cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
759: A longitudinal study of plasma and urine levels of nephrin in normal pregnancy

levels of nephrin in normal pregnancy Hee young Cho, Ju hyun Cho, Jung hwa Park, Sue Min Chung, Yong Won Park, Ga Hyun Son, Young Han Kim, JA-YOUNG KWON Yonsei University Health System, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Seoul, South Korea, Yonsei University Health System, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seoul, South Korea OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe plasma and urine levels of nephrin throughout normal pregnancy and postpartum. STUDY DESIGN: This prospective longitudinal study included ninetyeight healthy women with normal pregnancies from October 2010. Sequential blood and urine samples were obtained at 5-15, 16-20, 21-28, 29-40 weeks of gestation and postpartum 4-6 weeks. Nephrin levels in serum and urine were measured with a sandwich enzyme immunoassay (USCN Life Science Inc.). The color in each well was determined by an absorbance microplate reader (Multiskan FC, Thermo Scientific, Finland). Median plasma levels, maximum, minimum values and the 25th to the 75th percentile were calculated. RESULTS: Median maternal age was 32.5 years(25-40years) and 45.9%(45/98) were nulliparous. Serum nephrin levels were relatively constant throughout normal pregnancy. Median serum nephrin levels were from 81.59ng/ml(28.94-226.92ng/ml) to 89.21ng/ml(29.39225.60ng/ml) and postpartum levels were 108.046 ng/ml(98.06118.02ng/ml). Median range of urine nephrin levels were from 0.13ng/ml(0.03-0.68ng/ml) to 0.21ng/ml(0.07-1.03ng/ml). CONCLUSION: This longitudinal study presents how serum and urine nephrin levels change throughout normal pregnancy and postpartum. This may serve as the reference against which nephrin can be studied in complicated pregnancies as preeclampsia.
Near-field turbulence properties of single- and two-stream plane mixing layers

Detailed mean flow and turbulence measurements have been made in the near-field of two plane mixing layers in air with a maximum velocity of 21 m/s. The experimental rig enabled mixing layers of velocity ratios 0 and 0.46 to be generated simultaneously. Cases with both tripped and untripped initial boundary layers were studied. In all cases, it was found that the two-stream layer developed to the self-preserving state in a distance much shorter than the single-stream layer, which followed accepted criteria for the development distance. The asymptotic levels of the turbulence quantities in the two-stream layer and the development of the single-stream layer showed agreement with existing data. The results suggest that the two-stream mixing layer should provide a better test case for the development of turbulence models and calculation methods than the single-stream mixing layer.
Measurement of Railway-Motor Temperatures in Service

THE EVER-INCREASING application of Diesel-electric locomotives to the many diversified traffic requirements of the railway systems over the nation is an acknowledgment of the versatility and effectiveness of this type of motive power. It brings to the steam road the high availability of the Diesel engine, the practical adaptation of which to railway-traction requirements is made possible through the electric transmission. The electric generator coupled to the Diesel engine enables the essentially constant torque and speed output of the prime mover to be converted to the widely variable range of torque and speed required for traction by means of electric motors geared to the locomotive drivers. This same transmission is used again when electric braking is applied to reduce or hold train speed.
Interspecific brood parasitism in blackbirds (Icterinae): a phylogenetic perspective

An 852-base pair region of the cytochrome-b gene was sequenced for the brood parasitic cowbirds and 20 additional taxa of the New World blackbirds (Icterinae). The goal of the study was to determine (i) whether interspecific brood parasitism is multiply derived within the assemblage and (ii) the nature of the evolutionary transformation between various forms of interspecific brood parasitism. Cladistic analysis of the sequence data indicates that brood parasitism evolved a single time within the Icterinae. The primitive form of interspecific brood parasitism in this assemblage is host-specificity, with host-generality representing the derived condition.
Transmission enhancement and suppression by subwavelength hole arrays in polaritonic films

We report that polaritonic thin films with a periodic array of subwavelength holes allow near-perfect transmission in the polariton gap where homogeneous films completely suppress transmission. We find that both propagating modes inside the subwavelength holes and surface resonances on the film interfaces play a crucial role in the transmission behavior. In the frequency range where both occur simultaneously, they interfere destructively and completely suppress transmission. When both mechanisms are spectrally separated, each individually results in enhanced transmission.
Fluorine and proton NMR studies of the conformations of 4.4-difluorocyclohexanol and its benzoate.

Fluorine substitution into a polar flexible molecule may be expected to significantly alter the conformational equilibria for that molecule because of electrostatic (or other) interactions between polar substituents and the fluorine atoms. Therefore, the “fluorine-labeling technique” which has been used successfully in conformational studies of hydrocarbons (4.5). should not be extended to polar flexible molecules without taking account of the interactions introduced by the fluorine atoms and their effect on the conformational energies. We report here studies of conformational equilibria by fluorine and proton nmr directed toward evaluation of the transannular interactions introduced when a 4,4-difluoro group is substituted into cyclohexanol (and other related polar flexible molecules).
Reaction of CCl 2 F 2 and C 2 H 6 with Iron Films

THE stability of CCl2F2 (‘Freon 12’, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. trademark) at moderately high temperatures (300° C) in the presence of metals and saturated hydrocarbons is of importance because of the wide application of this substance as a refrigerating fluid. A number of workers have investigated its stability. Norton1 observed the thermal decomposition of pure gaseous CCl2F2 to occur at a significant rate (1 per cent decomposition/h) at a temperature of about 520° C. He observed that the decomposition was strongly catalysed by Fe2O3 but not by bulk iron. Spauschus and Doderer2 reported that at 175°–200° C, CCl2F2 reacts with a highly refined mineral oil to produce CHClF2 (‘Freon 22’) and a carbonaceous residue. The exact nature of this reaction is unknown, but it is influenced by the presence of bulk iron and other metals.
Development and transformation of the aortic arches in the equine embryos with special attention to the formation of the definitive arch of the aorta and the common brachiocephalic trunk

The development and transformation of the aortic arches were studied in 84 equine embryos (5 to 35 mm CRL; approximately 21–49 days of gestation). The arch of the aorta and the vessels which originate from it were also examined in several fetuses (41–335 mm CRL) and in a full-term fetus. There are six pairs of aortic arches that originate from the ventral aortic root. The first and second aortic arches regress very early, while the fifth pair appears in a vestigial form relatively late in the development, when the truncus arteriosus divides into the aortic and pulmonary channels. The development of the cervical intersegmental arteries is described and the formation of the subclavian arteries is discussed. The primitive arch of the aorta appears at the earliest in the 14–15.5 mm CRL equine embryos (approximately 35 days of gestation). The segments of the aortic arches system which are incorporated in the formation of the definitive arch of the aorta are discussed. Three vessels, the innominate (brachiocephalic) artery, the left common carotid artery, and the left subclavian artery, originate from the primitive arch of the aorta. This arrangement of the vessels is regarded as the primitive mammalian pattern. Two more stages precede the development of the definitive arch of the aorta and the common brachiocephalic trunk in the equine embryos, at approximately 42 days of gestation. The secondary changes, which occur in the process of formation of the arch of the aorta and the common brachiocephalic trunk, are described and discussed. Certain anomalies of the arrangement of the vessels from the arch of the aorta are also discussed.
Net social profitability, domestic resource costs, and effective rate of protection

Net social profitability (NSP) and domestic resource costs of foreign exchange earned or saved (DRC) are conceptually related, since each can be derived from the other. The effective rate of protection on value added (ERP) is algebraically identical to DRC if all importable inputs are actually imported or are zero, NSP is zero, and (ERP+1) is multiplied by the shadow price of foreign exchange. A decision rule for allocation of resources is to approve all projects with a positive NSP and a DRC ratio less than the shadow price of foreign exchange. No comparable rule can be stated for ERP, except under special assumptions.
Evaluating Inhibition of the Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF)-Induced Response of Mutant MCF10A Cells with an Acoustic Sensor

Many cancer treatments rely on inhibition of epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced cellular responses. Evaluating drug effects on such responses becomes critical to the development of new cancer therapeutics. In this report, we have employed a label-free acoustic sensor, the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D), to track the EGF-induced response of mutant MCF10A cells under various inhibitory conditions. We have identified a complex cell de-adhesion process, which can be distinctly altered by inhibitors of signaling pathways and cytoskeleton formation in a dose-dependent manner. The dose dependencies of the inhibitors provide IC50 values which are in strong agreement with the values reported in the literature, demonstrating the sensitivity and reliability of the QCM-D as a screening tool. Using immunofluorescence imaging, we have also verified the quantitative relationship between the ΔD-response (change in energy dissipation factor) and the level of focal adhesions quantified with the areal density of immunostained vinculin under those inhibitory conditions. Such a correlation suggests that the dynamic restructuring of focal adhesions can be assessed based on the time-dependent change in ΔD-response. Overall, this report has shown that the QCM-D has the potential to become an effective sensing platform for screening therapeutic agents that target signaling and cytoskeletal proteins.
Differentiation of immunochemically related enzymes in different primate species by monoclonal antibodies

An unusual heat-stable form of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) that closely resembles human placental ALP in its immunologic characteristics has been found to occur in substantial amounts in lung from certain Old World monkeys [1]. In Ouchterlony double diffusion plates using rabbit antiserum raised against purified human placental ALP, the Old World monkey lung ALPs give precipitin lines continuous with that given by human placental ALP and with no detectable spurring. However, these ALPs can be sharply distinguished from human placental ALP and indeed from other human and non-human primate ALPs by their relative sensitivities to certain amino acid and tripeptide inhibitors [1]. The purpose of this work was to probe the immunochemical characteristics of these ALPs further, by using a series of monoclonal antibodies raised against human placental ALP and known to be directed at a series of different antigenic sites on the surface of the ALP molecule [2,3]. Two different methods were used. The first involves electrophoretic separation of enzyme/ antibody complexes from uncomplexed enzyme. The second is based on assays of enzyme activity in immobilized enzyme/antibody complexes. A distinctive immunochemical profile differentiating these ALPs from human placental ALP was obtained.
The Causal Effect of Corporate Governance on Corporate Social Responsibility

In this article, we examine the empirical association between corporate governance (CG) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagement by investigating their causal effects. Employing a large and extensive US sample, we first find that while the lag of CSR does not affect CG variables, the lag of CG variables positively affects firms’ CSR engagement, after controlling for various firm characteristics. In addition, to examine the relative importance of stakeholder theory and agency theory regarding the associations among CSR, CG, and corporate financial performance (CFP), we also examine the relation between CSR and CFP. After correcting for endogeneity bias, our results show that CSR engagement positively influences CFP, supporting the conflict-resolution hypothesis based on stakeholder theory, but not the CSR overinvestment argument based on agency theory. Furthermore, firms’ CSR engagement with the community, environment, diversity, and employees plays a significantly positive role in enhancing CFP.
The Behavioural Consequences of Size Variation Among Males of the Territorial Wasp Hemipepsis Ust Ulata (Hymenoptera : Pompilidae)

(I) Some males of the pompilid wasp Hemipepsis ustulata defend territories in the crowns of palo verdes and other trees and bushes located high on the crest of mountain ridges. During the month of May in central Arizona territorial wasps remained at their stations for as many as 5 hr after sunrise; several individuals held the same site for more than two weeks. (2) Many palo verdes were never claimed despite the fact that large numbers of wasps visited trees held by other males and would occupy territories from which resident males had been experimentally removed. (3) Territory owners tended to be larger than non-territorial visitors, atlhough some small males in this highly variable species were able to hold certain territories for 2 or more days. (4) Palo verdes that were on or very close to peaktops along a mountain ridge were preferred territories. Prolonged clashes for possession of a tree were observed only at these sites. When resident males were removed from a number of trees along an ascending ridge, the higher trees were taken by newcomer males more quickly than the lower ones. (5) Relatively large males were found in preferred territories. In general, the closer a territory was to a peaktop, the larger the resident male. Smaller wasps either visited many territories as intruders or they established residence in trees below the preferred peaktop sites.
The effect of retinal location on the magnitude of the Poggendorff illusion

The effect of retinal locus on the magnitude of the Poggendorff illusion was investigated. A significant illusion was found to occur in the fovea and in undiminished magnitude at the peripheral locations horizontally displaced from the fovea. No significant illusion was induced at the vertically displaced positions. It is suggested that the results obtained at the positions displaced from the fovea may be attributable to the refracting surfaces of the cornea, and that these findings lend support to an account of the Poggendorff illusion which emphasizes the significant involvement of peripheral mechanisms.
On the optimal number of hops in relay networks

In this paper we investigate the bandwidth (throughput) and energy efficiency considering both the physical layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer in multi-hop relay wireless networks. For a given distance between the source and the destination, as the number of relays increases the overhead necessary to operate the MAC protocol increases. However, the energy needed for a given throughput decreases when the distance between relays decreases. Thus there is an optimal number of relays that optimizes both the throughput and the energy efficiency. We analyze how the number of relays used between the source and the destination affects the throughput and the energy consumption. The energy-throughput relationship incorporating both the physical layer and the MAC layer was considered in the analysis and optimization of the number of relays. Based on the analysis we provide general criteria for the optimal number of relays.
Characteristics of laser surface melted aluminum alloys.

Specimens of Al–Fe 1–4 w/o, 2024 and 6061 Al have been surface melted with a pulsed Nd-glass laser. A TEM and SEM study showed that the dendrite spacings were from 2500 A to 4000 A which corresponds to a cooling rate of over 106 °C/sec. Melt depths obtained were in the range of 30–100 μm. No significant surface vaporization was observed at energy densities up to 440 J/cm2. Fracture surfaces of the commerical alloys demonstrated elongated porosity in the melt areas, probably due to internal hydrogen.
A New Chromosomal Phylogeny Supports the Repeated Origin of Vectorial Capacity in Malaria Mosquitoes of the Anopheles gambiae Complex

Understanding phylogenetic relationships within species complexes of disease vectors is crucial for identifying genomic changes associated with the evolution of epidemiologically important traits. However, the high degree of genetic similarity among sibling species confounds the ability to determine phylogenetic relationships using molecular markers. The goal of this study was to infer the ancestral–descendant relationships among malaria vectors and nonvectors of the Anopheles gambiae species complex by analyzing breakpoints of fixed chromosomal inversions in ingroup and several outgroup species. We identified genes at breakpoints of fixed overlapping chromosomal inversions 2Ro and 2Rp of An. merus using fluorescence in situ hybridization, a whole-genome mate-paired sequencing, and clone sequencing. We also mapped breakpoints of a chromosomal inversion 2La (common to An. merus, An. gambiae, and An. arabiensis) in outgroup species using a bioinformatics approach. We demonstrated that the “standard” 2R+p arrangement and “inverted” 2Ro and 2La arrangements are present in outgroup species Anopheles stephensi, Aedes aegypti, and Culex quinquefasciatus. The data indicate that the ancestral species of the An. gambiae complex had the 2Ro, 2R+p, and 2La chromosomal arrangements. The “inverted” 2Ro arrangement uniquely characterizes a malaria vector An. merus as the basal species in the complex. The rooted chromosomal phylogeny implies that An. merus acquired the 2Rp inversion and that its sister species An. gambiae acquired the 2R+o inversion from the ancestral species. The karyotype of nonvectors An. quadriannulatus A and B was derived from the karyotype of the major malaria vector An. gambiae. We conclude that the ability to effectively transmit human malaria had originated repeatedly in the complex. Our findings also suggest that saltwater tolerance originated first in An. merus and then independently in An. melas. The new chromosomal phylogeny will facilitate identifying the association of evolutionary genomic changes with epidemiologically important phenotypes.
State of the Art Survey of Reference Sources in Music

Although none of the new music reference books of the past year totally replaces the old stand‐bys, some significant works did appear, especially in the areas of contemporary music, opera, and classical music discography.
C-3 glucosiduronates of metabolites of adrenal steroids.

Abstract On treatment with methyl 2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-l-bromo-l-deoxy-α-D-glucuronate and silver carbonate, tetrahydrocortisone ★ 21-acetate gave the corresponding 3-glucosiduronate triacetyl methyl ester. This product was converted into the 20-semicarbazone which, by treatment with alkali to hydrolyze the ester functions and acid to hydrolyse the semicarbazone moiety, gave tetrahydrocortisone 3-glucosiduronic acid. The acid was converted into the crystalline barium salt and into the methyl ester. An analogous series of reactions was carried out on tetrahydrocortexolone 21-acetate. Treatment of the 20-semicarbazone of tetrahydrocortisone 3-glucosiduronic acid with potassium borohydride reduced the 11-oxo function to an 11β hydroxyl group; acid-catalyzed removal of the semicarbazone group produced tetrahydrocortisol 3-glucosiduronic acid which also was obtained as the barium salt and the methyl ester.
Having a Genuine Impact on Teaching and Learning – Today and Tomorrow

Education – especially for those in the primary and secondary grades – is in desperate need of an upgrade. Children are bored in class; teachers still use 19th century materials. And, as for the content, well, we still teach children about Mendel’s darn peas. We are failing to prepare our children to be productive and effective in the 21st century.
Key Concepts in Two-Person Relational Psychology

The empirical study of infants and toddlers confirmed what Bowlby (1969) and Winnicott (1971) had believed: that the infant was indeed a “social being.” This hypothesis inspired a generation of developmental researchers to search for the neurobiological underpinnings of childhood psychological growth and behavioral issues. Today, there is little debate that the human brain is a social organ. The changes undertaken by the brain from infancy to adulthood are mediated by the processes of emotional availability, attachment, affect regulation, and cognition, which all play a central role in two-person relational psychotherapy. Cozolino, a developmental neuroscientist, writes, “A therapist attempts to restructure neural architecture in the service of the more adaptive behavior, cognition, and emotion” (2010). Additional research has demonstrated that infants have an innate bias toward self-regulation and mastery and work to create a coherence of their perceptual experience and maintain organization of their happenings. As such, we currently are in an era in which the importance of what happens during infancy, stored as relational schemas in nondeclarative memory systems, can be nonconsciously retrieved by the patient and changed through here-and-now new emotional experiences with the psychotherapist. This is in contrast to Gilmore and Meersand (2014), who in their very much traditional one-person psychology book on child and adolescent development regrettably state, “Although we concur that certain basic interpersonal, emotional, and biological needs must be met in infancy for development to proceed, we do not see infancy as the preeminent developmental moment” (italics ours). Therefore, we provide the reader the necessary information from infant developmental research to help elucidate that infancy is in fact a preeminent developmental moment.
Finding objects through stochastic shortest path problems

This paper presents a novel formulation for the problem of finding objects in a known environment while minimizing the search cost. Our approach consists in formalizing this class of problems as Stochastic Shortest Path (SSP) problems, a decision-theoretic framework for probabilistic environments. The obtained problems are solved by using off-the-shelf domain-independent probabilistic planners. The advantages of this approach includes: (i) a well defined optimization problem in which the probability of finding the object is maximized while minimizing the cost of searching for the object; and (ii) being able to take advantage, without any modifications to our model, of any (future) technique in the field of domain-independent probabilistic planners, such as better algorithms and better heuristics. We also contribute by empirically comparing three probabilistic planners algorithms, namely FF-Replan, UCT and SSiPP, using our proposed class of problems.
Effects of Habitat on Competition Between Kit Foxes and Coyotes

San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) are an endangered species with a narrow geographic range whose natural populations are limited by predation by coyotes (Canis latrans). In the warm, arid grassland and shrubland habitats where kit foxes occur, coyotes are more cover dependent than kit foxes, creating the possibility of habitat segregation. Effects of habitat variation on coyote and kit fox competition are unknown. We assessed exploitation and interference competition between coyotes and kit foxes in grassland and shrubland habitats to determine if such competition varies among habitats. With respect to exploitation competition, we evaluated habitat and spatial partitioning, diet, prey abundance, and survival for kit foxes and coyotes at the Lokern Natural Area in central California, USA, from January 2003 through June 2004. Kit foxes partitioned habitat, space, and diet with coyotes. Coyotes primarily used shrubland habitats whereas kit foxes selectively used burned grasslands. Kit foxes and coyotes had high dietary overlap with regards to items used, but proportional use of items differed between the 2 species. Kit foxes selected for Heermann's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys heermanni), which were closely tied to shrub habitats. With respect to interference competition, predation was the primary source of mortality for kit foxes, and survival of individual kit foxes was inversely related to proportion of shrub habitat within their home ranges. Our results suggest that a heterogeneous landscape may benefit kit foxes by providing habitat patches where predation risk may be lower.
A User-Assisted Approach to Visualizing Multidimensional Images

We present a new technique for fusing together an arbitrary number of aligned images into a single color or intensity image. We approach this fusion problem from the context of Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) and describe an algorithm that preserves the relative distances between pairs of pixel values in the input (vectors of measurements) as perceived differences in a color image. The two main advantages of our approach over existing techniques are that it can incorporate user constraints into the mapping process and allows adaptively compressing or exaggerating features in the input in order to make better use of the output's limited dynamic range. We demonstrate these benefits by showing applications in various scientific domains and comparing our algorithm to previously proposed techniques.
Secondary Patency of Thrombosed Prosthetic Vascular Access Grafts with Aggressive Surveillance, Monitoring and Endovascular Management

Background To study the long-term patency of thrombosed prosthetic vascular access grafts treated with percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy (PMT) followed by aggressive surveillance and monitoring and repeated endovascular interventions. Study design Two hundred seven vascular access grafts presented with first-time thrombosis were treated with PMT using the AngioJet device (n = 185) or the Arrow-Trerotola percutaneous thrombolytic device (n = 22) followed by angioplasty (± stenting) of the anatomical lesion responsible for the thrombotic event. Clinical success was considered at least one successful subsequent hemodialysis session. Graft surveillance/monitoring included clinical and hemodialysis parameters to detect a failing or thrombosed graft. Results PMT was technically successful in 202 cases (97.6%) and clinically successful in 193 cases (93.2%). During follow-up, 149 got thrombosed and either abandoned (n = 33) or underwent at least once repeat thrombectomy (n = 116); finally 100 grafts were abandoned (n = 90), ligated (n = 5) or removed (n = 5). Endovascular management (0.54 procedures per 100 graft-days, thrombectomy, n = 307 sessions and angioplasty, n = 162 sessions) increased significantly functional assisted-primary patency rates from 29% and 14% at 1 and 2 years to a secondary patency of 62% and 47%, respectively. Secondary patency was worse in loop grafts (P = .02) and intermediate graft thrombosis (occurred between 31–182 days after graft placement, P < .001) and better when renal failure was due to hypertension or diabetes (compared to other or cryptogenic causes, P = .048) or isolated angioplasty for graft dysfunction during follow-up had been performed (P < .001). Multivariate analysis identified intermediate graft thrombosis and isolated angioplasty as independent predictors of secondary patency (P < .001, relative risk 2.77 and P < .001, relative risk 0.28, respectively). Conclusions PMT is a highly successful procedure with acceptable long-term secondary patency results, provided that aggressive endovascular management of subsequent thrombotic or dysfunction episode is performed. Further research to identify the causes of intermediate graft thrombosis is justified.
CBCT volumetric coverage extension using a pair of complementary circular scans with complementary kV detector lateral and longitudinal offsets.

Onboard cone-beam CT (CBCT) has been widely used in image guided radiation therapy. However, the longitudinal coverage is only 15.5 cm in the pelvis scan mode. As a result, a single CBCT scan cannot cover the planning target volume in the longitudinal direction for over 80% of the patients. The common approach is to use double- or multiple-circular scans and then combine multiple CBCT volumes after reconstruction. However it raises concerns regarding doubled imaging dose at the imaging beam junctions due to beam divergence. In this work, we present a new method, DSCS (Dual Scan with Complementary Shifts), to address the CBCT coverage problem using a pair of complementary circular scans. In DSCS, two circular scans were performed at 39.5 cm apart longitudinally. In the superior scan, the detector panel was offset by 16 cm to the left, 15 cm to the inferior. In the inferior scan, the detector panel was shifted 16 cm to the right and 15 cm to the superior. The effective imaging volume is 39.5 cm longitudinally with a 45 cm lateral field-of-view (FOV). Half beam blocks were used to confine the imaging radiation inside the volume of interest. A new image reconstruction algorithm was developed, based on the Feldkamp–Davis–Kress cone-beam CT reconstruction algorithm, to support the DSCS scanning geometry. Digital phantom simulations were performed to demonstrate the feasibility of DSCS. Physical phantom studies were performed using an anthropomorphic phantom on a commercial onboard CBCT system. With basic scattering corrections, the reconstruction results were acceptable. Other issues, including the discrepancy in couch vertical at different couch longitudinal positions, and the inaccuracy in couch table longitudinal movement, were manually corrected during the reconstruction process. In conclusion, the phantom studies showed that, using DSCS, a 39.5 cm longitudinal coverage with a 45 cm FOV was accomplished. The efficiency of imaging dose usage was near 100%. This proposed method could be potentially useful for image guidance and subsequent treatment plan adaptation.
Large-scale CFD simulations of airflow and particle deposition in lung airway

Abstract The flow fields in the small bronchial tubes are mostly laminar. However, they are quite complex mainly due to the geometrical effects of the lung airways. Asymmetry, nonplanarity and multiple generations are the main attributes of the lung airway geometry. There are total 23 generations of airways in human lung. The complexity of the airflow in the lung airway increases with an increasing number of generations. Particle deposition in bronchial tubes is strongly affected by these complex flow fields. Simulation of flow and particle deposition in multi-generational bronchial tube geometries is a major challenge because of the complexity of the geometry and size of the problem. The unsteady nature of inhale–exhale breathing cycles further complicates the problem. In this study, we simulate flows and particle deposition in an idealized lung geometry consisting of a ten-generation, nonplanar, bronchial tube model using our hybrid (finite element/finite volume), matrix free, parallel CaMEL solver. Steady-state inspiratory and unsteady flows were simulated with an inlet Reynolds number of 319. In this study, the large-scale CFD simulations for ten-generation bronchial tube model were successfully demonstrated. The particle transport was simulated using our Lagrangian based particle tracking model. The impact of unsteadiness on particle deposition was investigated by employing particle deposition efficiencies in each generation and particle destination maps. Particles were released at different inhalation times to investigate the unsteady effects. The results showed different particle deposition patterns for different particle release times. Particles released later in inhalation phase resulted in comparatively more particle deposition. The particle deposition before and after inhalation peak, which had identical inflow conditions, were observed to be significantly different due to the slight differences in strength of the vortices. Also, the results showed importance of geometry in later generations in particle deposition.
POY version 5: phylogenetic analysis using dynamic homologies under multiple optimality criteria

We present POY version 5, an open source program for the phylogenetic analysis of diverse data types including qualitative, aligned sequences, unaligned sequences, genomic data, and user-defined sequences. In addition to the maximum-parsimony optimality criterion supported by POY4, POY5 supports several types of maximum likelihood as well as posterior probability. To make these analyses feasible, new heuristic search algorithms and parallelization options have been implemented for all criteria. © The Willi Hennig Society 2014.
The Microphysical Structure of Extreme Precipitation as Inferred from Ground-Based Raindrop Spectra

Abstract The controls on the variability of raindrop size distributions in extreme rainfall and the associated radar reflectivity–rain rate relationships are studied using a scaling-law formalism for the description of raindrop size distributions and their properties. This scaling-law formalism enables a separation of the effects of changes in the scale of the raindrop size distribution from those in its shape. Parameters controlling the scale and shape of the scaled raindrop size distribution may be related to the microphysical processes generating extreme rainfall. A global scaling analysis of raindrop size distributions corresponding to rain rates exceeding 100 mm h−1, collected during the 1950s with the Illinois State Water Survey raindrop camera in Miami, Florida, reveals that extreme rain rates tend to be associated with conditions in which the variability of the raindrop size distribution is strongly number controlled (i.e., characteristic drop sizes are roughly constant). This means that changes i...
Bioluminescence in Vibrio fischeri is controlled by the redox‐responsive regulator ArcA

Summary Bioluminescence generated by the Vibrio fischeri Lux system consumes oxygen and reducing power, and it has been proposed that cells use this to counteract either oxidative stress or the accumulation of excess reductant. These models predict that lux expression should respond to redox conditions; yet no redox- responsive regulator of lux is known. We found that the luxICDABEG operon responsible for biolumines- cence is repressed by the ArcAB system, which is activated under reducing conditions. Consistent with a role for ArcAB in connecting redox monitoring to lux regulation, adding reductant decreased lumines- cence in an arc-dependent manner. ArcA binds to and regulates transcription from the luxICDABEG pro- moter, and it represses luminescence both in the bright strain MJ1 and in ES114, an isolate from the squid Euprymna scolopes that is not visibly lumines- cent in culture. In ES114, deleting arcA increased luminescence in culture ~500-fold to visible levels comparable to that of symbiotic cells. ArcA did not repress symbiotic luminescence, but by 48 h after inoculation, ArcA did contribute to colonization competitiveness. We hypothesize that inactivation of ArcA in response to oxidative stress during initial colonization derepresses luxICDABEG, but that ArcAB actively regulates other metabolic pathways in the more reduced environment of an established infection.
Medical Profiling: Narratives of Privilege, Prejudice, and HIV Stigma

In this article, the author uses selected narrative analysis methods to deconstruct stories presented in separate interviews by a married couple who believe that their HIV-infected adult daughter has been victimized by medical profiling. In their accounts, they construct their belief that their daughter’s gender, race, education, appearance, and socioeconomic status contributed to her not receiving an accurate diagnosis despite repeated medical examinations. Their similar accounts paint a picture of parents frantically seeking a diagnosis as symptoms worsen without explanation. They perceive that their daughter, not fitting the profiling ideas about who is at risk for HIV, missed her chance for early intervention. The author examines in detail how these parents separately tell similar stories, probably representing the explanation they have jointly constructed to explain what they see as a failure of medicine.
What is it to Share Contraceptive Responsibility

There are three stages at which procreative outcomes can be prevented or altered: (1) prior to conception (2) during pregnancy and (3) after birth. Daniel Engster (Soc Theory Pract 36(2):233–262, 2010) has ably argued that plans to prevent or alter procreative outcomes at stages (2) and (3)—through abortion and adoption—introduce financial, physical, and emotional hardships to which women are disproportionately vulnerable. In this paper, I argue that plans to prevent or alter undesirable procreative outcomes at stage (1)—through contraception use—similarly disadvantage women. I suggest that accounts proposing moral responsibilities to delay or permanently avoid procreation are insufficiently attentive to the methods through which undesirable procreative outcomes might be prevented and how such methods unfairly burden women. In conclusion, I propose several ways that men and women might more equitably share contraceptive responsibility.
Party and Policy in West German Cities

This paper attempts to measure the impact of party ideology focusing on policy making in West German urban government. An effort is made to determine whether city governments under the control of leftist parties sponsor different, possibly more leftist policies than cities under conservative control. It is found that while “leftist” control of municipal administrations does not produce leftist policies, conservative control does have a major impact in inhibiting the growth in the scope of local government. Several reasons for the only rough correspondence between party control and policy are examined. The low correlation between leftist (SPD) control and municipal output is traced to differences among SPD cities in the power of the SPD majority, in class structure, and in degree of financial independence. It is also traced to the lack of intercorrelation among the forms of “leftist” performance and the incremental nature of most urban policy making. Other factors—the power of municipal counter-elites and the federalistic structure of the West German government—are discounted as possible intervening variables.
The Experiences of Low-Income Latino/a Students in the California Community College System at a Time of Education Budget Cuts.

Budget cuts have reduced courses and student services within California community colleges. This coincides with the growth of low-income Latino male (Latinos) and Latina female (Latinas) student en...
Absence of ovicidal effects of fenoxycarb in the tick Ixodes dammini as observed by light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy

Freshly oviposited eggs from fed females of the northern deer tick Ixodes dammini were divided into two groups--untreated controls and fenoxycarb-exposed ova. The level of fenoxycarb exposure in the experimental group was equal to a concentration that proved 100% lethal in the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Marchiondo et al. 1990). Both groups were allowed to develop with samples taken at 48 and 144 h for examination by light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. No disruption of the stages of tick embryological development was observed when specimens were examined by these methods. Eggs not sampled for light microscopy or scanning or transmission electron microscopy during development were allowed to hatch. The resulting larvae were fully developed and motile in both the control and experimental conditions, further supporting the conclusion that embryological development of I. dammini is not disrupted by concentrations of fenoxycarb which would be practical in the field.
Price Control and Rationing under the Office of Price Administration: A Brief Selective Appraisal:

0 BEGIN with let me lay to rest any suspicions that I feel competent to do a definitive or even a first-rate job of appraising the enormously complicated price control and rationing program. One would need to partake of omniscience in order to approach the task of this paper in other than an attitude of humility. Thoroughgoing appraisal would require access to materials not available to me as well as staff research assistance and extended group discussion. Consequently I make no claim that the observations that follow have great significance. They represent essentially the impressions of one sideline observer who lacks the intimate knowledge and tempered sentiment and judgment of inside experience as well as the aid of thorough historical research, especially of the memoirs that no doubt will be published after the war. Readers will judge whether the presumed cool objectivity of academic observation under these conditions leads to worthwhile conclusions during the heat of the conflict. It is so much simpler (and safer) to investigate the remains instead of the living organism-particularly when the organism has not achieved the stability of full maturity but is violently engaged in its survival adaptations to environment. The observations that follow are essentially qualitative in nature. Some ex-
CD4 T Cell Immunity to Viral Infection

Despite decades of intense research, new functions for CD4 T cells in immunity to viral and other infections are revealed each year, suggesting that some are still unknown. Defense against viral infection includes a mosaic of multiple, highly specialized responses that often synergize to clear virus. Moreover, the development of subsets of CD4 effector T cells with diverse functions is determined by the detailed characteristics of the particular infection so that the exact composition and kinetics of a response to a given virus are unique. As virus is cleared, a population of memory CD4 T cells mirroring the diversity of the effectors is generated, again strongly influenced by the status of the viral infection during the effector phase of the CD4 T cell response. When there is a new viral challenge, the effectiveness of CD4 T cell immunity depends on the subsets composing the memory pool. Thus development of more effective vaccines that harness the potential of CD4 T cell immunity requires a detailed understanding of the full complexity of the CD4 T cell response and how it is regulated.
Jumping to Conclusions? Passive Bayesian Learning and the Optimal Timing of Judgment

A Bayesian agent evaluates a stream of information over a finite period before deciding on which of two alternatives to adopt. At any point, the agent is free to convert information into an informative, binary signal. When information arrives at a roughly constant rate, an agent who frequently updates beliefs distorts them by dividing what should be one signal into many, risking overconfidence. A Bayesian with an asymmetric loss function should therefore await all evidence before making a judgment, but an agent with a symmetric loss function should update beliefs early and often. Unlike the classical Bayesian context, sequential information is interpreted differently from identical, simultaneous information.
Limbic stimulation-induced hypersexuality

Postictal sexual drive levels induced by limbic discharges were studied in eight adult male cats. Although sexual drive was exclusively dependent upon the presence or absence of testosterone, the level or degree of drive was dependent on the relative amounts of circulating testosterone and catecholamines in addition to the bioelectric state of the testosterone-binding cells. The limbic discharge was thought to induce postictal hypersexuality by its propagated discharge, suppressing the association neocortex and simultaneously activating the sexual hormone-binding cells of the diencephalon. The dissociation of the neocortex from the diencephalon was considered as a functional postictal diaschisis. These postictal physiologic changes were thought to account for the irrational automatic behavior and memory loss characteristic of patients with psychomotor seizures.
Sources of Social Support and Mental Health Among LGB Youth

Disparities in psychosocial adjustment have been identified for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth, yet research that explores multiple sources of social support among subgroups of LGB youth is sparse. Social support theory is used as a framework to analyze the ways that different sources of support might promote better psychosocial adjustment for LGB youth. Data from a diverse sample among LGB youth (N = 835) were used to understand how social support from a close friend, teachers, classmates, and parents might be differently associated with depression and self-esteem. We found that parent support and its importance to the participant were consistently related to higher self-esteem and lower depression for all youth, except for lesbians for whom no forms of social support were associated with self-esteem. Teacher and classmate support influenced some subgroups more than others. These results provide parents, clinicians, and schools a roadmap to assist youth navigate supports.
Mechanotransduction as an Adaptation to Gravity.

Gravity has played a major role in the evolution of terrestrial life. A central event in evolution has been the development of mechanisms to sense and transduce gravitational force into biological signals. The objective of this manuscript is to review how living organisms on Earth use mechanotransduction as an adaptation to gravity. Certain cells have evolved specialized structures, such as otoliths in hair cells of the inner ear and statoliths in plants, to respond directly to the force of gravity. By conducting studies in the reduced gravity of spaceflight [microgravity] or simulating microgravity in the laboratory, we have gained insights into how the physical force of gravity might have shaped life on Earth. We review how microgravity affects prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells at the cellular and molecular levels. Genomic studies in yeast have identified changes in genes involved in budding, cell polarity and cell separation regulated by Ras, PI3K and TOR signaling pathways. Moreover, transcriptomic analysis of late pregnant rats have revealed that microgravity affects genes that regulate circadian clocks, activate mechanotransduction pathways and induce changes in immune response, metabolism and cells proliferation. Importantly, these studies identified genes that modify chromatin structure and methylation, suggesting that long term adaptation to gravity may be mediated by epigenetic modifications. Given that gravity represents a modification in mechanical stresses encounter by the cells, the tensegrity model of cytoskeletal architecture provides an excellent paradigm to explain how changes in the balance of forces, that are transmitted across transmembrane receptors and cytoskeleton, can influence intracellular signaling pathways and gene expression