cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clarithromycin as monotherapy for eradication of Helicobacter pylori: a randomized, double-blind trial.

UNLABELLED Current regimens to eradicate Helicobacter pylori usually consist of metronidazole plus a bismuth compound, as well as a third agent such as tetracycline. Such regimens are not ideal because organisms may be metronidazole-resistant, side-effects occur, and compliance is often poor. This randomized, double-blind study was designed to assess the ability of clarithromycin, a new macrolide antimicrobial, as monotherapy to eradicate H. pylori. Thirty-seven healthy volunteers who were H. pylori positive by 13C-urea breath test plus histology and/or culture completed 14 days of oral therapy with clarithromycin in one of three dosages. Eradication, defined as all three tests negative at 4-6 wk after the end of therapy, was achieved in 2/13 (15%) with clarithromycin 500 mg bid, 4/11 (36%) with 1000 mg bid, and 7/13 (54%) with 500 mg qid. Isolates of H. pylori were resistant to clarithromycin prior to therapy in 12% of subjects, and became resistant during therapy in 21% of subjects. Taste perversion, the most common side effect, resulted in one subject terminating therapy. CONCLUSIONS Whereas clarithromycin is a promising antimicrobial in the eradication of H. pylori, it is not sufficient to be used as monotherapy.
Should Renal Mass Biopsy Be Performed prior to or Concomitantly with Thermal Ablation

Abstract Purpose To determine diagnostic yield of renal biopsies performed in patients referred for image-guided tumor ablation (IGTA) and the frequency with which biopsy results would have obviated the need for subsequent ablation. Materials and Methods Retrospective review of an internal ablation database of a single institution revealed 401 consecutive percutaneous renal mass IGTAs performed from April 2000 to April 2015. Of 401 ablations, 32 were excluded, yielding 369 ablation events in 342 patients, which represented the study cohort. Patients were subdivided into groups according to whether or not biopsy was performed. Lesions were categorized according to size, malignancy/benignity, and pathology. Results IGTA was performed with biopsy for 317/369 (85.9%) and without biopsy for 52/369 (14.1%) lesions. Overall diagnostic yield for percutaneous biopsy was 94.3% (299/317). Based on biopsy results, 82.6% (262/317) were classified as malignant or suspicious, 9.5% (30/317) were classified as likely benign, and 2.2% (7/317) were classified as definitively benign. Only definitively benign lesions were designated as obviating the need for IGTA. IGTA was supported by biopsy results in the remaining 97.8% (310/317), including renal cell carcinomas, oncocytic neoplasms, metastases, and nondiagnostic biopsy results. Conclusions Biopsy of renal masses with suspicious imaging features rarely (2.2%) obviated the need for IGTA. For patients who have undergone counseling and have elected to forgo active surveillance and surgical options, biopsy can safely be performed concomitantly with ablation.
ContraVis: Contrastive and Visual Topic Modeling for Comparing Document Collections

Given posts on 'abortion' and posts on 'religion' from a political forum, how can we find topics that are discriminative and those in common? In general, (1) how can we compare and contrast two or more different ('labeled') document collections? Moreover, (2) how can we visualize the data (in 2-d or 3-d) to best reflect the similarities and differences between the collections? We introduce (to the best of our knowledge) the first contrastive and visual topic model, called ContraVis, that jointly addresses both problems: (1) contrastive topic modeling, and (2) contrastive visualization. That is, ContraVis learns not only latent topics but also embeddings for the documents, topics and labels for visualization. ContraVis exhibits three key properties by design. It is (i) Contrastive: It enables comparative analysis of different document corpora by extracting latent discriminative and common topics across labeled documents; (ii) Visually-expressive: Different from numerous existing models, it also produces a visualization for all of the documents, labels, and the extracted topics, where proximity in the coordinate space is reflective of proximity in semantic space; (iii) Unified: It extracts topics and visual coordinates simultaneously under a joint model. Through extensive experiments on real-world datasets, we show ContraVis 's potential for providing visual contrastive analysis of multiple document collections. We show both qualitatively and quantitatively that ContraVis significantly outperforms both unsupervised and supervised state-of-the-art topic models in contrastive power, semantic coherence and visual effectiveness.
Management of Meningiomas Involving the Major Venous Sinuses: A Single-Institution Experience.

Background In the management of meningiomas invading the major venous sinuses, balance between tumor control and complication prevention is desirable. The aim of this study was to describe an institutional experience in management of meningiomas involving major venous sinuses. Methods A retrospective study was carried out over 18 years, between 1999 and 2017, in patients with meningiomas involving major venous sinuses. Clinical features, operative strategy, histology, postoperative complications, adjuvant therapy, and long-term follow-up were studied. Results The study included 84 patients. Neurologic deficits were seen in 26 (31%) patients at presentation. The recurrence rates in Simpson grade I, II, and III excision were 7.6%, 25%, and 29.4% at a mean follow-up of 45.4 months (range, 1–192 months). No intervention of the involved sinus was done in 64 (76%) cases, venotomy was done in 3 (3.5%) cases, sinus resection without graft was done in 14 (16.6%) cases, and sinus reconstruction with patch was done in 3 (3.5%) cases. There were 53 (67.0%) patients with World Health Organization grade I histology and 25 (31.6%) patients with World Health Organization grade II histology. Fifteen recurrences were treated with Gamma Knife radiosurgery. In univariate analysis using Cox proportional hazards model, World Health Organization grade (P = 0.036, hazard ratio 2.90, 95% confidence interval = 1.07–7.87) and Simpson grade (P = 0.017, hazard ratio 2.90, 95% confidence interval = 1.18–5.29) were found to be significant factors to predict tumor recurrence. Conclusions Management of meningiomas involving major venous sinus with microsurgical techniques and adjuvant Gamma Knife radiosurgery achieves a good tumor control rate with an acceptable complication rate.
Vegetation detection and discrimination within vegetable plasticulture row-middles using a convolutional neural network

Weed control between plastic covered, raised beds in Florida vegetable crops relies predominantly on herbicides. Broadcast applications of post-emergence herbicides are unnecessary due to the general patchy distribution of weed populations. Development of precision herbicide sprayers to apply herbicides where weeds occur would result in input reductions. The objective of the study was to test a state-of-the-art object detection convolutional neural network, You Only Look Once 3 (YOLOV3), to detect vegetation both indiscriminately (1-class network) and to detect and discriminate three classes of vegetation commonly found within Florida vegetable plasticulture row-middles (3-class network). Vegetation was discriminated into three categories: broadleaves, sedges and grasses. The 3-class network (Fscore = 0.95) outperformed the 1-class network (Fscore = 0.93) in overall vegetation detection. The increase in target variability when combining classes increased and potentially negated benefits from pooling classes into a single target (and increasing the available data per class). The 3-class network Fscores for grasses, sedges and broadleaves were 0.96, 0.96 and 0.93 respectively. Recall was the limiting factor for all classes. With consideration to how much of the plant was identified (broadleaves and grasses), the 3-class network (Fscore = 0.93) outperformed the 1-class network (Fscore = 0.79). The 1-class network struggled to detect grassy weed species (recall = 0.59). Use of YOLOV3 as an object detector for discrimination of vegetation classes is a feasible option for incorporation into precision applicators.
Device Closure of Patent Foramen Ovale or Medical Therapy for Cryptogenic Stroke: The CLOSURE I Trial

CLOSURE I was the first randomized clinical trial that investigated the use of medical therapy versus medical therapy combined with transcatheter patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure, for the treatment of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). The study included patients between the ages of 18 and 60 who were diagnosed with a cryptogenic stroke or TIA with evidence of a PFO by transesophageal echo. Patients with other identifiable causes for ischemic stroke or TIA, such as carotid artery stenosis, complex aortic arch atheroma, significant left ventricular dysfunction or aneurysm, or atrial fibrillation were excluded. The justification for performing this trial was that observational studies in patients who had suffered a cryptogenic stroke and underwent PFO closure, appeared to have a much lower recurrence rate of stroke compared to patients remained on medical therapy without PFO closure 909 patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either percutaneous PFO closure with the STARFlex Septal Occluder plus antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel, or medical therapy alone with aspirin, warfarin or a combination of both. The primary endpoint was stroke and/or TIA, all-cause mortality within the first 30 days, and death from a neurological cause occurring between 31 days and 2 years. Secondary endpoints were all-cause mortality, stroke, TIA, significant bleeding, and other transient neurologic events of undetermined etiology. After a 2-year follow up, there were no statistical differences in the primary and secondary outcomes when comparing the Closure group versus the Medical Therapy group in both the intention-to-treat and per-protocol populations. The study was heavily criticized for its use of a suboptimal device that resulted in incomplete PFO closure in a large fraction of patients, as well as an increased risk of atrial fibrillation and thrombogenesis compared to the Medical Therapy group.
Corticosteroids and Increased Risk of Readmission after Acute Chest Syndrome.

Abstract Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is a cause of frequent hospitalization and death in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Therapies commonly used include antibiotics, inhaled B-agonists, oxygen, high-dose dexamethasone and transfusions. Although corticosteroids appear to speed resolution of ACS, the frequency of rebound vasoocclusive crises has not been adequately assessed. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to characterize risk factors for readmission after ACS. We included patients Patient Characteristics by Treatment Supportive N=64 Corticosteroids N=20 Transfusion N=23 Corticosteroids and Transfusion N=19 P-value Age 13±6 11±4 13±5 9±3 RR 24±6 31±13 34±13 36±10 Involved lobes 1.2±0.4 1.4±0.6 1.7±0.8 1.7±0.8 Wheezing (%) 11 15 9 42 ACS (days) 3.5±1.5 3.4±1.7 4.7±2.2 5±3.9 Readmission (%) 13 60 9 26
Inorganic Phototropism in Electrodeposition of Se-Te.

Photoelectrochemical deposition of Se–Te on isolated Au islands using an unstructured, incoherent beam of light produces growth of Se–Te alloy toward the direction of the incident light beam. Full-...
The lesser threat: How the Muslim Brotherhood views Shias and Shiism

The question of the role that religion – or more specifically theology – plays in driving or even 'causing’ sectarianism is a challenging one, not least because it enters into the tricky territory ...
ACE2 and COVID-19: using antihypertensive medications and pharmacogenetic considerations

COVID-19 utilizes the ACE2 pathway as a means of infection. Early data on COVID-19 suggest heterogeneity in the severity of symptoms during transmission and infection ranging from no symptoms to death. The source of this heterogeneity is likely multifaceted and may have a genetic component. Demographic and clinical comorbidities associated with the severity of infection suggest that possible variants known to influence the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAAS) system pathway (particularly those that influence ACE2) may contribute to the heterogenous infection response. ACE2 and Ang(1-7) (the product of ACE2) seem to have a protective effect on the pulmonary and cardiac systems. Hypertension medication modulation, may alter ACE2 and Ang(1-7), particularly in variants that have been shown to influence RAAS system function, which could be clinically useful in patients with COVID-19.
Rural-Urban Differences in Positive Childhood Experiences Across a National Sample.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of positive childhood experience (PCE) and adverse childhood experience (ACE) exposures in 31 states plus the District of Columbia and to estimate exposure differences between rural and urban children. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 19,251 respondents from the 2017-2018 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), a nationally representative sample of US children. Sociodemographic information, residence, and PCE and ACE responses were utilized. To calculate frequencies, proportions, and unadjusted associations for each variable, descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were used. Multivariable regression models were used to examine the association between residence and PCEs that showed significance in bivariate analyses. Findings In adjusted analyses of PCEs, there was no significant difference between rural and urban children for after-school activities. However, rural children were more likely to volunteer in the community, school, or church than were urban children (aOR 1.32; 95% CI: 1.14-1.54). Rural children also had greater odds of having a mentor for advice or guidance, compared to urban children (aOR 1.8; 95% CI: 1.40-2.52). Conclusions An examination of both PCEs and ACEs provides policy makers, program developers, and other stakeholders the opportunity to determine needs of rural children and where to target interventions. Furthering the understanding of PCEs and ACEs is important to bring individuals, families, and communities together to both address childhood adversity and utilize existing family and community-level assets.
Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 asymptomatic infections in two large academic health systems in Wisconsin.

SARS-CoV-2 asymptomatic infections may play a critical role in disease transmission. We aim to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection at two hospital systems in two counties in Wisconsin. The SARS-CoV-2 prevalence was 1% or lower at both systems despite the higher incidence of COVID-19 in Milwaukee county.
Roberts, Rules, and Rucho

This essay arises out of a symposium exploring the connection between the political question doctrine and judicial legitimacy in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Rucho v. Common Cause, and more specifically a panel devoted to the implications of Rucho for theories of judgment and judging. Chief Justice Roberts’s majority opinion in Rucho emphasizes the need for judicial action to “be governed by standard, by rule” and to be “principled, rational, and based on reasoned distinctions.” Yet our analysis—which compares and contrasts the arguments, reasoning, and rhetoric in Rucho with their counterparts in the Chief Justice’s other opinions—suggests that Rucho ultimately fails its own test. Each justification is one that Chief Justice Roberts has disclaimed or acted contrary to in other cases, leading to the impression that they were cynically, rather than sincerely, deployed. In particular, the argumentative structure in Rucho stands in deep tension with that in Shelby County v. Holder, thereby giving rise to the very appearance of partisan motivation that Rucho decries. The Chief Justice’s ostensible effort to avoid appearing to act out of expediency in the short term thus threatens to undermine the Court’s perceived legitimacy when viewed in the context of his larger body of work.
Inpatient chemotherapy for patients with advanced solid tumors: A single-center observational study.

158Background: We sought to identify a population of patients with advanced-stage solid tumor diagnoses for whom inpatient chemotherapy is appropriate. In so doing, we endeavor to define standards ...
Testing Procedure Effects on Dynamic Soil Behavior

Cyclic triaxial tests were performed on dry and saturated undrained sands using stage testing methods to investigate the influence of repeated cyclic straining and specimen reconsolidation on equivalent linear modulus and damping values on both a total stress and on an effective stress basis. It was found that: (1) Modulus and damping values for dry sand are not significantly affected by stage testing; (2) damping values are not significantly higher for saturated specimens than for dry specimens; (3) volume changes in saturated specimens induced by stage testing can be severe and can severely change initial testing densities; and (4) modulus values for saturated sands are significantly higher for stage tested specimens than for fresh specimens at the same shear strain levels after the same number of cycles. It was concluded that stage testing methods may not give reasonable values of dynamic soil properties for saturated undrained sands for shear strain levels greater than about 0.1% or for more than about 25 strain cycles.
Immunomodulatory Effects of Estrogen and Progesterone Replacement in a Nonhuman Primate Model

A novel postmenopausal nonhuman primate model consisting of healthy young and old ovariectomized rhesus macaques was used to assess the short-term immunomodulatory effects of transdermally administered estrogen and progesterone. Specifically, we determined estrogen- and progesterone-induced changes in absolute numbers of circulating lymphocytes (B lymphocytes, CD4+ lymphocytes, and CD8+ lymphocytes) as well as lymphocytes expressing the activation markers CD25 and CD69. In addition, we assessed B and T lymphocyte activity, i.e, immunoglobulin (Ig) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). In general, treatment with estrogen or progesterone resulted in decreased lymphocyte numbers and in down-modulation of activation markers. In addition, hormone replacement resulted in a decreasing trend for PBMC IFN-γ production, whereas PBMC Ig production was minimally affected. Hormone treatment seemed to influence young and old animals differently, with the young animals appearing more susceptible to its immune system-related effects. These results indicate that, in our animal model exogenously administered hormones may dynamically interact with the immune system, resulting in in vivo modulation of lymphocyte numbers and activity.
Physiological Role for the GlnK Protein of Enteric Bacteria: Relief of NifL Inhibition under Nitrogen-Limiting Conditions

In Klebsiella pneumoniae, NifA-dependent transcription of nitrogen fixation (nif) genes is inhibited by a flavoprotein, NifL, in the presence of molecular oxygen and/or combined nitrogen. We recently demonstrated that the general nitrogen regulator NtrC is required to relieve NifL inhibition under nitrogen (N)-limiting conditions. We provide evidence that the sole basis for the NtrC requirement is its role as an activator of transcription for glnK, which encodes a PII-like allosteric effector. Relief of NifL inhibition is a unique physiological function for GlnK in that the structurally related GlnB protein of enteric bacteria-apparently a paralogue of GlnK-cannot substitute. Unexpectedly, although covalent modification of GlnK by uridylylation normally occurs under N-limiting conditions, several lines of evidence indicate that uridylylation is not required for relief of NifL inhibition. When GlnK was synthesized constitutively from non-NtrC-dependent promoters, it was able to relieve NifL inhibition in the absence of uridylyltransferase, the product of the glnD gene, and under N excess conditions. Moreover, an altered form of GlnK, GlnKY51N, which cannot be uridylylated due to the absence of the requisite tyrosine, was still able to relieve NifL inhibition.
Requirement of Calcineurin Aβ for the Survival of Naive T Cells

Calcineurin (Cn) is a Ca 2+ /calmodulin-dependent phosphatase that dephosphorylates and activates NFAT, a transcription factor essential for T cell activation. T lymphocytes predominantly express the calcineurin Aβ (CnAβ) isoform, and the deletion of the CnAβ gene results in defective T cell proliferation and IL-2 production in response to TCR stimulation. In this study, we show that CnAβ enhances the spontaneous survival of naive T cells by maintaining high levels of Bcl-2, a critical homeostatic survival factor for naive T cells. T cells obtained from CnA β −/− mice displayed accelerated spontaneous apoptosis. The observed apoptosis of the CnA β −/− T cells was prevented by IL-7 and IL-15, two cytokines critical for the homeostatic survival of naive T cells. Furthermore, CD4 + or CD8 + single positive CnA β −/− thymocytes also underwent accelerated apoptosis. However, no obvious difference in the apoptosis of CD4 + CD8 + double positive thymocytes was observed between CnA β −/− and wild-type mice, suggesting a specific function of CnAβ in the survival of single positive T cells. Bcl-2 levels were found to be significantly lower in CnA β −/− T cells. Transgenic expression of Bcl-x L restored the survival of the CnA β −/− T cells. Thus, in addition to its role in mediating TCR signals essential for T cell activation, CnAβ is also required for the homeostatic survival of naive T cells.
Membrane-derived oligosaccharides affect porin osmoregulation only in media of low ionic strength.

Abstract Gram-negative bacteria grown under conditions of low osmolarity accumulate significant amounts of periplasmic glucans, membrane-derived oligosaccharides (MDO) in Escherichia coli and cyclic glucans in members of the family Rhizobiaceae. It was reported previously (W. Fiedlder and H. Rotering, J. Biol. Chem. 263:14684-14689, 1988) that mdoA mutants unable to synthesize MDO show a number of altered phenotypes, among them a decreased expression of OmpF and an increased expression of OmpC, when grown in a Bacto Peptone medium of low osmolarity and low ionic strength. Although we confirm the findings of Fiedler and Rotering, we find that the regulation of OmpF and OmpC expression in mdoA mutants is normal in cells grown on other low-osmolarity media, eliminating the possibility that MDO itself might control porin expression. Our data suggest that a certain minimal ionic strength in the periplasm is needed for normal porin regulation. In media containing very low levels of salt, this may be contributed by anionic MDO.
Trail Smelter Deja Vu: Extraterritoriality, International Environmental Law, and the Search for Solutions to Canada-U.S. Transboundary Water Pollution Disputes

In the 1930s, a privately owned smelting plant in Trail, Canada was the focus of the most famous case in international environmental law: the Trail Smelter Arbitration. But the subject of that landmark case has not gone away. Over the last seventy years, the Trail smelter dumped millions of tons of mercury, arsenic, and toxic waste into the Columbia River. The dumping's effects have been felt in neighboring Washington State, where the toxic discharges have caused environmental harm. In 2003, the EPA began investigating the Washington border area for designation as a Superfund (CERCLA) site, and controversially demanded that the Trail smelter, which operates solely in Canada, submit to EPA jurisdiction and pay for cleanup costs. In July 2004, a Native American tribe filed a citizen's suit: the first time ever Americans have sued a Canadian company under the U.S. Superfund laws. This article explores the United States's unprecedented attempt to apply its Superfund laws extraterritorially and to use domestic courts to resolve U.S.-Canadian transboundary water pollution disputes. In recent years, traditional barriers to relief in domestic courts have vanished. But using U.S. courts to solve international disputes is problematic for a variety of reasons. If transboundary disputes can not be solved diplomatically, the U.S. and Canada would be wise to resolve their transboundary pollution problems through international arbitration. This article analyzes the limitation of domestic law, and argues that the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty and the landmark Trail Smelter Arbitration provides an appropriate framework to do so successfully.
Cytoskeletal Protein Transformation in HIV-1-Infected Macrophage Giant Cells

The mechanisms linking HIV-1 replication, macrophage biology, and multinucleated giant cell formation are incompletely understood. With the advent of functional proteomics, the characterization, regulation, and transformation of HIV-1-infected macrophage-secreted proteins can be ascertained. To these ends, we performed proteomic analyses of culture fluids derived from HIV-1 infected monocyte-derived macrophages. Robust reorganization, phosphorylation, and exosomal secretion of the cytoskeletal proteins profilin 1 and actin were observed in conjunction with productive viral replication and giant cell formation. Actin and profilin 1 recruitment to the macrophage plasma membrane paralleled virus-induced cytopathicity, podosome formation, and cellular fusion. Poly-l-proline, an inhibitor of profilin 1-mediated actin polymerization, inhibited cytoskeletal transformations and suppressed, in part, progeny virion production. These data support the idea that actin and profilin 1 rearrangement along with exosomal secretion affect viral replication and cytopathicity. Such events favor the virus over the host cell and provide insights into macrophage defense mechanisms used to contain viral growth and how they may be affected during progressive HIV-1 infection.
Design of a Router for Fault-Tolerant Networks

As interconnection networks grow larger and larger, the need for reliable message delivery in the presence of faults grows as well. Unfortunately, most network routing schemes currently in use do not provide graceful tolerance of even the most common faults. Because routing messages around failed components requires non-minimal routing, it makes sense to examine routers which, by design, allow packets to take non-minimal routes. Such routers provide a basic level of fault-tolerance by allowing messages to be routed around faults, without requiring a priori knowledge of their locations. However, the mechanisms can be slow and clumsy at times. We augment Chaotic routing, a non-minimal adaptive routing scheme, with a limited amount of hardware to support fault detection, identification, and reconfiguration so that the network can automatically reconfigure itself when faults occur. We present a high-level design of these mechanisms, driven by the goal of achieving reasonable reliability without exorbitant cost.
Urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy

Urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy is common, but in most patients the symptoms are transitory and subside spontaneously within several days to several months. During the recovery period, suitable means of managing the incontinence must be devised. These include absorbent pads, penile clamps, condom catheters, and occasionally indwelling catheters. Even at this early stage, it is important to exclude two remediable conditions-urinary tract infection and urinary retention. For the 5-10% of patients with persistent incontinence, the diagnosis and treatment is more difficult than a review of the literature might suggest and requires a complete evaluation, including micturition diaries and pad tests, urodynamics (including detrusor pressure/uroflow studies), and cystoscopy. The causes of postprostatectomy incontinence include sphincter malfunction, detrusor abnormalities, and urinary retention with overflow. Detrusor abnormalities include involuntary detrusor contractions, impaired or absent detrusor contractility, and low bladder compliance. Involuntary detrusor contractions may be caused by urinary tract infection, bladder outlet obstruction, bladder stones, carcinoma of the bladder, retained sutures or other foreign bodies, and neurologic conditions. Treatment of involuntary detrusor contractions includes (1) alleviating the underlying cause, (2) anticholinergics, (3) behavior modification, (4) biofeedback and (5) electrical stimulation. Most sphincteric incontinence is self-limited. Persistent sphincteric incontinence is usually associated with anastomotic scarring. The only surgical treatment of proven efficacy is sphincter prosthesis, but this should be considered only after about 1 year has elapsed, unless the incontinence is particularly severe and is clearly not improving. Periurethral injections of substances such as collagen show promise, with almost inconsequential morbidity, but are still in an evolutionary mode. Cancer 1995 ;75 :1978-82.
The Internet: Benefits of the Next Communication Frontier

Purpose – Introduces readers to the background and ways that the Internet is used and is developing with wider applications. Access issues are also discussed as well as legal implications.Design/methodology/approach – Introduces social science theory and applications.Findings – That no definitive approach is clear about the future applications for the Internet and that it is still a maturing technology.Research limitations/implications – More research is required in all areas to see what the next decade of development will suggest.Practical Implications – Tests the ubiquity of the Internet and suggests that many new applications are still to be pioneered.Value – Forces reader to consider what has contributed to the success of the Internet, and now that it is in its adolescence, what the future may be.
Periorbital necrobiotic xanthogranuloma and stage I multiple myeloma: Ultrastructure and response to pulsed dexamethasone documented by magnetic resonance imaging

We observed a 40-year-old woman with necrobiotic xanthogranuloma from the inception of indurated eyelid and periorbital infiltrates and concurrent stage I multiple myeloma to resolution of infiltrates in skin and bone marrow after pulsed high-dose oral dexamethasone therapy. Ultrastructural studies revealed lipid vacuoles in epidermal keratinocytes, in dermal histiocytic macrophages, and in vascular and lymphatic endothelial cells. The presence of lipid vacuoles in epidermal keratinocytes has not been reported previously in xanthogranuloma.
A Genomewide Search Finds Major Susceptibility Loci for Nicotine Dependence on Chromosome 10 in African Americans

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that genetic factors account for at least 50% of the liability for nicotine dependence (ND). Although several linkage studies have been conducted, all samples to date were primarily of European origin. In this study, we conducted a genomewide scan of 1,261 individuals, representing 402 nuclear families, of African American (AA) origin. We examined 385 autosomal microsatellite markers for ND, which was assessed by smoking quantity (SQ), the Heaviness of Smoking Index (HSI), and the Fagerstrom Test for ND (FTND). After performing linkage analyses using various methods implemented in the GENEHUNTER and S.A.G.E. programs, we found a region near marker D10S1432 on chromosome 10q22 that showed a significant linkage to indexed SQ, with a maximum LOD score of 4.17 at 92 cM and suggestive linkage to HSI, SQ, and log-transformed SQ. Additionally, we identified three regions that met the criteria for suggestive linkage to at least one ND measure: on chromosomes 9q31 at marker D9S1825, 11p11 between markers D11S1993 and D11S1344, and 13q13 between markers D13S325 and D13S788. Other locations on chromosomes 15p11, 17q25, and 18q12 exhibited some evidence of linkage for ND (LOD >1.44). The four regions with significant or suggestive linkage were positive for multiple ND measures by multiple statistical methods. Some of these regions have been linked to smoking behavior at nominally significant levels in other studies, which provides independent replication of the regions for ND in different cohorts. In summary, we found significant linkage on chromosome 10q22 and suggestive linkage on chromosomes 9, 11, and 13 for major genetic determinants of ND in an AA sample. Further analysis of these positive regions by fine mapping and/or association analysis is thus warranted. To our knowledge, this study represents the first genomewide linkage scan of ND in an AA sample.
Separation and characterization of gall bladder bile metabolites from speckled trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, exposed to individual polycyclic aromatic compounds

Speckled trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, were orally exposed to individual polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) represented by benzo[a]pyrene, carbazole, chrysene, dibenzofuran, dibenzothiophene, fluorene, phenanthrene, and pyrene. Fish were sacrificed 7 d after exposure and the gall bladder removed for bile analysis. High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence (F) and ultraviolet (UV) detection was used to determine the presence of PAC derivatives in the bile without pretreatment. Glucuronide conjugates were predominant in all exposures with variable amounts (0-53%) of phenols and starting material. Identification of compounds was confirmed by selective extraction of less polar nonconjugated PACs and enzymatic hydrolysis of water-soluble material. This was followed by HPLC and/or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) characterization of the produced phenols. Total metabolite levels varied widely among compounds.
Inverse Relation Between Foreshore Slope and Mean Grain Size as a Function of the Heavy Mineral Content

Along the sandy beach of Terry Andrae State Park on Lake Michigan, Wisconsin, an inverse relationship exists between foreshore slope angle and mean grain size. Mean grain size decreases as the heavy mineral content increases. Grain size, wave steepness, and wave length have been reported as variables affecting the foreshore slope angle. It is here suggested that the heavy mineral content in the mid-foreshore be accepted as an active variable that influences the foreshore slope angle.
A matched-control evaluation of an antifungal bundle in the intensive care unit at a university teaching hospital.

Background Antimicrobial use bundles are becoming a common means of implementing antimicrobial stewardship initiatives in the hospital setting. Although the utility of these bundles has been described for many disease states, their adoption for antifungal therapy management is largely unknown. Objective Our objective was to assess the utility of an antifungal bundle protocol in limiting excessive use of echinocandins in the intensive-care inpatient setting. Methods In this matched-control evaluation, pre-protocol control patients were matched with each prospective patient in a 2:1 ratio using five demographic and clinical characteristics. The impact of the antifungal bundle protocol on caspofungin days of therapy, drug costs, and adherence to bundle criteria was assessed. Results A significant reduction in median days of caspofungin therapy (4.00 vs. 2.00 days, p = 0.001) was found in the bundle group. Most of this reduction in use was realized in the medical ICU (p = 0.002) as opposed to the surgical ICU (p = 0.188). Conclusions Use of an antifungal bundle approach appears to facilitate a reduction in caspofungin use in the ICU without adversely affecting patient outcomes. Further trials are needed to assess the utility of such bundles in providing antimicrobial stewardship for antifungal drug use.
Hand-arm vibration syndrome may be associated with prolonged use of vibrating computer games

EDITOR—We report the development of the hand-arm vibration syndrome in a 15 year old boy who presented with a two year history of painful hands. His hands became white and swollen when exposed to the cold and subsequently red and painful on warming. He had no clinical or laboratory features of an underlying connective tissue disorder. The onset of his symptoms was preceded by the prolonged use of a widely available domestic computer game (Sony Playstation). He spent up to seven …
Isolation and characterization of substance P, substance P 5-11, and substance K from two metastatic ileal carcinoids.

Abstract Using an antiserum directed at the COOH-terminus of tachykinins, we have examined postmortem tissue from two cases of metastatic ileal carcinoid for the presence of tachykinin-like immunoreactivity. The vast majority of the immunoreactive tachykinin-like material eluted from a Sephadex G-50 column as two peaks at positions corresponding to molecular weights of 1300 and 850. The 1300 dalton peak was resolved by reverse-phase-HPLC into two components which by Edman sequencing, amino acid analysis, and fast atom bombardment (FAB)-mass spectrometry criteria, were identified as substance P and substance K. The 850 dalton peak was also resolved on RP-HPLC into two peaks which were resistant to Edman degradation but from amino acid analysis and FAB-mass spectrometry criteria were identified as pyro-Glu-substance P 5–11 and oxidized pyro-Glu-substance P 5–11. In control experiments substance P 5–11 was converted to pyro-Glu-substance P 5–11 during the extraction procedure. Both tumors also contained a minor immunoreactive peak which eluted from a Sephadex G-50 sizing column at a position corresponding to a molecular weight of 4000 which probably represents neuropeptide K. These results suggest that β-preprotachykinin is preferentially expressed in carcinoid tumors and that substance K may also play a role in the carcinoid syndrome.
Dynamic Scheduling and Pricing in Wireless Cloud Computing

In this paper, we consider a wireless cloud computing system in which the service provider operates a data center and provides cloud services to its subscribers at dynamic prices. We propose a joint optimization of scheduling and pricing decisions for delay-tolerant batch services to maximize the service provider’s long-term profit. Unlike the existing research on jointly scheduling and pricing that focuses on static or asymptotic analysis, we focus on a dynamic setting and develop a provably-efficient Dynamic Scheduling and Pricing (Dyn-SP) algorithm which, without the necessity of predicting the future information, can be applied to an arbitrarily random environment that may follow an arbitrary trajectory over time. We prove that, compared to the optimal offline algorithm with future information, Dyn-SP produces a close-to-optimal average profit while bounding the job queue length in the data center. We perform a trace-based simulation study to validate Dyn-SP. In particular, we show both analytically and numerically that a desired tradeoff between the profit and queueing delay can be obtained by appropriately tuning the control parameter. Our results also indicate that, compared to the existing algorithms which neglect demand-side management, cooling system energy consumption, and/or the queue length information, Dyn-SP achieves a higher average profit while incurring (almost) the same average queueing delay.
Intrascleral nerve loop mistakenly identified as a foreign body.

• A 5-year-old boy had an excisional biopsy of a pigmented scleral lesion thought clinically to be a foreign body, probably graphite from a pencil. Histological study demonstrated that the pigmented lesion was an intrascleral nerve loop (Axenfeld). (Arch Ophthalmol95:497-498, 1977)
The fetal-pelvic index as an indicator of fetal-pelvic disproportion: A preliminary report

The objective of this study was to develop a standardized method of identifying fetal-pelvic disproportion by comparing fetal head and abdomen circumferences with the respective maternal pelvic inlet and midpelvis circumferences. Fetal ultrasound and maternal x-ray pelvimetry measurements were performed on 75 term pregnant women with indications for a trial of labor. By means of individually measured fetal and maternal pelvic diameters, circumferences of the fetal head, fetal abdomen, maternal pelvic inlet, and maternal midpelvis were computed. Based on four circumference differences between the fetus and maternal pelvis (fetal head--maternal pelvic inlet, fetal head--maternal midpelvis, fetal abdomen--maternal pelvic inlet, and fetal abdomen--maternal midpelvis), a fetal pelvic index number was derived from the sum of the two most positive values. Of the 27 patients requiring cesarean sections for failure to progress in labor, all but four had positive fetal pelvic index values (sensitivity = 85%). Of the 48 patients who were delivered vaginally, all but four had negative fetal pelvic index values (specificity = 92%).
The Hispanic Image on the Silver Screen: An Interpretive Filmography from Silents into Sound, 1898-1935

Preface Introduction Primitive Times 1898-1906 Feature Film Lists Feature Film Titles Index Subject Index Actors and Actresses Index Countries and Place Names Index
Shipboard multisensor merged wind profiles from the New England Air Quality Study 2004

[1] The New England Air Quality Study (NEAQS) was a regional portion of the International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation (ICARTT) planned by groups in North America and Europe to develop a better understanding of the factors that shape air quality in their respective regions and the remote North Atlantic. The NOAA research vessel Ronald H. Brown was only one of a number of platforms given the task of monitoring the emissions of aerosol and ozone precursors and the atmosphere in which they reside. Two remote and one in situ sensor were used to measure wind profiles. A radar wind profiler (RWP) permanently deployed on the ship and corrected in real time for ship motion provided continuous hourly profiles at 60- and 100-m vertical resolutions. A high-resolution Doppler lidar (HRDL) was also operated during the experiment and provided continuous low-level wind profiles. Rawinsondes were launched 4–6 times daily and provided a detailed profile of winds. Initial results show that the RWP, HRDL, and rawinsonde data compare very well. The ability of HRDL to monitor low-level winds below the minimum range gate of the RWP, while the RWP wind data extend to a much greater height than can be reached by HRDL, make the two systems complementary. Single merged profiles were generated using the RWP and HRDL data, which in turn were used to calculate trajectories to help better understand the transport of pollutants within the Gulf of Maine.
Semiquantitative approach to CSF cytopathology.

During the past two years, our laboratory has introduced a semiquantitative membrane filter approach to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology. Five hundred and thirty-five CSF specimens, averaging 3 ml in volume, were placed over 25-mm diameter Milliporer filters (5-μ pore size) and stained using a modified Papankolaou method. Each microscopic evaluation consisted of a cell count per milliliter, a 100-cell differential, and a diagnostic or interpretive statement. Seventy-four (13.8%) positive, 17 (3.2%) atypical, 439 (82%) negative, and 4(1%) unsatisfactory specimens were evaluated. Seventy-four percent of the positive or atypical CSF specimens had mononuclear cell counts within the medically accepted normal range of five mononuclear cells per cubic millimeter (chamber count method) or 5,000 cells per milliter (cytologic method). The small-filter technique offered advantages because it maximized cell retrieval, localized cells, and shortened the time required for microscopic evaluation. Diagn Cytopathol 1986;2:194-197.
Interaction between two compressible, turbulent free shear layers

Les couches cisaillees sont formees par la separation geometrique de deux ecoulements de couche limite turbulents a grand nombre de Reynolds. Etude detaillee du champ d'ecoulement par anemometrie laser Doppler
Automatic Measurement of Drainage Networks

Two methods for measuring network lengths and areas by automatic methods are discussed. Results of experiments using drainage networks are presented and indicate that further study and refinement are warranted. The first method involves etching the network on a copper plate and measuring its capacitance. The capacitance of each network plate is shown to have a strong association with the total length of the stream network. The second method uses a flying-spot scanner on either hand-drafted transparencies or directly on radar images. Data obtained by measurement of the edge-enhanced lines marking film-density boundaries show a high correlation with the total length of stream networks. Application of this latter method would permit acquisition of terrain data from large areas in a very short time.
Numerical computation of macroscopic turbulence quantities in representative elementary volumes of the porous medium

Abstract In this study, fully developed macroscopic turbulence quantities—based on their definitions in some existing turbulence models for porous media as well as those based on definitions introduced in a recently developed model [F.E. Teruel, Rizwan-uddin, A new turbulence model for porous media flows. Part I: Constitutive equations and model closure, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer (2009)]—are computed and analyzed for different Reynolds numbers as well as for different porosity levels. When computed based on the definition introduced in the new model, these numerically computed, pore-level turbulent quantities provide closure to the formulation. A large set of microscopic turbulent flow simulations of the REV of a porous medium, formed by staggered square cylinders, is carried out to achieve these tasks. For each Reynolds number selected, ten different porosities are simulated in the 5–95% range. The Reynolds number is varied from Re = 103 to Re = 105, covering four different cases of the turbulence flow regime. Numerical results obtained for the macroscopic turbulent kinetic energy based on the new definition show that the spatial dispersion of the mean flow is the main contributor to this quantity at low porosities. Additionally, it is found that for high porosities, the spatial average of the turbulent kinetic energy is the main contributor but the spatial dispersion of the mean flow cannot be neglected. The new definition of the macroscopic dissipation rate is found to asymptotically approach the volume average of this quantity at high Reynolds numbers. It is confirmed that microscopic numerical simulations are consistent with the macroscopic law that states that the macroscopic dissipation rate is determined by the pressure-drop through the REV.