cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biomarkers of manganese exposure in pregnant women and children living in an agricultural community in California

Manganese (Mn) is an essential nutrient but at high exposure levels is a neurotoxicant. There is no well-validated biomarker to assess perinatal Mn exposure. A total of 75 mother-child pairs provided blood, urine, and/or deciduous tooth samples. We analyzed Mn in dentin and enamel of shed teeth; maternal, cord, and child blood; and maternal and child urine and examined the interrelationships of Mn levels in all matrices. We observed higher Mn levels in prenatal than postnatal dentin (geometric mean (GM) = 0.51 vs 0.16 Mn:Ca, p < 0.001), maternal blood at delivery than 26 weeks gestation (GM = 20.7 vs. 14.6 μg/L, p = 0.001), and cord blood than child blood at 24 months of age (39.9 vs 25.0 μg/L, p = 0.005). There were no significant correlations between Mn in dentin and Mn concentrations in maternal blood or maternal or child urine. Levels of Mn in prenatal dentin, prenatal maternal blood, and 24 month urine were higher (p < 0.05) among mothers and children living with a farm worker. Prenatal Mn levels in dentin were correlated with Mn loadings and concentrations in prenatal house dust. Levels of Mn measured in tooth dentin constitute a promising biomarker of perinatal exposure.
Distress Over the Infidelity of a Child’s Spouse: A Crucial Test of Evolutionary and Socialization Hypotheses

Parents of undergraduates were asked whether they would be more distressed by the sexual or the emotional infidelity of their child’s partner. Comparing the responses of mothers and fathers may offer a rare, “crucial” instance in which evolutionary and socialization perspectives offer different predictions. Socialization theory, broadly conceived, predicts an effect for the gender of the parent: Consistent with their differing gender socialization histories, mothers should be more distressed by the emotional infidelity of their child’s partner, and fathers by the sexual infidelity of their child’s partner. In contrast, an evolutionary psychology approach predicts little or no effect for the sex of the parents: Both mothers and fathers should be more distressed by infidelities that pose a greater threat to their genetic interests. Results were largely consistent with the predictions derived from evolutionary psychology: Both mothers and fathers regarded sexual infidelity as more distressing when committed by a daughter–in–law than by a son–in–law, and emotional infidelity as more distressing when it involved a son–in–law rather than a daughter–in–law. Discussion centered on the theoretical implications of research that examines the behavior of those who are, genetically, one step removed from the sexual behavior of others, but still affected by the reproductive consequences of that behavior.
Validity Studies Second-Order Structure Underlying the Hendrick-Hendrick Love Attitudes Scale:

Loving is a fundamental aspect of being human. Yet knowledge of the nature of love remains primitive because until recentiy, it was not considered scientifically respectable to investigate love phenomena. The present study used hierarchical factor analytic methods to test the structure underlying data provided by 499 subjects on the 1990 version of the Hendrick and Hendrick Love Attitudes Scale. The results suggest that some variations in Lee's measurement model may result in an improved model fit.
Creating artificial barriers to vaccinations.

Achieving optimum outcomes is difficult enough without creating artificial barriers. Certainly none of us would ever admit to putting up any barrier that would prevent our residents from gaining access to important medical care; however, that it exactly what we have been doing by requiring signed consents for influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations in long-term care facilities. This is a serious issue—a nursing facility respiratory outbreak can easily infect almost two thirds of the residents resulting in complications in 20%. With estimates as high as 70% for vaccinations reducing the risk of hospitalization and death in seniors it is difficult to imagine why any barriers, let alone artificially created ones, would exist. The authors of “Factors Predictive of Increased Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccination Coverage in Long-Term Care Facilities: The CMS-CDC Standing Orders Program Project” demonstrated requiring signed consents is in fact a major barrier for achieving higher vaccination rates. Similar results were documented in an earlier study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. With a target of 90% set by the Healthy People 2010 and rates at 66% for influenza coverage and 39% for pneumococcal coverage we clearly cannot afford to be creating artificial barriers. In a 2004 article in the Archives of Internal Medicine the title of the publication zeroed in on this very issue: “Is signed consent for influenza or pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination required?” Their conclusion was that obtaining signed consent prior to administering vaccines represented an obstacle to achieving targeted goals for vaccinating individuals against influenza and pneumococcal disease. Further they found that signed consent is neither legally mandated (with the exception of the state of Maryland) nor a guarantee that the patient has been given signed consent. Quite the opposite of safe guarding one legally by requiring informed there is an argument that any action taken by health care providers that reduces rates of vaccination such as requiring signed consents may create a legal liability similar to that of withholding recommended effective low-risk treatment such as aspirin therapy for the prevention of a myocardial infarction. In addition, a previous Archives of Internal Medicine article highlighted the fact that one of the most fundamental and
Annual variation in the mating system of the dragonfly Paltothemis Kneatipes (Anisoptera: Libellulidae)

The libellulid dragonfly Paltothemis lineatipes exhibits annual variation in male mate-locating behaviour, variation that appears to be related to changes in the number of males competing in an area. In a year when males were numerous, as reflected in a high rate of male-male interactions, individuals defended small streamside territories, regularly raided neighbouring territories in an attempt to steal females there, and often were forced off their territory after a few hours of daily ownership. In this year, temporal partitioning of a given site was common, with the same males taking it in turns to defend the location for part of each day. In a year when males were much less numerous, as seen in a very reduced rate of aggressive encounters, males defended territories more than twice as large on average than in the high-density year; they rarely took females from neighbours, and they much less frequently ‘shared’ ownership of a site with another male on a given day. The changes between low- and high-density years were not associated with a change in average daily copulatory success of territorial males, although the variance in mating success was significantly greater in the high-density year.
The Presidency and the New Political Culture

A new political culture (NPC) is transforming the presidency. The NPC is redefining the rules by which politics is played and replacing class politics and clientelism/patronage. The NPC includes: (a) transforming the classic Left-Right, (b) explicitly distinguishing social and fiscal/economic issues, (c) increasing emphasis on social issues, (d) growing market individualism and social individualism, (e) questioning the welfare state, (f) increasing issue politics and citizen participation and declining hierarchical political organizations, and (g) growing participation among younger, educated, professional, and affluent individuals and societies. In addition, (a) William Clinton and other recent presidents illustrate the deeper dynamics, (b) the NPC is international (Blair and Schroeder illustrate), (c) key cultural changes by other leaders and citizens show that presidents match the emergence of the NPC, (d) political parties are key in ignoring or implementing citizen priorities, (e) globalization and t...
The effects of a polychlorinated biphenyl mixture (Aroclor 1254) on liver gluconeogenic enzymes of normal and alloxan-diabetic rats.

Abstract Normal and alloxan-diabetic rats were fed ground Purina Laboratory Chow with or without 500 ppm of Aroclor 1254 (AR) ad lib for 2 weeks. In both normal and diabetic rats, AR administration decreased food consumption, weight gain and blood glucose concentration, and increased liver weight, liver:body weight ratio, total liver lipid, liver protein and malic enzyme (ME) activity. In the normal rat, AR increased the concentrations of acetoacetate and β-hydroxybutyrate in blood, but in the diabetic rat the concentrations were markedly reduced. AR administration decreased the activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPck) in normal liver and the activities of pyruvate carboxylase (PC), PEPck and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) in diabetic liver.
Why Did the Bear Cross the Road? Comparing the Performance of Multiple Resistance Surfaces and Connectivity Modeling Methods

There have been few assessments of the performance of alternative resistance surfaces, and little is known about how connectivity modeling approaches differ in their ability to predict organism movements. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of four connectivity modeling approaches applied to two resistance surfaces in predicting the locations of highway crossings by American black bears in the northern Rocky Mountains, USA. We found that a resistance surface derived directly from movement data greatly outperformed a resistance surface produced from analysis of genetic differentiation, despite their heuristic similarities. Our analysis also suggested differences in the performance of different connectivity modeling approaches. Factorial least cost paths appeared to slightly outperform other methods on the movement-derived resistance surface, but had very poor performance on the resistance surface obtained from multi-model landscape genetic analysis. Cumulative resistant kernels appeared to offer the best combination of high predictive performance and sensitivity to differences in resistance surface parameterization. Our analysis highlights that even when two resistance surfaces include the same variables and have a high spatial correlation of resistance values, they may perform very differently in predicting animal movement and population connectivity.
Thermal analysis and IR spectroscopic studies on Na β-alumina

Abstract Thermograms of Na β-alumina, which were aged for 4 years at room temperature and humidity, were analyzed with the aid of infrared spectroscopic and X-ray diffraction studies. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) revealed that the dehydration of the aged material takes place in four different temperature regions, i.e., 70–180, 180–260, 260–420 and 420–700°C. The first three regions were also confirmed by differential scanning calorimetric analysis (DSC). The anhydrous Na β-alumina was rehydrated and analyzed using TGA and DSC. The thermograms of the rehydrated material displayed all the dehydration regions of the aged material with the exception of 350°C (260–420°C). IR spectra of Na β-alumina at 25°C and the same sample quenched at 180, 350, 520, and 820°C indicated adsorbed/absorbed water in the conduction plane existing as H2O, H3O+, H5O2+, H7O3+, etc., and coordinated water as MOH2. The latter could be removed from this material only above 550°C. X-Ray diffraction of thermally treated Na β-alumina showed a single phase, with the exception of a contraction in the structure along the c axis. Complete dehydration was possible only around 700°C.
Hippocampal subfields differentially correlate with chronic pain in older adults

Although previous studies have demonstrated that the hippocampus plays a role in pain processing, the role of hippocampal subfields is uncertain. The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between hippocampal subfield volumes and chronic pain in nondemented older adults. The study sample included 86 community-residing adults age 70 or older who were free of dementia and recruited from the Einstein Aging Study. Chronic pain was defined as pain over the last 3 months, that was moderate or severe (minimum rating of 4 out of 10) most, or all of the time. Hippocampal subfield volumes were estimated using FreeSurfer software. We modeled the association between chronic pain and hippocampal and subfield volume using linear regression. The sample had a mean age of 80 and was 58% female. Chronic pain, present in 55% of the sample, was associated with smaller right and total hippocampal volumes, particularly in women, after adjusting for age, education, and intracranial volume (eTICV). In addition, in women, volume was significantly reduced in participants with chronic pain in right CA2–3 (β=−0.35, p=0.010), right CA4-DG (β=−0.35, p=0.011), left presubiculum (β=−0.29, p=0.030), and left fimbria (β=−0.30, p=0.023). In men, chronic pain was not associated with the volume of any of the hippocampal subfield volumes. Chronic pain in women is associated with a reduction in the volume of right hippocampus and also selected hippocampal subfields. Future studies should clarify the mechanisms underlying the association between regional hippocampal volumes and chronic pain, particularly in women.
A Comparison of Free and Bound Amino-acids from Three Tissues of Cancer antennarius

THE relationship of free to bound amino-acids as well as their distribution in the various types of tissues is poorly understood in invertebrates. The variation in amino-acid content of mosquitoes was shown by Mick and Ellis1 to correlate with species differences. Recent investigations of other invertebrates have shown that environmental differences will produce a change in amino-acid composition within the same species2. If amino-acid composition is to be used as a measure of species relationship or as a criterion of metabolic activity a better understanding of the relationship of free to bound amino-acids and of the variability of amino-acid content from one tissue to another within an animal would be desirable. The work recorded here was carried out with this purpose in mind.
Prognostic significance and predictors of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in ovarian cancer

Objective To investigate the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) from peripheral blood, a general measure of inflammation, in ovarian cancer.
Self-regulated growth and tunable properties of CuSbS2 solar absorbers

Abstract Polycrystalline thin film copper chalcogenide solar cells show remarkable efficiencies, and analogous but less-explored semiconducting materials may hold similar promise. With consideration of elemental abundance and process scalability, we explore the potential of the Cu–Sb–S material system for photovoltaic applications. Using a high-throughput combinatorial approach, Cu–Sb–S libraries were synthesized by magnetron co-sputtering of Cu 2 S and Sb 2 S 3 targets and evaluated by a suite of spatially resolved characterization techniques. The resulting compounds include Cu 1.8 S (digenite), Cu 12 Sb 4 S 13 (tetrahedrite), CuSbS 2 (chalcostibite), and Sb 2 S 3 (stibnite). Of the two ternary phases synthesized, CuSbS 2 was found to have the most potential, however, when deposited at low temperatures its electrical conductivity varied by several orders of magnitude due to the presence of impurities. To address this issue, we developed a self-regulated approach to synthesize stoichiometric CuSbS 2 films using excess Sb 2 S 3 vapor at elevated substrate temperatures. Theoretical calculations explain that phase-pure CuSbS 2 is expected to be formed over a relatively wide range of temperatures and pressures, bound by the sublimation of Sb 2 S 3 and decomposition of CuSbS 2 . The carrier concentration of CuSbS 2 films produced within this regime was tunable from 10 16 – 10 18 cm − 3 through appropriate control of Sb 2 S 3 flux rate and substrate temperature. CuSbS 2 displayed a sharp optical absorption onset indicative of a direct transition at 1.5 eV and an absorption coefficient of 10 5 cm −1 within 0.3 eV of the onset. The results of this study suggest that CuSbS 2 holds promise for solar energy conversion due to its tolerant processing window, tunable carrier concentration, solar-matched band gap, and high absorption coefficient.
Birth Complications and Subsequent Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia

A sample of 29 men with an initial psychotic episode and diagnosis of schizophrenia as young adults were followed into middle adulthood. All had prior child guidance clinic contact. The negative symptoms of affect deficit in young adulthood but not the positive symptoms of thought disorder were predicted by a history of birth complications. Subjects with birth complications who developed negative symptoms had a stable deficit over the follow-up period.
On the Use of Social Networking Groups for Automatic Configuration of Virtual Grid Environments

Social networking sites have enhanced the Web by providing online "communities" where users can easily create identities, establish relationships between identities, and share resources with one another across the Web. The availability of social networking APIs, such as OpenSocial or the Facebook platform, make it possible for third-party developers to tap into these social relationships and design socially-aware applications. In this paper, we describe how social networking groups can be used to help create virtual private computing clusters that consist of nodes spanning different administrative domains and organizations. To demonstrate the feasibility and usage of our approach, we developed a fully functional prototype implementation and present the quantitative results of our virtual private network. Our design integrates virtual machines, peer-to-peer virtual private networks, and the Facebook platform API, to enable a user community in which we can easily deploy ad-hoc Condor resource pools that are managed through the Web-based Facebook group interface.
Acoustic-Reflex Adaptation

Acoustic-reflex adaptation was studied in 35 subjects with normal hearing using nine pure-tone activators (250-6000 Hz) and a broadband-noise activator. The individual subject data generated by the...
Muslim Values in Islamic and Non-Islamic Societies

Abstract Values are conceptions of the desirable in various domains of life. This study tests the hypotheses that (1) when Muslims are a minority living in a non-Islamic society (e.g., India, Singapore, Uganda), their values are more similar to those of the non-Muslim majority religion in their society than to those of Muslims in Muslim-majority Islamic societies (e.g., Iran, Morocco, Pakistan); and (2) this tendency toward value assimilation is more pronounced when the Muslim minority is socially included, rather than excluded, by the non-Muslim majority. Data from representative samples of the population of nine Muslim-majority societies and nine Muslim-minority societies in the 2000 (fourth) wave of the World Values Surveys are used to construct scales for three domains of cultural values: religious values, family values, and gender values, and measures of social exclusion. The findings largely confirm hypothesis 1 and lend some support to hypothesis 2.
Abstract B38: Altered p53 status confers molecular subtype-dependent distinct interactions with fibroblasts in breast cancer

Different molecular subtypes of breast cancer have distinct interactions with stromal and immune cells in the cancer microenvironment. However, the role of specific somatic mutations in mediating stromal interactions is not well understood. Conversely, the role of stromal interactions in modulating the biological effects of tumor genetic events is understudied. This project hypothesized that (a) p53 mutations may modulate stromal-epithelial interactions, and (b) stromal-epithelial interactions may potentiate the effects of p53 loss. The p53 gene is mutated in 50% of breast cancers, with 84% of basal-like breast cancers harboring p53 mutations, compared to just 12-32% of luminal breast cancers. The influence of p53 loss on stromal-epithelial interactions across different molecular subtypes may have important implications for tumor progression. To study how gene expression of fibroblast-epithelial cocultures differ in luminal vs. basal-like breast cancers as a function of p53 status, we employed RNAi-mediated p53 knockdown (KD) in a panel of four epithelial cell lines (two basal-like, two luminal). Cocultures were carried out with p53-wildtype or KD cell lines maintained in direct physical contact with fibroblasts for 48 hours before RNA isolation. Results of gene expression analysis show that p53 knockdown significantly altered cell-cell interactions in a subtype-specific manner. Comparing cocultures of p53-wildtype to cocultures of p53 KD basal-like cells, we identified 1600 genes whose expression was significantly altered. Among luminal breast cancer cocultures, the impact of p53 loss on gene expression was far more limited, with no genes identified at the same level of significance. Among basal-likes, p53 loss-associated gene expression occurred in immune response pathways, including IL-8 signaling, IL-15 signaling LXR/RXR activation, TREM1 signaling, B cell receptor signaling. In addition, Wnt/β-catenin Signaling was altered in coculture due to p53 loss. Other recent studies have indicated that p53 may modulate Wnt signaling and EMT via a microRNA-dependent mechanism, and these findings suggest that the p53-Wnt axis is also modulated by stromal-epithelial interactions. These observations strongly suggest that the interactions of epithelial cells with fibroblasts are significantly affected by p53 status. Given the high frequency of basal-like tumors with p53 mutations, it is important to understand how stromal-epithelial interactions potentiate the effects of p53 loss. Citation Format: Rupninder Sandhu, Monica D9Arcy, Melissa A. Troester. Altered p53 status confers molecular subtype-dependent distinct interactions with fibroblasts in breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Abstracts: AACR Special Conference on Cellular Heterogeneity in the Tumor Microenvironment; 2014 Feb 26-Mar 1; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B38. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.CHTME14-B38
Time Consistent Taxation by a Government with Redistributive Goals

Abstract In a dynamic economy whose government is interested in both equity and efficiency, time consistency problems arise even if the government has access to nondistortionary tax instruments. Moral hazard in production leads to a nondegenerate distribution of income, which the government would like to “flatten” ex post. Self-enforcing social agreements can mitigate the tendency toward excessive redistribution. We investigate the nature of the distortions caused by the time consistency problem, and show that in the constrained-optimal equilibrium, usually a linear tax schedule is imposed. This remains true if renegotiation of the social agreement is possible. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C7 C73, E6, H21.
On the Process of Space Quantization

The effect of a rapidly varying weak magnetic field on an oriented atom possessing nuclear spin is discussed. The results are applied to an experiment by Frisch and Segr\`e. It is shown that by methods embodying these principles one can measure nuclear spin even when the h.f.s. separation is very small. A possible further application is discussed whereby it is possible to measure the sign of nuclear magnetic moment vector with respect to the spin vector.
The Response Regulator OmpR Oligomerizes via β-Sheets to Form Head-to-head Dimers

In Escherichia coli, the EnvZ/OmpR two-component regulatory system regulates expression of the porin genes ompF and ompC in response to changes in osmolarity. It has recently become apparent that OmpR functions as a global regulator, by regulating the expression of many genes in addition to the porin genes. OmpR consists of two domains; phosphorylation of the N-terminal receiver domain increases DNA binding affinity of the C-terminal domain and vice versa. Many response regulators including PhoB and FixJ dimerize upon phosphorylation. Here, we demonstrate that OmpR dimerization is stimulated by phosphorylation or by DNA binding. The dimerization interface revealed here was unanticipated and had previously not been predicted. Using the accepted head-to-tail tandem-binding model as a guide, we set out to examine the intermolecular interactions between OmpR dimers bound to DNA by protein–protein cross-linking methods. Surprisingly, amino acid positions that we expected to form cross-linked dimers did not. Conversely, positions predicted not to form dimers did. Because of these results, we designed a series of 23 cysteine-substituted OmpR mutants that were used to investigate dimer interfaces formed via the β-sheet region. This four-stranded β-sheet is a unique feature of the OmpR group of winged helix-turn-helix proteins. Many of the cysteine-substituted mutants are dominant to wild-type OmpR, are phosphorylated by acetyl phosphate as well as the cognate kinase EnvZ, and the cross-linked proteins are capable of binding to DNA. Our results are consistent with a model in which OmpR binds to DNA in a head-to-head orientation, in contrast to the previously proposed asymmetric head-to-tail model. They also raise the possibility that OmpR may be capable of adopting more than one orientation as it binds to a vast array of genes to activate or repress transcription.
Long-term treatment of Crohn's disease with methotrexate, or, why's a nice drug like you still a wannabe in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease?

Long-term treatment of Crohn's disease with methotrexate, or, why's a nice drug like you still a wannabe in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease?
Synthesis and reactions of B-vinylcarboranes

Abstract B-Vinylcarboranes were prepared via the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of iodocarboranes with vinylmagnesium bromide. Further transformations of the 9-vinyl-1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane side chain yielded bromination, epoxidation, dihydroxylation, oxidative cleavage, radical sulfur addition, and hydroboration/oxidation products.
HYPOSMOLAR STIMULATION OF IN VITRO PITUITARY SECRETION OF LUTEINIZING HORMONE: A POTENTIAL CLUE TO THE SECRETORY PROCESS

Diluting the perifusion medium with water caused a striking prompt increase i n LH secretion from perifused, acutely dispersed adenohypophseal cells. The minimum effective proportion of water was 4%; the quantity of hormone secreted was proportional to the dilution of the medium upto >50% water. Secretion was not induced if the dilution was made with 5% aqueous mannitol to maintain isotonicity. The LH secretory responses to hyposmolarity or to LHRH were qualitatively indistinguishable. We suggest that expansion of the outer cell membrane may be an important initial component of the mechanism of secretion from adenohypophyseal cells.
Cloning and expression of an embryo-specific mRNA up-regulated in hydrated dormant seeds

Dormant seeds do not germinate when imbibed in water even when conditions are favorable for germination. These hydrated seeds remain viable, but growth-arrested for weeks due to unknown restrictions within the embryo. As a model system for the study of the molecular processes occurring in dormant seeds, we have chosen to examine gene expression in Bromus secalinas, a grass species that produces seeds with high levels of embryonic dormancy. Using differential screening for mRNAs present in hydrated dormant embryos, we have identified a cDNA clone, pBS128, that encodes a mRNA transcript found in the embryos of hydrated seeds of B. secalinus as well as in embryos from mature dry seeds. Striking differences in pBS128 transcript levels appear upon hydration of dormant and nondormant seeds. Upon imbibition pBS128 transcript levels increase over four-fold in dormant seeds, but rapidly decline and disappear in nondormant seeds, which subsequently germinate. The pBS128 transcript appears to be embryo-specific since the transcript is not detectable in either non-stressed or dehydrated seedling tissue. Application of 50μM ABA to nondormant seeds arrests germination and enhances pBS 128 transcript levels. The nucleotide sequence of the nearly full-length pBS128 cDNA shows no homology to other reported genes, and the putative protein sequence does not exhibit the hydrophilic characteristics of the ABA-responsive LEA (late embryogenesis abundant) proteins.
Patterns and Mechanisms of In-Stent Restenosis A Serial Intravascular Ultrasound Study

Background Studies have suggested that restenosis within Palmaz-Schatz stents results from neointimal hyperplasia or chronic stent recoil and occurs more frequently at the articulation. Methods and...
Price discrimination and markups in export markets

Abstract Imperfect competition in international markets is one of the key explanations for why prices of ‘similar’ goods might differ among destination countries. This paper develops an empirical model to examine the presence of price discrimination stemming from imperfect competition in the international market for a country's exports. The model is used to examine the export behavior of Taiwanese exporters of footwear. The generalized supply relation allows identification of deviations from competitive pricing in each export market. In addition, the model provides insights into the extent of exchange rate pass-through. Finally, the model is modified in order to estimate the effect of the voluntary export restraint imposed in the U.S. on footwear imports from Taiwan.
Combining erythropoeitin and bone marrow stromal cell therapy after stroke

Both Erythropoietin (EPO) and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) have been shown to improve outcome after stroke. EPO may improve outcome after stroke through its actions on blood progenitor cells, angiogenesis, or direct action in the CNS. BMSCs may improve outcome after stroke by regeneration, altering plasticity of viable cells, or prevention of cell death. Sorting out these potential modes of actions for EPO and BMSCs has been difficult using in vivo models of stroke. This study investigated neuroprotection afforded by EPO, BMSCs and the combination of these modalities in mouse hippocampal slice cultures after oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD). Significant neuroprotection was observed following post-injury treatment of slice cultures with BMSCs and neuroprotection was augmented by treating BMSCs with EPO. EPO alone did not protect neurons from OGD when given after injury, but was effective when given prior to OGD. The failure of EPO to protect when given after injury did not appear to result from its inability to activate EPO signaling pathways involving phosphorylation of Akt. This study supports the implication that BMSCs may rescue dying neurons after ischemia by providing trophic support. The data also show that EPO’s actions as a neuroprotective agent following stroke may be mediated by its actions on BMSCs.
The Role of Clinical and Process Quality in Achieving Patient Satisfaction in Hospitals

Managers constantly struggle with where to allocate their resources and efforts in managing the complex service delivery system called a hospital. In the broadest sense, their decisions and actions focus on two important aspects of health care—clinical or technical medical care that emphasizes “what” the patient receives and process performance that emphasizes “how” health care services are delivered to patients. Here, we investigate the role of leadership, clinical quality, and process quality on patient satisfaction. A causal model is hypothesized and evaluated using structural equation modeling for a sample of 202 U.S. hospitals. Statistical results support the idea that leadership is a good exogenous construct and that clinical and process quality are good intermediate outcomes in determining patient satisfaction. Statistical results also suggest that hospital leadership has more influence on process quality than on clinical quality, which is predominantly the doctors' domain. Other results are discussed, such as that hospital managers must be mindful of the fact that process quality is at least as important as clinical quality in predicting patient satisfaction. The article concludes by proposing areas for future research.
ADHD and secondary ADHD criteria fail to identify many at‐risk survivors of pediatric ALL and brain tumor

Background Post-treatment attention problems experienced by pediatric cancer survivors have been described as similar to symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experienced in physically healthy children. Accordingly, the objectives of this study were to: (a) estimate the rate of occurrence of ADHD and secondary ADHD (SADHD) in a sample of pediatric cancer survivors, (b) compare the rate of ADHD/SADHD among survivors to the prevalence of ADHD in the general population, and (c) examine clinical correlates of ADHD/SADHD in this sample.
New findings from an old pathogen: intraerythrocytic bacteria (family Anaplasmatacea) in red-backed salamanders Plethodon cinereus.

During a recent study of red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus), we discovered an intraerythrocytic organism typified by violet-staining, intracellular inclusions, consistent with descriptions of Cytamoeba or Aegyptianella (bacteria). Here we characterize its taxonomic status using molecular techniques and ask basic questions about its nature. Blood smears from 102 salamanders were examined from Pennsylvania, New York, and Virginia to determine prevalence, and whole blood from several infected animals was tested using a PCR which targets the 16S rRNA gene of bacteria. Phylogenetic analysis of partial 16S rRNA gene sequence (1201 bp) indicated this organism was in the order Rickettsiales and is likely a member of the family Anaplasmatacea. The organism differed from currently described taxa and was clearly differentiated from Aegyptianella pullorum of birds and “Candidatus Hemobacterium ranarum” (formally A. ranarum) of frogs. Of all salamanders, 17 (16.7%) were infected and these were significantly larger (snout–vent length) and had higher body condition scores than uninfected ones, and males were more likely to be infected than females. Erythrocytes affected by the pathogen were 5% larger than unaffected ones, but otherwise similar in morphology. Infected animals tended to have a greater number of circulating white blood cells, based on estimates from smears, indicating a nonspecific response to the pathogen by the innate immune system. Given its phylogenetic position, this pathogen is likely transmitted by an arthropod vector, and the male-biased prevalence strongly implicates trombiculid mites, which also live in leaf litter and affect male salamanders more so than females.
An ESR study of the · CHICONH2 radical in γ-irradiated single crystals of iodoacetamide

Abstract Powder and single-crystal ESR spectra of iodoacetamide, γ-irradiated and observed at 77 K, have been analyzed. Hyperfine interaction with one iodine and one hydrogen nucleus is observed and the A ( 127 I), A (H), g , and e 2 qQ( 127 I ) tensors have been found. These data indicate that the radical species is the π-electron radical ·CHICONH 2 , and are consistent with a planar or nearly planar structure. The g and A( 127 I ) tensors are axial, or nearly so. The odd-electron spin densities in the iodine 5 s and 5 p orbitals are larger than found for the halogens in the analogous fluoroand chloro-radicals but are comparable with the values found for bromine in ·CHBrCONH 2 .
Pregnancies diagnosed during Depo-Provera use

We conducted a review of contraceptive failures among women using Depo-Provera (depot medroxyprogesterone acetate), using reports to the Insurance Division of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. Cases were included if the Depo-Provera had been given at a Planned Parenthood center and pregnancy had either been diagnosed by, or reported to, a Planned Parenthood center. There were 402 reports of pregnancy from 1994 through 1998. The crude rate of reported pregnancies was 0.42 pregnancies per 1000 women using Depo-Provera each year. Pregnancy was diagnosed after the first trimester in 46% of women. Seventy-seven women (19.1%) received additional Depo-Provera injections while pregnant. Of the women whose date of conception could be estimated, 113 of 258 (45%) became pregnant after the injection. There was no observed increase in ectopic pregnancy rate, and no fetal anomalies were reported. Although pregnancy during Depo-Provera use is rare, it does occur. These pregnancies are frequently unrecognized until beyond first trimester.
Factors associated with delay to emergency department presentation, antibiotic usage and admission for human bite injuries

Objectives: Evidence and consensus on best practices on the management of human bite injuries is lacking. Our objective was to identify factors that are associated with delay to emergency department (ED) presentation, antibiotic usage and patient admission. Methods: We present a retrospective chart review of adults treated for human bites. Multivariable logistic regression models used demographic characteristics and bite circumstances and characteristics as factors associated with ED presentation more than 24 hours after the bite, antibiotic usage and hospital admission. Results: Of the 388 patients evaluated for a human bite, 66.5% were bitten during an altercation; 23.8% presented more than 24 hours after the bite; 50.3% were bitten on the hands or fingers, 23.5% on an extremity and 17.8% on the head or neck. Only 7.7% of all patients sustained closedfist injuries; the majority had occlusional or other kinds of bites. The majority of patients (77.3%) received antibiotics and 11.1% were admitted to hospital. Patients who had greater odds of presenting more than 24 hours after the bite were black (odds ratio [OR] 1.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02‐3.13), Hispanic (OR 2.68, 95% CI 1.22‐5.89) and those who had a non-occupational bite (OR 3.87, 95% CI, 1.68‐8.90). Patients had a greater chance of receiving antibiotics if they were bitten during an altercation (OR 1.87, 95% CI, 1.09‐3.20) and were bitten on the hands or fingers (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.31‐3.80). Patients had a greater chance of being admitted to the hospital if they were bitten during an altercation (OR 4.91, 95% CI 1.65‐14.64), bitten on the hands or fingers (OR 5.26, 95% CI, 1.74‐15.87) and if they presented ≥ 24 hours after the bite. Conclusion: Most patients presented to the ED within 24 hours of their injury and received antibiotics. The circumstances surrounding the bite appeared to be associated with delay to ED presentation, receipt of antibiotics and admission to the hospital. There are ethnic background differences in delay to ED presentation. ED clinicians in our study favour antibiotic usage and admission based on the body location of the bite, despite little evidence to support these practices.
Updating an NLP system to fit new domains: an empirical study on the sentence segmentation problem

Statistical machine learning algorithms have been successfully applied to many natural language processing (NLP) problems. Compared to manually constructed systems, statistical NLP systems are often easier to develop and maintain since only annotated training text is required. From annotated data, the underlying statistical algorithm can build a model so that annotations for future data can be predicted. However, the performance of a statistical system can also depend heavily on the characteristics of the training data. If we apply such a system to text with characteristics different from that of the training data, then performance degradation will occur. In this paper, we examine this issue empirically using the sentence boundary detection problem. We propose and compare several methods that can be used to update a statistical NLP system when moving to a different domain.
Placental Pathology, a Survival Guide

Placental pathology continues to be an underutilized, undertaught, and inadequately handled surgical subspecialty. The requests for placental pathology are soaring, due partly to demands from obstetricians and to the litigious environment in which they practice, and to improved obstetrical care leading to pregnancies in medically challenging situations. Evaluation of the placenta requires a good understanding of the questions and issues concerning both the fetus/infant and the mother. Information from placental pathology can be critical in early neonatal care and in reproductive planning for the family, and it can provide risk assessment for neurologic outcome of the infant. A comfortable interaction among the obstetric staff, mothers, and pathologists often obviates need for legal intervention in unexpected pregnancy outcomes. Some critical pathologic features that involve maternal and fetal management are illustrated herein. A template for gross examination and a few critical histopathologic diagnostic features with clincopathologic correlation are included.
Stabilization of a low-frequency instability in a dipole plasma

Low-frequency fluctuations are observed in a plasma confined by a strong dipole magnet and containing an energetic high-pressure population of trapped electrons. The quasi-coherent fluctuations have frequencies characteristic of drift frequencies of the lower temperature background plasma and have large toroidal and radial extent. They are excited throughout a wide range of plasma conditions determined by the level of neutral gas pressure. However, for a sufficiently high rate of neutral gas fueling, the plasma density profile flattens and the fluctuations disappear.
Agricultural traffic impacts on soil

Alternate configurations of tires and tracks vary in their ability to generate tractive forces. These tractive elements also vary in the way that they impact the soil with some causing more soil disturbance than others. This soil disturbance includes soil compaction and rut formation which negatively impacts rainfall infiltration, rooting, and crop production while potentially increasing soil erosion and runoff. This paper will review a portion of the agricultural research that has been conducted related to soil impacts caused by the use of vehicle traffic in agricultural fields. Recommendations will also be made for ways to minimize the effects of vehicle traffic on soils when trafficking is necessary. These include: reducing axle load; reducing tractive element-soil contact stress by using radial tires, duals, and tracks; increasing soil drying prior to traffic; using conservation tillage systems which minimize vehicle traffic; using controlled traffic systems which eliminate random vehicle traffic across fields; and subsoiling to eliminate compacted soil profiles in crop growth zones. Soil compaction resulting from vehicle traffic may not be able to be completely eliminated, but it can be controlled and reduced through intelligent management of vehicle traffic.
The finite-frequency sensitivity kernel for migration residual moveout and its applications in migration velocity analysis

We have derived a broadband sensitivity kernel that relates the residual moveout (RMO) in prestack depth migration (PSDM) to velocity perturbations in the migration-velocity model. We have compared the kernel with the RMO directly measured from the migration image. The consistency between the sensitivity kernel and the measured sensitivity map validates the theory and the numerical implementation. Based on this broadband sensitivity kernel, we propose a new tomography method for migration-velocity analysis and updating — specifically, for the shot-record PSDM and shot-index common-image gather. As a result, time-consuming angle-domain analysis is not required. We use a fast one-way propagator and multiple forward scattering and single backscattering approximations to calculate the sensitivity kernel. Using synthetic data sets, we can successfully invert velocity perturbations from the migration RMO. This wave-equation-based method naturally incorporates the wave phenomena and is best teamed with the wave-...
Genes Affecting Cell Competition in Drosophila

Cell competition is a homeostatic mechanism that regulates the size attained by growing tissues. We performed an unbiased genetic screen for mutations that permit the survival of cells being competed due to haplo-insufficiency for RpL36. Mutations that protect RpL36 heterozygous clones include the tumor suppressors expanded, hippo, salvador, mats, and warts, which are members of the Warts pathway, the tumor suppressor fat, and a novel tumor-suppressor mutation. Other hyperplastic or neoplastic mutations did not rescue RpL36 heterozygous clones. Most mutations that rescue cell competition elevated Dpp-signaling activity, and the Dsmurf mutation that elevates Dpp signaling was also hyperplastic and rescued. Two nonlethal, nonhyperplastic mutations prevent the apoptosis of Minute heterozygous cells and suggest an apoptosis pathway for cell competition . In addition to rescuing RpL36 heterozygous cells, mutations in Warts pathway genes were supercompetitors that could eliminate wild-type cells nearby. The findings show that differences in Warts pathway activity can lead to competition and implicate the Warts pathway, certain other tumor suppressors, and novel cell death components in cell competition, in addition to the Dpp pathway implicated by previous studies. We suggest that cell competition might occur during tumor development in mammals.
Diabetes downregulates presynaptic proteins and reduces basal synapsin I phosphorylation in rat retina

Diabetic retinopathy can result in vision loss and involves progressive neurovascular degeneration of the retina. This study tested the hypothesis that diabetes decreases the retinal expression of presynaptic proteins involved in synaptic function. The protein and mRNA contents for synapsin I, synaptophysin, vesicle-associated membrane protein 2, synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa and postsynaptic density protein of 95 kDa were measured by immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in whole retinas and retinal synaptosomes from streptozotocin-diabetic and control Sprague-Dawley rats. There was less presynaptic protein immunoreactivity after 1 and 3 months of diabetes than in controls. Discrete synaptophysin-immunoreactive puncta were significantly smaller and fewer in sections from 1- and 3-month diabetic rat retinas than in those from controls. The content of presynaptic proteins was significantly less in whole retinas of 1- and 3-month diabetic rats, and in synaptosomes from 1-month diabetic rats, than in controls. Whole retinas had significantly less mRNA for these genes after 3 months but not 1 month of diabetes, as compared to controls (with the exception of postsynaptic density protein of 95 kDa). In contrast, there was significantly less mRNA for synaptic proteins in synaptosomes of 1-month diabetic rats than in controls, suggesting a localized depletion at synapses. Protein and mRNA for beta-actin and neuron-specific enolase were unchanged by diabetes. The ratio of phosphorylated to total synapsin I was also reduced in whole retina and isolated synaptosomes from 1-month diabetic rats, as compared to controls. These data suggest that diabetes has a profound impact on presynaptic protein expression in the retina, and may provide a mechanism for the well-established defects in vision and the electrophysiological response of the retina in diabetes.