cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An 8-year-old girl with congenital deafness and musculoskeletal abnormalities

An 8-year-old girl with right-sided congenital deafness was investigated for impaired movement of the right shoulder. A frontal X-ray of the chest and upper abdomen (figure 1) demonstrated a levoconvex cervicothoracic scoliosis with multi-level hemivertebrae. There was also a chest wall abnormality, with congenital fusion of ribs on the right side. The right scapula was noted to lie in an abnormally high …
Esthetic Complications in Endodontic Surgery

The leading measure of successful outcomes in endodontic surgery relies heavily on the ability of the endodontic surgeon to provide conditions that promote resolution of persisting periradicular pathosis. Prevailing criteria for success depend on the preservation and continued function of teeth and radiographic parameters to assess healing (Orstavik, Scand J Dent Res 96:108–11, 1988). However, in an era of high patient expectations, the esthetic consequences of surgical treatment are of paramount concern. Esthetic outcomes are comprised of the natural or idealized shape, color, position, and juxtaposition of teeth to gingival tissues. Esthetic complications of endodontic surgery are best addressed before treatment by careful endodontic diagnosis and periodontal evaluation. This should be followed by adherence to the principle and practice of endodontic microsurgery both at the treatment planning stage and during the surgical procedure. In addition, appropriate surgical management of soft tissues and underlying bony structures is important as persistent endodontic infections are a risk factor for continued marginal attachment loss following endodontic surgery (Jansson et al., Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 83:596–601, 1997). While classical measures of success may suggest the positive outcome of a case, failing to achieve an esthetic outcome results in an unhappy patient.
(A)musicality in Williams syndrome: Examining relationships among auditory perception, musical skill, and emotional responsiveness to music

Williams syndrome (WS), a genetic, neurodevelopmental disorder, is of keen interest to music cognition researchers because of its characteristic auditory sensitivities and emotional responsiveness to music. However, actual musical perception and production abilities are more variable. We examined musicality in WS through the lens of amusia and explored how their musical perception abilities related to their auditory sensitivities, musical production skills, and emotional responsiveness to music. In our sample of 73 adolescents and adults with WS, 11% met criteria for amusia, which is higher than the 4% prevalence rate reported in the typically developing (TD) population. Amusia was not related to auditory sensitivities but was related to musical training. Performance on the amusia measure strongly predicted musical skill but not emotional responsiveness to music, which was better predicted by general auditory sensitivities. This study represents the first time amusia has been examined in a population with a known neurodevelopmental genetic disorder with a range of cognitive abilities. Results have implications for the relationships across different levels of auditory processing, musical skill development, and emotional responsiveness to music, as well as the understanding of gene-brain-behavior relationships in individuals with WS and TD individuals with and without amusia.
Melnikov method and transversal homoclinic points in the restricted three-body problem

Abstract In this paper we show, by Melnikov method, the existence of the transversal homoclinic orbits in the circular restricted three-body problem for all but some finite number of values of the mass ratio of the two primaries. This implies the existence of a family of oscillatory and capture motion. This also shows the non-existence of any real analytic integral in the circular restricted three-body problem besides the well-known Jacobi integral for all but possibly finite number of values of the mass ratio of the two primaries. This extends a classical theorem of Poincare [10]. Because the resulting singularities in our equation are degenerate, a stable manifold theorem of McGehee [7] is used.
Effect of ambient humidity on light transmittance through skin phantoms during cryogen spray cooling

Cryogen spray cooling (CSC) is a technique employed to reduce the risk of epidermal damage during dermatologic laser surgery. However, while CSC protects the epidermis from non-specific thermal damage, it might reduce the effective fluence reaching the target chromophore due to scattering of light by the spray droplets and subsequent water condensation/freezing on the skin surface. The objective of this work was to study the effect of ambient humidity (ω) on light transmittance during CSC. An integrating sphere was employed to measure the dynamics of light transmittance through a deformable agar phantom during CSC. The study included two representative CSC spurt patterns studied using four ω: 57, 40, 20 and 12%. Results show that during CSC, as ω increased, light transmittance decreased. For the highest humidity level (57%) studied, light transmittance reached a minimum of 55% approximately 30 ms after spurt termination. In a controlled environment with ω = 12%, light transmittance reached a minimum of 87% approximately 30 ms after spurt termination. The reduced light transmittance immediately after spurt termination was most likely because of scattering of light caused by condensation of water vapour due to aggressive cooling of ambient air in the wake of the cryogen spurt. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)
Identifying Previous Sports Injury Among High School Athletes

The number of adolescents participating in high school athletics has doubled over the past 30 years, surpassing 7 million participants in 2007–2008.1 With increased participation has come heightened focus on the increasing number of adolescent sports injuries. Previous injury has been identified as a risk factor for sustaining a subsequent sports injury.2–4 We anticipate that many adolescents participating in high school sports have previously sustained a sports-related injury that needs identification prior to future sports participation. Our objectives were to identify previous sports injury among competitive high school athletes entering a new sports season.
The Role of B Vitamins in Preventing and Treating Cognitive Impairment and Decline

Many epidemiologic studies have considered whether markers of B-vitamin status are associated with cognitive function and cognitive decline. This avenue of research was sparked by the homocysteine (Hcy) theory of cardiovascular disease, which was extended to Alzheimer’s disease when a link between vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease was discovered. Hcy could cause cognitive impairment via direct neurotoxicity. However, decreased remethylation of Hcy to methionine might also compromise cognitive function by means other than mere Hcy lowering. Folate and vitamin B-12 participate in Hcy remethylation and largely determine Hcy status. Consequently, much of the relevant research has focused on these 2 B vitamins. The many subtly different hypotheses that investigators have addressed by attempting to link several B-vitamin status indicators to diverse cognition-related outcomes have created a confusing body of conflicting studies that seems to defy summarization. Nevertheless, themes are discernible that aid interpretation, foster hypothesis generation, and inform future study design. For example, despite a shared metabolic pathway, Hcy, vitamin B-12, and folate are differently related to specific cognitive outcomes. Although consistency of findings across studies is often touted as essential to distinguishing causal from coincidental relationships, discrepancies among study findings can be even more informative.
Predicting Work-Family Conflict and Life Satisfaction Among Professional Psychologists

Balancing work and family lives is a challenge faced by many psychologists. The present study examined an integrated model of resources, work–family conflict, family, work, and life satisfaction among professional psychologists. To test this model, a sample of 368 doctoral psychologists who worked at least 20 hours a week and who were married and/or had children were selected from respondents to a national survey on professional and family life. Support was found for three-stage mediational models through which the resources of control and family support exerted cross domain effects and influenced overall life satisfaction. Control at work reduced work to family conflict which increased family satisfaction while family support reduced family to work conflict and increased work satisfaction. Both work and family satisfaction then increased life satisfaction. These models were significant for both men and women. There was, however, evidence that family support was more important in reducing family to work conflict for women.
Cooperative sensing with ternary local decisions

Cognitive radio is gaining increasingly interest as a promising solution to current spectrum resource shortage. Within various tasks of cognitive radio, spectrum sensing is the fundamental one, but is challenged by wireless channel fading. By collecting diversity among different users, cooperative sensing can overcome the fading problem very well. Usually, only the local binary decisions are available for sensing cooperation due to limitation of the channel bandwidth. However, in our previous work [1], we have shown that this strategy will either sacrifice diversity or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) gain. In this paper, we will study cooperative sensing with ternary local decisions. Compared with the binary cooperative sensing, this strategy will can regain diversity and recover the extra SNR loss by appropriate threshold selection, without increasing the decision forwarding bandwidth.
Defect Models for Sintering and Densification of Al2O3: Ti and Al2O3: Zr

A defect model proposed to explain the effect of titanium doping on the rate of sintering of Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ is revised to fit the oxidizing conditions of the experiments. The model accounts for the observed change in sintering rate by a change from rate limitation by ions to rate limitation by electrons, but requires the presence of an unusually large concentration of acceptor impurities in the material. Models similar to the ones originally proposed account for the rate of densification of Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/:Zr by hot-pressing in vacuo, provided it is extended by including electronics defects.
The rise and fall of renal artery angioplasty and stenting in the United States, 1988-2009.

Objective Optimal management of renal artery stenosis (RAS) remains unclear. Recent randomized controlled trials have shown no clear benefit with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with or without stenting (PTRA/S) over medical management. We hypothesize that interventions for RAS are decreasing nationally. Methods The Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 1988-2009, was used to identify patients with a diagnosis of renal artery atherosclerosis undergoing open surgical repair (bypass or endarterectomy) or PTRA/S. The rate of interventions, in-hospital death, and perioperative outcomes were analyzed over time. Additionally, we used individual state inpatient and ambulatory databases to better understand the influence of outpatient procedures on current volume and trends. Results We identified 308,549 PTRA/S and 33,147 open surgical repairs. PTRA/S increased from 1.9/100K adults in 1988 to 13.7 in 2006 followed by a decrease to 6.7 in 2009. Open surgical repair steadily decreased from 1.3/100K adults in 1988 to 0.3 in 2009. In 2009, PTRA/S procedures (6.4/100K adults) greatly outnumbered procedures done by open repair alone (0.1/100K), combined open renal and aortic repair (0.2/100K), and combined PTRA/S and endovascular aneurysm repair (0.3/100K). From 2005 to 2009 33,953 patients underwent PTRA/S in the states of New Jersey Maryland, Florida, and California combined. The total number of PTRA/S performed in the outpatient setting remained stable from 2005 (3.8/100K) to 2009 (3.7/100K), whereas the total number of inpatient procedures mirrored the national trend, declining from 2006 (7.9/100K) to 2009 (4.2/100K). PTRA/S had lower in-hospital mortality (0.9% vs 4.1%; P P P P P = .04). Conclusions The performance of PTRA/S procedures for the management of RAS has decreased significantly after 2006. An increasing proportion of these procedures are performed in the outpatient setting. PTRA/S remains the dominant revascularization procedure for RAS with lower in-hospital mortality and morbidity than surgery.
The Same but Different: Language Use and Attitudes in Four Communities of Burkina Faso.

The Same but Different: Language Use and Attitudes in Four Communities of Burkina Faso. Stuart Showalter. Dallas: SIL International, 2001. 261 pp.
Differential calcium handling in two canine models of right ventricular pressure overload.

Abstract Background The purpose of this investigation was to characterize differential right atrial (RA) and ventricular (RV) molecular changes in Ca 2+ -handling proteins consequent to RV pressure overload and hypertrophy in two common, yet distinct models of pulmonary hypertension: dehydromonocrotaline (DMCT) toxicity and pulmonary artery (PA) banding. Methods A total of 18 dogs underwent sternotomy in four groups: (1) DMCT toxicity ( n = 5), (2) mild PA banding over 10 wk to match the RV pressure rise with DMCT ( n = 5); (3) progressive PA banding to generate severe RV overload ( n = 4); and (4) sternotomy only ( n = 4). Results In the right ventricle, with DMCT, there was no change in sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ -ATPase (SERCA) or phospholamban (PLB), but we saw a trend toward down-regulation of phosphorylated PLB at serine-16 (p[Ser-16]PLB) ( P = 0.07). Similarly, with mild PA banding, there was no change in SERCA or PLB, but p(Ser-16)PLB was down-regulated by 74% ( P P P Conclusions Perturbations in Ca 2+ -handling proteins depend on the degree of RV pressure overload and the model used to mimic the RV effects of pulmonary hypertension. They are similar, but blunted, in the atrium compared with the ventricle.
A neural production system and its application in visual-guided mobile robot navigation

A neural production system architecture is proposed where rules are represented by symbolic expressions and neural networks. These neural networks are trained off-line to model some of the human expertise that are otherwise difficult to model in a traditional rule-based system. Using this neural production system, a vision-guided mobile robot navigation system is developed capable of performing both reactive navigational tasks and high level reasoning. >
Concentration polarization in a narrow reverse osmosis membrane channel

Concentration polarization in a narrow reverse osmosis channel is bounded by the channel height and under the influence of variable transverse velocity. An attempt was made in this article to quantify concentration polarization in such a narrow membrane channel. The transverse velocity in the membrane channel was first determined and its impact on concentration polarization was investigated. Based on the concept of retained salt, analytical equations were developed for the wall salt concentration at an arbitrary point in the narrow membrane channel. Finally, development of concentration polarization in typical reverse osmosis channels under various conditions was numerically simulated and discussed. Interesting results on the details of concentration polarization in the narrow reverse osmosis channel that had never been reported before were revealed with this mechanistic model.
Mobile Homes: Instant Suburbia or Transportable Slums?

Mobile homes have grown phenomenally in number—from approximately 170,000 in 1940 to more than one and three-quarter million units in 1967—with even greater growth predicted. In 1961 they comprised seven percent of all new housing. By 1966 this figure doubled to 14 percent and represented more than 75 percent of all new homes valued at less than $12,500. The predominant location of mobile home parks on the periphery of cities, combined with the fact that mobile home residents are on the average considerably younger than the general population, lends credence to the speculation that mobile homes are providing “instant suburbia” for young, upwardly mobile, married couples. Other factors raise questions with this interpretation, however, e.g., only 13 percent of mobile home residents compared with 41 percent of the nation's residents are employed in white collar occupations. The relatively short life span and rapid decline in value of mobile homes raises the spectre of a new type of transportable slum which could elude housing reforms by moving beyond the jurisdiction of urban governments.
"My Country! 'Tis of Thee, Strong hold of Slavery": The Musical Rhetoric of the American Antislavery Movement

"My Country! 'Tis of Thee, Strong hold of Slavery": The Musical Rhetoric of the American Antislavery Movement
FPA Preemption in the 21st Century

On February 24, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Hughes v. Talen Energy Marketing. In deciding this case, the Court must determine whether an effort by the State of Maryland to incentivize the construction of new power plants is field preempted by the Federal Power Act (“FPA”) — that is, whether the Maryland law intrudes on an area that is exclusively the federal government’s to regulate. This Comment urges the Court to evaluate Maryland’s regulation under a conflict-preemption, as opposed to a field-preemption, standard. In particular, the Court should clarify that field preemption — a doctrine that prohibits any state regulation in a particular area of the law — applies only when a State targets the core aspects of federal jurisdiction under the FPA, namely the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (“FERC”) ability to determine whether a wholesale rate is just and reasonable. Conflict preemption — which provides that state laws are preempted only when they interfere with or frustrate the federal regulatory regime — provides a far superior framework for evaluating the type of law at issue in Hughes. It conforms more closely to the FPA’s core objectives, furthers important state policies, and somewhat paradoxically, enhances FERC’s ability to regulate effectively the aspects of the electricity sector under its jurisdiction. Not only is a conflict-preemption approach good policy, it is also entirely consistent with the Court’s FPA preemption jurisprudence. In particular, the Court’s prior decisions can be read to support a less intrusive field-preemption inquiry — a reading which, this Comment argues, should be applied the facts before the Court in Hughes.
N-body modelling

N-body problems are studied using molecules and collections of molecules, called particles. Applications are made in the spirit of molecular mechanics to primary flow and turbulent flow for water vapor, soliton collision, motion of a top, microdrop collision, stress of a slotted copper plate, contact angle of adhesion, cellular self reorganization, the bounce of an elastic ball, saddle surfaces, and elastic snap through. Numerical methodology is also developed for special relativistic motion. In the Newtonian models, methodology is developed for conservation of energy, linear momentum and angular momentum. In the relativistic case, it is shown how to calculate in the lab and rocket frames so that the numerical calculations are covariant.
Structure of Organophosphorus Compounds in Relation to Control of the Southern Chinch Bug

Field test data for control of southern chinch bugs, Blissus insularis Barber, indicate that organophosphorus (OP) pesticides with ethyl or isopropyl alkyl side are generally more effective than OP’s with methyl side groups, Aryl derivatives, as a group, are more effective than heterocyclic or aliphatic derivatives, although the groups latter 2 groups also include OP’s which provide excellent control.
Review of test methods for alkali-aggregate reaction

The test methods at home and abroad for determining alkali aggrgate reaction(AAR) are divided as follows:the lithologic test method,the chemical test method,the mortar bar length test method,the quick mortar bar test method,the rock cylinder method and the concrete prismatic test method.The above different test methods are discussed in connection with long term egineering experience.The evaluation of AAR is suggested to be determined by various test methods insteady of single one.
Psychology and psychobiology of childhood trauma

Exposure to overwhelming stress often determines how people subsequently organize their perceptions of themselves and of others. Traumatic experiences at different developmental levels have different effects on cognitive, affective and biological self-organization. Acute or chronic exposure to trauma may be expressed as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), dissociative disorders, somatic disturbances and alterations in perception of self and others. These disorders involve (a) the involuntary repetitive re-living of the trauma in thoughts, images, somatic states or behaviors, (b) attempts to avoid dealing with reminders of the past, (c) problems with the modulation of physiological responses to subsequent stress, and (d) a loss of capacity to engage in love and work with pleasure and satisfaction. The display of extremes of emotional distress, or of bizarre or disorganized behaviors, easily obscures the fact that current problems may have their origins in past trauma. The recognition that many psychiatric patients organize much of their lives around repetitive patterns of re-living and warding off traumatic memories, reminders and affective states, may help clinicians understand their symptoms as misguided attempts to regain a sense of control and safety, rather than as bizarre behaviors that need to be merely controlled. Since safe attachments appear to be the primary way in which children learn to regulate internal state changes, the negotiation of interpersonal safety needs to be the first focus of treatment. Since the labeling and categorization of emotional states is one of the principal areas of functioning that is disrupted by developmental trauma, treatment needs to include learning how to use words to understand and interpret feelings in general and stressful events, in particular. Since distrust and lack of social safety are critical parts of developmental trauma, structure and predictability are essential. Identifying specific trauma-based perceptions and expectations and learning how to negotiate the fulfillment of one's emotional needs are critical aspects of effective treatment.
Two in situ labeling techniques reveal different patterns of DNA fragmentation during spontaneous apoptosis in vivo and induced apoptosis in vitro.

Background Two new enzymatic reactions were described recently to detect apoptotic cell death in situ viz in situ end labeling (ISEL) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) of fragmented DNA. A comparative study was conducted to detect in vivo and in vitro apoptotic death using these two techniques. Experimental design; Spontaneous apoptous cell death was detected in plastic embedded tumor biopsies from patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), and breast cancer using these two in situ methods. Uninvolved normal tissues adjacent to breast tumors and a lymph node metastasis of breast tumor were also studied. Furthermore, apoptotic death induced by different doses of etoposide (VP16) was also studied in HL60 cells by in situ methods and by agarose gel electrophoresis. Results Interestingly, whereas NH1 and HNSCC biopsies showed comparable levels of detectability with the two techniques, the breast tissues be it neoplastic, normal or metastatic, revealed apoptosis detectable only by TUNEL and not by ISEL. Similarly in HL60 cells, the percentage of apoptotic cells or apoptotic index (AI) determined by TUNEL was significantly higher than that determined by ISEL. A double labelling of these HL60 cells for ISEL and TUNEL also revealed a higher proportion of cells labeled positively for TUNEL as compared to those labeled for ISEL. Agarose gel electrophoresis revealed characteristic DNA laddering only at 35 microM dose of VP 16. No smearing of DNA was found in any group ruling out the necrotic death. In vivo, in one HNSCC specimen apoptosis and necrosis could be differentiated by the difference in staining intensity. Both methods stained necrotic chromatin fragments very lightly. The DNA fragments generated during apoptosis could be of unique lengths (ie 180-200 bp or multiples) but have differently staggered ends. These fragments may be 3' recessed, 5' recessed or blunt ended. While TUNEL can label all three types, ISEL labels only those with 3' recessed ends. Conclusions Thus our data show that the DNA fragments formed during spontaneous apoptosis in breast tissues and preferentially during VP16 induced apoptosis in HL60 cells are either 5' recessed or blunt ended, being distinctly different from 3' recessed fragments seen in NHL and HNSCC or with a lesser frequency in VP 16 treated HL60 cells. Specific fragmentation patterns could be a result of activation of different endonucleases which as indicated by our data could be tissue specific and may be differentially activated by different chemotherapeutic agents. Therefore, screening for the presence of specific endonucleases in different tissues and for agents specifically activating them would have major clinical implications.
Decomposition of Certain Complete Bipartite Graphs into Prisms

R. Haggkvist proved that every 3-regular bipartite graph of order 2n with no component isomorphic to the Heawood graph decomposes the complete bipartite graph K6n,6n. In [1] Cichacz and Froncek established a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a factorization of the complete bipartite graph Kn,n into generalized prisms of order 2n. In [2] and [3] Cichacz, Froncek, and Kovar showed decompositions of K3n/2,3n/2 into generalized prisms of order 2n. In this paper we present another class of complete bipartite graphs that is decomposable into prisms.
Abstract 4024: Epigenetic priming potentiates immune checkpoints inhibitors in ovarian cancer

Background: Ovarian cancer (OC) progression is accompanied by the establishment of stable and transcriptionally repressive epigenetic modifications. An important mechanism of immune evasion is represented by epigenetic silencing of tumor antigens (NY-ESO-1, Muc16 and MAGE). We hypothesize that by reversing DNA methylation, DNA methyl transferase inhibitors (DNMTIs) restore the expression of such antigens, potentiating anti-tumor immune response. The targeting of immune checkpoints regulated by programmed cell death protein-1(PD-1) signaling represents a novel therapeutic strategy in cancer, including in OC. Here we set out to measure the anti-tumor effects of epigenetic priming in combination with PD-1/PDL-1 blockade in OC preclinical models. Methods: The ID8 intraperitoneal (ip) immunocompetent syngeneic mouse model was used to measure the effects of the novel DNMTI guadecitabine (SGI-110, Astex Pharmaceuticals Inc) and PDL1 blockade. The experimental groups consisted of non-specific IgG (control), guadecitabine 2mg/m2 sq bi-weekly, murine anti-PDL1 inhibitory antibody (10mg/kg) bi-weekly and combination of guadecitabine with anti-PDL1 antibody (n = 6 mice/group, 3 week treatment). Immune cells collected from the ascites and spleens of tumor bearing mice were either directly processed or co-cultured with ID8 cells for 48 hours. Cells were immuno-phenotyped by flow cytometry. In OC cells treated with guadecitabine, changes in gene expression were analyzed by real time-PCR. Results: In ID8 tumors bearing mice, the combination of PDL1 blockade with guadecitabine significantly decreased primary tumor formation (P Conclusions: Guadecitabine in combination with anti-PDL1 antibody induced striking anti-tumor effects in an immunocompetent OC syngeneic model by activating cytotoxic T-cells. These data support clinical strategies utilizing epigenetic priming using DNMTI in combination with immune checkpoints inhibitors. Citation Format: Yu Qing, Salvatore Condello, Katie J. Meyer, Andrea Caperell-Grant, Kenneth P. Nephew, Daniela Matei. Epigenetic priming potentiates immune checkpoints inhibitors in ovarian cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4024.
Polarization assisted amplitude gating as a route to tunable, high-contrast single attosecond pulses

We demonstrate the simple implementation a polarization-assisted amplitude gate that is capable of generating high-contrast, isolated attosecond pulses tunable between the energy range of 50–130 eV.
Quantitative Differences in a Single Maternal Factor Determine Survival Probabilities among Drosophila Germ Cells

Summary Germ cell death occurs in many species [1–3] and has been proposed as a mechanism by which the fittest, strongest, or least damaged germ cells are selected for transmission to the next generation. However, little is known about how the choice is made between germ cell survival and death. Here, we focus on the mechanisms that regulate germ cell survival during embryonic development in Drosophila . We find that the decision to die is a germ cell-intrinsic process linked to quantitative differences in germ plasm inheritance, such that higher germ plasm inheritance correlates with higher primordial germ cell (PGC) survival probability. We demonstrate that the maternal factor lipid phosphate phosphatase Wunen-2 (Wun2) regulates PGC survival in a dose-dependent manner. Since wun2 mRNA levels correlate with the levels of other maternal determinants at the single-cell level, we propose that Wun2 is used as a readout of the overall germ plasm quantity, such that only PGCs with the highest germ plasm quantity survive. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Wun2 and p53, another regulator of PGC survival, have opposite yet independent effects on PGC survival. Since p53 regulates cell death upon DNA damage and various cellular stresses, we hypothesize that together they ensure selection of the PGCs with highest germ plasm quantity and least cellular damage.
Nutritional, Economic, and Environmental Costs of Milk Waste in a Classroom School Breakfast Program.

Objectives. To measure fluid milk waste in a US School Breakfast in the Classroom Program and estimate its nutritional, economic, and environmental effects.Methods. Fluid milk waste was directly measured on 60 elementary school classroom days in a medium-sized, urban district. The US Department of Agriculture nutrition database, district cost data, and carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions and water footprint estimates for fluid milk were used to calculate the associated nutritional, economic, and environmental costs.Results. Of the total milk offered to School Breakfast Program participants, 45% was wasted. A considerably smaller portion of served milk was wasted (26%). The amount of milk wasted translated into 27% of vitamin D and 41% of calcium required of School Breakfast Program meals. The economic and environmental costs amounted to an estimated $274 782 (16% of the district’s total annual School Breakfast Program food expenditures), 644 893 kilograms of CO2e, and 192 260 155 liters of water ov...
Toward a Long-Chain Perfluoroalkyl Replacement: Water and Oil Repellency of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Films Modified with Perfluoropolyether-Based Polyesters.

Original perfluoropolyethers (PFPE)-based oligomeric polyesters (FOPs) of different macromolecular architecture were synthesized via polycondensation as low surface energy additives to engineering thermoplastics. The oligomers do not contain long-chain perfluoroalkyl segments, which are known to yield environmentally unsafe perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids. To improve the compatibility of the materials with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) we introduced isophthalate segments into the polyesters and targeted the synthesis of lower molecular weight oligomeric macromolecules. The surface properties such as morphology, composition, and wettability of PET/FOP films fabricated from solution were investigated using atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and contact angle measurements. It was demonstrated that FOPs, when added to PET film, readily migrate to the film surface and bring significant water and oil repellency to the thermoplastic boundary. We have established that the wettability of...
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome After Fractures and Other Trauma

Carpal tunnel syndrome is frequently associated with traumatic injuries. The most common mechanisms include distal radius fractures and carpal/metacarpal fractures and dislocations. Less common etiologies include soft tissue blunt trauma, tendon ruptures, burns, thermal injuries, and insect bites. The index of suspicion for acute carpal tunnel syndrome should be high in patients with high-energy fractures and dislocations. In suspected cases of acute carpal tunnel syndrome, treatment should not be delayed and consists of surgical carpal tunnel release. Carpal tunnel syndrome can also present in delayed fashion several months after injury. In these cases, it can be treated like idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome with conservative measures and/or surgery.
Sparse coding of ECoG signals identifies interpretable components for speech control in human sensorimotor cortex

The concept of sparsity has proven useful to understanding elementary neural computations in sensory systems. However, the role of sparsity in motor regions is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the functional properties of sparse structure in neural activity collected with high-density electrocorticography (ECoG) from speech sensorimotor cortex (vSMC) in neurosurgical patients. Using independent components analysis (ICA), we found individual components corresponding to individual major oral articulators (i.e., Coronal Tongue, Dorsal Tongue, Lips), which were selectively activated during utterances that engaged that articulator on single trials. Some of the components corresponded to spatially sparse activations. Components with similar properties were also extracted using convolutional sparse coding (CSC), and required less data pre-processing. Finally, individual utterances could be accurately decoded from vSMC ECoG recordings using linear classifiers trained on the high-dimensional sparse codes generated by CSC. Together, these results suggest that sparse coding may be an important framework and tool for understanding sensory-motor activity generating complex behaviors, and may be useful for brain-machine interfaces.
Patterns of Alcohol Use Among Ethnically Diverse Black and Hispanic Urban Youth

Adolescent alcohol use remains a pressing problem. Identifying which groups are at greater risk of alcohol use helps in understanding the etiology of drinking and the development of alcohol prevention programs. Little epidemiologic information regarding alcohol use among inner-city minority adolescents is available. This study examined the relationship between patterns of alcohol use and ethnic group, a black group consisting primarily of African-Americans and Caribbean/West Indians and a Hispanic group of predominantly Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, among urban youth. Hispanic youth reported greater experience with alcohol than black youth. Dominican adolescents drank more frequently, drank more per drinking occasion, and planned to drink more in the future than Puerto Rican adolescents. Similarly, Caribbean/West Indian youth drank more frequently, became drunk more often, drank more per drinking occasion, and planned to drink more in the future relative to African-American youth. In general, gender did not moderate the relationship with alcohol. This study indicates that only considering ethnic group membership is not sufficient because there were important subgroup differences in patterns of alcohol use for both Hispanics and Blacks. Implications for prevention are discussed.
Fractal Analysis of the Binding and Dissociation of Different Compounds on Biosensor Surfaces

This chapter presents a fractal analysis to analyze the binding and dissociation of various compounds on biosensor surfaces. The various systems that were analyzed include ATP in solution (with and without the interferent, ascorbate) to a Pt microelectrode coated with a layer containing glycerol kinase plus glycol-3-phosphatase; human and mouse leptin (Ob) in solution to a leptin receptor (ObR) immobilized on a sensor chip surface; MRP 14 in solution to rabbit polyclonal antibody against MRP 14 immobilized on a sensor chip surface, and human FABP in solution to rabbit polyclonal antibody against human FABP immobilized on a sensor chip surface; and the influence of pH on ALP in solution to a graphite–Teflon composite biosensor using phenyl phosphatase as a substrate. An increase in the fractal dimension value or the degree of heterogeneity on the surface leads, in general, to an increase in the binding and dissociation rate coefficient(s). For the data analyzed for mouse and human leptin concentration in solution, the binding rate coefficients, k 1 and k 2 , exhibit higher than sixth (=6.258) and ninth (9.1954) order of dependence on the fractal dimensions obtained when these concentrations are used, respectively. This indicates that binding rate coefficients are extremely sensitive to the degree of heterogeneity that exists on the biosensor surface.
CONGENITAL SPINE DEFORMITIES Scoliosis, Kyphosis, and Lordosis

By definition, congenital spine deformities-scoliosis, kyphosis, and lordosis-are due to abnormal vertebral development. Thus, affected children tend to have a curvature noted much earlier in life than typical patients with idiopathic scoliosis. This early development of the deformity has resulted in a tendency for the young child with congenital deformities to receive less than optimal care. These curves must not be allowed to progress. In many cases, early fusion is necessary, which is preferable to allowing severe curves to develop.
Studies of controlled reperfusion after ischemia. VII: High oxygen requirements of dyskinetic cardiac muscle

This study assesses the regional oxygen requirements of muscle segments that are beating and working, beating and empty, arrested and decompressed, and nonischemic that move dyskinetically. Regional oxygen demands were evaluated by producing a dyskinetic segment by infusing regional cardioplegic solution through a left anterior descending coronary artery catheter with and without extracorporeal circulation. The results show that the O2 demands of the perfused dyskinetic cardiac muscle segment (4 to 8 ml/100 gm/min) are approximately 55% of the contracting (beating, working) segment (7 to 12 ml/100 gm/min) and are fivefold more than when the same muscle segment is arrested and decompressed by total vented bypass (0.8 to 1.2 ml/100 gm/min). Additional studies showed that ischemia for 2 hours (left anterior descending coronary artery ligation) produced severe dyskinesia (–24% control systolic shortening), which failed to recover after reperfusion with the heart in the beating, working state. In contrast, lowering O2 demands by reperfusion during bypass restored occasional contractile function as a consequence of left ventricular decompression. Dyskinetic muscle segments have a high oxygen requirement that may affect their capacity to be salvaged if reperfusion is conducted without left ventricular decompression. These observations (1) suggest that the value of revascularization in the working heart (i.e., streptokinase with or without angioplasty) may be limited unless the left ventricle is decompressed during reperfusion and (2) provide an explanation for the delayed recovery of mechanical function in hearts reperfused surgically with normal blood during cardiopulmonary bypass.
Farm pesticides: outcomes of a randomized controlled intervention to reduce risks.

Abstract Background In response to the multiple health risks that farm pesticide applicators experience and the need for controlled trials to evaluate prevention programs, this study tested the effects of a small-group educational intervention designed to increase personal protective equipment (PPE) use and to reduce direct pesticide exposure. Design A randomized controlled design was used with random selection of participants, random assignment to intervention and control groups, and baseline and postintervention assessments. Setting/participants Four hundred Wisconsin dairy farmers certified to apply pesticides to field crops were recruited to participate over a 1-year evaluation period. Intervention Three-hour educational sessions were conducted with approximately 100 randomly assigned participants. Sessions targeted four educational messages: (1) existing evidence of excess cancers among farmers, (2) simulation of pesticide exposure presented through slide show and description, (3) feedback of self-reported data collected from the farmers reporting on frequency of exposure and gear use, and (4) cognitive behavioral strategies that can be adopted to reduce pesticide hazards. Main outcome measures A change in use of required protective equipment use during application and self-reported dermal exposure were evaluated in the control and intervention groups postintervention. Results Six-month postintervention analyses showed that an educational intervention had significant effects on the use of gloves and gear during the most recent application and an actual reduction in the total number of pesticides used. However, the intervention did not have a significant impact on achieving full PPE compliance nor in reducing the amount of self-reported dermal pesticide exposure during the most recent application reported by applicators. Conclusions This one-time educational intervention successfully increased protective equipment use. However, more-intensive programs are needed to achieve greater reductions in personal pesticide exposure.
Social Media and Rigid Beliefs: Evidence from Impeachment of the President

Controversial news with little to no factual support has been proliferating in recent years. Such news has spread widely via social media, where individuals can easily create and distribute news. Using the news and events surrounding the impeachment of the former South Korean president Park Geun-hye, I examine (1) the relationship between social media use and beliefs in controversial news and (2) the relationship between protest participation and rigid beliefs based on social media use. The results indicate that individuals who use social media as their primary source of news are significantly more rigid in their beliefs in controversial news. Further, those who strongly believe in controversial news and are more consistent or extreme in their ideological views are more likely to participate in (more) protests. Moreover, this pattern is significantly stronger for those who primarily get their news from social media. Protests can have real-world impacts on public opinion and the policy-making process. Furthermore, a relatively small number of people can effectively mobilize political protests. Though protest participation is an individual choice, it is influenced by others and initially coordinated by a small number of people. The findings of this paper suggest that social media may allow a small group of people, potentially with more polarized and rigid beliefs, to have a disproportionately large impact on public opinion and policy-making in modern democracies.
Seasonal cycling of Fe in saltmarsh sediments

This study combines an analysis of porewater chemistry with new, solid phase wet chemical extractions to examine the seasonal cycling of Fe in vegetated and unvegetated (cyanobacterial mat) saltmarsh sediments. Saltmarsh sediments are shown to contain more solid phase reactive Fe than other marine sediments studied so far. From the partitioning and speciation of solid Fe, and solid/soluble reduced S analysis in 10 sediment cores, we have observed that a majority of solid Fe in these sediments is cycled rapidly and completely between oxidized reactive Fe and reduced Fe as pyrite. Vegetated porewaters showed a lower pH and much higher Fe(II) concentrations on average than unvegetated porewaters in the top 10 cm, whereas sulfate, alkalinity, and sulfide concentrations were similar in the two environments. The amorphous Fe(III) oxide fraction showed a high negative correlation to solid and soluble reduced S (r2 = −0.86 and −0.71, respectively) in surface vegetated sediments whereas the crystalline Fe(III) oxide fraction showed a high negative correlation (r2 = −0.96) to sulfide only at depth. Though reactive Fe was observed in unvegetated sediments, no seasonal trend was apparent and the speciation of solid Fe revealed that most of it was reduced. Solid phase and porewater chemistry support the dominant role of the biota (Spartina alterniflora and bacteria) in controlling the reactivity of Fe and suggest that the current definition of solid phase, reactive Fe should be expanded to include crystalline Fe(III) minerals which are available for pyrite formation in saltmarsh sediments. In support of previous saltmarsh studies, we present evidence that the redox cycle of solid Fe is controlled by sulfate reduction and sediment oxidation which respond to both annual cycles (light, temperature) and to short-term, episodic effects such as weather and tides.
Attentive Adversarial Learning for Domain-invariant Training

Adversarial domain-invariant training (ADIT) proves to be effective in suppressing the effects of domain variability in acoustic modeling and has led to improved performance in automatic speech recognition (ASR). In ADIT, an auxiliary domain classifier takes in equally-weighted deep features from a deep neural network (DNN) acoustic model and is trained to improve their domain-invariance by optimizing an adversarial loss function. In this work, we propose an attentive ADIT (AADIT) in which we advance the domain classifier with an attention mechanism to automatically weight the input deep features according to their importance in domain classification. With this attentive re-weighting, ADDIT can focus on the domain normalization of phonetic components that are more susceptible to domain variability and generates deep features with improved domain-invariance and senone-discriminativity over ADIT. Most importantly, the attention block serves only as an external component to the DNN acoustic model and is not involved in ASR, so AADIT can be used to improve the acoustic modeling with any DNN architectures. More generally, the same methodology can improve any adversarial learning system with an auxiliary discriminator. Evaluated on CHiME-3 dataset, the AADIT achieves 13.6% and 9.3% relative WER improvements, respectively, over a multi-conditional model and a strong ADIT baseline.