cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prognostic and Bioepidemiologic Implications of Papillary Fibroelastomas

Abstract Background Papillary fibroelastomas (PFE) are benign neoplasms with little available outcome data. Objectives This study sought to describe the frequency and clinical course of patients with surgically removed PFE and echocardiographically suspected, but unoperated, PFE. Methods Mayo Clinic pathology and echocardiography databases (January 1, 1995, to December 31, 2010) were queried, resulting in 511 patients: group 1 (n = 185), including patients with surgically removed, histopathologically confirmed PFE; group 1a (n = 94; 51%) with PFE removed at primary surgery; and group 1b (n = 91; 49%) with PFE removal at time of another cardiac surgery. Group 2 (n = 326) patients had echocardiographic evidence of PFE but no cardiac surgery to remove PFE. Results Group 1 had mean age of 63 ± 14 years (116 women [63%]). During the study period, we identified 112 cardiac myxomas in the pathology database and 142 in the echocardiographic database. Mean age in group 2 was 67 ± 14 years (162 women [50%]). PFE occurred most commonly on cardiac valves (n = 400 [78%]). In group 1, transient ischemic attack or stroke was the presenting symptom in 58 patients (32%). With surgical removal of valvular PFE, the valve was preserved in 92 (98%). Recurrence was documented in 3 patients (1.6%). Follow-up stroke risk in groups 1, 1a, and 1b at 1 year was 2%, 0%, and 4%; at 5 years, 8%, 5%, and 11%, respectively. Cerebrovascular accident risk in group 2 at 1 and 5 years was 6% and 13%. Conclusions In patients with echocardiographically suspected PFE who do not undergo surgical removal, rates of cerebrovascular accident and mortality are increased.
Comparison of a nonpneumatic device to four currently available intermittent pneumatic compression devices on common femoral blood flow dynamics.

Abstract Objective The purpose of the present study was to compare common femoral vein blood flow enhancement during external mechanical compression using the novel, nonpneumatic Recovery Force Health Movement and Compressions (MAC) System (Recovery Force USA, Fishers, Ind), and four currently available intermittent pneumatic compression devices. Methods The MAC device was compared with the Kendall SCD 700 (Cardinal Health, Dublin, Ohio), Arjo Huntleigh Flowtron ACS900 (Arjo, Malmo, Sweden), ActiveCare+S.F.T. (Zimmer Biomet, Warsaw, Ind), and Circul8 (Ortho8, Rocklin, Calif). Doppler ultrasound measurements for each device were directly obtained from the right common femoral vein by a registered vascular technologist. The peak flow velocity and the time taken to reach the peak were calculated. For the MAC system only, the subjects were asked to walk a minimum of 500 steps while wearing the system, which was then checked for slippage. Leg size measurements were obtained using the noncontact Sigvaris Legreader XT5 (Vialis Ortopedia, Turin, Italy). The MAC device is not yet commercially available, and the present study was a prequel to clinical studies of venous thromboembolism prevention. Results We recruited a broad range of 20 subjects who varied in age (mean ± standard deviation [SD], 50.5 ± 16.2 years), body mass index (mean ± SD, 26 ± 5.5 kg/m2), gender (male, 25%; female, 75%), and right calf circumference (mean ± SD, 37.2 ± 5.5 cm). The peak flow velocity compared with the baseline measurements was significantly greater for the Recovery Force Health MAC System for three (Kendall SCD 700, P = .02; ActiveCare+S.F.T., P = .003; Circul8, P Conclusions The MAC System is a mobile device that remained in place during ambulation and provided more consistent external mechanical compression in the desired range compared with the other three devices included in the present study.
Establishment of Developmental Gene Silencing by Ordered Polycomb Complex Recruitment in Early Zebrafish Embryos

Abstract Vertebrate embryos achieve developmental competency during zygotic genome activation (ZGA) by establishing chromatin states that silence yet poise developmental genes for subsequent lineage-specific activation. Here, we reveal how developmental gene poising is established de novo in preZGA zebrafish embryos. Poising is established at promoters and enhancers that initially contain open/permissive chromatin with ‘Placeholder’ nucleosomes (bearing H2A.Z, H3K4me1, and H3K27ac), and DNA hypomethylation. Silencing is initiated by the recruitment of Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1), and H2Aub1 deposition by catalytic Rnf2 during preZGA and ZGA stages. During postZGA, H2Aub1 enables Aebp2-containing PRC2 recruitment and H3K27me3 deposition. Notably, preventing H2Aub1 (via Rnf2 inhibition) eliminates recruitment of Aebp2-PRC2 and H3K27me3, and elicits transcriptional upregulation of certain developmental genes during ZGA. However, upregulation is independent of H3K27me3 – establishing H2Aub1 as the critical silencing modification at ZGA. Taken together, we reveal the logic and mechanism for establishing poised/silent developmental genes in early vertebrate embryos. Impact Statement De novo polycomb domains are formed in zebrafish early embryos by focal histone H2Aub1 deposition by Rnf2-PRC1 – which imposes transcription silencing – followed by subsequent recruitment of Aebp2-PRC2 and H3K27me3 deposition.
The Location of Bound Cobalt on 2:1 Layer Silicates

Three techniques have been used to determine what clay mineral surfaces are involved in the selective bonding of Co: (a) polyphosphate ions were used to block edge surfaces of montmorillonite and vermiculite from Co, (b) collapse of the interlamellar spaces with potassium saturation was used to block internal basal surfaces of vermiculite from Co, and (c) autoradiographs were prepared of vermiculite and mica particles that had reacted with Co58. In each case Co in low concentration was allowed to combine with the mineral in the presence of high concentrations of CaCl2. The preliminary sorption of polyphosphate ions had no appreciable effect on the sorption of Co by the minerals studied, indicating that the edge surfaces were not likely to be involved in the Co reaction. The blocking of internal basal areas had only a very slight effect suggesting that these surfaces were involved in the sorption of Co, but only to a limited extent. Autoradiographs of naturally occurring vermiculite particles revealed a somewhat uneven distribution of Co over the planar surface of the particles. Removal of the outer layers of the crystals, either before or after the material had combined with Co but before autoradiography, resulted in a concentration of the metal along edges and cracks. Apparently the external basal surfaces are principally involved in the specific sorption of Co by layer silicates. It is suggested that chemical weathering and physical abrasion of the surfaces introduce defect structures which favor the chemical bonding of heavy metals.
Fictitiously Overstating Taxable Income

Income tax fraud is a frequent topic of law review articles. However, except for targeted looks at certain tax provisions, their focus – as well as that of the IRS, DOJ and court cases – is nearly exclusively on the more typical cases of income understatement of taxable income. This Article details and contrasts the wide range of settings in which a taxpayer is motivated to fictitiously overstate taxable income. Understanding these different settings helps answer critical questions related to the overstating, such as which taxpayer is doing the overstating? why are they doing it? for what years are they doing it? and how is it being accomplished? This Article details different reasons taxpayers overstate income for tax saving purposes. One approach is to report income that never exists, so as to take advantage of negative marginal tax rates or to become eligible for a particular tax standing that does not apply at a lower income level. The second approach is used with income that at some point (or for some taxpayer) will exist; it is just that the taxpayer overstates it in the wrong year (or for the wrong taxpayer). A reason to do so is to shift income to a lower marginal tax rate. However, this Article also details how taxpayer engage in overstating taxable income not to save taxes; indeed, it often raises tax costs. This is when taxable income is overstated as a conforming side-effect of activity not related to taxes, such as overstating income on loan applications or other financial statements. The purpose of this Article is not merely to catalog interesting cases of how the complicated Internal Revenue Code leads to perverse results such that overstating taxable income can actually reduce taxes or to shine a light on scams in non-tax settings that use fictitious tax returns as a tool. Instead, the detailed examples are offered as a roadmap to government, counsel and others tasked with analyzing such settings. This Article ends by detailing considerations in applying the Code’s tax crime provisions to the various types of fictitious overstatement settings. The wrongdoers’ goals and methods of overstating can be subtly different and are relevant to government investigations, as well as to which Code crime provision(s) apply and government’s ability to prove the requisite state of mind in tax prosecutions (and even in non-tax prosecutions where tax filings are relevant). https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/usfblogs.usfca.edu/dist/7/272/files/2021/03/san_55-2-Veliotis.pdf
Political Corruption Cycles in Democracies and Autocracies: Evidence from Micro-data on Extortion in West Africa

Political Corruption Cycles in Democracies and Autocracies: Evidence from Micro-data on Extortion in West Africa
Effect of phosphate and sulfate on Ni repartitioning during Fe(II)-catalyzed Fe(III) oxide mineral recrystallization

Abstract Dissolved Fe(II) activates coupled oxidative growth and reductive dissolution of Fe(III) oxide minerals, causing recrystallization and the repartitioning of structurally-compatible trace metals. Phosphate and sulfate, two ligands common to natural aquatic systems, alter Fe(II) adsorption onto Fe(III) oxides and affect Fe(III) oxide dissolution and precipitation. However, the effect of these oxoanions on trace metal repartitioning during Fe(II)-catalyzed Fe(III) oxide recrystallization is unclear. The effects of phosphate and sulfate on Ni adsorption and Ni repartitioning during Fe(II)-catalyzed Fe(III) oxide recrystallization were investigated as such repartitioning may be affected by both Fe(II)-oxoanion and metal-oxoanion interactions. In most systems examined, phosphate alters Ni repartitioning during Fe(II)-catalyzed recrystallization to a larger extent than sulfate. Phosphate substantially enhances Ni adsorption onto hematite but decreases (nearly inhibiting) Fe(II)-catalyzed Ni incorporation into and release from this mineral. In the goethite system, however, phosphate suppresses Ni release but enhances Ni incorporation in the presence of aqueous Fe(II). In contrast, sulfate has little effect on macroscopic Ni adsorption and release of Ni from Fe(III) oxides, but substantially enhances Ni incorporation into goethite. This demonstrates that phosphate and sulfate have unique, mineral-specific interactions with Ni during Fe(II)-catalyzed Fe(III) oxide recrystallization. This research suggests that micronutrient bioavailability at redox interfaces in hematite-dominated systems may be especially suppressed by phosphate, while both oxoanions likely have limited effects in goethite-rich soils or sediments. Phosphate may also exert a large control on contaminant fate at redox interfaces, increasing Ni retention on iron oxide surfaces. These results further indicate that trace metal retention by iron oxides during lithification and later repartitioning during diagenesis may be substantially altered in the presence of oxoanions.
Opportunistic Routing in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Routing in opportunistic mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) is characterized by intermittent and sporadic communication opportunities between portable devices. As a result, a path between the source and the destination(s) may only exist for a brief and unpredictable period of time, thereby leading to network partition. Most existing routing approaches store data packets locally and forward them when in reach of a mobile peer that carries the data packets closer to the destination. Through a survey of recent literature, this chapter will provide an overview of the routing protocols that exploit intermittent communication opportunities for increased data transmission success in MANETs, and characterize them using the following three aspects: (1) how does the protocol discover and exploit the intermittent communication opportunities in a mobile environment? (2) How does the protocol address multicast, which is a common data dissemination pattern in an opportunistic communication environment? and (3) What kind of real-world applications are enabled by the use of opportunistic routing protocols?
Hemodynamic Responses to Mild Warming during Simulated Hemorrhage

Warming a hemorrhaging victim is the standard of care. However, heating can be detrimental to the maintenance of arterial pressure and cerebral perfusion. Purpose: To test the hypothesis that moder...
Role of Learning in Cognitive Development

In this chapter, we review the distinction between development and learning, showing why what is innate and what is learned cannot be treated as mutually exclusive categories. The learning that is essential to cognitive development is driven by domain-specific skeletal structures, which seek relevant inputs and organize and structure what is revealed by experience. Different domains are defined by different sets of principles, specifying relations between different kinds of entities. The domain of sociality is structured by the principles of contingency, agency, mental states, emotional evaluation, and fittingness. These principles apply to persons in social interactions. This skeletal structure organizes the acquisition of social understanding. Special attention is given to this domain, because the account of structured learning in this domain is given de novo here. We contrast learning in the social domain with learning in two other domains: the domain of number and the domain of causality. The numerical domain is structured by arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, and ordination) and by the principles of nonverbal counting. These principles organize attention to and the learning of verbal counting and basic arithmetic. The central principle in the causal domain is the distinction between animate and inanimate causality. These principles organize the learning of facts about the nature of movements, interactions, and transformations of objects in the animate and inanimate spheres. Keywords: associationist; conceptual change; conceptual structure; connectionism; constructivism; continuity; core-consistent; core-inconsistent; counter-scripts; discontinuity; domain-specific; early concept learning in privileged domains; epigenesis; essentialism; information processing; innate; later learning in privileged domains; learning tools; Naive Theories; novice-expert distinction; preferential looking method in infants; rational number; rational-constructivism; relevant data; relevant learning paths; scripts; skeletal structures (privileged domains); successor principle; Theory of Mind; writing, drawing, notations, technology
Intramural hematoma of the duodenum, with endoscopic images

Purpose: We report a case of an intramural hematoma of the duodenum, correlating radiologic and endoscopic findings. A 27-year-old man presented with acute onset of right upper quadrant abdominal pain, nausea, and bilious vomiting the day after having jumped off the roof of a one-story house, while at work as a carpenter. He regularly drank 6 cans of beer a day, but denied any past history of pancreatitis or gastrointestinal disease. On physical examination, his abdomen had mild diffuse tenderness. Laboratory studies were abnormal for amylase level of 793 and lipase level of 3510. Ultrasound demonstrated abnormal echo-texture in the duodenum, with loss of typical laminated appearance and absence of normal peristalsis. Abdominal CT scan showed large intramural duodenal hematoma, without evidence of pancreatitis. The patient was treated with nasogastric suction and intravenous fluid hydration. Because of a drop in his hemoglobin from 13.3 to 8.6 gm|[sol]|dL by hospital day 5, an upper endoscopy was performed. It showed the proximal end of a duodenal hematoma (see photo), visible from the duodenal bulb. Barium study revealed duodenal lumen narrowing, with an extensive submucosal process extending from the first portion of the duodenum to the region of the duodenum-jejunum junction. Passage of the contrast in the small bowel indicated incomplete obstruction. The patient was started on a liquid diet, advanced to a soft diet, and was discharged on hospital day 8. On follow-up 10 days later, the patient was asymptomatic. Repeat CT scan showed marked resolution in the size of the intramural hematoma. This case serves as a reminder that even large duodenal hematomas can be treated conservatively, and that surgery should be reserved for those cases that have evidence of bowel perforation.
Design of high performance linear brushless DC motor with ironless core

A high performance linear brushless DC (BLDC) motor for very low power applications is presented. The motor is designed such that the core is slotless and ironless. This ironless core eliminates the attraction force between the rail and the forcer as well as it reduces the magnetic losses. Better dynamic performance is also achieved because of the lower winding inductance. The motor geometry, winding configurations, designing procedure, merits, and demerits of the proposed motor are presented. A two-dimensional finite element analysis is employed to investigate the pattern of the magnetic flux throughout the motor structure. The developed thrust force is calculated for different positions of the slider.
Purification and characterization of the cytochrome bd complex from Azotobacter vinelandii: comparison to the complex from Escherichia coli.

Abstract Partial purification of a cytochrome bd complex from Azotobacter vinelandii grown under high aeration was achieved by isolating respiratory particles enriched in this hemoprotein via differential centrifugation and detergent extraction. The cytochrome bd complex was subsequently solubilized from the inner membrane with dodecyl maltoside and purified to near homogeneity via DEAE-Sepharose chromatography. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that the complex consisted of two subunits, with sizes in good agreement with those predicted from the cloned cyd locus (59.7 and 42 kDa). Spectral analysis of the purified complex indicated that the heme components present were cytochromes b560, b595, and d; CO difference spectral studies identified cytochrome d as a CO-reactive component. The complex had a Km for ubiquinol-1 approximately seven times larger than that for the analogous bd complex from Escherichia coli, and O2 consumption curves revealed a Km value for O2 three times greater than that which we determined for the E. coli bd complex.
Psychosocial Predictors of Mortality Following Lung Transplantation.

Lung transplantation has become an increasingly common treatment for patients with end-stage lung disease. Few studies have examined psychosocial risk factors for mortality in transplant recipients, despite evidence suggesting that elevated levels of negative affect are associated with greater mortality following major cardiac surgery. We therefore examined the relationship between negative affect early after lung transplantation and long-term survival in a sample of 132 lung transplant recipients (28 cystic fibrosis, 64 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 26 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, 14 other) followed for up to 13.5 years (median 7.4 years) following transplantation. Patients underwent both medical and psychosocial assessments 6 months following transplantation, which included the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Spielberger Anxiety Inventory, and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Over the course of follow-up, 80 (61%) participants died. Controlling for demographic factors, native lung disease, disease severity, family income, education level, social support, and frequency of posttransplant rejection, elevated symptoms of depression (BDI-II: HR = 1.31, p = 0.011) and distress (GHQ: HR = 1.28, p = 0.003) were associated with increased mortality. Higher levels of depression and general distress, but not anxiety, measured 6 months following lung transplantation are associated with increased mortality, independent of background characteristics and medical predictors.
Sketchbooks & Sutures: A Blog about Learning to Heal

My name is Sam Scharff, and I am entering my fifth year as an MD PhD student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. I write and illustrate a blog called Sketchbooks & Sutures, which can be found at http://sketchbooksandsutures.tumblr.com/. While I have enjoyed many positive experiences in medical school, my time as a student has also proved to be challenging in ways that I could have never expected. Finding people who had the time and energy for authentic conversations about awkward and complex topics became quite difficult – especially when my peers and I had such different schedules. At first I began writing and illustrating mostly for myself, as I assumed that others wouldn’t really find my art to be particularly meaningful. But as I began to circulate some of my pieces to friends and classmates via email, I came to understand that many of my peers were experiencing similar challenges – problems of doubt, identity, and mental health. My peers’ responses would generate an email thread that was filled with the kind of genuine dialogue about human problems that I had been craving since medical school began. Even if we couldn’t be in the same room, we finally had a way to talk about it. I was encouraged enough by this feedback that I uploaded my art and writing to my blog, Sketchbooks & Sutures. The response has been overwhelmingly positive – a modest number of students, faculty, and other Internet users from around the globe have interacted with the digital art, leaving comments about how the art has validated them in some way. Looking to the future, I hope that Sketchbooks & Sutures will continue to generate authentic and accessible conversations about the human dimensions of health and healing. Thank you for taking a look! J Med Humanit (2015) 36:391–394 DOI 10.1007/s10912-015-9351-7
The Synergy Limitation Paradox

The paradox of making acquisitions is that they are difficult to repay — since the market has already priced most attainable operating improvements into the transaction price. By expanding upon Sirower’s (1994) framework for identifying the required performance improvements (RPIs) needed to repay acquisition premiums, an approach is offered for finding combinatorial synergies that will add the necessary, incremental operating improvements to post-acquisition activities.
Remittances, school quality, and household education expenditures in Nepal

A heightened interest in understanding the remitting practices of immigrants and their impact on a variety of economic indicators has emerged as remittances to developing countries have risen substantially over the past decade. If remittances primarily enhance consumption, they may have no lasting impact on economic growth. However, through asset accumulation and human capital investment, remittances may serve as a vehicle for growth. In this paper, we use the 2010 Nepal Living Standards Survey III (NLSS III) to examine how remittances affect household expenditures on human capital investment. Overall, our findings suggest that at the margin, remittances do contribute to human capital investment, but this effect varies substantially by school quality within Nepal. In addition, our results indicate that internal remittances (remittances from household members migrating internally) have a greater impact on education than do external remittances. We posit that this may be due to a higher value placed on Nepali education by internal migrants as compared to the education needed for foreign job opportunities by migrants abroad. JEL codes: J61, I25, F22, F24, H52, O15
Next-generation RF circuits and systems

This paper describes developments foreseen to occur in the near future in the RF industry. Applications such as wireless local loops, wireless local area networks, RF identification devices, multi-standard transceivers, and cable modems are considered. The choice of IC technologies and CAD tools is also discussed.
The Philosophical Foundations of Civic Education

Those who study and evaluate civic education programs are often reticent about their values or unsure how to defend them. Peter Levine and Ann Higgins-DAlessandro offer a range of philosophical resources for thinking about the values that society should hold and how it should try to transmit these values through civic education to future generations.
PUBLIC HEALTH SURVEILLANCE IN THE UNITED STATES

The purpose of this review is to describe the historical and current practice of public health surveillance [in the United States] to discuss new directions for surveillance both in terms of new public health priorities and new methodological tools and to assess the limitations of surveillance. (EXCERPT)
The Demise of the First Secularization: The Church of Gogol and the Church of Belinsky

The article presents Gogol as marking the end of a century-long phase of secularism in Russian culture, from Peter the Great to Pushkin, and as the first writer to represent the cultural phenomenon of the ‘New Middle Ages’ and renewed religious zeal, first described by Berdyaev; further, it highlights some commonalities between Gogol and Belinsky and takes Belinsky as a leading instance of ‘religious atheism’. The article goes on to consider Russian culture’s need for neutral ‘middle ground’ between its multiple and extreme polarities and, in this context, highlights Sergej Averintsev’s plea for an orientation towards Aristotelianism.
A Numerical Method to Model Dynamic Behavior of Thin Inextensible Elastic Rods in Three Dimensions

Static equations for thin inextensible elastic rods, or elastica as they are sometimes called, have been studied since before the time of Euler. In this paper, we examine how to model the dynamic behavior of elastica. We present a fairly high speed, robust numerical scheme that uses (i) a space discretization that uses cubic splines, and (ii) a time discretization that preserves a discrete version of the Hamiltonian. A good choice of numerical scheme is important because these equations are very stiff; that is, most explicit numerical schemes will become unstable very quickly. The authors conducted this research anticipating describing the dynamic Kirchhoff problem, that is, the behavior of general springs that have natural curvature, and for which the equations take into account torsion of the rod.
Transient radiative cooling of a droplet-filled layer

A proposed lightweight radiator system for waste heat dissipation in space would eject streams of coolant in the form of small, hot liquid droplets. The droplets would lose radiative energy by direct exposure to the very low-temperature environment of space, and would then be collected for reuse. The cooling behavior of a layer composed of many small droplets was studied by numerical solution of the radiative integral equations. Since there is mutual interference for radiative energy dissipation, an array droplet will cool more slowly than if each drop is exposed individually. Since liquid metal droplets may be used, the study includes results for conditions with high scattering. For optically thin regions, especially with high scattering, the temperature distribution is sufficiently uniform that the cooling can be computed using the approximation of a constant layer emittance. For optically thick layers starting at uniform temperature, the temperature distributions become nonuniform with time. It was found that the cooling process goes through a starting transient; a constant emittance condition is then achieved where the emittance is lower than that for a layer at uniform temperature.
Gauge principle considerations and a new effect in pionic atoms

Abstract It is shown that the anomalous energy shifts in heavy pionic atoms may be explained by a gauge-generation of Coulomb terms in the s-wave π-nuclear optical potential without resorting to the energy dependence of the elementary amplitudes. The comparison with experiment is made in the “standard” π-nuclear optical model whose parameters most closely agree with the microscopic theory. The anomaly persists for the widths.
Characterization of focal adhesion assembly in XR1 glial cells.

In the present communication, we have characterized focal adhesions in cultured glial cells derived from the Xenopus retina. Using antibodies directed against focal adhesion proteins we found that β1 integrin immunoreactivity colocalized with talin, vinculin, and phosphotyrosine immunoreactivities in glial cells from primary cultures of Xenopus retina, as well as in the XR1 glial cell line, an immortal cell line derived from Xenopus retinal neuroepithelium. β1 integrin immunoreactivity also colocalized with the termini of rhodamine phalloidin-labeled filamentous-actin at focal adhesions. The regulation of focal adhesion assembly was examined in XR1 glial cells using inhibitors against actin polymerization (cytochalasins) or tyrosine kinase activity (genistein). Compared to control cultures, those treated with the inhibitors exhibited a dose-dependent decrease in the proportion of cells displaying focal adhesions. Treatment with cytochalasin B also resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in cell area. Mature focal adhesions in XR1 cells with a flattened, spread morphology also were disrupted by the presence of these inhibitors. These results provide strong evidence that an intact actin cytoskeleton and tyrosine kinase activity regulate focal adhesion assembly and also play important roles in the maintenance of the integrity of focal adhesions in glial cells. GLIA 20:348–364, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Time to CARE: a collaborative engine for practical disease prediction

The monumental cost of health care, especially for chronic disease treatment, is quickly becoming unmanageable. This crisis has motivated the drive towards preventative medicine, where the primary concern is recognizing disease risk and taking action at the earliest signs. However, universal testing is neither time nor cost efficient. We propose CARE, a Collaborative Assessment and Recommendation Engine, which relies only on patient's medical history using ICD-9-CM codes in order to predict future disease risks. CARE uses collaborative filtering methods to predict each patient's greatest disease risks based on their own medical history and that of similar patients. We also describe an Iterative version, ICARE, which incorporates ensemble concepts for improved performance. Also, we apply time-sensitive modifications which make the CARE framework practical for realistic long-term use. These novel systems require no specialized information and provide predictions for medical conditions of all kinds in a single run. We present experimental results on a large Medicare dataset, demonstrating that CARE and ICARE perform well at capturing future disease risks.
Chemodenervation for facial dystonias and wrinkles.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Chemodenervation has evolved greatly over the past 30 years since botulinum toxin was first introduced as a therapeutic injection for managing strabismus. RECENT FINDINGS Botulinum toxins are now accepted as a first-line treatment for patients suffering from spasms secondary to facial dystonias. These treatments are extremely effective and well tolerated by most patients. New agents including doxorubicin, Doxil, and ricin mab35 are being developed to create a longer-lasting treatment option for patients with facial dystonias. Recently the use of chemodenervation for managing facial wrinkles has expanded the use of these agents. The botulinum toxins have been found to be extremely efficacious in managing facial wrinkles, especially in the upper half of the face. The federal drug administration approved the use of Botox (Allergan, Irvine, CA) for glabellar furrows. Periocular crow's feet lines and horizontal forehead lines are also amenable to treatment with the botulinum toxins. Further uses including chemical browlift, as well as lower face and neck line treatments have also been described. SUMMARY The use of the botulinum toxins has revolutionized the treatment of a broad array of diseases from benign essential blepharospasm to facial wrinkles.
Conceptualizations of valence and instrumentality: A fourfold model

Abstract Within the framework of valence-instrumentality (VI) theory, a fourfold model is developed to predict the contribution which is made by one outcome of an alternative to the valence of that alternative. The proposed model uses four subjective conditional probabilities which are based on the presence and absence of an alternative, and on the occurrence and nonoccurrence of an outcome. Valence is defined as the difference between the attractiveness values of the occurrence of an alternative (or an outcome) and the nonoccurrence of an alternative (or an outcome). Also, differences between subjective probabilities replace instrumentalities. Alternative valence-instrumentality formulations are analyzed in relation to the proposed fourfold model. The proposed model can be understood as a consistent application of Vroom's model (1964 , Work and motivation , New York: Wiley), while other models are judged to be relatively deficient. The fourfold model, in combination with a matrix formulation of expectancy concepts, addresses a number of criticisms of VI theory and makes possible a test of the theory within the limits of its own assumptions.
Belief spaces as sets of propositions

Abstract It is common in the knowledge representation literature for a belief space to be considered to be a set of sentences. Some implications of this stance are examined, and an alternative view, that belief spaces are sets of propositions is developed, and found to be an improvement. This latter view requires that propositions be accepted as entities in the domain of discourse of languages of thought, which, it is argued, accords with commonsense usage. In exchange, the semantics of nested belief expressions is simplified, and certain problems caused by the sentential view are avoided.
Inhibition of NFκB in activated rat hepatic stellate cells by proteasome inhibitors and an IκB super‐repressor

The hepatic stellate cell (HSC), following a fibrogenic stimulus, is transformed from a quiescent to an activated cell. Cytokines induce NFkappaB activity in activated but not in quiescent HSCs with subsequent expression of NFkappaB-responsive genes, such as intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 and interleukin (IL)-6. We investigated the effect of proteasome inhibitors and an IkappaB super-repressor on the cytokine mediated activation of NFkappaB, ICAM-1, and IL-6 in activated HSCs. Culture-activated HSCs were stimulated with IL-1beta or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) in the presence or absence of proteasome inhibitors, ALLN or MG-132, or after infection with an adenovirus expressing the IkappaB super-repressor (Ad5IkappaB) or beta-galactosidase (Ad5LacZ) as a control. NFkappaB activity was evaluated by immunofluorescence and by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. The steady state level of cytoplasmic IkappaB protein was measured by Western Blot. ICAM-1 and IL-6 expression was measured by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. Proteasome inhibitors, which block the degradation of IkappaB, and the Ad5IkappaB, which provides an exogenous nondegradable IkappaB, block the stimulation of NFkappaB activity by TNFalpha and IL-1beta in activated HSCs. These reagents block the subsequent nuclear translocation of p65 NFkappaB and induction of ICAM-1 and IL-6 by cytokines. The specificities of the proteasome inhibitors and the IkappaB super-repressor are demonstrated by their failure to block c-Jun N-terminal kinase induction by cytokines. Cytokine-induced stimulation of NFkappaB, ICAM-1, and IL-6 is blocked by proteasome inhibitors and Ad5IkappaB in activated HSCs. Inhibition of IkappaBalpha degradation is a potential target for anti-inflammatory therapy in the liver and might influence the activation process of HSCs following fibrotic stimuli.
The Application and Performance of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Markers for Population Genetic Analyses of Lepidoptera

Microsatellite markers are difficult to apply within lepidopteran studies due to the lack of locus-specific PCR amplification and the high proportion of “null” alleles, such that erroneous estimations of population genetic parameters often result. Herein single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers are developed from Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) using next-generation expressed sequence tag (EST) data. A total of 2742 SNPs were predicted within a reference assembly of 7414 EST contigs, and a subset of 763 were incorporated into 24 multiplex PCR reactions. To validate this pipeline, 5 European and North American sample sites were genotyped at 178 SNP loci, which indicated 84 (47.2%) were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Locus-by-locus FST, analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), and STRUCTURE analyses indicate significant genetic differentiation may exist between European and North American O. nubilalis. The observed genetic diversity was significantly lower among European sites, which may be the result from genetic drift, natural selection, a genetic bottleneck, or ascertainment bias due to North American origin of EST sequence data. SNPs are an abundant mutation data molecular genetic marker development in non-model species with shared ancestral SNPs showing application within closely related species. These markers offer advantages over microsatellite markers for genetic and genomic analyses of Lepidoptera, but the source of mutation data may affect the estimation of population parameters and likely need be considered in the interpretation of empirical data.
THEORIZING LAND-COVER AND LAND-USE CHANGE: THE CASE OF TROPICAL DEFORESTATION

This article addresses land-cover and land-use dynamics from the perspective of regional science and economic geography. It first provides an account of the so-called spatially explicit model, which has emerged in recent years as a key empirical approach to the issue. The article uses this discussion as a springboard to evaluate the potential utility of von Thuenen to the discourse on land-cover and land-use change. After identifying shortcomings of current theoretical approaches to land use in mainly urban models, the article filters a discussion of deforestation through the lens of bid-rent and assesses its effectiveness in helping us comprehend the destruction of tropical forest in the Amazon basin. The article considers the adjustments that would have to be made to existing theory to make it more useful to the empirical issues.
Localized Changes in LHRH mRNA Levels as Cellular Correlates of the Positive Feedback Effects of Estrogen on LHRH Neurons

SYNOPSIS. The luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) system appears to be the final common pathway for integrating multiple estrogeninduced signals into a trigger for the preovulatory LH surge. Because LHRH neurons do not contain estrogen receptors, we have had no cellular marker to identify LHRH neurons involved in triggering the LH surge. Using an estrogenized ovariectomized rat model, we selectively deprived brain regions of estrogen action with microimplants of antiestrogen. We showed that the rostral medial preoptic area (MPOA) is required for estrogen-dependent LH surges and that LHRH neurons in this region are involved in the surge. Using in situ hybridization histochemistry, we compared temporal changes in LHRH mRNA levels in MPOA neurons in animals exhibiting LH surges with those in which LH surges were absent. We defined a characteristic pattern of changes in LHRH mRNA seen only in animals exhibiting the surge and, therefore, believe that these changes in LHRH mRNA levels are cellular correlates of the positive feedback effects of estrogen on LHRH neurons. These findings are exciting because we now have a cellular marker for detecting changes in the neuronal activity of subpopulations of the anatomically and functionally diverse LHRH system. We can use this marker in future studies to definethe complex neurocircuitry which mediates the effects of estrogen on LHRH neurons. In addition, we are currently examining temporal changes in LHRH transcription rate, LHRH mRNA stability and LHRH translation to determine the significance of changes in LHRH mRNA levels in terms of biosynthesis
Examination of ligand-induced conformational changes in the β2 adrenergic receptor

Abstract The environmentally sensitive and cysteine reactive fluorescent probe, IANBD, was used to monitor ligand-induced structural changes in the β2 adrenergic receptor (β2AR) by fluorescent spectroscpoy. We found that agonists caused a dose-dependent and reversible decrease in fluorescence from the purified IANBD-labeled β2AR. This suggested that agonists promote a conformational change in the receptor that leads to an increase in the polarity of the environment around one or more IANBD labeled cysteines. The wildtype receptor contains eight free cysteines and mutagenesis and peptide mapping experiments have indicated that several of these sites are accessible for chemical derivatization. Thus, to identify the cysteine(s) involved in the agonist-induced change in fluorescence and thereby map agonist-induced conformational changes in the β2AR, we generated a series of mutant receptors having limited numbers of cysteines available for fluorescent labeling. Fluorescence spectroscopy analysis of the purified and site-selectively IANBD-labeled mutants showed that IANBD labeled 125Cys and 285Cys are responsible for the observed changes in fluorescence consistent with movements of TM III and VI in response to agonist binding.
MOTION OF THREE INELASTIC PARTICLES ON A RING

In a previous paper [P. Constantin, E. Grossman, and M. Mungan, Physica D 83, 409 (1995)], we have studied in detail the dynamics of three inelastically colliding particles moving on an infinite line. The present paper addresses the effect of boundary conditions by investigating both analytically and numerically the dynamics of three particles confined to a ring. Using the methods developed in [P. Constantin, E. Grossman, and M. Mungan, Physica D 83, 409 (1995)], we reformulate the dynamics as a billiard in an equilateral triangle with nonspecular reflections laws. There are three sharply distinct regimes: (i) perfectly elastic collisions, (ii) slightly inelastic collisions, and (iii) strongly inelastic collisions. In particular, in the limit of the inelasticity going to zero, the asymptotic motion in case (ii) does not reduce to case (i), i.e., perfectly elastic motion is a singular limit. For motion on the line in the strongly inelastic regime, particles can either cluster, undergoing infinitely many collisions while their relative separation goes to zero (inelastic collapse), or they can separate after a finite number of collisions (escape). The confinement to a circle, while greatly enhancing the occurrence of clustering, does not completely eliminate the existence of other asymptotic states. In fact, there exists a fractal set of initial conditions for which collisions proceed indefinitely without clustering. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Recommended Methods for Fertilization, Transportation, and Care of Salmon Eggs

(1949). Recommended Methods for Fertilization, Transportation, and Care of Salmon Eggs. The Progressive Fish-Culturist: Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 175-178.
Marginal values and second-order necessary conditions for optimality

Second-order necessary conditions in nonlinear programming are derived by a new method that does not require the usual sort of constraint qualification. In terms of the multiplier vectors appearing in such second-order conditions, an estimate, is obtained for the generalized subgradients of the optimal, value function associated with a parameterized nonlinear programming problem. This yields estimates for `marginal values' with respect to the parameters. The main theoretical tools are the augmented Lagrangian and, despite the assumption of second-order smoothness of objective constraints, the subdifferential calculus that has recently been developed for nonsmooth, nonconvex functions.
FASTEF Heat exchanger tube rupture CFD simulation

Abstract The aim of this technical note is to present CFD simulations of a tube rupture incidental scenario in a Primary Heat eXchanger (PHX)/Primary Pump (PP) assembly for two design variants of the FAst-Spectrum Transmutation Experimental Facility FASTEF ongoing design, in the framework of the FP7 Central Design Team (CDT) European project. The simulation domain reproduces with some simplification the entire primary coolant loop. The objective is to understand whether it is necessary take some counter-measures to avoid the ingress of steam in the cold plenum. The simulation has been performed on two successive updates of the design and of the nominal operation. The simulations show a good resistance to steam ingress, under the condition that provision is made to avoid an excessive accumulation of steam at the top of the PHX/PP assembly casing.
Phenylethanolamine is a specific substrate for type B monoamine oxidase.

Abstract The characteristics of phenylethanolamine as both a competitive inhibitor and as a substrate for monoamine oxidase (MAO) were studied using rat brain and liver homogenates. Although phenylethanolamine, even at high concentrations (1 mM), produced minimal inhibition of MAO when serotonin (a substrate for type A MAO) was used as the substrate, it was a potent competitive inhibitor (Ki=11 μM) of the deamination of phenylethylamine (a substrate for type B MAO). When phenylethanolamine was used as a substrate, deprenyl, a selective inhibitor of type B MAO, was found to produce a single sigmoid inhibition curve at low concentrations of the inhibitor (pI50=7.5). These results indicate that phenylethanolamine is a specific substrate for type B MAO. Identification of the products formed under the assay conditions show that phenylethanolamine is converted to both mandelic acid and phenylethylene glycol by liver homogenates but only to the latter, neutral metabolite by brain homogenates.
Hyperthermic responses and toxicity of chlorpromazine in L-thyroxine sodium-treated rats.

Abstract Hyperthermia produced by thyroxine and dinitrophenol increased the toxicity of 10 mg/kg of chlorpromazine in the rat. The normal hypothermic response produced by chlorpromazine was not observed, rather a potentiation of the already elevated temperature was seen and death ensued at body temperatures exceeding 41.5–42°. Cooling the animals by clipping their fur and by directing air current prevented the increased toxicity and resulted in the normally expected hypothermic response. It is postulated that the increased toxicity of chlorpromazine in thyroxine-treated rats is brought about by the overriding effect of thyroxine on the depressed temperature-regulating mechanism.