alpha-synucleinopathy in early PD. Methods Twenty-five early PD (duration < 5 years) and 10 controls underwent transcutaneous needle core biopsies of the submandibular gland. Tissue was stained for phosphorylated alpha-synuclein, reviewed blind to clinical diagnosis, and only nerve element staining was considered positive. Results Mean (standard deviation) age was 69.5 (8.3) for the PD group, 64.8 (8.0) years for controls, and disease duration 2.6 (1.1) years. Six PD and 1 control subject had inadequate glandular tissue. Positive staining was found in 14 of 19 (74%) PD and 2 of 9 (22%) control subjects. PD-positive and -negative cases did not differ clinically. Adverse events (mainly swelling and bruising) were common (77% of cases), but were minor and transient. Conclusions Submandibular gland needle biopsies identified phosphorylated alpha-synuclein staining in 74% of early PD subjects. False positives may be true false positives or may represent prodromal PD. If confirmed in larger studies with eventual autopsy confirmation, the potential value of submandibular gland biopsies for early PD may be to aid in clinical trial inclusion/exclusion and eventually serve as a gold standard for biomarker studies short of autopsy confirmation. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Muscle activation patterns for reaching: the representation of distance and time

1. The timing and intensity of phasic muscle activation were related to the distance of reaching movements of the human arm. We dissociated phasic components of muscle activation from complete muscle activation waveforms by subtracting waveforms obtained during very slow movements. 2. We recorded electromyographic (EMG) activity from elbow and/or shoulder muscles as standing subjects reached forward and upward to targets at four distances. Accuracy was deemphasized and no terminal corrections were allowed. In the first part of the experiment subjects were asked to move at their preferred speed. In the second part of the experiment they were asked to move using a range of speeds. 3. In the first part of the experiment subjects moved faster to more distant targets but they also increased movement time as a nearly linear function of target distance. The slope of this function was very similar across subjects. The phasic EMG waveforms for different distances appeared to be similar in shape but of variable duration. EMG time base was quantified using a correlation technique that identified the time base scale factor that best superimposed a given trace with a template. This technique revealed that the slope of the relation between EMG time base and target distance was not the same for all muscles. 4. In the second part of the experiment, where subjects moved to each target at a range of specified speeds, time base scaling was again significantly different for different muscles. The scaling differed most dramatically between anterior deltoid and medial head of triceps. 5. EMG intensity was more strongly related to movement time than to distance. We quantified the correspondence of distance and movement time to phasic EMG intensity using a multiple regression analysis of all distances and speeds, assuming a power relation. Distance exponents were positive and movement time exponents were larger and negative. This implies that movement time is more important than distance in its relation to EMG intensity.
Genomics is rapidly advancing precision medicine for immunological disorders.

Advances in human genomics, when validated functionally, can lead to new insights into how the immune system works. Notably, previously unknown mechanisms revealed by genomics can lead to the development of precision medicine unanticipated on the basis of phenotype alone.
Celibacy, emigration, and genetic structure in small populations.

High rates of celibacy and emigration have been reported for many populations. This failure to mate is expected to increase random inbreeding by decreasing the effective population size. If celibates and emigrants are not a random sample of the population with respect to kinship, however, their failure to mate may decrease nonrandom inbreeding and compensate for the increase in random inbreeding. An algebraic model is developed which predicts the effect of nonrandom failure to mate on genotype distributions, and which can be used to compare that effect with those of consanguinity avoidance and random inbreeding. Data from a small French Caribbean population is used to demonstrate the use of the model. The results indicate that, with regard to maintaining genetic variability within populations, failure to reproduce may often be the most important aspect of mating structure. Two of the most basic assumptions underlying much of population genetics theory are random mating and infinite population size. While attempts to relax various aspects of these assumptions have been made, existing models are in many ways unrealistic representations of human populations. Ethnographic studies show that, with respect to kinship, human mating patterns are anything but random. These mating patterns may have consequences for rates of inbreeding and genetic drift, and thereby may influence genetic variability within and between populations. This has long been recognized, but the effects of observed mating patterns have not been adequately quantified. Recently, a model which can predict the effects of complex mating patterns on genotype distributions has been presented (Leslie, MacCluer and Dyke, 1978). That model and most other existing models of genetic structure assume universal mating, at least among those individuals who survive to mating age. Not all individuals in natural populations find mates, however. The object of this paper is to present a model which 1Support for this research was provided by PHS grants GMO-1748 and HD-071618. Funds for computer use were provided by the Pennsylvania State University and the State University of New York at Binghamton. 2Department of Anthropology, State University of New York, Binghamton, New York, 13901. 3Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802. Human Biology , February 1980, Vol. 52, No. 1, pp. 115-130. ® Wayne State University Press, 1980 This content downloaded from 207.46.13.102 on Sun, 31 Jul 2016 05:07:04 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 116 Paul W. Leslie , Bennett Dyke, and Warren T. Morrill shows how celibacy and emigration affect the level of heterozygosity, and which can be used in conjunction with the consanguinity avoidance model mentioned above.
Using a Scorecard to Demonstrate Clinical Nurse Specialists’ Contributions

Clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) have the expertise to influence change at the patient, nurse, and system levels. They are clinical experts who understand the challenges of the current health care environment: decreasing costs, ensuring high-quality care, and achieving outcomes. Evidence has demonstrated CNSs' influence on improving patient outcomes. Although CNSs often lead the work, they can be invisible when the outcomes are presented. A scorecard to display this work could be invaluable to the CNS role, as it would bring transparency to the evidence-based work done. This article describes the development of a CNS scorecard in a 627-bed tertiary hospital.
Thiol/disulfide exchange and redox potentials of proteins

The sulfhydryl group of the amino acid cysteine plays a pivotal role in the structure and function of numerous proteins. The high nucleophilicity of the thiolate anion coupled with its reasonably low pKa produces high chemical reactivity in nucleophilic additions and substitutions, accounting for its wide-spread use as a catalytic group in a variety of enzymes catalyzing hydrolysis, substitution, and exchange reactions. In addition, the reversible two electron oxidation converting the thiol of cysteine to its disulfide form is used not only in electron transfer reactions but also in crosslinking and stabilizing the tertiary and quarternary structure of proteins, the regulation of enzyme activity, and the protection of the intracellular environment. The direct application of electrochemical methods to the study of the redox properties of thiols, either in small molecules or in proteins, is complicated by interactions of the thiol with most electrode surfaces. Consequently, there have been few reliable electrochemical measurements of the redox potentials of cysteine and other biological thiols and disulfides. Nevertheless, alternate methodology involving reversible thiol/disulfide exchange equilibria has allowed the estimation of standard redox potentials of the sulfhydryl groups of biologically important thiols, including those found in proteins. In this chapter, the redox chemistry and biochemistry of the sulfhydryl groups of proteins will be outlined, methodology for applying the thiol/disulfide exchange reaction to the measurement of redox potentials will be described, and examples of the biological function of these redox state changes will be given.
The interdependence of affect and cognition

Knowing is inherent in feeling. Kellerman (1983) Throughout this book intimate ties between affect and cognition are apparent, both as we consider the unfolding of the emotions and as we examine the child's developing ability to control and modulate emotion. This could not be otherwise. Affect and cognition are mutually influencing, two aspects of the same process. While appraisal of an event may be necessary for the activation of emotion, events achieve significance when amplified by affect (Lichtenberg, 1989). As Piaget and Inhelder (1969) put it: There is no behavior pattern, however intellectual, which does not involve affective factors as motives; but, reciprocally, there can be no affective states without the intervention of perceptions or comprehensions which constitute their cognitive structure. Behavior is therefore of a piece, even if the structures do not explain its energetics and if, vice versa, its energetics do not account for its structures. The two aspects, affective and cognitive, are at the same time inseparable and irreducible. (p. 158) In a paper devoted to the relation between “affectivity and intelligence,” Piaget (1962) made the point that there “is no such thing as a purely cognitive state … There are no acts of intelligence, even of practical intelligence, without interest at the point of departure and affective regulation during the entire course of an action, without joy at success or sorrow at failure” (p. 130).