cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What Students Experienced: A Narrative Analysis of Essays Written by First‐Year Medical Students Participating in a Geriatrics Home Visit

Objectives: To develop a house call experience for first-year medical students introducing them to challenges that homebound, chronically ill elderly adults face. Design: During the semester, two students were paired with a preceptor to see two to three patients. Setting: The house call practices of the Division of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Hospital. Participants: One hundred sixty-five first-year medical students. Measurements: Pairs of students worked together to write an essay after the visit. Essays addressed specific areas, as detailed in a provided checklist, including noting patients' functional limitations, identifying community supports available to patients, and writing about general surprises that the students discovered during their visit. These data were then measured using narrative analysis. Results: In all domains, students identified core goals and objectives. In the first domain (meeting challenges of functional limitations), students recognized the importance of family support. In the second domain (mentioning of functional limitation), high levels of compliance were seen. In the third domain (community support), students mentioned specific formal supports. In the fourth domain (surprises during the visit), students identified many important geriatrics concepts. Conclusion: In writing their essays, students demonstrated a high level of recognition of functional impairment and noted the importance of family, social networks, and home environment in enabling homebound, chronically ill elderly adults to stay in their homes. Many students also demonstrated an awareness of the possibilities of independence and happiness despite significant illness and disability.
Transcriptional silencing of EphB6 receptor tyrosine kinase in invasive breast carcinoma cells and detection of methylated promoter by methylation specific PCR.

Abstract The receptor tyrosine kinase EphB6 is expressed at reasonable levels in normal breast cells. It shows decreased abundance in non-invasive breast carcinoma cells and is transcriptionally silenced in invasive breast carcinoma cells. We have characterized EphB6 promoter and correlated the expression of EphB6 transcript to differential methylation of the promoter region. The demethylation of promoter sequence in vivo by growth in media containing 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine restores the expression of EphB6 to normal levels in breast carcinoma cells, and the ability of the promoter to initiate transcription of a reporter gene is lost after methylation of the promoter sequence. The promoter region has binding sites for various factors such as SP1 and p300. The specific methylation of CpG dinucleotides has allowed us to design primers that can selectively amplify the methylated promoter and thus facilitate identification of normal, non-invasive, and invasive breast cells. The potential significance of EphB6 to serve as a diagnostic and prognostic indicator is discussed.
Anesthetic Efficacy of Combinations of 0.5 M Mannitol and Lidocaine With Epinephrine in Inferior Alveolar Nerve Blocks: A Prospective Randomized, Single-Blind Study

The purpose of this prospective, randomized, single-blind study was to determine the anesthetic efficacy of lidocaine with epinephrine compared to lidocaine with epinephrine plus 0.5 M mannitol in inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) blocks. Forty subjects randomly received an IAN block in 3 separate appointments spaced at least 1 week apart using the following formulations: a 1.8 mL solution of 36 mg lidocaine with 18 µg epinephrine (control solution); a 2.84 mL solution of 36 mg lidocaine with 18 µg epinephrine (1.80 mL) plus 0.5 M mannitol (1.04 mL); and a 5 mL solution of 63.6 mg lidocaine with 32 µg epinephrine (3.18 mL) plus 0.5 M mannitol (1.82 mL). Mandibular teeth were blindly electric pulp tested at 4-minute cycles for 60 minutes postinjection. No response from the subject to the maximum output (80 reading) of the pulp tester was used as the criterion for pulpal anesthesia. Mean percent total pulpal anesthesia was defined as the total of all the times of pulpal anesthesia (80 readings) over the 60 minutes. Pain of solution deposition and postoperative pain were also measured. The results demonstrated that 2.84 mL of lidocaine with epinephrine plus 0.5 M mannitol was significantly better than 1.8 mL of lidocaine with epinephrine for the molars and premolars. The 5 mL of lidocaine with epinephrine plus 0.5 M mannitol was statistically better than 1.8 mL of lidocaine with epinephrine and 2.84 mL of lidocaine with epinephrine plus 0.5 M mannitol for all teeth except the central incisor. Solution deposition pain and postoperative pain were not statistically different among the mannitol formulations and the lidocaine formulation without mannitol. We concluded that adding 0.5 M mannitol to lidocaine with epinephrine formulations significantly improved effectiveness in achieving a greater percentage of total pulpal anesthesia compared with a lidocaine formulation without mannitol for IAN block.
Interleukin 1 and tumor necrosis factor inhibit cardiac myocyte beta-adrenergic responsiveness

Abstract Reversible congestive heart failure can accompany cardiac allograft rejection and inflammatory myocarditis, conditions associated with an immune cell infiltrate of the myocardium. To determine whether immune cell secretory products alter cardiac muscle metabolism without cytotoxicity, we cultured cardiac myocytes in the presence of culture supernatants from activated immune cells. We observed that these culture supernatants inhibit beta-adrenergic agonist-mediated increases in cultured cardiac myocyte contractility and intracellular cAMP accumulation. The myocyte contractile response to increased extracellular Ca2+ concentration is unaltered by prior exposure to these culture supernatants, as is the increase in myocyte intracellular cAMP concentration in response to stimulation with forskolin, a direct adenyl cyclase activator. Inhibition occurs in the absence of alteration in beta-adrenergic receptor density or ligand binding affinity. Suppressive activity is attributable to the macrophage-derived cytokines interleukin 1 and tumor necrosis factor. Thus, these observations describe a role for defined cytokines in regulating the hormonal responsiveness and function of contractile cells. The effects of interleukin 1 and tumor necrosis factor on intracellular cAMP accumulation may be a model for immune modulation of other cellular functions dependent upon cyclic nucleotide metabolism. The uncoupling of agonist-occupied receptors from adenyl cyclase suggests that beta-receptor or guanine nucleotide binding protein function is altered by the direct or indirect action of cytokines on cardiac muscle cells.
Percutaneous Needle Biopsy of the Kidney: Indications, Applications, Technique, and Complications

During the past three decades, percutaneous renal biopsy has evolved as a valuable method of clinical evaluation of patients with various forms of glomerular proteinuria and primary renal failure. The advent of automated core biopsy needles and ultrasound guidance has substantially improved the safety of needle biopsy techniques and almost eliminated the need for surgical wedge biopsy.
Discussing the advantages of saline and silicone implants in clinical practice.

The review by Spear and Jespersen titled “Breast Implants: Saline or Silicone?” ( Aesthetic Surg J 2010;30:557-570) was informative and thorough. I am writing to expand on a few points. The authors did not discuss one of the strong advantages of silicone over saline, which relates to the impact on a plastic surgery practice. One reason many plastic surgeons favor silicone gel implants is that when there is a failure, there is no need for the surgeon to alter schedules on short notice in order to accommodate an urgent replacement, as there would be for a failed saline implant. Replacing a failed saline implant, if done promptly, can be a very rapid and …
Mediation of insulin release by cGMP and cAMP in a starved animal model

Islets isolated from fed rats released insulin in response to glucose, 8-bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cGMP) and 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cAMP), but not to 8-bromoinosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate. Starving rats for 48 h significantly diminished insulin release from islets in response to these agents, and lowered endogenous levels of cGMP and cAMP. The analogs of cGMP and cAMP potentiated the glucose response in a dose-dependent manner in islets from starved rats, whereas in fed rat islets the cyclic nucleotide analogs did not potentiate glucose-stimulated insulin release. Sodium nitroprusside, which enhances endogenous cGMP levels in islets, also enhanced the glucose response in islets from starved rats. Mannoheptulose inhibited glucose and 8-Br-cGMP-stimulated insulin release, but not 8-Br-cAMP-stimulated release. These results suggest that the impaired glucose response of islets from starved animals is in part due to diminished levels of cyclic nucleotides, and that the role(s) of cGMP in insulin secretion may include enhancement of glucose metabolism.
Kinetics of cholesterol oxidation by cholesterol oxidase

Kinetic studies of cholesterol oxidation catalyzed by soluble cholesterol oxidase fromBrevibacterium were conducted. The optimum temperature and pH were found to be 40–45°C and 7.0, respectively. A plot of initial reaction rate versus cholesterol concentration is sigmoidal in shape. Analysis of the data suggests that the reaction follows a concerted model and not a stepwise model.
Modeling colitis-associated cancer with azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS).

Individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) are at increased risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) over healthy individuals. This risk is proportional to the duration and extent of disease, with a cumulative incidence as high as 30% in individuals with longstanding UC with widespread colonic involvement.1 Colonic dysplasia in IBD and colitis associated cancer (CAC) are believed to develop as a result of repeated cycles of epithelial cell injury and repair while these cells are bathed in a chronic inflammatory cytokine milieu.2 While spontaneous and colitis-associated cancers share the quality of being adenocarcinomas, the sequence of underlying molecular events is believed to be different.3 This distinction argues the need for specific animal models of CAC. Several mouse models currently exist for the study of CAC. Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), an agent with direct toxic effects on the colonic epithelium, can be administered in drinking water to mice in multiple cycles to create a chronic inflammatory state. With sufficient duration, some of these mice will develop tumors.4 Tumor development is hastened in this model if administered in a pro-carcinogenic setting. These include mice with genetic mutations in tumorigenesis pathways (APC, p53, Msh2), as well as mice pre-treated with genotoxic agents (azoxymethane [AOM], 1,2-dimethylhydrazine [DMH]).5 The combination of DSS with AOM as a model for colitis associated cancer has gained popularity for its reproducibility, potency, low price, and ease of use. Though they have a shared mechanism, AOM has been found to be more potent and stable in solution than DMH. While tumor development in other models generally requires several months, mice injected with AOM and subsequently treated with DSS develop adequate tumors in as little as 7-10 weeks.6, 7 Finally, AOM and DSS can be administered to mice of any genetic background (knock out, transgenic, etc.) without cross-breeding to a specific tumorigenic strain. Here, we demonstrate a protocol for inflammation-driven colonic tumorigenesis in mice utilizing a single injection of AOM followed by three seven-day cycles of DSS over a 10 week period. This model induces tumors with histological and molecular changes closely resembling those occurring in human CAC and provides a highly valuable model for the study of oncogenesis and chemoprevention in this disease.8
Electrochemical Detection of Exocytosis at Single Rat Melanotrophs

Amperometry at a carbon fiber microelectrode was used to monitor secretion of peptide hormone from single melanotrophs of the intermediate lobe of the rat pituitary. The method is based on electrochemical oxidation of tryptophan and tyrosine residues of small proopiocortin-derived peptides secreted from these cells. For single-cell measurements, the electrode, which had a sensing diameter of approximately 9 microns and a total tip diameter of 30 microns, was positioned approximately 1 micron away from single melanotrophs. When cells were stimulated by application of 64 mM K+, a series of randomly occurring current spikes with an average area of 34 +/- 6 fC was observed. The current spikes were strongly dependent on the presence of Ca2+. Current spikes of nearly identical area and shape were also elicited by mechanical stimulation. Cyclic voltammograms obtained from cell releasates confirmed that the substance detected was a tryptophan- or tyrosine-containing peptide. On the basis of amperometric tests of the most abundant peptides in melanotrophs, it is concluded that the current spikes are due to detection of primarily alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone. The spike area corresponds to 0.32 amol of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone. It is concluded that the current spikes represent detection of concentration pulses that are expected following exocytosis events.
Tests of predicted downstream transport of clasts in turbulent flow

Abstract A theoretical prediction for the downstream transport of clasts in a turbulent flow continuum is tested by comparison with field and laboratory data. Here the downstream transport distance is deduced as a product of the distance per entrainment and the entrainment probability per unit time. The commencement of the entrainment process is treated using energetics and accounting for the interaction of eddies with bed particles, but the transport is treated conventionally using turbulent shear. The minimum energy required for entrainment is defined by the condition to lift a particle over a typical neighboring particle (or its own height). The entrainment probability is proportional to the inverse of the particle size; the transport distance is found from the settling time from the original height of entrainment, whereas the original height of entrainment is determined again by the excess energy of the collision. The distance per entrainment is found to vanish roughly as ln[(dm−d)/y0], where d is the particle diameter, dm is the diameter of the largest particle entrained, and y0 denotes the surface roughness. The effects of the logarithmic factor are to turn a relatively slowly varying function of d for small d into a very rapidly diminishing function of d as d approaches dm. The derived proportionality of dm to u ∗ 2 , the square of the friction velocity, is consistent with the Shields’ diagram for the threshold bed stress for entrainment. The theoretical result is compared with data from two field experiments and 26 lab experiments.
Signals controlling alternative splicing of major histocompatibility complex H-2 class I pre-mRNA

The use of alternative splice acceptor sites during the removal of intron 7 in pre-mRNA splicing produces two forms of H-2Kb protein: the predominant form, derived from a transcript that has spliced at the upstream splice acceptor site for exon 8 (long exon 8), and a Kb molecule derived from a transcript that has spliced at the downstream acceptor site for exon 8 (short exon 8). We have identified a potential lariat branch point adenosine for the upstream acceptor splice site. This adenosine is found 28 bp from the splice junction and is contained in the sequence AGTGATGG. D-region genes, which use only the downstream splice site, have the sequence AGTGGTGG. We have used in vitro mutagenesis to change this A of the H-2Kb gene to G and have made the reciprocal change in H-2Dd. Elimination of this adenosine in H-2Kb alters the pattern of pre-mRNA splicing and results in a predominance of the Kb molecules with short exon 8 encoded sequences. However, the addition of an adenosine in H-2Dd is not sufficient to direct splicing to the upstream site.
Saturated fatty acids as bacterial antimetabolites

Abstract Inhibitory effects of saturated fatty acids of from 7 to 24 carbons in length on nine species of lactic acid bacteria have been investigated. The inhibitions due to the acids of from approximately 12 to 20 carbons in length (depending on the test organism) have been shown to be the result of a potent antimetabolite effect, readily reversible by any of the six unsaturated fatty acids (oleic, linoleic, ricinoleic, vaccenic, licanic, and erucic acids) and the one cyclopropane acid (lactobacillic acid) tested. The inhibitions due to saturated fatty acids of longer chain length (22 and 24 carbons) nearly equal those of the most active saturated acids in the 12- to 20-carbon range, but the mechanism of these inhibitions has not been investigated. The short-chain fatty acids (12 and fewer carbons) are relatively feeble inhibitors and appear to act primarily according to the physicochemical hypotheses which have been proposed by earlier investigators. A scheme of metabolic pathways suggested by the present findings and correlating the latter with earlier data concerning bacterial lipide metabolism is proposed.
Biomechanics of Coronary Artery and Bypass Graft Disease: Potential New Approaches

The contribution of biomechanical factors to the incidence and distribution of coronary artery and bypass graft disease is underrecognized. This review examined the literature to determine which factors were relevant and the evidence for their importance. It identified two primary biomechanical factors that predispose to disease: (1) low-wall shear stress and (2) high-wall mechanical stress or strain. A range of secondary biomechanical factors have also been identified and include: vessel geometry; vessel movement; vessel wall characteristics and the presence of reflection waves. Potential surgical approaches for minimizing these effects are discussed.
Complex BIFORE transform

A complex BIFORE transform is defined and elementary properties of the transform are developed.
Identification of 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase-hydrolase as major folate binding protein in liver cytosol

Abstract 10-Formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (10-formyltetrahydrofolate: NADP+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.5.1.6) purified from pig liver contained bound tetrahydropteroylhexa-γ-glutamate, a potent product inhbitor. Dehydrogenase purified from rat liver had chromatographic properties indistinguishable from those of a previously described major cytosolic folate binding protein of unknown function (Zamierowski, M.M. and Wagner, C. (1977) J. Biol. Chem. 252, 933—938; Cookm R.J. and Wagner, C. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 4427–4434). The dehydrogenase catalyzes the oxidative deformylation of 10-formyltetrahydrofolate to carbon dioxide and tetrahydrofolate. The tight binding of product to the enzyme suggests that oxidation of one-carbon moieties is regulated by the ratio of formyltetrahydrofolate in liver.
Recovery from stress in thyroidectomized rats.

Summary1) To determine whether the lower adrenal ascorbic acid value after stress in the thyroidectomized rat is due to failure of the hypothyroid animal to rebuild the vitamin, rats were thyroidectomized. injected with ACTH, and sacrificed at various periods of time following treatment. The adrenal ascorbic acid level was followed during the recovery periods. 2) One hour after injection, operated rats showed a greater depletion of adrenal vitamin than intact animals. If the lower values in operated-stressed rats are due to failure to rebuild ascorbic acid, then analyses of adrenals of operated animals at later periods of time should also be lower. Such is not the case. Six hours after treatment, thyToidectomized rats show the same degree of recovery of adrenal ascorbic acid as intact animals. The basis for the difference in response of the thyroidectomized rat to a given stress has not been determined.
FATE OF THE ZOE COLOCOTRONI OIL SPILL AND ITS EFFECTS ON INFAUNAL COMMUNITIES ASSOCIATED WITH MANGROVES

ABSTRACT During 1978 and 1979, sediment samples were collected in the mangrove areas on the west side of Bahia Sucia, Puerto Rico, to examine the effects of oil discharged from the tanker Zoe Colocotroni (March 18, 1973) on the infaunal community. Samples for benthic community analysis and hydrocarbon analysis were taken in representative types of mangrove habitats and compared with habitats in a reference area some distance from the spill site. Infaunal organisms larger than 0.5 mm were included in this study. Correlation of biological and chemical data indicates that for the high salinity habitats there were more infaunal organisms larger than 0.5 millimeters in the oiled area than in the unoiled area. Analyses of the red mangrove fringe areas showed that the distribution of infaunal organisms was not related to the distribution of oil in an obvious way. Large numbers of organisms were found in some heavily oiled areas. Even the most diverse communities seen in the impact area were not as diverse as the...
Evidence-based treatment of chronic heart failure

The past two decades have seen a knowledge explosion in the field of cardiovascular diseases, in general, and in the understanding of chronic heart failure (HF) as a complex neurohumoral syndrome in particular. A new staging system for chronic HF has been developed within the last decade to facilitate the evidence-based prescription of medications and medical devices for each of its four stages. The burden of care for patients with chronic HF is substantially provided in primary care settings. Primary care physicians need to understand the underlying pathophysiology of chronic HF, the elements of its evaluation and treatment by stage, and when referral is necessary.
GEOMETRIC BROADCAST PROTOCOL FOR HETEROGENEOUS SENSOR NETWORKS

We present Geometric Broadcast for Heterogeneous Sensor Networks (GBS), a novel broadcasting protocol for heterogeneous wireless sensor and actor networks. While broadcasting is a very energy expensive protocol, it is also widely used as a building block for a variety of other network layer protocols. Therefore, reducing the energy consumption by optimizing broadcasting is a major improvement in heterogenous sensor networking. GBS is a distributed algorithm where nodes make local decisions on whether to transmit based on a geometric approach. GBS does not need any neighborhood information and imposes very low communication overhead. GBS is scalable to the change in network size, node type, node density and topology. Furthermore it accommodates seamlessly such network changes, including the presence of actors in heterogeneous sensor networks. Indeed, GBS takes advantage of actor nodes, and uses their resources when possible, thus reducing the energy consumption by sensor nodes. Through simulation evaluations, we show that GBS is very scalable and its performance is improved by the presence of actors. At the best of our knowledge, GBS is the first broadcast protocol designed specifically for heterogeneous sensor and actor networks.
Observational study of behavior: sampling methods.

Seven major types of sampling for observational studies of social behavior have been found in the literature. These methods differ considerably in their suitability for providing unbiased data of various kinds. Below is a summary of the major recommended uses of each technique: In this paper, I have tried to point out the major strengths and weaknesses of each sampling method. Some methods are intrinsically biased with respect to many variables, others to fewer. In choosing a sampling method the main question is whether the procedure results in a biased sample of the variables under study. A method can produce a biased sample directly, as a result of intrinsic bias with respect to a study variable, or secondarily due to some degree of dependence (correlation) between the study variable and a directly-biased variable. In order to choose a sampling technique, the observer needs to consider carefully the characteristics of behavior and social interactions that are relevant to the study population and the research questions at hand. In most studies one will not have adequate empirical knowledge of the dependencies between relevant variables. Under the circumstances, the observer should avoid intrinsic biases to whatever extent possible, in particular those that direcly affect the variables under study. Finally, it will often be possible to use more than one sampling method in a study. Such samples can be taken successively or, under favorable conditions, even concurrently. For example, we have found it possible to take Instantaneous Samples of the identities and distances of nearest neighbors of a focal individual at five or ten minute intervals during Focal-Animal (behavior) Samples on that individual. Often during Focal-Animal Sampling one can also record All Occurrences of Some Behaviors, for the whole social group, for categories of conspicuous behavior, such as predation, intergroup contact, drinking, and so on. The extent to which concurrent multiple sampling is feasible will depend very much on the behavior categories and rate of occurrence, the observational conditions, etc. Where feasible, such multiple sampling can greatly aid in the efficient use of research time.
Katana: A Hot Patching Framework for ELF Executables

Despite advances in software modularity, security, and reliability,offline patching remains the predominant form of updating or protecting commodity software. Unfortunately, the mechanics of hot patching (the process of upgrading a program while it executes) remain understudied, even though such a capability offers practical benefits for both consumer and mission-critical systems. A reliable hot patching procedure would serve particularly well by reducing the downtime necessary for critical functionality or security upgrades. Yet, hot patching also carries the risk -- real or perceived -- of leaving the system in an inconsistent state, which leads many owners to forego its benefits as too risky. In this paper, we propose a novel method for hot patching ELF binaries that supports (a) synchronized global data and code updates and (b)reasoning about the results of applying the hot patch. We propose a format, which we call a Patch Object, for encoding patches as a special type of ELF relocatable object file. Our tool, Katana, automatically creates these patch objects as a by-product of the standard source build process. Katana also allows an end-user to apply the Patch Objects to a running process. In essence, our method can be viewed as an extension of the Application Binary Interface (ABI), and we argue for its inclusion in future ABI standards.
Computer systems that learn: an empirical study of the effect of noise on the performance of three classification methods

Abstract Classification learning systems are useful in many domain areas. One problem with the development of these systems is feature noise. Learning from examples classification methods from statistical pattern recognition, machine learning, and connectionist theory are applied to synthetic data sets possessing a known percentage of feature noise. Linear discriminant analysis, the C5.0 tree classification algorithm, and a backpropagation neural network tool are used as representative techniques from these three categories. k -Fold cross-validation is used to estimate the sensitivity of the true classification accuracy to level of feature noise present in the data sets. Results indicate that the backpropagation neural network outperforms both linear discriminant analysis and C5.0 tree classification when appreciable (10% or more of the cases) feature noise is present. These results are confirmed when the same type of empirical analysis is applied to a real-world data set previously analyzed and reported in the statistical and machine learning literature.
Influence of high-intensity radiation on the properties of optics for fusion diagnostics

Abstract Diagnostic instruments for future fusion devices such as ITER and BPX will contain optical components that must retain their transmissive (or reflective) ability in intense radiation fields. Several studies of the behavior of such components have been conducted using the University of Illinois TRIGA nuclear research reactor. Candidate materials (e.g. fused silica, sapphire, single and polycrystal CsI) were selected for testing to cover a broad range of the electromagnetic spectrum (near ultraviolet to the far infrared). Two key phenomena relative to the employment of transmissive components for future diagnostics were studied: the decrease in optical/IR transmission and the emission of radioluminescence, as a function of the dose rate and dose received, both for short (ms) transients and for longer steady-state operation.
Maternal Antenatal Depression and Infant Disorganized Attachment at 12 months

Although high rates of attachment disorganization have been observed in infants of depressed mothers, little is known about the role of antenatal depression as a precursor to infant attachment disorganization. The primary aim of this study was to examine associations between maternal antenatal depression and infant disorganization at 12 months in a sample of women (N = 79) at risk for perinatal depression. A secondary aim was to test the roles of maternal postpartum depression and maternal parenting quality as potential moderators of this predicted association. Among women with histories of major depressive episodes, maternal depressive symptoms were assessed at multiple times during pregnancy and the first year postpartum, maternal parenting quality was measured at three months postpartum, and attachment disorganization was assessed at 12 months postpartum. Results revealed that infants classified as disorganized had mothers with higher levels of depressive symptoms during pregnancy compared to infants classified as organized. Maternal parenting quality moderated this association, as exposure to higher levels of maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy was only associated with higher rates of infant disorganized attachment when maternal parenting at three months was less optimal. These findings suggest that enhancing maternal parenting behaviors during this early period in development has the potential to alter pathways to disorganized attachment among infants exposed to antenatal maternal depressive symptoms, which could have enduring consequences for child wellbeing.
Phase II study evaluating the efficacy, safety, and pharmacodynamic correlative study of dual antiangiogenic inhibition using bevacizumab in combination with sorafenib in patients with advanced malignant melanoma

Purpose Melanomas are vascular tumors with a high incidence of BRAF mutations driving tumor proliferation. Complete inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling has potential for enhanced antitumor efficacy. Methods Patients with advanced melanoma and adequate organ function were eligible. Sorafenib was given orally at 200 mg BiD for 5 days every week; bevacizumab was administered 5 mg/kg intravenously every 14 days. The primary objective was to determine clinical biological activity. The secondary objectives were safety, tolerability, and time to progression (TTP). Pharmacodynamic analysis included serum VEGF and soluble VEGF receptor-1 and VEGF receptor-2 performed at baseline, C1D15 and C2D1. The study was terminated during the first stage of a Simon two-stage design, after 14 of planned 21 subjects were enrolled. Results Of the 14 patients who received treatment, no objective tumor responses were observed. Stable disease (SD) ≥16 weeks was observed in 57 % patients, including three patients with SD lasting ≥1 year. Median TTP was 32 weeks. The most frequently reported drug-related adverse events (AEs) were hand-foot syndrome (57.1 %), fatigue (57.1 %), hypertension (64.3 %), and proteinuria (35.7). Grade 3/4 drug-related AEs were hypertension (14.2 %), hand-foot syndrome, proteinuria, and thrombocytopenia (7 % each). Patients with low VEGF ( Conclusions Combined VEGF/VEGFR blockade using bevacizumab with sorafenib shows clinical activity. The linkage between VEGF levels and time to tumor progression needs further exploration.
Comparison of consistency approaches for cloud databases

In the last few years, cloud computing has emerged as an exciting and successful paradigm for large-scale computing. Data sizes are increasing exponentially everyday, which makes data management applications potential candidates for deployment in a cloud. The maintenance of ACID properties is the primary obstacle to the implementation of transactional data management systems in a cloud. In particular, the distributed nature of a cloud platform is one of the main challenges of consistency maintenance. In this paper, we study three different techniques for maintaining consistency: the classic approach, the quorum approach and our tree-based consistency (TBC) approach. We identify the key controlling parameters of consistency maintenance in cloud databases and study the behaviour of the different techniques with respect to those parameters. Results demonstrate the advantages and weaknesses of the three consistency techniques.
The effect of context duration on Mandarin listeners' tone normalization

Tone normalization has been observed in Mandarin listeners, who contrastively adjust tone recognition using context pitch cues. This study tested the effect of context duration on Mandarin tone normalization. The target tones varied from Tone 1 (high-flat) to Tone 2 (mid-rising). The preceding phrase was modified to have different durations with 160- or 200-Hz mean fundamental frequencies (F0s). The results showed that the high-F0 context elicited significantly more Tone-2 responses than the low-F0 context, even when the contexts were 125 ms. The contrastive context effect saturated with the 250-ms contexts, indicating a 250-ms critical context duration for robust tone normalization.
24/7 Solar minimum polar cap and auroral ion temperature observations

During the International Polar Year (IPY) two Incoherent Scatter Radars (ISRs) achieved close to 24/7 continuous observations. This presentation describes their data sets and specifically how they can provide the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) a fiduciary E- and F-region ionosphere description for solar minimum conditions in both the auroral and polar cap regions. The ionospheric description being electron density, ion temperature and electron temperature profiles from as low as 90 km extending to several scale heights above the F-layer peak. The auroral location is Poker Flat in Alaska at 65.1 N latitude, 212.5 E longitude where the NSF s new Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR) is located. This location during solar minimum conditions is in the auroral region for most of the day but is at midlatitudes, equator ward of the cusp, for about 4-8 h per day dependent upon geomagnetic activity. In contrast the polar location is Svalbard, at 78.2 N latitude, 16.0 E longitude where the EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR) is located. For most of the day the ESR is in the Northern Polar Cap with a noon sector passage often through the dayside cusp. Of unique relevance to IRI is that these extended observations have enabled the ionospheric morphology to be distinguished between quiet and disturbed geomagnetic conditions. During the IPY year, 1 March 2007 - 29 February 2008, about 50 solar wind Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs) impacted geospace. Each CIR has a two to five day geomagnetic disturbance that is observed in the ESR and PFISR observations. Hence, this data set also enables the quiet-background ionospheric climatology to be established as a function of season and local time. These two separate climatologies for the ion temperature at an altitude of 300 km are presented and compared with IRI ion temperatures. The IRI ion temperatures are about 200-300 K hotter than the observed values. However, the MSIS neutral temperature at 300 km compares favorably with the quiet-background in temperature, both in magnitude and climatology.
Double standards for sexual jealousy

This work tests two conflicting views about double standards: whether they reflect evolved sex differences in behavior or a manipulative morality serving male interests. Two questionnaires on jealous reactions to mild (flirting) and serious (cheating) sexual transgressions were randomly assigned to 172 young women and men. One questionnaire assessed standards for appropriate behavior and perceptions of how young women and men usually react. The second asked people to report how they had reacted or, if naive, how they would react. The questions concerned anger at and blame of partner and rival and the self-oriented responses of loss of self-esteem, feelings of hurt, and fear of losing the partner. As predicted by the idea of manipulative morality, both sexes advanced sets of double standards that serve the interests of their own sex at the expense of the opposite sex. Much of the data contradict the idea of a match between double standards and evolved sex differences. First, subjects who set self-serving double standards did not perceive gender differences in jealous reactions. Second, there were few gender differences in judgments regarding jealous responses. Third, in contrast with the familiar double standard, women were more aggressively reactive to a flirting rival than men. Fourth, self-reports of the strength of aggressive jealous reactions suggest that women’s behavior is stronger than the prescriptions for it. These data suggest that double standards represent a communication strategy which assists men’s control of women. The data on jealous reactions were interpreted in terms of the degree of threat to fitness posed by infidelity in different situations.
Skin graft for 2-stage treatment of severe hypospadias: back to the future?

ABSTRACTPurpose: Despite the introduction of more refined surgical techniques, the optimal treatment of the most severe forms of hypospadias remains to be determined. Single stage procedures, whether with the use of flaps or grafts, have long been regarded as the best approach, although the complication rate is nonnegligible with all procedures.Materials and Methods: We report the use of a 2-stage repair with preputial graft interposition and subsequent tubularization of the urethral plate applied it to all severe cases of hypospadias with significant chordee or small glans.Results: Both stages of the procedure were completed in 34 patients. Complications in 8 cases (23.5%) included 4 glans disruption in 4, coronal grove fistula in 2, urethral diverticulum in 1 and urethral stenosis due to balanitis xerotica obliterans in 1. Two pinhole fistulas also occurred which closed spontaneously. No complete disruptions or postoperative hematomas/bleeding was noted. Cosmetic and functional outcome after a minimum f...
Photosensitization of specific histidine residues of rabbit muscle and spinach leaf aldolases by pyridoxal phosphate.

Abstract Pyridoxal phosphate, a reversible inhibitor of rabbit muscle aldolase, is found also to act as a photosensitizing agent for specific histidine residues of this enzyme, as well as of spinach leaf aldolase. The photoinactivation reaction differs from the dark inhibition by pyridoxal phosphate in that it is irreversible and is much more rapid at comparable concentrations of pyridoxal- P . Pyridoxal is much less effective than pyridoxal- P at neutral pH; however, the effects of both compounds show a marked dependence on pH and concentration. The photoinactivated enzyme shows no change in K m for fructose-1,6- P 2 or fructose-1- P and incorporates the same amount of dihydroxyacetone- P as does the native enzyme on reduction with borohydride. The activity of partially inactivated enzyme is increased by addition of erythrose-4- P to the assay mixture, similar to results obtained after carboxypeptidase digestion or following photoinactivation in the presence of rose bengal. Photoinactivation at neutral pH is accompanied by specific loss of histidine residues in both rabbit muscle and spinach aldolases. In each case the loss of activity is correlated with the loss of approximately one histidine residue per subunit. No significant losses of any other amino acid residues can be detected. It thus appears that the sensitive histidine residue may be the basic group involved in discharging, by by protonation, the carbanion of the dihydroxyacetone- P -ϵ-amino-lysine complex.
Histologic Features that Correlate With the Prognosis of Patients With Lupus Nephritis

This study stresses the significance of accurate assessment of renal biopsy material in patients with lupus nephritis in order to determine prognosis. The size of the biopsy sample is important because of the focal nature of the disease. The number of glomeruli that must be present to judge the extent of focal involvement was computed. The correct categorization of a patient's disease is essential to avoid "stage migration." Class III lupus nephritis (focal, segmental) should be divided into mild, moderate, and severe. The amount of prednisone administered was calculated, and it was found that the severity of the renal lesion was of greater prognostic significance than the choice of treatment given. While a classification that includes consideration of chronicity appears useful, this study indicates that the amount of acute inflammatory change in the glomeruli is also an important prognostic indicator.
Epstein–Barr virus LMP2A accelerates MYC-induced lymphomagenesis

Despite the identification of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in tumors of Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) over 40 years ago, the exact contribution of EBV to BL is undefined. EBV encodes for multiple proteins in latent B cells that affect B cell survival and activation. One such protein, latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A), protects B cells from numerous pro-apoptotic stimuli. Therefore, we tested whether LMP2A protects B cells from apoptosis induced by aberrant c-MYC expression that precedes and dominates BL. We crossed LMP2A-transgenic mice (LMP2A-Tg), in which all B cells express LMP2A, to a transgenic mouse that expresses a BL translocation of myc (lambda-MYC-Tg mice). LMP2A promotes proliferation and protects B cells from MYC-induced apoptosis in lambda-MYC-Tg mice. LMP2A also accelerates the development of lymphoma in LMP2A/lambda-MYC-Tg mice. Finally, LMP2A increases the expression of Bcl-X(L) in both pre-tumor B cells and tumor cells, suggesting a mechanism for LMP2A-mediated B cell survival in the presence of MYC. These results support a hypothesis that EBV LMP2A promotes tumor development by protecting pre-tumor B cells that would normally apoptose after the c-myc translocation.
Mercury cadmium telluride focal-plane array detection for mid-infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopic imaging.

By combining step-scan Fourier-transform Michelson interferometry, an infrared microscope, and mercury cadmium telluride focal-plane array image detection we have constructed a mid-infrared spectroscopic imaging system that simultaneously records high-fidelity images and spectra of materials from 3500 to 900 cm-1 (2.8 to 11 µm) at a variety of spectral resolutions. The fidelity of the spectral images is determined by the pixel number density of the focal-plane array. Step-scan imaging principles and instrument design details are outlined. Spatial resolution measurements and infrared chemical imaging examples are presented, and the results are discussed with respect to implications for chemical analysis of biosystems and composite materials.
“Works as Advertised”: Observations and Benefits of Prototyping:

The design of useful, easy to use application software requires early and sustained involvement of end users in the design and evaluation of the user interface. The present paper describes the expe...
RED parameters and performance of TCP connections

The problem of transmission control protocol (TCP) traffic with random early detection (RED) is addressed. With the formulation of stochastic differential equation (SDE), an explicit expression for the relation between RED parameters and network parameters is given, which may help set RED parameters for good network performance and the desired average queue level. The result is verified by simulation experiments using ns-2.
Software certification: coding, code, and coders

We describe a certification approach for software development that has been adopted at our organization. JPL develops robotic spacecraft for the exploration of the solar system. The flight software that controls these spacecraft is considered to be mission critical. We argue that the goal of a software certification process cannot be the development of "perfect" software, i.e., software that can be formally proven to be correct under all imaginable and unimaginable circumstances. More realistically, the goal is to guarantee a software development process that is conducted by knowledgeable engineers, who follow generally accepted procedures to control known risks, while meeting agreed upon standards of workmanship. We target three specific issues that must be addressed in such a certification procedure: the coding process, the code that is developed, and the skills of the coders. The coding process is driven by standards. The code is mechanically checked against the standards with the help of state-of-the-art static source code analyzers. The coders, finally, are certified in on-site training courses that include formal exams.
Verification of autonomous systems for space applications

Autonomous software, especially if it is based on model, can play an important role in future space applications. For example, it can help streamline ground operations, or, assist in autonomous rendezvous and docking operations, or even, help recover from problems (e.g., planners can be used to explore the space of recovery actions for a power subsystem and implement a solution without (or with minimal) human intervention). In general, the exploration capabilities of model-based systems give them great flexibility. Unfortunately, it also makes them unpredictable to our human eyes, both in terms of their execution and their verification. The traditional verification techniques are inadequate for these systems since they are mostly based on testing, which implies a very limited exploration of their behavioral space. In our work, we explore how advanced V&V techniques, such as static analysis, model checking, and compositional verification, can be used to gain trust in model-based systems. We also describe how synthesis can be used in the context of system reconfiguration and in the context of verification.