cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Community College Students With Criminal Justice Histories and Human Services Education: Glass Ceiling, Brick Wall, or a Pathway to Success

In spite of open access to community college education, specifically human service associate degree programs, students with criminal justice histories do not necessarily have an unobstructed pathway to obtaining the degree and admission to the baccalaureate programs in human services and social work that are almost always selective. The first obstacle may arise when a student must be placed in the field internship. This may mark the first time in a student’s educational career where he or she must disclose his or her ex-offender status. While higher education plays a well-documented role against recidivism, students who are ex-offenders who are enrolled in community college programs and also have their sights set on transfer, professional credentialing, and professional employment, may face similar barriers. There is a paucity of research related to students in community college with criminal justice histories and a clear need for qualitative and quantitative study in the area. The author calls for more a...
Alcohol impairment of behavior in men and women.

Aims Studies have shown that alcohol impairs the ability to inhibit behavioral responses in humans and some evidence suggests that men might display greater impairment than women. The present study compared men and women in the degree to which a moderate dose of alcohol impaired their inhibitory control at comparable blood alcohol concentrations. Design Twelve male and 12 female adult social drinkers received a moderate dose of alcohol (0.65 g/kg) and a placebo in a counterbalanced order and performed a cued go/no-go task that measured the ability to inhibit and execute behavioral responses. Findings When the behavioral response was pre-potent (i.e. instigated), men displayed greater impairment of inhibitory control under alcohol than women. Men also reported greater levels of subjective stimulation from alcohol compared with women, who reported more sedation from the drug. Conclusions A gender difference in alcohol impairment of inhibitory control could account for observations that disinhibited and aggressive behaviors under alcohol are more pronounced in men than in women.
Decoder-side Motion Estimation and Wiener filter for HEVC

This paper presents the coding techniques of Decoder-side Motion Vector Derivation (DMVD) and Adaptive Loop Filter (ALF) to apply on the state-of-the-art High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard. Both DMVD and ALF can provide the improvement of coding efficiency on HEVC test Model (HM) reference software, which are reported in multiple proposals during the development period of HEVC. In DMVD algorithm, Motion Vectors (MVs) are derived at video decoder side by utilizing the spatial and temporal correlation among decoded pictures without the signaling of motion vectors from video encoder side. The transmission of MVs from video encoder is skipped and thus better coding efficiency of inter prediction can be achieved. In ALF algorithm, a group of adaptive Wiener filters are applied to the samples of reconstructed pictures to improve the output video visual quality. The filter coefficients can be trained by video encoder and will be conveyed to video decoder signaled by the slice header to apply for the entire pixels in the slice. The utilization of DMVD and ALF can be controlled by the process of coding mode decision at video encoder side based on Rate-Distortion Optimization (RDO) metric. Experiments have demonstrated that the DMVD achieves 0.6%-1.1% BD rate reduction when compared to HM10.0 on the Random Access (RA) test condition. For ALF, average BD rate savings of 1.5%-2.6% are observed compared to HM10.0 under the HM common test condition. Experiment results also demonstrate that the coding gain from the integrated pipe of DMVD and ALF can be additive.
Oxidative phosphorylation and some related phenomena in pigment granules of mouse melanomas

Abstract The pigment granules of mouse melanomas have been investigated with respect to swelling, oxidative phosphorylation, adenosine triphosphatase activity, ATP-32P exchange reaction and effect of various agents, including thyroxine, thereon. The findings reveal that, despite the absence of swelling, the pigment granules resemble liver mitochondria in most of the enzymic properties investigated. The similarities and differences are described and discussed.
Photochemical studies of rancidity: The mechanism of rancidification

A theory is set forth for the mechanism of rancidification which is based on a disrupted photosynthesis in the case of vegetable oils and on the photosensitizing action of haemoglobin or other animal pigment that may be present in small amounts in animal fats such as lard. Nascent hydrogen is believed to be liberated from the photosensitizer (chlorophyll or animal pigment) which unites with molecular oxygen to form loosely combined or nascent hydrogen peroxide. This unstable peroxide unites with the unsaturated bond of the tri-glyceride to form a glyceride peroxide which in turn splits into an aldehyde and forms the rancid compound.
Radical cyclization studies directed toward the synthesis of BMS-200475 ‘entecavir’: the carbocyclic core

Abstract Two routes are presented for the conversion of d -diacetone glucose ( 5a ) into a protected carbocyclic core of BMS-200475 (Entecavir). The reduction of two terminal epoxides with Cp 2 TiCl to form carbon radicals and their cyclizations with a terminal acetylene and an α,β-unsaturated ester lead ultimately to allylic alcohol 11a , a candidate for Mitsunobu coupling with guanine.
An Analysis of the Relationship Between High School Exit Exams and Diploma Options and the Impact on Students With Disabilities

Nontraditional high school completion or exit documents are becoming increasingly publicized as more states adopt testing requirements for graduation. Research has shown that students who do not graduate from high school with a standard/traditional diploma often experience negative consequences, such as (a) limited admission into college or the military, (b) ineligibility for federal financial aid for postsecondary training, and (c) denial of employment opportunities (Bowers, 2004; Johnson & Thurlow, 2003; Zafft, Hart, & Zimbrich, 2004). Although research is beginning to explore the diploma options available in each state, there is a paucity of research surrounding students who receive nontraditional completion certificates. This study examined the relationship between alternative high school completion documents and graduation testing. Using preexisting data sets from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, this study profiled students with disabilities in the United State...
THE BEHAVIORAL GENETICS OF COLONY DEFENSE IN HONEYBEES : GENETIC VARIABILITY FOR GUARDING BEHAVIOR

Guard honeybees stand at the entrance of colonies and facilitate the exclusion of nonnestmates from the colony. In this study, we examined the hypothesis that genetic variability among individuals in colonies might explain variability in guarding activity. To do this, we cross-fostered honey bees between colonies with high-defensive responses and colonies with low-defensive responses in alarm pheromone tests. Individuals from high-defensive colonies were more likely to guard in their own colonies (controls) than cross-fostered bees from low-defensive colonies. Cross-fostered high-defensive bees also were more likely to guard in low-defense colonies. These results support the hypothesis that interindividual differences in guarding behavior are at least partially under genetic control. A positive correlation between number of guards and response to alarm pheromone demonstrates a link between behaviorally separated components of the overall defensive response.
Covariance identities for normal variables via convex polytopes

Abstract Siegel (1993) presented a covariance identity involving normal variables that seems to flout notions of dependence. Here we show that it has an explanation from an unexpected quarter: convex geometry and the centroid known as the Steiner point .
Microenvironment of the murine mammary carcinoma 4T1 : Endogenous IFN-γ affects tumor phenotype, growth, and metastasis

IFN-gamma has a profound influence on growth and metastasis of solid tumors. This is true for the murine mammary carcinoma 4T1 which grows faster and metastasizes much more readily when transplanted into the mammary fatpads of IFN-gamma(-/-) mice. We were interested in determining which infiltrating hematopoietic cells produce IFN-gamma within the 4T1 tumor microenvironment. 4T1 tumors were infiltrated with progressively increasing numbers of F4/80(+)/CD11c(+) myeloid cells, many of which were also Gr-1(+), and Gr-1(+)/CD11b(+) granulocytes. Only small numbers of CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells, NK cells, and gammadelta T cells, the most likely IFN-gamma-producing cells, were seen at any time point. Sensitive intracellular cytokine staining and flow cytometry revealed no tumor-infiltrating hematopoietic cells with detectable levels of intracellular IFN-gamma, although IFN-gamma mRNA transcripts were detected in tumor tissue. However, a progressive increase in the expression of three IFN-gamma-inducible surface membrane proteins (B7-H1, I-A(d), and ICAM-1) on growing 4T1 tumor cells indicated the presence of biologically active IFN-gamma in the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, 4T1 tumor cells from in vitro culture expressed these surface molecules 48 h after intratumoral injection into mature tumors. These data suggest that very low amounts of endogenous IFN-gamma elaborated by infiltrating hematopoietic cells within the microenvironment of a solid tumor can achieve biologically active concentrations and affect tumor phenotype, growth, and metastasis.
New polar studies database

The Polar Graduate Programmes Database is a new resource to help young researchers looking for graduate programs related to polar and cryospheric research as well as to help graduate programs recruit new students. The database was announced at the end of September by the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, the University of the Arctic, and the International Antarctic Institute. The database can be accessed at http://apecs.is/graduate-programmes.
Synthesis of pyridine nucleotides in yeast.

The pyridine nucleotides in crude extracts of yeast undergo a complex series of reactions which include degradation, synthesis, oxidation-reduction, and interconversion. Usually, the most prominent reaction seen is the destruction of DPN. This presumably is caused by the action of DPN nucleosidase, as the disappearance of DPN is not accounted for by comparable increases in the other pyridine nucleotides. The extent of this destruction is variable and depends upon the length of time the cells have been refrigerated before an extract is prepared. Increasing storage time results in decreasing DPN nucleosidase activity in the extract. Storage also lowers the endogenous levels of DPN and DPNH, although it does not appear to affect the levels of TPN and TPNH. The addition of an ATPgenerating system to the crude extract markedly stimulates the synthesis of pyridine nucleotides, and the data presented here show that the rate of DPN synthesis from ATP and endogenous precursors can greatly exceed that of DPN degradation. The use of aged cells, in which destruction is minimized, simplifies the study of pyridine nucleotide synthesis in extracts. A strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, isolated from commercial yeast (Red Star Yeast & Products Co., Milwaukee, Wis.) was cultured aerobically for 12 hr according to the procedure outlined by Duel1 and co-workers [l] . After the cells were harvested by centrifugation, they were resuspended (15 g, wet weight/l) in fresh medium supplemented with 100 g glucose/l and stirred slowly at 30°C for 3 hr and 45 min, during which time the culture doubled in mass. The cells were then centrifuged, suspended in distilled water, filtered on 0.45 p Type MF filters (Millipore Corp., Bedford, Mass.), and washed again
Some Recent Long-Range Diffusion Observations

Abstract Recent atmospheric cloud-spreading (relative diffusion) data from a variety of sources are combined to show that the horizontal spreading rate is approximately linear over a time range from 1 to 10 or more hours (20200 or more km) of downwind cloud travel. This result agrees with earlier observational studies, in which the horizontal cloud standard deviation σy has consistently been found to vary as tp, where t is the downwind travel time and p is in the range 11.2. For the present dataset, σy is found to vary as t1.1. A recent theoretical prediction, p = 7/6, valid over the entire range of t, is very close to these observed values.
Bowen's Disease: a four-year retrospective review of epidemiology and treatment at a university center.

BACKGROUND Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in situ (Bowen's disease; BD) is a common intraepidermal malignancy. The aim of this study was to characterize the demographics, distribution, treatment, and recurrence risk of BD in a university population. METHODS A retrospective survey of histologically confirmed BD diagnosed between January 1999 and January 2003. RESULTS A total of 299 patients (193 men, 106 women) with 406 cases of BD were identified. The most common sites were the upper extremities (27%), ears (15%), and cheeks (11%). Men were significantly more likely to have SCC in situ on the scalp, ear, and anterior trunk, while the cheek, nose, and lower legs were significantly more common sites among women (p<.05). An office-based procedural treatment was performed in 92% of cases. Elliptical excision was the most common treatment modality (27%) followed by Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS; 20%) and then shave excision (19%). Histologic recurrence was seen in 15 of 406 cases (4%), one of which recurred as invasive SCC. Cryotherapy was associated with the highest recurrence rate (5-year recurrence of 13.4%), followed by topical 5-fluorouracil (9%) and shave excision (9%). Curettage and fulguration (6.5%), MMS (6.3%), and elliptical excision (5.5%) had lower 5-year recurrence rates. LIMITATIONS Our experience at a single institution in the midwestern United States may not be reflective of a wider population. CONCLUSION The most common locations for BD were in areas with high sun exposure. Multiple treatment options are available and recurrence is uncommon. Margin control surgery should be considered for tumors in high-risk areas.
Incorporating chemical and physical mechanisms into leaching models for solidified hazardous wastes

Abstract Solidification is an important process for managing the disposal of hazardous wastes and will continue to be so until waste minimization and waste recovery processes are greatly improved. Solidification processes will continue to be needed because many wastes cannot be destroyed, and the mobility of hazardous components must be minimized before they are disposed in landfills. Although it is generally recognized that both chemical and physical processes are important in contaminant immobilization, most models used to describe leaching of contaminants from solidified wastes do not describe their effects separately. This paper describes how models for leaching can be developed that can separate the effects of chemical and physical immobilization processes. Analytical and numerical solutions are presented for a variety of systems, including those in which chemical reactions do not occur, in which linear sorption occurs, and in which nonlinear sorption occurs.
Experimental Model of Brainstem Stroke in Rabbits via Endovascular Occlusion of the Basilar Artery

Background Basilar artery thrombosis remains a significant clinical problem, and no reproducible animal model has been established to study the stroke within the vertebrobasilar distribution. We report a study designed to pilot test a novel model of brainstem stroke in rabbits, created by selective endovascular occlusion of the basilar artery. Methods Basilar artery occlusion was induced in 8 New Zealand white rabbits by injection of the autologous clot through the microcatheter positioned within the distal vertebral artery. Animals were divided into subgroups (I and II) based on the length of produced ischemia (3 and 6 hours, respectively). Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the brain and MR angiography of the intracranial vessels were performed before the procedure, and at 3 hours after induced ischemia for groups I and II, with continued imaging up to 6 hours for group II, with diffusion-weighted images acquired approximately every 30 minutes. Animals were killed at the end of the 3-hour (group I) or 6-hour (group II) ischemia time. Results Brainstem stroke was successfully induced in all animals, with pathological changes documented in all cases. The earliest changes of ischemia on MR diffusion-weighted images were identified at only 4.5 hours of basilar artery occlusion. Conclusion These results suggest that a reproducible model of brainstem stroke can be induced in rabbits using selective endovascular occlusion of the basilar artery. The availability of such a model, integrated with state-of-the-art imaging techniques, holds promise for preclinical investigations of emergent therapeutic approaches in stroke.
Spectroscopic studies of interaction and dynamics in the naphthalene: Perfluorobiphenyl crystalline complex

Abstract Raman and electronic emission spectroscopy are used to study the interaction and the dynamics in a new 1 : 1 binary crystalline complex between naphthalene and perfluorobiphenyl. Raman spectra are obtained in the regions of both phonons and intramolecular vibrations. The result of this study shows that the naphthalene: perfluorobiphenyl complex is stabilized by weak van der Waals forces, yet it is a highly ordered crystalline complex. The complex has an unusual geometry in which naphthalene is planar while the perfluorobiphenyl molecule is nonplanar. Isotopic substitution with respect to naphthalene shows that the phonon bands in this complex are dynamically decoupled, which is expected from the differences in the mass coefficients of the two molecules. In the complex the lowest electronic states of both singlet and triplet multiplicities are that of naphthalene. The exciton interaction and the exciton-phonon coupling are found to be weak for both the singlet and the triplet excited electronic states.
Impact of a once-through cooling system on the yellow perch stock in the western basin of lake erie

Jensen, A.L., 1982. Impact of a once-through cooling system on the yellow perch stock in the western basin of Lake Erie. Ecol. Modelling, 15:127 144. The surplus production model, a conventional fishe~' stock assessment model, is applied to assess the entrainment and impingement impact of the Monroe Power Plant on the yellow perch standing stock and fishery in the western basin of Lake Erie. Biological parameters of the model are estimated from commercial catch and effort data and entrainment and impingement coefficients are estimated from power plant data. The model is applied to estimate stock biomass, egg production, and larva production; the proportions entrained and impinged are then estimated. The impact of water withdrawal on the equilibrium standing stock and maximum sustainable yield from the fishery is estimated and the impact of increased water withdrawal is simulated. The impact on equilibrium standing stock and the maximum sustainable yield are larger than the proportion of the standing stock entrained and impinged, but the impact of the Monroe Power Plant is relatively small; it decreases biomass and the maximum sustainable yield of the yellow perch stock by only a few percent. However, there are several power plants impacting the yellow perch stock of the western basin of Lake Erie and the combined impact should be examined.
Characterization of the Lassa virus GP1 ectodomain shedding: implications for improved diagnostic platforms

Background: There is a significant requirement for the development and acquisition of reagents that will facilitate effective diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Lassa fever. In this regard, detection of early markers of Lassa virus (LASV) infection may improve diagnosis and ultimately successful treatment with antivirals. Characterization of LASV GP1 ectodomain shedding is an important step toward developing sensitive diagnostics to detect circulating levels of this viral glycoprotein in infected patient sera. Results: Secretion of GP1 from mammalian cells expressing a native LASV GPC gene was not mediated by proteolytic cleavage, as determined by treatment with a panel of matrix metalloprotease (MMP) inhibitors. The shedding of GP1 was also not the result of over-expression of GPC under the control of a strong intron-A containing CMV promoter, as the soluble component could be immunoprecipitated from supernatants of cells expressing low levels of GPC under the control of an intronless promoter. Cells transfected with GPC retained surface membrane-associated expression of GP1 as determined by immunofluorescence assay, in addition to secreting the glycoprotein. Secreted GP1 derived from GPC expression has a higher content of high mannose N-linked glycosylation than sGP1 expressed independently from the GP2 portion of the protein. Neither GP1 isoform contains sialylated N-glycans, O-linked carbohydrate chains, or galactose-β(1-4)-Nacetylglucosamine commonly present in complex and hybrid N-glycan structures. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the non-proteolytic secretory nature of GP1 shedding during expression of the arenaviral glycoprotein complex. This phenomenon parallels shedding of a secretory glycoprotein component in filovirus replication. The glycosylation pattern of soluble GP1 resulting from expression of GPC was different from that of a soluble GP1 construct (sGP1RRAA-FLAG), highlighting the intricately orchestrated post translational processing of the LASV glycoprotein complex.
Continuing medical education and patient safety: an agenda for lifelong learning.

Continuing education and improvement of medical practice has long been a tradition in the medical profession. As John Shaw Billings noted over a century ago, “The education of the doctor which goes on after he has his degree is, after all, the most important part of his education.”1 Beyond the extensive array of formal continuing education programs available, physicians have, over the years, developed a variety of informal approaches to improving clinical skills based on review and critique of patient management.2 A key ingredient of this tradition has been a focus on recognizing and learning from medical error. The 13th Century Oath of Maimonides advises physicians: “Today he can discover his errors of yesterday and tomorrow he can obtain a new light on what he thinks himself sure of today.” Continuing this tradition, Sir William Osler advised young physicians, “Begin early to make a three-fold category—clear cases, doubtful cases and mistakes…. It is only by getting your cases grouped in this way that you can make any real progress in your post-collegiate education.”3 Osler himself served as a role model in this regard, as Cushing describes: Once in a ward class there was a man whom he demonstrated as showing all the classical symptoms of croupous pneumonia. The man came to autopsy later. He had no pneumonia, but a chest full of fluid. Dr. Osler seemed delighted, sent especially for all those in his ward class, showed them what a mistake he had made, how it might have been avoided and how careful they should be not to repeat it.4 Recently the profession's interest in recognizing, learning from, and preventing medical error has been reinvigorated, as the papers in this special issue of JAMIA illustrate. In 1998, the President's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality …
On the robustness, convergence, and minimax performance of instantaneous-gradient adaptive filters

The paper establishes several robustness, optimality, and convergence properties of the widely used class of instantaneous-gradient adaptive algorithms. The analysis is carried out in a purely deterministic framework and assumes no apriori statistical information. It starts with a simple Cauchy-Schwarz inequality for vectors in an Euclidean space and proceeds to derive local and global energy bounds that are shown here to highlight, as well as explain, several relevant aspects of this important class of algorithms. >
Functional characterization of peripheral circulating and liver recruited neutrophils in endotoxic rats

Neutrophil accumulation in tissues is a hallmark of inflammation and is associated with a variety of pathological conditions. In bacterial infection neu- trophils are selectively attracted in large numbers to phagocytose and kill invading microorganisms. However, activated neutrophibs can also cause injury to tissues. To investigate functional alterations in liver recruited neu- trophibs (PMNs), we studied the functional characteris- tics of circulating blood and liver sequestered PMNs in terms of host defense mechanisms, such as nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide (SO) generation, 132 integrin expres- sion, phagocytosis, and eicosanoid profile. Cells were iso- bated from rats infused with a nonlethal dose (320 �.tg/kg) of E. coli endotoxin (ET) or pyrogen-free saline for 90 mm. Liver PMNs produced significantly more NO both in the absence and in the presence of an in vitro en- dotoxin challenge than did blood PMNs. No significant difference was observed in phorbol myristate ace- tate-stimulated SO generation. Endotoxin infusion significantly up-regulated the expression of CD11b/c in circulating and even more so in liver PMNs. Phagocytosis was significantly enhanced by in vivo ET treatment in blood PMNs, and liver PMNs showed even greater phago- cytic activity than blood PMNs or Kupifer cells. The per- cent distribution of prostaglandins D2 and E2 of total i4C.. eicosanoids was significantly higher and that of throm- boxane B2 and 5-, 12-, and 15-HETEs was significantly lower in liver than in blood PMNs. Our study demon- strates several functional differences between liver- recruited and circulating PMNs in an acute endotoxic model. The implications of altered neutrophib function may extend to mechanisms of host defense and hepatotox- icity associated with sepsis and endotoxemia. 3. Leukoc. Biol. 56: 166-173; 1994.
Optimal Transit Route Network Design Problem with Variable Transit Demand: Genetic Algorithm Approach

This paper uses a genetic algorithm to systematically examine the underlying characteristics of the optimal bus transit route network design problem (BTRNDP) with variable transit demand. A multiobjective nonlinear mixed integer model is formulated for the BTRNDP. The proposed solution framework consists of three main components: an initial candidate route set generation procedure (ICRSGP) that generates all feasible routes incorporating practical bus transit industry guidelines; and a network analysis procedure (NAP) that decides transit demand matrix, assigns transit trips, determines service frequencies, and computes performance measures; and a genetic algorithm procedure (GAP) that combines these two parts, guides the candidate solution generation process, and selects an optimal set of routes from the huge solution space. A C++ program code is developed to implement the proposed solution methodology for the BTRNDP with variable transit demand. An example network is successfully tested as a pilot study. Sensitivity analyses are performed. Comprehensive characteristics underlying the BTRNDP, including the effect of route set size, the effect of demand aggregation, and the redesign of the existing transit network issue, are also presented.
The Peptidyl-Prolyl Isomerase Pin1 Regulates Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor mRNA Stability in T Lymphocytes

Cytokine production is associated with both the normal and pathologic inflammatory response to injury. Previous studies have shown that the immunosuppressants cyclosporin A or FK506, which interact with the peptidyl-propyl isomerases cyclophilin A and FK506-binding protein (FKBP12), respectively, block cytokine expression. A third member of the peptidyl-propyl isomerase family, Pin1 is expressed by immune and other cells. Pin1 has been implicated in cell cycle progression, is overexpressed in human tumors, and may rescue neurons from tau-associated degeneration. However, the role of Pin1 in the immune system remains largely unknown. In this study, we analyze the role of Pin1 in GM-CSF expression by human PBMC and CD4+ lymphocytes. We show that Pin1 isomerase activity is necessary for activation-dependent, GM-CSF mRNA stabilization, accumulation, and protein secretion, but not non-AU-rich elements containing cytokine mRNAs, including TGF-beta and IL-4. Mechanistically, Pin1 mediated the association of the AU-rich element-binding protein, AUF1, with GM-CSF mRNA, which determined the rate of decay by the exosome.
Gene encoding the major subunit of CS1 pili of human enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

Abstract Some enterotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli (ETEC) utilize the CS1 pilus for colonization of human intestinal epithelium. We have cloned the gene which encodes the major CS1 subunit and called it cooA (for coli surface antigen one). Hybridization showed that the ETEC strain from which it was cloned carried cooA on a plasmid different from the one encoding its positive regulator, rns. Based on the cooA DNA sequence, cleavage with signal peptidase would be expected to produce a mature protein of 15.2 kDa; a 16-kDa polypeptide that reacted with CS1-specific antiserum was observed on electrophoresis. At the protein level, there was 92% similarity and 55% identity between cooA and cfaB, the major colonization factor antigen I (CFA/I) antigen. However, CS1-specific antisera did not react with CfaB. No hybridization was seen between either of two different cooA probes and total DNA from ETEC strains expressing AFA-1, CFA/I, CS2, CS3, CS4, CS5, or CS6.
Compressive SD-OCT: the application of compressed sensing in spectral domain optical coherence tomography

We applied compressed sensing (CS) to spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT) and studied its effectiveness. We tested the CS reconstruction by randomly undersampling the k-space SD OCT signal. We achieved this by applying pseudo-random masks to sample 62.5%, 50%, and 37.5% of the CCD camera pixels. OCT images are reconstructed by solving an optimization problem that minimizes the l1 norm of a transformed image to enforce sparsity, subject to data consistency constraints. CS could allow an array detector with fewer pixels to reconstruct high resolution OCT images while reducing the total amount of data required to process the images.
Mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) in interior and exterior New Orleans house paint films.

Abstract Pre-1992, latex paint was formulated with mercury (Hg) as phenylmercuric acetate (PMA). Hg vaporizes reducing its content, and lead (Pb) is stable and remains unchanged. The objective of this study is to describe the content of Hg and Pb in existing paint coatings. Forty paint chip samples were collected from both interior and exterior surfaces of homes in metropolitan New Orleans and analyzed for Hg and Pb. The median Hg in exterior paints is 26.9 mg kg −1 (0.8–214.0) compared with 7.1 mg kg −1 (0.03–39.2) for interior paints. The median Pb content is 76 603 mg kg −1 (464–317 151) and 416 mg kg −1 (24–63 313) respectively, for exterior and interior paints. The Spearman correlation coefficients for Hg and Pb are −0.312 ( P = 0.13) and −0.471 ( P = 0.07) respectively, in exterior and interior samples. Hg and Pb vary independently with each other in paint films. Median Hg in exterior paints is four times larger than for interior paints. Median Pb in exterior paints is 184 times larger than interior paints. The Pb and Hg content in exterior and interior paint chips are significantly different (Mann–Whitney Rank Sum Test, P ⩽ 0.001 and P = 0.006, respectively). Only 1 of the 25 exterior paints contained less than the current 5000 mg kg −1 US standard for Pb, the criteria for exemption from the power-sanding restrictions of the New Orleans Lead Ordinance. Prior to banning PMA in paint, Hg poisonings presented as acrodynia were reported for children living in homes freshly painted with latex paint. Because of the affinity of Hg and Pb for sulfur-containing amino acid proteins, their presence in paint coatings poses an increased hazard when released as dust.
Mitochondrial dysfunction precedes insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis and contributes to the natural history of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in an obese rodent model

Background & Aims In this study, we sought to determine the temporal relationship between hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction, hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance, and to examine their potential role in the natural progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) utilising a sedentary, hyperphagic, obese, Otsuka Long–Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rat model. Methods OLETF rats and their non-hyperphagic control Long–Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats were sacrificed at 5, 8, 13, 20, and 40weeks of age ( n =6–8 per group). Results At 5weeks of age, serum insulin and glucose and hepatic triglyceride (TG) concentrations did not differ between animal groups; however, OLETF animals displayed significant ( p c protein content compared with LETO rats. Hepatic TG levels were significantly elevated by 8weeks of age, and insulin resistance developed by 13weeks in the OLETF rats. NAFLD progressively worsened to include hepatocyte ballooning, perivenular fibrosis, 2.5-fold increase in serum ALT, hepatic mitochondrial ultrastructural abnormalities, and increased hepatic oxidative stress in the OLETF animals at later ages. Measures of hepatic mitochondrial content and function including β-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase activity, citrate synthase activity, and immunofluorescence staining for mitochondrial carbamoyl phosphate synthetase-1, progressively worsened and were significantly reduced at 40weeks in OLETF rats compared to LETO animals. Conclusions Our study documents that hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction precedes the development of NAFLD and insulin resistance in the OLETF rats. This evidence suggests that progressive mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to the natural history of obesity-associated NAFLD.
The Effects of Nicotinic and Muscarinic Receptor Activation on Patch-Clamped Cells in the Optic Tectum of Rana Pipiens

Both nicotinic and muscarinic cholinergic receptors are present in the optic tectum. To begin to understand how the activation of these receptors affects visual activity patterns, we have determined the types of physiological responses induced by their activation. Using tectal brain slices from the leopard frog, we found that application of nicotine (100 μM) evoked long-lasting responses in 60% of patch-clamped tectal cells. Thirty percent of these responses consisted of an increase in spontaneous postsynaptic currents (sPSCs) and had both a glutamatergic and GABAergic component as determined by the use of 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (50 μM) and bicuculline (25 μM), respectively. Remaining response types consisted of an inward membrane current (16%) and an increase in sPSCs combined with an inward membrane current (14%). All responses could be elicited in the presence of tetrodotoxin (0.5 μM). Muscarinic receptor-mediated responses, induced by carbachol (100 μM) application after nicotinic receptor desensitization, produced responses in 70% of tectal cells. In contrast to responses elicited by nicotine, carbachol-induced responses could be evoked multiple times without significant decrement. Responses consisted of either an outward current (57%), a decrease in sPSCs (5%) or an increase in sPSCs, with (almost 6%) or without (almost 3%) an outward current. The response elicited by carbachol was not predicted by the response of the cell to nicotine. Our results suggest that nicotinic receptors are found predominantly at presynaptic locations in the optic tectum while muscarinic receptors are most often present at postsynaptic sites. We conclude that both of these receptor types could substantially modulate visual activity by changing either the input to tectal neurons or the level of their response to that input.
Internal and External Feedback Circuits for Skilled Forelimb Movement

Skilled motor behavior emerges from interactions between efferent neural pathways that induce muscle contraction and feedback systems that report and refine movement. Two broad classes of feedback projections modify motor output, one from the periphery and a second that originates within the central nervous system. The mechanisms through which these pathways influence movement remain poorly understood, however. Here we discuss recent studies that delineate spinal circuitry that binds external and internal feedback pathways to forelimb motor behavior. A spinal presynaptic inhibitory circuit regulates the strength of external feedback, promoting limb stability during goal-directed reaching. A distinct excitatory propriospinal circuit conveys copies of motor commands to the cerebellum, establishing an internal feedback loop that rapidly modulates forelimb motor output. The behavioral consequences of manipulating these two circuits reveal distinct controls on motor performance and provide an initial insight into feedback strategies that underlie skilled forelimb movement.
Parent-adolescent concordance in reports of sexuality-related behaviors and attitudes.

Conclusions: In contrast to prior studies these parents and adolescents were largely concordant in their reports of adolescent sexual intercourse. This finding may be a function of the sample (parents accompanying adolescent to medical appointments). Nonetheless it suggests that parental report in the context of health care visits may be quite reliable. In contrast to this high concordance there was low agreement between parent-adolescent pairs in terms of worries about future STD risk and anticipated reactions to STD acquisition. Health care providers may be in a unique position to help facilitate better communication about these issues between parent and adolescent. may be an effective way of increasing parent child communication about health sexuality and values. Enhancing parents’ ability to communicate their expectations and values about sexuality may help support children in making healthy decisions about sexual behavior as adolescents. (excerpt)
Redox-driven stable isotope fractionation in transition metals: Application to Zn electroplating

Abstract Redox processes are ubiquitous in Earth science and are often associated with large isotope fractionations. In a previous study, voltage-dependent amplification of stable isotope fractionation was observed for an Fe reduction process. Here, we describe experiments showing a similar effect for a second transition metal, zinc. After electrochemical reduction, the composition of plated Zn metal is enriched in the light isotope (64Zn) with respect to the Zn2+ leftover in solution, with a voltage-dependent fractionation factor. Results from voltage-dependent electroplating experiments are in good agreement with a second data set following equilibrium fractional isotope evolution of Zn isotopes during an electroplating process which stepwise removes most of the Zn from the aqueous reservoir. Taken together, the results indicate a voltage-dependent isotope fractionation (in permil) of 66Zn with respect to 64Zn to be equal to −3.45 to 1.71 V. The negative slope trend is in contrast with previously published results on iron isotope fractionation during electroplating which shows a positive slope. These results are interpreted using an extension of Marcus theory, which predicts isotope fractionations as a function of driving force in an electrochemical system. Taken together with observations of natural fractionation of redox-sensitive and non redox-active elements, our modified Marcus theory provides a framework for quantitatively predicting transition metal isotope geochemical signatures during environmentally relevant redox processes in terms of simple energetic parameters.
Navajo Sci-Fi Film: Matriarchal Visual Sovereignty in Nanobah Becker's The 6th World

IN THE FINALE OF THE FIFTEEN-MINUTE ONLINE FILM The 6th World, Navajo director and screenwriter Nanobah Becker superimposes her nation’s traditional creed Są’ah Naghai Bik’eh Hozho across the face of Mars to signal that her heroine will found a successful community on the red planet in a futuristic Navajo way (2012a). Becker explains that “walking in beauty into old age” is the harmonious vision that her film’s final scene and words impart (Becker 2012b). Her inclusion of a specific American Indian Nation’s spirituality and actors into a science fiction future is unprecedented in recent popular science fiction film. Reflecting anxieties of secularization, environmental change, international wars, and economic woes, CGI science fiction films Avatar (2009), 2012 (2009), Cowboys and Aliens (2011), John Carter (2012), and Cloud Atlas (2012) incorporate indigenous spiritualities as they replicate antiquated stereotypes of noble savages who fulfill the non-native’s desire for material security, longevity, or love (Adamson 2012:154). In contrast, Becker’s The 6th World is an example of what Michelle Raheja defines as “visual sovereignty,” a film’s conscientious representation of an indigenous community’s struggles for political, spiritual, and cultural independence (Raheja 2011:4). Because visual sovereignty is
Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome: what do patients mean by "perceived" bladder pain?

Objectives To report the reasons patients with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) give for the perception that the bladder is the source of their pain. The perception that the bladder is the source of pain is a necessary criterion for many definitions of IC/PBS. Methods Events Preceding Interstitial Cystitis was a case-control study seeking risk factors for IC/PBS. The inclusion criteria for incident cases included “lower abdominal pain” or “bladder pain” and ≥2 of the following symptoms: urinary frequency, urgency, and/or nocturia. The patients were systematically followed and at 18 months after the baseline interview were asked an open-ended question about their reasons for perceiving the bladder to be the source of their pain. Results Of the 179 patients with current pain, 164 (92%) claimed ≥1 bladder or lower urinary tract symptoms caused them to perceive that their pain involved the bladder. Of these, 41% noted a “bladder” location for their pain; 34% noted pain increasing with bladder filling and/or decreasing with bladder emptying; 31% claimed the presence of urgency and/or frequency; 23% described worsened pain during and/or after urination; and 17% mentioned other urinary symptoms. Finally, 8% noted only nonurinary symptoms (4 patients) or “do not know” (11 patients). Conclusions No predominant reason was found that patients with IC/PBS gave for suspecting the bladder to be the source of pain. The common reasons included pain location, changes with the urinary cycle, and an association with other urinary symptoms. To clarify the relationship of IC/PBS to other chronic pain syndromes, which often are comorbidities, these features of IC/PBS should be queried.
Autonomous protocols for bandwidth-centric scheduling of independent-task applications

In this paper we investigate protocols for scheduling applications that consist of large numbers of identical, independent tasks on large-scale computing platforms. By imposing a tree structure on an overlay network of computing nodes, our previous work showed that it is possible to compute the schedule which leads to the optimal steady-state task completion rate. However, implementing this optimal schedule in practice, without prohibitive global coordination of all the computing nodes or unlimited buffers, remained an open question. To address this question, in this paper we develop autonomous scheduling protocols, i.e. distributed scheduling algorithms by which each node makes scheduling decisions based solely on locally available information. Our protocols have two variants: with non-interruptible and with interruptible communications. Further, we evaluate both protocols using simulations on randomly generated trees. We show that the non-interruptible communication version may need a prohibitive number of buffers at each node. However, our autonomous protocol with interruptible communication and only 3 buffers per node reaches the optimal steady-state performance in over 99.5% of our simulations. The autonomous scheduling approach is inherently scalable and adaptable, and thus ideally suited to currently emerging computing platforms. In particular this work has direct impact on the deployment of large applications on Grid, and peer-to-peer computing platforms.
Challenges in using medicaid claims to ascertain child maltreatment.

Medicaid data contain International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes indicating maltreatment, yet there is a little information on how valid these codes are for the purposes of identifying maltreatment from health, as opposed to child welfare, data. This study assessed the validity of Medicaid codes in identifying maltreatment. Participants (n = 2,136) in the first National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being were linked to their Medicaid claims obtained from 36 states. Caseworker determinations of maltreatment were compared with eight sets of ICD-9-CM codes. Of the 1,921 children identified by caseworkers as being maltreated, 15.2% had any relevant ICD-9-CM code in any of their Medicaid files across 4 years of observation. Maltreated boys and those of African American race had lower odds of displaying a maltreatment code. Using only Medicaid claims to identify maltreated children creates validity problems. Medicaid data linkage with other types of administrative data is required to better identify maltreated children. Language: en
Cystatin C and Subclinical Brain Infarction

Subclinical brain infarcts (SBI) are common in the elderly and are associated with covert neurologic and cognitive impairment. Although renal impairment is associated with accelerated cerebrovascular disease and an increased risk for clinically apparent brain infarct, few studies have examined the relationship between renal function and SBI, and these may have been limited by the inaccuracy of creatinine as a renal function marker. A cross-sectional study was performed among older adults in the Cardiovascular Health Study to examine associations between SBI and two serum markers of renal function: Serum creatinine (SCr) and cystatin C (CysC). Patients had cranial magnetic resonance imaging and renal markers measured in 1992 to 1993. Logistic regression was used to estimate the associations between renal function (estimated by 1/SCr and 1/CysC) and SBI, controlling for potential confounding factors. SBI were present in 789 (28.7%) of 2784 participants. A linear association with SBI was observed for 1/CysC (per 1-SD decrement; odds ratio [OR] 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09 to 1.32; P < 0.001) but not for 1/SCr (OR 1.08; 95% CI 0.98 to 1.19; P = 0.14), for which a quadratic U-shaped association was suggested (P = 0.004). In a model with both markers, 1/CysC was linearly associated with SBI (OR 1.26; P < 0.001), whereas 1/SCr was not (OR 1.06; P = 0.3). The prevalence of SBI was directly associated with quintile of CysC, whereas the association between SCr and SBI was U-shaped, with greater prevalence at high and low levels. Compared with creatinine, CysC, a novel marker of renal function, has a stronger and more direct association with SBI in the elderly.