cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular characterization of renal calcium channel beta-subunit transcripts

An apical, hormone-regulated, calcium entry channel in the distal convoluted tubule and/or connecting tubule (DCT/CNT) is thought to play an important role in controlling renal calcium excretion. We previously identified a gene transcript encoding the pore-forming alpha 1-subunit of a calcium channel (alpha 1A, or CaCh4) which may be a candidate for such a molecule. The properties of voltage-dependent calcium channels are known to be modulated by their beta-subunits. To identify the accessory beta-subunit of DCT/CNT calcium channels, degenerate primers based on published beta-subunit sequences were used to amplify rat kidney cDNA by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the products were subcloned and sequenced. Alternatively spliced transcripts of three beta-subunit genes (beta 2, beta 3, and beta 4) were identified. Northern blot analysis indicated that beta 4-subunit is preferentially expressed in kidney cortex. Transcripts of all three beta-subunit genes were detected by PCR in microdissected nephron segments, but only beta 4-subunit was found in DCT/CNT. As the beta 4- and alpha 1A-subunits colocalize to the DCT/CNT, we hypothesize that they may be constituent subunits of a renal calcium channel regulated by a hormone(s).
Spouse confidence and physical function among adults with osteoarthritis: The mediating role of spouse responses to pain.

OBJECTIVE This study of adults with osteoarthritis and their spouses examined spouse responses to patients' pain as mediators of the associations between spouse confidence in patients' ability to manage arthritis and improvements in patients' physical function and activity levels over time. METHOD Participants were 152 older adults with knee osteoarthritis and their spouses. In-person interviews were conducted with patients and spouses (separately) at 3 time points: baseline (Time[T] 1), 6 months after baseline (T2), and 18 months after baseline (T3). At each time point, patients reported their self-efficacy for arthritis management, functional limitations, and time spent in physical activity; spouses reported their confidence for patients' arthritis management and their empathic, solicitous, and punishing responses to patients' pain. Multiple mediation regression models were used to examine hypothesized associations across 2 distinct time frames: 6 months (T1-T2) and 12 months (T2-T3). RESULTS Across 6 months, spouse confidence was indirectly related to improvements in patients' functional limitations and activity levels through increased empathic responses to patient pain. Across 12 months, spouse confidence was indirectly related to improvements in patients' functional limitations and activity levels through decreased solicitous responses to patient pain. CONCLUSIONS This study adds to the literature on spousal influences on health by identifying 2 spouse behaviors that help to explain how spouse confidence for patients' illness management translates into improvements in patients' physical health over time. Findings can inform the development of couple-focused illness management interventions aiming to increase the positive influence of the spouse on patients' health behaviors and outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record
Integrating Communication Skills in Nursing Education

The quality of nursing care depends in large part on accurate communication between nurse and client. More and more, nurses will care for adults in every facet of the health care system. This article describes how nursing faculty designed teaching strategies to help students meet the challenge of interacting with this age group in positive ways. Students were assistanced to move beyond stereotypical attitudes to empathetic and effective relationships.
Design and synthesis of emodin derivatives as novel inhibitors of ATP-citrate lyase

Aberrant cellular metabolism drives cancer proliferation and metastasis. ATP citrate lyase (ACL) plays a critical role in generating cytosolic acetyl CoA, a key building block for de novo fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis. ACL is overexpressed in cancer cells, and siRNA knockdown of ACL limits cancer cell proliferation and reduces cancer stemness. We characterized a new class of ACL inhibitors bearing the key structural feature of the natural product emodin. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) study led to the identification of 1d as a potent lead that demonstrated dose-dependent inhibition of proliferation and cancer stemness of the A549 lung cancer cell line. Computational modeling indicates this class of inhibitors occupies an allosteric binding site and blocks the entrance of the substrate citrate to its binding site.
Electromagnetic transient study on single ±800kV UHVDC and double 500kV EHVAC lines on same tower

Detailed electromagnetic transient simulation on single circuit ±800 kV dc transmission line and double circuit 500 kV ac transmission lines on the same tower is performed to research the interaction between ac and dc transmission systems. The various serious faults on ac and dc transmission systems are simulated. The different positions and lengths of dc and ac lines on the same tower is considering to compare the impacts on overvoltage levels of dc and ac transmission lines, on the power frequency overvoltage and switching overvoltage of ac system, as well as on the secondary arc current and the recovery voltage of ac transmission lines. Simulation results show that the impacts on the respective overvoltage levels of UHVDC and EHVAC transmission lines is little when ac and dc lines on the same tower, thus the insulation co-ordination scheme could be same as the situation of only dc lines on the tower. There is some induction dc current and voltage in ac lines on the same tower with dc lines. The value of the induction dc current and voltage is more than IEC standard about the induction voltage and current of the grounding switch. The secondary arc current has no zero crossing for the induction dc current in ac lines when one HV reactance is installed on one terminal of ac lines without transposition, thus it is necessary to consider countermeasure during the design.
TSHR as a therapeutic target in Graves' disease.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Graves’ disease (GD) and thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) are thought to result from actions of pathogenic antibodies mediated through the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR). This leads to the unregulated consequences of the antibody-mediated receptor activity in the thyroid and connective tissues of the orbit. Recent studies reveal antibodies that appear to be directed against the insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR).Areas covered: In this brief article, I attempt to review the fundamental characteristics of the TSHR, its role in GD and TAO, and its relationship to IGF-IR. Strong evidence supports the concept that the two receptors form a physical and functional complex and that IGF-IR activity is required for some of the down-stream signaling initiated through TSHR. Recently developed small molecules and monoclonal antibodies that block TSHR and IGF-IR signaling are also reviewed in the narrow context of their potential utility as therapeutics in GD and TAO. The Pubmed da...
Mechanisms for invasion success by Didemnum vexillum (Chordata: Ascidiacea): observations versus manipulations

The widespread success of the invasive colonial ascidian Didemnum vexillum has led to descriptions of the species as fast-growing and competitively dominant, with few predators in its introduced range. However, recent experiments assessing the competitive strength and predation resistance of D. vexillum suggest that this ascidian is not a stronger competitor compared to other non-native colonial ascidians (e.g., Botrylloides violaceus, Botryllus schlosseri). To examine this apparent contradiction, juvenile D. vexillum colonies of varying size and age from an invasive population were exposed to competitive interactions with other epifaunal invertebrates and predation by mobile benthic invertebrates. Results indicate that both competition and predation had a significant negative effect on D. vexillum growth as well as on the composition of and percent cover of D. vexillum in 6- to 8-week-old experimental communities. In smaller colonies, predation also had a significant negative effect on D. vexillum survival. The discrepancy between field observations describing D. vexillum as a superlative competitive dominant and recent manipulative experiments indicating the opposite may be a function of the intrinsic life history characteristics of D. vexillum: (a) frequent colony fusion in non-native regions, (b) transport of larvae over relatively long distances via tendril detachment, (c) unique formation of colony mats on pebble substrates, and (d) calcified structures embedded in the tunic. The combined effects of these characteristics could make non-native populations of D. vexillum appear to be competitively dominant species with few predators, even though manipulative experiments on individual colonies suggest otherwise.
Experiment 2: Diagnostic Rules

Association rule tasks were defined in order to discover common patterns in patients’ visits dataset. Before defining data mining task on rule discovery, it is necessary to formulate an analytical problem in the first place. The main examined associations of interest would be factors affecting patient’s category. Such discovered association rules can be regarded as decision rules, supporting classifier developed in the previous step.
Using the REAL Models to Understand Midwest Restructuring

The 1980s and early 1990s were a time of profound restructuring in the Midwest. The region had stood as the nation’s wealthy and progressive manufacturing center for a long-standing century. But the confluence of shocks that took place during this time shook the region’s economy to its foundations—defense spending shocks, farm crisis, foreign competition, and technological change. In turn, these shocks challenged the region’s businesses and policymakers to either change course or to wither away. By the mid-1990s, there was very visible evidence — both statistical and otherwise — that the region had been successful in its transition well beyond the hopes and expectations of majority opinion. Indeed, some observed that such a renaissance was probably unique in the annals of those regions experiencing deep manufacturing decline and decay in the industrial age... so much so that the Midwest’s experiences merited a deeper analysis and understanding as a guide to policy makers both in the Midwest and elsewhere. In cooperation with many analysts drawn from an array of organizations, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago organized a two-year project to bring together the best researchers and their work to address the Midwest turnaround. Over the course of the many topical symposiums, it became apparent that the project was fortunate in its inquiries because crucial tools to understand the Midwest turnaround and to guide its policy decisions were under development by the Regional Economics Applications Laboratory (REAL) and its directors—Philip Israilevich and Geoffrey Hewings.
Detailed analysis of vibrational nonequilibrium of molecular oxygen in shock-heated flow

The effectiveness of a widely used phenomenological approach for modeling vibrational excitation is evaluated by comparison with a higher fidelity approach based on an $a\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}b$ $i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}t\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}o$ computational chemistry analysis. A parameter is formulated to predict when the phenomenological approach is inaccurate.
Educating the Retarded

In 1798, a young man who had apparently grown to physical maturity in the wild, without human companionship, suddenly appeared in a French town. Jean Jacques Rousseau’s concept of the “noble savage” was popular at the time, and the young man caused great interest. Adjudged retarded, he was given the name Victor and at first placed under the care of the physician, Phillipe Pinel, who specialized in mental disorders. Pinel, however, held the view that “idiocy” was incurable, and the French government subsequently allowed Jean Marc Itard to try to educate Victor. This effort was the first documented attempt at the education of a mentally retarded individual. Itard, who was aware of John Locke’s ideas concerning the intellect as a storehouse, went on to develop the first self-help activities for the retarded. He made skillful use of a system of rewards for performance—a form of positive reinforcement, as it would be called today. Although he had some success with Victor, the young man’s lack of speech development hampered Itard’s work with him. It is unfortunately impossible to judge whether, in today’s terminology, Victor would be called culturally deprived, emotionally disturbed, or just mentally retarded.
Growth Factors as Local Regulators of Normal and Malignant Human Mammary Epithelium

The mechanisms regulating growth of normal and malignant mammary epithelial cells are poorly understood. However, it is known that hormonal influences are critical in the normal development of the mammary gland. The ovaries (under pituitary control) promote glandular growth and differentiation, while the pituitary itself directly controls lactation. Proliferation of normal mammary epithelium seems to require both estrogen and progesterone, but cellular mitoses occur predominantly in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, when progesterone is in highest abundance. This is in striking contrast to the endometrium (which is where cellular mitoses occur predominantly in the follicular phase, when estrogen is “unopposed” by progesterone) (1). The pituitary and ovaries are also required for the development of breast cancer in women. The influences of the ovaries in breast cancer seem to be mediated by estrogen and progesterone (again under pituitary control) (2). In rodent models of carcinogen-induced breast cancer, it has been shown that both progesterone and estrogen seem to be required for tumor formation and for early growth of tumors (3–4). Presumably, the mechanism of interaction of estrogen and progesterone in normal and malignant breast is related to the requirement of estrogen to induce expression of progesterone receptor. However, other types of interactions have not been ruled out. Current controversy also surrounds both progestin and estrogen components of the oral contraceptive as risk factors in developing breast cancer (5). Estrogen and progesterone receptors have been localized to a luminal subpopulation of ductal and lobular epithelial cells in women and rodents.
Early Pleistocene Faunal Connections Between Africa and Eurasia: An Ecological Perspective

During the Early Pleistocene, hominins dispersed from Africa to Eurasia via the Levant. The presence of African taxa in higher latitudes has been interpreted as indicative of an Africa savanna habitat in the Early Pleistocene of the Levant and as support for the hypothesis that the spread of grasslands into higher latitudes promoted the dispersal of hominins into Eurasia. To infer the paleoenvironment of the Levant during the Early Pleistocene, a multivariate analysis based on abundance and presence-absence data of mesoherbivores was used. Results indicate that in the Early Pleistocene, the Levant was situated in a Mediterranean woodland habitat. The presence of African taxa in novel environments may be explained using a long distance dispersal model and suggests that the spatial and temporal abundance pattern of African taxa in the Levant is consistent with the early stages of dispersal and is not indicative of the presence of savanna habitats in higher latitudes. The ecological success of hominins in higher latitudes as attested to by their widespread geographic distribution is consistent with their adaptation to novel environments and suggests that they may have been pre-adapted to variable environments.
Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair

Various methods for performing laparoscopic hernia repair are being developed, and although follow-up is still generally too short to reach definitive conclusions or establish universal guidelines, a significant experience is accumulating. The laparoscopic approach appears to be most advantageous in the repair of recurrent herniae and least advantageous for small unilateral herniae that can be repaired under local anesthesia without using mesh.
Methods for Mapping Neuronal Activity to Synaptic Connectivity: Lessons From Larval Zebrafish

For a mechanistic understanding of neuronal circuits in the brain, a detailed description of information flow is necessary. Thereby it is crucial to link neuron function to the underlying circuit structure. Multiphoton calcium imaging is the standard technique to record the activity of hundreds of neurons simultaneously. Similarly, recent advances in high-throughput electron microscopy techniques allow for the reconstruction of synaptic resolution wiring diagrams. These two methods can be combined to study both function and structure in the same specimen. Due to its small size and optical transparency, the larval zebrafish brain is one of the very few vertebrate systems where both, activity and connectivity of all neurons from entire, anatomically defined brain regions, can be analyzed. Here, we describe different methods and the tools required for combining multiphoton microscopy with dense circuit reconstruction from electron microscopy stacks of entire brain regions in the larval zebrafish.
In-Situ Nanoindentation Measurement of Local Mechanical Behavior of a Li-Ion Battery Cathode in Liquid Electrolyte

The state-of-the-art cathode materials experience severe structural and mechanical degradation over lithiation cycles albeit their small deformation. It has been a great challenge to characterize the mechanical behavior of composite electrodes in-situ and in real-time because of their environmental sensitivity and intricate microscopic heterogeneity. We use nanoindentation to measure the in-situ mechanical behavior of individual phases in a cathode composite electrode LiNixMnyCozO2. We focus on the understanding of the mechanical properties of the constituents in dry and wet conditions. We evaluate the influence of electrolyte soaking on the elastic modulus, hardness, and volume change of the conductive matrix with different degrees of porosity. More interestingly, we measure the modulus, hardness, and fracture strength of agglomerated active particles and sintered pellets, and compare their mechanical properties in the dry and liquid environment. We show that the electrolyte enhances the fracture strength of NMC agglomerated particles. The increase in interfacial strength may be a result of the additional capillary force between primary particles. Results offer mechanistic understanding of the complex behavior of composite electrodes and will feed chemomechanical models on Li-ion batteries.
Radiographic, Pulmonary, and Clinical Outcomes With Halo Gravity Traction

Abstract Study Design Single-center retrospective chart review. Objectives and Summary Halo gravity traction (HGT) is a safe and effective intervention to improve spinal deformity prior to corrective instrumentation. Our study aimed to report on a large series of patients undergoing HGT, demonstrate the correlation between thoracic height achieved and pulmonary function, and evaluate the efficacy of nutritional assessment and intervention while in HGT for these often malnourished or nutritionally compromised patients. Methods 107 patients underwent HGT for severe spinal deformity. Major coronal and sagittal Cobb angles, T1–T12 ht, and T1–S1 ht were collected pre-HGT, during HGT, postoperation, and 2 years postoperation. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) recorded forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1). Nutritional interventions such as formal nutrition consult, resulting nutritional supplementation, or interventions were recorded. Results Patients were in HGT for mean of 82.1 days and mean maximum percentage body weight in traction was 49.5%. Mean major coronal Cobb angle prior to HGT was 92.6°, improving to 65.8° in maximal traction and to 47° after surgical intervention. Traction accounted for 78% of T1–T12 height and 79% of T1–S1 length gains from pre- to postoperation. We showed a positive correlation between gain in T1–T12 height and percentage predicted changes in FVC and FEV1. Weight Z score for the entire cohort of patients improved from −2.8 pretraction to −2.4 in traction and then to −2.3 postoperative. Conclusions Our study again demonstrated that HGT achieves radiographic improvement safely and effectively in severe spinal deformity. We demonstrated a positive correlation between improvement in PFTs and increase in thoracic height seen with HGT. Additionally, improvement in weight Z score was seen in the entire population and the most at risk patients for malnutrition, results that have not been shown before. Level of Evidence Level IV.
The FIFA World Cup, Human Rights Goals and the Gulf Between

With Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 on the horizon, the process for selecting hosts for the World Cup of men’s football has been plagued by charges of corruption and human rights abuses. FIFA celebrated key developing economies with South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014. But amid the aftermath of the global financial crisis, those sittings surfaced grave and persistent criticism of the social and economic efficacy of sporting mega-events. Meanwhile new norms emerged in global governance, embodied in instruments such as the U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP) and the Sustainable Development Goals. These norms posit that commercial aims can be harmonized with socioeconomic good. FIFA seized on the chance to restore public confidence and recommit itself to human exultation in sport, adopting sustainability strategies and engaging the architect of the UNGP to develop a human rights policy. But a vast gulf stands between FIFA today and its stated intentions for a new model of World Cup 2026. Idle stadiums and civil unrest in Brazil prolong scepticism of mega-event hosting, even as that country readies for the Rio Olympics. The Russian World Cup recalls that country’s anti-LGBT law, not to mention the Crimea invasion on the heels of the Sochi Olympics. The vast construction projects upending Qatari cityscapes have spotlighted an alarming human toll in that country’s immigration and labour practices, not to mention escalating angst over rampant spending in a depressed oil market. Can FIFA leave behind its money-soaked track record and embrace a new agenda that puts people before profit? This chapter examines a growing incompatibility between World Cup hosting and FIFA sustainability and human rights strategies. This incompatibility illustrates the difficult course that FIFA will have to navigate to make good on its promise to reform.
Just how miserable is work? A meta-analysis comparing work and non-work affect

Although we spend much of our waking hours working, the emotional experience of work, versus non-work, remains unclear. While the large literature on work stress suggests that work generally is aversive, some seminal theory and findings portray working as salubrious and perhaps as an escape from home life. Here, we examine the subjective experience of work (versus non-work) by conducting a quantitative review of 59 primary studies that assessed affect on working days. Meta-analyses of within-day studies indicated that there was no difference in positive affect (PA) between work versus non-work domains. Negative affect (NA) was higher for work than non-work, although the magnitude of difference was small (i.e., .22 SD, an effect size comparable to that of the difference in NA between different leisure activities like watching TV versus playing board games). Moderator analyses revealed that PA was relatively higher at work and NA relatively lower when affect was measured using “real-time” measurement (e.g., Experience Sampling Methodology) versus measured using the Day Reconstruction Method (i.e., real-time reports reveal a more favorable view of work as compared to recall/DRM reports). Additional findings from moderator analyses included significant differences in main effect sizes as a function of the specific affect, and, for PA, as a function of the age of the sample and the time of day when the non-work measurements were taken. Results for the other possible moderators including job complexity and affect intensity were not statistically significant.
Teaching Microbiology by Celebrating Traditional Foods and Cultures from Morocco and Perú.

According to a report published by the Center for Community College Student Engagement and others, global learning is considered one of the high-impact practices used to increase student engagement and motivation to learn. Engagement and motivation have also been linked to increased learning gains and improvement in the overall learning experience. Furthermore, global learning helps students explore other people’s cultures and worldviews, which is an important skill for students to gain in order to compete and adapt to solve the problems of our global society. Here, I discuss two class activities that faculty can adopt to implement global learning in their courses, with the purpose of engaging and motivating students to learn microbiology while celebrating some traditions from Morocco and Peru. Students researched traditional fermented foods and drinks from Peru and Morocco. Then, they answered guided questions to help them link the food items to microbiological concepts learned in class. For example: normal flora and fermentation were learned as students researched the process of making a Peruvian drink called “chicha de jora,” which is made from chewed corn that becomes fermented as it mixes with oral bacteria from saliva. While engaging in global learning, students learned some microbiology concepts; they passed the knowledge on to the campus community with poster presentations held during International Education Week. Based on students’ feedback and participation, I can conclude that teaching microbiology using global learning was engaging, promoted student learning, and motivated students to learn.
Experiment Reconstruction Reduces Fixation on Surface Details of Explanations

Misunderstandings of science affect many lives. Novices commonly misunderstand explanations by overly relying on surface details instead of evaluating underlying logic. Prior work has found adding a patina of neuroscience leads readers towards positively assessing explanations. How might we help people better understand science explanations? A between-subjects experiment tested whether asking readers to reconstruct experiments leads them to focus more on underlying logic. Participants relied less on irrelevant surface details when reconstructing experiments. However, this did not impact their subsequent assessment of explanations. Our results suggest that reconstruction is a useful strategy for understanding explanations but is not readily transferred towards evaluating explanations.
Anesthesia Type Is Not Associated With Postoperative Complications in the Care of Patients With Lower Extremity Traumatic Fractures.

BACKGROUND:Lower extremity fracture fixation is commonplace and represents the majority of orthopedic trauma surgical volume. Despite this, few studies have examined the use of regional anesthesia or neuraxial anesthesia (RA/NA) versus general anesthesia (GA) in this surgical population. We aimed to
In silico Analysis of the Immunological Landscape of Hippocampi in Alzheimer's Disease.

Introduction: Accumulating evidence suggests a relationship between neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative pathologies such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study sought to investigate the immunological composition of hippocampi in patients afflicted with AD. Methods: CIBERSORTx RNA deconvolution was applied on gene expression data developed from hippocampi of 38 AD patients and 17 controls to infer the relative proportions of 22 subsets of immune cells. Results: AD-afflicted hippocampi were found to have greater relative abundances of M2 macrophages and CD8 T cells. AD-afflicted hippocampi were also composed of significantly more active dendritic cells and significantly fewer resting dendritic cells than control samples. Conclusion: AD-afflicted hippocampi present with a distinct immune signature and dendritic cells may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of AD in this brain component.
How National Park Service Operations Relate to Law and Policy

We take for granted many of the programs and activities that have become a part of the national park experience, both for visitors and for employees. But what are the legal authorities for carrying...
Microarray identification of molecular markers of cisplatin resistance in human ovarian carcinomas

4465 Cisplatin (DDP) is highly effective for the initial therapy of a variety of human cancers, but resistance emerges quickly during treatment and the mechanisms that mediate resistance remain poorly defined. To identify novel genes that are specific to the resistant phenotype as well as biochemical pathways that might be involved, we used large-scale analysis of gene expression differences between cisplatin sensitive and stably-resistant cell lines using Stanford Microarray Facility cDNA arrays with 43,200 features and ∼25, 593 genes. Dye-swap and lowess normalization were performed to correct for experimental bias. To ensure high confidence in genes identified against a high background of noise, pairwise comparisons were made within 6 pairs of cell lines, and each comparison was independently replicated 6 times. The significance of differences in expression was assessed using Significance Analysis of Microarrays (SAM) (Tusher et al, PNAS 98:5116, 2001). The importance of a large number of replicates was highlighted by the finding that, of the genes that were found to be differentially expressed when all 6 replicates were included in the analysis, an average of 24.8 % would have been missed if only 5 replicates had been used, while 38.3 % would have been missed if only 4 independent RNA samples had been analyzed. The number of genes significantly differentially expressed in each pair of sensitive- and cisplatin-resistant cell lines varied from 486 to 3797. Few genes were consistently differentially expressed in multiple pairs of cell lines. No genes were differentially expressed in all 6 pairs or in 5/6 pairs. In total, 17 genes were differentially up-regulated in 4/6 cell pairs and 2 were down-regulated. A total of 110 genes were up-regulated in at least 3/6 cell pairs, and 58 were down-regulated. Of these genes, many have central roles in the regulation of intracellular redox potential. Analysis of biochemical pathways of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG database) identified a statistically significant overabundance of differentially expressed genes associated with the tyrosine metabolism, benzoate degradation via CoA ligation, butanoate metabolism, cell cycle, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, citrate cycle, galactose metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, beta-alanine metabolism, selenoamino acid metabolism, D-arginine and D-ornithine metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism and Prion disease. This statistically rigorous approach has identified a set of biochemical pathways not previously suspected of playing a mechanistic role in cisplatin resistance, and has provided guidelines for more precise identification of markers of cisplatin resistance in clinical samples.
Simulations of hydrogen outgassing and sticking coefficients at a copper electrode surface: Dependencies on temperature, incident angle and energy

The authors show simulations of adsorption and absorption at normal incidence as a function of energy in hydrogen outgassing.
Non)Religious Coping with a Natural Disaster in a Rural U.S. Community

Religious/spiritual (R/S) coping following natural disasters is associated with positive outcomes, leading to perceptions that the absence of R/S coping leads to negative outcomes among nonreligious individuals. However, little research explicitly explores the coping strategies of nonreligious individuals in response to natural disasters and traumatic events. The present study collected data from a sample of survivors of a natural disaster event (i.e., a tornado) to test the relationship between (non)religiosity/(non)spirituality, coping, psychological distress, and posttraumatic growth. Statistical models suggested that problem-focused coping facilitated posttraumatic growth and lower levels of psychological distress among people with lower levels of institutional religiousness and/or individual spirituality (consistent with predictions), but not among people at high levels of religiousness/spirituality (contrary to predictions). Participants with moderate levels of institutional religiousness reported more dysfunctional coping and higher levels of psychological distress, as predicted. Emotion-focused coping was associated with fewer depressive symptoms following trauma among participants with low levels of institutional religiousness. These data suggest a complex relationship between trauma, posttraumatic growth, distress, and coping among varying levels of (non)religiousness/(non)spirituality. This study is among the first to suggest that problem-focused coping in particular may promote positive psychological outcomes among nonreligious/nonspiritual people following a natural disaster or traumatic event. Implications of these data (i.e., for treatment of trauma) are discussed.
Contemporary studies on suitability of biomaterials for mouth-guards

Abstract Use of Mouth Guards (MGs) can protect from such orofacial injuries in contact sports by reducing the impact force through its shock absorption capabilities. The objective of the current study is to organize relevant literature by other researchers following selection of suitable biomaterial for mouth guards. Orofacial injuries in contact sports (such as boxing, rugby, football, basketball, and karate, etc.) are common events. There are three different types of Mouth Guards available: Boil and bite, Stock, and Custom made. The Boil and bite are made by thermoplastic material and further heated in hot water and placing it in an athlete’s mouth by pressure application. The stock type has been found cheaper than the other two. The custom-made type is prepared on the imprints of the mouth of an individual patient. It has great benefits than two and provides greater comfort while speaking but slightly costlier. The MGs are available in different thicknesses according to the type of MGs and patient needs. Thickness carries an important role in fabricating MGs. Thickness affects comfort, breathing, speech, and shock absorption capabilities during activities. But there is still no specific thickness or material prescribed carrying good comfort and provides better protection from impact. It is still expected to conduct extensive impact studies on varieties of materials, combinations of available materials and also varieties of Biomaterials available for MGs to verify suitability being optimum one. EVA MGs, polycarbonate foam, polycarbonate-EVA Sandwich, polystyrene-polyolefin copolymer, new-generation polyolefin self-adapting MGs, Corflex have been seen to be the biomaterial choice for mouth guards.
Sex and posture dependence of neck muscle size-strength relationships.

Abstract Neck muscle size and strength have been linked to lower injury risk and reduced pain. However, prior findings have been inconclusive and have failed to clarify whether there are sex differences in neck muscle size-strength relationships. Such differences may point to an underlying cause for the reported sex difference in neck pain prevalence. Thirty participants (13 males, 17 females) who underwent neck strength testing and MR imaging were analyzed. Strength was measured in three conditions that differed in posture and exertion direction. Muscle size was quantified by three metrics: anatomical cross-sectional area (ACSA), muscle volume (MV), and an estimate of physiological cross-sectional area—reconstruction-based cross-sectional area (RCSA). Inter-posture strength correlations, muscle size-strength correlations, and sex differences were analyzed with linear regression. Males were approximately 65% stronger and had significantly larger muscles. Strength varied significantly across postures, but only female strength values for different postures were significantly correlated. Observed in males only, the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) was a strong predictor of flexion strength in the neutral posture while the anterior scalene (AS) was more involved in the extended. No extensor’s size was significantly linked to extension strength. A greater amount of force variation is unexplained by muscle size alone in females than in males. Males and females exhibited distinct size-strength relationships, highlighting the need for sex-specific models and analyses and the greater potential effect of non-morphometric factors on force generating capacity in females. No advantage of one muscle size metric over another in strength prediction was evidenced.
Evaluating landfill leachate treatment by organic municipal solid waste-derived biochar

Transforming the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) into biochar to reduce fugitive landfill emissions and control organic micropollutants (OMP) during landfill leachate treatment could provide a new circular economy organics diversion approach. However, research on landfill leachate treatment under consistent, representative conditions with biochar derived from the wide range of OFMSW components is needed. Further, the competitive nature of leachate dissolved organic matter (DOM) for biochar adsorption sites has not been examined. To this end, biochars were produced from seven diverse OFMSW types and batch tested using two representative organic contaminants. To evaluate leachate DOM impact on OMP removal and fouling mitigation with biochar enhancement methods, experiments were performed with three background matrices (deionized water, synthetic leachate, real leachate) and two enhancement methods (ash-pretreatment, double-heating). Since evaluating all possible OFMSW feedstock combinations is infeasible, fundamental relationships between individual feedstocks and biochar properties were evaluated. Overall, biochar performance varied substantially; the dose to achieve a given target removal spanned an order of magnitude between the OFMSW feedstocks. Also, the presence of leachate DOM more negatively impacted the performance of all biochars relative to the benchmark adsorbent activated carbon. Finally, the enhancement methods altered biochar pore structure by increasing micropore and slightly decreasing non-micropore surface areas, resulting in improved adsorption capacity (by 23 to 93%). By providing the basis for a low-cost, enhanced leachate treatment method, this study could incentivize a novel organics diversion approach that reduces climate change impacts, harvests energy from waste, and reduces landfill air emissions.
Hate Crimes against Gay Men and Lesbian Women: A Routine Activity Approach for Predicting Victimization Risk

Les AA. se penchent sur les violences perpetrees a l'encontre des gays et des lesbiennes dans une ville du mid-south americain. Par une approche fondee sur la theorie de l'activite de routine, ils montrent que la crainte de l'agression n'est pas rare dans la communaute homosexuelle, et qu'elle est liee a l'accessibilite et a la vulnerabilite en tant que que victime potentielle
Kernels for Semi-Structured Data

Semi-structured data such as XML and HTML is attracting considerable attention. It is important to develop various kinds of data mining techniques that can handle semistructured data. In this paper, we discuss applications of kernel methods for semistructured data. We model semi-structured data by labeled ordered trees, and present kernels for classifying labeled ordered trees based on their tag structures by generalizing the convolution kernel for parse trees introduced by Collins and Duffy (2001). We give algorithms to efficiently compute the kernels for labeled ordered trees. We also apply our kernels to node marking problems that are special cases of information extraction from trees. Preliminary experiments using artificial data and real HTML documents show encouraging results.
LOS EFECTOS DE LA SEGURIDAD SOCIAL La experiencia de diecisiete paises

Este articulo examina una ecuacion de Euler para el consumo per capita a fin de investigar si la seguridad social aumenta el consumo ceteris paribus en 17 paises. Con base en el trabajo seminal de Feldstein, la bibliografia ha estimado funciones de consumo para resolver este interrogante. Desafortunadamente, las funciones de consumo confunden los parametros estructurales y los de expectativas, lo que torna problematica su interpretacion. Ademas, si sus variables son estacionarias en las diferencias, el metodo de minimos cuadrados podria producir estimaciones parametricas incongruentes y en la virtual totalidad de los casos debe producir errores estandares inconsistentes para los parametros estimados. En cambio, con supuestos razonables, el metodo generalizado de los momentos estima congruentemente los parametros y los errores estandares de las ecuaciones de Euler. Ademas, los parametros son interpretables con mas facilidad. El ensayo encuentra grandes pruebas de que la seguridad social aumenta el consumo ceteris paribus . Ademas, las estimaciones de coeficientes implican grandes efectos negativos en las tasas de crecimiento del acervo de capital, la produccion y el consumo a lo largo de sus tasas de crecimientoequilibrado, o bien en sus niveles.
Urban Sprawl in a U.S. Metropolitan Area: Ways to Measure and a Comparison of the Sacramento Area to Similar Metropolitan Areas in California and the U.S.

This paper is the first step toward a broad research agenda that will define possible ways of measuring urban sprawl in U.S. metropolitan areas, test the notion that fiscal choices by local governments can further urban sprawl, and if appropriate, use this test to form the basis for public policies to reduce sprawl and the negative outcomes attributed to it. To derive a consensus on the best ways to measure the degree of urban sprawl in an U.S. metropolitan area, the paper begins with a short survey of previous economic, planning, and popular literature on the topic. Next, the paper offers values for the consensus ways of measuring urban sprawl in the Sacramento metropolitan region, two like regions in California, and three comparable regions in the United States. Partial correlation coefficients measure the association between these measures of urban sprawl and some measures of negative urban outcomes. The conclusion contains a discussion on the need for further research, and a few suggestions on how to go about it.
Long-term Oral Acyclovir Therapy: Effect on Recurrent Infectious Herpes Simplex Keratitis in Patients with and without Grafts

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of long-term oral acyclovir therapy in reducing recurrences of dendritic or geographic herpes simplex keratitis (HSK). Methods: Thirteen patients with a history of frequently recurring HSK were followed before (mean, 27 months) and during long-term systemic acyclovir, and eight were followed after the acyclovir was discontinued. Results: Treatment ranged from 8.5 to 62 months (mean, 34 months). During treatment, the number of recurrences per month decreased from 0.15 to 0.03, and the average duration of relapses decreased from 12.6 to 7.8 days. Recurrences correlated with daily doses of oral acyclovir of 800 mg or less, intraocular surgery within 6 weeks of initiating treatment, and discontinuation of therapy against medical advice. Conclusion: The results of this small study appear to demonstrate the efficacy of long-term oral acyclovir in prophylaxis of recurrent epithelial herpes simplex infection: therapeutic doses of oral acyclovir reduce both the rate and duration of recurrences of infectious herpetic keratitis. A multicenter, double-masked, placebo-controlled study is indicated.
Denoising practices for electrocardiographic (ECG) signals: A survey

Most of the cardiac disorders are diagnosed by analysis of electrocardiogram (ECG) of the subject. Noise sources in ECG can either be cardiac or extra cardiac, resulting in the distribution of artifacts throughout the original signal. Non-ideal conditions such as electromagnetic interference caused by power cables of the monitoring equipment and muscle or electrode movements corrupt the ECG. This leads to inaccurate analysis of fatal cardiac diseases such as arrhythmias making noise removal from the ECG signals necessary before using them for diagnosis purposes. PLI, Baseline Wander, motion artifact (MA) and muscle artifacts (EMG) are the most common types of noise contaminating an ECG signal. This paper presents a survey of some of the major denoising techniques from recent years used in biomedical signal processing for de-noising ECGs. The techniques were simulated and tested on various renowned benchmark datasets mainly MIT-BIH Cardiac Arrhythmias Database. Performance comparisons have also been discussed in the paper.
Regulation of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B: Effect of Thiamine Starvation

During the transition between the exponential and stationary phases of growth, there was a rapid accumulation of both cell-associated and extracellular enterotoxin B. Extracellular enterotoxin was synthesized until the cells entered the stationary phase during which cell-bound toxin was not detected. The differential rate of toxin synthesis relative to that of total protein synthesis was greater at pH 7.7 than at 6.0. Addition of glucose decreased the differential rate of toxin synthesis. This decrease was greater at pH 7.7 than at 6.0. Addition of pyruvate decreased the differential rate at pH 7.7 but not at 6.0. Analysis of the nongaseous end products of glucose and pyruvate metabolism showed that conditions which favor the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate also favor the repression of toxin synthesis. Elimination of thiamine from the medium prevented the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate by Staphylococcus aureus S-6 and partially or completely reversed the repression of toxin synthesis by glucose and pyruvate. In the absence of an added energy source, thiamine starvation caused a decrease in protein synthesis but an increased differential rate of toxin synthesis which was greater at pH 7.7 than at 6.0. In the absence of thiamine, pyruvate was not metabolized but caused a decrease in the rate of protein synthesis. This resulted in a twofold increase in the differential rate of toxin synthesis. Thus, conditions which altered the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate or decreased the rate of protein synthesis increased the rate of enterotoxin B synthesis.
Intimate Partner Violence: The Recovery Experience

This qualitative study explored the recovery experience of six women who have survived intimate partner violence. Interviews were used as an instrument to elicit the individual stories of each of these women. Qualitative analysis revealed two types of themes: process and supports. The process themes include (a) spirituality, (b) facing death, (c) future relationships and (d) hope and encouragement. The support themes include (a) professional help (effective and ineffective) and (b) informal supports (family/friends/other survivors). Implications for helping professionals include the call for increased understanding of the recovery process and the need to abandon preset agendas when working with survivors.