cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the Decision-Making Capacity for Clinical Research Participation in Patients With Advanced Cancer in the Last Weeks of Life.

Abstract Context Few studies have examined how clinicians assess decision-making capacity for research in the last weeks of life. Objectives We examined the decision-making capacity for participation in a research study and its association with clinician impression and delirium among patients with cancer with days to weeks of life expectancy. Methods Patients admitted to our palliative and supportive care unit were approached for a prospective observational study. We assessed for their decision-making capacity based on clinical impression of physician and nurse, Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS), and the MacArthur Competency Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR). Results Among the 206 patients, 131 patients (64%) did not require MacCAT-CR assessment because they were overtly delirious or unresponsive; 37 (18%) patients were alert but did not complete the MacCAT-CR assessment for other reasons, and 38 patients (18%) completed the MacCAT-CR assessment. Among these 38 patients, five (13%) patients were incapable and had normal albeit significantly higher MDAS scores compared with those who were capable (1.8 vs. 4.2; P = 0.002). Compared against MacCAT-CR and MDAS, the overall agreement with capacity assessment with a clinician was 88% (95% CI 82–93) for physicians and 90% (95% CI 82–94) for nurses. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was 0.93 (95% CI 0.88–0.96) for physicians and 0.94 (95% CI 0.89–0.97) for nurses, suggesting high discrimination. Conclusion Most patients in the palliative and supportive care unit lacked decision-making capacity for participation in clinical research. Clinician impression had high accuracy. Few patients with normal MDAS were found to be incapable with MacCAT-CR assessment.
The sensory-motor auditory visual education (SAVE) program for adults with prior concussions: a prospective case study.

Background The Sensory-Motor Auditory Visual Education (SAVE) Program is an intervention that utilizes an accelerated multisensory integration process to facilitate neuroplasticity. This study aimed to determine if the SAVE Program might benefit individuals with residual symptoms from a prior concussion. Methods The study consists of two 1-hour sessions per day for 5 consecutive days. Five individuals were recruited and completed a symptom questionnaire, static postural assessment, auditory detection assessment, peripheral vision assessment, and a battery of computerized cognitive tests. Results Following the treatment program, 5 individuals showed significant (p < 0.05) improvements in various reported symptoms, significant (p < 0.05) improvements in recognizing colors further from the center of a target, and better detection of an auditory stimulus in the right ear. All tested cognitive domains improved, except for episodic memory accuracy and choice reaction time. The most notable improvements were in planning latency (29.94%), planning accuracy (19%), and working memory accuracy (34.30%). The results of the balance assessment were mixed. Conclusion The results suggested that the SAVE Program may be a beneficial treatment of residual symptoms from a prior concussion. However, the intrinsic caveats of a case series require more rigorous research.
Club Cell TRPV4 Serves as a Damage Sensor Driving Lung Allergic Inflammation.

Airway epithelium is the first body surface to contact inhaled irritants and report danger. Here, we report how epithelial cells recognize and respond to aeroallergen alkaline protease 1 (Alp1) of Aspergillus sp., because proteases are critical components of many allergens that provoke asthma. In a murine model, Alp1 elicits helper T (Th) cell-dependent lung eosinophilia that is initiated by the rapid response of bronchiolar club cells to Alp1. Alp1 damages bronchiolar cell junctions, which triggers a calcium flux signaled through calcineurin within club cells of the bronchioles, inciting inflammation. In two human cohorts, we link fungal sensitization and/or asthma with SNP/protein expression of the mechanosensitive calcium channel, TRPV4. TRPV4 is also necessary and sufficient for club cells to sensitize mice to Alp1. Thus, club cells detect junction damage as mechanical stress, which signals danger via TRPV4, calcium, and calcineurin to initiate allergic sensitization.
Foreigners’ attitudes toward individuals who sell sex in Thailand: A prototype study.

The role of sex trade in Thailand’s tourism and expatriate industry has been a common topic in professional literature and popular media for many years. With the rise of the global economy and the ...
Role of anesthetics and their adjuvants in neurovascular protection in secondary brain injury after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

Aneurysmal rupture accounts for the majority of subarachnoid hemorrhage and is responsible for most cerebrovascular deaths with high mortality and morbidity. Initial hemorrhage severity and secondary brain injury due to early brain injury and delayed cerebral ischemia are the major determinants of outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Several therapies have been explored to prevent these secondary brain injury processes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage with limited clinical success. Experimental and clinical studies have shown a neuroprotective role of certain anesthetics in cerebrovascular disorders including aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. The vast majority of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients require general anesthesia for surgical or endovascular repair of their aneurysm. Given the potential impact certain anesthetics have on secondary brain injury after SAH, appropriate selection of anesthetics may prove impactful on overall outcome of these patients. This narrative review focuses on the available evidence of anesthetics and their adjuvants in neurovascular protection in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and discusses current impact on clinical care and future investigative directions.
Shared Cultural Values Influence Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors in Asian and Latinx College Students

The current study sought to understand the influence of cultural values on mental health attitudes and help-seeking behaviors in college students of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Asian and Latinx college students (N = 159) completed an online survey in which they reported on their adherence to cultural values as measured by ethnicity-specific cultural values and general attitudes towards mental health. Factor analysis revealed two common factors of cultural values irrespective of ethnicity: Interdependent Orientation (IO) and Cultural Obligation (CO). Regardless of ethnicity, the more students endorsed IO values, the less likely they were to perceive a need for mental health treatment. IO value adherence was also predictive of more negative attitudes towards mental health. CO values were not predictive of perceived need or help-seeking behaviors. Findings highlight the importance of understanding shared cultural values across ethnic-racial groups and considering how the multidimensionality of culture may help explain shared mental health behaviors crossing lines of ethnic group membership.
Integrated optics chip automated fabrication at Honeywell

Historically polarization maintaining fiber requires manual alignment of five degrees of freedom to optimize coupling with the waveguide of a lithium niobate sliver used to fabricate an optical modulator. This manual process for a Y-branch modulator needs to be completed four times on the sliver with a temporary, input and two output optical fiber pigtails being installed. In this abstract we will introduce combining these four pigtail operations into single station and automating the alignment process through the novel use of several virtual pivot points surrounding two ultra-precision 6-axis actuators. Customized fixturing mounted to different areas of each actuator allows for a single station to accomplish all four unique pigtail attachment operations without having to swap out and realign tooling. The optical fiber pigtail assemblies are gripped by the fixturing on the actuators, while the lithium niobate sliver is mounted to one of two separate stationary locations surrounding the actuators, depending upon which pigtail alignment operation is being performed. Automated control software then optimizes the fiber-to-modulator waveguide alignment prior to and during the bonding of both elements. The result is a highly repeatable and efficient optical fiber pigtail attachment process with substantial cost savings.
Examining opioid withdrawal scoring and adaptation of global scoring systems to male and female C57BL/6J mice

Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is a chronic and relapsing psychiatric condition which is currently the leading cause of accidental death in the US. Symptoms of acute opioid withdrawal resemble a flu-like illness which is accompanied by a dysphoric state. Psychological comorbidities such as anxiety, depression, and disordered sleep can persist for months or years, well into the abstinence period. These symptoms are thought to drive further opioid intake in order to alleviate this unpleasant internal state. Many differences in OUD have been documented between male and female patients, with females at higher risk for relapse and overdose. This study sets out to characterize sex differences in symptoms and behavioral adaptations in mice during early withdrawal. Using our moderate dose, three day precipitated withdrawal paradigm, we discovered significant effects of sex, time, and drug treatment on early withdrawal behaviors, locomotor activity, and gut motility in C57BL/6J mice. Here I will discuss previous methods of condensing behavioral phenotypes into one global withdrawal score, and propose a new methodology. This method increases the ability to detect nuanced effects and allows for more accurate translation across strain, sex, paradigm, and experimental context. Classification of opioid withdrawal-induced behavioral adaptations will allow for improved behavioral analysis of pharmacological manipulations, and investigations of brain circuitry involved in opioid withdrawal, as well as future screening of compounds with potential therapeutic benefit for the treatment of OUD.
Mechanisms of Organic Molecule Ejection in SIMS and FABMS

Why is the study of organics on surfaces important? First, metal surfaces have long been known to promote certain organic reactions. These reactions can produce long-lived surface intermediates which can be studied by various techniques, including SIMS and FABMS. Another reason for studying organics on surfaces is based on the pioneering work of BENNINGHOVEN, where it was shown that large involatile organic molecules could be adsorbed and subsequently sputtered nearly intact [1]. This allowed the easy study of these large molecules by mass spectrometry. In the first case mentioned above, the adsorbed species undergo reactions to form different surface compounds. In the second case, one would like the initially adsorbed species and the surface species to remain essentially identical,so that the surface (and bombarding particle) during SIMS and FABMS act simply as a vehicle for obtaining gas phase ions. In both cases, however, one would like the detected ions (both parent and fragments) to be indicative of what was on the surface. It is this requirement that makes the study of what happens to the surface plus adsorbed species during the bombardment process very important.
Co-Evolution of Cyberspace and International Relations: New Challenges for the Social Sciences

This paper argues that the construction of cyberspace is creating new challenges for the social sciences, the full nature of which still remains to be fully understood -- perhaps even calling into question some of its most basic assumptions. We frame these challenges with reference to co-evolution of the new cyber domain and the traditional international system, and then focus more specifically on the emergent synergy between two independent features of the contemporary world order -- cyberspace (an arena of interaction) and sustainability (a policy imperative), and their convergence on the global policy agenda. It is no surprise that sustainability is closely connected to security -- or alternatively that security is contingent on sustainability. By extension, cybersecurity is derivative, in that it refers to security in the cyber domain.
Non Euclidean crystallographic groups

The term non Euclidean crystallographic croup (or NEC group) was introduced by Wilkie [1] for a discrete group of isometries of the hyperbolic plane with compact quotient space. If an NEC group contains no orientation reversing transformation it is a Fuchsian group; otherwise it contains a Fuchsian group as a subgroup of index two. Wilkie obtained presentations of all NEC groups, and a partial classification of these groups under isomorphism. Macbeath [8] completed the classification, using the theory of quasi-conformal mappings; Keller [5] established the same result by purely geometric methods.
CARCINOMA OF THE CERVIX UTERI DURING PREGNANCY. A STUDY OF THE COMBINED EFFECT OF A TRICHOMONACIDE, A BROAD-SPECTRUM ANTIBIOTIC, AND A LONG-ACTING PROGESTIN ON DYSPLASIA AND IN SITU CARCINOMA OF THE CERVIX.

Abstract 1. 1. An in vivo study has been started of patients with in situ carcinoma and dysplasia found during pregnancy to discern whether these lesions can be reversed by chemical substances. 2. 2. The first clinical trial with a trichomonacide given orally, a broad-spectrum antibiotic used vaginally, and a long-acting progesterone given intermuscularly (in sequential order) failed to produce regression in 50 per cent of cases within the time limit described. There was a suggestive change in some of the dysplasias. 3. 3. This group of cases demonstrates that the lesions found during pregnancy are similar to those found at other times and the majority persist if not treated or removed.
Exotic Plants of Northern Rocky Mountain Environmental Zones

The Rocky Mountain exotic plant project is designed to determine (1) what exotics are capable of invading disturbed sites in major vegetational (environmental) zones of the Northern Rocky Mountains and (2) whether they are capable of invading near-climax closed vegetation in these zones. As an accessory activity we are determining (3) what natives are invading the same disturbed zones since we hope to find, among them, species likely to be successful on these sites and therefore species that might competitively exclude exotic invaders. A second accessory project of interest to managers, but with less immediate scientific value, was designed to (4) record the present distribution of major weeds along roadsides of Grand Teton National Park as they were recorded in Glacier during 1983-84.
Modes of customer co-production for international service offerings

Purpose – Much has been written about the manifestations and managerial implications of customer co-production in service offerings. However, there have been relatively few references to issues of co-production in international service environments. Co-production is very relevant in international environments because of the requirements for interaction between producers and consumers, which interaction spans international borders and national cultures. The purpose of this paper is to apply an established theory of co-production, the Unified Service Theory (UST), to the international service context. This provides the authors with structured models for conceptualizing the co-productive nature of international service offerings and assessing-related managerial implications. Design/methodology/approach – The UST provides a model of co-productive service delivery. Extending that model, the authors develop a taxonomy of international service based on the “four modes of service supply” provided in the General A...
Incorporation of water oxygens into intracellular nucleotides and RNA. II. Predominantly hydrolytic RNA turnover in Escherichia coli.

Abstract Escherichia coli grown for many generations in 18O-enriched water shows a steady state 18O content of the γ-phosphoryl group of intracellular ATP approximately 70% of that in the medium water. This 18O labeling pattern is similar to the one previously observed in Bacillus subtilis (Duffy, Chaney & Boyer, 1972). However in E. coli the steady-state 18O level of the phosphodiester branch oxygens of the RNA is significantly higher than the γ-phosphoryl of ATP, indicating the introduction of an extra source of water oxygens through hydrolytic turnover of the RNA. The results give evidence that the dominant pathway of unstable RNA degradation in E. coli is catalyzed by hydrolytic and not by phosphorolytic enzymes. The data also allow estimation that unstable RNA is synthesized approximately 2.6 times as fast as stable RNA under conditions used. Thus, 72% of the RNA synthesized at any time would be unstable. This estimate is somewhat higher than previous estimates by different procedures.
The Role of Families in Adolescent HIV Prevention: A Review

Recent research has highlighted the significant contribution families make in the prevention of HIV risk behaviors among adolescents. As the most proximal and fundamental social system influencing child development, families provide many of the factors that protect adolescents from engaging in sexual risk behaviors. Among these are positive family relations, effective communication about sexuality and safer sexual behaviors, enhancement and support of academic functioning, and monitoring of peer activities. HIV risk behaviors occur in a social context, and it is becoming clear that the earliest and most effective way to intervene is in the context where one initially learns about relationships and behavior—the family. Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Mental Health have taken steps to support and emphasize research that will further elucidate our understanding of the role of families in HIV prevention. This article uses Ecodevelopmental Theory to guide and organize the findings of this promising research area. Within this context, and with special attention to the comorbidity of adolescent problem behaviors, this article reviews empirical research on the role of families in HIV prevention, discusses current intervention efforts that involve families and ecosystems, and addresses prospects and implications for future research and interventions.
Changes in 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D during pregnancy

Serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (250HD) and 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (24,25(OH) 2 D) were measured in a cross-sectional study of 94 normal pregnant women at various stages of gestation in order to assess the hormonal regulation of calcium homeostasis during gestation. The 40week gestational period was divided into four 10week quarters. 250HD concentrations were significantly below control levels (32.2±3.1 (S.E.) ng/ml) by the second quarter of pregnancy and were even lower at term. Serum levels of 24,25(OH) 2 D did not decrease until the fourth quarter, when the mean concentration (0.8±0.1ng/ml) was approximately one half the control values (1.5±0.3, p 2 D).
Bacterial toxin interaction with the developing intestine.

An important approach to the major health problem of bacterial infection in young children has been to examine bacterial toxin binding to microvillus membrane receptors, the signal transduction produced by that interaction and the mechanisms of fluid secretion in the developing intestine as a basis for toxigenic diarrhea in the infant population. These studies indicate that receptor binding and effector responses may be subjected to developmental regulation. This regulation process of toxin interaction with the developing intestine may have an enhanced or harmful effect or, under some circumstances, may have a beneficial effect and be protective to the vulnerable child. Specific mechanisms for the developmental control of receptor expression may involve the regulation of individual glycosyltransferases responsible for the addition of receptor sugar sequences to glycolipids and/or glycoproteins, presumably at the transcriptional level. Furthermore, although highly speculative at this point, the differential expression of signal transducers (e.g., guanine nucleotide-regulatory proteins or G proteins) and ion transporters (e.g., Na+,K(+)-stimulated adenosine triphosphatase, the Cl- channels, etc.) during development may also alter the neonatal host's responsiveness. Therefore, the developmental control of microvillus membrane receptors, signal transduction mechanisms, and ion transport systems in the gastro-intestinal tract may in part contribute to the altered host sensitivity in toxigenic diarrhea of infancy.
Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Among Low-Income Women of Color in Primary Care: A Pilot Study

Incorporation of US Preventive Services Task Force genetic counseling recommendations as part of primary care is feasible, and warrants further investigation as a strategy for addressing disparities in breast cancer mortality.
Instruction in a Strategy for Compare–Contrast Writing

Students learned a strategy for planning, writing, and evaluating compare–contrast essays. Instruction followed the principles of self-regulated strategy development, which aims to improve knowledge about writing, strategic writing processes, self-regulation, and motivation. Six adolescent students, 3 with learning disabilities in writing and 3 average writers, were taught in pairs in a multiple baseline design. All students made substantial gains in text structure elements (percentage of non-overlapping data [PND] = 100%) and in overall writing quality (PND = 85%). Gains in mean quality scores for individual students ranged from 1.2 to 3.2 on a 6-point scale. Gains in text structure elements were maintained for the 4 students who could be assessed; gains in quality were maintained for 2 students. Self-efficacy increased for all students.
A calculation of nitrogen chemical shifts for the methyl amines and methylamine hydrochlorides

Abstract Using the Ramsey formulation of the chemical shift parameter and a VB formalism, the chemical shifts of the methyl amines and methylamine hydrochlorides have been calculated. In addition, pair-interaction terms in a linear expression are presented and discussed in the light of deviations from the classical VB structure. The chemical shift produced by the protonation of an amine in this series is shown to be the result of changes in the diamagnetic term. The paramagnetic term is discussed with regard to the value of the average excitation energy.
The morphology and systematics of Avaceratops, a primitive horned dinosaur from the Judith River Formation (Late Campanian) of Montana, with the description of a second skull

ABSTRACT The partial skull and skeleton of Avaceratops lammersi, an unusual ceratopsid from the Judith River Formation of central Montana, are described. Avaceratops has several characters that are unique among ceratopsids though not among protoceratopsids. Plesiomorphies include: a primitive squamosal; a solid parietal; lack of a caudo-sagittal indentation on the parietal; weakly developed olecranon process of the ulna; deltopectoral crest of humerus not as distally expanded as in other ceratopsids; pointed pedal unguals; and relatively small size. A second, recently discovered partial skull that incorporates both centrosaurine and chasmosaurine characters is referred to Avaceratops. Lack of parietal fenestrae and the presence of postorbital horncores are probably basal characters within the Ceratopsidae. The inferred adult length of 4.2 m for Avaceratops is the smallest among known ceratopsids. Avaceratops is the least derived known ceratopsid, and hence is close to the ancestry of Triceratops and the C...
Risk and value chains: Participant sharing of risk and rewards

Much discussion, analysis and experimentation with various forms of value chain coordination has occurred, but often, these business arrangements have not been sustainable. We address the important role that risk/reward sharing plays in developing sustainable value chains. The discussion will: 1) describe an analytical framework for determining the optimal risk/reward sharing between partners in a value chain, and 2) illustrate the application of the framework to contractual arrangements between producers and processors in the pork industry. We find that contract structures must balance the risk/reward preferences of both producers and processors in order to be sustainable.
Surface Reactivity of CF2 Radicals Measured Using Laser-Induced Fluorescence and C2F6 Plasma Molecular Beams

The surface reactivity of CF2 radicals during plasma processing of a 300 K Si substrate using the imaging of radicals interacting with surfaces (IRIS) technique is reported. The molecular beam sour...
Thoughts about the relevance of neurochemistry, neurophysiology and neuropsychopharmacology to the social problems of drug abuse.

I would like to thank the Editor for inviting me to contribute this short essay. I have considered myself most fortunate in having been able to play a role in the development of the discipline of neuropsychopharmacology and to have participated in the development of concepts about drug abuse. Drug abuse regardless of the type is intimately related to sociopathic behavior. The magnitude and importance of sociopathic behavior does not appear to be adequately appreciated by either the mental health community or the neurosciences and there is the wish to relegate these problems to the social sciences and to the legal and criminal justice systems. It is apparent however that sociopathic behavior and its consequences increasingly disrupt the function of society and that the magnitude of these problems have not decreased but are ones of increasing concern. The views of the medical profession and many other professional groups is dictated largely by the frustrations they have encountered with patients with a sociopathic diatheses and thinking is constrained by philosophic issues concerning the nature of man. There is increasing evidence that many addicts suffer from an affective disorder. The nature of the affective disorder is unique in many drug abusers. The affective disorder may manifest itself as an overt endogenous depression; however other times it is much milder and characterized by a poor self image and deep seated insecurities that are related to the patient’s concern about their effectiveness in social situations. These negative feeling states can frequently be differentiated from depression and for convenience will be referred to as hypophoria. Most drugs of abuse are especially reinforcing in many drug abusers. A number of advances in the understanding of the pathology, physiology and pharmacology of feeling states and sociopathic behavior have been made: (1) The recognition that sociopaths have a high incidence of negative pathologic feeling states and that these affective disorders are probably causally related to the abuse of drugs provides a basis for thinking about chemotherapeutic strategies. (2) A very important series of experiments conducted at the Addiction Research Center was the development of questionnaires which were useful in not only measuring the intensity of
Anterior Cingulate Cortex Modulates Visceral Pain as Measured by Visceromotor Responses in Viscerally Hypersensitive Rats

Background & Aims: We have identified that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) neurons are responsive to colorectal distention (CRD) and shown that sensitization of ACC neurons occurs in viscerally hypersensitive rats. However, the role of the ACC in pain response has not been clearly defined. We aimed to determine if ACC neuron activation enhances visceral pain in viscerally hypersensitive rats and to identify the receptor involved in facilitation of visceral pain. Methods: The nociceptive response (visceromotor response [VMR]) to CRD was recorded in normal and viscerally hypersensitive rats induced by colonic anaphylaxis. The ACC was stimulated electrically, and ACC lesions were generated with ibotenic acid. l-glutamate, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxozole propionic acid receptor antagonist cyanonitroquinoxaline dione, and N -methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist aminophosphonopentanoic acid were microinjected into the rostral ACC. Results: Electrical stimulation of the rostral ACC enhanced the VMR to CRD in normal rats. ACC lesions caused a decrease in the VMR in viscerally hypersensitive rats but had no effect in normal rats. ACC microinjection of 2 mmol/L glutamate increased the VMR to CRD (10 mm Hg) in viscerally hypersensitive rats, and 20 mmol/L glutamate induced a more potent VMR in viscerally hypersensitive than in normal rats. Cyanonitroquinoxaline dione did not affect the VMR in either group. Aminophosphonopentanoic acid significantly suppressed the VMR in viscerally hypersensitive rats but not in normal rats. Conclusions: The ACC plays a critical role in the modulation of visceral pain responses in viscerally hypersensitive rats. This process appears to be mediated by enhanced activities of glutamate N -methyl-d-aspartate receptors.
Are nonblocking networks really needed for high-end-computing workloads?

High-speed interconnects are frequently used to provide scalable communication on increasingly large high-end computing systems. Often, these networks are nonblocking, where there exist independent paths between all pairs of nodes in the system allowing for simultaneous communication with zero network contention. This performance, however, comes at a heavy cost as the number of components needed (and hence cost) increases superlinearly with the number of nodes in the system. In this paper, we study the behavior of real and synthetic supercomputer workloads to understand the impact of the networkpsilas nonblocking capability on overall performance. Starting from a fully nonblocking network, we begin by assessing the worse-case performance degradation caused by removing interstage communication links, resulting in over provisioning and hence potentially blocking in the communication network.We also study the impact of several factors on this behavior, including system workloads, multicore processors, and switch crossbar sizes. Our observations show that a significant reduction in the number of interstage links can be tolerated on all of the workloads analyzed, causing less than 5% overall loss of performance.
Vortex equilibrium in film flow near a defect

A simple model based on numerical simulations in bulk is used to examine the pinning characteristics of vortices in helium films adsorbed in the vicinity of substrate defects. The film profile in the absence of a vortex is first calculated including both the Van der Waals potential of a bump defect and surface tension. The displacement and ultimate de-pinning of a vortex line constrained within the profile is then followed as a function of an imposed superfluid flow. The behavior of the vortices lends insight into recent experimental results sensitive to the presence of pinned vortices and indicates that the relevant pinning sites are atomic in dimension.
Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis: reply to Rao et al.

Sir, We appreciate Dr. Rao and colleagues’ interest in our published case report titled “Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis: an uncommon pediatric renal mass” [1]. Dr. Rao again describes a less common but important imaging appearance of XGP, that of a focal renal mass. We also have encountered a case of this less common form of XGP presenting as a focal renal mass. An 11-year-old girl presented to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital with a 2-month history of right flank pain, intermittent low-grade fevers, and a history of recurrent urinary tract infections. Physical examination was unrevealing. The patient was found to have an elevated white blood cell count of 19,000 cells/mm. Abdominal sonography was performed, demonstrating a 7×7-cm mixed-echogenicity mass in the upper pole of the right kidney (Fig. 1). The left kidney was normal. Further evaluation with contrast-enhanced CT demonstrated a heterogeneously enhancing mass within the upper pole of the right kidney with adjacent perinephric inflammatory changes (Fig. 2). A few small areas of focal fat attenuation were noted within the mass. The child was taken to the operating room for surgical resection of the right kidney mass. Upon exposure of the right kidney, the upper pole mass was surrounded by significant inflammatory changes, including inflammatory thickening and fibrosis involving Gerota fascia. Inadvertent intraoperative puncture of the mass resulted in drainage of a large amount of purulent fluid. Consequently, a right upper pole partial nephrectomy was performed. Surgical pathology confirmed the diagnosis of XGP. This case serves to further illustrate the point that XGP, though rare, should be in the differential diagnosis of a focal renal mass in the correct clinical context [2, 3]. As both our experience and the experience of Dr. Rao
Blue-Green Algal Inhibition of Diatom Growth: Transition from Mesotrophic to Eutrophic Community Structure

Cell-free filtrates of axenic or bacterized cultures of the dominant blue-green algae from a freshwater lake inhibited the growth of diatoms isolated from the same lake. Lake waters, collected during blue-green algal blooms, also inhibited diatom growth. In situ observations over a 5-year period indicate that diatom bloom populations vary inversely with the levels of the preceding blue-green algal populations. Blue-green algal dominance of eutrophic lakes is attributed to this allelopathy, and dilution is proposed as one cause for the limited occurrence of blue-green alga dominance in marine waters.
The folded protein as a viscoelastic solid

We apply a nanorheology technique to explore the mechanical properties of a globular protein in the frequency range 10 Hz–10 kHz and find that the folded state of the protein behaves like a viscoelastic solid. For increasing amplitude of the forcing, we observe three different regimes: linear elasticity, then a regime of viscoelastic but reversible deformations, and finally an irreversible regime. The second regime, which has the signature of a viscoelastic solid, gives access to the internal dissipation coefficient of the folded state, for which we find γ≈4×10− 5 kg/s, corresponding to an internal viscosity η~104 Pa·s for frequencies below ~10 Hz. We propose that the large discrepancy between this value, which agrees with previous AFM indentation experiments, and the value of the internal viscosity extracted from refolding experiments is a consequence of the viscoelastic nature of the protein's mechanics. Thus the present method yields detailed measurements of the mechanics of the folded state.
Nitrogen Source and Concentration Affect Growth and Performance of Bedding-Plant Impatiens

ABSTRACT Impatiens (Impatiens wallerana Hook. f.) is the most important annual bedding plant in the United States, based on wholesale dollar volume. Production of high-quality plants requires optimization of the nutrition regimen during growth, especially the total nitrogen (N) concentration and the ratio of N sources. The objective was to determine the N concentration and the nitrate (NO3 −−N):ammonium (NH4 +−N) ratio of N source that optimized bedding-plant impatiens growth and flower development. Four N concentrations (3.5, 7, 10.5, and 14 mmol N · L−1) were used in factorial combination with four ratios of NO3 −−N:NH4 +−N (4:0, 3:1, 1:1, and 1:3). Application of treatments was made for 30 d. Then for 10 d only deionized water was applied to reduce salt buildup. Substrate pH was lowest (4.9) with the NH4 +−N source and electrical conductivity (EC) highest, but never > 2.4 dS m−1. Nitrogen concentration and N source displayed an interaction for most growth parameters. Shoot fresh and dry weights and flo...
Increasing Minority Children’s Participation in Gifted Classes Using the NNAT: A Response to Lohman

In a previous article, we (Naglieri & Ford, 2003) provided evidence from a large-scale study that similar proportions of White, Black, and Hispanic children would be identified as gifted using the ...
The effect of multiple genetic variants in predicting the risk of type 2 diabetes

While recently performed genome-wide association studies have advanced the identification of genetic variants predisposing to type 2 diabetes (T2D), the potential application of these novel findings for disease prediction and prevention has not been well studied. Diabetes prediction and prevention have become urgent issues owing to the rapidly increasing prevalence of diabetes and its associated mortality, morbidity, and health care cost. New prediction approaches using genetic markers could facilitate early identification of high risk sub-groups of the population so that appropriate prevention methods could be effectively applied to delay, or even prevent, disease onset.
Pathologic von Willebrand factor degradation with a left ventricular assist device occurs via two distinct mechanisms: Mechanical demolition and enzymatic cleavage

Objectives Bleeding is an important source of morbidity in patients with a left ventricular assist device. Evidence suggests a major role for von Willebrand factor. However, limited data exist to explain the mechanism(s) of von Willebrand factor degradation during left ventricular assist device support. We investigated whether left ventricular assist device–related shear stress and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13 (ADAMTS-13, the von Willebrand factor protease) altered von Willebrand factor metabolism. Methods Whole blood was collected from patients (n = 8) with a left ventricular assist device. von Willebrand factor multimers and degradation fragments were characterized with electrophoresis and immunoblotting. To investigate mechanisms, an in vitro model was developed to generate the supraphysiologic shear stress of a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device. Normal human blood (n = 8) was cycled in a laboratory vortexer (∼2400 rpm, shear stress ∼175 dyne/cm 2 , 4 hours) to reproduce the pathologic degradation of von Willebrand factor that occurs during left ventricular assist device support. To investigate the specific mechanistic roles of shear stress and ADAMTS-13 in von Willebrand factor degradation, purified von Willebrand factor protein ± ADAMTS-13 protease were exposed to supraphysiologic shear stress in the vortexer. von Willebrand factor multimers and 11 von Willebrand factor degradation fragments were characterized with electrophoresis and immunoblotting. Results Left ventricular assist device support reduced large von Willebrand factor multimers and significantly increased 10/11 von Willebrand factor degradation fragments ( P P Conclusions Supraphysiologic shear stress alone causes physical demolition of large von Willebrand factor multimers into smaller von Willebrand factor multimers. In the setting of supraphysiologic shear stress, ADAMTS-13 cleaves large von Willebrand factor multimers into von Willebrand factor degradation fragments. ADAMTS-13 may be a therapeutic target to reduce von Willebrand factor degradation and bleeding complications in patients with a left ventricular assist device.
The Effectiveness of Streaming Video on Medical Student Learning: A Case Study

Information technology helps meet today’s medical students’ needs by providing multiple curriculum delivery methods. Video streaming is an e-learning technology that uses the Internet to deliver curriculum while giving the student control of the content’s delivery. There have been few studies conducted on the effectiveness of streaming video in medical schools. A 5-year retrospective study was conducted using three groups of students (n_1736) to determine if the availability of streaming video in Years 1_2 of the basic science curriculum affected overall Step 1 scores for firsttime test-takers. The results demonstrated a positive effect on program outcomes as streaming video became more readily available to students. Based on these findings, streaming video technology seems to be a viable tool to complement in-class delivery methods, to accommodate the needs of medical students, and to provide options for meeting the challenges of delivering the undergraduate medical curriculum. Further studies need to be conducted to continue validating the effectiveness of streaming video technology. Keywords: Curriculum delivery, information technology, E-learning, video streaming, LCME Step 1
Neonatal Short Bowel Syndrome

Abstract Short bowel syndrome is a complex state of malabsorption and malnutrition resulting from massive intestinal resection. After resection, the remaining intestine undergoes a process of adaptation in an effort to replace lost intestinal function. Complications from short bowel syndrome include severe diarrhea; vitamin and nutrient malabsorption; and increased risks of sepsis, central line complications, and development of liver disease. Treatment is primarily supportive and focuses on enhancing the adaptation process and optimization of growth. In cases of extremely short bowel length, poor adaptation, and/or development of life-threatening complications, organ transplantation may be the best option for treatment.
An analysis of administrative data found that proximate clinical event ratios provided a systematic approach to identifying possible iatrogenic risk factors or complications

Abstract Objective A method to generate hypotheses about iatrogenic risk factors and complications from administrative data was developed and tested using hospitalization of the elderly for depression as a model. Study design and setting Hospital claims were selected for 30,998 elderly inpatients admitted for the first time for depression. Common principal diagnoses and procedures in hospitalizations within 90 days of the index depression admission were tallied. For each of these proximate clinical events, the ratio of how many happened before the index admission to how many occurred afterward was calculated. Ratios diverging markedly from unity were identified to generate hypotheses about possible risk factors associated with depression and complications associated with its management. Results Hospitalization for degenerative joint disease or back problems; abdominal pain or gastritis and duodenitis; coronary artery disease; or cerebrovascular disease was more common before an index depression admission than after it, as were coronary artery surgery, total knee replacement, and cholecystectomy. Admissions for fracture of the femoral neck—an established iatrogenic complication—were disproportionately likely after the index admission. So were admissions for aspiration pneumonia or acute respiratory failure. Conclusion Proximate clinical event ratios provide a systematic approach to screening administrative data to identify candidates for further evaluation as possible iatrogenic risk factors or complications.
A Note On the Political Economy of Indexation

Utilizing three U. S. Senate votes on indexation, this article statistically examines the relationship between public spending tendencies of legislators and their votes on indexing the tax code. Heretofore, the public finance literature has argued that periodic discretionary tax cuts have offset past inflation-induced bracket creep. A problem with discerning whether discretionary tax cuts offset bracket creep, however, is that one's conclusion is sensitive to the base year from which one indexes. Looking at public spending tendencies and voting patterns on indexation represents an alternative approach to the issue. If government naturally rebates inflation-induced revenue gains, support for or opposition to indexation would not be associated with senators' spending tendencies, since indexation per se would have no impact on the size of the funded budget. This study shows, however, that the more liberal are senatorial spending tendencies, the greater is the likelihood of opposition to indexation.
Racial disparities in the use of hospice services according to geographic residence and socioeconomic status in an elderly cohort with nonsmall cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND: The authors investigated whether there were racial disparities in the receipt of hospice services within geographic residence and socioeconomic status (SES) levels. METHODS: In total, 117,894 patients aged ≥66 years with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare linked database who had received hospice services in the last 6 months before death and who died between January 1, 1991 and December 31, 2005. Multivariate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to describe relations. RESULTS: In urban areas, there were significant disparity trends in age/sex-adjusted rates for blacks and Asians/Pacific Islanders compared with whites (P = .003 and P = .036, respectively). Blacks (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.75-0.82), Asians/Pacific Islanders (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.39-0.46), and Hispanics (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.73-0.91) were less likely to receive hospice services. In rural areas, blacks were 21% less likely to receive hospice services (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.63-0.98). Patients in the poorest socioeconomic status (SES) quartile were 7% less likely to receive hospice services (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.86-1.00). Moreover, within stratified SES quartiles, blacks and Asians/Pacific Islanders had lower receipt of hospice services, and Asians/Pacific Islanders were the least likely to receive hospice services, particularly those in the poorest SES quartile. In general, older patients and women were more likely to receive hospice services. CONCLUSIONS: There were substantial disparities in the receipt of hospice services among ethnic minorities within urban and rural areas and within SES levels. The results indicated that efforts are needed to identify barriers, enhance support, and educate patients on the benefits of hospice services. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
1011 RISK OF RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL (RS) AND PARAINFLUENZA TYPE 3 (PARA3) INFECTION IN YOUNG CHILDREN

Top of pageAbstract Children in the Houston Family Study were followed from birth to determine the occurrence, consequences and immune correlates of infection and reinfection with RS and Para3 viruses. This was a unique study of children living at home; 119 were followed 1 to 5 years-a total of 339 child-years. The RS infection rate was 63 per 100 child-years ranging from about 75/100 during each of the first 2 years of life to about 40/100 for ages 3-5. One-third of infections were clinically apparent. The illness rate was highest during year 2 at 27/100 children, but lower respiratory disease (LRD) was more frequent and severe in the 1st year of life. The LRD rate was 11/100 during the 1st year-2 infants were hospitalized. With primary infection the risk of LRD was 8.6/100 child-years. The overall risk of reinfection LRD was 6.4/100 child-years; however, the rate of reinfection LRD, clinically less severe, was 13/100 during the 2nd year and then dropped sharply for older children. No child had LRD more than 1 time. Infection and illness rates were similar for Para3 but LRD was less frequent. LRD rate was 6.9/100 with primary infection vs. 1.1/100 with reinfection. Risk for both viruses dropped after 2 infections. Thus, multiple live virus immunizations of children > 1 year could provide substantial protection to older children and protect infants by limiting exposure. Boosting maternal immunity may aid protection for early months of life.
Calculation of temperature rise in lithium polymer batteries of Sandia conceptual designs during USABC Dynamic Stress Test

Abstract Based on reported galvanostatic charge and discharge data of a Li/P(EO) 8 LiClO 4 /TiS 2 cell, heat generation rates within a battery during the USABC Dynamic Stress Test (DST) were calculated and compared with those during the Simplified Federal Urban Driving Schedule (SFUDS) dynamic power profile. Also, calculations of temperature rise in the C/Polymer electrolyte/LiMn 2 O 4 batteries of Sandia conceptual designs for a Ford van and GM Impact, during a DST/Fast Charge/DST/Full Charge cycle were conducted with a three-dimensional thermal model.