Optimal Filling of Shapes

We present filling as a type of spatial subdivision problem similar to covering and packing. Filling addresses the optimal placement of overlapping objects lying entirely inside an arbitrary shape so as to cover the most interior volume. In n-dimensional space, if the objects are polydisperse n-balls, we show that solutions correspond to sets of maximal n-balls. For polygons, we provide a heuristic for finding solutions of maximal discs. We consider the properties of ideal distributions of N discs as N approaches infinity. We note an analogy with energy landscapes.Comment: 5 page

Hormonal contraceptive methods and risk of HIV acquisition in women : a systematic review of epidemiological evidence

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Ursinus Weekly, October 7, 1963

Customs program: Class of 1967 well underway • Sororities begin Fall rushing Wed. • Harpsichordist Temple Painter to be featured in first Forum Wednesday • Dr. Foster on sabbatical • Choral groups begin rehearsals • Y retreat set for Oct. 11 & 12 • Sue Harmon in Mr. Roberts • More than 980 enrolled this Fall • Honors rating to 23 freshmen • UC student named president of SNEA • Students ready to teach; Banquet set for tonight • Editorial: Word of welcome • Danforth graduate fellowships available • Dateline: Stockholm, Sweden • Letters to the editor • Three faculty members receive distinguished teaching award • Record enrollment in Evening School • National Security Agency test • From behind my dink • Oral cultural vaccine given • Class \u2763 ranks top in education • Summer research, study for faculty • Susquehanna mauls Bears in opener, 32-0 • Ursinus host to foreign teams • Williamson named most valuable in MAC Southern div. • Vernon Morgan ends track careerhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1252/thumbnail.jp

Progestogen-only contraceptive use among breastfeeding women: a systematic review.

Background: Postpartum women need effective contraception. Concerns have been raised that use of progestogen-only contraceptives (POCs) may affect breastfeeding performance and infant health outcomes. Objectives: We investigated the clinical outcomes of breastfeeding duration, initiation of supplemental feeding and weaning, as well as infant outcomes including infant growth, health and development among breastfeeding women using POCs compared with breastfeeding women not using POCs. Search strategy: We searched the PubMed database for all articles published from database inception through December 2014. Selection criteria: We included primary research studies of breastfeeding women of any age or parity who received POCs, including progestogen-only pills, injectables, implants or hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs). The main outcomes were breastfeeding performance (as measured by initiation, continuation, frequency and exclusivity of breastfeeding) and infant health (as measured by growth, development or adverse health effects). Results: Forty-nine articles reporting on 47 different studies were identified that investigated the use of POCs in breastfeeding women and reported clinically relevant outcomes of infant growth, health or breastfeeding performance. Studies ranged from poor to fair methodological quality and generally failed to show negative effects of the use of POCs on breastfeeding outcomes or on infant growth or development. One randomized controlled trial (RCT) raises concerns that immediate insertion of the levonorgestrel IUD postpartum may be associated with poorer breastfeeding performance when compared with delayed insertion, although two other RCTs evaluating early etonogestrel implants compared with delayed initiation of implants or depot medroxyprogesterone acetate failed to find such an association. Conclusion: The preponderance of evidence fails to demonstrate adverse breastfeeding outcomes or negative health outcomes in infants such as restricted growth, health problems or impaired development. Evidence newly added to this review was largely consistent with previous evidence

The Ursinus Weekly, February 17, 1964

Preparations in final stage for Four Freshmen concert • Asian students: APO will begin to collect books for foundation • Evolution and world federalism to be topic of Dr. Charles Price • Art exhibit set for weekend • Summer job opportunities • Three sororities begin Spring rush • Traditional Lorelei turnabout held; Dance king crowned, Whitians presented • Freshman pre-med views Christian concept of unity • Women to receive colors Thursday • English Club to hear Harvard poet • Editorial: A bit of discretion, please; Ursinus big time; Apology • Sub-species new theory of race evolution • Review of books • Letters to the editor • After one week the acting Dean: Dr. Vorrath speaks • Lincoln University students featured at Kaffee Klatsch: A well-attended affair • Greek gleanings • Impending crisis in our American railroads: Part two • Grapplers decision Hopkins after bowing at E-town • UC cagers success at PMC, bunglers at Swarthmore • WC drops Ursinus cagettes, 50-31 • Women trounce opponents in season openerhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1264/thumbnail.jp

The Ursinus Weekly, March 9, 1964

Junior Prom and Agency concert highlight coming weekend • Curtain Club chooses cast; Meridy Murphy will direct Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker • Kaffee Klatsch topic politics • Sig Nu and ZX win Songfest • Photo contest • Wedgwood, controversial historian, author, here Wednesday evening • Campus Chest plans underway • Red Cross seeking qualified swimmers • 1,100 applications filed at UC for Fall admissions • Jean Hunter, Howard Smith elected Ruby co-editors • March placement schedule posted • Ursinus to raise tuition rate $200 effective Sept. 1 • Review: Mr. Lincoln on civil rights • Navy OCS team will visit campus next week • Letters to the editor • Fall of man topic of Bible Study • Genevieve Blatt: Our role in politics • Dateline: Stockholm • Greek gleanings • Modern tri-mesters used in 1880 here • Girls BB falls to ES, 46-36; JV team continues unbeaten • West Chester wins intercollegiates • Mermaids lose in two close meets • Wrestling: Win last match • Hofmann receives sportswriter\u27s award • MAC tournamenthttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1267/thumbnail.jp

The Ursinus Weekly, November 11, 1963

Carol Heber, Homecoming queen; Emmert receives Walker trophy • Catherine Drinker Bowen to be guest speaker at Forum • WSGA meeting set for Sunday • Past UC speaker in protest against Mme. Nhu before fall of regime • Volunteers for St. Gabriels to meet Tuesday • Alumni contribute $220,000 to Centennial Fund • Student rumor clarified • 17 men go Greek in Fall rushing • AAUW discusses community college • Professor chief editor of new publication • Ursinus gets portrait of Henry T. Spangler • Folksing begins weekend • MSGA sponsors bus to next game • Editorial: Women, it\u27s now or never; Kaffee Klatsch; Complaint for complaint\u27s sake? • Have you read: Travels with Charley • Swedish student studying here • Art class tours Philly museum • Letters to the editor • Excellent concert heard by students • Colgan views Cuba as potential source of war • Republicans view election returns • Thai student to speak at Kaffee Klatsch Friday • Ursinus Band: Review & outlook • Greek gleanings • Senior women reply to WSGA questionnaire with emphatic views • Jobs open for political interns • Parsons speaks on Daniel Claus • Outing Club on spelunking trip • Alpha Phi Omega plans open meeting • Bears trounce Fords 32 to 8 as Emmert stars in Homecoming tilt • Player of the week interview: Ron Emmert • UC puts three on college team • Soccer team beats La Salle, alumni • JV and 3rd teams take Immaculatahttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1257/thumbnail.jp

Cumulative mutagenesis of the basic residues in the 201-218 region of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-binding protein-5 results in progressive loss of both IGF-I binding and inhibition of IGF-I biological action

We have reported previously that mutation of two conserved nonbasic amino acids (G203 and Q209) within the highly basic 201–218 region in the C-terminal domain of IGF-binding protein-5 (IGFBP-5) decreases binding to IGFs. This study reveals that cumulative mutagenesis of the 10 basic residues in this region, to create the C-Term series of mutants, ultimately results in a 15-fold decrease in the affinity for IGF-I and a major loss in heparin binding. We examined the ability of mutants to inhibit IGF-mediated survival of MCF-7 cells and were able to demonstrate that this depended not only upon the affinity for IGF-I, but also the kinetics of this interaction, because IGFBP-5 mutants with similar affinity constants (KD) values, but with different association (Ka) and dissociation (Kd) rate values, had markedly different inhibitory properties. In contrast, the affinity for IGF-I provided no predictive value in terms of the ability of these mutants to enhance IGF action when bound to the substratum. Instead, these C-Term mutants appeared to enhance the actions of IGF-I by a combination of increased dissociation of IGF-IGFBP complexes from the substratum, together with dissociation of IGF-I from IGFBP-5 bound to the substratum. These effects of the IGFBPs were dependent upon binding to IGF-I, because a non-IGF binding mutant (N-Term) was unable to inhibit or enhance the actions of IGF-I. These results emphasize the importance of the kinetics of association/dissociation in determining the enhancing or inhibiting effects of IGFBP-5 and demonstrate the ability to generate an IGFBP-5 mutant with exclusively IGF-enhancing activity

Cortical cells are altered by factors including bone morphogenetic protein released from a placental barrier model under altered oxygenation

Episodes of hypoxia and hypoxia/reoxygenation during foetal development have been associated with increased risk of neurodevelopmental conditions presenting in later life. The mechanism for this is not understood; however, several authors have suggested that the placenta plays an important role. Previously we found both placentas from a maternal hypoxia model and pre-eclamptic placentas from patients release factors lead to a loss of dendrite complexity in rodent neurons. Here to further explore the nature and origin of these secretions we exposed a simple in vitro model of the placental barrier, consisting of a barrier of human cytotrophoblasts, to hypoxia or hypoxia/reoxygenation. We then exposed cortical cultures from embryonic rat brains to the conditioned media (CM) from below these exposed barriers and examined changes in cell morphology, number, and receptor presentation. The barriers released factors that reduced dendrite and astrocyte process lengths, decreased GABAB1 staining, and increased astrocyte number. The changes in astrocytes required the presence of neurons and were prevented by inhibition of the SMAD pathway and by neutralising Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) 2/4. Barriers exposed to hypoxia/reoxygenation also released factors that reduced dendrite lengths but increased GABAB1 staining. Both oxygen changes caused barriers to release factors that decreased GluN1, GABAAα1 staining and increased GluN3a staining. We find that hypoxia in particular will elicit the release of factors that increase astrocyte number and decrease process length as well as causing changes in the intensity of glutamate and GABA receptor staining. There is some evidence that BMPs are released and contribute to these changes