cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Risk for Mental Disorders Associated With Sexual Assault: A Meta-Analysis

Sexual assault (SA) is a common form of trauma that is associated with numerous deleterious outcomes. Understanding the relative prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses in people who have been sexually assaulted versus people who have not been assaulted could help to prioritize assessment and intervention efforts, but there has been no quantitative review of this topic. A search of PsychINFO, ProQuest Digital Dissertations and Theses, and Academic Search Premier for articles dated between 1970 and 2014 was conducted, and unpublished data were obtained. Eligible studies used diagnostic interviews to assess Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnoses in both individuals experiencing adolescent/adult and/or lifetime SA and unassaulted individuals. The search yielded 171 eligible effects from 39 studies representing 88,539 participants. Meta-regression was used to aggregate the prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses in sexually assaulted and unassaulted samples as well as calculate odds ratios reflecting the difference between these prevalence estimates. Results indicated that most disorders were more prevalent in survivors of SA, and depressive disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were especially prevalent. Disorder-specific differences in odds ratios were observed as a function of sample type, type of comparison group, and time frame of SA. Service providers should be prepared to address depressive disorders and PTSD in survivors of SA, and interventions that prevent the development of these disorders are especially needed.
Chapter 27 – Properdin

Properdin, a 53 kDa glycoprotein, is a key positive regulator of the alternative pathway by significantly increasing the half-life of the C3 and C5 convertases. Properdin is also an initiator of the alternative pathway. Unlike most complement proteins, properdin is produced primarily by leucocytes rather than hepatocytes, and circulates at 4–25 μg/mL in plasma as cyclic oligomers (mainly dimers, trimers and tetramers) of head-to-tail associations of monomers. Each monomer encompasses six thrombospondin type 1 repeat domains (TSR1-6) and a truncated N-terminal domain (TSR0). The properdin gene is located on the X chromosome and deficiency leads to impaired alternative pathway function, leaving patients highly susceptible to fulminant meningococcal infections. Properdin also plays a central role in various inflammatory disease animal models. This chapter includes current knowledge on basic properdin biology, including structure, function, tissue distribution, regulation of expression, protein and gene sequences, as well as deficiencies, polymorphisms and available mouse models.
Carry Trade Strategies with Factor Augmented Macro Fundamentals: A Dynamic Markov-Switching Factor Model

This paper evaluates the performance of carry trade strategies with macro fundamentals in a Markov switching dynamic factor augmented regression framework and compares the performance statistics with the benchmark model of a random walk and momentum strategy. I make simulations with the Japanese Yen, Swiss Franc and US Dollar as funding currencies against six target currencies. Carry trade, a currency speculation strategy between the high-interest rate and low-interest rate currencies, generates high payoffs on average but has a possibility of crash risk. I argue that risk adjusted returns, mean returns and downside risk perform better when purchasing power parity model is used in a both regime switching and linear factor augmented regression framework for Franc trades and perform as good as benchmark model of momentum strategy for Dollar and Yen trades.
Parenting and toddler self‐regulation in low‐income families: What does sleep have to do with it?

Toddlerhood is a sensitive period in the development of self-regulation, a set of adaptive skills that are fundamental to mental health and partly shaped by parenting. Healthy sleep is known to be critical for self-regulation; yet, the degree to which child sleep alters interactive child-parent processes remains understudied. This study examines associations between observed parenting and toddler self-regulation, with toddler sleep as a moderator of this association. Toddlers in low-income families (N = 171) and their mothers were videotaped during free play and a self-regulation challenge task; videos were coded for mothers' behavior and affect (free play) and toddlers' self-regulation (challenge task). Mothers reported their child's nighttime sleep duration via questionnaire. Results revealed significant Sleep × Maternal Negative Affect and Sleep × Maternal Negative Control interactions. Children who did not experience negative parenting had good self-regulation regardless of their nighttime sleep duration. For children who did experience negative parenting, self-regulation was intact among those who obtained more nighttime sleep, but significantly poorer among children who were getting less nighttime sleep. Thus, among children who were reported to obtain less nighttime sleep, there were more robust associations between negative parenting and poorer self-regulation than among toddlers who were reported to obtain more sleep.
Prediagnostic Proinflammatory Dietary Potential Is Associated with All-Cause Mortality among African-American Women with High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma

Background Chronic inflammation is associated with ovarian carcinogenesis; yet, the impact of inflammatory-related exposures on outcomes has been understudied. Objective Given the poor survival of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, especially African-Americans, we examined whether diet-associated inflammation, a modifiable source of chronic systemic inflammation measured by the dietary inflammatory index (DII), was associated with all-cause mortality among African-American women with ovarian carcinoma. Methods Data were available from 490 ovarian carcinoma patients enrolled in a population-based case-control study of African-American women with ovarian cancer, the African-American Cancer Epidemiology Study. Energy-adjusted DII (E-DII) scores were calculated based on prediagnostic dietary intake of foods alone or foods and supplements, which was self-reported using the 2005 Block Food Frequency Questionnaire. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate risk of mortality overall and for the most common histotype, high-grade serous carcinoma. Additionally, we assessed interaction by age at diagnosis and smoking status. Results Women included in this study had a median age of 57 y, and the majority of women were obese (58%), had late-stage disease (Stage III or IV, 66%), and had high-grade serous carcinoma (64%). Greater E-DII scores including supplements (indicating greater inflammatory potential) were associated with an increased risk of mortality among women with high-grade serous carcinoma (HR1-unit change: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.17). Similar associations were observed for the E-DII excluding supplements, although not statistically significant (HR1-unit change: 1.07; 95% CI: 0.97, 1.17). There was an interaction by smoking status, where the positive association with mortality was present only among ever smokers (HRQuartile 4/Quartile 1: 2.36; 95% CI: 1.21, 4.60) but not among never smokers. Conclusions Greater inflammatory potential of prediagnostic diet may adversely impact prognosis among African-American women with high-grade serous carcinoma, and specifically among ever smokers.
A Retrospective Cohort Study of Longitudinal Audiologic Assessment in Single and Fractionated Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Vestibular Schwannoma.

Background Fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for vestibular schwannomas (VS) has been theorized to allow for tumor control with higher rates of hearing preservation in selected patients with useful hearing. However, there is a paucity of literature with formal audiologic measures of hearing preservation to support the standard use of fractionated SRS in VS. We hypothesized that fractionation would diminish the amount of hearing damage. Objective To evaluate the relationship between audiologic performance and SRS fractionation scheme. Methods We performed an IRB-approved retrospective review of patients treated with 1, 3, or 5 fraction SRS for VS at our institution from 1998 to 2016. Pre- and post-SRS audiograms with speech awareness threshold (SAT) in treated and contralateral ears were obtained. Contralateral ear measurements were used for hearing normalization to account for presbycusis. Results Fifty-six patients with median audiologic follow-up 2.0 yr (mean 2.66 yr, min-max 0.50-9.45 yr) were included. Patients treated with single fractionation had a significantly worsened SAT (dB) compared to patients treated with 5 fractions (P = .008) and compared to all multifraction patients (P = .009) at 12 to 24 mo follow-up. Conclusion This retrospective analysis supports the use of fractionated SRS to preserve hearing in patients with VS. SAT can be used as an objective metric of hearing response to radiosurgery.
Toward point-of-care assessment of hemostasis using miniaturized dielectric coagulometry (Conference Presentation)

Point-of-care (POC) diagnostic devices hold great promise to significantly impact healthcare delivery and address health disparities by shifting the focus away from the utilization of high-cost specialized care for the treatment of late-stage diseases toward predictive, preventative, and personalized health for more effective disease monitoring and management. In the developed world, POC technologies are expected to offer effective and feasible means of reducing healthcare costs and improving patient care, whereas in the developing world POC technologies are urgently needed to address pressing healthcare needs with affordable and accessible solutions. In this talk, I will first provide a brief overview of the field of POC technologies for health diagnostics. To showcase an example, I will next present our work on ClotChip, a microfluidic sensor that utilizes dielectric spectroscopy for POC assessment of blood coagulation disorders with <10 uL of whole blood. Specifically, I will analyze a simple circuit model that accurately captures the frequency-dependent dielectric behavior of human whole blood placed within a microfluidic channel. I will then discuss how temporal variation in the dielectric properties of the blood sample undergoing coagulation provides information about molecular and cellular abnormalities in the hemostatic process. Finally, to establish the utility of ClotChip as a platform technology for POC assessment of hemostasis, I will share our results from a pilot clinical study with ClotChip on monitoring anticoagulation therapy with a new class of FDA-approved blood thinners. Results from correlative studies between ClotChip and several existing blood coagulation assays are also provided.
Parental incarceration during middle childhood and adolescence

In 2004, more than 500,000 children between 10 and 14 years, and more than 250,000 youth between 15 and 17 years old, had a parent incarcerated in prison. These figures underestimate the total number of older children and adolescents affected by a parent’s incarceration, as they do not account for over 700,000 adults who were held in local jails or the thousands of other adults with minor children who were on probation or parole during that same year. Middle childhood and adolescence are important developmental periods, each characterized by significant changes in cognitive, social, and emotional skills. Compared to infants and younger children, older children and adolescents have greater emotional and cognitive capacities to understand the facts about a parent’s incarceration, process the loss of their parent, and express their preferences about their living arrangements and contact with the incarcerated parent. In this chapter, we summarize the empirical research on parental incarceration among older children and adolescents, and consider the implications of a parent’s incarceration for children’s wellbeing at home, school, and in their communities.
Guilty of Shame in the Anthropocene

This chapter asks how the key term Anthropocene rhetorically orients one toward ecological crisis and how it functions as a guide for collective belief and behavior. I argue that by attributing ecological abuse to humans as a species, the term activates an emotional framework of shame rather than guilt, which undermines rhetorical efforts to mobilize collective action aimed at fighting environmental harm. With guilt, culpability is fixed on a specific action; in shame, culpability is embedded in an attribute, which constrains one’s capacity to redress the wrong.
Family Focused Treatment and Management: A Multi-Discipline Training Approach

Training for professional/paraprofessionals who work in the field of alcoholism has been grossly inadequate. Those programmes that do exist tend to focus on training for working with the alcoholic individual, ignoring the context of his environment and particularly the family. The authors intend to present consideration of a multidisciplinary curriculum aimed at highlighting work with the alcoholic family using it as a means to working with the designated alcoholic.
Mental health and tobacco use are correlated with PROMIS upper extremity and pain interference scores in patients with shoulder pathology

To determine whether patient demographics have predictive influence on patient-reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS) domains of pain interference (PROMIS-PI), depression (PROMIS-D), and upper extremity (PROMIS-UE) for patients with shoulder pathology treated nonoperatively. Patients with partial rotator cuff tears, impingement, scapular dyskinesia, osteoarthritis, muscle strains, biceps tendonitis, instability, and acromioclavicular arthritis were retrospectively identified. Patients who underwent surgery were excluded. Demographic characteristics were documented, and PROMIS scores before and after nonoperative intervention were analyzed for correlations between each domain. A total of 638 questionnaires (PROMIS-UE, PROMIS-PI, and PROMIS-D) were analyzed. PROMIS-UE had a strong negative correlation with PROMIS-PI (R = − 0.73, P 24.8 (P < .05). There is an inverse relationship between upper extremity physical function and pain and depression, as measured by PROMIS scores. Smoking and increased BMI are significant contributors to worse outcomes in patients with shoulder pathology, even in nonoperative populations. Counseling patients regarding prognosis and functional outcomes is important in managing their expectations in this patient population.
Simultaneous cross-evaluation of heterogeneous E. coli datasets via mechanistic simulation

The extensive heterogeneity of biological data poses challenges to analysis and interpretation. Construction of a large-scale mechanistic model of Escherichia coli enabled us to integrate and cross-evaluate a massive, heterogeneous dataset based on measurements reported by various groups over decades. We identified inconsistencies with functional consequences across the data, including that the total output of the ribosomes and RNA polymerases described by data are not sufficient for a cell to reproduce measured doubling times, that measured metabolic parameters are neither fully compatible with each other nor with overall growth, and that essential proteins are absent during the cell cycle-and the cell is robust to this absence. Finally, considering these data as a whole leads to successful predictions of new experimental outcomes, in this case protein half-lives.
Amphicheirality of ribbon 2-knots

For any classical knot k1, we can construct a ribbon 2-knot spun(k1) by spinning an arc removed a small segment from k1 about R2 in R4. A ribbon 2-knot is an embedded 2-sphere in R4. If k1 has an n...
Neural Control of the Laryngopharynx

The vagus nerve is the 10th of the 12 pairs of cranial nerves and is a part of the parasympathetic nervous system. It originates in the medulla oblongata and is comprised of sensory and motor neurons that innervate the peripheral nervous system. The vagus nerve exits the central nervous system at the vagal ganglia and spreads to the rest of the body. Among other functions, the vagus nerve supplies the laryngopharynx and other structures in the neck via afferent and efferent nerve branches. These branches are composed of different fibers that have their origins in different vagal nuclei in the medulla and are responsible for phonation, gastrointestinal reflexes, swallowing, air passing, and cardiac function.
A∞-Algebra of an Elliptic Curve and Eisenstein Series

We compute explicitly the A∞-structure on the algebra \({{\rm Ext}^*(\mathcal{O}_C \oplus L, \mathcal{O}_C \oplus L)}\) , where L is a line bundle of degree 1 on an elliptic curve C. The answer involves higher derivatives of Eisenstein series.
Why People Play Lotteries and Why It Matters

This Article is motivated by a puzzle. Lottery play is extremely common. Yet such play is inconsistent with standard economic theories of the consumer, which feature rationality and risk aversion. Faced with the puzzle, theorists have generally tried to save risk aversion at the expense of rationality. Three common explanations for the prevalence of lottery play emerge: that people are ignorant; that they are irrational; and that they find a consumption value in playing the lottery. But on deeper investigation none of these theories is ultimately satisfying. A more promising explanation upholds the rationality of consumers at the expense of risk aversion. This explanation turns on the idea of indivisibilities in consumption expenditures, and looks more closely at individual preference structures and the possibility that consumers operate under multiple utility functions. This emergent, rationally-based theory holds out more promise for lottery reform than do the more traditional explanations. Further, the new theory gives insights into certain important institutional features of society. Most important, the new theory involves a movement toward a better, more respectful theory of the consumer, one that can inform a wide range of policy analysis.
Mental Status Examination

The mental status examination is an interview method psychiatrists use to gather and organize their observations about the patient’s mental functioning. The mental status examination grows out of the general psychiatric tradition of noting mental signs and symptoms of psychiatric and neurological illness. Psychoanalysis adds observations about emotionally dynamic mental contents of ideas and affects. Psychoanalysis focuses especially on the process of this material as it reveals itself in sequential associations and in patients’ fantasies about the interviewer. Some psychoanalysts, like general psychiatrists, also observe aspects of the mental organization of this process, called structure, that might reflect severity of illness or even illness type (Reich, 1945; Jacobson, 1971; Bellak et al., 1973; Kernberg, 1975). Some have written about the relationship between symptoms, structure, transference, and dynamics (MacKinnon and Michaels, 1971; Kernberg, 1975). I follow this latter tradition because the structural road map is so important in diagnosis and treatment of psychotic and near psychotic conditions. I include, therefore, as part of the mental status examination, the careful assessment of certain ego functions damaged in psychosis and near psychosis. This damage leads to the characteristic mental manifestations of these illnesses and their dynamics.
A 71 Megapixel Mosaic Camera for Weak Lensing at APO

We are developing a wide-field CCD camera system which is optimized for using weak gravitational lensing to study the distribution of dark matter in clusters of galaxies and eventually the field. The system will be used at the Apache Point Observatory (APO) 3.5 meter telescope in New Mexico.
Toward real-time temperature monitoring in fat and aqueous tissue during magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound using a three-dimensional proton resonance frequency T1 method.

Purpose To present a three-dimensional (3D) segmented echoplanar imaging (EPI) pulse sequence implementation that provides simultaneously the proton resonance frequency shift temperature of aqueous tissue and the longitudinal relaxation time (T1) of fat during thermal ablation. Methods The hybrid sequence was implemented by combining a 3D segmented flyback EPI sequence, the extended two-point Dixon fat and water separation, and the double flip angle T1 mapping techniques. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) heating experiments were performed at three different acoustic powers on excised human breast fat embedded in ex vivo porcine muscle. Furthermore, T1 calibrations with temperature in four different excised breast fat samples were performed, yielding an estimate of the average and variation of dT1/dT across subjects. Results The water only images were used to mask the complex original data before computing the proton resonance frequency shift. T1 values were calculated from the fat-only images. The relative temperature coefficients were found in five fat tissue samples from different patients and ranged from 1.2% to 2.6%/°C. Conclusion The results demonstrate the capability of real-time simultaneous temperature mapping in aqueous tissue and T1 mapping in fat during HIFU ablation, providing a potential tool for treatment monitoring in organs with large fat content, such as the breast. Magn Reson Med 72:178–187, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PowerFCT: Power Optimization of Data Center Network with Flow Completion Time Constraints

Power optimization is a challenging task for a large scale data centre. Among all the major power consumption contributors of the entire data centre, data centre networks (DCNs) can account for up to 20% of the total power consumption. To save power for DCNs, several different approaches have been proposed. Unfortunately, none of these approaches addresses the performance impact on the flow completion times (FCTs) of delay-sensitive flows. In fact, FCTs of the delay-sensitive flows have been identified as one of the most important service-level agreement metrics of the data centre networking services. In this paper, we propose Power FCT, a multi-dimensional DCN power saving scheme that jointly conducts traffic consolidation and leverages the different power states of multiple components inside the DCN switches, including CPU, network processor, switch fabric, packet buffer and cooling fans, to maximize the power savings for DCNs. In sharp contrast to existing work that neglects the performance impacts, PowerFCT features a novel FCT model and explicitly enforces the desired FCT requirements in the process of power optimization. As a result, the desired FCTs for delay-sensitive flows can be effectively maintained. Both hardware experiments and simulation evaluations show that PowerFCT can achieve the power savings up to 62% for DCNs, which outperforms two state-of-the-art schemes by 21% and 14%, respectively. For large-scale data centers, this savings can lead to millions of dollars of savings in operating expenses. In addition, PowerFCT has the lowest FCT miss ratio among all the solutions.
A comparison of face-to-face and online learning environments to prepare teachers to use technology

A Comparison of Face-to-Face and Online Learning Environments to Prepare Teachers to Use Technology by Ashley Janel Addis Dr. Neal Strudler, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Curriculum and Instruction University of Nevada Las Vegas This study investigated the similarities and differences in the implementation of face-to-face and online versions of an undergraduate educational technology course for elementary teacher candidates. A common course project, the Innovations Mini-teach, was the focus of the investigation. Twenty-four students participated in the face-to-face section, 22 were enrolled in the online section, and the instructor was the same for both classes. Through this investigation, similarities and differences were identified in the nature of the learning experience as well as student outcomes. Similarities included how the project was introduced, structured, and facilitated. Key differences pertained to the nature of collaboration and teaching strategies employed by the students. Gains in student learning outcomes were pronounced in each section, but the face-to-face group significantly outperformed the online group on post-test scores (p = 0.005). Students in both sections presented similar reflections on personal growth in the use of technology in education.
Small leucine-rich proteoglycans exhibit unique spatiotemporal expression profiles during cardiac valve development.

Background: Small Leucine Rich Proteoglycans (SLRPs) play a role in collagen fiber formation and also function as signaling molecules. Given the importance of collagen synthesis to the cardiovascular extracellular matrix (ECM), we examined the spatiotemporal expression of SLRPs, not previously investigated in the murine heart. Results: Cardiac expression using antibodies specific for biglycan (BGN), decorin (DCN), fibromodulin (FMOD), and lumican (LUM) revealed distinct patterns among the SLRPs in mesenchymal-derived tissues. DCN showed the most intense localization within the developing valve cusps, while LUM was evident primarily in the hinge region of postnatal cardiac valves. BGN, DCN, and FMOD were immunolocalized to regions where cardiac valves anchor into adjacent tissues. Medial (BGN) and adventitial (BGN, DCN, FMOD and LUM) layers of the pulmonary and aortic arteries also showed intense staining of SLRPs but this spatiotemporal expression varied with developmental age. Conclusions: The unique expression patterns of SLRPs suggest they have adapted to specialized roles in the cardiovascular ECM. SLRP expression patterns overlap with areas where TGFβ signaling is critical to the developing heart. Therefore, we speculate that SLRPs may not only be required to facilitate collagen fiber formation but may also regulate TGFβ signaling in the murine heart. Developmental Dynamics 243:601–611, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
ANAC012, a member of the plant‐specific NAC transcription factor family, negatively regulates xylary fiber development in Arabidopsis thaliana

Vascular plants evolved to have xylem that provides physical support for their growing body and serves as a conduit for water and nutrient transport. In a previous study, we used comparative-transcriptome analyses to select a group of genes that were upregulated in xylem of Arabidopsis plants undergoing secondary growth. Subsequent analyses identified a plant-specific NAC-domain transcription factor gene (ANAC012) as a candidate for genetic regulation of xylem formation. Promoter-GUS analyses showed that ANAC012 expression was preferentially localized in the (pro)cambium region of inflorescence stem and root. Using yeast transactivation analyses, we confirmed the function of ANAC012 as a transcriptional activator, and identified an activation domain in the C terminus. Ectopic overexpression of ANAC012 in Arabidopsis (35S::ANAC012 plants) dramatically suppressed secondary wall deposition in the xylary fiber and slightly increased cell-wall thickness in the xylem vessels. Cellulose compositions of the cell wall were decreased in the inflorescent stems and roots of 35S::ANAC012 plants, probably resulting from defects in xylary fiber formation. Our data suggest that ANAC012 may act as a negative regulator of secondary wall thickening in xylary fibers.
SUSTAINABILITY AND DECISION‐MAKING:

Sustainability has been advanced as an important societal goal which governments should adopt and implement. However, sustainability is a complex concept and one for which a firm consensus definition does not appear likely any time soon. This article provides the conceptual background for a discussion of sustainability and then reviews one of the first attempts by the U.S. government to implement a policy specifically designed to promote sustainability, the Environmental Protection Agency's Sustainable Development Challenge Grant (SDCG) Program. The history for the program, the experience of its first year are examined and a formal decision analysis of the problem facing the SDCG program managers is developed. Implications of this research for the SDCG and for other government policy making are discussed.
Sociocultural Influence on Children's Social Competence: A Close Look at Kindergarten Teachers' Beliefs

This study was conducted with White American kindergarten teachers from a southeast region of the United States to examine their beliefs about culture and social competence. Overall, from a sociocultural perspective, these teachers had limited understanding of young children's social competence and showed varying degrees of cultural knowledge for different racial/cultural groups: African American, Hispanics, and Asians, from the most to the least. In addition, several insights, such as teachers' personal beliefs about social competence, represented low-context cultural beliefs; teachers' major source of cultural knowledge was professional experience; and teachers' beliefs about multicultural education revealed color-blind teaching emerged through the qualitative individual interviews. Taken together, the findings of this study have implications for practice in early childhood teacher education, such that institutional support should be in place to provide teachers with opportunities to become aware of the...
Bidirectional transfer of methadone across human placenta

Methadone maintenance programs are considered the standard of care for the pregnant opiate addict. However, data on changes in methadone pharmacokinetics (PK) during pregnancy are limited and do not include its disposition by the placenta due to obvious ethical and safety considerations. Accordingly, investigations in our laboratory are focusing on human placental disposition of opiates including methadone. Recently, we reported on methadone metabolism by placental aromatase and provide here data on its bidirectional transfer across the tissue utilizing the technique of dual perfusion of placental lobule. The concentrations of the opiate transfused into the term placental tissue were those reported for its in vivo levels in the maternal serum of women under treatment with the drug. Data obtained indicated that the opiate has no adverse effects on placental viability and functional parameters and that it is retained by the tissue. Also, methadone transfer and its clearance index in the fetal to maternal direction (0.97 ± 0.05) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than in the maternal to fetal (0.83 ± 0.09). The observed asymmetry in methadone transfer could be explained by the unidirectional activity of the efflux transporter P glycoprotein (P-gp) that is highly expressed in variable amounts in trophoblast tissue. Therefore, placental disposition of methadone might be an important contributor to the regulation of its concentration in the fetal circulation and consequently may affect the incidence and intensity of neonatal abstinence syndrome for women treated with the drug during pregnancy.
Protein-Based Block Copolymers

Advances in genetic engineering have led to the synthesis of protein-based block copolymers with control of chemistry and molecular weight, resulting in unique physical and biological properties. The benefits from incorporating peptide blocks into copolymer designs arise from the fundamental properties of proteins to adopt ordered conformations and to undergo self-assembly, providing control over structure formation at various length scales when compared to conventional block copolymers. This review covers the synthesis, structure, assembly, properties, and applications of protein-based block copolymers.
Effects of aerosols on photosynthesis

Air pollution can cause various problems to agriculture through its direct or indirect effects on plants1,2. The net effects of air pollution on agricultural crop yields are very difficult to estimate quantitatively, and are generally considered secondary to the effects of fertilizers or chemical disease control measures. However, continually increasing air pollution may represent a persistent and largely irreversible threat to agriculture in the future. Here we have examined only one indirect aerosol effect on agricultural plant life—the reduction in photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) reaching the ground in the presence of significant air pollution. This effect can be quantified confidently from results of detailed model calculations of the transfer of solar radiation through the atmosphere with varying levels of air pollution. For the biologically effective wavelength region between 0.35 and 0.72 µm, the reductions in PAR due to increasing tropospheric aerosol loads have been determined for rural and urban pollution scenarios. For example, for the northeastern United States during the summer months, a reduction in PAR of about 20% and 33% was obtained when the visual range due to rural and urbtn aerosols, respectively, was decreased from clear air conditions to 10 km.
Photooxidations in zeolites. Part 2: A new mechanistic model for reaction selectivity in singlet oxygen ene reactions in zeolitic media

Abstract The singlet oxygen ene reaction in Methylene Blue doped NaY was examined. A new mechanism is proposed which involves complexation of the sodium cation to the pendant oxygen in the perepoxide intermediate. It is argued that this complexation leads to greater positive charge on the carbon framework and to steric interactions between the sodium and the groups on the proximal side of the perepoxide.
SOME EFFECTS OF THE WESTERN CORDILLERA OF NORTH AMERICA OF CYCLONIC ACTIVITY

Abstract Some effects of the western mountain complex of North America on cyclones are investigated from the standpoint of how the vorticity tendency field might be influenced by orographically-induced vertical motion and divergence. A detailed case study is presented which includes computations of terms in the vorticity tendency equation during a lee cyclogenesis. The local increases in low-level vorticity which occurred during formation of the lee trough and cyclone were primarily due to horizontal convergence, while the horizontal and vertical advection of vorticity opposed the increases; the contribution of the tipping term was generally negligible. The study also provides evidence that orographic effects are insufficient to explain the genesis of major cyclonic storms.
Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Expression in Alveolar Extraction Sockets of Zoledronic Acid–Treated Rats

Purpose The use of nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (n-bis) is associated with necrosis of the jaws, also known as bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJ); however, the pathophysiology is unknown. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression is essential for normal bone healing and is also required for angiogenesis. N-bis alters MMP-9 expression in vitro and in vivo; therefore, we hypothesized that n-bis alters MMP-9 expression during oral wound healing after tooth extraction. Materials and Methods A total accumulated dose of 2.25 mg/kg (n = 20) of Zoledronic acid (ZA) Zometa or saline (control, n = 20) was administered to Sprague–Dawley male rats. Next, both groups had maxillary molar teeth extracted. Rats were sacrificed at postoperative day 1, 3, 7, or 21. Western blotting or multiplex ELISA was used to evaluate proteins of interest. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to assess the relative quantities of target gene mRNA. MMP-9 enzymatic activity was assessed by zymography. Results The ZA group showed a statistically significant reduction in bone mineralization rate 21 days after tooth extraction compared with the control group (Student t test, P = .005). Moreover, ZA-treated animals showed a statistically significant increase in MMP-9-specific mRNA at postoperative days 3 (P = .003), 7 (P .05). Receptor of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) is known to regulate the expression of MMP-9; we therefore assessed the RANKL expression in our experimental oral wound-healing model. The ZA-treated animals had significantly increased RANKL mRNA at postoperative days 3 (P = .02) and 21 (P = .004), while the protein expression was significantly increased at postoperative days 1 (P Conclusions ZA reduced bone mineralization within tooth extraction sockets, suggesting aberrant bone healing. ZA increases the amount and enzymatic activity of MMP-9, while apparently not altering the amount of TIMP1 within extraction sockets. RANKL is increased in ZA-treated rats, which suggests that increased MMP-9 expression is due, in part, to augmented RANKL expression.
Reestablishment of Male Sexual Function and Appearance 23 Years After Alligator Induced Traumatic Orchiectomy and Penile Lacerations

AbstractWe report a case of traumatic sexual dysfunction and genitalia deformity successfully treated with dorsal vein excision, spongiolysis, rotational flaps, split thickness skin grafts, testicular prosthesis implantation and penile autologous fat augmentation 23 years after an alligator attack resulted in amputation of the testes and half of the scrotum, and denudation of the penis with corpus cavernosum to spongiosum fistula formations.
Immunity to vaginal infection by herpes simplex virus type 2 in adult mice: characterization of the immunoglobulins in vaginal mucus

Progestin-treated female mice are susceptible to vaginal infection by two sexually transmitted disease organisms: herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) and Chlamydia trachomatis. Vaccination of mice with HSV-2 or chlamydial antigens elicits immunity to vaginal infection that may be due in part to secreted antibodies in the vaginal lumen. Analysis of the role of these antibodies in immunity would be aided by information about the vaginal secretion in progestin-treated mice and the antibodies it contains. Gross and histologic observations of progestin-treated mice that were immune to vaginal HSV-2 infection indicated that the vaginal lumen was filled with mucus. A procedure for extraction of immunoglobulin from the mucus was developed and shown to recover at least 98% of the secretory IgA (S-IgA) that was free to diffuse from the mucus. Immunoblotting revealed that the predominant molecular form of IgA in vaginal mucus was dimeric S-IgA. Immunoglobulin concentrations in vaginal secretions were higher in immune mice than in non-immune mice and S-IgA concentrations were higher than those of IgG. The IgG concentration in vaginal secretions of immune mice was 4.5-fold higher than in non-immune mice, while serum IgG increased only 1.5-fold, suggesting local production of IgG or increased transudation in immune mice. Specific IgG antibody to HSV-2 was demonstrated in vaginal secretions of immune mice at a mean ELISA titer of 6200, whereas the titer of specific S-IgA in the same secretions was only 1.9. Thus, while the predominant immunoglobulin by weight in the vaginal mucus of immune mice was S-IgA, the ELISA titers suggested that the virus-specific antibody was almost entirely IgG.
Determination of Alkali and Halide Monovalent Ion Parameters for Use in Explicitly Solvated Biomolecular Simulations

Alkali (Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+, and Cs+) and halide (F−, Cl−, Br−, and I−) ions play an important role in many biological phenomena, roles that range from stabilization of biomolecular structure, to influence on biomolecular dynamics, to key physiological influence on homeostasis and signaling. To properly model ionic interaction and stability in atomistic simulations of biomolecular structure, dynamics, folding, catalysis, and function, an accurate model or representation of the monovalent ions is critically necessary. A good model needs to simultaneously reproduce many properties of ions, including their structure, dynamics, solvation, and moreover both the interactions of these ions with each other in the crystal and in solution and the interactions of ions with other molecules. At present, the best force fields for biomolecules employ a simple additive, nonpolarizable, and pairwise potential for atomic interaction. In this work, we describe our efforts to build better models of the monovalent ions within t...
Hyperthermic preconditioning protects against spinal cord ischemic injury.

Abstract Background . Paraplegia can result from operations requiring transient occlusion of the descending thoracic aorta. The present study tested whether inducing hyperthermia in rats before aortic ischemia would be neuroprotective. Methods . Rats were randomly assigned to hyperthermic preconditioning (n = 27) or control (n = 32) groups. Eighteen hours before ischemia, the hyperthermic preconditioned rats were heated at 41°C for 15 minutes. Ten minutes of spinal ischemia were produced by balloon occlusion of the thoracic aorta. Neurologic performance scores were evaluated daily to 7 days after ischemia. The lumbar region of the spinal cord was removed for histologic grading. Results . The hyperthermic preconditioned animals had less permanent spinal cord injury compared with controls (29.6% versus 59.4%, p = 0.02), and the incidence of immediate paraplegia in the hyperthermic preconditioned group was significantly less than that in the control group (3.7% versus 28.1%, p = 0.03). Histologic scores correlated with the neurologic outcome at the time of sacrifice in rats with permanent spinal cord injury but not in those walking normally. Conclusions . We used a rat model of spinal cord ischemia and found that hyperthermic preconditioning before spinal cord ischemia resulted in improved clinical outcome.
William Carlos Williams and Alterity: The Early Poetry

Many critics have noticed the paradoxes and contradictions in the work of William Carlos Williams, but few have analysed them in detail. Professor Ahearn argues that Williams criticism has not gone far enough in recognizing the uses Williams saw for contradiction. He contends that Williams began to acquire his own voice as a poet when he recognized that he could be a vehicle for contending voices. His reading departs from previous examinations of the early poetry in the emphasis it places on the poems as expressions of Williams's personal struggles with himself, his parents, his domestic role and his social position. We find a Williams whose contribution to modernism came not through a radical break with tradition or a rejection of inherited poetic norms alone, but rather in a cultivation of tension, conflict, and a kind of poetic 'crisis' that could be held forth as the metier of the modernist writer. The reconciliation of things as old as civilization itself with the newest form of poetry, Ahearn argues is the principal theme of Williams early poetic practice.
Category effects in color memory

Categorical color perception has previously been tested using a naming method, and the data from 27 subjects so examined in several experiments have been combined to yield a “categorical color difference index” (CCDI) that can be computed for any pair of colors in the OSA set of 424 samples. A new experiment is performed in which categorical color perception is encouraged without the explicit use of names by allowing 10 seconds to elapse between the presentation of two stimuli before they are judged same or different. All of the colors being compared are either identical or nearest neighbors in the orange region of the OSA space. Nearest neighbors, which are separated by 2 OSA units, clearly differ when presented simultaneously; with the delay, errors (“same” responses) sometimes occur. These errors decrease as CCDI increases, suggesting that categorization occurs when colors must be remembered. Response time, on the other hand, is independent of CCDI and therefore may reflect color differences based upon discrimination, rather than identification.
Tyrosine phosphatase CD45 is required for T-cell antigen receptor and CD2-mediated activation of a protein tyrosine kinase and interleukin 2 production.

Abstract CD45, a hematopoietic cell-specific surface antigen, has recently been shown to be a protein tyrosine phosphatase. Expression of CD45 is essential for the T-cell antigen receptor to couple with the phosphatidylinositol second messenger pathway and for antigen-mediated proliferation of T lymphocytes. In this report we describe a CD45-deficient mutant of the human T-cell leukemia line Jurkat. CD45 expression is required for the activation of a T-cell receptor-associated tyrosine kinase as well as the phosphatidylinositol pathway. Additionally, stimulation of T lymphocytes by way of the accessory molecule CD2 requires the expression of CD45. The mutation in the CD45-deficient cell specifically impairs signal transduction by the T-cell receptor and CD2 because activation events by way of another accessory molecule, CD28, are unimpaired.
Land and Freedom: Rural Society, Popular Protest, and Party Politics in Antebellum New York

Introduction 1. Landlords and Tenants, 1785-1820 2. Toward Crisis, 1819-1840 3. The Fall of the House of Van Rensselaer, 1819-1839 4. Origins of the Anti-Rent Movement, 1839-1844 5. Land and Freedom, 1844-1846 6. The Parties and "The People," 1844-1846 7. "A Right to the Soil" 8. Fast Fish and the Temple of the Philistines 9. Toward Free Labor Statistical Appendix
The logic of theory and the logic of practice.

Stiles (2009) has articulated a powerful argument for the surprising logical parallels between the way a case study and experimental data test a scientific theory in the field of psychotherapy. Though this contradicts the orthodox account of research methods in psychology, Stiles shows that careful attention to the tenets of logical positivist and neo-positivist philosophy of science requires such a conclusion. While this is no doubt a sound argument, it rests on Stiles assumption that theories of psychotherapy are essentially scientific theories. It is clear that Stiles thinks of theories of psychotherapy as different from theories in the physical sciences, but exactly how these theories are different is not clearly articulated. I would argue that psychotherapy theories are fundamentally moral theories, a form of what Aristotle referred to as phronesis, and as such are radically different than scientific theories. Nevertheless, Stiles’ conclusion is a sound one: case studies are the best way to test phronesis in psychotherapy because as Aristotle observed, practical wisdom is highly context dependent and action oriented.
Survival after heart transplantation is not diminished among recipients with uncomplicated diabetes mellitus: an analysis of the United Network of Organ Sharing database.

Background— This study compares posttransplantation outcomes of survival and morbidity among recipients with and without diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods and Results— The United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) provided deidentified patient-level data. Primary analysis focused on 20 412 first-time heart transplant recipients aged ≥18 years who underwent transplantation between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2005. To determine severity of DM, DM recipients were stratified by their aggregate number of diabetes-related complications (DRCs), including pretransplantation history of renal failure (serum creatinine=2.5 mg/dL), peripheral vascular disease, cerebrovascular accident, and severe obesity (body mass index ≥35 kg/m2). Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to compare time to event. Although posttransplantation survival was significantly better (P<0.001) among patients without DM (median survival 10.1 years) than among those with DM (9.0 years), survival did not differ (P=0.08) between those without DM (1...
Cell Migration: GSK3β Steers the Cytoskeleton's Tip

Directed cell migration polarizes the cytoskeleton, allowing the cell to move toward migratory cues. In this issue, Wu et al. (2011) demonstrate that the glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) controls microtubule architecture and polarized movement of skin stem cells during wound healing in mammals by regulating the microtubule crosslinking protein ACF7.