cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early laser surgery is not associated with very preterm delivery or reduced neonatal survival in TTTS.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association of laser photocoagulation of placental anastomoses (LPA) prior to 18 weeks' gestation (early LPA) with very preterm delivery and neonatal survival in pregnancies with twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study of monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancies with TTTS undergoing LPA between 2002 and 2018 at two institutions. The rates of delivery 35 kg/m2 , placental location, use of Seldinger method to place the operative trocar, size of the trocar, participating center, use of Solomon technique, cerclage and PPROM. Survival analysis using the Cox proportional hazard model was applied to examine the LPA-to-delivery interval according to the timing of surgery, adjusted for confounding variables. RESULTS A total of 414 TTTS pregnancies were included in the study, of which 68 (16.4%) underwent early LPA. In the total cohort, the incidence of delivery at < 28, < 30 and < 32 weeks' gestation was 22.7%, 39.6% and 53.4%, respectively. Survival of both twins and survival of at least one twin at 30 days were 67.5% and 90.8%, respectively. No significant difference was noted between pregnancies that underwent early LPA and those that had LPA ≥ 18 weeks in the rate of delivery < 28 weeks (19.1% vs 23.4%; P = 0.4), < 30 weeks (38.2% vs 39.9%; P = 0.8) and < 32 weeks (44.1% vs 55.2%; P = 0.1) and PPROM (29.0% vs 24.1%; P = 0.4), or in the incidence of double-twin survival (63.9% vs 68.1%; P = 0.5) and survival of at least one infant (91.8% vs 90.6%; P = 0.7) at 30 days. Early LPA was not associated with very preterm delivery or neonatal survival in the regression analyses. Early LPA was associated with a longer LPA-to-delivery interval compared with LPA performed ≥ 18 weeks (median, 106.9 days (range, 2-164 days) vs median, 69.3 days (range, 0-146 days); P < 0.001) when adjusted for confounding variables (hazard ratio, 2.56 (95% CI, 1.76-3.73); P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Laser surgery before 18 weeks is not associated with an increased rate of very preterm delivery and PPROM or with reduced neonatal survival when compared with LPA after 18 weeks. © 2020 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Abstract 1536: MiRNA expression profile of exosomes derived from breast cancer cells following induction of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

Breast cancer-derived exosomes are small extracellular vesicles that play a crucial role in the metastatic progression of breast cancer due to their ability to transport a variety of biologically active molecules (e.g., miRNAs) to local and distant sites in the body. The molecular cargo transported by breast cancer-derived exosomes alters the transcriptome of recipient cells at these sites to stimulate pro-metastatic events, including the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Importantly, the molecular cargo loaded into exosomes can vary depending on cell state. However, it is unclear whether the expression of miRNAs in breast cancer-derived exosomes is altered following inducement of the EMT. Regulation of exosomal miRNAs following the EMT may enhance the ability of circulating tumor cells to target specific tissue sites or improve formation and maintenance of metastatic tumors compared to miRNAs packaged into exosomes secreted from cancer cells without induction of the EMT. To address this knowledge gap, we hypothesized that the EMT alters expression of miRNAs in exosomes derived from EMT-induced MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells. To induce the EMT, MDA-MB-468 cells were treated with exogenous epidermal growth factor. MDA-MB-468 cells treated with epidermal growth factor exhibited greater mRNA expression of the mesenchymal marker Vimentin compared to non-treated MDA-MB-468 cells by qRT-PCR. Subsequently, exosomes were isolated from the conditioned cell culture medium of MDA-MB-468 cells, with and without induction of the EMT, using ExoQuick exosome isolation reagent. Molecular size analysis of isolated exosomes revealed that they were similar in size to the typical size range reported for exosomes (40 - 150nm). Moreover, a common exosomal marker protein, CD9, was enriched in the MDA-MB-468-derived exosome fractions compared to whole cell lysates by Western blot. Furthermore, next generation sequencing and bioinformatic analysis were performed to determine the miRNA expression profiles of these exosomes. Results from this study reveal expression of miRNAs in breast cancer cell-derived exosomes before and after activation of the EMT and may indicate how exosomes secreted from advanced stage breast cancer enhance metastatic tumor progression. Citation Format: Christian A. Showalter, Yinan Huang, Monica M. Burdick. MiRNA expression profile of exosomes derived from breast cancer cells following induction of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 1536.
Incorporating geo-sequestration into the U.S. greenhouse gas inventory

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an initial framework for incorporating geo-sequestration into the U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory. The framework is based on the underlying principles in preparing national inventories and the key processes associated with geo-sequestration. First, four principal geo-sequestration options are summarized: enhanced oil recovery; enhanced coal bed methane recovery; depleted oil and natural gas fields; and deep saline aquifers. Second, a brief summary of the U.S. inventory methodology and concepts for emission sources that are relevant to those needed for preparing an inventory for geo-sequestration are provided. In particular, three emission sources are addressed: natural gas and petroleum systems; CO2 consumption; and natural gas processing. Analogies between the geo-sequestration processes and the relevant inventory methodologies are summarized in the chapter. Third, a potential framework for incorporating geosequestration processes into the inventory, including methodology structures and data needs is presented.
Power grab: political survival through extractive resource nationalization

One of the most durable findings from past decades is the notion that oil impedes democracy. Recent work unpacks this relationship, showing how oil’s extraordinary rents allow leaders to ward off c...
For Those Who Care: The Eﬀect of Public Service Motivation on Sector Selection

Public Service Motivation (PSM) theory suggests the alignment of values may explain sorting into public service work. Evidence suggests that people with high PSM cluster in government and nonproﬁt organizations. However, the reliance on cross-sectional data leaves open the question of whether observed patterns are the result of public and nonproﬁt organizations attracting and selecting high PSM people or cultivating PSM through socialization within the sector. Using data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), this study analyzes the relationship between motivational bases, such as PSM and extrinsic motivation, and sorting into the public, for-proﬁt, and nonproﬁt sectors. The results indicate that PSM, measured before labor market entry, signiﬁcantly predicts the sector a person will select for employment. Moreover, the eﬀect on sector selection does not operate through alternative predictors of sector employment, such as college completion. Rather, PSM predicts sorting into college majors in a manner consistent with sector sorting in the labor market. After empirically investigating the relationship between PSM and sector selection in the labor market, this paper discusses the implications of the results for future public management research and theory.
Vampiric Inquiry, or A Review of Blood’s Will: Speculative Fiction, Existence, and Inquiry of Currere

This review explores how Blood’s Will: Speculative Fiction, Existence, and Inquiry of Currere effectively utilizes the process of currere as a tool for inquiry as well as an educational experience.
Disrespect as the Essence of Constitutional Right Violations

This Article presents a simple, broad-sweeping, unifying account of the underlying logic and limits of the important constitutional rights. The underlying logic of constitutional rights turns out to be a matter of respect and disrespect. The essential focus of this account is thus on the idea of respect, and often more incisively, on the idea of disrespect. Certainly, no single idea can fully account for all phases of all constitutional rights. But the idea of respect, and of disrespect in particular, can aptly describe much of the territory of the most important constitutional rights, whether the rights in question are officially acknowledged, or as yet unacknowledged. It is certainly true that many of the harms associated with constitutional rights violations are not entirely reducible to matters of respect and disrespect. And certainly, constitutional protection of particular rights may serve a variety of purposes, not all of which are fully expressed in terms of fundamental respect and disrespect. The recognition, the threshold enforcement, and the eventual limitation of constitutional rights is in this sense inevitably pluralistic. The argument herein, though, is that considerations of respect and disrespect, in a fundamental sense, generally structure and make distinctive sense of the pluralism of constitutional rights.
Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera, Obras. Crítica literaria. I: Ideas y temas literarios. Literatura mexicana. Investigación y recopilación de E. K. Mapes; edición y notas de Ernesto Mejía Sánchez; introducción de Porfirio Martínez Peñaloza. Centro de Estudios Literarios, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 1959; 543 pp.

Se reseno el libro: Obras. Critica literaria. I: Ideas y temas literarios. Literatura mexicana. Investigacion y recopilacion de E. K. Mapes; edicion y notas de Ernesto Mejia Sanchez; introduccion de Porfirio Martinez Penaloza.
The Double Quantum Dot Feline Cousin of Schrödinger's Cat : An Experimental Test bed for a Discourse of Quantum Measurement Dichotomies

Intriguing dichotomies in quantum measurement theory involving the role of the obersever, objective reality, collapse of wavefunctions and actualization of a measurement outcome are cast into a patholigical gedanken experiment involving a single electron in a double quantum dot system coupled via a weak link.
A History of Professionalism: Julius Henry Cohen and TheProfessions as a Route to Citizenship

This paper revives the notion that professionalism and the legal profession can serve as a mechanism for immigrants and those who are not born into wealth or privilege to achieve status. I draw on the example of Cohen, a Jewish lawyer who achieved a great deal of success within the profession in the early 20th Century, to argue that the rhetoric surrounding the professions allows immigrants and others to use professional success to find their way to full inclusion and citizenship. While acknowledging the merits of the critiques of the professions as rent-seeking cartels, I argue that professionalism is an elastic concept that has allowed many uses, some of which have been useful and beneficial in the past.
Formulation of the MACE filter as a linear associative memory

Shows that the minimum average correlation energy (MACE) filter can be formulated as a linear associative memory (LAM) trained with pre-whitened exemplars. Using this formulation, iterative methods which are numerically stable can be used to obtain the equivalent MACE filter coefficients in the space domain. >
Ovarian surgery in pregnancy

A series of 57 cases of ovarian disease during pregnancy is presented; 10 of the patients were referred to the Mayo Clinic for treatment. During the 17 year period under investigation (1955 through 1971), there were 25,189 deliveries in Rochester, Minnesota. Thus, the corrected incidence of operable ovarian disease in pregnancy was one case in every 536 deliveries. Simple ovarian cysts were the most common lesions found (38 of 57 cases). The over-all abortion rate was about 25 per cent (14 of 57 patients); six of the patients were threatening to abort prior to surgery. Therefore, the incidence of spontaneous abortion after surgery was 16 per cent (eight of 51 patients). Progestational agents given before and after operation did not affect the abortion rate.
Approximate Method for Optimal Instrumentation Network Design

Abstract A branch and bound procedure based on balance equations of the system (so-called equations-based method) was recently used to solve nonlinear sensor network design problem (Nguyen and Bagajewicz, 2008). The method was shown to be efficient for medium size nonlinear problem, but its computational performance for realistic large scale problems was not satisfactory. We address this deficiency by using a heuristic approximate method together with the equations-based method in a two-stage procedure. The approximate method was shown to remarkably improve computational time, and even though it does not guarantee optimality it renders good results. Two examples are provided.
PAVING THE ROAD AHEAD: AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, PRODUCTS LIABILITY, AND THE NEED FOR A NEW APPROACH

Cars that drive themselves may seem about as realistic as Marty McFly’s DeLorean in Back to the Future, but this is far from the case. Autonomous technology is available and in use in many new vehicle models.1 In fact, in 2010 Google announced that the company had successfully built cars capable of driving themselves (“autonomous cars”).2 Even more amazing, at its 2010 announcement, Google also revealed its driverless cars (customized Toyota Prius models) had logged over 100,000 miles on public roads.3 As of early 2013, Google’s several autonomous vehicles have traveled over 300,000 miles, and have yet to cause a traffic accident
Bimane fluorescent labels: Characterization of the bimane labeling of human hemoglobin

The products of the bimane labeling (using a monobromobimane, a dibromobimane and a quaternary bromobimane) of hemoglobin are characterized. Peptide mapping identifies cysteine-beta 93 as the reactive thiol site. Electrophoretic mobility of hemoglobin varies with the label used, that of monobromobimane-labeled hemoglobin being unaltered, while dibromobimane- and trimethylammoniobromobimane-labeled hemoglobin exhibit changes. The oxygen affinity of labeled hemoglobin is changed from that of hemoglobin. Deoxyhemoglobin is substantially less reactive towards monobromobimane than oxyhemoglobin. Bimane-labeled hemoglobin is more easily denatured on heating than unlabeled hemoglobin. Possible uses for bimane labels in the study of protein properties are pointed out. Bimane labeling agents are derivatives of 3,4,6,7-tetramethyl-1,5-diazabicyclo[3.3.0]-octa-3,6-diene-2,8-dione 9,10-dioxa-syn-(methyl,methyl)bimane).
Single Molecule Analysis with Planar Optofluidics

Integrated optofluidics uses integrated optical elements for building a new generation of analytical devices that feature planar architectures for both fluidics and optics. Liquid-core optical waveguides that can simultaneously guide both liquids and light through micron-scale hollow channels are essential components of such a platform. Here, we review advances in single particle detection, manipulation, and analysis in integrated optofluidic chips based on liquid-core antiresonant reflecting optical waveguides (ARROWs). Starting from a discussion of physical principles and fabrication methods, we discuss demonstrations of liquid-core waveguiding, fluorescence and Raman detection, single molecule analysis, and all-optical particle manipulation. Special emphasis is placed on the on-chip implementation of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy for analysis of biological particles, including liposomes and viruses. An outlook on future opportunities and challenges is given.
Semiconductor Capacitance Penalty per Gate in Single- and Double-Gate FETs

We show that the double-gate (DG) FET geometry has lower gate capacitance per gate $C_{G}$ and lower sheet carrier density per gate $N_{S}$ than the single-gate (SG) FET geometry for the same gate-stack because the semiconductor capacitance $C_{\rm SC}$ is a property of the channel, and therefore, $C_{\rm SC}$ per gate of the DG FET is one-half that of the SG FET. This effect is marginal in FETs with high effective mass and/or high valley degeneracy channel materials but is fairly pronounced in FETs with low effective mass and/or low valley degeneracy channel materials.
Robustification tools for nonlinear control design

We demonstrate the usefulness of the so-called /spl kappa/-terms as a robustification tool for nonlinear control. The inclusion of these terms in the design procedure renders the disturbance-to-state operator bounded without the need for high gain in the control, and can make the gain of the disturbance-to-output operator arbitrarily small. Using this tool, we construct a new design procedure for strict feedback systems whose state measurements are corrupted by bounded multiplicative and additive disturbances, and show that the state of the resulting closed-loop system will remain bounded even if the bounds on the disturbances are unknown. >
Ubiquitous computing for remote cardiac patient monitoring: a survey

New wireless technologies, such as wireless LAN and sensor networks, for telecardiology purposes give new possibilities for monitoring vital parameters with wearable biomedical sensors, and give patients the freedom to be mobile and still be under continuous monitoring and thereby better quality of patient care. This paper will detail the architecture and quality-of-service (QoS) characteristics in integrated wireless telecardiology platforms. It will also discuss the current promising hardware/software platforms for wireless cardiac monitoring. The design methodology and challenges are provided for realistic implementation.
In vitro fertilization and the cloacal/bladder exstrophy–epispadias complex: A continuing association

Abstract Objective To expand on a previously published analysis of children fertilized in vitro (IVF) who demonstrate the cloacal/bladder exstrophy–epispadias complex (CBEEC). Patients and methods Data were collected on CBEEC patients who were fertilized in vitro and seen at The Brady Urological Institute of The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Brady/JHH) from 1997 to 2004. The numbers of live births and IVF births were acquired/estimated from the US Centers for Disease Control. Incidence rates for CBEEC were estimated using International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Monitoring Systems data. A Pearson-type chi-squared analysis evaluated the association between IVF and CBEEC. Results An estimated 322,937 IVF births occurred in the US in 1997–2004. The rate of CBEEC was estimated at 6.2:100,000. A total of 150 CBEEC patients born in 1997–2004 were evaluated at Brady/JHH of whom eight were IVF. Under the hypothesis of no association between IVF and CBEEC, the expected incidence of IVF in CBEEC children ranged between 0.60% and 1.59%. The observed incidence of IVF in CBEEC children evaluated at Brady/JHH ranged between 4.2% and 6.7%. Comparison of the expected and observed incidence using a Pearson-type chi-squared test resulted in a bootstrapped P value of 0.0182. Conclusion The incidence of IVF in CBEEC children appears to be higher than what would be expected if there was no association between IVF and CBEEC.
Studies on the Purity of Dimercaprol (BAL)

Variations in the toxicity of samples of dimercaprol have been related to the presence of a demonstrable chemical impurity. This impurity was present in the first distillates of fractionally distilled dimercaprol. Tests used to distinguish the presence of this impurity included: thiol sulfur titer, refractive index, lead acetate conductometric titrations, paper chromatography, and the formation of a solid derivative. The toxic impurity has been identified as 1,2,3-trimercaptopropane.
Dynamic allocation of entities in closed queueing networks: An application to debris removal

This work describes a novel method for allocating entities to routes in a closed queueing network to maximize system throughput. Results are presented which compare this method with known prior work and known optimal solutions to provide an empirical optimality gap. Further, because the system of interest, debris removal following natural disasters, is under the control of rational agents, optimality conditions are derived in order to determine to efficacy of a flat market context in inducing optimal behavior.
SOME CHROMOSOME NUMBERS OF DRAPARNALDIA

The variability exhibited by Draparnaldia both in nature and in the laboratory makes it difficult to identify the species. The natural variability of Draparnaldia was amplified by the environmental conditions and the media used in this study. With the hope that chromosome studies would aid in taxonomic characterization by providing additional differentiating criteria, special attention was devoted to adapting techniques which could be used to determine chromosome numbers of Draparnaldia isolates. The chromosome numbers reported herein are as follows: (1) Draparnaldia glomerata, Isolate #1, isolated from Davis Falls, Montevallo, Alabama, was found to have a chromosome number of 13. (2) Draparnaldia Isolate #2, an unidentified species obtained from Anniston, Alabama, was found to have a chromosome number of 13. (3) Draparnaldia acuta, Isolate #3 from Northwood Lake, Northport, Alabama, exhibited 26 chromosomes. (4) Draparnaldia plumosa strain 423 (Indiana Culture Collection), 418/a (Cambridge) was observed to have a chromosome number of 13.
THE POTENTIAL OF TIN-PROTOPORPHYRIN AS AN ADJUVENT THERAPY FOR IRON OVERLOAD IN THALASSEMIA MAJOR

Despite present therapies of hypertransfusion and chelation of iron with desferrioxamine (DFO), patients with thalassemia major continue to succumb in their early to mid twenties to fatal iron overload, especially of the heart. Our laboratory has been involved in investigations of the use of tin-protoporphyrin (Sn-PP) as an adjuvent therapy for these patients. Sn-PP an analogue of heme, blocks microsomal heme oxygenase, and thus heme metabolism, thereby causing an increased excretion of intact heme (and with it iron) into the bile. Initial experiments using hypertransfused iron overloaded rats showed that Sn-PP, while having no effect upon total iron stores, caused a redistribtuion of iron, with significant decreases (up to 50%) in the iron content of the heart, kidneys and liver with corresponding increases in that of the spleen. Similar experiments done with splenectomized animals also showed decreases in the iron content of the heart with increases in liver iron. We conclude that Sn-PP does not cause a decrease in total iron stores, but it may cause a significant diversion/redistribution of iron from the heart to liver and/or spleen. We are now conducting experiments to determine whether Sn-PP given together with DFO leads to enhanced iron excretion.
Group algebras, monotonicity, and the lieb permanent inequality

If n is a positive integer then let S n denote the symmetric group on let {1,2, …n} letCS n denote the algebra of functions from S nto C, and let H n denote the n × n positive semi-definite Hermitian matrices. Define the function [.](.) from for each Fix k such that 0<k<n and associate with n × n complex matrix the complementary principal submatrices A [k] and [k] . Lieb's permanent inequality guarantees us thai if A∊H nthen per n(a) per(A[k]) per (A(k))We introduce a sequence P 0 P 1 P 2 … P k of normalized positive semi-definite Hermitian members of n such that the associated sequence [P 0] (·), [P 1](·), …, [Pk ](·) of generalized matrix functions is non-increasing when restricted to Hn . Since [P 0](A) = per(A) and [Pk ](A) = per(A [ k]) per(A (k),) this comprises a refinement of Lieb's permanent inequality. We demonstrate that the matrix functions [Pt ](·), 0≤t≤k, are closely related to the Laplace expansion formulas for the permanent and determinant functions. For example, if A ∊ Hn and A = [aij ] ...
Soluble levels of cytosolic tubulin regulate ciliary length control

The primary cilium is an evolutionarily conserved dynamic organelle important for regulating numerous signaling pathways, and, as such, mutations disrupting ciliogenesis result in a variety of developmental abnormalities and postnatal disorders. The length of the cilium is regulated by the cell through largely unknown mechanisms. Normal cilia length is important, as either shortened or elongated cilia have been associated with disease and developmental defects. Here we explore the importance of cytoskeletal dynamics in regulating cilia length. Using pharmacological approaches in different cell types, we demonstrate that actin depolymerization or stabilization and protein kinase A activation result in a rapid elongation of the primary cilium. The effects of pharmacological agents on cilia length are associated with a subsequent increase in soluble tubulin levels and can be impaired by depletion of soluble tubulin with taxol. In addition, subtle nocodazole treatment was able to induce ciliogenesis under conditions in which cilia are not normally formed and also increases cilia length on cells that have already established cilia. Together these data indicate that cilia length can be regulated through changes in either the actin or microtubule network and implicate a possible role for soluble tubulin levels in cilia length control.
Icosahedral bacteriophage ΦX174 forms a tail for DNA transport during infection

Here, the atomic structure of a virally encoded, cell-wall-spanning, DNA-translocating conduit from bacteriophage ΦX174 is described. This paper presents the first atomic structure of a virally encoded, cell-wall-spanning, DNA translocating conduit. Many bacteriophages use a tail to transport their DNA across the bacterial cell wall, whereas filamentous and tail-less phages rely on host-encoded channels. The phage ΦX174 is a small, tail-less microvirus that uses a pilot protein, H, to guide its DNA through the cell wall in the penetration process. Michael Rossmann and colleagues now show that this protein forms a tube that inserts into the inner and outer cell membranes, spanning the periplasmic space, and that this most probably serves to deliver the DNA genome into the cytoplasm. DNA translocating structures from tailed bacteriophages have similar properties, indicating evolutionarily conserved features of DNA delivery between different virus types. Prokaryotic viruses have evolved various mechanisms to transport their genomes across bacterial cell walls1. Many bacteriophages use a tail to perform this function, whereas tail-less phages rely on host organelles2,3,4. However, the tail-less, icosahedral, single-stranded DNA ΦX174-like coliphages do not fall into these well-defined infection processes. For these phages, DNA delivery requires a DNA pilot protein5. Here we show that the ΦX174 pilot protein H oligomerizes to form a tube whose function is most probably to deliver the DNA genome across the host’s periplasmic space to the cytoplasm. The 2.4 A resolution crystal structure of the in vitro assembled H protein’s central domain consists of a 170 A-long α-helical barrel. The tube is constructed of ten α-helices with their amino termini arrayed in a right-handed super-helical coiled-coil and their carboxy termini arrayed in a left-handed super-helical coiled-coil. Genetic and biochemical studies demonstrate that the tube is essential for infectivity but does not affect in vivo virus assembly. Cryo-electron tomograms show that tubes span the periplasmic space and are present while the genome is being delivered into the host cell’s cytoplasm. Both ends of the H protein contain transmembrane domains, which anchor the assembled tubes into the inner and outer cell membranes. The central channel of the H-protein tube is lined with amide and guanidinium side chains. This may be a general property of viral DNA conduits and is likely to be critical for efficient genome translocation into the host.
Objects of Curiosity: Transgender College Students' Perceptions of the Reactions of Others

ABSTRACT Increasing numbers of youth are beginning to come out and transition while in college. This qualitative study examines the perspectives of male-to-female (MTF) and female-to-male (FTM) transgender students as they reflect upon the reactions of family and friends. While friends tended to be supportive, parents often had a negative reaction to their children coming out as transgender and sought to dissuade the students from transitioning. The study participants who were pre-transition and living part time as their self-identified gender often felt that the reactions of others reinforced their sense of not being normal. The students who had moved into living full time as their self-identified gender began to feel some sense of normalcy in their lives.
High-density lipoprotein subpopulations in pathologic conditions

Abstract The role of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in coronary artery disease (CAD) and the impact of therapeutic agents on LDL cholesterol are well established. Less is known about the role of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and even less about the role of the different HDL subspecies in CAD. HDL particles vary in size and density, mainly because of differences in the number of apolipoprotein (apo) particles and the amount of cholesterol ester in the core of HDL. Apo A-I is essential and, together with lipid, sufficient for the formation of HDL particles. Apo A-I–containing HDL particles play a primary role in cholesterol efflux from membranes, at least in part through interactions with the adenosine triphosphate–binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1). Patients with Tangier disease have mutations in the gene encoding ABCA1, which result in functionally impaired protein, a marked deficiency in HDL cholesterol, and a high risk of premature CAD. Our studies of apo A-I–containing HDL subpopulations in various patient populations reveal that patients homozygous for Tangier disease have only the pre-β 1 HDL subspecies. Tangier heterozygotes are severely depleted in the larger α- and pre-α–mobility subspecies. Patients with low HDL cholesterol levels and those with CAD also show deficiencies in the α 1 and pre-α 1–3 HDL subspecies. The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) increase the levels of the large α 1 and pre-α 1 subpopulations and decrease the level of the small α 3 subpopulation. Thus, atorvastatin, for example, significantly moves the distribution of HDL particles toward normal, followed by simvastatin, pravastatin, and lovastatin in decreasing order of efficiency. A new statin, rosuvastatin, produces greater increases in HDL cholesterol than atorvastatin, but its effect on HDL particle distribution is yet to be determined.
Coagulation Factors and Recurrence of Ischemic and Bleeding Adverse Events in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes

Abstract In the last years, management and prognosis of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are significantly improved. Nowadays antithrombotic (antiplatelet plus anticoagulant drugs) therapy represents the main treatment of ACS patients. Anticoagulant drugs are particularly helpful in the acute phase of ACS, whereas in the chronic phase are maintained only in selected cases. Many studies demonstrate that exists a significant variability in the coagulation factor levels between patients affected by ACS. This variation on coagulation factors levels is due to environmental (smoking, inflammation, sex, oral contraceptive, triglycerides, diabetes mellitus) and genetic determinants. Particularly several gene polymorphisms have been selected and clearly associated with significant variations in the coagulation factors values. The heightened levels of tissue factor, factor VII and fibrinogen are related with a “hypercoagulable status” and with a higher occurrence of ischemic complications after ACS and/or PCI. On the contrary, less data are available regarding the relationship between coagulation factors levels (or their gene polymorphisms) and bleeding complications. Recently, new anticoagulant drugs have been developed. They show less side effects and a better tolerability and, probably, their selected use in patients with a “hypercoagulable status” may improve the clinical outcome after ACS. In this review we analyze the current available data and we discuss how this finding may be useful for planning future studies to optimize the treatment of ACS patients.
Algebraic Solutions for the Asymmetric Rotor

Exact algebraic solutions for the energy eigenvalues and eigenstates of the asymmetric rotor are found using an infinite-dimensional algebraic method. The theory exploits a mapping from the Jordan–Schwinger realization of the SO(3)∼SU(2) algebra to a complementary SU(1, 1) structure. The Bethe ansatz solutions that emerge are shown to display the intrinsic Vierergruppe (D2) symmetry of the rotor when the angular quantum number I is an integer, and the intrinsic quaternion group Q (i.e., the double group D*2) symmetry when I is a half-integer.
Influence of the electron density profile on surface plasmons: Retardation effects☆

Abstract Hydrodynamics effects when used in conjunction with a diffuse surface are found to result in qualitatively new surface plasmon behavior in the optical region ( q≈ ω c ).
Locating maximum variance segments in sequential data

An automated method is presented for the identification of peaks in sets of sequential data. The method is based upon the location of those segments with maximum variance and has the advantage of guarding against the masking of small-scale effects by large-scale effects. The procedure is illustrated with data taken as part of the National Uranium Resource Evaluation project.
Detecting seismogenic stress evolution and constraining fault zone rheology in the San Andreas Fault following the 2004 Parkfield earthquake

[1] We investigate temporal changes in seismic scatterer properties at seismogenic depth attributed to the 2004 M 6 Parkfield earthquake, making use of the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth repeating-earthquake target sequences, as well as nearby similar-earthquake aftershock clusters. We use a two-step process: (1) observing temporal variations in the decorrelation index, D(t), reflecting changes in the scattered wavefield of repeating-earthquake sequences and (2) estimating the spatial distribution of timedependent scatterers by using a larger-aperture source array. We focus on three scatterers exhibiting clear time dependence, using pairs of earthquakes that span or follow the 2004 Parkfield earthquake. They are found to be located on the fault at the northernmost extent of coseismic rupture, beneath Middle Mountain, with a depth range of 11 to 17 km. The shallowest and most prominent scatterer is located near a region of increased Coulomb stress, as well as significant postseismic slip following the 2004 Parkfield earthquake, and a large M = 5 aftershock. The other two deeper ones are also in regions of increased Coulomb stress. We show that D(t) 1/2 is expected to be proportional to the level of stress in the fault zone, and then we constrain the form of fault zone rheology by comparing the time dependence of D(t) 1/2 with geodetic or seismic measures of strain rate, assuming a power law rheology between stress and strain rate characterized by exponent n. Such a comparison yields n ranging from 1.6 through 3.3, a value that is more consistent with ductile behavior, rather than frictional sliding, at the base of the seismogenic zone.
The effect of atropine on the cardiac mechanism in anomalous atrioventricular conduction.

Abstract The clinical entity known as the syndrome of "anomalous atrioventricular conduction," or "Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome," is now widely recognized. The history of the clinical recognition and the development of the modern concepts of the etiology and pharmacology of this syndrome have proved most interesting. The proper clinical evaluation of this syndrome was established by Wolff, Parkinson, and White, 22 who reported a series of eleven cases in 1930 characterized by the following features: (1) electrocardiographic peculiarities consisting of abnormal shortening of the P-R interval with a pronounced increase in the duration of the QRS complex; (2) complete absence of physical signs of organic heart disease; (3) the occurrence of heterotopic paroxysms of tachycardia; and (4) reversion of the anomalous electrocardiographic pattern to a normal one either spontaneously, following exercise, or after the administration of atropine. This paper will deal with the physiological action of atropine on the cardiac conduction mechanism and its use as a diagnostic aid in six patients showing electrocardiographic patterns characterized by a short P-R interval and a prolonged QRS complex.
Testing for high-risk human papillomavirus types will become a standard of clinical care

Testing for high-risk human papillomavirus types should become a standard of care for women in the United States because cervical cancer is an infectious disease. Current care is based on cytologic screening and a pathologic staging of cellular tissue changes. Before these cellular modifications, there is a demonstrable pattern of human papillomavirus infection. Human papillomavirus is the most frequently acquired sexually transmitted disease in women and is usually eliminated without treatment. Persistence of high-risk human papillomavirus types can lead to abnormal cervical cellular changes. When these cervical cellular changes occur, physician interventions hasten human papillomavirus elimination. Currently, adding human papillomavirus screening to the Papanicolaou smear identifies a population for closer follow-up studies. In the future a vaccine should be introduced to prevent infections, and medical treatments to hasten the elimination of high-risk human papillomavirus types should become part of standard medical practice.
Mixing enhancement in enzymatic chemical reactions by optimal tuning of flows

Abstract We consider the problem of mixing enhancement in enzymatic chemical reactions in moving fluids, which are modeled by a reaction–convection–diffusion equation. The problem is formulated as an optimal control problem using the flow field as a control variable. By variational principles, we prove the existence of an optimal flow and derive an optimality system that consists of nonlinear reaction–convection–diffusion equations and Laplace’s equations. The uniqueness of the optimal flow is left open.
Study of mass transport in autogenous GTA welding of dissimilar metals

Abstract The transport processes associated with mixing of two dissimilar alloys in a gas-tungsten arc weld pool are investigated numerically and experimentally. The numerical model includes the electromagnetic, velocity, temperature, and concentration fields. The model is solved fully coupled using the finite element software COMSOL Multiphysics®. The simulation shows that at early times surface tension drives a toroidal vortex flow around the circumference of the weld pool. At these times, the distribution of metals in the weld pool is not uniform since the fluid flow within the melt is not fully developed. At later times, the weld pool expands and deepens, and a secondary flow develops that circulates the flow along the bottom of the weld pool and then back along its edges where it is coupled with a toroidal vortex. This flow causes the melt to quickly become homogeneous. The numerical predictions of the concentration distribution were verified by comparison with experimental results obtained from electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The predicted weld-pool geometry was also in reasonable agreement with the experimental result. In examining the surface tension effects, it was found that, except at early times, the temperature driven Marangoni forces dominate the surfactant driven effects (sulfur). However, the surfactant still has an important role because it modifies the temperature sensitivity of the surface tension.
Reasoning and probability

Reasoning justifies its conclusions to varying degrees, depending on the strength of the reasons and the justification of the evidence. It is often supposed that the resulting degrees of justification can be viewed as probabilities, but there are simple reasons why that cannot be right. This paper explores an alternative way of relating probabilities and degrees of justification.
New Mechanism for Superconductivity

A new mechanism which leads to superconductivity even for particles with purely repulsive forces between them is described. The general theory is given for weak short-ranged pair forces between the particles and for arbitrary (convex) Fermi surfaces. It is shown that the transition temperature due to this mechanism is in general quite low, though it may be enhanced somewhat by very special Fermi-surface geometry.
“I Screamed for Help”: A Case Study of One Grandmother's Experience with Voluntary Kinship Care

ABSTRACT The purpose of this qualitative single case study is to explore one grandmother's experience with voluntary kinship care and child welfare services. Voluntary kinship care is pursued as a viable option when out-of-home placement is imminent. Research indicates that voluntary kinship care, as an alternative living arrangement, helps to maintain familial and community attachments as well as to minimize trauma and upheaval in a child's life. This case study identifies four major themes relating to the participant's experiences: life altering events, gaining control, daily challenges, and looking to the future. Implications for public and child welfare practice are discussed.
Graphene ribbon-supported Pd nanoparticles as highly durable, efficient electrocatalysts for formic acid oxidation

Abstract Graphene ribbon-supported Pd nanoparticles (Pd/GR) have been prepared by a simple, clean process in aqueous medium, involving only a Pd precursor and graphene ribbon (GR) as both a reducing agent and a catalyst support. A high density of Pd nanoparticles with a small average particle size (∼2.8 ± 0.8 nm) could be successfully deposited on graphene ribbons. The as-obtained Pd/GR electrocatalysts show increased electrochemical surface area and significantly enhanced catalytic activity for formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR) compared to the conventional Pd/C electrocatalysts in terms of peak current density (1.4 A mg −1 vs. 0.79 A mg −1 ) and peak potential (−0.15 V shift). Both the good dispersion and the relatively small particle size of the Pd nanoparticles on graphene ribbon and the synergetic effect between Pd and GR lead to high initial catalytic activity for FAOR. More importantly, a dramatic enhancement in durability is found with Pd/GR for FAOR due to the strong interaction between Pd and GR.
An efficient synthesis of 2-hydroxyphenylphosphonates

Abstract The high yield conversion of phenols into diethyl 2-hydroxyphenylphosphonates via base catalyzed rearrangement of diethyl phenyl phosphates has been achieved.
Sleep disordered breathing and acute mountain sickness in workers rapidly transported to the South Pole (2835 m)

Abstract Background Sleep disordered breathing may be a risk factor for high altitude illness. Past Antarctic sleep studies suggest that rapid transport from sea level (SL) to the Amundsen Scott South Pole Station (SP, 2835 m) increases risk of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). We analyzed sleep studies in 38 healthy polar workers to explore the association between sleep disordered breathing and AMS after rapid transport to the South Pole. Methods Subjects completed a baseline questionnaire, performed basic physiology tests, and were evaluated for AMS and medication use using an extended Lake Louise Questionnaire (LLQ) during their first week at the South Pole. Participants were included in this study if they took no medications and underwent polysomnography on their first nights at Sea Level and the South Pole using the Vivometrics LifeShirt®. Within group changes were assessed with Wilcoxon signed rank tests and between group differences were assessed with Kruskal–Wallis rank sum tests. Results Overall, 21/38 subjects met criteria for AMS at some time on or prior to the third morning at the South Pole. Subjective poor sleep quality was reported by both AMS (65%) and no AMS (41%) groups. The Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) increased significantly in both the AMS and no AMS groups, but the difference in the increase between the two groups was not statistically significant. Increased AHI was not associated with increased AMS symptoms. Previous altitude illness (p = 0.06) and residence at low altitudes (p = 0.02) were risk factors for AMS. Conclusion AMS was not significantly associated with sleep architecture changes or increased AHI. However, AHI sharply increased at South Pole (19/38 participants) primarily due to central apneas. Those developing AMS were more likely to have experienced previous problems at altitude and reported living at lowland altitudes within the 3 months prior to rapid transport to the South Pole than those without AMS.
RECOVERY OF ESSENTIAL OIL AND SUSPENDED SOLID MATTER FROM LEMON-PROCESSING WASTEWATER BY VOLATILE-SOLVENT EXTRACTION AND EMULSION FLOTATION

Essential oil and suspended solid matter can be recovered from lemon-processing wastewater by combined extraction and emulsion flotation with a volatile solvent. This approach provides a potentially valuable product and at the same time renders the wastewater more suitable for biological oxidation.
Management of the clinically negative neck in early squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity.

Epidemiology Oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma is the sixth leading cause of cancer worldwide [1]. It accounts for 0.6% to 5% of all cancers in Europe, United States, and Australia, respectively, but up to 45% of cancers in India [2] .I t mostly affects males, but its incidence is growing among females. It usually occurs in the seventh decade of life. The most common causative factors associated with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity are alcohol and tobacco abuse. Betel nut and tobacco chewing are responsible for the high incidence in the Indian subcontinent. Background The most important prognostic factor in the management of oral squamous cell carcinoma is the status of the cervical lymph nodes [3]. The presence of metastasis to cervical lymph nodes can reduce the cure rate by 50%. Historically the management of the clinically negative (N0) neck has been controversial. Since its description in 1906 by Crile [4] and its routine use by Martin [5], radical neck dissection was the main therapy for any cervical lymph node metastases from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The routine use of this operation was questioned and then modified by Bocca et al [6] and Byers [7], especially in patients with limited neck disease and those with clinically negative necks.
Metabolism of glucose by unicellular blue-green algae.

A facultative photo- and chemoheterotroph, the unicellular bluegreen alga Aphanocapsa 6714, dissimilates glucose with formation of CO2 as the only major product. A substantial fraction of the glucose consumed is assimilated and stored as polyglucose (probably glycogen). The oxidation of glucose proceeds through the pentose phosphate pathway. The first enzyme of this pathway, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, is partly inducible. In addition, the rate of glucose oxidation is controlled, at the level of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase function, by the intracellular level of an intermediate of the Calvin cycle, ribulose-1,5-diphosphate, which is a specific allosteric inhibitor of this enzyme. As a consequence, the rate of glucose oxidation is greatly reduced by illumination, an effect reversed by the presence of DCMU, an inhibitor of photosystem II.