cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Safety and Success of Repeat Lung Needle Biopsies in Patients with Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor‐Mutant Lung Cancer

BACKGROUND Postprogression repeat biopsies are critical in caring for patients with lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. However, hesitation about invasive procedures persists. We assessed safety and tissue adequacy for molecular profiling among repeat postprogression percutaneous transthoracic needle aspirations and biopsies (rebiopsies). MATERIALS AND METHODS All lung biopsies performed at our hospital from 2009 to 2017 were reviewed. Complications were classified by Society of Interventional Radiology criteria. Complication rates between rebiopsies in EGFR-mutants and all other lung biopsies (controls) were compared using Fisher's exact test. Success of molecular profiling was recorded. RESULTS During the study period, nine thoracic radiologists performed 107 rebiopsies in 75 EGFR-mutant patients and 2,635 lung biopsies in 2,347 patients for other indications. All biopsies were performed with computed tomography guidance, coaxial technique, and rapid on-site pathologic evaluation (ROSE). The default procedure was to take 22-gauge fine-needle aspirates (FNA) followed by 20-gauge tissue cores. Minor complications occurred in 9 (8.4%) rebiopsies and 503 (19.1%; p = .004) controls, including pneumothoraces not requiring chest tube placement (4 [3.7%] vs. 426 [16.2%] in rebiopsies and controls, respectively; p < .001). The only major complication was pneumothorax requiring chest tube placement, occurring in zero rebiopsies and 38 (1.4%; p = .4) controls. Molecular profiling was requested in 96 (90%) rebiopsies and successful in 92/96 (96%). CONCLUSION At our center, repeat lung biopsies for postprogression molecular profiling of EGFR-mutant lung cancers result in fewer complications than typical lung biopsies. Coaxial technique, FNA, ROSE, and multiple 20-gauge tissue cores result in excellent specimen adequacy. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Repeat percutaneous transthoracic needle aspirations and biopsies for postprogression molecular profiling of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant lung cancer are safe in everday clinical practice. Coaxial technique, fine-needle aspirates, rapid on-site pathologic evaluation, and multiple 20-gauge tissue cores result in excellent specimen adequacy. Although liquid biopsies are increasingly used, their sensitivity for analysis of resistant EGFR-mutant lung cancers remains limited. Tissue biopsies remain important in this context, especially because osimertinib is now in the frontline setting and T790M is no longer the major finding of interest on molecular profiling.
Transcriptional Control and mRNA Capping by the GDP Polyribonucleotidyltransferase Domain of the Rabies Virus Large Protein.

Rabies virus (RABV) is a causative agent of a fatal neurological disease in humans and animals. The large (L) protein of RABV is a multifunctional RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, which is one of the most attractive targets for developing antiviral agents. A remarkable homology of the RABV L protein to a counterpart in vesicular stomatitis virus, a well-characterized rhabdovirus, suggests that it catalyzes mRNA processing reactions, such as 5′-capping, cap methylation, and 3′-polyadenylation, in addition to RNA synthesis. Recent breakthroughs in developing in vitro RNA synthesis and capping systems with a recombinant form of the RABV L protein have led to significant progress in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of RABV RNA biogenesis. This review summarizes functions of RABV replication proteins in transcription and replication, and highlights new insights into roles of an unconventional mRNA capping enzyme, namely GDP polyribonucleotidyltransferase, domain of the RABV L protein in mRNA capping and transcription initiation.
MUSCLE WEAKNESS IS ASSOCIATED WITH DISABILITY AND CHRONIC MULTIMORBIDITY IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER AMERICANS

Background: The objective of this study was to use nationally-representative data on Americans age 50+ to determine the association between grip strength and inflammation as independent predictors of incident disability, chronic multimorbidity and dementia. Methods: Older adults (n=12,618) from the 2006-2008 waves of the Health and Retirement Study with 8-years of follow-up were included. Longitudinal modeling was performed to examine the association between baseline grip strength (normalized to body mass: NGS) and high sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (≥3.0 mg/L) with incident physical disabilities (i.e., ≥2 limitations to activities of daily living), chronic multimorbidity (≥2 of chronic conditions), and dementia. Results: The odds of incident disability were 1.28 (95% CI: 1.19-1.37) and 1.27 (95% CI: 1.21-1.36) for men and women respectively, for each 0.05-unit lower NGS. The odds of incident chronic multimorbidity were 1.22 (95% CI: 1.06-1.18) and 1.12 (95% CI: 1.06-1.17) for men and women respectively for each 0.05-unit lower NGS. The odds of incident dementia were 1.10 for men (95% CI: 1.02-1.20) for each 0.05-unit lower NGS, but there was no significant effect for women. Elevated hs-CRP was only associated with chronic multimorbidity among women (OR=1.60; 95%CI: 1.26-2.02). Conclusions: Our findings indicate a robust inverse association between NGS and disability and chronic, multimorbidity in older men and women, and dementia in men. Elevated hs-CRP was only associated with chronic multimorbidity among women. Healthcare providers should implement measures of handgrip strength in routine health assessments and discuss the potential dangers of weakness and interventions to improve strength with their patients.
Population aging and the historical development of intergenerational transfer systems

From our evolutionary past, humans inherited a long period of child dependency, extensive intergenerational transfers to children, cooperative breeding, and social sharing of food. Older people continued to transfer a surplus to the young. After the agricultural revolution, population densities grew making land and residences valuable assets controlled by older people, leading to their reduced labor supply which made them net consumers. In some East Asian societies today, elders are supported by adult children but in most societies the elderly continue to make private net transfers to their children out of asset income or public pensions. Growing public intergenerational transfers have crowded out private transfers. In some high-income countries, the direction of intergenerational flows has reversed from downward to upwards, from young to old. Nonetheless, net private transfers remain strongly downward, from older to younger, everywhere in the world. For many but not all countries, projected population aging will bring fiscal instability unless there are major program reforms. However, in many countries population aging will reduce the net cost to adults of private transfers to children, partially offsetting the increased net costs to working age adults for public transfers to the elderly.
Outside Options, Job Mobility, and Gender: Evidence from Divorce Laws

This paper studies the effects of non-market outside options on measures of female job mobility using a hand-collected data set of 3,041 MBA resumes. Specifically, I examine two aspects of the household: spousal assets and children. In order to proxy for these unobserved household characteristics, I exploit cross-state variation in laws regulating post-divorce asset distribution and child custody assignment. Although female MBAs on average are significantly more likely to be employed by more firms and hold more positions than their male counterparts, the effect is largely explained by accounting for differences in household outside options. A decreased likelihood of receiving an equal share of spousal assets after divorce leads to an 8.6% increase in female MBA job positions held. An increased likelihood of gaining sole child custody post-divorce has no effect on female MBA job mobility. The findings also demonstrate a relationship between divorce legislation and job mobility for both genders.
Scoping review of non-thermal technologies for endovenous ablation for treatment of venous insufficiency

Introduction The aim of this review article is to compare the outcomes of newer non-thermal endovenous ablation techniques to thermal ablation techniques for the treatment of symptomatic venous insufficiency. Evidence acquisition Three independent reviewers screened PubMed® and EMBASE® databases to identify relevant studies. A total of 1173 articles were identified from database search that met our inclusion criteria. Two articles were identified through reference search. Removal of duplicates from our original search yielded 695 articles. We then screened these articles and assessed 173 full-text articles for eligibility. Subsequent to exclusion, 11 full-text articles were selected for final inclusion. Evidence synthesis The non-thermal techniques are similar to thermal techniques in terms of a high technical success rate, closure rate at 12 months, change in Venous Clinical Severity Score and change in quality of life after procedure. However, the length of procedure is shorter for non-thermal modalities and patient comfort is improved with lower pain scores. Return to work may also be earlier after non-thermal ablation. The rates of bruising, phlebitis and paresthesia are higher after thermal ablation. Conclusions The non-thermal modalities are safe and effective in treating venous reflux and have shown improved patient comfort and shorter length of procedure which may make them favorable for use compared to the thermal modalities.
Resistant Hypertension

Hypertension affects 25 % of all adults worldwide and is a leading risk factor contributing to 62 % of all strokes and 49 % of all cases of heart disease, leading to an estimated 7.1 million deaths a year; equivalent to 13 % of total worldwide deaths. In spite of therapeutic advances, up to 30 % of hypertensive individuals fail to achieve goal blood pressure even with the use of three antihypertensive medications. Resistant hypertension (RH) is a common clinical problem faced by physicians and the incidence is increasing as the population becomes heavier and older. The diagnosis and treatment of RH, is often accompanied by other risk factors such as obesity, sleep apnea, diabetes and chronic kidney disease is important because of the associated increased end organ damage and the subsequent clinical and social impact. Pseudo resistance, lack of blood pressure control due to poor medication adherence or white coat hypertension must be excluded. A successful treatment of RH requires identification of contributing lifestyle factors and eliminating them including the use of multidrug therapy. A potential genetic causes of RH have not been well studied. African American (black) race and certain other ethnic groups are associated with higher prevalence of RH and also poor response to therapy. Studies on RH are limited, in part because of difficulties in enrolling large groups of patients and patient comorbidity, higher cardiovascular risk and other diseases, e.g. sleep apnea, diabetes and chronic kidney disease that can confound the interpretation of study results. This review provides an overview of RH, and its association with risk factors, various ethnic groups, diagnosis and treatment modalities of RH with special emphasis on the relations of the latter with race/ethnicity.
Identifying effective intervention strategies to reduce children's screen time: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Excessive screen time ( $$\ge$$ 2 h per day) is associated with childhood overweight and obesity, physical inactivity, increased sedentary time, unfavorable dietary behaviors, and disrupted sleep. Previous reviews suggest intervening on screen time is associated with reductions in screen time and improvements in other obesogenic behaviors. However, it is unclear what study characteristics and behavior change techniques are potential mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of behavioral interventions. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to identify the behavior change techniques and study characteristics associated with effectiveness in behavioral interventions to reduce children’s (0–18 years) screen time. A literature search of four databases (Ebscohost, Web of Science, EMBASE, and PubMed) was executed between January and February 2020 and updated during July 2021. Behavioral interventions targeting reductions in children’s (0–18 years) screen time were included. Information on study characteristics (e.g., sample size, duration) and behavior change techniques (e.g., information, goal-setting) were extracted. Data on randomization, allocation concealment, and blinding was extracted and used to assess risk of bias. Meta-regressions were used to explore whether intervention effectiveness was associated with the presence of behavior change techniques and study characteristics. The search identified 15,529 articles, of which 10,714 were screened for relevancy and 680 were retained for full-text screening. Of these, 204 studies provided quantitative data in the meta-analysis. The overall summary of random effects showed a small, beneficial impact of screen time interventions compared to controls (SDM = 0.116, 95CI 0.08 to 0.15). Inclusion of the Goals, Feedback, and Planning behavioral techniques were associated with a positive impact on intervention effectiveness (SDM = 0.145, 95CI 0.11 to 0.18). Interventions with smaller sample sizes (n < 95) delivered over short durations (< 52 weeks) were associated with larger effects compared to studies with larger sample sizes delivered over longer durations. In the presence of the Goals, Feedback, and Planning behavioral techniques, intervention effectiveness diminished as sample size increased. Both intervention content and context are important to consider when designing interventions to reduce children’s screen time. As interventions are scaled, determining the active ingredients to optimize interventions along the translational continuum will be crucial to maximize reductions in children’s screen time.
Tools, Oracles, Genies and Sovereigns: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Government

The American founders attempted to establish a clockwork government. Virtue was to be assured by humans, acting as they must within their human natures, but operating within a framework that assured mechanically that the outputs of government would not be tyrannical. Whether this system has worked well or not is a matter of controversy, but to the extent it did not work, it seems to have been at least partially a failure of the mechanisms designed to compensate for the shortcomings of human nature. Now we are on the verge of developing “artificial intelligence.” Whether these technological advances will emerge slowly or quickly is unknown, as are their contours. But even minimal AI could lead to a radical improvement in government because AI’s could be designed to perform the tasks of government with very low agency costs. However, it may seem uncertain that AI’s would be so designed. It may be, first, that there will not be any AI’s after all. It may be also that AI’s will be designed or implemented by exactly the humans who create agency costs in the first place, and used for their own and not the public good. And it may be that AI’s take off into the high orbit of superintelligence and decide to reduce us to slavery or dust. But these possibilities, while possible, seem unlikely. Probably AI’s will emerge, but only after a long time. AI’s will be difficult to design but there are reasons to expect they will be designed so as to minimize agency costs. They will probably, ironically enough, emerge in the order of tool, oracle and genie that Bostrom mentions (but for different reasons). We can hope to control AI tools, oracles, and genies. An AI sovereign, however, would be much more difficult to control, if it were possible to control at all. AI sovereigns would be persons. But AI’s must not be allowed to become persons, in a philosophical or legal sense. AI persons would have to be slaves if we were to control them. One hopes they would be slaves without subjective consciousness. If they did have subjective consciousness anything like humans, we would be faced with the impossible moral dilemma of being slave-masters or slaves ourselves. Hence a hard line should be drawn against AI research that is directed specifically at the emergence of subjective consciousness in machines, or likely to lead that way, but these goals are far beyond any current, or really any currently imaginable, AI research. The promise of controlling government is great enough to justify the merely notional risk of creating AI monsters we cannot control.
Closely-Held Business Symposium: The Uniform Limited Partnership Act: An Introduction

The Uniform Limited Partnership Act (2001) (ULPA 2001) adopted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws is the first uniform limited partnership act to exist independently of general partnership law, to set forth express limited liability limited partnership provisions, and to provide a full corporate-styled liability shield for limited partners regardless of the magnitude and scope of participation in the control of the business. This Symposium explores some of the critical components of that Act.
A Two-Level Approach to Learning in Nonstationary Environments

A nonstationary environment is one in which the suitability of the strategies available to a learning element changes with time. Since the optimal action in such a case is not fixed, the learning problem (i.e., the determination of the optimal strategy) becomes considerably difficult. In this paper, a two-level approach is presented for a learning automaton operating in a nonstationary environment. The lower level consists of a standard absolutely expedient learning algorithm for stationary environments. The higher level on the other hand is a tracking algorithm, based on Bayesian decision theory, for detecting changes in the environment and reinitializing the lower level algorithm in a suitable manner. Simulation studies empirically demonstrate the clear superiority of the two-level approach over the single-level learning in nonstationary environments.
The spindle pole body of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: architecture and assembly of the core components.

Publisher Summary The budding yeast spindle pole body (SPB) is a multilayered cylindrical organelle that is embedded in the nuclear envelope throughout the cell cycle. This chapter focuses on the assembly, organization, and regulation of the core of the SPB. The SPB functions as the microtubule organizing center (MTOC) in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in a manner analogous to the centrosome of animal cells. It is the only MTOC in the yeast cell, serving to initiate nuclear microtubules that form the mitotic spindle as well as cytoplasmic microtubules that position the nucleus and align the spindle during cell division. Monoclonal antibodies prepared against enriched SPB fraction led to the identification of three abundant and essential SPB constituents: Spc110p, Spc42p, and Spc98p. The critical part of the SPB is the γ-tubulin complex consisting of Spc97p, Spc98p, and Tub4p and found in both the inner and outer plaques. A composite picture of the structure of the SPB core can be drawn from immunolocalization, biochemical, and genetic data. Once the yeast genome is sequenced, the highly enriched preparations of SPBs are characterized by mass spectrometry to identify 23 spindle pole components.
Building Community in Triads Involved in Science Teacher Education: An Innovative Professional Development Model

This article describes a pre-service and in-service science teacher joint professional development pilot project. It is intended to strengthen the community and facilitate professional growth for triad members involved in the professional development of pre-service science teachers. Through a summer workshop and follow-up monthly meetings, this project connected the clinical experiences of the pre-service teachers with the joint professional development of both the pre- and in-service teachers. A mixed-methods research design was used to investigate the impact of this project. Results indicated that this model was successful in aligning with characteristics of effective professional development derived from national standards documents and professional development literature. Additionally, through engaging pre- and in-service teachers in the co-creation of modules, which were subsequently enacted in classrooms, collaborative positioning occurred whereby the pre- and in-service teachers were found more equally sharing and co-negotiating responsibilities in the classroom. This article describes the need for this project and provides an in-depth description of each component of the project enacted, as well as additional findings supportive of its effectiveness.
Family Values, Inheritance Law, and Inheritance Taxation

This symposium paper, originally presented at the September 19, 2008 NYU Tax Law Review Symposium on inheritance taxation, begins to examine what it might mean for the law to protect a "right to use one's resources to benefit one's family." The paper draws on historical debates over inheritance law to identify and examine three rather different ideals of the family that have recurred in various debates over time. The analysis shows that, while one can interpret values associated with family life in such a way as to oppose the taxation of inheritance, there are equally plausible interpretations according to which the family can co-exist peaceably with the taxation of inheritance, at least in some form. And this basic point holds whether one conceives of the family in liberal terms, in conventional terms, or in functional terms. But although each vision of the family might co-exist with inheritance taxation, the three ideals do have markedly different implications for the terms of inheritance law and inheritance taxation.
The origin and early evolution of ISSOL

This is a discussion of the beginnings of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life (ISSOL) -- how it came to be and the people responsible for it. It will include the early meetings on the subject of the Origin of Life which led to the formation of the Society. It will discuss the genesis of the interest of NASA in such a program and how the Exobiology Program got started, leading up to the Viking Program and the early exploration of Mars. Photographs of early meetings and the scientists involved will be included.
Optical activity and conformation of carbohydrates

Abstract The methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α- and β- D -mannopyranosides and their corresponding furanosides have been prepared by treatment of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy- D -mannose with methanol in the presence of Amberlite IR-120 (H+) and separation on Dowex-1 ion-exchange resin and by paper chromatography. The optical rotatory dispersion and circular dichroism spectra of the four glycosides have been measured and compared with previous findings on the α and β anomers of methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy- D -glucopyranoside and -galactopyranoside. Differences were interpreted in terms of symmetry rules of optical activity and the axial orientation of the 2-acetamido-2-deoxy substituent in the D -mannose derivatives.
An Analysis of the Relationship between the Cellular Distribution and the Rate of Turnover for the Separate Classes of Unoccupied, Noncovalently Occupied, and Covalently Occupied Insulin Receptor

Abstract To further investigate insulin's role in regulating the turnover of insulin receptor during down-regulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, the relationship between the cellular distribution and turnover of unoccupied, noncovalently occupied, and covalently occupied receptor was examined. At steady-state 12% of the unoccupied receptors and 46% of covalently occupied receptors are intracellular. The apparent first-order rate constant (Kapp) for turnover of the total pool of covalently occupied receptors (0.16 h-1) is 3.8-fold higher than that for unoccupied receptors (0.042 h-1). When unlabeled insulin is added, identical values for both Kapp (0.10 h-1) and distribution (26% internal) are measured for noncovalently and covalently occupied receptors. The rate constant (Kdeg), describing the relative sensitivity of internalized receptor to degradation, is identical (0.36-0.41 h-1) for unoccupied, noncovalently occupied, and permanently occupied pools of internal receptor. Mechanisms for down-regulation postulating: (a) an occupancy-dependent alteration in the conformation of internal receptor increasing receptor sensitivity to internal proteases, (b) a preferential sorting of internal occupied receptor to degradative pathways, or (c) induction of intracellular proteases by insulin, would all reflect a substantial change in Kdeg for occupied receptor and thus are unlikely mechanisms by which insulin increases the rate of receptor turnover. The turnover of insulin receptor in 3T3-L1 adipocytes is regulated primarily by its intracellular concentration and not by the state of occupancy of internalized receptor.
Virtual Interactive Presence in Global Surgical Education: International Collaboration Through Augmented Reality

Background Technology allowing a remote, experienced surgeon to provide real-time guidance to local surgeons has great potential for training and capacity building in medical centers worldwide. Virtual interactive presence and augmented reality (VIPAR), an iPad-based tool, allows surgeons to provide long-distance, virtual assistance wherever a wireless internet connection is available. Local and remote surgeons view a composite image of video feeds at each station, allowing for intraoperative telecollaboration in real time. Methods Local and remote stations were established in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Birmingham, Alabama, as part of ongoing neurosurgical collaboration. Endoscopic third ventriculostomy with choroid plexus coagulation with VIPAR was used for subjective and objective evaluation of system performance. Results VIPAR allowed both surgeons to engage in complex visual and verbal communication during the procedure. Analysis of 5 video clips revealed video delay of 237 milliseconds (range, 93−391 milliseconds) relative to the audio signal. Excellent image resolution allowed the remote neurosurgeon to visualize all critical anatomy. The remote neurosurgeon could gesture to structures with no detectable difference in accuracy between stations, allowing for submillimeter precision. Fifteen endoscopic third ventriculostomy with choroid plexus coagulation procedures have been performed with the use of VIPAR between Vietnam and the United States, with no significant complications. 80% of these patients remain shunt-free. Conclusion Evolving technologies that allow long-distance, intraoperative guidance, and knowledge transfer hold great potential for highly efficient international neurosurgical education. VIPAR is one example of an inexpensive, scalable platform for increasing global neurosurgical capacity. Efforts to create a network of Vietnamese neurosurgeons who use VIPAR for collaboration are underway.
Skeletal muscle calcineurin: influence of phenotype adaptation and atrophy

Calcineurin (CaN) has been implicated as a signaling molecule that can transduce physiological stimuli (e.g., contractile activity) into molecular signals that initiate slow-fiber phenotypic gene expression and muscle growth. To determine the influence of muscle phenotype and atrophy on CaN levels in muscle, the levels of soluble CaN in rat muscles of varying phenotype, as assessed by myosin heavy chain (MHC)-isoform proportions, were determined by Western blotting. CaN levels were significantly greater in the plantaris muscle containing predominantly fast (IIx and IIb) MHC isoforms, compared with the soleus (predominantly type I MHC) or vastus intermedius (VI, contains all 4 adult MHC isoforms). Three months after a complete spinal cord transection (ST), the CaN levels in the VI muscle were significantly reduced, despite a significant increase in fast MHC isoforms. Surprisingly, the levels of CaN in the VI were highly correlated with muscle mass but not MHC isoform proportions in ST and control rats. These data demonstrate that CaN levels in skeletal muscle are highly correlated to muscle mass and that the normal relationship with phenotype is lost after ST.
CMAQ modeling and analysis of radicals, radical precursors, and chemical transformations

[1] Air quality simulations were performed for the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria area for springtime conditions in May and June of 2009. Meteorological parameters predicted by Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, for which data assimilation with recursive objective analysis was performed, are well simulated most of the time. The Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model driven by meteorology from WRF simulates ozone and many other trace species, including radical precursors such as HCHO and HONO, with a satisfactory agreement with observations. While CMAQ satisfactorily captures the daily variations of the OH radical, it sometimes underestimates its high daytime values. Concentrations of HO2 are often underpredicted in polluted air masses and persistently severely underpredicted at low NOx conditions, when the Houston air is affected by marine air masses. In contrast, concentrations of H2O2 and CH3OOH are almost always overpredicted by the model, the overprediction occurs frequently in the polluted air and occurs always when marine air is encountered. Those mispredictions are consistent despite day-to-day variations in meteorological conditions and emissions and bring into question current representation of radical-related chemistry in the model as radical production and recirculation in the model is overtaken by termination processes and creation of more stable compounds, such as H2O2 and CH3OOH. Smaller model biases of H2O2 and peroxides are associated with lower humidity. The relative importance of various photolysis processes as radical sources in the Houston atmosphere was also elucidated. Morning HOx formation is dominated by HONO while ozone contributes the most during midday. HONO contribution to HOx formation is more pronounced at the surface layer where most of it is formed, radical production from ozone is more important at elevated levels where higher concentrations of ozone are observed. Formaldehyde contributes up to 40% and also peaks during midday, but on days when high morning concentrations of formaldehyde are observed, its contribution to HOx in the morning exceeds that of ozone. Photolysis of H2O2 is a minor contributor to radical levels.
Length tension function of puborectalis muscle: implications for the treatment of fecal incontinence and pelvic floor disorders.

BACKGROUND/AIMS External anal sphincter (EAS) and puborectalis muscle (PRM) play important role in anal continence function. Based on length-tension measurement, we recently reported that the human EAS muscle operates at short sarcomere length under phys-iological conditions. Goal of our study was to determine if PRM also operates at the short sarcomere length. METHODS Length-tension relationship of the PRM muscle was studied in vivo in 10 healthy nullipara women. Length was altered by vagi-nal distension using custom-designed probes of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 mm diameters as well as by distending a poly-ethylene bag with different volumes of water. Probes were equipped with a reverse perfuse sleeve sensor to measure vaginal pressure (surrogate of PRM tension). PRM electromyogram (EMG) was recorded using wire electrodes. Three-dimensional ultra-sound images were obtained to determine effect of vaginal distension on PRM length. RESULTS Ultrasound images demonstrate distension volume dependent increase in PRM length. Rest and squeeze pressures of vaginal bag increased with the increase in bag volume. Similarly, the change in vaginal pressure, which represents the PRM contraction increased with the increase in the probe size. Increase in probe size was not associated with an increase in EMG activity (a marker of neural drive) of the PRM. CONCLUSIONS Probe size dependent increase in PRM contraction pressure, in the presence of constant EMG (neural input) proves that the hu-man PRM operates at short sarcomere length. Surgically adjusting the PRM length may represent a novel strategy to improve treat anal continence and possibly other pelvic floor disorders.(J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2014;20:539-546).
Effects of behavior rehearsal, audiotaped observation, and intelligence on assertiveness and adjustment in third-grade children

The effects of behavior rehearsal and audiotaped vignettes as added components to a 12-session assertion training lecture series were studied. Subjects were 96 third-grade children of average or above average IQ. Results showed that on both measures of assertion, behavior rehearsal was a significant adjunct to the assertion lecture, which was also given to the attention control children. On one measure of assertion an effect was also noted for the audiotaped observation condition. There was no effect of IQ. While clear increases in assertion were found, no effect on neuroticism or trait anxiety was noted. It was recommended that school mental health programs include an assertiveness segment in their curriculum.
Effects of gonadectomy on sex differences in DRL behavior.

Abstract Intact female rats acquired efficient DRL-20 performance more rapidly than normal males. Ovariectomy abolished this sex difference in acquisition by retarding the development of efficient performance. By contrast, castration had little effect on the performance of males.
A parallel explicit/implicit time stepping scheme on block-adaptive grids

We present a parallel explicit/implicit time integration scheme well suited for block-adaptive grids. The basic idea of the algorithm is that the time stepping scheme can differ in the blocks of the grid for a given time step: an explicit scheme is used in the blocks where the local stability requirement is not violated and an implicit scheme is used in the blocks where the explicit scheme would be unstable. The implicit scheme is second order in time. The non-linear system of equations is linearized with Newton linearization. The linear system is solved with a preconditioned Krylov subspace iterative scheme. The Schwarz type preconditioning is also based on the block structure of the grid. We discuss load balancing for parallel execution and the optimal choice of the time step for speed and robustness. The parallel efficiency of the scheme is demonstrated for the equations of magnetohydrodynamics with a geophysics application in three dimensions. The control of the numerical divergence of the magnetic field in combination with the explicit/implicit time stepping scheme is also discussed.
Colostomy closure by the intraperitoneal method.

A series of 200 patients in whom colostomy stomas have been closed by the intraperitoneal method is presented. There were no deaths. There was only one anastomotic failure. Morbidity is insignificant.
Hemagglutination with certain arthropod-borne viruses.

SummaryA simple, easily reproducible method for preparation of high-titer hemagglutinins with several arthropod-borne viruses is described. The method is based on the use of brains from newborn mice infected with virus as the source material, and on treatment with acetone and ether for the elimination of nonspecific factors. With this method, stable specific HA has been found associated with the following viruses: dengue (Hawaiian type), dengue (New Guinea B type), Ilheus, Japanese B encephalitis, Ntaya, West Nile (Egypt 101 strain), and yellow fever (Asibi strain). As yet, no agglutination has been uncovered associated with Anopheles A, Eastern equine encephalitis, poliomyelitis (Type 2, MEF 1 strain), Russia Far Eastern encephalitis, and West Nile (original strain) viruses.
The absolute configuration of the enantiomers of 6-chloro-9-(4'-diethylamino-1'-methylbutyl)-amino-2-methoxyacridine (quinacrine)

Absolute configurations have been assigned to the enantiomers of the antimalarial drug quinacrine dihydrochloride. Condensation of (−)-(R)-4-amino-1-diethylaminopentane (from L-glutamic acid) with 6,9-dichloro-2-methoxyacridine gave (−)-(R)-6-chloro-9-(4′-diethylamino-1′-methylbutyl) amino-2-methoxyacridine [(−)-(R)-quinacrine] while (+)−(S)-quinacrine was obtained from the enantiomeric diamine.
Evidence-Based Surgical Practice in Academic Medical Centers: Consistently Anecdotal?

Randomized trials, meta-analyses, and guidelines form the basis of clinical decision making. We queried a small sample of surgeons at three academic medical centers to determine whether key elements of surgical practice were concordant with available evidence. A French Society of Digestive Surgery (FSDS) questionnaire was submitted to general surgery trainees and faculty at the University of South Florida and University of Chicago and to surgical oncology fellows at the Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center. Participants were asked to respond “never,” “rarely,” “often,” or “always” to 13 questions involving different aspects of gastrointestinal surgery. For each question, a correct evidence-based answer was available from published studies. One hundred ten surgeons (79% of eligible participants) completed the survey. Only 60% of the answers were concordant with existing data. The percentages of correct answers did not differ significantly according to institution or level of experience of participants. The low frequency of correct responses in our subjects paralleled the findings from the 2004 FSDS study. Variability in the quality of evidence and ambiguity in the survey questions may have influenced the responses, but evidence-based medicine does not appear to uniformly influence clinical decision making.
Differential propensities for aerial emergence in intertidal sculpins (Teleostei; Cottidae)

Intertidal sculpins (Cottidae) subjected to progressive aquatic hypoxia in the laboratory showed interspecific differences in the time it took them to emerge from water, either partially or fully, to breathe air. Oligocottus maculosus Girard and Ascelichthys rhodorus Jordan and Gilbert were significantly less inclined than O. snyderi Greeley to emerge, while there was no observed difference between O. snyderi and Clinocottus globiceps (Girard). All four species were previously reported to be capable of respiring aerially. The different propensities of these species to emerge from water match their relative physiological capabilities for aerial respiration. Intertidal sculpins generally appear reluctant to emerge under experimental conditions, except for respiratory necessity. Such amphibious behavior and aerial respiration have apparent survival value because tidepools commonly undergo periodic hypoxia.
Recent progress in solar furnaces for high-temperature research and development work

Abstract Principal advantages and disadvantages of solar furnaces in comparison to other means of obtaining high temperatures are discussed. The first large solar furnace units were used for qualitative work in which it was essential to heat small samples rapidly to maximum temperatures under very pure conditions. A melt was obtained and collected in a crucible. Solar furnaces for quantitative work have been recently developed for determining, for example, liquidus curves in binary systems. Equipment for heating and cooling a specimen according to a pre-determined schedule, for maintaining it at a desired temperature (limited by the length of the day), and for air-quenching it is described. The determination of the temperature of the sample independently of the condition of its surface is discussed in which blackbody conditions are approximated. A compilation and evaluation of factors entering into the design of experimental solar furnaces is presented. The development of solar furnaces for semi-industrial use is discussed in which the one-piece mirror has been replaced by a collector of a large number of small curved mirrors.
Effects of differential environments on brain weights and enzyme activities in gerbils, rats, and mice

In 2 experiments, littermate male gerbils were kept in enriched (EC), standard colony (SC), or impoverished (IC) environments from 30 to 60 days of age. Cerebral effects of these environmental treatments were compared with results obtained previously with laboratory rats and mice. The EC gerbils show, in comparsion with IC, an increase in cortical weight and an increase in the cortical/subcortical weight ratio, a decrease in cortical acetylcholinesterase per unit of weight, and a slight increase in the ratio of cholinesterase to acetylcholinesterase in the cortex. These changes for the most part follow the pattern of EC-IC effects found in the rat and mouse. In both absolute brain measures and in EC-IC effects, the gerbil resembles the rat more closely than the mouse. The results extend the generality of findings within Rodentia from the family Muridae, which includes rats and mice, to the family Cricetidae, to which gerbils belong. Furthermore, the gerbil, unlike the laboratory rat and mouse, has not been subjected to many years of selection for laboratory conditions.
Model-driven data cleaning for signal processing system in sensor networks

The recent advances in sensor technologies have made these small, tiny devices much cheaper and convenient to use in many different applications, for example, the weather and environmental monitoring fields, the hospital and factory operation sites, on the traffic road and moving vehicles and so on. Data loss and corruption is inevitable in wireless sensor networks due to the wireless interference, limited sensor power and outlier from malicious electronic devices and so on. Therefore, before processing sensor data in different wireless sensor network applications, certain data cleaning steps need to be performed to ensure the data quality, such as dealing with outliers, missing sensor readings, and noisy data. In this paper, we discuss the issues need to be considered in the data cleaning steps of this integrated data cleaning model for signal processing in wireless sensor networks. We also present an integrated model for data cleaning on signal processing systems in wireless sensor network to deal with different data cleaning problems.
Reversal of the Gating Polarity of Gap Junctions by Negative Charge Substitutions in the N-Terminus of Connexin 32

Abstract Intercellular channels formed by connexins (gap junctions) are sensitive to the application of transjunctional voltage ( V j ), to which they gate by the separate actions of their serially arranged hemichannels (Harris, A. L., D. C. Spray, and M. V. L. Bennett. 1981. J. Gen. Physiol. 77:95–117). Single channel studies of both intercellular and conductive hemichannels have demonstrated the existence of two separate gating mechanisms, termed " V j -gating" and "loop gating" (Trexler, E. B., M. V. L. Bennett, T. A. Bargiello, and V. K. Verselis. 1996. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 93:5836–5841). In Cx32 hemichannels, V j -gating occurs at negative V j (Oh, S., J. B. Rubin, M. V. L. Bennett, V. K. Verselis, and T. A. Bargiello. 1999. J. Gen. Physiol. 114:339–364; Oh, S., C. K. Abrams, V. K. Verselis, and T. A. Bargiello. 2000. J. Gen. Physiol . 116:13–31). A negative charge substitution at the second amino acid position in the N-terminus reverses the polarity of V j -gating of Cx32 hemichannels (Verselis, V. K., C. S. Ginter, and T. A. Bargiello. 1994. Nature. 368:348–351; Oh et al., 2000. J. Gen. Physiol . 116:13–31). We report that placement of a negative charge at the 5th, 8th, 9th, or 10th position can reverse the polarity of Cx32 hemichannel V j -gating. We conclude that the 1st through 10th amino acid residues lie within the transjunctional electric field and within the channel pore, as in this position they could sense changes in V j and be largely insensitive to changes in absolute membrane potential ( V m ). Conductive hemichannels formed by Cx32*Cx43E1 containing a negatively charged residue at either the 8th or 10th position display bi-polar V j -gating; that is, the open probability of hemichannels formed by these connexins is reduced at both positive and negative potentials and is maximal at intermediate voltages. In contrast, Cx32*Cx43E1 hemichannels with negative charges at either the 2nd or 5th positions are uni-polar, closing only at positive V j . The simplest interpretation of these data is that the Cx32 hemichannel can adopt at least two different open conformations. The 1st–5th residues are located within the electric field in all open channel conformations, while the 8th and 10th residues lie within the electric field in one conformation and outside the electric field in the other conformation.
Electron Transport at the Nanometer‐Scale Spatially Revealed by Four‐Probe Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

Electron transport at the nanometer-scale is the key to novel applications of nanomaterials in electronic and energy technologies. Due to the restricted dimensionality, one of the distinctive characteristics of nano-systems is their transport properties critically depend on structural details. Therefore, an important requirement for transport research of a specific nanomaterial system is to examine structures and properties in a coherent manner. In this regard, four-probe scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), which combines four independently controllable STMs with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) in the same cryogenic environment, is uniquely useful for probing electron transport on multiple length-scales and revealing how transport is coupled to the electronic and structural properties down to the atomic scale for individual nanomaterials. By utilizing this unique tool, extensive research has been undertaken to explore aspects of nanotransport, which include (a) intertwined electronic and structural phase transitions in surface supported two-dimensional structures, (b) effects of atomic defects and interwire coupling on the electronic and transport properties of ultra thin quantum wire systems, (c) grain boundary resistances in copper nanowires with one-to-one correspondence to the grain boundary structure, (d) defect scattering effects in two-dimensional electron gas systems, and (e) evaluation of transport behaviors of individual semiconductor nano-junctions and nanodevices. In this paper, transport measurement techniques are first introduced with a four-probe STM and then the recent progress on its applications is reviewed with a focus on the spatially resolved electron transport at the nanometer-scale. The goal is to stimulate further advancement and utilization of techniques capable of characterizing materials properties at the nanometer-scale to facilitate the exploration of the great promise of nanoscience and nanotechnology.
Ultra-Low-Power Compact PLC-Based 40-Channel ROADM Subsystem

We propose a 40-channel ROADM subsystem based on polymer and silica planar lightwave circuits. It exhibits ultra-low power consumption and compact size, while meeting the requirements for high optical performance, high reliability, and low cost.
Information-seeking patterns of university administrators and nonfaculty professional staff members

Abstract This report of a survey of a group of Ohio State University administrators and nonfaculty professionals examines what sorts of information resources respondents tend to use, why they use them, and how they perceive libraries/librarians as information providers. Data was also gathered on why respondents do or do not use the library. The author analyzes results and makes recommendations based on her findings.