cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How Should You Manage Anti-Hypertensive Drugs in Morbidly Obese Surgical Patients?

This chapter considers decision-making with regards to the preoperative administration, maintenance, withholding, or altering the dose of beta-adrenergic receptor blockers (β-blockers) and/or renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) antagonists. As with most controversies in medicine, there are no clear-cut answers to commonly confronted therapeutic problems, and thus, as a general rule, therapy must be individualized. Thus, to answer the broad-based questions: “Should all morbidly obese (MO) patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) be β-blocked?”, or “Should ACE-inhibitors be stopped before surgery?” requires rationale for why the drugs should be instituted or discontinued, and if their institution or discontinuation will improve or diminish chances for reduced morbidity and enhanced survival.
The Early Lexicons of Normal and Language-Disordered Children: Developmental and Training Considerations

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a number of issues of lexical development that have come under investigative scrutiny and discusses the implications of these issues for the management of children having difficulties acquiring language. The language-disordered children begin using words later and acquire new words at a slower pace than language normal children. Language-disordered children seem to express the same semantic notions in their single-word speech as do younger normal children, and such children may be either referential or more social in their lexical orientation, as seems to be the case for language normal children. Language-disordered children may vocalize less frequently prior to the onset of words and, therefore, may tend not to use prelexical vocalizations to communicate their intentions. Similarly, language-disordered children have difficulties encoding linguistically the most informative elements of situations, relying instead on the use of gestures. The limited evidence available concerning the relationship between word comprehension and production in language-disordered children has resulted in a general lack of agreement concerning whether word comprehension should serve as a training focus prior to word production training, simultaneous with production training, or to the exclusion of production training.
Nomenclature and Descriptive Analysis

From times gone by, medicine and medical ethics have remained an integral part of the profession. Islamic medicine is full of tales of the contributions made by eminent hukama of the golden Islamic period between the sixth and fourteenth centuries AD: men like Al Razi, writing his Tibbe Ruhani; or Adab al Tibb by Al-RUhawai, a Muslim convert from Christianity; or the illustrious Ferdous al Hikama by Al Tabari and Kamale al Sanaat al Tibia by Ahwazi; not to mention the famous works of Ibne Sina in Al Qanoon fil Tibb. These giants of medicine have left their lasting impressions on the human mind and history.
Short-Term Mediterranean Diet Improves Endurance Exercise Performance: A Randomized-Sequence Crossover Trial

Objective: Healthful dietary patterns have constituents that are known to improve exercise performance, such as antioxidants, nitrates, and alkalizing effects. However, ergogenic effects of such di...
Incorporating Social Justice in Reference Education

Students of reference service can better prepare for careers in serving today’s communities by not only being sensitive to the needs of all members of their communities but also serving as advocate...
Functional Role of Secretory IgA1 and IgA2 Antibodies Against Streptococcus Mutans

Previously, we have reported that dental caries-resistant (CR) subjects have significantly higher levels of parotid salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA) and serum IgG antibodies to Streptococcus mutans antigens than caries-susceptible (CS) individuals by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Furthermore, we have shown that unfractionated parotid saliva and sera from CR volunteers inhibit S. mutans enzyme activities more than CS samples. CS individuals had higher levels of total parotid salivary IgA1 and IgA2 than CR subjects. There were higher levels of parotid salivary IgA2, but not IgA1, antibodies to S. mutans by ELISA in CR subjects than CS individuals. We have now purified IgA1 and IgA2 from pooled parotid saliva of CR and CS subjects using jacalin-agarose. Pooled CS IgA1 and IgA2 inhibited S. mutans growth more than CR samples on an equal weight basis at 10 ng/ml. CS IgA1 inhibited S. mutans adherence more than CR IgA1. IgA1 and IgA2 from both CR and CS individuals inhibited S. mutans acid production equally. In contrast, CR IgA1 and IgA2 inhibited S. mutans glucosyltransferase (GTF) and glucose-phosphotransferase (PTS) enzyme activity more than CS fractions. Purified colostral IgA2 at 550 ng/ml inhibited S. mutans growth and GTF enzyme activity better than IgA1 from the same woman at the same concentration. These results suggest that IgA1 and IgA2 antibodies from caries immune subjects inhibit S. mutans enzyme activity better than growth, adherence and acid production and indicate that the IgA1 and IgA2 purification may remove an important anti-S. mutans factor. Furthermore, the data suggest that IgA2 may be better at inhibiting S. mutans virulence factors than IgA1
Selenosulfides Tethered to gem‐Dimethyl Esters: A Robust and Highly Versatile Framework for H2S Probe Development

Selenosulfides coupled to gem-dimethyl esters provide an exceptional platform for H2 S probe development. With the sulfur half being nonessential to its high reactivity and selectivity towards H2 S, we highlight the unique flexibility of our design by improving its biocompatibility and tissue specificity through structural modifications of its sulfide moiety.
Structural characterization of potentially seismogenic faults in the Fort Worth Basin

AbstractFrom 2006 through mid-2018, there have been 125 Mw≥2.5 recorded earthquakes within the Fort Worth Basin and the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. There is general scientific consensus th...
Mobile Stroke Units: Bringing Treatment to the Patient.

Mobile stroke units (MSUs) have revolutionized emergency stroke care by delivering pre-hospital thrombolysis faster than conventional ambulance transport and in-hospital treatment. This review discusses the history of MSUs technological development, current operations and research, cost-effectiveness, and future directions. Multiple prospective and retrospective studies have shown that MSUs deliver acute ischemic stroke treatment with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV r-tPA) approximately 30 min faster than conventional care. The 90-day modified Rankin Scores for patients who received IV r-tPA on the MSU compared to conventional care were not statistically different in the PHANTOM-S study. Two German studies suggest that the MSU model is cost-effective by reducing disability and improving adjusted quality-life years post-stroke. The ongoing BEST-MSU trial will be the first multicenter, randomized controlled study that will shed light on MSUs’ impact on long-term neurologic outcomes and cost-effectiveness. MSUs are effective in reducing treatment times in acute ischemic stroke without increasing adverse events. MSUs could potentially improve treatment times in large vessel occlusion and intracranial hemorrhage. Further studies are needed to assess functional outcomes and cost-effectiveness. Clinical trials are ongoing internationally.
“Cops and the Klan”: Police Disavowal of Risk and Minimization of Threat from the Far-Right

Critical scholars argue that contemporary policing practices reproduce colonial logics through the maintenance of racial and economic inequality. In this article, I extend the framing of policing as a colonial project grounded in white supremacy to an analysis of police responses to white power mobilization during a heightened period of activity and violence (2015–2017). Borrowing from Perry and Scrivens (2018), I identify the two most common police responses—“disavowal of risk” and “minimization of threat”—in the official investigations into the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12, 2017. Based on an analysis of newspaper reports from across the United States during the two-year period since then, I found that local and federal law enforcement consistently trivialized the presence of white power groups in the community, elevated the potential threat from protestors, concentrated intelligence efforts on activists, and provided differential protection to white supremacists.
Euthecosomatous gastropods (Mollusca: Heterobranchia) from Buton (SE Sulawesi, Indonesia), with notes on species from Viti Levu, Fiji; systematics, biostratigraphy

Pteropoda (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Euthecosomata) described by Beets (1943, 1950, 1953) from the alleged Late Miocene/Early Pliocene asphaltic deposits of Buton (SE Sulawesi, Indonesia) are revised. The following species are distinguished: Styliola subula (Quoy & Gaimard, 1827), Cavolinia bituminata (Beets, 1953), Cavolinia mexicana (Collins, 1934), Cavolinia vendryesiana (Guppy, 1873) and Diacria mbaensis Ladd, 1934. A comparison with the Fiji pteropod associations suggests a Miocene (Tortonian to Messinian) age for the Indonesian faunules. Pteropod species described by Ladd (1934) from Viti Levu (Fiji Islands), are revised in an appendix. Five species are distinguished, viz. Creseis acicula (Rang, 1828) (?), Cavolinia gypsorum (Bellardi, 1873), C. mexicana, C. rewaensis (Ladd, 1934) and Diacria mbaensis Ladd, 1934. The presence of Cavolina gypsorum dates this association as Miocene (Tortonian–Messinian).
Phenotype and function of IgE-binding monocytes in equine Culicoides hypersensitivity.

Human IgE-binding monocytes are identified as allergic disease mediators, but it is unknown whether IgE-binding monocytes promote or prevent an allergic response. We identified IgE-binding monocytes in equine peripheral blood as IgE+/MHCIIhigh/CD14low cells that bind IgE through an FceRI αɣ variant. IgE-binding monocytes were analyzed monthly in Culicoides hypersensitive horses and nonallergic horses living together with natural exposure to Culicoides midges. The phenotype and frequency of IgE-binding monocytes remained consistent in all horses regardless of Culicoides exposure. All horses upregulated IgE-binding monocyte CD16 expression following initial Culicoides exposure. Serum total IgE concentration and monocyte surface IgE densities were positively correlated in all horses. We also demonstrated that IgE-binding monocytes produce IL-10, but not IL-4, IL-17A, or IFN-γ, following IgE crosslinking. In conclusion, we have characterized horse IgE-binding monocytes for the first time and further studies of these cells may provide important connections between regulation and cellular mechanisms of IgE-mediated diseases.
A Rare Case of Infiltrative Cardiomyopathy: Diagnostic Dilemma

Presentation A 73-year-old white female with history of bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, lumbar spinal stenosis, and family history of cardiomyopathy presented with worsening dyspnea on exertion. Exam showed right-sided crackles. There was no jugular venous distention, edema, macroglossia, or peri-orbital ecchymosis. Evaluation ECG demonstrated low voltage in all leads and no significant ST segment changes (Figure 1A). Labs showed undetectable troponin-I and normal NT-proBNP (119pg/mL). TTE revealed LVEF 55-65%, grade II diastolic dysfunction, thick and bright ventricular walls and global longitudinal strain of -17.9% with relative apical sparing (Figure 1B, Figure 1C). TTE findings raised concern for an infiltrative cardiomyopathy, specifically amyloidosis. Additional labs found polyclonal gammopathy on serum immunofixation with increased IgA (590mg/dL), kappa (20.4mg/L) and lambda (14.0mg/L). However, free kappa-to-lambda ratio (1.46) was normal. There was no monoclonal spike on urine immunofixation. Anti-neutrophil antibody screen was negative, and cobalt was undetectable. Ferritin (17ng/mL), C-reactive protein (0.8mg/L), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (27mm/hr) were normal. Cardiac MRI found mild concentric left ventricular wall thickening up to 11 mm and late gadolinium enhancement throughout the myocardium (Figure 1D). Endomyocardial biopsy showed patchy fibrosis but no evidence of amyloidosis on Congo red staining. No granulomatous disease or inflammatory infiltrate was seen. Cutaneous nerve biopsy was also negative for amyloidosis. Technetium-99m pyrophosphate scan was negative for transthyretin amyloidosis with normal heart-to-lung ratio (1.3). Genetic testing for infiltrative cardiomyopathy genotypes revealed phenotypically silent heterozygosity for HFE hereditary hemochromatosis. Hereditary amyloidosis testing was negative. Follow-up Twelve-day ambulatory cardiac monitoring showed 11% PVC burden with multiple morphologies and three episodes of non-sustained VT. Amiodarone 200mg daily was initiated as opposed to therapeutic ablation due to multifocal nature of PVCs. The patient continued to have dyspnea on exertion but remained functionally independent. PET imaging was attempted, however the patient did not tolerate the dietary preparation. Conclusions A total evaluation is essential for infiltrative cardiomyopathy. History, exam, and preliminary testing in this case suggested cardiac amyloidosis; however, comprehensive evaluation could not support this diagnosis or an alternate mechanism. Despite diagnostic innovations including advanced cardiac imaging and genetic testing, the cause of infiltrative cardiomyopathy can remain obscure.
The importance of antagonism: explaining similarities and differences in psychopathy and narcissism's relations with aggression and externalizing outcomes

Psychopathy and narcissism are multidimensional constructs with substantial overlap. Low agreeableness (i.e., antagonism) features prominently in clinical and theoretical descriptions of both disorders. The authors examined whether antagonism components of their assessments accounted for the overlap between narcissism and psychopathy. Next, they tested whether the antagonism components were responsible for the relations that narcissism and psychopathy bore to aggression outcomes. Using multiple regression, the authors found that the low agreeableness component accounted for the majority of overlap between psychopathy and narcissism, nearly all of the variance in narcissism's relations with aggression outcomes, and the majority of variance in psychopathy's relations with aggression outcomes. Disinhibitory traits, which serve to distinguish psychopathy from narcissism, accounted for incremental variance in aggression outcomes for psychopathy. Results are discussed in the context of the overlap between narcissism and psychopathy. The authors argue that low agreeableness is largely responsible for the maladaptive outcomes associated with grandiose narcissism and psychopathy.
Sampling theorem for two dimensional fractional Fourier transform

Abstract The fractional Fourier transform, which is a generalization of the Fourier transform, has become the focus of many research papers in recent years because of its applications in electrical engineering and optics. The fractional Fourier transform has been extended to n dimensions using tensor product of n copies of the one-dimensional transform. Recently, a new two dimensional fractional Fourier transform that is not a tensor product of two one-dimensional transforms was introduced. The definition of the new transform, which depends on two independent angles α and β , is based on the fact that the Hermite functions of two complex variables are eigenfunctions of the Fourier transform. The aim of this paper is to derive sampling theorem for this new transform. Unlike the sampling theorem in the tensor product case, where the sampling function is a product of two Sinc functions, one in each of the transform variables, in the new sampling theorem the sampling function is a product of two Sinc functions whose arguments are not the variables of the transform but a weighted sum and a weighted difference of the transform variables. Furthermore, the sample points depend on the sum and the difference of the transform angles, α , β , which leads to a more interesting configuration and distribution of the sample points.
Introduction to the NOAA Integrated Ecosystem Assessment Program: Advancing Ecosystem Based Management

In the marine science community of practice, the concept of ecosystem-based management (EBM) is a management strategy that incorporates the entire ecosystem, including humans, into resource managem...
Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome in Mycobacterium chimaera mediastinitis: When clinical judgment trumps imaging

Mycobacterium chimaera has been described in postoperative cardiovascular procedures in patients after an outbreak of contaminated 3T heater-cooler units. Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) has been mostly reported in immunocompromised patients, especially HIV after starting therapy. Our case is a 52-year-old immunocompetent male who was diagnosed with M. chimaera mediastinitis a year after Type A dissection repair and was started on quadruple antimicrobial therapy. He clinically improved but 8 months into therapy he presented with a declining kidney function, pancytopenia, and hypercalcemia which after bone marrow and kidney biopsies were attributed to IRIS. Our patient's diagnosis spared him subsequent surgery. IRIS during the treatment of nontuberculous mycobacteria must be suspected even in immunocompetent patients as reaching the diagnosis is very helpful in preventing additional diagnostic and therapeutic measures.
Barriers and Facilitators to Implementation of Health System Interventions Aiming to Welcome and Protect Immigrant Patients: a Qualitative Study

At the same time that federal policymakers have enforced restrictive immigration policies, healthcare systems across the USA are developing, and have implemented, interventions aimed at addressing immigration-related stressors faced by immigrant communities. Yet, little is known about the contextual determinants that influence their implementation success. Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), this study identifies factors enabling or challenging the implementation of interventions aimed at mitigating immigration-related stressors in the healthcare context. We used a qualitative research design to conduct 38 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders involved in implementation of interventions at 25 healthcare facilities across 5 states with the highest undocumented immigrant populations (California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois). Interviews were conducted from May through August 2018. Constant comparative analysis was used to identify barrier and facilitator themes. Deductive coding was thereafter used to categorize themes according to CFIR domain. Barriers to implementation included perceptions of legal complexity and challenges to adopting such systemic strategies. Facilitators included a national policy climate that had brought immigrant health to the forefront, allowing for leveraging momentum towards institutional change; communication among healthcare personnel; existing community partnerships with immigrant rights and service organizations; and a shared sense of mission centering health equity. Local variation in immigration-related policies (e.g., local law agencies enforcing federal immigration laws) and heterogeneity of local immigrant communities also impacted implementation. Champions and informal leaders were integral to institutional efforts but not sufficient for sustainability. Perceived urgency to act superseded evaluation considerations, with all interventions in initial phases of implementation. Future iterations and evaluations of these interventions are needed to establish best practices and implementation determinants. This is the first systematic study describing implementation determinants of immigration-related interventions across health systems. Identifying these determinants provides guidance to other healthcare organizations to effectively strategize and ensure implementation success.
Relationship between Social Appearance Anxiety, Fear of Negative Evaluation and Emotion Regulation in Adolescents and Young Adults

The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between Social Appearance Anxiety, Fear of Negative Evaluation and Emotion regulation in Adolescents and Young Adults. Although extensive research about topics like Anxiety and Emotion regulation have taken place, the complex ever changing situation of the world and the development of advanced technology and social media creates the dire need to undertake research. Through purposive sampling, a total sample of 151 (72 males and 78 females) participants divided into 13-17 age groups (n=76) and 18-22 age groups (n=75) were considered for the study. A correlational research design and between groups research design was adopted. The results show that there is a significant positive correlation between Fear of Negative Evaluation and Social Appearance anxiety. Also, Expressive suppression; one of the components of Emotion Regulation was positively correlated with both Fear of Negative Evaluation and Social Appearance Anxiety. However, it is found that there is no significant correlation between Cognitive reappraisal and any other variable. The results also show a significant difference on the basis of gender in Social Appearance Anxiety, i.e, Females had more SAA than males. However, no significant difference is seen on the basis of age.
No neighborhood left behind: building an ethos of community interconnections

We write this editorial as the world begins to reopen with the administration of 3.63 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines in more than 214 countries and territories around the globe. At the time of ...
The Bill of Rights: A Century of Progress

In an otherwise mundane tax opinion construing language in the Internal Revenue Code, Oliver Wendell Holmes observed that "a word . . . is the skin of a living thought."' As the years pass, an idea may mature, changing its shape, its power, and its complexion, even while the symbols that identify it remain constant. There is a special vitality in words like "commerce," "equality," and "liberty." In southwestern England, the huge sarsen pillars that primitive astronomers erected and arranged at Stonehenge centuries ago convey a profound message about man's ability to reason and to create. Even though the intent of the framers of Stonehenge is shrouded in mystery and obscurity, their message is nevertheless majestic and inspiring. Only a few miles away, the highest church spire in England, the Salisbury Cathedral, stands as a symbol of the creativity, the industry, and the faith of the Christian architects and engineers of the thirteenth century. A visitor to that cathedral may view one of the four remaining copies of a famous document that was signed at Runnymede early in that century. The message to be found in the text of the Magna Carta is neither clear nor unambiguous because its language is not plain and its style and lettering are unfamiliar. It is, nevertheless, an im-
On the Stability of a Self-Tuning Controller in the Presence of Bounded Disturbances

In this paper a proof of bounded-input bounded-output stability of a discrete-time self-tuning control system in the presence of bounded disturbances is given. The controller considered in the paper minimizes a quadratic cost function and can be used for nonminimum phase systems, and its parameter estimation scheme employs a recursive least-squares with a dead zone.
On the discrepancy function in arbitrary dimension, close to L 1

Let A N to be N points in the unit cube in dimension d, and consider the discrepancy function $$ D_N (\vec x): = \sharp \left( {\mathcal{A}_N \cap \left[ {\vec 0,\vec x} \right)} \right) - N\left| {\left[ {\vec 0,\vec x} \right)} \right| $$ Here, $$ \vec x = \left( {\vec x,...,x_d } \right),\left[ {0,\vec x} \right) = \prod\limits_{t = 1}^d {\left[ {0,x_t } \right),} $$ and $$ \left| {\left[ {0,\vec x} \right)} \right| $$ denotes the Lebesgue measure of the rectangle. We show that necessarily $$ \left\| {D_N } \right\|_{L^1 (log L)^{(d - 2)/2} } \gtrsim \left( {log N} \right)^{\left( {d - 1} \right)/2} . $$ In dimension d = 2, the ‘log L’ term has power zero, which corresponds to a Theorem due to [11]. The power on log L in dimension d ≥ 3 appears to be new, and supports a well-known conjecture on the L 1 norm of D N . Comments on the discrepancy function in Hardy space also support the conjecture.
A deterministic optimal control theory for discrete event systems

In certain discrete event applications it may be desirable to find a particular controller, within the set of acceptable controllers, which extremises some quantitative performance measure. In this paper we propose a theory of optimal control to meet such design requirements for deterministic systems. The discrete event system (DES) is modelled by a regular language. Event and cost functions are defined which induce costs on controlled system behaviour. The event costs associated with the system behaviour can only be reduced, in general, by increasing the control costs. Thus it is nontrivial to find the optimal amount of control to use and consequently the formulation captures the fundamental tradeoff motivating classical optimal control. Results on the existence and computability of minimally restrictive optimal controllers are presented. Such controllers are also polynomially computable under certain assumptions. It is shown that this framework subsumes the prior graph-theoretic formulation. >
Enhancing the Quality of Discussions in Undergraduate Online Courses

An established pedagogical literature suggests that student-student interaction in discussion settings promotes cognitive engagement, student satisfaction, and positive learning outcomes - and may enhance critical thinking skills. Furthermore, a growing body of research indicates that these positive processes and outcomes can be effectively recreated in the online environment. Yet we also know that the effectiveness of online discussions can be conditioned - even compromised - by such factors as group size, gender composition, and differences in the prior academic achievement of participants. In this study, we offer a preliminary look at the efficacy of a conditioning intervention: The role of student preceptors in promoting student interaction and elevating discussion quality. Using data from 26 discussion groups and 3 substantive discussions, we measure quantitative indicators of discussion activity under two quasi-experimental conditions: preceptor-as-student and preceptor-as-GTA. In the control condition, no student preceptor was present. In terms of quantitative indicators of discussion activity, we find no emergent differences between the preceptor intervention and the control.
Regulation of Viral and Autoimmune Responses

We have studied the induction and effector function of Th2-like regulatory cells in mouse models for type 1 diabetes (NOD and RIP-LCMV). CD4+ lymphocytes with specificity for insulin can be induced by immunization with the insulin B chain via the oral route or by DNA vaccination. Such cells are protective upon adoptive transfer and prevent diabetes development in syngeneic pre-diabetic recipients. In comparison to non-regulatory insulin B-specific cell lines, they produce high amounts of interleukin (IL)4 and IL10, whereas interferon (IFN)gamma and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)alpha levels are comparable. Indeed, IL4 is essential for the protective capability, as evidenced by use of IL4-deficient mice and sorting of IL4+ versus IL4- lymphocytes prior to transfer. Mechanistically, these cells act as bystander suppressors in the pancreatic draining node, the location where their cognate antigen, insulin B, is presented during the pre-diabetic inflammatory process. As a consequence, the autoaggressive response is locally dampened. We propose that this is achieved by modulation of antigen presenting cells that lose the ability to propagate aggressive responses after exposure to IL4 or IL10 in vitro. The clinically attractive side of our strategy is that it only acts as the site of inflammation, thus circumventing systemic side effects. In order to avoid induction of insulin B-specific autoaggressive T cells we have demonstrated that administration of IL4 or IL10 at the time of immunization is beneficial and therefore should be part of a potential future clinical application. Interestingly, these Th2-like regulators share in our systems no features with the so-called CD25+ regulatory cells, whose antigen specificity is still unclear. However, we have recent evidence that virus specific CD25+ cells can be generated and are able to affect antiviral responses in vivo.
A Review of “The Laughing Librarian: A History of American Library Humor”

Jeannette C. Smith has been a librarian for almost 40 years and an award-winning library humorist for most of that time. Her exploration of American library humor and its history exhibits all the w...
Smart ET textbooks: Why bind them at all

After briefly noting the characteristics of traditional textbooks, the author defines a smart textbook and compares it to the traditional text. Smart, in this context, is taken to mean imparting some human attributes or characteristics to the textbook. This is done by keeping the textbook's author part of the teaching-learning process by having the teacher be the author. The emphasis is on using desktop publishing to enable the teacher to generate textbooks tailored to the students and the course. The process currently used by the author to generate a text for his course in applied physical metallurgy is described. >
The comparative toxicity of a reduced, crude comfrey (Symphytum officinale) alkaloid extract and the pure, comfrey‐derived pyrrolizidine alkaloids, lycopsamine and intermedine in chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus)

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale), a commonly used herb, contains dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids that, as a group of bioactive metabolites, are potentially hepatotoxic, pneumotoxic, genotoxic and carcinogenic. Consequently, regulatory agencies and international health organizations have recommended comfrey be used for external use only. However, in many locations comfrey continues to be ingested as a tisane or as a leafy vegetable. The objective of this work was to compare the toxicity of a crude, reduced comfrey alkaloid extract to purified lycopsamine and intermedine that are major constituents of S. officinale. Male, California White chicks were orally exposed to daily doses of 0.04, 0.13, 0.26, 0.52 and 1.04 mmol lycopsamine, intermedine or reduced comfrey extract per kg bodyweight (BW) for 10 days. After another 7 days chicks were euthanized. Based on clinical signs of poisoning, serum biochemistry, and histopathological analysis the reduced comfrey extract was more toxic than lycopsamine and intermedine. This work suggests a greater than additive effect of the individual alkaloids and/or a more potent toxicity of the acetylated derivatives in the reduced comfrey extract. It also suggests that safety recommendations based on purified compounds may underestimate the potential toxicity of comfrey.
The Shortfall in Airport Capacity and Opportunities for Mitigation

A shortfall in terminal capacity has become evident in the mature air transportation networks of the United States and Europe. ATM innovations can play a role in alleviating this capacity shortfall, especially at airports where new runways cannot be built because of space limitations or environmental constraints. Benefits are achieved by compressing the arrival stream to individual runways, ensuring efficient simultaneous use of multiple runways, ensuring proper traffic flow to the airport, and maintaining operations in the presence of unfavorable weather. This paper provides examples of initiatives in each of these areas.
Chemical vapor deposition of silicon under reduced pressure in hot-wall reactors

Abstract A detailed mathematical model is discussed for low pressure, hot wall, chemical vapor deposition reactors. Although this model originates from previous studies on low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) (Jensen and Graves, 1983), it includes two-dimensional diffusional mass transport between successive wafers, convective and diffusive mass transport in the annulus formed by the edges of the wafers and the reactor wall, and new overall reaction kinetics for the silicon depositing from silane. The system of the resulting coupled reactor equations is solved by finite difference methods. The chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of polysilicon from SiH 4 is studied in detail within the context of the model presented. Experimental data obtained in a LPCVD reactor operating in the electrical engineering department at Purdue University and other data reported in the literature compare very well with the predictions of the model discussed.
Impact of oil price shocks on output, inflation and the real exchange rate: evidence from selected ASEAN countries

This article analyses the impact of oil price shocks on real output, inflation and the real exchange rate in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia (ASEAN-5) using a Structural VAR model. The cointegration tests indicate that the macroeconomic variables of these countries are cointegrated and share common trends in the long run. The impulse response functions reveal that oil price fluctuations do not impact the ASEAN-5 economies in the long run and much of its effect is absorbed within five to six quarters. The variance decomposition results further assert that with a few exceptions oil price shocks do not explain a significant variation in any of the variables under consideration. We also identify a very unique pattern of response to oil price fluctuations between Malaysia and Singapore and between the Philippines and Thailand. The pairs exhibit a high degree of similarity in their responses; they do not share any commonalities across the group.
Determinants of survival in patients with malignant ventricular arrhythmia associated with coronary artery disease.

Abstract The long-term survival data in patients with coronary artery disease and a history of malignant ventricular arrhythmia, defined as noninfarction ventricular fibrillation (VF) or hemodynamically compromising ventricular tachycardia (VT) followed for up to 9 years, were analyzed. In this group of 161 patients there was a total of 57 deaths, of which 35 (63%) were sudden. Life-table analysis demonstrated a 10% sudden death rate for all patients in the first year and a 7% annual rate in the subsequent 4 years. In patients managed noninvasively, the overall mortality rate was 27% over 9 years, or 3% per year. Suppression of ventricular tachycardia on both ambulatory monitoring and exercise testing was associated with improved survival. In patients evaluated by electrophysiologic testing the sudden death rate was 1.4% per year over an average of 5 years. This survival rate was not different compared with the noninvasive group (p = 0.09). Measures of left ventricular dysfunction and the frequency of ventricular arrhythmia before and after drug therapy were associated with a risk of sudden cardiac death by univariate analysis. Multivariate regression analysis identified 4 variables as independent predictors of sudden cardiac death: rales (p = 0.009), the number of runs of VT during exercise testing while receiving antiarrhythmic drug therapy (p = 0.0003), a history of congestive heart failure (p = 0.0009) and the number of premature beats on Holter monitoring (p = 0.01). These findings support the concept that suppression of repetitive arrhythmia on Holter monitor and exercise testing is a marker for improved survival among patients with malignant ventricular arrhythmia. However, in the coronary population at high risk of sudden cardiac death, ventricular function is the most powerful predictor of survival and, when severely depressed, the control of ventricular arrhythmia does not significantly improve outcome.
Walking the Walk to Teach the Talk: Implementing Ancestral Lifestyle Strategies as the Newest Tool in Evolutionary Studies

The learning of evolutionary theory typically takes place in the classroom or laboratory. Students of these traditional approaches often leave with the notion that applications of evolutionary theory have little bearing on their lives. The Evolutionary Studies Consortium (EvoS; evostudies.org ) has been extremely successful in overcoming these barriers and demonstrating the bridges across academic areas that can be created with the principles of evolution as a guide. While this is a fantastic means through which to educate students about the intricacies of evolution, we believe that the full potential of this approach has yet to be realized. Applications beyond strict academic contexts are still waiting to be mined. Here, we outline an approach that proposes the implementation of a nutrition and physical fitness program, alongside classroom pedagogy, as a means of helping students learn about evolution and how it can be used to increase their own quality of life.
Warm Dust Emission Near W75 N IRS1: Evidence for Multiple Energetic Outflows

This paper presents 08 to 3'' resolution images of 1.3 and 3.3 mm continuum emission in the massive molecular outflow in W75 N. The mass of warm gas and dust near the center of the outflow is ~450 M☉ and represents approximately 45% of the core mass in the molecular cloud. Comparison of the distribution of warm dust emission with the locations of ultracompact H II regions indicates that the source VLA 3 probably contributes the most to the outflow dynamics. The location of VLA 2 near the 1 mm continuum peak and the presence of H2O masers suggests that this source may also contribute to the flow dynamics. The thermal jet source, VLA 1, has an estimated momentum rate that is 3 to 4 orders of magnitude less than that required to drive the large-scale CO outflow. If the ionized jet is the only outflow component, VLA 1 does not appear to be able to contribute significantly to the outflow energetics. Outflow parameter estimates that have been corrected for inclination and optical depth imply an outflow mass of more than a thousand solar masses and a mass outflow rate of ~0.2 M☉ yr-1. It is extremely unlikely that a single young stellar object can produce a flow of this magnitude; thus, several energetic outflows may be active.
Attending to different levels of structure in a visual image.

Two experiments are reported in which observers had to utilize information from one of two structural levels of visual stimulus patterns (large letters composed of smaller ones). They could utilize information more rapidly form one level only at the cost of slower utilization from the other. This trade off defines an empirical attention operating characteristic (AOC) which is consistent with a simple mathematical model of the perceptual process: when viewing a stimulus, the observer selects one of two alternative “attentional” strategies, where each strategy is optimal for utilizing information from one structural level, but less than optimal for the other.
Radiative capture of protons by B11 and the giant dipole resonance in C12

Abstract The radiative capture of protons by B11 has been studied in the energy range 4 MeV ≦ Ep ≦ 14 MeV. The ground-state gamma-ray yield follows the giant resonance observed in photonuclear studies with some structure apparent. The gamma ray to the first excited state also shows a giant resonance whose centre is displaced upward by about 4 MeV from the ground-state giant resonance. Considerable structure is present in the giant resonance built upon the first excited state. For both gamma rays, the angular distributions vary but little with energy-they are peaked at 90° for the ground-state transition and nearly isotropic for the excited-state transition. For both gamma rays, the distributions exhibit a positive cos θ term which increases with increasing energy. The angular distribution data, analysed in terms of Legendre polynomials, are compared with theoretical predictions and shown to be in agreement with the results of particle-hole configuration calculations.
The Analysis of Lattice Designs with Concomitant Variables Associated with Replications

Abstract The analysis of lattice designs is extended to treatments each having a linear response to m X-variables associated with replications, m < pk/(k + 1) − 1, where p is the number of replications and k is the block size. The design is a split plot with subplot treatments arranged as a lattice design having main plots as the lattice replicates. Formulas are obtained for converting ordinary least squares estimates of treatment regression coefficients into weighted least squares estimates, and for the covariance matrix of a difference between corrected treatment regression coefficient vectors. The general theory allows for repetition (not necessarily equal) of the basic patterns of confounding treatments with blocks.
TIGIT and CD226: tipping the balance between costimulatory and coinhibitory molecules to augment the cancer immunotherapy toolkit

Combination therapies are becoming a focal point in cancer immunotherapy. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Johnston and colleagues identify the TIGIT/CD226 pathway, which provides significant interest for combination with PD-1 pathway blockade to improve anticancer CD8(+) T cell responses, because it acts by a novel mechanism to regulate CD8(+) T cell functions within the tumor microenvironment.
SU‐GG‐J‐53: Comparison of Dosimetric Consequences of Intrafraction Prostate Motion Between IMRT and IMPT

Purpose: To compare the dosimetric impact of intrafraction prostate motion in IMRT and intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT), with an emphasis on determining the necessary CTV‐to‐PTV margins to compensate for the motion in these two modalities. Method and Materials: Intrafraction prostate motion of 35 patients was tracked in real‐time using the Calypso System. Data were categorized into three groups according to the treatment intervention performed in response to the motion: (1) if motion larger than 3 mm was observed for 30 seconds during a fraction, dose delivery was interrupted and the patient was re‐aligned; (2) as above, but with motion threshold of 5 mm for 30 seconds; (3) no treatment intervention performed regardless of the motion amplitude. Dose delivered in presence of motion was evaluated by convolving the static dose distribution matrix with the motion probability density matrix. IMRT and IMPT plans for the same patient data were constructed with Pinnacle and UFORT planning systems respectively, using CTV‐PTV margins from zero to 11 mm. Results: For single fractions with the largest average motion in groups (1) to (3), CTV‐PTV margins of 2, 5, and 11 mm for IMRT, and 3, 7, 11 mm for IMPT, are necessary to maintain minimum CTV doses above 95% of nominal dose respectively. In the individual patient with the largest average motion over an entire treatment course (37 fractions), the necessary CTV‐PTV margin was 2 and 3 mm for IMRT and IMPT respectively. Using these margins, any compromise in CTV DVH and the generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD) under the corresponding motion was insignificant. Conclusion: The required CTV‐PTV margin for IMPT is slightly larger than that for IMRT, due largely to the sharper penumbra of proton beam relative to photons. However, IMPT resulted in superior sparing of the urinary bladder and rectum compared with IMRT.
Individual differences in attitudinal versus normative determination of behavior

Abstract Previous research has identified certain dispositional variables that might moderate the relationship between attitudes and behaviors. Building on this work, the present study predicted that individuals who are both aware of their own attitudes (high in private self-consciousness) and unconcerned with the opinions of others (low in self-monitoring) would display high attitude-behavior correspondence. In contrast, individuals with other combinations of these traits were expected to display high norm-behavior correspondence. To test these predictions, attitudes, norms and behaviors relevant to spending time on school work were measured for 226 college students. The results showed clear support for the predicted personality differences in attitude-behavior and norm-behavior correspondences. In addition, other findings showed that attitudes and norms are distinct rather than redundant constructs. Alternative interpretations and theoretical implications of the findings were discussed.
The relationship between blood pressure and mortality in the oldest old

OBJECTIVES: To explore the relationship between systolic and diastolic blood pressure and risk of 6-year, all-cause mortality in men and women age 65 to 84 versus those 85 and older. DESIGN: A population-based longitudinal study. SETTING: This study was conducted at four different sites: East Boston, Massachusetts; New Haven, Connecticut; two rural counties in Iowa; and Piedmont, North Carolina. PARTICIPANTS: 12,802 community-dwelling persons age 65 and older. MEASUREMENTS: Baseline measurements collected include demographics, self-reported chronic medical conditions, blood pressure measurements, medications, health habits, and hospitalizations. RESULTS: Unadjusted actuarial survival analyses show that men age 65 to 84 years with systolic blood pressure < 130 mmHg have significantly lower mortality compared with those with systolic blood pressure ≥ 180 mmHg (p < .0001). In contrast, men 85 and older with systolic blood pressure ≥180 mmHg have significantly lower mortality compared with those with systolic blood pressure < 130 mmHg (p <.0001). In Cox proportional hazards analyses controlling for other predictors of survival, the hazard of death associated with each 10-mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure is positively associated among men age 65 to 84 years and negatively associated among men age 85 and older (Hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04 (1.01, 1.07) for younger men vs 0.92 (0.86, 0.99) for older men). Among women age 65 to 84, the hazard of death significantly increased with increase in systolic blood pressure (p <.0001), while there was no relationship between level of systolic blood pressure and survival in women 85 and older. Both men 65 to 84 years old and those 85 and older showed a negative relationship between diastolic blood pressure and all-cause mortality (Hazard ratio 0.93, 95% CI (0.88-0.97) for men age 65-84 years, and Hazard ratio 0.90, 95% CI 0.80-1.02 for men 85 and older). CONCLUSION: In men age 85 and older, higher systolic blood pressure is associated with better survival.
Elevated blood pressure after pinealectomy in the rat

Previous observations have suggested a role for the pineal gland in regulation of blood pressure. To investigate this possibility, pinealectomy was performed in prepubertal (43-day-old) and postpubertal (55-day-old) male rats. Systolic blood pressure (BP) was measured by the tail cuff method in conscious pinealectomized (Px) and sham pinealectomized (ShPx) rats at various times. In the 3 weeks following surgery, the BP increase after Px was twice that after ShPx (p 150 mmHg) was observed in those animals Px at day 43 (p <0.05 vs ShPx) but not in those Px on day 55. Moreover, saline consumption was increased in the Px hypertensive group compared to ShPx controls. There was no significant difference in mean body weight or heart rate between Px or ShPx groups. These data suggest that pinealectomy in the prepubertal period may result in a tendency to hypertension, measurable in conscious rats, which is unmasked by saline administration.