cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Agreement Between Maternal Report and Medical Records During Pregnancy: Medications for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Asthma

Background There are limited data regarding the comparability of medication exposure information during pregnancy from maternal report and medical records, including for rheumatoid arthritis and asthma-related medications. Methods This study included pregnant women with rheumatoid arthritis (n = 216) and asthma (n = 172) enrolled in the MothertoBaby Pregnancy Studies (2009-2014). Women reported types and dates of medications used through semi-structured telephone interviews up to three times during pregnancy and once after delivery, and medical records were obtained. We calculated Cohen's kappa coefficients and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and per cent agreement for agreement between report and records. Results For rheumatoid arthritis, prednisone was reported most frequently (53%). During pregnancy, kappa coefficients for rheumatoid arthritis medications ranged from 0.32 (95% CI 0.15, 0.50) for ibuprofen, with 84.3% agreement, to 0.90 (95% CI 0.84, 0.96) for etanercept with 95.4% agreement, and was 0.44 (95% CI 0.33, 0.55) for prednisone, with 71.3% agreement. For asthma, albuterol was reported most frequently (77.9%). During pregnancy, kappa coefficients for asthma medications ranged from 0.21 (95% CI 0.08, 0.35), with 64.5% agreement for albuterol to 0.84 (95% CI 0.71, 0.96) for budesonide/formoterol, with 96.5% agreement. Where kappas for any use during pregnancy were less than excellent (i.e. ≤0.80), medication use was more frequently captured by report than record. Conclusions Agreement was higher for medications typically used continuously than sporadically. Information on medication use from medical records alone may not be adequate when studying the impact of intermittently used medications during pregnancy on perinatal outcomes.
Comment on “Natural Bond Orbitals and the Nature of the Hydrogen Bond”

We reply to the recent comments of Prof. A. J. Stone in this Journal [J. Phys. Chem. A 2017, 121, 1531-1534].
Increased regurgitant flow causes endocardial cushion defects in an avian embryonic model of congenital heart disease.

BACKGROUND The relationship between changes in endocardial cushion and resultant congenital heart diseases (CHD) has yet to be established. It has been shown that increased regurgitant flow early in embryonic heart development leads to endocardial cushion defects, but it remains unclear how abnormal endocardial cushions during the looping stages might affect the fully septated heart. The goal of this study was to reproducibly alter blood flow in vivo and then quantify the resultant effects on morphology of endocardial cushions in the looping heart and on CHDs in the septated heart. METHODS Optical pacing was applied to create regurgitant flow in embryonic hearts, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) was utilized to quantify regurgitation and morphology. Embryonic quail hearts were optically paced at 3 Hz (180 bpm, well above intrinsic rate 60-110 bpm) at stage 13 of development (3-4 weeks human) for 5 min. Pacing fatigued the heart and led to at least 1 h of increased regurgitant flow. Resultant morphological changes were quantified with OCT imaging at stage 19 (cardiac looping-4-5 weeks human) or stage 35 (4 chambered heart-8 weeks human). RESULTS All paced embryos imaged at stage 19 displayed structural changes in cardiac cushions. The amount of regurgitant flow immediately after pacing was inversely correlated with cardiac cushion size 24-h post pacing (P value < .01). The embryos with the most regurgitant flow and smallest cushions after pacing had a decreased survival rate at 8 days (P < .05), indicating that those most severe endocardial cushion defects were lethal. Of the embryos that survived to stage 35, 17/18 exhibited CHDs including valve defects, ventricular septal defects, hypoplastic ventricles, and common AV canal. CONCLUSION The data illustrate a strong inverse relationship in which regurgitant flow precedes abnormal and smaller cardiac cushions, resulting in the development of CHDs.
Unruly Affects: Attempts at Control and All That Escapes from an American Mental Health Court

Based on two years oj ethnographic fieldwork in mental health courts in the San Francisco Bay Area, this article juxtaposes the fixity that defines the legal concept of jurisdiction with the itineracy of homeless individuals judged by criminal courts. I assert that jurisdiction is an attempt at control: by invoking jurisdiction, courts attempt to fix people and objects within time and space so as to yield a narrative of liberal accountability for which defendants can be held responsible. Rather than assume the vantage point ojthe law, I stick with Harriet, a person who was homeless and subject to a mental health court's attempt at control. Moving away from the law exposes when state attempts at control Jail. Claims to jurisdiction reflect the state's reliance on control through a particular chronotope of linear time and divisible space. In differently configuring time and space as cyclical and unbounded, Harriet confounds the law's attempt at control. Further, the state's invocation of jurisdiction as a concept that fixes time and space produces unruly affects, or coordinates of relation that escape a rule of law presenting itself as rational. Harriet's relationships with others reflect and enable her escape from state control: they inhabit an affective atmosphere that is produced by the law's own chronotopic terms, but that reject the individual accountability that the law understands as a product of claims to jurisdiction. In paying attention to missed encounters between Harriet and the court, this article reveals and theorizes moments in which power escapes its own terms and enters asocial, deindividuated, affective sphere, [affect; law; jurisdiction; social control; state power; subjectivity; homelessness; mental health; criminal courts; the United States]
Stereoselective Synthesis of 2-Deoxyglycosides from Glycals by Visible-Light-Induced Photoacid Catalysis

The direct, photoacid-catalyzed synthesis of 2-deoxyglycosides from glycals is reported. A series of phenol-conjugated acridinium-based organic photoacids were rationally designed, synthesized, and studied alongside the commercially available phenolic catalyst eosin Y. In the presence of such a photoacid catalyst and light, synthetic glycals were activated and coupled with a range of alcohols to afford 2-deoxyglycosides in good yields and with excellent α-selectivity.
Cannabis in End-of-Life Care: Examining Attitudes and Practices of Palliative Care Providers.

Medical cannabis research has become quite extensive, with indications ranging from glaucoma to chemotherapy-induced nausea. Despite increased interest in cannabis’ potential medical uses, research...
Smoking patterns of low-income ethnoculturally diverse pregnant women: are we casting the net wide enough?

Abstract Cigarette smoking poses significant risk to mother and infant during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Recruitment of pregnant smokers to intervention studies has often been reactive and has excluded certain subgroups of women, such as those who have recently quit smoking. In this study, we examined smoking patterns among a proactively recruited sample of women presenting to six urban community maternity clinics. The current report describes the patterns of smoking in this population of ethnoculturally diverse low-income urban pregnant women and examines differences across subgroups. The majority of the total sample in the current study reported that they had never smoked. Of the total, 30% reported having “ever” smoked and 16% were current smokers. Of the group of “ever” smokers, 18% quit greater than 12 months before pregnancy, 5% quit 0–12 months before pregnancy and 23% quit during this pregnancy. On the average, women who quit during pregnancy did so about 5 weeks after diagnosis. Of those women who continued to smoke during pregnancy, the average number of cigarettes smoked per day was 10 ± 8. Differences were found in smoking patterns across the ethnocultural subgroups. Recruitment represents the first and one of the most important phases in intervening with pregnant women. Inclusion of both current smokers and recent self-quitters takes the fullest advantage of the window of opportunity to help women quit smoking and remain cigarette free for good.
Data center supply chain configuration design: A two-stage decision approach

Abstract Data centers are special-purpose facilities that enable customers to perform cloud based real-time online transactions and rigorous computing operations. Service levels of data center facilities are characterized by response time between query and action, which to a large extent depends on data center location and data travel distance. Another aspect of service level is resource up-time availability, which is determined by data center configuration. Data center location and configuration decisions are, therefore, of great significance to ensure uninterrupted operations in customers of manufacturing and service industries relying on cloud-based computing resources. In this study, following a grid-based location approach, we present two mixed integer linear programming models for capacitated single-source data center location-allocation problems. The first model provides optimal locations, capacities and configurations of data centers, and allocation of demands to open facilities when there is no existing facilities in the region. Our second model considers the decision problem of meeting new demand when the existing demand is met by the already opened facilities. We term these newly arrived demand as replication demand, which results either from emergence of new users of existing customers at distant locations in the future, or as a means of increasing data resilience by creating data replication as a backup. To solve the decision problem for meeting primary and replication demand optimally, we propose a two-stage decision algorithm. The algorithm provides optimal locations, capacities and configurations for new data centers, capacity addition decisions to the existing facilities and subsequent allocation of demands. Both models and solution algorithm are implemented using AMPL programming language and solved with CPLEX solver. The models are found to be scalable and capable to provide high quality solutions in reasonable time.
Beverage Intake in U.S. Women Across Pregnancy and Gestational Diabetes Risk (P11-010-19)

Objectives Sugar and artificially sweetened beverages (SSB/ASB), coffee, and tea are commonly consumed among U.S. pregnant women, but there is limited data on their use in pregnancy and gestational diabetes (GDM) risk and cardiometabolic profile. Our aim was to examine longitudinal associations between SSB, ASB, coffee, and tea intake in pregnancy with GDM risk. In two separate sub-samples, we also examined 1) associations between these beverages and cardiometabolic biomarkers and 2) plasma caffeine metabolites and GDM risk.
Broadband mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator for dynamic high-temperature multi-species measurements in reacting systems

We demonstrate time-resolved simultaneous measurements of multiple hydrocarbons in high-temperature reacting and non-reacting mixtures using a broadband (instantaneous bandwidth 2.80–3.57 µm) subharmonic mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator based on orientation-patterned gallium phosphide. High-temperature absorption spectra and concentration time-histories of methane, ethane, and ethylene are measured at pressures around 2.3–2.7 atm and temperatures around 1235–1277 K in shock tube experiments.
Whole‐brain efferent and afferent connectivity of mouse ventral tegmental area melanocortin‐3 receptor neurons

The mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system is involved in the regulation of multiple behaviors, including feeding, and evidence demonstrates that the melanocortin system can act on the mesolimbic DA system to control feeding and other behaviors. The melanocortin-3 receptor (MC3R) is an important component of the melanocortin system, but its overall role is poorly understood. Because MC3Rs are highly expressed in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and are likely to be the key interaction point between the melanocortin and mesolimbic DA systems, we set out to identify both the efferent projection patterns of VTA MC3R neurons and the location of the neurons providing afferent input to them. VTA MC3R neurons were broadly connected to neurons across the brain but were strongly connected to a discrete set of brain regions involved in the regulation of feeding, reward, and aversion. Surprisingly, experiments using monosynaptic rabies virus showed that proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and agouti-related protein (AgRP) neurons in the arcuate nucleus made few direct synapses onto VTA MC3R neurons or any of the other major neuronal subtypes in the VTA, despite being extensively labeled by general retrograde tracers injected into the VTA. These results greatly contribute to our understanding of the anatomical interactions between the melanocortin and mesolimbic systems and provide a foundation for future studies of VTA MC3R neurons and the circuits containing them in the control of feeding and other behaviors.
A Perspective from New York of COVID 19: Effect and impact on cardiac surgery

Background and aim First reported in December of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has had a profound impact on the implementation of care. Here, we describe our institutional experience with a rapid influx of patients at the epicenter of the pandemic. Methods We retrospectively review our experience with the departments of cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, anesthesia, and critical care medicine and summarize protocols developed in the midst of the pandemic. Results The rapid influx of patients requiring an intensive level of care required a complete restructuring of units, including the establishment of a new COVID-19 negative unit for the care of patients requiring urgent or emergent non-COVID-19 related care including open-heart surgery. This unique unit allowed for the delivery of safe and effective care in the epicenter of the pandemic. Conclusions Here, we demonstrate the response of a large tertiary academic medical center to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we demonstrate how rapid structural changes can allow for the continued delivery of cardiac surgical care with similar outcomes as those reported before the pandemic.
Remote effects of temporal lobe epilepsy surgery: long-term morphological changes after surgical resection

ObjectiveWe present a semi-automated method for quantifying structural changes after epilepsy surgery that accounts for tissue deformation caused by resection. We demonstrate its utility by comparing the remote structural effects of two surgical approaches, the anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) and the selective amygdalohippocampectomy (SAH). MethodsWe studied 37 temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients who underwent resective surgery. Patients were treated with either an anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL, N=21) or a selective amygdalohippocampectomy (SAH, N=16). All patients received same-scanner MR imaging preoperatively and postoperatively (5+ months after surgery). To analyze structural changes in remote brain regions, we (1) implemented an automated method for segmenting resections with manual review, (2) applied cost function masking to the resection zone, and (3) estimated longitudinal cortical thickness changes using Advanced Normalization Tools (ANTs). We then compared post-operative changes in cortical thickness between the two surgical groups in brain regions outside the resected area. ResultsPatients treated with ATL exhibited significantly greater cortical thinning globally when compared to patients treated with SAH (p = 0.049). There were significant focal differences between the two treatment groups in the ipsilateral frontal lobe (superior medial and medial orbital regions) and insula (p > 0.001, = 0.05 Bonferroni corrected). No significant effects were seen in the contralateral hemisphere. SignificanceWe present and share a semi-automated pipeline for quantifying remote longitudinal changes in cortical thickness after neurosurgery. The technique is applicable to a broad array of applications, including surgical planning and mapping neuropsychological function to brain structure. Using this tool, we demonstrate that patients treated with SAH for refractory temporal lobe epilepsy have less postoperative cortical thinning in remote brain regions than those treated with ATL. We share all algorithm code and results to accelerate collaboration and clinical translation of our work. KEY POINTS BOXO_LIDifferent epilepsy surgical approaches lead to distinct patterns of postoperative cortical atrophy in remote brain regions C_LIO_LIPatients treated with SAH have less postoperative cortical thinning than patients treated with ATL C_LIO_LIThe insula and frontal lobe demonstrated the greatest focal differences in postoperative cortical thinning when comparing SAH and ATL C_LIO_LIPostoperative cortical thinning analyses may inform surgical planning and our understanding of cognitive sequelae C_LI
Trauma-Informed Leadership

According to recent data, over 34 million students have experienced at least one or more types of serious childhood trauma. As a result, current and prospective school leaders urgently need to develop trauma-driven skills and abilities in order to create safe schools for all students and raise academic outcomes. This teaching case study raises issues related to trauma experienced among students and its impact on students and school improvement. The author discusses one case in a fictitious district that is representative of the kind of traumas many other US schools face. I also provide additional resources for practitioners.
Challenges and Opportunities: Intersectional Leadership in Law Schools

In 2019, the Author organized with Maria Isabel Medina and participated as a panelist in the Roundtable on Intersectionality and Strengths and Challenges in Leadership at the Fourth National People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference. This Essay is one of four in the cited article. The Essay summarizes the Author’s remarks at the Roundtable on contemplating a leadership role, the value of mentorship, and the profound impact that a woman of color as dean can have, simply by occupying that role.
A constitutively expressed fluorescence ubiquitin cell cycle indicator (FUCCI) in axolotls for studying tissue regeneration

Abstract Regulation of cell cycle progression is essential for cell proliferation during regeneration following injury. After appendage amputation, the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) regenerates missing structures through an accumulation of proliferating cells known as the blastema. To study cell division during blastema growth, we generated a transgenic line of axolotls that ubiquitously expresses a bicistronic version of the Fluorescent Ubiquitination-based Cell Cycle Indicator (FUCCI). We demonstrate near-ubiquitous expression of FUCCI expression in developing and adult tissues and validate these expression patterns with DNA synthesis and mitosis phase markers. We demonstrate the utility of FUCCI for live and whole-mount imaging, showing the predominantly local contribution of cells during limb and tail regeneration. We also show that spinal cord amputation results in increased proliferation at least 5 mm from the injury. Finally, we use multimodal staining to provide cell type information for cycling cells by combining fluorescence in-situ hybridization, EdU click-chemistry, and immunohistochemistry on a single FUCCI tissue section. This new line of animals will be useful for studying cell cycle dynamics using in-situ endpoint assays and in-vivo imaging in developing and regenerating animals. Summary statement We generated a ubiquitous transgenic fluorescence ubiquitin cell cycle indicator (FUCCI) axolotl line for examination of cell cycle dynamics during tissue regeneration.
A Performance Model of Hybrid Channel Conflict

Over the past decade marketers have adopted increasingly complex channel strategies in response to shifts in consumer behavior, the advent of the Internet, and the globalization of markets. This trend toward multiple channels, often referred to as a hybrid distribution strategy, has drastically increased the demands placed on channel managers. Frequently, the coalition of managers responsible for individual channels come into conflict over the allocation of firm resources such as capital, personnel, products, and technology. In addition, conflicting objectives of individual channels can lead to internal conflicts over customers, thereby raising the potential for customer confusion and dissatisfaction.
N2ac: An ERP Component Associated with the Focusing of Attention Within an Auditory Scene

Humans must often focus attention onto relevant sensory signals in the presence of simultaneous irrelevant signals. This type of attention has been explored in vision with the N2pc component, and the present study sought to find an analogous auditory effect. In Experiment 1, two 750-ms sounds were presented simultaneously, one from each of two lateral speakers. On each trial, participants indicated whether one of the two sounds was a pre-defined target. We found that targets elicited an N2ac component: a negativity in the N2 latency range at anterior contralateral electrodes. We also observed a later and more posterior contralateral positivity. Experiment 2 replicated these effects and demonstrated that they arose from competition between attended and unattended tones rather than reflecting lateralized effects of attention for individual tones. The N2ac component may provide a useful tool for studying selective attention within auditory scenes.
Computer Controlled Scanning Electron Microscope

A study has been undertaken which will investigate the feasibility of developing a completely automatic, high speed particle counting and sizing device, utilizing a scanning electron microscope coupled with a digital computer. The computer will process the signal normally recorded on the cathode ray tube. From this information the computer will control the motion of the electron beam and the position of the specimen stage. The potential applications of this instrument appear to be almost limitless. Beside the routine counting tasks in air polution studies, this instrument is well suited for biological studies, for example, the counting of blood cells and chromosomes.
Estrogen preferentially stimulates lactosaminoglycan-containing oligosaccharide synthesis in mouse uteri.

Abstract The effects of steroid hormones on the synthesis of lactosaminoglycan (LAG)-containing oligosaccharides by mouse uteri are reported. The uterine LAG-containing oligosaccharides were degraded partially by Pseudomonas endo-beta-galactosidase, releasing an oligosaccharide of the apparent structure: Gal beta----N-acetylglucosaminyl(----N-acetylgalactosaminyl)beta 1,3----galactose. A larger fraction of the LAG-containing oligosaccharides bound to pokeweed mitogen than to Datura stramonium lectin, suggesting the presence of highly branched structures. LAG-containing oligosaccharides were resistant to sequential digestion with Pronase, nitrous acid, hyaluronidase, and chondroitinase ABC. These polysaccharides exhibited a Gal:GlcNAc:GalNAc ratio of approximately 1.0:1.0:0.3 and were not fucosylated. The ion-exchange behavior of the LAG-containing oligosaccharides before and after mild acid hydrolysis indicated the presence of sialic acid residues. The LAG-containing glycopeptides were highly resistant to beta-elimination but were released quantitatively by hydrazinolysis, demonstrating an N-linkage to protein. Binding to pokeweed mitogen was markedly enhanced following release of these oligosaccharides from peptides by hydrazinolysis, suggesting that peptide-bound oligosaccharides were partially inaccessible to the lectin. Molecular exclusion chromatography of the oligosaccharides released by hydrazinolysis revealed a broad distribution ranging from Mr 4,000 to 15,000 with a median Mr of approximately 8,000. We extended the above observations by determining how the steroid hormones 17-beta-estradiol (E2) and progesterone affected synthesis of the LAG-containing oligosaccharides in ovariectomized mice. Generally, E2 and a number of E2 agonists stimulated glycoconjugate synthesis; however, chronic E2 treatment or combined treatment with E2 plus progesterone caused the synthesis of most glycosaminoglycans to return to basal levels. In contrast, E2 either alone or in combination with progesterone stimulated synthesis of LAG-containing oligosaccharides in preference not only to glycosaminoglycans but also to other classes of N-linked oligosaccharides. This effect was apparent during both priming and nidatory E2 treatments. Collectively, these data provide the first demonstration of LAG-containing oligosaccharides in uteri and for the hormonally regulated synthesis of lactosaminoglycans. In addition, this is the first demonstration of the ability of steroid hormones to induce the synthesis of certain types of N-linked oligosaccharides in preference to others in the same tissue.
Adsorption of 4He on Bare and on Argon-Coated Exfoliated Graphite at Low Temperatures

Measurements have been made of adsorption isotherms of 4He on bare, exfoliated graphite (Grafoil†1) and on the same substrate coated with a completed monolayer of argon. The isotherms were measured at 4.2, 6.18, 7.90, 9.65, 11.60, 13.50, 15.08, and 18.55°K in the pressure range 0.25–25 Torr using an apparatus which has been described previously. Thermomolecular pressure corrections were less than 3% even at the lowest temperatures and the accuracy of pressure measurement was within 0.5%. Details of the method of temperature and pressure measurement and of the corrections used in the calculations of the mass adsorbed have been given previously.2 3
Defining the role of the novel CD4+CD26high T cell subset in adoptive cancer immunotherapy (VAC11P.1001)

Th17 cells mediate exquisite tumor eradication upon transfer into mice bearing large, established melanoma. Unfortunately, the polarizing cytokines (TGF-β, IL-6, etc.) required to generate Th17 cells are not yet FDA approved for clinical use. Therefore, we sought to determine if these IL-17-producing CD4+ cells could be enriched from peripheral blood. Herein, we found that functional Th17 cells could be isolated from blood, without the need for polarization, by using the surface marker CD26. Excitingly, very few (5e4 cells) of these CD26-rich cells, termed CD26high T cells, displayed striking antitumor activity and survival upon transfer into melanoma-bearing mice compared to CD26negative or bulk CD4+ T cells. Of translational significance, we found that human CD26high cells had heightened cytotoxicity and caused greater cancer cell death in vitro. Interestingly, both murine and human CD26high T cells boast a unique phenotype compared to their bulk CD4+ or CD26negative counterparts, including: enhanced expression of the cytokines IL-17, IFN-γ, and IL-22, transcription factors RORγ and Tbet, and cytokine receptors CD25, CD122, and CD127. Collectively, these findings describe a novel T cell subset that has promise in cell-based cancer therapies due to its unique polyfunctionality and engraftment. Moreover, enrichment of CD26high T cells from peripheral blood bypasses the need for polarization, thereby enhancing the translational potential for Th17 cells in immunotherapy.
Similar Flow Boundary Layer on Bodies in the Presence of Shear Flow

Incompressible laminar boundary layer development over two-dimensional symmetric body in presence of shear flow
Sustainable Watersheds: Integrating Ecosystem Services and Public Health

Sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems is a worldwide priority; the integrity of these systems depends, in turn, on the integrity of the watersheds (catchments) in which they are embedded. In this article, we present the concepts, background, and scientific foundations for assessing, both nationally and at finer scales, the relationships between ecosystem services, human health, and socioeconomic values in the context of water quality, water quantity, landscapes, the condition of watersheds, and the connectivity of waters, from headwaters to estuaries and the coastal ocean. These assessments will be a foundation for what we have termed “watershed epidemiology,” through which the connections between ecosystems and human health can be explored over broad spatial and temporal scales. Understanding and communicating these relationships should lead to greater awareness of the roles watersheds play in human well-being, and hence to better management and stewardship of water resources. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is developing the research, models, and planning tools to support operational national assessments of watershed sustainability, building upon ongoing assessments of aquatic resources in streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands and estuaries.
How social evolution theory impacts our understanding of development in the social amoeba Dictyostelium

Dictyostelium discoideum has been very useful for elucidating principles of development over the last 50 years, but a key attribute means there is a lot to be learned from a very different intellectual tradition: social evolution. Because Dictyostelium arrives at multicellularity by aggregation instead of through a single-cell bottleneck, the multicellular body could be made up of genetically distinct cells. If they are genetically distinct, natural selection will result in conflict over which cells become fertile spores and which become dead stalk cells. Evidence for this conflict includes unequal representation of two genetically different clones in spores of a chimera, the poison-like differentiation inducing factor (DIF) system that appears to involve some cells forcing others to become stalk, and reduced functionality in migrating chimeras. Understanding how selection operates on chimeras of genetically distinct clones is crucial for a comprehensive view of Dictyostelium multicellularity. In nature, Dictyostelium fruiting bodies are often clonal, or nearly so, meaning development will often be very cooperative. Relatedness levels tell us what benefits must be present for sociality to evolve. Therefore it is important to measure relatedness in nature, show that it has an impact on cooperation in the laboratory, and investigate genes that Dictyostelium uses to discriminate between relatives and non-relatives. Clearly, there is a promising future for research at the interface of development and social evolution in this fascinating group.
Receiver Loop Arrays

The utility of basic loop array coils for MRI is discussed, beginning with a brief derivation of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) from a coil. Each loop element acts as a spatial filter, detecting signal from each voxel with a known phase and amplitude and detecting noise from the region within its sensitive region. Combining the signals (and noise) from multiple loops can enable the high SNR provided by a single surface coil over a large field of view. Aimed at beginning researchers in the field, a quasistatic analysis of the array properties (sensitivity patterns and coupling matrices) is described, as is the solution for the optimal weighting coefficients. Keywords: array coils; quasistatics; signal combination; sum of squares; optimal combination
Silicone bakeware: does it deliver a better product?

Current research on the effectiveness of silicone bakeware is extremely limited; trade journals, magazine articles and newspapers are the only available sources of information on this topic. This literature claims that silicone bakeware is nonstick with ease of product removal and cleaning and provides for even heat distribution. The purpose of this work is to evaluate these claims and to compare the quality of silicone-baked items to similar items baked in standard bake pans using visual, physical and sensory evaluation techniques. The results of this study determine that cake products baked in traditional metal bakeware showed better crust color and texture development and delivered a moister product. The silicone bakeware produced a cake with greater volume.
On separating complexity classes

Some observations that suggest that certain separation results based on the use of random oracles will not provide information about the separation of the corresponding unrelativized classes (without some additional hypothesis) are presented. It is observed that J.-Y Cai's (1989) result showing that for almost every set A, PH(A) not=PSPACE(A), does not address the open question of whether PH is equal to PSPACE. In addition, it is observed that D. Bennett and J. Gill's (1981) result that for almost every set A, P(A) not=NP(A) does not address the open questions of whether P is equal to NP or whether BPP is equal to AM. >
Measuring Intraspecific Variation in Flight-Related Morphology of Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus): Which Sex Has the Best Flying Gear?

Optimal flight in butterflies depends on structural features of the wings and body, including wing size, flight muscle size, and wing loading. Arguably, there is no butterfly for which flight is more important than the monarch (Danaus plexippus), which undergoes long-distance migrations in North America. We examined morphological features of monarchs that would explain the apparent higher migratory success and flight ability of females over males. We examined 47 male and 45 female monarch specimens from a project where monarchs were reared under uniform conditions. We weighed individual body parts, including the thorax (flight muscle) and wings, and computed wing loading and wing thickness for all specimens. When we compared each morphological trait between sexes, we found that females did not differ from males in terms of relative thorax (wing muscle) size. Females were generally smaller than males, but females had relatively thicker wings than males for their size, which suggests greater mechanical strength. Importantly, females had significantly lower wing loading than males (7% lower). This would translate to more efficient flight, which may explain their higher migratory success. Results of this work should be useful for interpreting flight behavior and/or migration success in this and other Lepidopteran species.
Men Classified as Hypo- or Hyperresponders to Dietary Cholesterol Feeding Exhibit Differences in Lipoprotein Metabolism

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences that occur within the plasma compartment of normolipidemic men, classified on the basis of their response to prolonged consumption of additional dietary cholesterol. Using a crossover design, 40 men aged 18-57 y were randomly allocated to an egg (640 mg/d additional dietary cholesterol) or placebo group (0 mg/d additional dietary cholesterol), for two 30-d periods, which were separated by a 3-wk washout period. Subjects were classified as hypo- [increase in plasma total cholesterol (TC) of or =0.06 mmol/L for each additional 100 mg of dietary cholesterol consumed) on the basis of their plasma reaction to the additional dietary cholesterol provided. Male hyporesponders did not experience an increase in LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) or HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) during the egg period, whereas both lipoproteins were significantly (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.05, respectively) elevated in hyperresponders. Although the LDL/HDL ratio was increased in male hyperresponders after the high cholesterol period, the mean increase experienced by this population was still within National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines. Furthermore, male hyperresponders had higher lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (P < 0.05) and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (P < 0.05) activities during the egg period, which suggests an increase in reverse cholesterol transport. These data suggest that additional dietary cholesterol does not increase the risk of developing an atherogenic lipoprotein profile in healthy men, regardless of their response classification.
Increasing risk of great floods in a changing climate

Radiative effects of anthropogenic changes in atmospheric composition are expected to cause climate changes, in particular an intensification of the global water cycle with a consequent increase in flood risk. But the detection of anthropogenically forced changes in flooding is difficult because of the substantial natural variability; the dependence of streamflow trends on flow regime further complicates the issue. Here we investigate the changes in risk of great floods--that is, floods with discharges exceeding 100-year levels from basins larger than 200,000 km(2)--using both streamflow measurements and numerical simulations of the anthropogenic climate change associated with greenhouse gases and direct radiative effects of sulphate aerosols. We find that the frequency of great floods increased substantially during the twentieth century. The recent emergence of a statistically significant positive trend in risk of great floods is consistent with results from the climate model, and the model suggests that the trend will continue.
Predictors of gait velocity among community-dwelling stroke survivors.

Introduction Gait velocity is an objective, fundamental indicator of post-stroke walking ability. Most stroke survivors have diminished aerobic endurance or paretic leg strength affecting their walking ability. Other reported underlying factors affecting gait velocity include functional disability, balance, cognitive impairment, or the distance they are required to walk.
Human amyloid precursor protein ameliorates behavioral deficit of flies deleted for Appl gene.

Abstract Drosophila amyloid precursor protein-like (Appl) gene encodes a protein product (APPL) similar to β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) associated with Alzheimer's disease. To understand the in vivo function of APPL protein, we have generated flies deleted for the Appl gene. These flies are viable, fertile, and morphologically normal, yet they exhibit subtle behavioral deficits. We show that a fast phototaxis defect in Appl − flies is partially rescued by transgenes expressing the wild-type, but not a mutant, APPL protein. We further demonstrate a functional homology between APPL and APP, since transgenes expressing human APP show a similar level of rescue as transgenes expressing fly APPL.
The influence of menopause and hormonal replacement therapyon body cell mass and body fat mass

Abstract OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine the efficacy of dietary calcium augmentation in the prevention of early postmenopausal bone density loss in comparison with hormonal replacement therapy and placebo. STUDY DESIGN: A three-arm parallel rnadomized trial comparing the ifluence of placebo, dietary calcium augmentation, and estrogen-progesterone-calcium in 118 women who were within 6 years of menopause was conducted. Dual phton absorptiometry was performed annually to measure lean and fat mass. In addition, the ratio of fat in the trunk/extremities was measured. RESULTS: Body weight increased in each group. The increase was statistically significant in the hormone replacement group (0.8 kg/year). the percent of body fat increased in each group from baseline measurements, with the greatest increase in the hormonal replacement group. There was a decline in the extremity/trunk ratio in the hormonal replacement group as a result of a relatively greater increase in the trunk fat mass. There was a rapid rate of loss in lean body mass that was equal among groups. CONCLUSIONS: Menopause is associatedwith a gain in fat mass and a loss of lean body mass, but these changes in body composition are not prevented by hormone replacement therapy.
Subjective Image Quality Evaluation of Image Compression Techniques

Image compression reduces the amount of data in digital images and, therefore, allows efficient storage, processing, and transmission of pictorial information. However, compression algorithms can degrade image quality by introducing artifacts, which may be unacceptable for users' tasks.This work examined the subjective effects of JPEG and wavelet compression algorithms on a series of medical images. Six digitized chest images were processed by each algorithm at various compression levels. Twelve radiologists rated the perceived image quality of the compressed images relative to the corresponding uncompressed images, as well as rated the acceptability of the compressed images for diagnostic purposes.The results indicate that subjective image quality and acceptability decreased with increasing compression levels; however, all images remained acceptable for diagnostic purposes. At high compression ratios, JPEG compressed images were judged less acceptable for diagnostic purposes than the wavelet compressed i...
Proactive Problem Patron Preparedness

Abstract It is not merely enough for a library to react to problem patrons and situations when and as they arise. Being prepared in advance and anticipation of those patrons and the situations they create is half the battle won. A discussion of problem patrons and various solutions when such problems manifest themselves provides a practical approach to maintaining order and security in the library. A proactive rather than reactive posture is especially encouraged.
Synthesis, Reactivity, and Ligand Properties of a Stable Alkyl Carbene

Stable tert-butyl diisopropylamino carbene is more nucleophilic but also more electrophilic than diamino carbenes; it undergoes cyclopropanation reactions and easily binds to metal fragments.
Cardiac tamponade from acute pericarditis associated with a cystic fibrosis (CF) lung infection

Abstract Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetically inherited autosomal recessive disease characterized by dehydration of the airway surface liquid and impaired mucociliary clearance leading to chronic respiratory infections, bronchiectasis and ultimately death from respiratory causes. Common pulmonary related complications resulting from bronchiectasis include pneumothorax and hemoptysis. A rare, seldom reported complication is acute pericarditis complicating cystic fibrosis. Our review of the literature identified only a single case of culture-proven purulent pericarditis attributed to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a patient receiving systemic corticosteroids. A second reported case of acute pericarditis in a CF patient was attributed to Mycoplasma pneumoniae which is a known cause of infectious-related pericarditis independent of CF. Both cases required open pericardial drainage with 1 fatality. Here we present a case of cardiac tamponade from a fibrinous pericardial effusion in a 21-year-old female as a complication of CF related parenchymal lung disease. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a non-infectious parapneumonic pericardial effusion causing near fatal cardiac tamponade as a complication of CF lung disease.
The femur in early human evolution

Uni- and multivariate analyses of 5 fossil and 215 extant hominoid femora show that two morphological patterns of hominid femora existed about two million years ago. Femora classified as Homo sp. indet. (KNMER 1472 and 1481) are more like Homo sapiens although not identical. Those classified as Australopithecus robustus (SK 82 and 97) and A. boisei (KNM-ER 1503) are similar to one another but uniquely different from any living hominoid. The strong mophological constrasts imply biomechanical and possible locomotor differences, although these are as yet unknown.
Discussion of The Value Relevance of Revenue for Internet Firms: Does Reporting Grossed-up or Barter Revenue Make a Difference?

The extent to which firms manipulate reported accounting numbers and the valuation implications of such manipulation are relevant to the deliberations of accounting policy makers as well as the present academic discourse on market efficiency and the consequences of firms' disclosure choices. Davis contributes to our understanding of these phenomena by evaluating the revenue disclosure policies of 272 Internet firms during the time period spanning the first quarter of 1998 and the last quarter of 2000 (846 firm-quarters). The primary results are: (1) revenues are incrementally value relevant vis-a-vis other accounting constructs (e.g., earnings and equity book value); (2) approximately 14% (18%) of sample firms include grossed-up (barter) revenue in their reported revenue; and, (3) the valuation multiples on revenues of firms that report grossed-up or barter revenue decline after the devaluation of Internet equities in April 2000 and the rate of decline is increasing in the level of individual investor following. Taken together these results lead Davis to conclude that managers of Internet firms have an incentive to overstate revenues, some managers respond to this incentive by reporting grossed-up or barter revenue and that potentially naive individual investors influence the pricing of these discretionary accounting choices.
Risk Factors Associated with Delayed Diagnosis of Acute Pulmonary Embolism

Abstract Background Prompt diagnosis and treatment of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is essential to reduce mortality. Risk factors for PE are well known, but factors associated with delayed diagnosis are less clear. Objective Our objective was to identify clinical factors associated with delayed diagnosis of patients with acute PE presenting to a tertiary-care emergency department (ED). Methods We studied 400 consecutive adults who presented to our ED with acute, symptomatic PE. All patients were diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) angiography. Early diagnosis was defined as CT diagnosis 12 h. Univariate and multiple logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with delayed diagnosis. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals are reported. Results The median time from arrival to diagnosis was 2.4 h (interquartile range 1.4–7.6), and 73 (18.3%) patients had delayed diagnosis. Patients aged > 65 years and those with coronary artery disease or congestive heart failure had longer times from ED arrival to CT diagnosis, whereas patients with recent immobility had shorter times. Patients diagnosed > 12 h were older and had higher rates of morbid obesity and coronary artery disease, whereas patients diagnosed Conclusions Older patients with cardiovascular comorbidities had longer times from ED arrival to CT diagnosis. Our data suggest that these patients represent more of a diagnostic challenge than those presenting with traditional risk factors for PE, such as tachycardia and recent immobilization. Physicians should consider these factors to diagnosis acute PE promptly in the ED.
Pharmacological and physiological properties of a putative ganglionic nicotinic receptor, α3β4, expressed in transfected eucaryotic cells

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits alpha 3 (PCA48E) and beta 4S (ZPC13) were expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK)-293 cells by calcium phosphate transfection. In the presence of atropine, acetylcholine (ACh) induced fast activating currents which exhibited desensitization and inward rectification. The EC50 for ACh was 202 +/- 32 microM with a Hill coefficient of 1.9 +/- 0.4. The rank order of nicotinic agonist potency was 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperozinium (DMPP) > cytisine = nicotine approximately equal to ACh. The maximal response elicited by DMPP was substantially less than that elicited by other agonists, suggesting that DMPP is a partial agonist. ACh (500 microM) responses were very effectively blocked by equimolar concentrations (100 microM) of the ganglionic antagonists d-tubocurarine, mecamylamine and hexamethonium. Equal concentrations of the potent muscle receptor antagonist decamethonium and the competitive antagonist dihydro-beta-erythroidine were much less effective. alpha bungaro-toxin (1 microM) had little effect on ACh-induced responses. This physiological and pharmacological profile is consistent with a ganglionic nicotinic response.