cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
FDA Approval: Ribociclib for the Treatment of Postmenopausal Women with Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer

On March 13, 2017, the FDA approved ribociclib (KISQALI; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.), a cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor, in combination with an aromatase inhibitor as initial endocrine-based therapy for the treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer. The approval was based on a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, international clinical trial (MONALEESA-2). A total of 668 patients were randomized to receive either ribociclib plus letrozole (n = 334) or placebo plus letrozole (n = 334). An improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) was observed in patients receiving ribociclib plus letrozole compared with patients receiving placebo plus letrozole [HR = 0.556; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.429-0.720]. Overall response rate (ORR) in patients with measurable disease was 52.7% (95% CI, 46.6-58.9) in the ribociclib plus letrozole arm and 37.1% (95% CI, 31.1-43.2) in the placebo plus letrozole arm. Overall survival data were immature. The most common adverse reactions observed in 20% or more of patients taking ribociclib were neutropenia, nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, leukopenia, alopecia, vomiting, constipation, headache, and back pain. This article summarizes FDA decision-making and data supporting the approval of ribociclib. Clin Cancer Res; 24(13); 2999-3004. ©2018 AACRSee related commentary by Spring and Bardia, p. 2981.
Significant Variation in the Detection Rates of Proximal Serrated Polyps Among Academic Gastroenterologists, Community Gastroenterologists, and Colorectal Surgeons in a Single Tertiary Care Center

Recent studies have demonstrated that the protective effect of colonoscopy against colorectal cancer is lower in the proximal colon. Proximal serrated polyps, including sessile serrated adenomas and proximal hyperplastic polyps, can be frequently missed and pose a risk of interval cancers. To investigate the overall adenoma detection rate (ADR) and the proximal serrated polyp detection rate (PSPDR) among academic gastroenterologists, community gastroenterologists, and colorectal surgeons from a single institution, all of whom have received formal training in colonoscopy during their fellowship. All complete screening colonoscopies for patients aged 50 or older with a good to excellent bowel preparation performed by different endoscopists at Medstar Washington Hospital Center (Washington, DC) from July 2015 to December 2017 were reviewed. Pathology reports of the resected polyps were manually reviewed. A total of 2850 screening colonoscopies meeting the inclusion criteria were performed by 18 endoscopists (6 academic, 7 community, and 5 colorectal surgeons). There was no significant difference in the mean ADR among the three groups of endoscopists: academic gastroenterologists, community gastroenterologists, and colorectal surgeons (40.3% vs 36.0% vs 39.6%, respectively). However, academic gastroenterologists had a significantly higher PSPDR compared to community gastroenterologists or colorectal surgeons (12.3% vs 5.4% vs 4.5%, respectively, ANOVA p = 0.006). Our novel data show that academic gastroenterologists had a significantly higher PSPDR compared to community gastroenterologists or colorectal surgeons despite a comparable overall ADR among the three groups. PSPDR may be considered as an important quality indicator for colonoscopy, apart from ADR.
Do You Have Papers?: Latinx Third Graders Analyze Immigration Policy Through Critical Multicultural Literature

This article discusses the results of an empirical study that examined third grade Latinx children’s discussions of literature dealing with themes of immigration. The study focused on the reading of six picture books by Mexican-origin children at a public elementary school located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. The data were collected by audio recordings, blogging transcripts, interviews, and children’s artifacts. The findings suggest that discussions about immigration in elementary classrooms have the potential to help young children name, react to, and analyze issues related to immigration. This study aims to offer critical literacy approaches to elementary education, providing insights into how teachers can purposefully select and guide discussions around taboo topics such as immigration.
Geometric Mapping for Sustained Indoor Autonomy

Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is the first step for enabling autonomous operation in unknown and changing environments. Many applications such as service and assistive robots require constant movement between different regions along with accurate navigation and localization at any point in time. Algorithms for SLAM have matured greatly over the last few years and can accommodate different sensors, computing requirements as well as environments for use. However, for long-term autonomy indoors, reasoning with a large volume of RGB-D data is still a major challenge. In this work, we propose a pipeline that attributes semantics, more specifically cuboidal structure, to observed objects, uses them as landmarks for mapping and thereby reduces the dimensionality of the represented map greatly. We chose cuboids, because many common urban scenes (such as offices, homes, malls) contain cuboidal objects (such as cabinets, tables, shelves). We develop a metric to perform such attribution consistently so they can be used as landmarks for mapping/navigation. We have tested our pipeline on three different datasets and show that we can reduce the map representation significantly while maintaining localization accuracy in all of them. Our vision is that attributing low-level semantics such as one presented in this work would make long-term autonomy computationally tractable.
Checking Cloud Contracts in Microsoft Azure

Cloud Contracts capture architectural requirements in data-centers. They can be expressed as logical constraints over configurations. Contract violation is indicative of miss-configuration that may only be noticed when networks are attacked or correctly configured devices go off-line. In the context of Microsoft Azure's data-center we develop contracts for 1 network access restrictions, 2 forwarding tables, and 3 BGP policies. They are checked using the SecGuru tool that continuously monitors configurations in Azure. SecGuru is based on the Satisfiability Modulo Theories solver Z3, and uses logical formulas over bit-vectors to model network configurations. SecGuru is an instance of applying technologies, so far developed for program analysis, towards networks. We claim that Network Verification is an important and exciting new opportunity for formal methods and modern theorem proving technologies. Networking is currently undergoing a revolution thanks to the advent of highly programmable commodity devices for network control, the build out of large scale cloud data-centers and a paradigm shift from network infrastructure as embedded systems into software controlled and defined networking. Tools, programming languages, foundations, and methodologies from software engineering disciplines have a grand opportunity to fuel this transformation.
Early versus Delayed Extracranial-Intracranial Bypass Surgery in Symptomatic Atherosclerotic Occlusion.

Background Clinical trials of extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery studied patients in subacute and chronic stage after ischemic event. Objective To investigate the short-term outcomes of EC-IC bypass in progressive acute ischemic stroke or recent transient ischemic attacks. Methods The study was a retrospective review at a single tertiary referral center from 2008 to 2015. Inclusion criteria consisted of EC-IC bypass within 1 yr of last ischemic symptoms ipsilateral to atherosclerotic occlusion of internal carotid or middle cerebral artery. Early bypass group who underwent surgery within 7 d of last ischemic symptoms were compared to late bypass group who underwent surgery >7 d from last ischemic symptom. The primary endpoint was perioperative ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke or intracranial hemorrhage within 7 d of surgery. Results Of 126 patients who underwent EC-IC bypass during the period, 81 patients met inclusion criteria, 69 (85%) persons had carotid artery occlusion, 7 (9%) had proximal MCA occlusion, and 5 (6%) had both. Early surgery had a 31% (9/29) perioperative stroke rate compared to 11.5% (6/52) of patients undergoing late bypass (P = .04). Of patients with acute stroke within 7 d of surgery, 41% (7/17) had perioperative stroke within 7 d (P = .07). Six of nine patients (67%) with blood pressure dependent fluctuation of neurologic symptoms had perioperative stroke (P = .049). Conclusion EC-IC bypass in setting of acute symptomatic stroke within 1 wk may confer higher risk of perioperative stroke. Patients undergoing expedited or urgent bypass for unstable or fluctuating stroke symptoms might be at highest risk for perioperative stroke.
From Flat to Curved Clathrin: Controlling a Plastic Ratchet.

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) is the primary mechanism eukaryotic cells use to internalize material. New imaging tools are revealing the nanoscale structural dynamics of single clathrin-coated sites. Recently, it has become clear that the structure and dynamics of clathrin – flat clathrin lattices and the transition to highly curved clathrin-coated vesicles – are adaptable and can follow many paths. Thus, understanding this dynamic plasticity will lead to insights into how one molecular machine can participate in multiple pathways and adapt to changing and diverse cellular environments. Here, we review recent studies that have directly addressed this structural plasticity. We discuss the structure of lattices, how clathrin lattices form, and which proteins or biophysical factors might regulate the transition between flat and curved lattices.
Abstract C23: Patterns of employment and income losses among adults with differing levels of wealth following a cancer diagnosis

Background: Cancer survivors often face economic hardships resulting from employment changes and rising out-of-pocket health care expenses. Financial strain among cancer survivors is associated with worse clinical outcomes and poorer quality of life. The protective factors against employment and income losses among cancer survivors are not well established. Objectives: To assess the economic impact of cancer diagnosis among survivors with varying degrees of financial leverage; to determine the relationship between marital status and economic outcomes following diagnosis. Methods: This study used data from the 1985 to 2013 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a nationally representative, longitudinal survey of economic circumstances. Data are collected through annual (prior to 1999) and biennial (after 1999) household interviews. Health information, including a history of cancer, was added to the survey in 1999 and our analytic sample included 1,235 cancer survivors. Individuals were stratified based on marital status and wealth status ( $110,000) prior to a cancer diagnosis. Wealth-stratified means and medians for employment status, hours worked, individual earnings, and total family income were calculated 2 years prior to diagnosis as well as 1 and 2 years after diagnosis. Results: Employment status changes one year after diagnosis were similar among the three wealth groups, each dropping by 8% (low wealth p=0.09, medium and high wealth p $110,000 saw the sharpest declines in yearly earnings, with the mean decreasing by $5,959 (p Conclusions: Factors such as marital status and higher wealth status appear to be protective against losses of income or employment, allowing households to compensate for financial stress. In contrast, low-wealth individuals with less financial leverage return to work sooner than their higher-wealth counterparts. Racial and ethnic differences associated with lower wealth may contribute to disparities in survival outcomes. Citation Format: Margaret Tebbs, Sayeh Nikpay, Emily H. Castellanos. Patterns of employment and income losses among adults with differing levels of wealth following a cancer diagnosis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr C23.
Fundamental Limits on Imaging the Orientational Dynamics of Dipole-Like Emitters

Photon shot noise causes unavoidable bias in estimating the rotational motions of fluorescent molecules. We quantify the bias of common 2D and 3D methods for imaging orientation, showing that they perceive the same 3D motion differently.
Heart valve calcification

Abstract Cardiac valve disease (CAVD) is widespread, especially in the older population. A prominent feature is calcium deposition. A rapidly lethal form is calcific aortic valve disease, and the only treatment is valve replacement. This chapter addresses the normal anatomical structure of the aortic valve, its biomechanical environment, the pathological changes observed, and their mechanisms, including the osteogenic differentiation of valvular cells. This chapter also addresses preclinical models of CAVD as well as examples of molecular factors that have a role in osteogenic differentiation of valvular cells, including lipoprotein(a), autotaxin, inflammatory cytokines, bone morphogenetic protein, notch1, serotonin, Wnt, cyclooxygenase, and von Willebrand factor. Some of these factors may serve as potential targets in future therapy
Evaluation of a Health Information Technology-Enabled Panel Management Platform to Improve Anticoagulation Control in a Low-Income Patient Population: Protocol for a Quasi-Experimental Design.

Background: Warfarin is one of the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States, and it causes a significant proportion of adverse drug events. Patients taking warfarin fall outside of the recommended therapeutic range 30% of the time, largely because of inadequate laboratory monitoring and dose adjustment. This leads to an increased risk of blood clots or bleeding events. We propose a comparative effectiveness study to examine whether a technology-enabled anticoagulation management program can improve long-term clinical outcomes compared with usual care. Objective: Our proposed intervention is the implementation of an electronic dashboard (integrated into a preexisting electronic health record) and standardized workflow to track patients’ laboratory results, identify patients requiring follow-up, and facilitate the use of a validated nomogram for dose adjustment. The primary outcome of this study is the time in therapeutic range (TTR) at 6 months post intervention (a validated metric of anticoagulation quality among patients receiving warfarin). Methods: We will employ a pre-post quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent usual-care comparison site and a difference-in-differences approach to compare the effectiveness of a technology-enabled anticoagulation management program compared with usual care at a large university-affiliated safety-net clinic. Results: We used a commercially available health information technology (HIT) platform to host a registry of patients on warfarin therapy and create the electronic dashboard for panel management. We developed the intervention with, and for, frontline clinician users, using principles of human-centered design. This study is funded until September 2020 and is approved by the University of California, San Francisco Institutional Review Board until June 22, 2020. We completed data collection in September 2019 and expect to complete our proposed analyses by February 2020. Conclusions: We anticipate that the intervention will increase TTR among patients taking warfarin and that the use of this HIT platform will facilitate tracking and monitoring of patients on warfarin, which could enable outreach to those overdue for visits or laboratory monitoring. We will use these findings to iteratively improve the platform in preparation for a larger, multiple-site, pragmatic clinical trial. If successful, our study will demonstrate the integration of HIT platforms into existing electronic health records to improve patient care in real-world clinical settings.
Improved Sample Complexities for Deep Networks and Robust Classification via an All-Layer Margin

For linear classifiers, the relationship between (normalized) output margin and generalization is captured in a clear and simple bound -- a large output margin implies good generalization. Unfortunately, for deep models, this relationship is less clear: existing analyses of the output margin give complicated bounds which sometimes depend exponentially on depth. In this work, we propose to instead analyze a new notion of margin, which we call the "all-layer margin." Our analysis reveals that the all-layer margin has a clear and direct relationship with generalization for deep models. This enables the following concrete applications of the all-layer margin: 1) by analyzing the all-layer margin, we obtain tighter generalization bounds for neural nets which depend on Jacobian and hidden layer norms and remove the exponential dependency on depth 2) our neural net results easily translate to the adversarially robust setting, giving the first direct analysis of robust test error for deep networks, and 3) we present a theoretically inspired training algorithm for increasing the all-layer margin. Our algorithm improves both clean and adversarially robust test performance over strong baselines in practice.
$lambda$p INTERACTION NEAR $Sigma$N THRESHOLD.

The conversion process ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{+}n\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\Lambda}p$ has been observed using the sequence ${K}^{\ensuremath{-}}d\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}({\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{+}n)\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}(\ensuremath{\Lambda}p)$. The results of this study are that (1) the conversion process at very low energy is dominated by the ($\ensuremath{\Sigma}N$) triplet state; and (2) the reaction is strongly enhanced for $\ensuremath{\Lambda}p$ masses below ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{+}n$ threshold, suggesting the existence of a bound state in the ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{+}n$ system and, hence, an elastic resonance in the $\ensuremath{\Lambda}p$ system.
The Who and Why of Consensual Nonmonogamy Among African Americans

Prevalence rates of consensual nonmonogamy (CNM) demonstrate little difference across race. Yet, not much is known about CNM among African Americans. Through an online survey study, we examined the correlates of CNM among African Americans as well as the reasons why they engage. A total of 1050 African Americans between the ages of 18-40 years participated in this study. Binomial logistic regression was utilized to determine the correlates of CNM. Sexual orientation was the only significant predictor of CNM. The following variables were nonsignificant predictors of CNM: age, gender, household income, religiosity, and education. Qualitative analysis revealed several reasons for CNM engagement: (1) belief that it is natural; (2) excitement; (3) not meant for each other; (4) scared of losing partner; (5) bisexuality; (6) does not want commitment; and (7) maintain honesty, trust, and integrity. This study adds to the sparse knowledge base of CNM among African Americans.
Visual adaptation selective for individual limbs reveals hierarchical human body representation

The spatial relationships between body parts are a rich source of information for person perception, with even simple pairs of parts providing highly valuable information. Computation of these relationships would benefit from a hierarchical representation, where body parts are represented individually. We hypothesized that the human visual system makes use of such representations. To test this hypothesis, we used adaptation to determine whether observers were sensitive to changes in the length of one body part relative to another. Observers viewed forearm/upper arm pairs where the forearm had been either lengthened or shortened, judging the perceived length of the forearm. Observers then adapted to a variety of different stimuli (e.g., arms, objects, etc.) in different orientations and visual field locations. We found that following adaptation to distorted limbs, but not non-limb objects, observers experienced a shift in perceived forearm length. Furthermore, this effect partially transferred across different orientations and visual field locations. Taken together, these results suggest the effect arises in high level mechanisms specialized for specific body parts, providing evidence for a representation of bodies based on parts and their relationships.
Native Mammalian Predators Can Depredate Adult Burmese Pythons in Florida

Invasive predators are of conservation concern because they contribute to species declines and extinctions worldwide. Interactions of native fauna and invasive predators can be complex, but understanding these relationships can guide management and restoration. Observations of these interactions are especially important for invaders with low detectability like Python bivittatus (Burmese Python) where data are sparse. Here, we provide the first detailed documentation of mammalian attacks on Burmese Pythons in Florida: 1 Lynx rufus (Bobcat) predation of an adult male python and 1 Ursus americanus floridanus (Florida Black Bear) non-lethal attack on an adult female python.
Guided Inquiry in Sophomore Organic Lecture: Deducing Mechanisms by Reaction Mapping

Arrow-pushing mechanisms can be understood more readily if the changes from starting material to product are systematically charted. This can be done by labeling the relevant atoms in the starting material and in the product, then making lists of the bonds to be broken and the bonds to be formed.
A Quantum Annealing Approach to Reduce Covid-19 Spread on College Campuses

Disruptions of university campuses caused by COVID-19 have motivated strategies to prevent the spread of infectious diseases while maintaining some level of in person learning. In response, the proposed approach recursively applied a quantum annealing algorithm for Max-Cut optimization on D-Wave Systems, which grouped students into cohorts such that the number of possible infection events via shared classrooms was minimized. To test this approach, available coursework data was used to generate highly clustered course enrollment networks representing students and the classes they share. The algorithm was then recursively called on these networks to group students, and a disease model was applied to forecast disease spread. Simulation results showed that under some assumptions on disease statistics and methods of spread, the quantum grouping method reduced both the total and peak percentage of infected students when compared against random groupings of students. Scaling to larger networks, it is possible that this quantum annealer-assisted grouping approach may provide practical advantage over classical approaches. This paper, however, is strictly a proof-of-concept demonstration of the approach and is not intended to argue for a quantum speedup.
Theory of Computation: Formal Languages, Automata, and Complexity

Preliminaries. Review of Set Theory. Grammatical Basis of Language Translation. Historical Background. Preview of the Remaining Text. Chapter Review Problems. Finite Automata and Regular Languages. Lexical Analysis. Deterministic Finite Automata. The Limits of Deterministic Finite Automata. Nondeterministic Finite Automata. Regular Grammars. Regular Expressions. Closing Comments. Chapter Review Problems. Pushdown Automata and Context-Free Languages. Pushdown Automata. Context-Free Grammars. The Limits of Pushdown Automata. LL(k) Parsers. LR(k) Parsers. Turing Machines and Phase-Structure Languages. Turing Machines. Modular Construction of Turing Machines. Turing Machines as Language Accepters. Turing-Acceptable Languages. Beyond Phrase-Structure Languages. Closing Comments. Chapter Review Problems. Computability. Foundations of Recursive Function Theory. The Scope of Primitive Recursive Functions. Partial Recursive Functions. The Power of Programming Languages. Closing Comments. Chapter Review Problems. Complexity. Computations. The Complexity of Algorithms. The Complexity of Problems. Time Complexity of Language Recognition Problems. Time Complexity of Nondeterministic Machines. Closing Comments. Chapter Review Problems. Appendices. A. More About Constructing LR(1) Parse Tables. B. More About Ackerman's Function. C. Some Important Unsolvable Problems. D. On the Complexity of the String Comparison Problem. E. A Sampling of NP Problems. Additional Reading. 0805301437T04062001
Food Toxicology: Legal Aspects

Publisher Summary This chapter reveals that the field of food toxicology is firmly rooted in a long tradition. The safety assessment of food and food components using the science of toxicology undergirds food-safety policy and regulation throughout the 1900s. Nevertheless, the field has seen many changes and developments in the last half of the1900s. With the advent of the chronic bioassay, animal testing has risen to new levels of detail and complexity, allowing regulatory authorities to focus on ever more subtle toxic endpoints. However, the tried and true methodology of applying safety factors to no effect levels and comparing ADIs and EDIs has still proven essential for decision making. Making use of quantitative risk extrapolation, regulatory authorities have found ways to set priorities and make decisions about the safety of carcinogens in the food supply.
Preoperative Parathyroid Imaging for the Endocrine Surgeon

Over the past decade, minimally invasive directed parathyroidectomy (DP) has become the operation of choice for most patients with sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). Using preoperative imaging as a tool to guide the operation, DP has many advantages over the traditional four-gland exploration. Positive scans were present in about 80% of patients. This minimally invasive approach may be performed under local anesthesia, requires less operative time, results in decreased postoperative pain, and offers improved aesthetics [1, 2]. The DP approach has the added advantage of earlier hospital discharge and a decrease in the overall associated costs for the procedure.
The Approximate Inductive-Capacitive Crosstalk Model

This chapter contains sections titled: The Inductive-Capacitive Coupling Approximate Model Separation of the Crosstalk into Inductive and Capacitive Coupling Components Common-Impedance Coupling Effect of Shielded Wires in Reducing Crosstalk Effect of Shield Pigtails Effect of Multiple Shields Effect of Twisted Pairs of Wires in Reducing Crosstalk The Shielded Twisted-Pair Wire: The Best of Both Worlds
Taxing with Dictators and Democrats: Regime Effects, Transfers and Revenue in Argentina's Provinces

Political institutions strongly influence incentives to tax. In this article, I examine differences across national regimes in provincial taxation in Argentina from 1959–2001 and compare them to sub-national regimes under national democracy. I argue that elections fundamentally shape taxation by guiding career incentives of provincial leaders. Under autocratic regimes, sub-national leaders have strong motivation to tax because they answer to national leaders who reward extraction. I find that national autocrats tax at higher levels, using more difficult taxes. In democratic systems, governors judged by local constituents use political resources to avoid taxation. Governors in closed electoral regimes generally collect less tax revenue than governors in competitive provinces, but this effect is largely driven by national coalition-building and privileged access to national resources. An important difference across sub-national regime type is incidence – closed provinces extract disproportionately from the dependent business sector.
Automatic Creation of Team-Control Plans Using an Assignment Branch in Genetic Programming

This paper is concerned with the introduction of a method for allowing genetic programming to automatically create team-control plans using an assignment branch. Team-control plans are representations of the composition and behavior of groups of agents and include the definition of one or more roles. Genetic programming is a general problem solving technique, and using genetic programming as a means for creating team plans would allow the user to specify very little, while producing effective results. I propose to show that the use of what I call an assignment branch in genetic programming provides a robust and general way to approach team composition and role definition problems.
Contextual motivation in physical activity by means of association rule mining

Abstract The primary thrust of this work is to demonstrate the applicability of association rule mining in public health domain, focusing on physical activity and exercising. In this paper, the concept of association rule mining is shown assisting to promote the physical exercise as regular human activity. Specifically, similar to the prototypical example of association rule mining, market basket analysis, our proposed novel approach considers two events – exercise (sporadic) and sleep (regular) as the two items of the frequent set; and associating the former, exercise event, with latter, the daily occurring activity sleep at night, helps strengthening the frequency of the exercise patterns. The regularity can further be enhanced, if the exercising instruments are kept in the vicinity of the bed and are within easy reach.
Ester Production by Pseudomonas fragi IV. Demonstration of Esterase Activity

Assay of the esterase activity of sonically treated cell-free extracts, whole cell suspensions, and supernatant fluid of Pseudomonas fragi cultures with a differential respirometer revealed that the esterases were intracellular. Polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis demonstrated six bands of esterase activity, which revealed substrate specificity differences. Band 1 exhibited slow mobility, bands 2, 3, and 4 moderate mobility, and bands 5 and 6 rapid mobility. Six bands were active with alpha-naphthyl acetate, four bands with alpha-naphthyl propionate, and 5 bands with alphanaphthyl butyrate. These esterases appeared to be more active with aromatic esters than with aliphatic esters.
Design and analysis of fault-detecting and fault-locating schedules for computation DAGs

The paper investigates issues concerning the construction of fault-detecting and fault-locating schedules for multiprocessor systems. It develops conditions for a schedule to be fault-detecting or fault-locating and further uses these conditions to propose schemes for construction of the schedules. Lower-bounds on the length of the schedules are calculated and for the special case of binary computation trees, it is shown that the schedules meet the lower-bounds in most cases. A method for actual fault diagnosis from the results of the fault-locating schedules for binary computation trees is also proposed. >
Factors Affecting High-Oxygen Survival of Heterotrophic Microorganisms from an Antarctic Lake

We sought to determine factors relating to the survival of heterotrophic microorganisms from the high-dissolved-oxygen (HDO) waters of Lake Hoare, Antarctica. This lake contains perpetual HDO about three times that of normal saturation (40 to 50 mg liter−1). Five isolates, one yeast and four bacteria, were selected from Lake Hoare waters by growth with the membrane filter technique with oxygen added to yield dissolved concentrations 14 times that in situ, 175 mg liter−1. One bacterial isolate was obtained from the microbial mat beneath the HDO waters. This organism was isolated at normal atmospheric oxygen saturation. The bacteria were gram-negative rods, motile, oxidase positive, catalase positive, and superoxide dismutase positive; they contained carotenoids. The planktonic isolates grew in media containing 10 mg of Trypticase soy (BBL Microbiology Systems)-peptone (2:1) liter−1 but not at 10 g liter−1. Under low-nutrient levels simulating Lake Hoare waters (10 mg liter−1), two of the planktonic isolates tested were not inhibited by HDO. Growth inhibition by HDO increased as nutrient concentration was increased. A carotenoid-negative mutant of one isolate demonstrated a decreased growth rate, maximal cell density, and increased cell lysis in the death phase under HDO compared with the parent strain. The specific activity of superoxide dismutase was increased by HDO in four of the five bacterial isolates. The superoxide dismutase was of the manganese type on the basis of inhibition and electrophoretic studies. The bacterial isolates from Lake Hoare possess several adaptations which may aid their survival in the HDO waters, as well as protection due to the oligotrophic nature of the lake.
Acute symptoms associated with chemical exposures and safe work practices among hospital and campus cleaning workers: A pilot study

BACKGROUND: Cleaning workers are regularly exposed to cleaning products containing hazardous chemicals. This study investigated acute symptoms associated with chemical exposures among cleaning workers and their safe work practices. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 183 cleaning workers employed in an academic medical center and affiliated health sciences campuses in Northern California. Data on respiratory, eye, skin, neurological, and gastrointestinal symptoms and occupational factors were collected by in-person interviews or self-administered questionnaires. RESULTS: Chemical-related symptoms (several times monthly or more often) were more common among workers who performed patient area cleaning (44%) than hospital custodians (36%) or campus custodians (28%). After controlling for age, sex, and job title, symptoms were associated with exposure to carpet cleaners (OR = 2.98, 95% CI 1.28-6.92), spray products (OR = 2.82, 95% CI 1.16-6.82), solvents (OR = 2.71, 95% CI 1.20-6.15), and multi-purpose cleaners (OR = 2.58, 935% CI 1.13-6.92). Except for gloves, regular use of personal protective equipment was infrequent. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings suggest a need for additional interventions such as use of less toxic products to reduce health risks among cleaning workers. Am. J. Ind. Med. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Language: en
Case report 589

In the late 1950s and early 1960s there was intense orthopedic interest in a plastic polyurethane foam (Ostamer) that could be used in the fixation of fractures, performance of arthrodesis, and in spinal fusions. It saw limited success at that time but eventually fell from favor. A patient presenting with a draining sinus in the buttock, back pain, and a history of lumbar spinal fusion with Ostamer was recently scanned in our department. The CT appearance of Ostamer and a brief review of the literature are reported.
Maurice Casey on the Resurrection and Bereavement Experiences

Casey seeks to undercut the apologetic case for Jesus’ resurrection. By appealing to data about ‘bereavement experiences,’ he launches a series of interconnected arguments against the credibility of the resurrection. But there are many reasons for rejecting Casey’s hypothesis on the origins of believing in the resurrection of Jesus: his understanding of bereavement experiences is unreliable and therefore cannot account for the original meaning assigned to the Easter appearances. He himself admits that bereavement apparitions cannot explain all of the appearances. Lastly Paul’s testimony indicates that the appearances were bodily in nature. Given that the appearances should be understood as ‘resurrection appearances,’ it follows that Jesus’ tomb was empty. This overall depiction of Easter faith is consistent with the background of Second Temple Judaism and the relevant New Testament data. Thus the apologists’ concern to argue for Jesus’ resurrection may continue to be endorsed.
Factors Determining the Level of Activity of 3,5,3'- Triiodothyronine-Responsive Hepatic Enzymes in the Starved Rat*

Recent studies have indicated that starvation can cause profound alterations in components of the thyroid hormone system. A systematic study was therefore undertaken to assess the effect of these changes on the rate of appearance oftwo thyroid hormone-responsive hepatic enzymes, mitochondrial α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (α-GPD) and cytosolic malic enzyme (ME). The fractional rates of disappearance of enzyme activity, in both the fed and starved state, were determined after pretreatment with T3. An almost 2-fold increase in the fractional disappearance rate was noted for both enzymes during starvation (ME, 0.22 vs. 0.43 day-1; α-GPD, 0.18 vs. 0.32 day-1). Knowledge of these values together with measurements of the enzyme activity per mg DNA in uninjected rats allowed calculation of the simultaneous rates of appearance and disappearance of enzyme activity during the 5-day starvation period. During the first 3 days, the rate of appearance of α-GPD was preserved at near-normal values (89% of fed baseline...
What’s Behind the Decline? The Role of White Matter in Brain Aging

The specific molecular events that underlie the age-related loss of cognitive function are poorly understood. Although not experimentally substantiated, age-dependent neuronal loss has long been considered central to age-related cognitive decline. More recently, age-related changes in brain white matter have taken precedence in explaining the steady decline in cognitive domains seen in non-diseased elderly. Characteristic alterations in the ultrastructure of myelin coupled with evidence of inflammatory processes present in the white matter of several different species suggest that specific molecular events within brain white matter may better explain observed pathological changes and cognitive deficits. This review focuses on recent evidence highlighting the importance of white matter in deciphering the course of "normal" brain aging.
Inhibition of Streptococcus faecalis by Long Chain Aliphatic Monoamines: Quantitative Structure—Activity Studies

Primary, secondary, and tertiary long chain aliphatic amines were synthesized, and their activity against Streptococcus faecalis was determined. Quantitative structure—activity analyses were carried out based on the Hansch extrathermodynamic model, using partition coefficients, CMC’s, quantum mechanical charges on the amine nitrogen, and the Taft steric parameter. The best correlations were obtained with the CMC. Steric properties of the ammonium head become important for tertiary amines. The structural feature of these compounds that dominates biological activity is the length of the alkyl tail. Ammonium head substituents are of only secondary importance.
Line Reversibility of Tandem Queues with General Blocking

We extend the "line reversibility" property to a serial production system controlled using the "general blocking" scheme. The control mechanism is characterized by three vectors of integer parameters a, b, k which are, respectively, control parameters for the number of raw jobs, finished jobs, and buffer positions at each stage. We establish conditions under which the time to process a given set of jobs in a system does not change when the control parameters are in the reversed order. For cases where reversibility does not hold, we introduce a more restrictive from reversibility-referred to as "semi-reversibility"-and establish conditions under which the property holds. Our results imply reversibility of the kanban system and provide an alternative proof for previous results established for the communication and the manufacturing blockings. Our approach is simple and readily extends to closed systems where the number of jobs in the system is kept constant. Finally, we show, via an example, that in general reversibility does not prevail for this blocking mechanism.
Update in General Internal Medicine: Evidence Published in 2014

This Update summarizes studies published in 2014 that the authors consider highly relevant to the practice of general internal medicine. Topics include atrial fibrillation; venous thromboembolism; ...
Same mutation, different allele.

In this issue of Blood , Lambert and colleagues propose a new disease paradigm for one of the CMPNs, ET. They show that in ET, the JAK2 V617F mutation occurs as multiple independent events. 1 Using a common single nucleotide polymorphism located in the JAK2 gene, they demonstrate that the mutation commonly occurs on both alleles in ET. The authors argue that, because of these new findings, the presence of the JAK2 V617F in ET should not be equated with malignant disease.
Inclusion of a MALDI ion source in the ion chromatography technique: conformational information on polymer and biomolecular ions

Abstract A matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) source has been coupled to the ion chromatography instrument developed at UCSB. The source produces a strong, consistent signal for several hours on a single sample. In this paper we report the application of this method to a series of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) polymers cationized by sodium. Data have been taken for Na+PEG5 to Na+PEG19. The temperature dependence of the ion mobility (collision cross-section) in He gas for Na+PEG9, Na+PEG13 and Na+PEG17 has been measured from 80 to 580 K. A detailed analysis of these three systems has been accomplished in order to extract the conformations of the ion and how they vary with temperature. This analysis included several significant changes from methods used previously. Molecular mechanics methods were used both to obtain the lowest energy 0 K structures and to predict how these structures would change as temperature increases. In order to account for the observed low temperature results, a 12-6-4 potential was incorporated in place of the hard-sphere potential used previously. For all three systems studied in detail, the oxygen atoms on the PEG units solvated the Na+ ion, forming a crown ether type ring of five oxygens surrounding Na+ and several others above and below this ring. The molecular mechanics model was also applied to neutral PEG13. In this instance a quite compact structure is obtained for T ≤ 200 K but a sudden melting type transition occurs between 200 and 300 K and chaotic motion dominates at and above 300 K. Data are also reported on the temperature dependence of the ion mobility of C60+. This ion is expected to change shape only slightly over the temperature range reported here. Consequently it provided an excellent set of calibration data for evaluating the intramolecular interaction potentials used to describe the collision process.
Mechanisms for Hsp70 secretion: crossing membranes without a leader.

Abstract Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is released from cells of many types and plays a significant signaling role, particularly in the inflammatory and immune responses. However, Hsp70 does not contain a consensus secretory signal and thus cannot traverse the plasma membrane by conventional mechanisms. However, Hsp70 can be released from cells by active mechanism that are independent of de novo Hsp70 synthesis or cell death. This pathway is similar to one utilized by the leaderless protein interleukin 1β. Hsp70 release involves transit through an endolysosomal compartment and is inhibited by lysosomotropic compounds. In addition, the rate of Hsp70 secretion correlates well with the appearance of the lysosomal marker LAMP1 on the cell surface, further suggesting the role for endolysosomes. The entry of Hsp70 into this secretory compartment appears to involve the ABC-family transporter proteins. While the cell signals involved in triggering Hsp70 release through this lysosomal pathway are largely unknown, recent data suggest a regulatory role for extracellular ATP. These mechanisms are also shared by interleukin 1β secretion. Following release it has been shown that Hsp70 binds to adjacent cells, suggesting that the secreted protein participates in paracrine or autocrine interactions with adjacent cell surfaces. Thus an outline is beginning to of the mechanisms of Hsp70 secretion. Much further study will be required to fully elucidate mechanisms involved in targeting Hsp70 towards the non-canonical secretion pathways and its regulation.
Using the National Poison Data System to Detect Mistaken Oral Ingestions of Medication Capsules Designed for Use in Pulmonary Inhalers

Introduction: In 2006, the Institute of Medicine proposed initiatives to decrease medication errors using hospital monitoring systems for adverse event (AE) surveillance. Serendipitously, several poison center clinicians noticed a trend of inadvertent oral ingestions involving formoterol fumarate and tiotropium bromide. Each product is packaged in capsules for insertion into special pulmonary inhaler devices for chronic pulmonary disease. The National Poison Data System (NPDS) is a near real-time data and surveillance system capable of tracking AEs. Our objective was to assess the feasibility of NPDS to analyze outpatient AEs, employing formoterol and tiotropium ingestions as a model.Methods: Retrospective review of NPDS data for formoterol and tiotropium mistaken oral ingestions (MOI) (2001-2007). Inclusion criteria were age over 6 years, exposures, all administration routes, all reasons, incorrect dosing route, and all medical outcomes. Primary outcome measures were number of MOI cases and demographics ...
The influence of larval case design on vulnerability of Limnephilus frijole (Trichoptera) to predation

SUMMARY 1 We examined the potential selective pressures exerted by different types of predators on morphological prey defences using the case-building larvae of the limnephilid caddisfly, Limnephilus frijole. The predators were a predaceous minnow, Gila pandora, and an aeschnid dragonfly naiad, Oplonaeschna armata. 2 The influence of larval case design on vulnerability to predators was evaluated in a series of laboratory experiments. Larval L. frijole were collected from a stream without fish or dragonflies. In the laboratory, larvae still occupying their field-built cases were exposed to the two predators, with which L. frijole co-occurs in other streams. Following 24 h exposure of caddisfly larvae to a specific predator, the pre-trial case length, case strength, case width, and case composition of victims and survivors were compared. 3 Principal components analysis (PCA) indicated substantial independent variation for all four case parameters in the study population. The cases of larvae surviving exposure to either dragonfly naiads or fish were significantly stronger and wider than cases of victims of predation. Cases of survivors were also longer and had a greater mineral fraction than those of victims, but differences were either marginally significant or not significant. 4 These results demonstrate that specific aspects of case design affect the vulnerability of caddisfly larvae. In addition, predaceous fish and predaceous invertebrates, using different predation techniques, may exert similar selective pressures on these defenses. Case aspects influencing vulnerability in these experiments are broadly consistent with natural variation in case design associated with predator-rich and predator-free habitats for related caddisfly species.
Proposed experimental test of Bell’s inequality in nuclear beta decay

On propose une methode de desintegration beta pour tester l'inegalite de Bell. L'experience utilise la diffusion de Mott pour l'analyse de polarisation de spin des electrons de conversions internes