cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
GINOM: A statistical framework for assessing interval overlap of multiple genomic features

A common problem in genomics is to test for associations between two or more genomic features, typically represented as intervals interspersed across the genome. Existing methodologies can test for significant pairwise associations between two genomic intervals; however, they cannot test for associations involving multiple sets of intervals. This limits our ability to uncover more complex, yet biologically important associations between multiple sets of genomic features. We introduce GINOM (Genomic INterval Overlap Model), a new method that enables testing of significant associations between multiple genomic features. We demonstrate GINOM’s ability to identify higher-order associations with both simulated and real data. In particular, we used GINOM to explore L1 retrotransposable element insertion bias in lung cancer and found a significant pairwise association between L1 insertions and heterochromatic marks. Unlike other methods, GINOM also detected an association between L1 insertions and gene bodies marked by a facultative heterochromatic mark, which could explain the observed bias for L1 insertions towards cancer-associated genes.
Expected values and variances of Bragg peak intensities measured in a nanocrystalline powder diffraction experiment

A rigorous study of sampling and intensity statistics applicable for a powder diffraction experiment as a function of crystallite size is presented. This analysis yields approximate equations for the expected value, variance and standard deviations for both the number of diffracting grains and the corresponding diffracted intensity for a given Bragg peak. The classical formalism published in 1948 by Alexander, Klug & Kummer [J. Appl. Phys. (1948), 19, 742–753] appears as a special case, limited to large crystallite sizes, in the present analysis. It is observed that both the Lorentz probability expression and the statistics equations used in the classical formalism are inapplicable for nanocrystalline powder samples.
Experiencing Technology Enabled Empathy Mapping

Designing and Understanding in the Problem Space, within the Virtual Space. How do we connect with spaces and people with limited or restricted access? How do we design for a situation we have not ...
An Active and Collaborative Approach to Teaching Discrete Structures

It has been long established that discrete structures is an important and foundational component of the computer science curriculum. However, the topics covered in this course tend to be more abstract than those covered in most other introductory computer science courses. This leads to additional challenges for instructors and students. To deal with these challenges, we introduce a new pedagogy for teaching this course. Our approach is based on a variant of the flipped classroom paradigm and is comprised of four main components: before class preparatory work, in-class mini lecture, in-class team based problem solving activities, and weekly individual assignments. In this paper, we discuss these components in detail. Our approach is informed by several cutting-edge teaching methodologies including active learning, light weight teams, and gamification. We conclude the paper by discussing the results of a survey taken by the students and a summary of the grades attained in the class. These show that our approach was well received by the students and has led to good learning outcomes.
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis appears to be increasing in incidence. It requires early recognition and intervention with supportive care and pharmacologic agents to forestall its progression. Lung transplantation may be curative, but the disease may recur in transplanted lungs.
Long-term Outcomes of Baerveldt Glaucoma Implant Shunts as a Primary Versus Secondary Procedure.

PURPOSE To determine the 5-year success rate for Baerveldt glaucoma implant (BGI) in patients who received the implant as a primary (primary BGI, used as the initial surgical procedure) or secondary (secondary BGI, used after trabeculectomy) by a single surgeon between year 1994 and 2010. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 117 eyes from patients who underwent BGI placement as a primary or secondary procedure were included in this study. Demographics, previous history, type of glaucoma, intraocular pressure (IOP), visual acuity (VA), glaucoma medication use, and early and late postoperative complications were collected. Postoperative data were collected at day 1, 30, 60, and every year until the last visit (minimum of 2 y). IOP was the main outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures included VA, glaucoma medication use, and early and late postoperative complications. Overall success rates were calculated for primary and secondary BGI using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Differences between survival curves were determined using log-rank test. Risk factors for success were defined by Cox proportional-hazards regression model. RESULTS At the 5-year follow-up, the overall success rates (determined as IOP between 6 and 21 mm Hg) in the primary and secondary BGI were 58% (49/79) and 53% (20/38), respectively (P=0.56). The overall success rate dropped by an average 10% and 13% per year for the primary and secondary BGI groups, respectively (P=0.05). The complete success rates at the 5-year follow-up for primary and secondary BGI were 24% (19/79) and 13% (5/38), respectively, whereas the qualified success rates were 34% (27/79) and 39% (15/38), respectively. There was a significant decrease in IOP [from 31.23 (±9.51) to 12.86 (±4.84) mm Hg (P<0.001) for the primary BGI group, and from 26.35 (±7.22) to 13.92 (±5.90) mm Hg (P<0.001) for the secondary BGI group]. There was also a significant drop in medication use but a significant worsening in VA in both groups (P<0.05) likely from cataract. The difference in the incidence of postoperative complications was not statistically significant between the groups. CONCLUSIONS Although, the success rates were similar for the primary and secondary BGI at the 5-year follow-up, the drop in the success rate per year was significantly higher in the secondary BGI group. In contrast, both procedures had similar incidence of postoperative complications.
Gracilis musculotendinous free flap for lower extremity reconstruction after surgical removal of malignant tumors: A report of five cases.

Background Lower extremity reconstruction is challenging because of the need to restore form and function. Despite the many options for soft-tissue coverage, little research has addressed combined tendon and soft-tissue reconstitution. We present a series of patients undergoing lower extremity tendon reconstruction and wound coverage with a single free gracilis flap and its tendon. Methods We studied five patients (age range, 51-81 years) undergoing lower limb reconstruction for defects involving soft tissue and tendon between 1998 and 2016 in the senior author's practice. Wounds (all in the foot and ankle region) were caused by sarcoma (n = 4) and Merkel cell carcinoma (n = 1) and ranged from 6.5-10 × 8-12 cm. Donor tendons, 2-18 cm long, were used to reconstruct the tibialis anterior, extensor hallucis longus, extensor digitorum longus, and extensor retinaculum. Patient characteristics and outcomes were reviewed retrospectively. Results Reconstructions used a gracilis muscle free flap and its tendon. Flap sizes ranged 5-6.5 × 11-14 cm. Complications were one case of cellulitis and one case of reoperation for flap thinning and tenolysis. All patients had at least 7 months of follow-up (mean: 37 months; range: 7-104 months). At latest follow-up, all patients were ambulatory. On average, patients resumed assisted ambulation 27 days postoperatively and unassisted ambulation 62 days postoperatively. Conclusions For complex wounds with soft-tissue and tendinous defects, the gracilis muscle free flap may be a reconstructive option. We recommend it be considered as a single-donor incision option for lower extremity reconstruction.
Strategic Violence during Democratization: Evidence from Myanmar

Democratic transitions are often followed by conflict. This article explores one explanation: the military’s strategic use of violence to retain control of economically valuable regions. The authors uncover this dynamic in Myanmar, a country transitioning from four decades of military rule. Fearing that the new civilian government will assert authority over jade mining, the military initiated violence in mining townships. Using geocoded data on conflict and jade mines, the authors find evidence for this strategic use of violence. As Myanmar started to transition in 2011, conflicts instigated by the military in jademining areas sharply rose. The article also addresses alternative explanations, including a shift in the military’s strategy, colocation of mines and military headquarters, commodity prices, opposition to a controversial dam, and trends specific to Kachin State. With implications beyond Myanmar, the authors argue that outgoing generals can use instability to retain rents where plausible challengers to state authority provide a pretense for violence.
Factors Predictive of Performance on USMLE Step 1: Do Commercial Study Aids Improve Scores?

The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 was the most cited factor in granting medical student applicants’ residency interviews in a 2016 NRMP survey. Medical students utilize numerous commercial resources to achieve the highest score possible. This study sought to examine preparatory resources and their association with USMLE Step 1 performance. In 2016 and 2017, 170 medical students from a public, Midwestern medical school completed a voluntary survey after completing USMLE Step 1. The survey asked about study aids, anticipated performance, test preparation time, and practice exam performance. Actual scores and academic performance (overall percent for years 1 and 2 of medical school) were matched to survey responses. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. USMLE Step 1 performance was associated with academic performance (r = 0.719, p < 0.01). Post hoc tests indicated a positive difference with the UWorld Qbank and exam performance (F4,134 = 10.29, p < 0.05). Amount of days dedicated to test preparation was negatively correlated with performance in the 2017 student cohort (r = − 0.304, p < 0.01). The use of other commercially available products and the number of practice tests completed were not correlated with performance. Cumulative pre-clinical grades had the strongest association with performance on the USMLE Step 1. Completing UWorld Qbank at least once was positively related with Step 1 scores. However, the use of other study aids, completing multiple practice exams, and delaying exam dates were not statistically significant. This study indicates performance in the pre-clinical curriculum and increased usage of UWorld are strongly associated with USMLE Step 1 performance.
Hedgehog pathway activation through conformational blockade of the Patched sterol conduit

Abstract Activation of the Hedgehog pathway may have therapeutic value for improved bone healing, taste receptor cell regeneration, and alleviation of colitis or other conditions. Systemic pathway activation, however, may be detrimental and therapeutic application has been difficult for lack of agents amenable to tissue targeting. We have developed a novel agonist, a conformation-specific nanobody against the Hedgehog receptor Patched1. This nanobody potently activates the Hedgehog pathway in vitro and in vivo by stabilizing an alternative conformation of a Patched1 “switch helix”, as revealed by cryo-EM structure determination. Although this conformation likely constitutes part of the transport cycle, nanobody-trapping disrupts the cycle and prevents substrate movement through the Patched1 sterol conduit. Our conformation-selective nanobody approach provides a new route to the development of transporter-related pharmacologic agents and may be generally applicable to the study of other transporters.
Thermodynamic uncertainty relations constrain non-equilibrium fluctuations

In equilibrium thermodynamics, there exists a well-established connection between dynamical fluctuations of a physical system and the dissipation of its energy into an environment. However, few similarly quantitative tools are available for the description of physical systems out of equilibrium. Here, we offer our perspective on the recent development of a new class of inequalities known as thermodynamic uncertainty relations, which have revealed that dissipation constrains current fluctuations in steady states arbitrarily far from equilibrium. We discuss the stochastic thermodynamic origin of these inequalities, and highlight recent efforts to expand their applicability, which have focused on connections between current fluctuations and the fluctuation theorems. A new class of inequalities known as thermodynamic uncertainty relations provides quantitative tools for the description of physical systems out of equilibrium. A perspective is offered on these results and their future developments.
The impact of reporter kinetics on the interpretation of data gathered with fluorescent reporters

Abstract Fluorescent reporters of biological functions are used to monitor biochemical events and signals in cells and tissue. For neurobiology, these have been particularly useful for monitoring signals in the brains of behaving animals. In order to enhance signal-to-noise, fluorescent reporters typically have kinetics that are slower than that of the underlying biological process. This low-pass filtering by the reporter renders the fluorescence transient a leaking integrated version of the biological signal. Here I discuss the effects that low-pass filtering, or more precisely of integrating by convolving with an exponentially decaying kernel, has on the interpretation of the relationship between the reporter fluorescence transient and the events that underlie it. Unfortunately, when the biological events being monitored are impulse-like, such as the firing of an action potential or the release of neurotransmitter, filtering greatly reduces the maximum correlation coefficient that can be found between the events and the fluorescence signal. This can erroneously support the conclusion that the fluorescence transient and the biological signal that it reports are only weakly related. Furthermore, when examining the encoding of behavioral state variables by nervous system, filtering by the reporter kinetics will favor the interpretation that fluorescence transients encode integrals of measured variables as opposed to the variables themselves. For these reasons, it is necessary to take into account the filtering effects of the indicator by deconvolving with the convolution kernel and recovering the underlying biological events before making conclusions about what is encoded in the signals emitted by fluorescent reporters.
Neuromodulation for Spine Pain Care

Electricity has been used as a modality for pain relief since antiquity. Despite early recognition of this analgesic potential, almost two centuries passed before Melzack and Wall published their seminal gate control theory in 1965. The theory, which held that electrical stimulation of the dorsal column of the spinal cord could modulate the transmission of nociceptive signals from the peripheral nervous system, represented a paradigm shift for the treatment of pain. Coupled closely with the first use of an implanted lead that provided electrical stimulation adjacent to the thoracic dorsal column and relieved pain in the chest wall of a cancer patient, these two events ushered in a new era of pain relief from the targeted application of electrical devices. Incremental progress in the field has led to various improvements in hardware design and implantation techniques, which set the stage for spinal cord stimulation (SCS) to serve as an evidence-based treatment for a variety of chronic pain conditions.
What factors predict the quality of hazard mitigation plans in Washington State

Hazard mitigation plans can help to reduce communities’ losses when faced with natural hazards, some of which (e.g., floods) are projected to intensify with climate change. A growing body of plan evaluation literature seeks to measure the quality of these plans, given that higher-quality plans may be more likely to achieve their objectives (e.g., reducing a community’s losses from flooding). Processes of collaboration (i.e., joint decision-making by various agencies and stakeholders) and diffusion (i.e., the spread of ideas between jurisdictions over time and space), among others, may influence plan quality, although empirical evidence is limited. This study assessed potential predictors of plan quality for 33 county-level hazard mitigation plans in Washington State, using a combination of survey data, county characteristics, and previously determined plan quality scores. Significant predictors of plan quality included indicators of vertical (state-to-county) and horizontal (county-to-county) diffusion, as well as economic capacity, although indicators of collaborative dynamics, along with several other hypothesized predictors, including past disaster experience (i.e., severity) were not significant. Hazard planning professionals at the federal, state, and local levels may benefit from integrating these findings into future work, in conjunction with other climate change adaptation initiatives. Specifically, fostering peer-to-peer interactions between counties might help to produce and disseminate knowledge about climate solutions.
Alcohol Use Disorder, But Not Cannabis Use Disorder, Symptomatology in Adolescents Is Associated With Reduced Differential Responsiveness to Reward Versus Punishment Feedback During Instrumental Learning.

Abstract Background The two most commonly used illegal substances by adolescents in the United States are alcohol and cannabis. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and cannabis use disorder (CUD) have been associated with dysfunction in decision-making processes in adolescents. One potential mechanism for these impairments is thought to be related to abnormalities in reward and punishment processing. However, very little work has directly examined potential differential relationships between AUD and CUD symptom severity and neural dysfunction during decision making in adolescents. Methods In the current study, 154 youths participated in a passive avoidance learning task during functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the relationship between relative severity of AUD/CUD and dysfunction in processing reward and punishment feedback. Results Increasing Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test scores were associated with reduced neural differentiation between reward and punishment feedback within regions of striatum, posterior cingulate cortex, and parietal cortex. However, increasing Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test scores were not associated with any neural dysfunction during the passive avoidance task. Conclusions These data expand on emerging literature that relative severity of AUD is associated with reduced responsivity to rewards in adolescents and that there are differential associations between AUD and CUD symptoms and neurocircuitry dysfunction in the developing adolescent brain.
Reverse apprenticeship: imagine the student as teacher

The training of psychiatrists doesn’t end with medical school, residency or fellowship, but instead requires life-long learning. Over long careers, psychiatrists must remain flexible and curious to...
Arsenic Exposure Decreases Adiposity During High-Fat Feeding.

Objective Arsenic is an endocrine-disrupting chemical associated with diabetes risk. Increased adiposity is a significant risk factor for diabetes and its comorbidities. Here, the impact of chronic arsenic exposure on adiposity and metabolic health was assessed in mice. Methods Male C57BL/6J mice were provided ad libitum access to a normal or high-fat diet and water +/- 50 mg/L of sodium arsenite. Changes in body weight, body composition, insulin sensitivity, energy expenditure, and locomotor activity were measured. Measures of adiposity were compared with accumulated arsenic in the liver. Results Despite uniform arsenic exposure, internal arsenic levels varied significantly among arsenic-exposed mice. Hepatic arsenic levels in exposed mice negatively correlated with overall weight gain, individual adipose depot masses, and hepatic triglyceride accumulation. No effects were observed in mice on a normal diet. For mice on a high-fat diet, arsenic exposure reduced fasting insulin levels, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance and β-cell function, and systemic insulin resistance. Arsenic exposure did not alter energy expenditure or activity. Conclusions Collectively, these data indicate that arsenic is antiobesogenic and that concentration at the source poorly predicts arsenic accumulation and phenotypic outcomes. In future studies, investigators should consider internal accumulation of arsenic rather than source concentration when assessing the outcomes of arsenic exposure.
Science, advocacy, and quackery in nutritional books: an analysis of conflicting advice and purported claims of nutritional best-sellers

Nutritional decisions may be important for health, and yet identifying trustworthy sources of advice can be difficult to achieve. Many people turn to books for nutritional advice, making the contents of these books and the expertise of their authors relevant to public health. Here, the top 100 best-selling books were identified and assessed for both the claims they make in their summaries and the credentials of the authors. Weight loss was a common theme in the summaries of nutritional best-selling books. In addition to weight loss, 31 of the books promised to cure or prevent a host of diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and dementia; however, the nutritional advice given to achieve these outcomes varied widely in terms of which types of foods should be consumed or avoided and this information was often contradictory between books. Recommendations regarding the consumption of carbohydrates, dairy, proteins, and fat in particular differed greatly between books. To determine the qualifications of each author in making nutritional claims, the highest earned degree and listed occupations of each author was researched and analyzed. Out of 83 unique authors, 33 had an M.D. or Ph.D degree. Twenty-eight of the authors were physicians, three were dietitians, and other authors held a wide range of jobs, including personal trainers, bloggers, and actors. Of 20 authors who had or claimed university affiliations, seven had a current university appointment that could be verified online in university directories. This study illuminates the range of the incongruous information being dispersed to the public and emphasizes the need for future efforts to improve the dissemination of sound nutritional advice.
Suitability of elite genotypes for wet-direct seeding in rice-rice system in Vertisol

This study was conducted to evaluate few elite rice genotypes in wet-direct seeded system vis-a-vis conventional transplanting in clayey vertisol of Telangana during two consecutive seasons (rabi and kharif) of 2015-16. The experiment was laid out in split-plot design with two methods of crop establishment in main plots viz. conventional transplanting (CT) and direct seeded rice (DSR) in puddled condition with nine rice varieties of different growth duration in sub-plots and replicated thrice. Growth and yield attributing characters were not differed in both the establishment techniques. Grain yields during the rabi season was higher by about 1.5 % under DSR, whereas, during kharif it was about 1 % higher in transplanted rice. Total duration of cultivars was decreased in DSR to the tune of 14 days during two seasons. There was no significant difference in mean grain yield across rice cultivars in two consecutive growing seasons between direct seeding and conventional transplanting. During rabi season DRR Dhan 44, Rasi, DRRH-2, HRI-174, RNR 15048, RP Bio-226 performed well; whereas Rasi, DRR Dhan 44, DRRH-2 and Varadhan found suitable in kharif.
Dilution bioassays: Their application to assessments of nutrient limitation in

Hypereutrophic waters, which are characterized by nutrient inputs exceeding phytoplankton nutrient requirements, are often sites of chronic nuisance algal blooms and associated water quality deterioration problems. In order to restore such systems to acceptable water quality standards, identification of growth-limiting nutrients is of central importance. Conventional nutrient addition bioassay techniques are often ineffective in identifying potentially limiting nutrients, due to persistent nutrient excesses in hypereutrophic systems. Accordingly, we have developed a nutrient dilution bioassay, in which stepwise dilutions of phytoplankton nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, iron, trace metals) with a nutrient-free major ion solution are capable of; 1) identifying those nutrients potentially most limiting, and 2) establishing magnitudes of respective nutrient input cutbacks required to bring about nutrient-limited control of phytoplankton growth. In situ deployment of dilution bioassays should help establish criteria governing minimal nutrient inputs required to arrest undesirable impacts of hypereutrophy. We have evaluated the field applicability of dilution bioassays, during a 2 year trial in the periodically hypereutrophic Neuse River, North Carolina.
Introduction: Conjunctures and Crises

Cultural studies scholarship has recently considered the limitations to one of its core methodological approaches as it pertains to understanding power and its expression in politics in the context of transitions or conjunctures. The conjuncture is an event, a methodology, and a position from which to strategize. As it concerns strategy, in cultural studies, reflexivity is fundamental to framing, orienting, and—most significantly—taking responsibility for the concepts, analyses, judgments, and actions they may engender. This chapter names “metaconjuncture” as a reflexive investigation of the limitations to cultural studies’ methodological approaches, or “the crisis in conjunctural analysis.” The chapter defines the concept of the conjuncture, discusses the current “crisis” in conjunctural analysis, and gives an overview of how subsequent chapters in the book will address and approach the relationship between the concept of the conjuncture and organic crises.
Role of admission serum albumin levels in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage

Low serum albumin levels have been reported to be an independent predictor of increased morbidity and mortality in multiple disease conditions. The aim of our study was to identify the impact of low serum albumin levels on mortality and outcomes at discharge in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. We retrospectively reviewed our prospective database of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage from January 2010 to December 2011. Patients were dichotomized into two groups based on their serum albumin levels upon admission. Hypoalbuminemia was defined as serum albumin levels ≤3.4 g/dl. The two groups were compared using Fisher's exact test for categorical variables and t test for continuous variables. Poor outcome was defined as death or discharge to a long-term nursing facility (modified Rankin Score 4-6). Out of 97 patients admitted with intracerebral hemorrhage, 90 met our inclusion criteria (42 had normal levels and 48 had hypoalbuminemia). The baseline characteristics, risk factors, etiology, location and volume of intracerebral hemorrhage, admission blood glucose, white cell count, length of hospital stay, length of intensive care unit stay, and complications were similar between both groups. Although admission hypoalbuminemia did not impact in-hospital mortality (28 vs 24 %, p = 0.635), there was a significant increase in poor outcomes at discharge (59 vs 31 %, p = 0.009) (OR 1.8; 95 % CI; 1.2-2.8). Similar to other diseases, hypoalbuminemia was associated with poor functional outcomes in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. This will need to be confirmed in larger prospective studies before adopting therapeutic and preventive strategies in future.
Encapsulating Data in Logic Programming via Categorial Constraints

We define a framework for writing executable declarative specifications which incorporate categorical constraints on data, Horn Clauses and datatype specification over finite-product categories. We construct a generic extension of a base syntactic category of constraints in which arrows correspond to resolution proofs subject to the specified data constraints.
Being Affected by Art: A Gadamerian Perspective

Museums that prioritize dialogue about social justice may be less educative than they purport, Ann Chinnery argues. The curricula of so-called “dialogue” museums typically reinforce and supplement classroom-based learning. Consequently, questions that students bring to museums are “pre-asked,” formulated in contexts outside of museums for the purpose of gaining information. While this type of instrumental education may promote mastery of subject matter, it does not invite students to wonder: “What might I learn from museums that I don’t already know?” Chinnery concludes that “dialogue” museums ultimately do not enable students “to confront their most closely-held assumptions and assume responsibility for change.” Instead these museums foreclose opportunities for personal engagement and mitigate genuine questioning of beliefs.
The effect of service- learning on interdisciplinary learning and curriculum reinforcement, and its application to public school environments

This qualitative research project focused on the impact of service-learning experiences on an interdisciplinary college freshman course. The research included the impact on academic learning, the application of concepts into a public school educational environment, and the perceptions regarding the contribution to the school being served. Participants were college freshmen students who received pre and post surveys and participated in both verbal and written reflections. Analysis of the survey responses and reflection data indicated the service-learning experiences enhanced student learning. Analysis of data also indicated a disconnect between recognized community needs and college student involvement toward fulfilling the needs.
Legal Institutions and the Structure of Informal Networks

The relationship between government-provided contract enforcement and informal trade networks raises important sociological, political, and economic questions. When economic activity is embedded in complex social structures, what are the implications of governmental contract enforcement for the scope and nature of economic relations? What determines whether individuals rely on formal legal institutions or informal networks to sustain trade relationships? Do effective legal institutions erode informal networks? To address these questions, we develop a model in which a trade-off exists between size and sustainability of networks. By adding the possibility of enforceable contracts, we provide a theoretical explanation for the coexistence of legal contract enforcement and an informal economy. We find that legal enforcement has little effect on networks unless the cost of law drops below a certain threshold, at which point small decreases in the cost of law have dramatic effects on network size and the frequency of use of the legal system.
Weight loss, muscle strength and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in older adults with congestive heart failure or hypertension

Objectives: To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor use may be associated with weight maintenance and sustained muscle strength (measured by grip strength) in older adults. Design: Data from the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), a community-based prospective cohort study of 5,888 older adults, were used. Setting: Subjects were recruited from four U.S. sites beginning in 1989; this analysis included data through 2001. Participants: CHS participants with congestive heart failure (CHF) or treated hypertension. Measurements: The exposure, current ACE inhibitor use, was ascertained by medication inventory at annual clinic visits; the outcomes were weight change and grip-strength change during the following year. Multivariate linear regression was used, accounting for correlations between observations on the same participant over time. Results: The average annual weight change was −0.38 kg in 2,834 participants (14,443 person-years) with treated hypertension and −0.62 kg in 342 participants (980 person-years) with CHF. ACE inhibitor use was associated with less annual weight loss after adjustment for potential confounders: a difference of 0.17 kg (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.05–0.29) in those with treated hypertension and 0.29 kg (95% CI=−0.25–0.83) in those with CHF. There was no evidence of association between ACE inhibitor use and grip-strength change. Conclusion: ACE inhibitor use may be associated with weight maintenance, but not maintenance of muscle strength, in older adults with treated hypertension.
Tampering with the Immune System

Tight regulation of the immune system is essential to ensure an appropriate immune response to pathogens and to prevent inappropriate immune responses that could lead to autoimmune disease. As Schwartzberg explains in her Perspective, new work shows that the Tyro-3 family of receptor tyrosine kinases may be important for regulating the activity of the immune system9s antigen-presenting cells, which are important for presenting antigen to lymphocytes and for clearing up cellular debris that could provoke an autoimmune response.
Some Effects of Training on the Perception of Synthetic Speech

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of training on the perception of synthetic speech. Three groups of subjects were tested with synthetic speech using the same tasks before and after training. One group was trained with synthetic speech. A second group went through the identical training procedures using natural speech. The third group received no training. Although performance of the three groups was the same prior to training, significant differences on the post-test measures of word recognition were observed: the group trained with synthetic speech performed much better than the other two groups. A six-month follow-up indicated that the group trained with synthetic speech displayed long-term retention of the knowledge and experience gained with prior exposure to synthetic speech generated by a text-to-speech system.
An evaluation of multiple tests and the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio for determining gestational age

Abstract One hundred and five transabdominal amniocenteses were performed, and the amniotic fluid was examined by several tests. The most reliable tests for determining gestational age were the creatinine content, optical density at 450 mμ, and the percentage of lipid-containing cells. These tests were combined with measurement of the uterine fundus to produce an 8 point score which correctly diagnosed fetal maturity relative to 36 weeks' gestation in 88 per cent of cases. The lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio correlated well with the point score and was accurate in determining gestational age in 92 per cent of pregnancies.
Latitudinal variation in body size of Agrilus planipennis and relationship with fecundity

For many animals with a wide geographical range, latitude is important in determining body size. Additionally, insect body size often has a direct influence on fecundity. Identifying these relationships for a forest pest can add to population dynamics modelling. Agrilus planipennis is a pest of North American Fraxinus species. The relationship between A. planipennis body size and latitude was investigated through field trapping adult A. planipennis in eastern U.S.A., and the relationship between body size and fecundity was investigated through egg production of laboratory-reared A. planipennis adults. Accumulated growing degree days base 10 °C (GDD10) were calculated and used to identify the influence of local climate on A. planipennis body size. Adult female A. planipennis body size (length and mass) was negatively related to latitude, with larger individuals at southerly sites where the number of days to accumulate 450 and 1000 GDD10 was the lowest. Using positive linear models relating body size and eggs produced, females from southerly sites would potentially produce twice as many eggs as females from northerly sites. Agrilus planipennis population latitudes influenced female body size. Because larger A. planipennis females produced more eggs, there is a potential for populations at southerly sites to increase in density and geography more rapidly than northerly populations.
Testing Accommodations for Students With Disabilities: Research-Based Practice

Deciding whether to grant test accommodations for a student with disabilities is challenging and controversial. Current accommodations practice is seldom research based, and professionals charged with such decisions often reach different conclusions. The result can be either unnecessary accommodations that compromise test validity or the denial of accommodations to a student who needs them. In this book, Benjamin Lovett and Lawrence Lewandowski draw on research to offer clear, specific guidelines for deciding when accommodations are appropriate for a student with disabilities -- depending on the test being taken, the accommodations being considered, and the student's functional skills. The book also explains how laws and practices differ for K-12 accommodations versus postsecondary education and workplace accommodations, as well as how universal test design might lessen the need for test accommodations.
Characterization of DNA adducts formed by cyclopenta[cd]pyrene epoxide.

Cyclopenta[cd]pyrene (CPP) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant whose 3,4-epoxide (CPPE) is generally regarded as its ultimate carcinogenic metabolite. The present study was undertaken to determine the structures of major DNA adducts formed by CPPE in vitro. Incorporation of specific radiolabeled bases into calf thymus DNA prior to reaction with CPPE demonstrated that the major adducts were formed by guanine, while minor adducts were formed by adenine and cytosine. Unmodified DNA was reacted with [3H]CPPE and the deoxynucleoside adducts obtained were compared chromatographically with the products obtained by reaction of CPPE with 2‘-deoxyguanosine (dGuo). Two dGuo adducts from the latter reaction were identified by 1H-NMR, fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, and circular dichroism as diastereoisomers of cis-3-(deoxyguanosin-N2-yl)-4-hydroxy-3,4-dihydroCPP. Other products that may have included the isomeric trans-N2-dGuo adduct were formed in the reaction. The major adduct fraction in the DNA diges...
Transcending the Divide: Where College and Secondary Reading and Study Research Coincide

T Л hose of us who teach literacy usually accept the idea that reading, writing, and study strategies are developmental. Youngsters develop their literacy from birth on, and, to some of us, dividing literacy education into steadfast designations such as early childhood, elementary, middle, secondary, and college learning (which may have pragmatic value) seems counterproductive or at least arbitrary. Even so, many educators and others (e.g., parents, community leaders, writers and journalists, policymakers) think of learning as going from childhood through the college years and beyond, and that what happens in the early years informs the elementary years, what happens in the elementary years informs the middle school years, and so on. This, of course, is true, yet this linear way of conceptualizing literacy education appears to move in one direction. What if we take another view? What if we turn it around and see that we can be informed from both directions?
Simulating the spatial diffusion of innovation: A gaming experimental approach☆

Abstract This article reports the results of a computer game experiment that allows spatial aspects of the diffusion of innovation to be examined in a controlled environment. Factors found to affect outlet density were population and the population by distance interaction. Time of initial outlet establishment was generally influenced by population and distance, but the strength of the effect varied by experimental treatment.
Escherichia coli dimethylallyl diphosphate:tRNA dimethylallyltransferase: site-directed mutagenesis of highly conserved residues.

Dimethylallyl diphosphate:tRNA dimethylallyltransferase (DMAPP-tRNA transferase) catalyzes alkylation of the exocyclic amine of adenosine at position 37 in some tRNAs by the hydrocarbon moiety of dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP). A multiple-sequence alignment of 28 gene sequences encoding DMAPP-tRNA transferases from various organisms revealed considerable homology, including 11 charged, 12 polar, and four aromatic amino acids that are highly conserved or conservatively substituted. Site-directed mutants were constructed for all of these amino acids, and a tripeptide Glu-Glu-Phe α-tubulin epitope was appended to the C-terminus of the protein to facilitate separation by immunoaffinity chromatography of overproduced mutant enzymes from coexpressed chromosomally encoded wild-type DMAPP-tRNA transferase. Steady-state kinetic constants were measured for wild-type DMAPP-tRNA transferase and the site-directed mutants using DMAPP and a 17-base RNA oligoribonucleotide corresponding to the stem−loop region of tRNA...
Does change in definition of psychotic symptoms in diagnosis of schizophrenia in DSM-5 affect caseness?

Abstract Psychotic symptoms are a central element in the diagnosis of schizophrenia, although their precise definition has varied through the multiple iterations of DSM and the ICD. Schneiderian first-rank symptoms (FRS) have received a particularly prominent position in the diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia since ICD-9 and DSM-III. In the current iteration of DSM (DSM-IV-TR), whereas two characteristic symptoms are ordinarily required to meet criterion A, only a single symptom is necessary if the psychotic symptom happens to be a FRS, notably a bizarre delusion or auditory hallucination of a running commentary or ‘conversing voices’. Because of limited data in support of the special treatment of FRS, DSM-5 has made changes to criterion A, requiring that at least two psychotic symptoms be present in all cases with at least one of these symptoms being a delusion, hallucination, or disorganized speech. To assess the impact of these changes on the prevalence of schizophrenia, we examined a research dataset of 221 individuals with DSM-IV schizophrenia to study the prevalence and co-occurrence of various criterion A symptoms. Although bizarre delusions and/or Schneiderian hallucinations were present in 124 patients (56.1%), they were singly determinative of diagnosis in only one patient (0.46%). Additionally, only three of the 221 patients (1.4%) with DSM-IV schizophrenia did not have a delusion, hallucination, or disorganized speech. DSM-5 changes in criteria A should have a negligible effect on the prevalence of schizophrenia, with over 98% of individuals with DSM-IV schizophrenia continuing to receive a DSM-5 diagnosis of schizophrenia in this dataset.
High-Energy Defibrillation Increases the Severity of Postresuscitation Myocardial Dysfunction

Background The fatal outcome of victims after initially successful resuscitation from cardiac arrest has been attributed both to global myocardial ischemia during the interval of cardiac arrest and to the adverse effects of reperfusion. The present study was prompted by earlier experimental observation that the magnitude of myocardial dysfunction was in part related to the energy delivered during electrical defibrillation. Methods and Results Ventricular fibrillation (VF) was induced in 15 Sprague-Dawley rats. Precordial compression was begun together with mechanical ventilation after 4 minutes of untreated VF and continued for 6 minutes. Spontaneous circulation was restored in each animal after external defibrillation with a single stored 2-, 10-, or 20-J countershock. Cardiac index and the rate of left ventricular pressure rise at left ventricular pressure of 40 mm Hg (dP/dt40) and fall (negative dP/dt) during the 240-minute interval after successful resuscitation were decreased, and left ventricular di...
The Galileo star scanner observations at Amalthea

In November of 2002, the Galileo spacecraft passed within 250 km of Jupiter's moon Amalthea. An onboard telescope, the star scanner, observed a series of bright flashes near the moon. It is believed that these flashes represent sunlight reflected from 7 to 9 small moonlets located within about 3000 km of Amalthea. From star scanner geometry considerations and other arguments, we can constrain the diameter of the observed bodies to be between 0.5 m to several tens of kilometers. In September of 2003, while crossing Amalthea's orbit just prior to Galileo's destruction in the jovian atmosphere, a single additional body seems to have been observed. It is suspected that these bodies are part of a discrete rocky ring embedded within Jupiter's Gossamer ring system.
Simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of α-tocopherol in human plasma

Abstract A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method using UV detection was developed for the determination of α-tocopherol in human plasma. The method entailed direct injection of the plasma sample after deproteinization using acetonitrile–tetrahydrofuran (3:2). The mobile phase comprised methanol–tetrahydrofuran (94:6) and analysis was run at a flow-rate of 1.5 ml/min with the detector operating at 292 nm. A Crestpak C18S (5 μm, 250 mm×4.6 mm ID) was used for the chromatographic separation. The method had a mean recovery of 93%, while the within-day and between-day coefficients of variation and percentage errors were all less than 7%. The speed, specificity, sensitivity and reproducibility of this method make it particularly suitable for routine determination of α-tocopherol in human plasma. Moreover, only a small sample plasma volume (100 μl) is required for the analysis.
1654 SHORT TERM FOLLOW-UP OF URINARY TRACT ANOMALIES DIAGNOSED IN UTERO: VALUE OF LASIX RENOGRAPHY

1654 SHORT TERM FOLLOW-UP OF URINARY TRACT ANOMALIES DIAGNOSED IN UTERO: VALUE OF LASIX RENOGRAPHY
Stress and Deviance in Policing

Policing is a highly stressful occupation, with certain assignments being more stressful than others. Data from a qualitative examination of police stress were applied as a test of general strain theory utilizing a high stress adult population. Data were analyzed both categorically and individually with the findings highly supportive of the general strain theory model. The contribution of this work extends general strain theory beyond the traditional tests by comparing police duty assignments to assess levels of stress as it relates to reported deviance in response to such stress. The results support this theory. Those officers reporting higher levels of stress also reported more acts of deviance. Additionally, as stress was reduced through reassignment from high stress duties, reported deviance decreased.