cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Women with polycystic ovary syndrome demonstrate worsening markers of cardiovascular risk over the short-term despite declining hyperandrogenaemia: Results of a longitudinal study with community controls.

SummaryObjective To compare age-associated changes in cardiovascular risk markers in lean and obese reproductive-aged women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) with community controls Design Longitudinal study at an academic medical centre. Patients Patients diagnosed with PCOS by 2004 Rotterdam criteria in a multi-disciplinary clinic were systematically enrolled from 2006-2014 in a PCOS cohort study and subsequently agreed to participate in a longitudinal study. The comparison controls were from the prospective, longitudinal Ovarian Aging (OVA) study, which consists of healthy women with regular menstrual cycles recruited from 2006 to 2011. Measurements Cardiovascular risk markers and hormone parameters at baseline and follow-up. Results Obese and lean PCOS (n=38) and control women (n=296) completed two study visits. The follow-up time (3.5+1.5 vs 4.0±0.8 years, p=0.06) and magnitude of BMI gain (+0.1 kg/m2/year [-0.11, 0.36] vs +0.26 [-0.18, 0.87] p=0.19) did not differ between obese and lean PCOS and controls. In PCOS subjects, total testosterone decreased in both obese and lean, but the decrease was greater in obese subjects (-0.09nmol/l per year; 95% CI:-0.16,-0.02 versus -0.04 nmol/l per year; 95%CI:-0.11, 0.03). Compared to their respective controls, obese and lean PCOS saw worsening triglyceride (TG) levels (p<0.05) and HOMA-IR (p<0.05) over time, but there was no difference in change in LDL, HDL, fasting glucose, C- reactive protein or ALT. Conclusions In a longitudinal study, reproductive-aged women with PCOS demonstrated declines in biochemical hyperandrogenaemia over time. Despite this, PCOS subjects experienced steeper increases in cardiovascular risk factors associated with insulin resistance, including triglycerides and HOMA-IR. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
What Is the Nature of Space and Time

The most successful science fiction television series in the history of the medium is undoubtedly Doctor Who. The lead character, who calls himself the Doctor, is a Time Lord, who travels through space and time in a sentient device called the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space). From the outside, the TARDIS looks like a 1950s British police box (Fig. 2.1), which the public could use to call the police in an emergency: slightly larger than the classic red telephone booths, which can still be found in England, and painted blue. But from the inside the TARDIS is more like the size of a small house. Evidently, the door to the TARDIS connects the exterior of a relatively small object (the police box) to the interior of a large object (the space/time machine). A device such as the TARDIS is possible only in the realm of the imagination. But from a scientific perspective, what is the nature of space and time? Is time travel possible? The answers to these questions have changed considerably over the last few centuries.
On the Lex-plus-powers Conjecture

Abstract Let S be a polynomial ring over a field and I ⊆ S a homogeneous ideal containing a regular sequence of forms of degrees d 1 , … , d c . In this paper we prove the Lex-plus-powers Conjecture when the field has characteristic 0 for all regular sequences such that d i ≥ ∑ j = 1 i − 1 ( d j − 1 ) + 1 for each i; that is, we show that the Betti table of I is bounded above by the Betti table of the lex-plus-powers ideal of I.
Shear Conditioning of Adipose Stem Cells for Reduced Platelet Binding to Engineered Vascular Grafts

Conferring antithrombogenicity to tissue-engineered vascular grafts remains a major challenge, especially for urgent bypass grafting that excludes approaches based on expanding autologous endothelial cells (ECs) that requires weeks of cell culture. Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are available from most patients in sufficient number for coronary bypass graft seeding and may be effective as allogeneic cells. We thus compared the adhesion and platelet binding of human ASCs that were shear conditioned with constant and pulsatile shear stress (SS) after seeding the cells on a biologically engineered matrix suitable for arterial grafts. A monolayer of cells was maintained up to 15 dyn/cm2 constant SS and up to 15 dyn/cm2 mean pulsatile SS for 6 days of shear flow. Platelet binding was reduced from 83% to 6% of surface area and nitric oxide production was increased 23-fold with 7.5-15 dyn/cm2 constant SS, but not pulsatile SS, relative to cells cultured statically on the matrix for 6 days. The reduction in platelet binding varied from no reduction to maximum reduction over a constant shear range of ∼2 to 4 dyn/cm2, respectively. Collectively, the study supports the potential use of ASCs to seed the luminal surface of a vascular graft made from this biologically engineered matrix to confer an antithrombogenic surface during the development of an endothelium from the seeded cells or the surrounding blood and tissue.
nAdroid: statically detecting ordering violations in Android applications

Modern mobile applications use a hybrid concurrency model. In this model, events are handled sequentially by event loop(s), and long-running tasks are offloaded to other threads. Concurrency errors in this hybrid concurrency model can take multiple forms: traditional atomicity and ordering violations between threads, as well as ordering violations between event callbacks on a single event loop. This paper presents nAdroid, a static ordering violation detector for Android applications. Using our threadification technique, nAdroid statically models event callbacks as threads. Threadification converts ordering violations between event callbacks into ordering violations between threads, after which state-of-the-art thread-based race detection tools can be applied. nAdroid then applies a combination of sound and unsound filters, based on the Android concurrency model and its happens-before relation, to prune out false and benign warnings. We evaluated nAdroid with 27 open source Android applications. Experimental results show that nAdroid detects 88 (at least 58 new) harmful ordering violations, and outperforms the state-of-the-art static technique with fewer false negatives and false positives.
Investigation of solid state laser cooling in Ytterbium-doped silica fibers

The possibility of solid-state laser cooling (SSLC) in a single mode Yb-doped silica fiber is investigated. The results show that the material is a viable candidate for SSLC and radiation-balanced lasers.
Quantifying the Pedestrian Detection Benefits of the General Motors Night Vision System

This research compared driver detection performance with low-beam halogen headlamps supplemented by a General Motors production Night Vision system to low-beam halogen headlamps alone. This research was conducted with 18 participants between the ages of 40 and 70 years on a 3.2km (2-mile) section of closed road. Participants encountered seven scenarios, including crossing or standing pedestrians dressed in either white or black clothing. Additional scenarios included pedestrians in a curve and near an oncoming glare vehicle, as well a tire tread. Results indicated that the GM Night Vision system improved drivers' detection distances in nearly all pedestrian scenarios examined.
Why Multivariate Statistics

There is no better way to arouse interest in multivariate statistics than to study some good examples. This chapter gives four examples, three of them based on real data. The fourth one is a brainteaser.
Audio descriptive guides in art museums: A corpus-based semantic analysis

Abstract Audio description is increasingly used by museums to improve access to their collections by visually impaired visitors. However, research in this field is still very limited. This paper aims to report on a descriptive study of artwork audio description as a modality of intersemiotic translation from images into words. A corpus comprising audio descriptive guides from art museums in the United Kingdom and the United States was compiled and analyzed following a corpus-based methodology. Existing audio descriptions of art museum exhibits were shown to comply with existing guidelines regarding the type of visual information conveyed, the level of detail offered, and the point of view used. These results are discussed in relation to the communication context to contribute to the discussion of current practices and their implications for visually impaired people’s access to visual art.
High-Temperature Behavior and Surface Chemistry of Carbide MXenes Studied by Thermal Analysis

Two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes) have attracted significant attention due to their electronic, electrochemical, chemical, and optical properties. However, understanding of their thermal stability is still lacking. To date, MXenes are synthesized via top-down wet chemical etching, which intrinsically results in surface terminations. Here, we provide detailed insight into the surface terminations of three carbide MXenes (Ti3C2Tx, Mo2CTx, and Nb2CTx) by performing thermal gravimetric analysis with mass spectrometry analysis (TA–MS) up to 1500 °C under a He atmosphere. This specific technique enables probing surface terminations including hydroxyl (−OH), oxy (═O), and fluoride (−F) and intercalated species, such as salts and structural water. The MXene hydrophilicity depends on the type of etching (hydrofluoric acid concentration and/or mixed acid composition) and subsequent delamination conditions. We show that the amount of structural water in Ti3C2Tx increases with decre...
Tyr1 phosphorylation promotes phosphorylation of Ser2 on the C-terminal domain of eukaryotic RNA polymerase II by P-TEFb

DNA contains the instructions for making proteins, which build and maintain our cells. So that the information encoded in DNA can be used, a molecular machine called RNA polymerase II makes copies of specific genes. These copies, in the form of a molecule called RNA, convey the instructions for making proteins to the rest of the cell. To ensure that RNA polymerase II copies the correct genes at the correct time, a group of regulatory proteins are needed to control its activity. Many of these proteins interact with RNA polymerase II at a region known as the C-terminal domain, or CTD for short. For example, before RNA polymerase can make a full copy of a gene, a small molecule called a phosphate group must first be added to CTD at specific units known as Ser2. The regulatory protein P-TEFb was thought to be responsible for phosphorylating Ser2. However, it was previously not known how P-TEFb added this phosphate group, and why it did not also add phosphate groups to other positions in the CTD domain that are structurally similar to Ser2. To investigate this, Mayfield, Irani et al. mixed the CTD domain with different regulatory proteins, and used various biochemical approaches to examine which specific positions of the domain had phosphate groups attached. These experiments revealed a previously unknown aspect of P-TEFb activity: its specificity for Ser2 increased dramatically if a different regulatory protein first added a phosphate group to a nearby location in CTD. This additional phosphate group directed P-TEFb to then add its phosphate specifically at Ser2. To confirm the activity of this mechanism in living human cells, Mayfield, Irani et al. used a drug that prevented the first phosphate from being added. In the drug treated cells, RNA polymerase II was found more frequently ‘stalled’ at positions on the DNA just before a gene starts. This suggests that living cells needs this two-phosphate code system in order for RNA polymerase II to progress and make copies of specific genes. These results are a step forward in understanding the complex control mechanisms cells use to make proteins from their DNA. Moreover, the model presented here – one phosphate addition priming a second specific phosphate addition – provides a template that may underlie similar regulatory processes.
THE FUNCTIONAL EXPRESSION OF Ia ANTIGENS ON T LYMPHOCYTES AND MACROPHAGES IN THE GUINEA PIG

In order to further study the role of Ia antigens in the mechanism of antigen recognition by T lymphocytes and macrophages, we used the technique of “negative selection” with anti-Ia serum and complement on a number of T lymphocyte and macrophage functions. We could thus characterize T lymphocytes and macrophage as Ia positive or Ia negative. 50--60% of purified immune T lymphocyte were killed by anti-Ia serum and complement, while the ability of the Ia negative T cells to proliferate and to produce migration inhibition factor in response to specific antigen stimulation was reduced 70–90%. In contrast, the Ia negative T cell population functioned normally as T helper cells and had enhanced proliferative responses to allogeneic cells in the mixed leukocyte reaction. In similar fashion, we have demonstrated that about 20% of macrophage are Ia positive and this subpopulation plays a critical role in the presentation of protein antigens and alloantigens to T lymphocytes.
Optimizing a portfolio of mean-reverting assets with transaction costs via a feedforward neural network

Optimizing a portfolio of mean-reverting assets under transaction costs and a finite horizon is severely constrained by the curse of high dimensionality. To overcome the exponential barrier, we dev...
Results from a literature review of menstruation-related restrictions in the United States and Canada.

Abstract Initiation of menstruation is often associated with secrecy and silence, leading to menstruation-related restrictions enforced by various structural and social factors. Most of the research investigating menstruation-related restrictions has been conducted in low- and middle-income countries. It is unknown 1) which populations in the United States and Canada may face menstruation-related restrictions, and 2) what type of restrictions are practiced by these populations. A literature review found 21 articles published between 2000 and 2019 covering menstruation-related social and structural restrictions in the United States and Canada. In addition to more research, we encourage clinical providers to have culturally competent conversations with patients to understand potential menstruation-related restrictions.
“M. Zola n’observe plus”: The Bourgeois Type in Zola’s Pot-Bouille

In this article, I analyze Zola’s often-understudied 1882 novel of the bourgeois apartment building, Pot-Bouille, to show how it stages the particular impossibility of accurately capturing the nine...
Custody challenges experienced by parents with serious mental illnesses outside of child protective services proceedings.

Objective: The primary purpose of this study is to examine the experience of parents with a serious mental illness with custody challenges outside the child protective services (CPS) system. Methods: Interview data from 596 parents with serious mental illnesses were obtained in a national survey. Survey questions assessed the presence of a serious mental illness, parenting status, experiences with CPS, and other custody challenges they may have experienced. Results: One third of respondents experienced a non-CPS custody challenge, and most had their mental health issues brought up in the proceedings. Certain factors were found to increase risk of custody challenge and loss of custody or change in parenting time. Conclusions and Implications forPractice: Psychiatric rehabilitation practitioners should be aware of all threats to parenting and expand efforts to prevent custody loss through interventions aimed at enhancing parenting knowledge, skills, supports, and advocacy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Discrete-item Inventory Control involving Fixed Setup Costs, Demand Censoring, and Unknown Distribution

We investigate a dynamic inventory control problem in which orderings involve fixed setup costs and unsatisfied demands are lost. Stepping off from the traditional literature which stresses the randomness of demand realizations, we move on to tolerate ambiguity. Now even the demand distribution $f\equiv (f(d))_{d=0,1,...}$ itself, out of which random realizations are sampled, can come from a vast and definitely non-singleton set. Lost sales and demand ambiguity would together complicate the problem through censoring, namely, the inability of the firm to observe the lost portion of the demand. Our main policy idea advocates periodically ordering up to seemingly wastefully high levels just to learn and in intervening periods, cleverly exploiting the information gained in these learning periods. By regret, we mean the price paid for ambiguity in long-run average performances. When demand support is unlimited, regret bounds in the orders of $\mathcal{O}(T^{8/9})$ and $\mathcal{O}(T^{(2+\sqrt{2})/4})\simeq \mathcal{O}(T^{0.854})$ can be established for, respectively, the case where $f(0)$ is bounded away from one and the other where the restriction is relaxed with the firm allowed to remove items from the inventory. When demand has a finite support, both bounds could be improved to the order of $\mathcal{O}(T^{2/3}\cdot (\ln T)^{1/2})$. We also propose other policies. % based on the general learning-while-doing idea but the different Kaplan-Meier (KM) estimation. Our simulation demonstrates the merits of the various policy ideas and the hurdles posed by the prospect of $f(0)\longrightarrow 1^-$.
Treatment Modalities for Cherry Angiomas: A Systematic Review.

Background Cherry angiomas are benign vascular proliferations of endothelial cells associated with aging. Currently, no mainstay of treatment for these vascular anomalies exists. Objective To review existing evidence-based therapies for the treatment of cherry angiomas. Methods A literature search in May 2019 was performed with PubMed Database and Cochrane Library using the following terms: "cherry angioma," "senile hemangioma," "senile angioma," "cherry hemangioma," and "Campbell de Morgan spots." Results Ten studies included in this systematic review reported laser therapy and nonlaser therapy as efficacious treatments for cherry angiomas. Among the laser therapies, pulsed dye laser (PDL) was preferred over potassium-titanyl-phosphate (KTP) and electrodessication (ED), based on decreased procedure-related pain. The neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser 1064 nm produced less pigmentary complications, whereas KTP and PDL risked pigmentary changes in darker-skinned individuals. Nonlaser therapies included cryotherapy, sclerotherapy, electrosurgery (i.e., ED, electrocoagulation), and radiofrequency ablation. No therapy proved to be superior. Conclusion A variety of therapeutic modalities exist for the treatment of cherry angiomas. However, a limited number of high-quality studies explored the efficacy of treatments and compared treatment modalities. Light-based methods such as argon, KTP, Nd:YAG, intense pulsed light, and PDL, along with non-light-based interventions such as cryotherapy, electrosurgery, and sclerotherapy effectively treated cherry angiomas.
Thyroid Abscess After FNA Biopsy: A Case Report

Introduction: FNA biopsy of thyroid nodules is a common bedside procedure that rarely causes serious complications. Thyroid abscess is a rare complication of FNA that requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. We present a case of a thyroid abscess occurring 4 weeks after FNA in a 46 year old female, treated successfully with surgery. Clinical Case: A 46 year old woman with history of acne presented with dysphagia, right sided neck pain and swelling 4 weeks after FNA of a 4.8cm right thyroid nodule with benign cytology. On physical examination, the right thyroid lobe appeared larger and was tender to palpation. The patient was afebrile. Laboratory evaluation was significant for acutely low TSH 0.06 uIU/mL [0.50 - 6.00 uIU/mL], thrombocytosis 547 K/uL [140 - 400 K/uL] and marked elevated sedimentation rate 98 mm/hr [0 - 20mm/hr]. Interestingly, she had a normal leukocyte count of 9.8 K/uL [4.00 - 10.80 K/uL]. US imaging showed acute increase in size of the right thyroid nodule to 7.6cm. CT neck confirmed a large, partially cystic right thyroid mass and further showed mass effect on surrounding structures and mild stranding in the subcutaneous fat. The patient elected for surgical treatment rather than repeat FNA with drainage of fluid components. Right thyroid lobectomy was planned but converted to surgical abscess drainage with subtotal thyroidectomy due to intense inflammatory changes in the neck. A large amount of purulent material was drained and sent for cultures, which grew multiple Staphylococcus species and Propionibacterium acnes. Surgical pathology showed granulation and connective tissue including skeletal muscle tissue with marked active chronic inflammation, micro abscess formation, few multinucleated giant cells, and fibrosis. Following surgery, TSH normalized, and the patient reported immediate improvement in symptoms of neck fullness, pain, and dysphagia. She was discharged home on post operative day one with a two week course of oral Augmentin 875mg twice daily. 6 weeks post operatively the patient remains symptom free in her usual state of health. Conclusion: Thyroid abscess following FNA is a rare occurrence with few reported cases in the literature. Because of its rarity, diagnosis and treatment may be delayed, resulting in a life-threatening emergency. Both repeat needle aspirations and surgical management, combined with culture directed antibiotics, are acceptable methods for treatment. Immunocompromise, not present in our patient, is the main risk factor reported for thyroid abscess. Propionibacterium and Staphylococcus commonly cause acne, which may have increased our patient’s risk of infection. Our case highlights the importance of maintaining a high level of clinical suspicion for abscess in patients who develop neck pain and swelling following FNA, even in the absence of significant risk factors, in order to facilitate prompt diagnosis and treatment.
Overgrowth After Pediatric Tibial Spine Repair with Symptomatic Leg Length Discrepancy: A Case Report.

Case A 12-year-old girl sustained a right-sided tibial spine fracture while jumping on a trampoline. Postoperative course was complicated initially by arthrofibrosis requiring manipulation under anesthesia and subsequent leg length discrepancy attributed to posttraumatic overgrowth necessitating femoral epiphysiodesis. Ten years after initial injury, she reported her knee to be 63% of normal and an International Knee Documentation Committee score of 63.2. Symptomatic overgrowth requiring epiphysiodesis after tibial spine repair has not been previously reported to our knowledge. Conclusion Tibial spine fixation, although previously associated with growth arrest because of physeal damage, may also result in symptomatic limb overgrowth.
Incorporating a Race Equity Framework into Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

Race is a sociopolitical construct that results in a classification of people determined by a combination of physical traits, rather than biology. Racism, a hierarchical system based on race, in which those with power and privilege are advantaged and given more opportunities (White), while others are systematically disadvantaged others (racial/ethnic minorities). For racial/ethnic minorities with opioid use disorder (OUD), it is important to understand how these hierarchies can result in decreased access to treatment, including initiation, engagement, and adherence. Social dominance theory provides a framework for understanding how social hierarchies are maintained, and resources such as health status, are distributed among socially constructed groups. Consistently employing a racial equity framework that explicitly inserts race and power into the decision-making process and promotes active engagement of stakeholders is often a key component missing in the decision-making process impacting racial/ethnic minorities with OUD. Given the exclusion of racial/ethnic minorities with OUD from the broader public health opioid crisis discussion, promotion of health equity must include deliberate attention to the unique challenges of racial/ethnic minorities with OUD. These challenges include the use of other substances in addition to opioids, the impact of residing in geographic locations with higher opioid overdose death rates, prevalence of common medical comorbidities with OUD, and vulnerabilities in the social determinants of health. Providing instruction on how to elicit this information using the structural vulnerability tool is one model to improve health outcomes, in addition to expert application of the stages of equity and empowerment lens. Finally, understanding cultural norms as protective factors can help in developing integrated treatment plans in partnership with racial/ethnic minorities with OUD for promotion of health and a collaboration toward health equity.
Perception of Approaching Motorcycles by Distracted Drivers May Depend on Auxiliary Lighting Treatments: A Field Experiment

A field experiment was conducted in daylight with 32 participants to determine whether left turning drivers’ gap acceptance in front of approaching motorcycles depends on the motorcycle’s forward lighting treatment. Five experimental lighting treatments including a modulated high beam headlamp, or the low beam headlamp plus pairs of low-mounted auxiliary lamps, high-mounted auxiliary lamps, both high- and low-mounted auxiliary lamps, or low-mounted LED lamps were compared to a baseline treatment with only the low beam headlamp illuminated. Participants viewed the approaching traffic stream (including the motorcycle) on an active roadway and indicated when it would be safe (and not safe) to initiate a left turn across the opposing lanes. Participants also shared their attention with a secondary visual distraction task that took their eyes off the forward roadway. Participants did not know that the purpose of the study was to measure their responses to approaching motorcycles. Based on participants’ indications of the last safe moment to turn, the mean temporal safety margin provided to the approaching motorcycle did not differ significantly between any of the experimental lighting treatments and the baseline treatment. However, having either low-mounted auxiliary lamps or modulated high beam lamps on the motorcycle significantly reduced the probability of obtaining a potentially unsafe short safety margin as compared to the baseline lighting treatment. Overall, the results suggest that enhancing the frontal conspicuity of motorcycles with lighting treatments beyond an illuminated low beam headlamp may be an effective countermeasure for daytime crashes involving right-of-way violations.
A Survey of Terrestrial Approaches to the Challenge of Lunar Dust Containment

Numerous technical challenges exist to successfully extend lunar surface exploration beyond the tantalizing first steps of Apollo. Among these is the challenge of lunar dust intrusion into the cabin environment. Addressing this challenge includes the design of barriers to intrusion as well as techniques for removing the dust from the cabin atmosphere. Opportunities exist for adapting approaches employed in dusty industrial operations and pristine manufacturing environments to cabin environmental quality maintenance applications. A survey of process technologies employed by the semiconductor, pharmaceutical, food processing, and mining industries offers insight into basic approaches that may be suitable for adaptation to lunar surface exploration applications.
A survey of watermarking techniques for non-media digital objects (invited talk)

The vast majority of the literature on watermarking has dealt with media such as images, video, and audio - all of which are ultimately destined for consumption by the human perceptual system. There has recently been growing interest in watermarking non-media such as relational data, software, natural language text, sensor streams, etc. The challenges posed by these new domains are quite different from the traditional ones. For example, some (like relational data and software) are destined for automated processing rather than for perception by a human. Others (like natural language text) are destined for human consumption, but by the cognitive rather than the perceptual system. Streaming data poses its own set of challenges. The talk will survey these areas, their problematics, the progress made, and the remaining challenges.
Large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel activity, as determined by whole-cell patch clamp recording, is decreased in urinary bladder smooth muscle cells from male rats with partial urethral obstruction.

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Partial urethral obstruction (PUO), a common urologic pathology in men and children, can be associated with detrusor overactivity (DO), but the exact molecular mechanisms responsible for the altered contractile phenotypes have not been fully elucidated. Our study is the first to determine by direct patch-clamp current measurement that PUO, to recapitulate many of the pathological characteristics of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), is associated with an approximate 5-fold decrease in bladder myocyte Maxi-K channel activity. Similar to others we report a 40% decrease in Maxi-K α subunit expression which correlates with the observed decrease in Maxi-K activity, but uniquely as much as a 5-fold increase in expression of Maxi-K β subunit which we hypothesize may be a compensatory response. Based upon our previous finding of increased detrusor overactivity (DO) in similar male PUO rats, we suggest the Maxi-K channel as a therapeutic target to treat BPH associated lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). OBJECTIVES • To examine the effect of partial urethral obstruction (PUO) on bladder smooth muscle outward potassium current and the contribution of the large-conductance calcium-activated potassium (Maxi-K, BKCa) channel to this activity in smooth muscle cells isolated from bladders of sham-operated and PUO male rats using whole-cell patch clamp recording techniques. • To determine the effect of PUO on the expression of the Maxi-K channel α and β1 subunits and in vitro detrusor contractility. MATERIALS AND METHODS • Twenty adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided equally into two groups and subjected to surgical ligation of the urethra (PUO) or sham surgery (SHAM). • After 2 weeks, the detrusors from PUO and SHAM rats were used for molecular analyses (mRNA and protein quantification of Maxi-K subunits) or organ bath contractility studies, or myocytes were isolated for conventional whole-cell patch clamp analyses. RESULTS • PUO increased bladder mass 2.5-fold and detrusor strips exhibited a more tonic-type contraction and increased contractility compared with controls (SHAM). • Iberiotoxin (300 nM) sensitive Maxi-K channel current comprised about 40% of the outward whole-cell current in SHAM bladders but only about 8% in PUO bladders. • Expression of the α subunit of the Maxi-K channel was significantly decreased ∼40% while the expression of the β1 subunit was increased ∼2-fold at the mRNA level. The increase in β1 expression was confirmed by Western blotting. CONCLUSIONS • Our findings show that obstruction of the rat bladder is associated with decreased Maxi-K channel activity of bladder smooth muscle cells, determined via direct current measurement. • Increased expression of the β1 subunit points to a compensatory reaction to decreased Maxi-K channel activity. • Maxi-K channel openers or gene therapy may therefore provide therapeutic benefit for the overactive bladder.
The Molecular Mechanism of the in Vitro 4 S to 5 S Transformation of the Uterine Estrogen Receptor

Abstract The rat uterine cytosol contains two estrogen-binding proteins (EBP) referred to as the "4 S" and "5 S" EBP. The 5 S EBP was produced by incubating the uterine cytosol-[3H]estradiol mixture at 28° for 30 min to promote the "4 S to 5 S transformation" as described by Jensen et al. ((1971) Biochem. Soc. Symp. 32, 133). These two EBP species were characterized in high ionic strength buffers using sucrose gradient centrifugation and Sephadex G-200 gel chromatography. With these analytical methods the sedimentation coefficient, molecular Stokes radii, and molecular weights were determined. In the presence of 0.4 m KCl at pH 7.4 the 4 S EBP has a sedimentation coefficient of 4.2 ± 0.04 S, a molecular Stokes radius of 44.0 ± 0.4 A, and a molecular weight of 76,200. While in the identical buffers the 5 S EBP has a sedimentation coefficient of 5.5 ± 0.02 S, a molecular Stokes radius of 58.5 ± 0.5 A, and a molecular weight of 132,700. In the presence of 0.4 m KCl and 3 m urea at pH 7.4 the 4 S EBP shows a decrease in its sedimentation to 3.6 ± 0.04 S, but an increase in its molecular Stokes radius to 53.8 ± 0.9 A. The estimated molecular weight is 79,900. The 5 S EBP has a sedimentation coefficient of 4.6 ± 0.9 S and a molecular Stokes radius of 70.6 ± 1.0 A. The molecular weight is 133,900. In addition, sucrose gradient centrifugation analyses, in the presence of 0.4 m KCl, 3 m urea at pH 7.4 showed that a moderate fraction (25 to 50%) of the 5 S EBP is dissociated to the 4 S EBP. In the presence of 0.4 m KCl at pH 6.8 the 4 S and 5 S EBPs sediment at 4.7 ± 0.04 and 5.6 ± 0.05 S, respectively. The 5 S EBP also shows a tendency to revert to the 4 S EBP. Consequently, it was observed that a combination of 0.4 m KCl and 3 m urea at pH 6.8 is extremely effective, in contrast to using each of these reagents alone, in dissociating the 5 S EBP to the 4 S EBP without causing a loss of [3H]estradiol binding. The dissociation process is first order with a half-life of approximately 5 hours. These results indicate that the in vitro "4 S to 5 S transformation" is an association of the 4 S EBP, having a molecular weight of ∼80,000, with a second component or subunit of ∼50,000 to form the 5 S EBP (∼130,000). Concurrent with the association process, the 4 S and 5 S EBPs are also capable of marked conformational changes that were discerned when the EBPs were compared to the protein standards under identical conditions. The protein standards used were myoglobin, trypsin, ovalbumin, serum albumin, alkaline phosphatase, aldolase, γ-globulin, and ferritin. The conformational changes of the EBPs were shown by their sedimentation coefficients and molecular Stokes radii varying in a reciprocating manner while their molecular weights remained constant.
Rapid online fault recovery for cyber-physical digital microfluidic biochips

Microfluidic technologies offer benefits to the biological sciences by miniaturizing and automating chemical reactions. Software-controlled laboratories-on-a-chip (LoCs) execute biological protocols (assays) specified using high-level languages. Integrated sensors and video monitoring provide a closed feedback loop between the LoC and its control software, which provide timely information about the progress of an ongoing assay and the overall health of the LoC. This paper introduces a cyber-physical control algorithm that rectifies hard and soft faults that are detected dynamically while executing an assay on a digital microfluidic biochip (DMFB), one specific LoC technology. The approach is scalable (i.e., there is no fixed limit on the number of faults that may occur), and runs efficiently in practice, thereby limiting the performance overhead incurred when a hard or soft fault occurs during assay execution.
Selective transduction of wine-glass vibration mode using differential optomechanics

This paper demonstrates differential optomechanical transduction which selectively drives and senses the wine-glass vibration mode of a silicon resonator. Two waveguide arms are used for optomechanical sensing at the anti-nodes of the 22 MHz wine-glass mode and utilize a differential photo detector (PD) to measure the vibration. The differential sense scheme enhances the wine-glass signal by 5.4 dB while significantly attenuating the radial “common-mode” vibration at 96.2 MHz by 11 dB.
The Evolution of Chromospheric Structure on AR Lacertae

I present preliminary results from the analysis of a series of ultraviolet spectra AR Lac obtained in 1987. These spectra are being used to image the spatial structure of the chromosphere and to study the dynamics of flaring regions. Comparing these results with previous results, I will discuss the evolution of the chromospheric structure from 1983 to 1987.
Reed-Solomon codes over fading dispersive channels

Performances of energy receivers on mobile channels that are modeled as fading dispersive are investigated. It is shown that energy receivers are a good alternative to optimum receivers for channels with high speed factor. Improvement using Reed-Solomon codes is examined. Further gain, especially at low SNR, can be obtained by passing channel erasure information to the decoder. >
Blackout 2003: preparedness and lessons learned from the perspectives of four hospitals.

Introduction:The blackout in North America of August 2003 was one of the worst on record. It affected eight United States states and parts of Canada for >24 hours. Additionally, two large United States cities, Detroit, Michigan and Cleveland, Ohio, suffered from a loss of water pressure and a subsequent ban on the use of public supplies of potable water that lasted four days. A literature review revealed a paucity of literature that describes blackouts and how they may affect the medical community.Methods:This paper includes a review of after-action reports from four inner-city, urban hospitals supplemented accounts from the authors' hospital's emergency operations center (emergency operations center).Results:Some of the problems encountered, included: (1)lighting; (2) elevator operations; (3) supplies of water; (4) communication operations; (5) computer failure; (6) lack of adequate supplies of food; (7) mobility to obtain Xray studies; (8) heating, air condition, and ventilation; (9) staffing; (10) pharmacy; (11) registration of patients; (12) hospital emergency operations center; (13) loss of isolation facilities; (14) inadequate supplies of paper; (15) impaired ability to provide care for non-emergency patients; (16) sanitation; and (17) inadequate emergency power.Discussion:The blackout of 2003 uncovered problems within the United States hospital system, ranging from staffing to generator coverage. This report is a review of the effects that the blackout and water ban of 2003 had on hospitals in a large inner-city area. Also discussed are solutions utilized at the time and recommendations for the future.Conclusion:The blackout of 2003 was an excellent test of disaster/emergency planning, and produced many valuable lessons to be used in future events.
Bentazon Mobility through Intact, Unsaturated Columns of Conventional- and No-till Dundee Soil

Potential ground and surface water contaminants include herbicides that are applied postemergence. Although applied to the plant canopy, a portion of any application reaches the soil either directly or via subsequent foliar washoff. This study examined the mobility of the postemergence herbicide bentazon [3-(1-methylethyl)-(1H)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazin-4(3H)-one 2,2 dioxide] through intact columns of Dundee silty clay loam (fine-silty, mixed, thermic Aerie Ochraqualf) taken from conventional-till (CT) and no-till (NT) field plots. Effects of sorption, biodegradation, and physical nonequilibrium on bentazon fate and transport were studied using miscible displacement experiments. Steady-state, unsaturated flow was established in 30 cm long by 10 cm in diam. columns, then narrow pulses of Br tracer and 14 C-labeled bentazon were applied and displaced through the columns. Once bentazon pulses were eluted, the columns were sectioned and soil extracted for bentazon and metabolites. Despite development of bound residue typical of bentazon degradation, HPLC analysis gave no evidence of bentazon metabolites In solution. Preferential flow occurred in all soil columns and was well-described using a two-region, mobile-immobile water model. Use of batch sorption and degradation data led to predictions of bentazon mobility and residual 14 C in the soil columns that were generally consistent with the experimental data. Attempts to fit the transport data using different degradation rate constants for conducting and nonconducting regions offered no better description of the data than use of single rate constants.
Development of a Single-Tube, Cell Lysis-Based, Genus-Specific PCR Method for Rapid Identification of Mycobacteria: Optimization of Cell Lysis, PCR Primers and Conditions, and Restriction Pattern Analysis

A single-tube PCR method was developed for efficient identification of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and their environmental isolates in about 3 h without conventional DNA isolation. The following three steps were optimized or developed: (i) a simple, 6-min direct cell lysis protocol as a PCR prestep for generation of DNA-template, (ii) an improved Mycobacterium-specific PCR amplification protocol with a broader species specificity using newly designed primers targeting a 228-bp region of the 65-kDa heat shock protein (hsp) gene and optimal PCR amplification conditions, and (iii) a genus-specific restriction analysis of the PCR product for conclusive identification of the unknown NTM isolates.
Health Professionals’ Roles and Relationships with Other Agencies

Health professionals play a vital role in addressing elder abuse by identifying and reporting elder abuse and caring for survivors. However, most are unaware of the opportunities to work with allied professionals in elder abuse intervention. This article discusses the various roles of interdisciplinary members and the contribution of health care professionals in these teams. Terminology used in elder abuse teamwork is discussed.
Dosimetry studies on the ethylation of mouse sperm DNA after in vivo exposure to [3H]ethyl methanesulfonate

Abstract Methods for determining the chemical dose of ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) to the DNA of mouse spermatozoa in the vasa deferentia and epididymides have been developed. These include procedures for the removal of contaminating protamine, which, like DNA, possesses nucleophilic sites that can be ethylated by EMS. At least 99% of all sperm protamine (at a 95% confidence level), as well as any other cellular contaminants, is removed during purification of the DNA. The purified DNA recovered from spermatozoa gives no indication of a preferential recovery of either (G+C)-rich or (A+T)-rich regions of the mouse genome: the [ 14 C]dT/[ 3 H]dC ratios for whole sperm and sperm DNA were the same for each animal tested. The spermatozoa of males used in the dosimetry studies were labeled with [ 14 C]thymidine, and then the animals were given various [ 3 H]EMS doses intraperitoneally. A constant exposure time of 4 h was used. The ratios of 3 H and 14 C activities in whole sperm and purified sperm DNA were used to measure the percentage of the total sperm ethylation occurring in the DNA. The maximum percentage found was about 18% in the dose range of 100–400 mg/kg. Values for the ethylations per nucleotide ( E / N ) ranged from ∼ 10 −7 at 3.3 mg/kg up to ∼ 10 −4 at 400 mg/kg, and the data indicated that E / N increased with the 1.5 power of the dose. E / N was also measured in testicular DNA, and the values obtained were close to those found for spermatozoan DNA. The results of such chemical dosimetry studies will be far-reaching in the interpretation of molecular events responsible for genetic alterations. As an example, dominant lethal studies by others, using EMS in the dose range considered in the present paper, have shown little or no effect until two or more days after injection of the mutagen into male mice. Since many sperm DNA ethylations are found after a 4-h exposure to EMS it appears that most of these DNA ethylations are not genetically important, at least in the production of dominant lethals, and that perhaps genetic damage occurs only at rarely ethylated DNA sites.
Structural Theory for Laminated Anisotropic Elastic Shells

A linear theory is formulated for analysis of small deflections of thin shells with arbitrary geometrical configuration and laminated of an arbitrary number of layers of different thicknesses, orientations, and anisotropic elastic coefficients. An accurate shell theory (Vlasov's) is used, and the composite-shell constitutive relation incorporates the anisotropic stretching-bending coupling effects considered by Stavsky. For shells of arbitrary geometry, it is found necessary to introduce a new parameter Fij ≡ ∫h z 3Qijdz in the con stitutive relation. This parameter is zero for homogeneous aniso tropic materials and for anisotropic materials laminated symmetri cally with respect to the middle surface. However, for a two-layer filament-wound shell, this parameter can increase the flexural rigidity by 3%, which is greater than a 2% effect considered in a previous layered-anisotropic cylindrical shell analysis.
Vertebral arterial reconstruction: A nineteen-year experience

Abstract Between January 1964 and December 1983, 109 operations were performed directly on the vertebral arteries whereas a total of 1727 carotid operations were done, resulting in an incidence of vertebral operations of 5.6%. Unilateral vertebral operations only were performed in the treatment of bilateral flow-restricting lesions with cerebral hemispheric or brain stem symptoms present or persisting despite widely patent carotid arteries or in the presence of inoperable totally occluded internal carotid vessels. The average follow-up period (9.9 years; the longest was 19 years) revealed an overall survival rate of 71% with a stroke rate of 1.5% per average year of follow-up. Specific operative procedures performed were subclavian-vertebral roof-patch angioplasty with plication of associated vertebral kinks in 102 patients, reimplantation of the end of the proximal vertebral artery into thc side of the ipsilateral carotid artery in four patients, carotid-vertebral vein bypass in two patients, and decompression of herniated vertebral arteries between segments of foramina transversaria by unroofing the bony canal. The overall operative mortality rate was 3%. The most common neurologic complications were transient phrenic nerve paralysis and usually mild Horner's syndrome.
Secondary hyperparathyroidism is an expected consequence of parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism: a prospective study.

Abstract Background: Parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) can cause secondary hyperparathyroidism, with increased serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) and normal or low serum calcium concentrations. Methods: A prospective study investigated 78 consecutive patients who underwent exploration for PHPT. Serum intact PTH and total calcium concentrations were measured the evening after operation and ionized Ca++ the following morning. These levels were reassayed 1 week later. Results: Before operation, the mean PTH level was 138 ± 15 pg/mL, total calcium concentration was 11.6 ± 0.1 mg/dL, and ionized Ca++ concentration was 1.44 ± 0.02 mmol/L. On the night of the operation, the PTH level was 11 ± 2 pg/mL, and the total calcium concentration was 8.9 ± 0.1 mg/dL. Fifty-five patients had hypoparathyroidism, with a PTH level less than 10 pg/mL. The day after the operation, the ionized Ca++ level was 1.14 ± 0.01 mmol/L. One week later, PTH, ionized Ca++, and total serum calcium concentrations returned to normal levels. In 9 patients (12%), PTH levels were increased (98 ± 16 pg/mL), although ionized Ca++ concentrations were normal (1.18 ± 0.02 mmol/L), demonstrating secondary hyperparathyroidism. Risk factors for postoperative secondary hyperparathyroidism included older age, symptomatic hyperparathyroidism, higher preoperative PTH and alakaline phosphatase levels, and lower serum phosphorous levels. In 70% of these patients, PTH levels returned to normal in 3 to 12 months. Conclusions: Secondary hyperparathyroidism occurs in 12% of patients after surgical treatment of PHPT. It is transient, possibly compensating for relative hypocalcemia. (Surgery 1998;124:1021-7.)