cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
764-2 Comparison of Transesophageal and Transthoracic Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography for Identification of Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease

We have previously demonstrated the utility of dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) using transesophageal imaging (TEE) in identifying wall motion abnormalities (WMA) secondary to flow limiting coronary stenoses. The purpose of this study was to determine whether TEE is more accurate than transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in identifying multivessel coronary artery disease (MVD) by demonstrating new WMA in more than one vascular territory. Twenty eight male patients (pts) age 66 ± 10 had simultaneous TEE and TTE during DSE and then underwent coronary arteriography. Twelve pts had MVD (≥ 50% stenosis in ≥ 2 vessels by quantitative coronary arteriography) with a total of 32 diseased vascular territories. Results TEE correctly identified all 12 MVD pts as having at least 1 flow limiting stenosis vs 10/12 by TTE. TEE correctly classified 11/12 pts as having MVD vs 5/12 by TTE (p l 0.03). TEE identified new WMA in 31/32 diseased vascular territories vs 19/32 by TTE (p l 0.001). TEE correctly classified all 8 pts with 3 vessel disease (3VD) vs 4/8 byTTE (p l 0.03). In addition TTE failed to identify any new WMA in 2 pts with 3VD. TEE was more accurate than TTE in identifying left anterior descending (LAD) and right coronary artery (RCA) disease (p l 0.03 and p l 0.01). while accuracy for identifying left circumflex disease was similar (p = 0.50). Conclusion These data suggest that DSE using TEE is more accurate than TTE in identifying the presence and extent of MVD, particularly in pts with 3VD. Hence DSE using TEE appears to be an excellent method for risk stratification of pts with coronary artery disease.
Optimal Molecular Methods in Detecting p190BCR-ABL Fusion Variants in Hematologic Malignancies: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Patients with BCR-ABL1 positive hematologic malignancies and Philadelphia-like B-lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) are potential candidates for targeted therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). Before TKIs, patients with B-ALL had a much worse prognosis and current treatments with targeted TKI therapy have improved outcomes. Thus, the detection of BCR-ABL1 is crucial and a false negative BCR-ABL1 result may adversely affect patient care. We report a case of a 76-year-old male with a new diagnosis of B-ALL who was initially found to be BCR-ABL1 negative by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A concurrent qualitative PCR was performed which detected a positive BCR-ABL1 result that was confirmed by a next generation sequencing (NGS) based assay and identified as the rare fusion variant e1a3 of p190(BCR-ABL). Based on this result, the patient was placed on dasatinib as a targeted therapy. In the era of molecular diagnostic medicine and targeted therapy, it is essential to have an understanding of the limitations of molecular assays and to follow a comprehensive diagnostic approach in order to detect common abnormalities and rare variants. Incorporating NGS methods in an algorithmic manner into the standard diagnostic PCR-based approach for BCR-ABL1 will aid in minimizing false negative results.
Policy: Carbon emissions in China's trade

A large share of China's carbon emissions is linked to consumption that takes place in its most developed provinces and overseas. A study highlights the implications of considering those emissions in the country's climate policy.
Children and Terrorism-Related News : Training Parents in Coping and Media Literacy

This study examined associations between televised news regarding risk for future terrorism and youth outcomes and investigated the effects of training mothers in an empirically based approach to addressing such news with children. This approach--Coping and Media Literacy (CML)--emphasized modeling, media literacy, and contingent reinforcement and was compared via randomized design to Discussion as Usual (DAU). Ninety community youth (aged 7-13 years) and their mothers viewed a televised news clip about the risk of future terrorism, and threat perceptions and state anxiety were assessed preclip, postclip, and postdiscussion. Children responded to the clip with elevated threat perceptions and anxiety. Children of CML-trained mothers exhibited lower threat perceptions than DAU youth at postclip and at postdiscussion. Additionally, CML-trained mothers exhibited lower threat perceptions and state anxiety at postclip and postdiscussion than did DAU mothers. Moreover, older youth responded to the clip with greater societal threat perception than did younger youth. Findings document associations between terrorism-related news, threat perceptions, and anxiety and support the utility of providing parents with strategies for addressing news with children. Implications and research suggestions are discussed.
A revised measure of standing of journals in stratified networks

A modified index of journal standing in a stratified journal to journal citation network is proposed. The original index, generated through an application of input-output analysis, is used as the first step of an iterative procedure that converges on the new index. This index, an eiginvector of the inverted matrix used in the input-output analysis, has improved validity and better distributional properties than the original index.
Gene delivery to the spinal cord : Comparison between lentiviral, adenoviral, and retroviral vector delivery systems

Viral gene delivery for spinal cord injury (SCI) is a promising approach for enhancing axonal regeneration and neuroprotection. An understanding of spatio-temporal transgene expression in the spinal cord is essential for future studies of SCI therapies. Commonly, intracellular marker proteins (e.g., EGFP) were used as indicators of transgene levels after viral delivery, which may not accurately reflect levels of secreted transgene. This study examined transgene expression using ELISA after viral delivery of D15A, a neurotrophin with BDNF and NT-3 activities, at 1, 2, and 4weeks after in vivo and ex vivo delivery using lentiviral, adenoviral, and retroviral vectors. Further, the inflammatory responses and viral infection patterns after in vivo delivery were examined. Lentiviral vectors had the most stable pattern of gene expression, with D15A levels of 536 +/- 38 and 363 +/- 47 pg/mg protein seen at 4 weeks after the in vivo and ex vivo delivery, respectively. Our results show that protein levels downregulate disproportionately to levels of EGFP after adenoviral vectors both in vivo and ex vivo. D15A dropped from initial levels of 422 +/- 87 to 153 +/- 18 pg/mg protein at 4 weeks after in vivo administration. Similarly, ex vivo retrovirus-mediated transgene expression exhibited rapid downregulation by 2 weeks post-grafting. Compared to adenoviral infection, macrophage activation was attenuated after lentiviral infection. These results suggest that lentiviral vectors are most suitable in situations where stable long-term transgene expression is needed. Retroviral ex vivo delivery is optional when transient expression within targeted spinal tissue is desired, with adenoviral vectors in between.
The effects of in vitro exposure to the neurotoxins sarin (GB) and soman (GD) on unscheduled DNA synthesis by rat hepatocytes

Abstract Large amounts of the nerve agents, sarin (GB) and soman (GD), are part of the military chemical arsenal and small amounts are on hand in numerous U.S. research laboratories. Thus, there is a potential for accidental occupational exposure to these compounds. As part of a study of mutagenic, reproductive and subchronic effects of these agents, we measured unscheduled DNA repair synthesis in isolated rat hepatocytes after exposure to GBI (stabilized with tributylamine), GBII (stabilized with diisopropylcarbodiimide) or GD. This was done to determine whether these agents or their metabolites directly damage DNA or their related proteins. Each agent was assayed at least once over concentrations ranging from 3.0 × 10−4 to 2.4 × 10−3 M for GBI and GBII and 2.3 × 10−4 to 1.8 × 10−3 for GD and at least 3 times at 2.4 × 10−3M for GBI and GBII and 1.8 × 10−3 M for GD, added as 20% of the culture medium. In all assays, no increase in the level of DNA synthesis was observed. On the contrary, significant decreases in repair synthesis were seen in hepatocytes exposed to GBI or GBII. The decreases in DNA synthesis seen in response to GD were less marked and not significant. These observations were not related to cell death, since 8 of 10 assays performed showed no significant decrease in the amount of DNA present in cultures exposed to the nerve agents compared to the negative controls. Our results suggest that the agents GBI, GBII and GD may either inhibit the repair of DNA or protect DNA from damage.
New Look at Geology and Petroleum Potential of Northern Alaska: ABSTRACT

Three terranes in northern Alaska have potential for petroleum: a Tertiary basin in the eastern Arctic Plain, a post-Neocomian Cretaceous basin in the Northern Foothills and western Arctic Plain, and a complex of thrust-faulted late Paleozoic and pre-Albian Mesozoic rocks in the Brooks Range and Southern Foothills. Recent re-analysis of these terranes suggests that the disposition of extensive thrust sheets may have controlled the distribution of petroleum reservoirs in much of the area. This interpretation has significant implications in evaluating the petroleum potential of northern Alaska. The Tertiary basin contains interfingering marine and non-marine clastics. A few open folds are present and may provide structural traps. Stratigraphic traps may be expected along the tectonically active southern margin and along the stable basement rise under the present continental shelf. Elements of the Brooks Range may have been thrust over the southern margin of the basin in late Pliocene time. This basin awaits exploratory drilling. In the post-Neocomian Cretaceous basin, interfingering marine and non-marine terrigenous clastic sediments in open folds offer a host of structural and stratigraphic traps. Some of these have been drilled, and a few contain sizable reserves of high-quality oil and gas. Stratigraphic traps may be expected also in pre-Cretaceous rocks along the basemen rise that forms the northern margin of the basin. Buried detachment fault planes may underlie some of the southern folds, offering the possibility of different, and possibly equally interesting, structures and stratigraphic sections. The Brooks Range and Southern Foothills terrane is the most complex and difficult to assess, but its geology and oil potential are the most intriguing. The distribution of formations and facies is the result of northward movement of extensive thrust sheets during at least two major episodes of thrusting in mid-Early Cretaceous (pre-Albian) and early Tertiary times. Tectonic movement may have been as much as 75 miles, thus telescoping facies trends in all formations. As a result, Upper Devonian through Lower Cretaceous (Neocomian) rocks of numerous facies are now exposed in a belt of imbricate thrust plates. Holes drilled in this terrane can test a variety of structures and numerous facies of several formations, but the geology is so complex that paleogeographical and palinspastic reco structions must precede the drilling. Similar terranes elsewhere have been very productive. End_of_Article - Last_Page 622------------
Patterns of positive readjustment in Vietnam combat veterans

This study examines readjustment patterns in 152 Vietnam combat veterans. Subjects were nontreatment-seeking volunteers who felt that they had made on adequate life adjustment since Vietnam. Using a set of self-report instruments, data were obtained on background characteristics, military experiences (including combat), exposure to war trauma, current day PTSD symptomatology, and types of coping strategies. A subset of well-functioning veterans with substantial combat exposure was identified. Results indicated that these veterans suffered considerable distress during wartime but that they dealt with current recollections of this experience in a fashion that was significantly different from more symptomatic cohorts. Nonavoidant coping styles characterized the functioning of well-adjusted veterans; furthermore, type of coping strategy predicted current adjustment better than combat exposure. Implications of different approaches to coping are discussed, particularly as they relate to the long-term integration of traumatic war experiences.
Mössbauer spectra and magnetic susceptibilities of neptunium chlorocompounds

Three Np(V) chlorocompounds, Cs/sub 3/NpO/sub 2/Cl/sub 4/, ''Cs/sub 2/NpO/sub 2/Cl/sub 5/,'' and ''(TPAs)/sub 2/NpOCl/sub 5/,'' where (TPAs/sup +/ = (C/sub 6/H/sub 5/)/sub 4/As/sup +/), the tetraphenylarsonium cation, were studied to determine their Moessbauer spectra and magnetic properties. ''Cs/sub 2/NpO/sub 2/Cl/sub 5/'' and ''(TPAs)/sub 2/NpOCl/sub 5/'' are of particular interest since the highly stable ONpO/sup +/ ion appeared to be partially chlorinated in strong HCl to a Cl/sub 2/NpO/sup +/ ion. During the study, absorption and Moessbauer spectra indicated that ''Cs/sub 2/NpOCl/sub 5/'' and ''(TPAs)/sub 2/NpOCl/sub 5/'' were mainly mixtures of Np(IV) and Np(VI) chlorocompounds. To corroborate the spectral evidence, chlorocompounds of Np(IV) and Np(VI) were studied for comparison.
Correspondence between theoretical models and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry measurements of femoral cross-sectional growth during adolescence

We have developed an analytical model of long bone cross-sectional ontogeny in which appositional growth of the diaphysis is primarily driven by mechanical stimuli associated with increasing body mass during growth and development. In this study, our goal was to compare theoretical predictions of femoral diaphyseal structure from this model with measurements of femoral bone mineral and geometry by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Measurements of mid-diaphyseal femoral geometry and structure were made previously in 101 Caucasian adolescents and young adults 9-26 years of age. The data on measured bone mineral content and calculated section modulus were compared with the results of our analytical model of cross-sectional development of the human femur over the same age range. Both bone mineral content and section modulus showed good correspondence with experimental measurements when the relationships with age and body mass were examined. Strong linear relationships were evident for both parameters when examined as a function of body mass.
Fluoxetine Treatment of Anger Attacks: A Replication Study

Abstract“Anger attacks” are outbursts of anger which are accompanied by intense autonomic arousal and are clearly inappropriate to the situation in which they occur. The Anger Attacks Questionnaire, designed to assess these attacks, was administered to 164 consecutive patients (78 men and 86 women; mean age, 40.5 ± 11.0 years) diagnosed as having major depression with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R. These patients were treated openly with fluoxetine, 20 mg/day for 8 weeks, and the prevalence of anger attacks was assessed before and after treatment. At baseline, 64 (39%) (26 men and 38 women) of these patients reported having anger attacks according to our criteria. Forty-one (64%) of the 64 depressed patients with anger attacks at baseline did not report anger attacks following fluoxetine treatment, while 7 (7%) of the 100 patients who did not have anger attacks at baseline reported these attacks following treatment, with this difference being statistically significant (x2 = 22.7, p < .0005).
Surgical Management of Calciphylaxis Associated with Primary Hyperparathyroidism: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Calciphylaxis, or calcific uremic arteriolopathy, commonly affects people with end-stage renal disease and carries with it a high rate of morbidity and mortality. Here, we present the unusual case of a 56-year-old woman, with extensive medical problems, who developed calciphylaxis in the presence of primary hyperparathyroidism. Our patient initially presented with bilateral, exquisitely tender thigh lesions. The diagnosis of calciphylaxis was rendered histologically by extensive calcification of the subcutaneous blood vessels. Subsequent parathyroidectomy identified the presence of a hyperactive mediastinal parathyroid adenoma, weighing 0.62 grams. Postoperatively, the patient had normalization of hypercalcemia and parathyroid hormone levels, with subsequent healing of her thigh wounds. Currently, there have been sixteen cases described in the English literature, with only nine being offered a potentially therapeutic parathyroidectomy. It is contingent upon the vigilant physician to diagnose and properly manage this difficult yet treatable condition.
The CAGE questionnaire for detection of alcoholism: a remarkably useful but simple tool.

Four clinical interview questions, the CAGE questions, have proved useful in helping to make a diagnosis of alcoholism. The questions focus on Cutting down, Annoyance by criticism, Guilty feeling, and Eye-openers. The acronym “CAGE” helps the physician to recall the questions.How these questions were identified and their use in clinical and research studies are described.See PDF for full text of the original JAMA article.
The Effects of Children's Schooling on Fertility Limitation

Many theories of fertility predict that mass education reduces fertility, but this effect may be produced in a variety of ways. In this paper, microdemographic data from a rural community in Nepal, in which the spread of mass education and fertility limitation is just beginning, are used to examine these links. The analyses contrast the influence of parents' and children's educational experiences of parents' fertility preferences and behaviour. The results indicate that children's schooling has a strong influence on both fertility preferences and behaviour. The effects of parental schooling are weaker, and also inconsistent in different models. These findings provide support for theories that link mass education to the onset of fertility limitation through children's schooling experience.
1,1,3,3-Tetramethylguanidine solvated lanthanide aryloxides: pre-catalysts for intramolecular hydroalkoxylation

The synthesis and structural characterization of six 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine (H-TMG) solvated lanthanide aryloxide complexes are reported. Ln[N{Si(CH3)3}2]3 (Ln = Nd, La) was reacted with two equivalents of both H-TMG and HOAr {HOAr = HOC6H2(CMe3)2-2,6 (H-DBP) or HOC6H2(CMe3)2-2,6-CH3-4 (H-4MeDBP)} and one equivelent of ethanol (HOEt) to yield the corresponding [Nd(H-TMG)2(4MeDBP)2(OEt)] (1) and [La(H-TMG)2(DBP)2(OEt)] (2). Compounds 1 and 2 were further reacted with 4-pentyn-1-ol {HO(CH2)3CCH} to isolate [Nd(H-TMG)2(4MeDBP)2{O(CH2)3CCH}] (3) and [La(H-TMG)2(DBP)2{O(CH2)3CCH}] (4), respectively. Three equivalents of HOAr and one equivalent of H-TMG were additionally reacted with Ln[N{Si(CH3)3}2]3 to generate [Nd(4MeDBP)3(H-TMG)] (5) and [La(DBP)3(H-TMG)] (6). In order to examine the formation of 1–6, the interaction of H-TMG and HOAr was further examined in solution and the hydrogen bonded complexes (H-TMG:HOAr), 7 and 8, were isolated. Upon successful isolation of 1–6, the utility of 1, 2, 4 and 5 as pre-catalysts for the intramolecular hydroalkoxylation of 4-pentyn-1-ol was investigated. The bulk powders for all complexes were found to be in agreement with the crystal structures based on elemental analyses, FT-IR spectroscopy, and 1H and 13C NMR investigations.
Sampling of Broiler Carcasses for Salmonella with Low Volume Water Rinse

Abstract The uneven distribution and low numbers of salmonella usually present on broiler carcasses make whole carcass rinsing the most sensitive sampling procedure for detecting this organism on the raw product. However, 270 ml of water or medium has been the smallest volume used in past published research. We found that 100 ml was adequate to recover Salmonella typhimurium, S. California, or S. montevideo from freshly processed broiler carcasses that had been inoculated with the organism at the rate of 50 cells/carcass. When carcasses were inoculated with 20 cells of S. heidelberg, then stored at −23 C for 3 or 6 months, sampling with 100 ml was adequate to detect the organism on all carcasses. The advantages of using the smallest volume of rinsing medium that will consistently lead to detection of salmonella present are: 1) less enrichment medium is required, 2) less incubator space is required, and 3) the concentration of cells in the selective enrichment medium at the end of incubation is greater; hence, the greater are the chances of salmonella detection when a drop is subsequently transferred to the selective plating medium.
Chemical Cues and Reducing the Risk of Predation

The use of chemical cues to recognize elevated risk of predation is widespread in crustaceans and the responses to chemical cues can decrease the risk of predation. There are multiple sources of such cues: odors from damaged conspecifics, damaged heterospecifics, conspecifics digested by predators, predator odors, and odors associated with predation risk by learning. The most common responses to such odors are behaviors such as decreased movement or movement away from the source of cues, but in small planktonic species development of defensive morphologies such as spines also occurs. When faced with combinations of chemical cues, such as danger cues and food cues, most crustaceans respond primarily to the danger cue. Starvation can eliminate the dominance of danger cues over food cues. In the crab Heterozius rotundifrons, there is no response to chemical cues indicating increased predation risk unless tactile cues are also detected. Learned associations can result in crustaceans showing responses to cues that in themselves may be weak indicators of elevated predation risk. More field work is needed to document the extent to which patterns reported from the laboratory are important in nature.
Counting methods (EM algorithm) in human pedigree analysis: linkage and segregation analysis.

SUMMARY The likelihood of human pedigree data can be written in such a form as to allow the computation of derivatives. This is done for various parameters in linkage and segregation analysis. The equations for the maximum likelihood estimates are represented in a particularly appealing form which allows iterative solutions. This process is an extension to pedigrees of Smith's (1957) counting methods. All these procedures belong to a general class of MLE methods for incomplete data called EM algorithms (Dempster et al. 1976).
The Status of Lemur Species at Antserananomby: An Update

Abstract: Antserananomby Forest was once a refuge of the rare deciduous flora of western Madagascar. Through primate studies that were conducted in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was discovered that the primate density and diversity in this forest was greater than any other known in western Madagascar. Although research at Antserananomby ceased in the 1980s, satellite images from 2000 indicated that the forests were still intact. In August 2004, we returned to Antserananomby to determine whether this site could feasibly become a location for long-term primate research and to assess whether efforts should be initiated to establish Antserananomby Forest as a national reserve. In addition to general assessments, we conducted diurnal primate surveys using the line transect sampling method. We found that the 8.6 ha of Antserananomby Forest have since been cleared. Due to recent demographic and attitudinal changes in the local human population, the surrounding forests are regularly burned, and at least some...
Histoplasmomas of Uncommon Size

Histoplasma capsulatum infection demonstrates a broad spectrum of acute and chronic clinical manifestations. Unlike the acute reaction to proliferating organisms, the chronic complications are often the result of excessive or prolonged host response with a paucity of organisms. Lung nodules (histoplasmomas) may be noted decades after initial infection and present a challenging clinical problem, as they can be difficult to distinguish from malignancy or tuberculomas. Typically, histoplasmomas are small ( 3 cm) and describe their extreme phenotype. Importantly, two of the patients presented with subacute symptomatic disease, a presentation that is very atypical for histoplasmoma. The term "buckshot" calcification has been used to describe dozens of small (2-4 mm) calcified nodules, so it may be appropriate to label masses that exceed 3 cm as "cannonball" histoplasmoma.
The Eocene Big Timber stock, south-central Montana: Development of extensive compositional variation in an arc-related intrusion by side-wall crystallization and cumulate glomerocryst remixing

The Eocene Big Timber stock in the Crazy Mountains of south-central Montana is an elliptical, 8 by 13 km, compositionally and texturally diverse composite intrusion with a well-developed radial dike swarm. A sharp intrusive contact separates its two phases: the core of the intrusion is fine-grained quartz monzodiorite, and the volumetrically dominant remainder is composed of medium-grained diorite and gabbro. Differentiation-related major oxide variation within the stock is extensive and spatially nonsystematic. However, abundances of most trace elements were not strongly influenced by differentiation; late zircon and apatite fractionation caused moderate heavy and slight light rare earth element abundance depletions, respectively. Mineral compositions and assemblages indicate crystallization between ≈950 and 700 °C at a pressure of ≈0.8 kbar (3 km). Mixing models indicate that fractionation of varying amounts of plagioclase, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, magnesio-hastingsite, hornblende, biotite, titanite, apatite, and magnetite (the stock9s principal constituents, with quartz and potassium feldspar) and remixing of these minerals and residual liquids controlled compositional evolution in the reservoir. Crystals apparently nucleated at the reservoir wall while residual silicate liquid was displaced inward and remixed. Some crystals were plucked from the solidification front, as indicated by glomerocrysts present throughout the stock, and also remixed with residual liquid. Solidification of the reservoir represented by the stock involved heat loss to enclosing wall rock, side-wall crystallization, and subsequent, variably effective, crystal-liquid remixing. This process is an important variant of conventionally invoked models pertaining to solidification of intrusions and explains extensive, relatively nonsystematic compositional variation. The genesis of compositional evolution in other intrusions characterized by extensive, spatially nonsystematic variation may result from the important process documented herein. Compositional and geologic relationships are consistent with magma genesis related to subduction and magmatic-arc processes inboard from the western edge of the early Cenozoic North American plate. Arc magmatism in south-central Montana during Eocene time is consistent with models pertaining to early Cenozoic southward sweep and westward retreat of magmatism. Magmatism represented by the Big Timber stock provides significant new support for steepening subduction, westward retreat of the subduction hinge line, and development of an asthenospheric mantle wedge that fueled renewed magmatism beneath the western edge of the North American continent following early Cenozoic shallow subduction.
Saccharomyces boulardii for the prevention of hospital onset Clostridium difficile infection.

Background & Aims: Probiotics, including Saccharomyces boulardii, have been advocated for the prevention of Clostridium difficile infection. The aim of this project was to evaluate the effects of the removal of S. boulardii from an automatic antibiotic order set and hospital formulary on hospital onset C. difficile infection rates. Method. Design: A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients with hospital onset C. difficile infection during the 13 months prior (control group) and the 13 months after (study group) removal of an automatic order set linking S. boulardii capsules to certain broad spectrum antibiotics. Setting: A large 800+ bed tertiary hospital Results: Among all hospitalized patients, the rate of hospital onset C. difficile infection was 0.99 per 1000 patient days while the S. boulardii protocol was active compared with 1.04 per 1000 patient days (p=0.10) after S. boulardii was removed from the formulary. No difference in the rate of hospital onset C. difficile infection was detected in patients receiving the linked broad spectrum antibiotics during and after the removal of the protocol (1.25% vs. 1.51%, respectively; p=0.70). Conclusions: Removal of S. boulardii administration to patients receiving broad spectrum antibiotics and the hospital formulary did not impact the rate of hospital onset C. difficile infection in either the hospital population or patients receiving broad spectrum antibiotics.
Synergistic Effects of Flavonoids on Cell Proliferation in Hepa‐1c1c7 and LNCaP Cancer Cell Lines

Fruits and vegetables contain a variety of phytochemicals, including flavonoids, which have antioxidant and anticancer properties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antiproliferative effects and synergistic interactions of a variety of flavonoids in Hepa-1c1c7, a mouse liver cancer cell line, and LNCaP, a human prostate cancer cell line. Aglycone flavonoids, such as quercetin, kaempferol, and naringenin (at 12.5 to 50 μM), inhibited cancer cell proliferation in both cell lines in a dose dependent manner without cytotoxicity. In contrast, glycone flavonoids (rutin, quercetrin, and naringin) did not inhibit cell growth. Significant synergistic antiproliferative effects were demonstrated in both cancer cell lines when flavonoids were provided in combination treatments. These results suggest that combinations of flavonoids, which are naturally present in whole fruits and vegetables, are more effective in cancer cell growth inhibition than the individual flavonoids.
From sensing to controlling: the state of the art in ubiquitous crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing systems aim to solve complex tasks by engaging a multitude of humans through mobile and social media and by harnessing their ability to perform specific subtasks and to report the results. Given the rapid increase in the number, size and diversity of ubiquitous crowdsourcing applications across a wide spectrum of domains all around the world, there is a need for a principled way of conceptualising such systems. The first step is the development of a crowdsourcing typology to create a baseline for comparing, evaluating and advancing efforts in this field. For example, crowdsourcing systems need to address a common set of issues to ensure their effectiveness, such as quality control and incentive design. In this paper, we present a thematic overview of the emerging ubiquitous crowdsourcing systems by grouping them based on the task complexity that they support and along key challenges in successfully harvesting expertise of large human networks.
Plant response to atmospheric humidity

Abstract. Plants growing in environments differing in prevailing humidity exhibit variations in traits associated with regulation of water loss, particularly cuticular and stomatal properties. Expansive growth is also typically reduced by low humidity. Nevertheless, there is little evidence in plants for a specific sensor for humidity, analogous to the blue light or phytochrome photoreceptors. The detailed mechanism of the stomatal response to humidity remains unknown. Available data suggest mediation by fluxes of water vapour, with evaporation rate assuming the role of sensor. This implies that stomata respond to the driving force for diffusional water loss, leaf-air vapour pressure difference. Induction of metabolic stomatal response to humidity may involve signal metabolites, such as abscisic acid, that are present in the transpiration stream. These materials may accumulate in the vicinity of guard cells according to the magnitude and location of cuticular transpiration, both of which could change with humidity. Such a mechanism remains hypothetical, but is suggested to account for feedforward responses in which transpiration decreases with increasing evaporative demand, and for the apparent insensitivity of stomatal aperture in isolated epidermis to epidermal water status. Other responses of plants to humidity may involve similar indirect response mechanisms, in the absence of specific humidity sensors.
Management of Aseptic Tibial and Femoral Diaphyseal Nonunions Without Bony Defects

An evidence-based description of aseptic tibial and femoral diaphyseal nonunions without segmental defects is based on a systematic search of MEDLINE. Aseptic nonunion of the femoral or tibial diaphysis without segmental defects and with an in situ nail, treated with reamed exchange nailing or augmentative plating and bone grafting, has consistently high union rates. Aseptic nonunion without segmental defects and with in situ plate and screw fixation is best managed with revision plate and screw fixation and autogenous bone graft. Various techniques and methods of biological stimulation have relatively high union rates.
Reduction in malignant ventricular arrhythmia and appropriate shocks following surgical correction of bileaflet mitral valve prolapse

Bileaflet mitral valve prolapse (MVP) can be associated with malignant ventricular arrhythmias. It is unknown whether surgical correction alone of this mitral valve pathology leads to a reduction in ventricular dysrhythmias. We retrospectively analyzed 4477 patients who underwent mitral valve surgery from 1993–2013 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Among these, eight patients with bileaflet MVP who had an internal cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in place both pre- and post-surgery were identified. ICD interrogation records were evaluated for episodes of ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF), and appropriate ICD shock therapy. Of these eight patients, five had a malignant ventricular arrhythmia prior to surgery. Data was available 4.6 ± 2.9 years before versus 6.6 ± 4.2 years following surgical intervention. Among these patients, there was a reduction in VF (0.6 versus 0.14 events per-person-year pre- and post-surgery, respectively), VT (0.4 versus 0.05 events per-person-year pre- and post-surgery, respectively), and ICD shocks (0.95 versus 0.19 events per-person-year pre- and post-surgery) following mitral valve surgery. We report a series of cases where the surgical correction of bileaflet MVP alone was associated with a reduction in malignant arrhythmia and appropriate shocks. These early observations merit further investigation involving larger cohorts to further evaluate the association between abnormal mechanical forces in degenerative mitral valve disease and ventricular dysrhythmias.
A Brief History of Post-World War II Rival Leagues

The USFL marked the end of the “Golden Era” of rival leagues, in that it was the last in a line of several rival leagues that had arisen in the post-World War II era to challenge the established leagues. With the USFL as a more modern-day benchmark, this chapter delves into the experiences of earlier rival leagues, some more successful than the USFL and others equally unsuccessful. Ultimately, the question is this: what drives the relative success or failure of rivals? For example, why was the USFL so unsuccessful, when it appeared to have many factors working in its favor? Did the external conditions facing the USFL at the time preclude any chance of success for the league, or was the USFL’s failure entirely of its own making? Contrast this with the resounding success of the AFL or the more limited success of the ABA and WHA—what was it about these leagues that allowed them to be more successful challengers to the established leagues? Were they at the right place at the right time, or was it something more complex than this? Answers to these questions not only are important in a historical sense but can also provide valuable insights into the viability of interleague competition in the future.
Collaborative Storytelling in Unity3D

While storytelling and narratology have long been the domain of humanists, creating and exploring narratives using a video game platform poses unfamiliar challenges for team coordinators used to working alone with traditional media. Issues to overcome include training collaborators on technology, mutually accessible storage, prevention of data loss, and version control. This poster describes a process used to create a dynamic and scalable team for a long-term project using video games to explore medieval texts.
Visuospatial Attention to Single and Multiple Objects Is Independently Impaired in Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with deficits in visuospatial attention. It is as yet unknown whether these attentional deficits begin at a perceptual level or instead reflect disruptions in oculomotor or higher-order processes. In the present study, non-demented individuals with PD and matched normal control adults (NC) participated in two tasks requiring sustained visuospatial attention, both based on a multiple object tracking paradigm. Eye tracking was used to ensure central fixation. In Experiment 1 (26 PD, 21 NC), a pair of identical red dots (one target, one distractor) rotated randomly for three seconds at varied speeds. The task was to maintain the identity of the sole target, which was labeled prior to each trial. PD were less accurate than NC overall (p = .049). When considering only trials where fixation was maintained, however, there was no significant group difference, suggesting that the deficit’s origin is closely related to oculomotor processing. To determine whether PD had additional impairment in multifocal attention, in Experiment 2 (25 PD, 15 NC), two targets were presented along with distractors at a moderate speed, along with a control condition in which dots remained stationary. PD were less accurate than NC for moving (p = 0.02) but not stationary targets. This group difference remained significant when considering only trials where fixation was maintained, suggesting the source of the PD deficit was independent from oculomotor processing. Taken together, the results implicate separate mechanisms for single vs. multiple object tracking deficits in PD.
Improvement of Trajectory Synthesizer for Efficient Descent Advisor

The Efficient Descent Advisor (EDA) is being developed to provide a decision support tool for controllers to help them issue continuous descent trajectories for arrival traffic. This paper investigates methods for improving the accuracy of the trajectory synthesizer, which is the trajectory engine that supports EDA. The study was motivated by the need to harmonize the trajectories generated by the trajectory synthesizer with those generated by on board Flight Management Systems (FMS’s), which are used by pilots to execute continuous descents. An analysis of error sources between predicted and actual continuous descent trajectories shows that thrust and descent speed profiles are the most important parameters affecting the accurate prediction of top of descent location and arrival fix crossing times. While the thrust correction applies to all descents, the descent speed applies to uncontrolled (non-metered) descents. In order to establish the best value for thrust correction for use in the trajectory synthesizer, a limited set of continuous descent trajectories flown by aircraft during regular revenue flights into the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport were recorded and analyzed. In addition to recorded trajectories, controllers also obtained FMS-calculated top-of-descent ranges, crossing times and speed profiles from pilots whenever possible. In post flight analysis the predicted trajectories generated by the Trajectory Synthesizer were compared to the flight test data. It was generally found that the actual (FMS guided) trajectories were flown at shallower descent angles than the predicted trajectories and that actual descent speeds often differed significantly from those programmed into the trajectory synthesizer. A descent thrust correction parameter, normalized to aircraft weight and dependent on aircraft type and airline/operator is introduced to improve trajectory prediction accuracy. It is shown that this parameter, together with updated speeds obtained from pilots prior to descent, increase the accuracy of trajectory prediction significantly.
The characteristic of sediment and its strata of Core 430 from the East Pacific Ocean

The components, fossils, structure, paleomeganetism and uranium series of the sediments of Core 430 were studied, they were also classified, named, stratified and chronicled, which shows that from the bottom up the types of sediments are zeclite\|bearing clay, deep\|sea clay, siliceous clay and calcareous clay. There are 4 hiatuses in this core. Among them, one hiatus is at the depth of 325 cm, where buried polymetallic nodules about 10 millimeters thick are found. It is occurred from Middle Miocene to Late Pliocene. In C\|C (Clarrion and Clipperton )zone, this hiatus is extensively presented. It is reflected that the Antarctic bottom water was strong in this period, which put great effect on both the sedimentation of the East Pacific Ocean and the growth of polymetallic nodules.
Meta Analysis on Association Between TNF-α-238 Site Gene Polymorphism and Pneumoconiosis Susceptibility

Objective To comprehensively explore the correlation between TNF-α-238 site gene polymorphism and pneumoconiosis susceptibility by using the method of Meta analysis.Methods We collected the literatures on case-control studies about the relationship between TNF-α-238 gene polymorphism and pneumoconiosis susceptibility by online retrieval of CNKI,Wanfang database and PubMed database.The results meeting the conditions were analyzed by Meta analysis.The pooled odds ratio(OR) and 95% confidence interval(95%CI) were calculated by RevMan4.2 software.Results Nine literatures published both at home and abroad were enrolled in the study,including 1,214 patients and 1,077 controls.The results of Meta analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences in the distribution frequency of GA+AA genotype between the patients and the controls(P0.05).Conclusions The relevant research results of Meta analysis show that TNF-α-238 gene polymorphism is associated with the occurrence of pneumoconiosis.The risk of pneumoconiosis in dust workers with GA+AA genotype is significantly higher than ones with GG genotype.And dust workers with GA+AA genotype are more likely to suffer severe pneumoconiosis.
Ivabradine: A Review of Labeled and Off-Label Uses

Ivabradine is a unique medication recently approved in the USA for the treatment of select heart failure patients. It was first approved for use in several countries around the world over a decade ago as an anti-anginal agent, with subsequent approval for use in heart failure patients. Since ivabradine has selective activity blocking the I f currents in the sinus node, it can reduce heart rate without appreciable effects on blood pressure. Given this heart-rate-specific effect, it has been investigated in many off-label indications as an alternative to traditional heart-rate-reducing medications such as beta blockers and calcium channel blockers. We conducted searches of PubMed and Google Scholar for ivabradine, heart failure, HFrEF, HFpEF, angina, coronary artery disease, inappropriate sinus tachycardia, postural orthostatic hypotension, coronary computed tomography angiography and atrial fibrillation. We reviewed and included studies, case reports, and case series published between 1980 and June 2016 if they provided information relevant to the practicing clinician. In many cases, larger clinical trials are needed to solidify the benefit of ivabradine, although studies indicate benefit in most therapeutic areas explored to date. The purpose of this paper is to review the current labeled and off-label uses of ivabradine, with a focus on clinical trial data.
Chapter 15 – Biomass to Liquid Biofuels Service Learning Projects and Case Studies

Abstract This chapter presents the liquid biofuel – related service learning projects undertaken by students in a northeastern region of United States over many years as part of the Bioenergy Program1. The students' experiences are described. Particularly, three different case studies are presented authored by the respective students who successfully completed their projects. The first case study, “Cost analysis of oilseed production for biodiesel and the volatility in corn and crude,” was conducted in partnership with a local bioenergy farm to identify the tall barriers to break down in getting farmers to grow the oilseed crop analysis to see if dairy farmers could realize an economic benefit from dedicating 20% of their acreage to growing an oilseed for biofuel conversion. The second case study, “Thermal heating fuel switch,” quantified the economics of reducing the farm's thermal heating costs by using harvested biomass from the farm that has been using fuel oil and kerosene to heat its existing building infrastructure and hot water. The third case study, “Mobile Ethanol Distillery Unit: a feasibility study,” showed that although ethanol is a costly product to produce, if the feed value of feedstock such as sorghum distillers' grains is included, it may become viable. Similar projects can be undertaken in any location in partnership with the local solid biofuel – based businesses, farms, and communities.
Performance capability analysis of the brushless doubly-fed machine as a wind generator

This paper introduces capability curves to aid in the design of brushless doubly-fed induction machines (BDFMs) as wind generators as well as motors. The capability curve graphically portrays the limits of torque, efficiency, and power factor that can be obtained at a given speed and control winding voltage. The torque limit predicted from the torque capability curve is shown to be near the actual measured value of maximum torque capability. It is noted that the predicted torque limit is optimistic when compared to test data; consequently, designers should use an appropriate safety margin in practical designs. In addition, the steady state model of the BDFM is further validated with laboratory measurements. Basic design guidelines are given along with a graph showing the preferred regions of operation for the BDFM.